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 $XXX". In
many cases, that price is
inflated. Often you can find
similar items much cheaper
tah "$XXX" 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. |
