Tips for Buying on EBay

eBay is a huge marketplace where just about every product imaginable can be found in one easy-to-use place. Imagine walking in to a huge wholesale warehouse where everything you could ever want or need is on the shelf. This is exactly what eBay is, and huge discounts can be found on millions of products. Whether you are looking for a new cell phone or a computer or a baseball cap or a silver coin with the image of rooster on it (okay that last one may not exist), the point is that you can find everything.

In order to purchase any products you will need two things to get started. First you will need to set up an eBay account. This is a very similar process, not unlike any other website. You will need a valid e-mail address, a user name and a password. They may ask for additional information, but never anything compromising such as a social security number. Second, for most items, you will need a PayPal account. This is also very simple to set up with an e-mail address, user name and password. PayPal differs though, that in order to enhance your account, such as becoming verified, which will be very beneficial, you will need to provide additional information. PayPal offers several methods to do this, one being by providing bank account information and the other by providing your social security number. PayPal is a very reputable and safe company, so you have very little to worry about in the form of identity theft.

The great thing about PayPal is that you can set up your bank account to fund your PayPal account, that way when you make a purchase, the money to pay for the product is automatically withdrawn from your bank. Likewise any money you make selling items using eBay can be directly deposited into your bank from your PayPal account, but that is for another article.

eBay has a very powerful search engine, by typing the name or description of the product you are looking for, you will usually be able to view hundreds or even thousands of products currently for sale. The main premise behind eBay is that it is an auction, so in some cases the bidding can become very competitive with prices souring way above retail, but this is not necessarily anything you will have to worry about unless trying to purchase a rare product. The search results page will give you basic information, such as the current bid price, the time left until the auction is over and a brief description of the product. By clicking the product link (blue) or the image on the left you can view the complete details of the product and the seller. This is where the important information is found and you must always pay close attention to what is here.

When you enter the full description page it can seem overwhelming at first, but if you know your way around it is very organized. On the top left, in a blue box, you will find all the auction information; how much the current bid is, the minimum allowed for a new bid (usually $5 increments), shipping costs if any and other information. On the top right you will find the "Meet the Seller" section. This is a very important part of the auction page. In this section you can see how many items the seller has sold, what level member they are (denoted by colored stars), what their feedback rating is (the feedback rating is based on actual customer reviews of purchases made, it is crucial that you only buy from a seller with a high rating, generally speaking anything above 95% is good). You can choose to view all the detailed feedback if you like, take some time and read through some of the comments. Most sellers have other items for sale or even an on line store, both links can be found in this section.

Now to move down the page. It is important to know exactly what you are bidding on, so scroll down the page and read EVERYTHING, EVERY TIME. The product description will not only give you the specifics of the item but also if anything else is included or offered as an extra (for additional charges).

I suggest that when looking for a particular product, view as many as possible, you can add them to your watch list, the link to add an item is in the blue box with the auction information. Later, after you have found several auctions you are interested in, you can click on the My eBay button at the very top of the screen to see your watch list and compare the items.

I hope you have found this article useful. Happy shopping.