Welcome to my guide on how to be a successful and smart buyer on the online bidding website, eBay. eBay is the only site of its kind, and is extremely popular. For this guide, you need an eBay account linked to your credit card or PayPal account.
Lets say you want to buy an Apple iPod Touch (for the purposes of this article, I will use an Apple iPod Touch throughout). In stores, it costs around $299. Pretty crazy right? But on eBay, you can buy items that have been preused, items straight from the manufacturer, etc. First, you have to scan other online sites for info on what prices they give. Check sites like Amazon, review sites that might contain pricing, and other physical stores like Walmart. Once you have gathered a list of prices together, average them. That price is what I call the "online price." If the iPod Touch is $299, the online price for this demonstration would be around $275. Now it is time to go on eBay. Your first goal is to make the price range $0.01 to $275. You want to find an iPod that is lower than the average price of other online stores.
Once you have set the price range, refine your search so that instead of "Best Match," you are looking for "Price + Shipping: Lowest First." You will probably get a list of parts at first, but keep scrolling through the pages until you find the actual iPods. Once you see one you like, click it! Before you even think about bidding and buying, go through a checklist in your head. "Is the price of this item well lower than the online price?" "Does this seller have a great feedback score?" "Is the item in exceptional condition?" Answer all these questions.
Lets say you want to buy an Apple iPod Touch (for the purposes of this article, I will use an Apple iPod Touch throughout). In stores, it costs around $299. Pretty crazy right? But on eBay, you can buy items that have been preused, items straight from the manufacturer, etc. First, you have to scan other online sites for info on what prices they give. Check sites like Amazon, review sites that might contain pricing, and other physical stores like Walmart. Once you have gathered a list of prices together, average them. That price is what I call the "online price." If the iPod Touch is $299, the online price for this demonstration would be around $275. Now it is time to go on eBay. Your first goal is to make the price range $0.01 to $275. You want to find an iPod that is lower than the average price of other online stores.
Once you have set the price range, refine your search so that instead of "Best Match," you are looking for "Price + Shipping: Lowest First." You will probably get a list of parts at first, but keep scrolling through the pages until you find the actual iPods. Once you see one you like, click it! Before you even think about bidding and buying, go through a checklist in your head. "Is the price of this item well lower than the online price?" "Does this seller have a great feedback score?" "Is the item in exceptional condition?" Answer all these questions.
The next step is to do a "backround check." Read the seller's feedback in detail *especially the negative* and look at the pictures he posted (if they are not stock photos). Next, READ THE DESCRIPTION!!! Sellers usually try to hide things in the description that they will not say anywhere else. After looking at all the positive things he has to say about his item, read any flaws that he listed. Does the item have all original parts? Does the item work fully? Is it in its original packaging? Ask yourself questions like these and make sure you know the answer. If you keep saying "I don't know" or "It does not say" then do not buy the item! You have to know what you are getting. Repeat this process until you find the perfect match to what you want! Thanks for reading, and happy buying!
Lastly: Make sure you pay promptly and leave the seller feedback as soon as you receive your item. Be a responsible buyer!
My blog: http://bobberfrank08.blogspot.com/
My eBay buyer feedback: http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=bobjonson333&ftab=FeedbackAsBuyer
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