Getting
Great Deals on EBay
by: Lorraine Venner
I love getting a deal. I
try to smell them out from miles away. I love frequent garage sales,
flea markets, closeouts, and more -- but found that I could much better
by simply buying through online auctions - if I shop carefully.
Getting a deal out of EBay
auctions is an art. Buying from auctions can be a costly proposition
or a very economical option depending on your tactics. Buy wisely by
learning from my (sometimes costly) experiences.
1. Is the Seller Trustworthy?
Both EBay and Yahoo auctions
have seller ratings. Read these and their associated reviews. If the
seller has a great rating from buying and a poor one from selling, you
probably don't want to buy from them. Look at both praises and complaints
as they may or may not apply to what you are bidding on.
2. Read the Description Throughly
It is very easy to read what
you want to see in an Ebay auction rather than what is actually written
there. Read both what is in the Ebay description and what is NOT in
the description. Often your mind will want to fill in details with what
is your dream interpretation. You need to re-read the description until
you find out whether what you are searching for and what the seller
is selling match.
* Used or New?
Is the item you are buying
used or new? If it doesn't say new, you are most likely buying something
that is used.
* Real or Fake
Is the item you are interested
in "real" gold, sterling silver or pearls? For example, a
description saying: "gold necklace for sale" does NOT say
14 kt gold or 18kt gold. That most likely means a gold COLORED necklace
which may or may not have actual gold metal. This also applies to pearls
as many call plastic fake pearls simply "pearls".
If the seller is selling
beads, those beads could be plastic, glass, stone, scrap metal, crystal,
chips, wood, clay, gemstone or some other material.
* Item Details
Does the EBay description
really say how much you are getting, how long the item is, and quality
of the item? Selling by the pound can be a great deal - or a horrible
deal.
* Beware of Hidden Costs
Look at shipping and handling
costs. I've seen many penny auctions that have $13 or more shipping.
Some auctions even have handling fees.
* How Fast Will it Ship?
I've been seeing a fair amount
of auctions that note that the product will ship in 2 months or that
shipping time is 2 months. If you are buying for a particular holiday,
be sure that you will get the item in time.
3. Is it a Bargain For You?
Many times an EBay auction
will say that the items are "worth $Ebay". In many cases,
that price is inflated. Often you can find similar items much cheaper
tah "$Ebay" at normal stores. (However, the auction price
may still be cheaper than you can by elsewhere - it really helps to
know how much you usually pay for items!) If you are only interested
in some of the items in an auction, adjust your bid to reflect how much
you are willing to pay for just those items unless you plan to sell
the rest as that is how much you would pay for it elsewhere.
4. Auction Fever
Compare prices on the net
at the same time to avoid overpaying. Know that usually you can get
the item later elsewhere. Wise buyers know to walk away when the price
is higher than the item is worth to them.
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