How to Find Great Deals at eBay

Everyone loves a great deal! Many people spend

quite a bit of time searching for good deals on the

items that they want and need – and when they find

those deals, they experience a certain amount of

satisfaction. These people typically haunt garage

sales, stores that are holding sales, wholesale

warehouses, flea markets, and especially online

and offline auctions. With the incredible number of

auctions that are constantly going on at eBay, it

can be difficult to find the items you want, at the

price you want to pay. But it isn’t impossible to find

great deals!

There are steps you can take to ensure that you are

getting a great deal on the items you purchase

through eBay. In fact, these same steps will also

help to protect you against fraud. Participating in

online auctions is a great deal of fun, but you must

use caution as well. This caution entails doing your

research before you place any bids.

Start with the auction in question. Make sure that

you read every word of the description and the

auction details. You can never have too much

information – especially if that information is

about an individual that you may be doing business

with. Pay special attention to what the description

and auction details do not say. For instance, is a

guarantee mentioned? Is the item new? Is it

authentic? Is there proof of authenticity? Look for

auctions that provide the right information – and

the right amount of information. Avoid those that

do not.

Who will pay the shipping and handling costs? Often,

the buyer pays these costs, and sometimes, the

seller tries to charge more than the actual shipping

and handling costs are. Beware of high shipping

costs, especially for items that will be auctioned

off at a very low price. Also note when the item is

supposed to ship after the bidding has ended.

Depending on what you are trying to purchase the

item for, it may not arrive in time.

Don’t make the mistake of bidding on an item simply

because it is a ‘good deal.’ It is only a good deal for

you if the item is something that you really want or

need. Many people simply bid for the sake of

bidding – or winning – without having any real need

or desire for the item in question. Before bidding on

items that you do want or need, check prices

around the Internet and the prices available from

offline sources as well. Just because it is on eBay

does not guarantee that it is the cheapest price

available!

Finally, learn more about the seller. Can you trust

them? What is their rating? Read their feedback

page! Failure to learn more about the seller can be

costly. Not everyone is as honest as you are – and

the seller may be trying to take advantage of people

that simply don’t know enough to find out more

about them. Sometimes scammers make their

auctions sound like really great deals. Beware of

prices that seem extremely low!