The newest craze with regard to shopping online is the use of auction sites such as eBay to buy and sell items. There are some additional concerns to consider when using eBay, but ultimately a buyer can find either stellar deals or unusual items that they would otherwise not find in a store. The first place to start when shopping on eBay is to conduct a search. There are so many active auctions that browsing through categories could prove to be a huge waste of time. Let's use an example: I want a new sterling silver and opal necklace, preferably with some sort of Celtic knot work in the design. If I were to go browsing through the jewelry section it could take me a decade to browse through all the sub-categories and auctions looking for that exact item. Selecting your search parameters is very important; sellers don't always use the same terminology or even correct spelling when posting their items. If I typed "Sterling Silver Natural Opal Necklace Celtic Knot" into the search bar, I'd probably get no results (which is true, upon testing!). Selecting your search parameters is very important; sellers don't always use the same terminology or even correct spelling when posting their items. If I simply searched for "silver necklace" I'd probably still get too many results to wade through. Pick the most important characteristics to search with: "silver opal necklace" (search on 10/18 returned 193 items). There are more ways to increase or decrease your chances of finding appropriate auctions under the "advanced search" options:
- Search headings and descriptions
- Search completed auctions
- Change search parameter to include "Any of these words" instead of "All of these words"
- Select certain categories to search in
- Select certain sellers to search
- Exclude other search terms
- Only show items from certain countries or listed with certain currencies
- Only show auctions with multiple items available or lots
- Only show certain payment options
- Only show items within certain price range, number of bids, or time limit
Cautions
To make sure you really are getting a good deal on eBay; there are a few things you need to watch. Every seller and buyer has feedback regarding each transaction. When considering an item it's a good idea to check the seller's feedback to make sure they can be trusted. Most importantly a lot of sellers have figured out that people tend to ignore or forget about the shipping costs so they list their item at $0.01 but then charge full retail price or more for shipping costs. An over-eager bidder will ignore the shipping charge listing and you cannot retract a bid. So if you win that item, it will cost you either more than retail price or serious consequences from eBay for failing to pay. Also many items will not be labeled as new, used, refurbished, or even properly working in the auction heading. Read every item listing in its entirety to make sure it's good enough for your needs. Nearly all listings are sold as is, no refunds unless the seller is a major company who chooses to honor a return policy. Even if they accept items for refund shipping costs will not be included and you will be required to pay the return shipping.
EBay can be a great place to find great deals or special treasures. Just be certain of what you're looking for - it's a popular site! And start your shopping early - you will likely have to wait for an auction to end and wait on shipment to arrive.
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