Ebay tips
>> Saturday, October 4, 2008
Ok, as I've mentioned in the previous post. Here are some ebay tips that I've gathered. I'm no expert but these are just common sense things you should take into account.
Buying Guide:
Buying Guide:
- Know your product: Do your research on your product. Especially if you've never seen it. Search the web for pics or even better, reviews by people who have used it.
- Do not bid: On the first item you see. There could be other items with a lower price on the next page. When searching for the item, try using different combinations. You'll come up with different results. E.g. looking for a bicycle, type "bicycle" or "bike".
- Research your supplier: Check their history. You can always view their ratings. Read some of the positive and negative comments. Sometimes the negative comments aren't as bad as you might think. Ask, ask and ask questions to the supplier. Recheck the postage and options for combine posting. If the supplier doesn't seem to be interested in replying your messages its a good sign they're not that competent.
- Sniping: Yeah, it's exactly what you think. Except it doesn't kill you(literally). It's when someone outbids you in the last min. and NO, it's not a coincidence. When bidding ,its best to set alerts through ebay's alert system(email, mobile). 'Cos even though you've checked it an hour before the deadline and you're still the highest bidder, if its a sought after item someone will bid on the last min(even seconds) before the bid closes. But if you lose, don't take it to heart. Its one of the ebay 'experience'.
- Check the sellers location: Hmmm..I've never seen a seller from Brunei on ebay. Then again, they might not be the sellers I usually search for. Anyway, location is important. It determines the postage. Simple maths. A supplier from Brunei will charge less for postage than one from U.S.
- Don't Bid: If you don't intend to pay. Some buyers bid then retract their bids. You will be reported to ebay.
- Open a Paypal account: Ebay gives you the opportunity to use Paypal to pay for your items. The best part is, it's free to open an account. In addition, your payment is insured by Paypal. Other payment methods(money order, direct deposit) are not.
