How to Make Sure Your EBay Bargains Are Really Bargains

I think you'll agree most people like to find bargains on things they want or need. Many buyers get a lot of satisfaction out of finding deals and then being able to recount their successes not only to themselves but anyone else they can find.

These people are the ones that go to yard sales, swap meets, probate sales and of course to the stores that are holding the best sales. They also attend live auctions as well as the ones online looking for bargains. eBay is a favorite place for these extreme bargain hunters as they can hunt for bargains 24 hours a day and there is always something that appears to be a bargain. It's also a place where its easy to get caught up in an auction and go overboard. When I first started buying things on eBay I bought a number of things I kicked myself for buying. I've got friends who still buy things they really don't need even though they know better.

It's a fact that there are a lot of great bargains on eBay. The problem is making sure they are really a bargain for you. To test for a bargain look at this description. Is it something that you really need for yourself, something to give to someone else who could really use it or an item you can resell or trade at a profit? If you're bidding on something that doesn't fit in these guide lines it may not be a bargain.

Along with testing for bargains, caution is a must when bidding on eBay. Some guidelines to follow are:

1. Research the item price-Check the price of the item elsewhere. Sometimes you can find the same item at a lower price in an online or offline store sale. You may find it elsewhere with free shipping or where you can pick it up and the total price will be lower.

2. Description of item-Be sure to read every word of the description and especially between the lines. Is it new and in original box? Is there any proof that it's authentic? Is there a guarantee? If there is a word or phrase describing the item you are familiar with be sure to find out the exact meaning. For instance barely used, slightly used and almost new sound similar but a barely used item could be 10 years old or obsolete. If you have any questions at all about an item don't bid until you're satisfied you know exactly what you're bidding on.

3. Shipping and handling costs-Most of the time these are paid by the buyer so you need to know you're not getting ripped off by a seller trying to make his profit on the shipping and handling costs. Check the closed auctions to get an idea of what others charged for similar items. Shipping costs are easy to find out and you can estimate what you think the handling cost should be. If these seem too high you can ask the seller if he'll reduce them or just skip that auction. Make sure you know when your item will be shipped.

3. Return policies-These are important things to know. What do you do if you get an item that's damaged or not what you it was supposed to be? Make sure you can return something that's not correct and in good condition..

4. Research the seller-This is one of the most important parts of bidding online. Beware of auctions that seem too good to be true. Check the feed back and make sure this person is who he says he is. If you need more reassurance send him an email asking whatever questions you have. If you don't get the answers you're looking for skip that auction. There are plenty more to choose from.

5. Research the auction-While this article is mostly about eBay there are a lot of other auctions online. If you decide to participate in one you're not familiar with you need to do a lot of research. Check with forums to ask about other peoples experiences or see what other people have written about them.

While the guidelines above are common sense things to do when you buy at an auction, the most important is for you to not get caught up in bargain fever. Remember the description of a bargain and then apply the guidelines so the bargains you get are really bargains. If you already have some non-bargain items put them back on eBay and maybe you'll catch a bargain hunter that's still unaware of how to buy a bargain.

If you want to learn more about eBay here are a couple of good sources.

http://pages.ebay.com/aboutebay.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay