Ten Tips to Get Started
You've heard the buzz for years and now you're ready to take
the plunge. You type eBay.com into your web browser and once
the page loads, you're ready to sign up as a buyer. Click on
register and begin filling in the requested info. All you need
now is to begin looking for the items you want. I've outlined
ten simple things you can do to make your eBay shopping a
terrific experience.
1. Your best friend on eBay is the search function. If you
know specifically what you are looking for, type the exact
name in quotes, i.e., "da vinci code". Click the
search item description box and hit enter. This will search
all of eBay for any item that matches your search criteria. If
you are looking for something, such as a category of items to
choose from, i.e., a new turkey platter, type that in the
search box. You can also add keywords such as plain, large,
silver, stoneware, etc. Always try to use keywords that say
specifically what you are looking for.
2. Before bidding on any item, read all of the auction terms.
Make sure you understand exactly what you are looking at, how
the seller expects to get paid and what shipping charges are.
If you have questions, use the 'ask the seller a question'
link to request more information from the seller. If you don't
receive a reply, don't bid.
3. Check the seller's feedback. While many high volume sellers
do have some negative feedback, that percentage will be very
low. Do not bid on any auction where the seller has a large
percentage of negative or neutral feedback. It's not worth the
risk of losing your money.
4. Bid only as much as you're willing to pay for the item.
When deciding on an amount, be sure and factor shipping costs
into the price. An item that sells for ninety-nine cents isn't
much of a bargain if it's only worth two dollars and shipping
is ten.
5. If you're not ready to bid, place the item in your watch
list on your My eBay page. This way you can watch many similar
items and see how others are bidding. eBay will send email
notifications to you when the item has twenty-four hours left
and again when it has five.
6. Don't assume that because you have the highest bid in the
last five minutes of the auction that you have won the item.
Many experienced eBay bidders use a bid procedure known as
sniping to try to win auctions. This method means that they
bid at the last possible second, and many use software or
online sniping programs to accomplish this. Sniping is
perfectly acceptable by eBay and while you may get frustrated
by this, know in advance that it may happen.
7. Once you've won an item, be sure and pay your seller
promptly. This will help you earn a reputation as a good eBay
buyer. Most buyers do leave feedback, although many will wait
until you have received your item and left feedback for them.
8. Be sure and leave feedback for your seller. Be truthful, if
the item was exactly what the seller claimed and arrived in a
timely manner, leave a positive remark such as 'good seller,
would buy from again' or something along those lines.
9. If the item wasn't what you expected, go back and reread
the ad before leaving a neutral or a negative remark. Make
sure that you read the listing correctly. Leaving a negative
remark can lead to you getting a negative in return.
10. Many sellers prefer PayPal payments and if plan to do a
lot of shopping on eBay, it is recommended that you open a
PayPal account. It is free for the buyer and all you need is a
checking account. PayPal takes a few days to set up
completely, but once done, you will find that your eBay
shopping experiences will go much faster and you'll receive
your items sooner than if paid for by check or money order.
|
