Tips for Finding Bargains on EBay
Find Deals and Steals at Auction Online by Shopping Smart
If you're a savvy shopper, finding a steal of a deal on EBay is as simple as following these simple guidelines.
Ebay is a buyer's market with unique and hard to find items just waiting to be purchased. With a few simple tips, the educated buyer can snag unbelievable deals and possibly even turn a profit.
Shop at Unusual Hours
While professional sellers often list their items so the auctions end during peak hours on peak nights, amateurs or casual sellers don't always take this into consideration. The busiest night of the week for auctions to end is Sunday night. Try shopping for auctions ending between two and four in the morning, or before noon on a Monday or Tuesday. Look for auctions where the listing doesn't span a weekend.
Buy Wholesale or in Lots
Look for items that can be bought in bulk in order to save on shipping or get them at a lesser price. Who really needs 15 bottles of french perfume? Relist the other 14 on Ebay and sell them individually. At least the initial investment can be made back, leaving the buyer with an essentially free item. It's possible to resell unwanted items, individually rather than in a lot, for a profit. If reselling isn't an appealing thought, consider gifting the extra items to friends or family on holidays or birthdays.
Search for Spelling Errors and Bad Listings
For some people, Ebay is barely a hobby, and very little time is put into crafting a careful auction. A buyer should consider the items they're interested in, and think about possible misspellings. For Strawberry Shortcake Dolls, search strawbarry, or strwberry. One might be surprised in the common errors found that prevent an auction from showing up on most searches, making it available at a lower price.
If a buyer is willing to take a gamble, they should consider purchasing items that are listed without pictures. The rare seller who doesn't have a digital camera is going to take a significant loss from the average buyer, but if someone willing to run the risk of purchasing an item sight unseen, they may score a nice price on a needed item.
Bid in Odd Increments
If a buyer finds themself in a bidding war, they should be crafty. Usually people bid in rounded numbers, $10.50 or $20.00. Set the proxy bid at an odd number like $22.72. This will increase the level of difficulty for someone else to "guess" the number needed to win and narrowly place a winning bid.
Resist Temptation to Bid Early
No matter how desirable an item is, put off bidding until the last minute before the auction ends if possible. By bidding early, a buyer is just alerting other potential bidders that they're interested. By waiting until the last thirty seconds of the auction, the item may very well be successfully yanked out from under another buyer at a low price.
In the rare occasion that an auction goes awry, or results in the need for a refund, check out Filing a PayPal Dispute.
