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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 kit 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.
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