As you may already know, eBay is a great place to get some fantastic deals on new and used items (not just overpriced Missoni for Target stuff) from all around the US and beyond.
Now I don't claim to be some kind of eBay-ing expert, but the items I've had my heart set on, I've won, so I wanted to share some tips and tricks to get the best eBay experience you can. (If you have a different approach, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!)
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| My most recent eBay acquisition - $56+shipping (retails for $115) |
What are you looking for?
When performing your search, it's important to use common wording to produce a good amount of results, but specific enough that you don't have to peruse through hundreds of pages. If you don't have anything specific in mind, you're just shopping, use the categories on the left to narrow down your search. (Their handbag search is pretty phenomenal. You can narrow down by color, brand, style, price, new and used, etc.)
Watch list - Once you've found your desired item(s), place it on your watch list. This option is located just below the "Place bid" button.
How much do you want to pay?
WAIT! DON'T PLACE YOUR BID JUST YET! In my opinion, bidding on an item days or weeks before the auction ends just raises the price. The idea here is to pay as little as possible, right? Yes. So, let's NOT do this, mmkay?
Decide what the max is that you will spend on this particular item. You can look to similar auctions ending soon to decipher what a similar item will sell for. Remember this number - YOUR max. It's important to have a dollar amount in mind ahead of time because you may get caught up in "the moment" when bidding and continue to raise your bid, going over what you actually want to spend. Remember - once you win an item, you are obligated to pay for it.* Also, pay attention to the shipping costs, if applicable, and figure that into your max amount.
Return policy - Make sure you check out the Seller's return policy, if you think there's any possibility you may want to return an item (fit of clothing, shoes, etc.). I typically will not purchase from a Seller that doesn't have any sort of return policy. This is entirely up to you, though. The Seller's return policy is listed under the "Shipping and payments" tab, to the right of the "Description" tab.
Time left - Make note of how much time is left on the auction. The date and time will be listed in military, Pacific Time. I will then make a calendar entry with reminder for an hour or so BEFORE the ending time (in my time zone). Something like "STALK HUNTER BOOTS!!!" (FYI - Pacific Time is 3 hours earlier than Eastern Time, 2 hours earlier than Central Time, and 1 hour earlier than Mountain Time. Example: If it's 9 AM Pacific Time, it's 12 PM Eastern Time, 11 AM Central Time, and 10 AM Mountain Time.) eBay will send you an email reminder that the item(s) on your Watch List are ending soon, but if you really want this item don't rely on eBay; make your own reminder.
Bidding - OK, so it's an hour or so before your item's auction ends. Hop on a computer (I don't suggest doing this on your phone) and log into your account. Has the selling price already met and/or surpassed your max? On to the next one. If not, here comes the boring part. But first, some info about bidding - when placing your bidding, you can do so little by little (usually by the dollar) or you can enter your "max bid" and eBay will increase your bid little by little for you (until it reaches your max, at which point you will be outbid). I don't use this feature, because once again, I believe this only raises the price. I usually wait about 10 minutes before the auction is ending to place my 1st bid. Usually I have to place several bids over and over because I'm constantly being outbid (by the computer). Here's the trick though - I don't think anyone is sitting in front of the computer, literally watching the time count down - that gives me the advantage.
You've won!
Remember when I said once you win an item, you are obligated to pay for it? Here's where the * comes in, *you DO have the option to NOT make your payment. The Seller will then have the option to sell the item to the next highest bidder or re-list the item. However, Sellers AND Buyers have a "rating" which is affected by other Sellers and Buyers in dealings with Sellers and Buyers. (Are you confused yet?) Some Sellers won't even sell to Buyers without a rating, much less a negative one. You do not want a bad rating! This will make it difficult to purchase anything from eBay, so make sure that when you bid on an item, you are willing to spend the dough for it.
Submitting payment - The Seller decides what form of payment they will accept. This information can also be found under the "Shippping and payments" tab. Some Sellers only accept PayPal, so pay attention to this information before you bid. If you don't have a PayPal account, ummmm... why don't you have a PayPal account?! You can easily create one for FREE. Your PayPal account can be linked to your checking account or any credit card. (Sorry, your Jewel card won't work here.) I like to pay ASAP so I can get good feedback from the Seller. Also, the sooner I pay, the sooner my item will be shipped, and the sooner I can hold it in my hands and tell it how happy I am to see it!
Feedback - Once your receive your item, it is suggested that you leave feedback for your Seller. I'm pretty sure you have 3 options for feedback - Positive, Neutral and Negative, and you are forced to leave a message. (I don't have any items for which to leave feedback so I cannot confirm all options.) I've never had a reason to use Neutral or Negative. My feedback looks something like this -
If you have any issues, contact the seller first before leaving negative feedback. I like to give the Seller an opportunity to make things right before I mess with their rating. How do you contact the seller? Go to your "My eBay" page and click on the "Purchase History" option under "Summary" under the "Activity" tab.
All the way to the right, in the listing of the purchased item, you'll see "More Actions" with a down arrow. Click the down arrow and choose "Contact seller".
You will have to choose a topic and upon doing so, will provided with a few answers and asked if the answer was provided. At that point, you can select "No" and be directed to a form to email the Seller. Address your issues and perhaps offer a resolution. Remember the Seller has the opportunity to provide feedback on dealings with you, as a Buyer, as well. Also keep in mind, you are most-likely dealing with an individual, not a corporation. There's no need to go all 99% on them.
Happy eBay-ing!
(Note: some items are not listed as an auction but have the "Buy It Now" option and/or the "Make Offer" option. Pretty self-explanatory, but if you have any questions about either of these, feel free to leave them in the comments or shoot me an email.)
