Save a Ton of Money Buying New Wedding Items on Ebay

Planning your wedding? Want to save a ton of cash? Do it on ebay!

You could save hundreds and thousands of dollars on NEW wedding items if you spend time looking at the wedding stores on ebay. It's as simple as typing www.ebay.com into your browser and typing into the search box at the top of the page whatever item you are in need of (i.e. guest book, flowergirl basket, ring pillow).

The three common misconceptions most ebay-shy people have is that everything is "used", everything is an "auction" and finally, "I'm going to get ripped off."

Let's start with misconception one - everything is used. Unless the listing says "used", the item is NOT used. Most of the ebay wedding stores that carry only wedding items only carry new items. If you want to know for sure if something is new, use the "Ask Seller a Question" option on the right side of the listing.

Misconception two - everything is an auction. There are three types of listings on ebay. Auction, fixed price and store listings. An auction is when you "bid" on an item and if you have the highest bid when the auction ends (most are 7-day auctions). Fixed price and store listings are a fixed price that you can use the "Buy it now" button to purchase right then and there for the price listed. Some stores also have "make an offer" options on their listings.

If you would like to be sure to get a new item at a "Fixed Price" you can shop at ebay Express (www.express.ebay.com) where all items are new and at fixed price.

Misconception three - "I'm going to get ripped off." When you start to look at some of these stores, be sure to look at the "Feedback" of the seller. You can do this by clicking on the link next to the seller's ebay ID in the "Meet the Seller" box on the right side of the listing. You can trust a seller with a high positive feedback percentage and also PowerSellers are a good way to go. A PowerSeller has to reach certain criteria to be labeled as such and you can trust that ebay does adhere to the criteria. Another thing to look for in some stores is a notice that states when you pay by PayPal, your purchase is guaranteed up to $1,000.

Once you get over the ebay anxiety, you can find everything for your ceremony, reception, bridal shower, bachelorette party and honeymoon at ridiculous prices. There are ebay stores that carry all of the wedding collections, such as Lillian Rose, Beverly Clark, Simply Charming, Cathy's Concepts and Zaza Collections for 20 to 50% less than you would find at an expensive bridal store or website.

Some of the stores even have wonderful bridal party gift items. A lot of them offer free personalization, free shipping or discounted shipping if you purchase multiple items from their store. So, after you perform a search, be sure to look at the seller's store for other items you might need!

Along with carrying all four of the above mentioned wedding accessory collections at a fraction of the cost, Zaza Collections (click here to go) has rhinestone totes for the bridal party for $10-$14! They have the word Bridesmaid, Maid of Honor, Flowergirl, Mother of the Bride and other wedding party words written in shiny rhinestone on the front of a tote bag. These would easily be over $20 in a store! They also carry the original Wedding Day Emergency Kit^TM for the bride, groom, bridesmaids and maid of honor!

Here are some tips for performing searches on ebay and ebay express:

-Type in exactly what you are looking for. For example, if you want an ivory flower girl basket, type in those exact words. A lot of the stores use a different spelling for flower girl (flowergirl), so be sure to try both.

-When the listings come up, they are automatically sorted by what listings are ending soon. You can change this setting to list by price by clicking on the word "Price" (it is written in blue and underlined).

-At the end of the page of listings, there is a link that says "See additional Buy It Now items from eBay Store sellers." Be sure to click on that to see all of your options. Also, when you shop in the store, you will be able to purchase more than one of the item (if they offer more than one) which you won't be able to do on an auction or fixed price listing.

-If you are having a theme wedding, type in the theme and then the word wedding (beach theme wedding) into the search box! You would be amazed what unique things you will find!

If you don't find what you were looking for, be sure to contact a seller from one of the ebay wedding stores to see if they can find it for you!

If you are not comfortable shopping on ebay, just try one item out and see how it goes. It's worth it!