In today's economy people are trying to save money in every way they can.  Try using our tips next time you visit EBAY.

BIDDING

Using Ebay's search pull up all the items which you are interested in purchasing.  At this point you should put each of these items into your My Ebay Watching  by clicking on the Watch This Item located just under the Bid button.  After getting your watching list together, start narrowing down by using the following:

     1.     Carefully read the item description - noting condition, size, age, etc.  Make sure the item is exactly what you are wanting to purchase.  Ask the seller questions if you are unsure of 

             anything!  Delete any items which are not exactly what you are looking for.

      2.    Next revisit the items which are left in your ebay watching.   This time read descriptions carefully looking for sellers which have special instructions for shipping, refunds, insurance ,

             or other conditions which you may find unacceptable.   Some of the things which I find unacceptable during this stage are:  excessive shipping and handling cost (check USPS.com if 

             you are unsure of approximate shipping cost), sellers which do not offer refunds (a reputable seller will stand behind what they sell), a seller which does not offer insurance (keep in 

             mind that insurance is for the seller - not the buyer),  sellers which do not offer local pick up, especially for large, heavy item, sellers which feel they are not responsible for anything

             other than selling the merchandise (reputable sellers are always responsible to their customers - you write their paycheck!), sellers which start the bidding out very low and then have

             a reserve (bidding should always start with the minimum amount the seller is willing to take), sellers with a high negative feedback rating, sellers which do not accept paypal.  

      3.    Now you can start your auction watch!  Do not bid - just watch the items which you are interested in.  Decide what your budget is willing to handle for each item you are interested in.

             Never place a bid without deciding on a maximum bid amount.  Getting caught up in a bidding war will only result in an over priced item.  Sooner or later everything appears again on

             ebay, it just might take longer to get the item you are interested in but when you do it will be at a price you can live with.  Make sure you are properly logged in 15 or more minutes 

             before the item is due to come off ebay.  Hitting your refresh button, wait until the last 1 minute before the end of the auction and then go in and bid using your maximum budgeted 

             amount.  Remember that odd amount bids will win more often - instead of bidding $20.00 - bid $20.78! 

By using these proven methods you will soon become a savy auction bidder!  Bidding days before an auction ends only increases the cost of the item by starting a bidding war that will only benefit the seller and you'll end up paying more than you actually wanted to pay.  I have seen people get into bidding wars and pay more for the same item they could have bought on a BUY IT NOW fixed price auction.  Unless it is an item which I can't live without (yeah, right) I never bid on a reserve auction - I don't have the time to waste guessing what the least amount the seller is willing to take. If you've ever been to an auction locally, you'll notice that the auctioneer always starts the auction bidding at an amount that will end with a sale even if it is the only bid on the item.  Ebay would be better off following this practice.  No one wants to sit around waiting for an auction they have bid on to end just so they can find out that they didn't win because no one bid high enough! ALWAYS, ALWAYS pay for ebay auctions using paypal.  Even when a seller states that they do not give refunds - paypal will give you a refund if the merchandise is damaged, misrepresented or not as described, not received, etc.  Paypal is there for your benefit - make sure you use it!  It's free for you as a buyer.  I usually shy away for sellers that sound hateful in when listing their conditions for the auctions - I'm not spending my hard earned money with anyone that sounds unpleasant - I may have to deal with them later for a problem and I really don't like dealing with hateful people.  I don't buy from sellers that list their items as RHTF (rare hard to find) when I was able to locate lots of the same items up for auction.  If they will lie about the availability of the item then they can't be trusted to tell the truth about the condition of the item!  It may be that they did not research the item before they listed it however, I don't want to buy an item just to find out if the seller was lying or just lazy.  By watching merchandise, choosing your sellers wisely, staying out of bidding wars, paying for your purchases with a proven shopping cart, you'll find that you can save a great deal of money on your purchases!  

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