Helpful Tips when buying on eBay

Why this guide?This short guide will (hopefully!) provide you with a few tips tomake your eBay shopping experience more enjoyable and successful.What makes me an expert?I don't tout myself as an expert, but I've bought and sold enoughitems on eBay to have learnt a few things along the way. I'vebeen asked to share a few of these hints by friends and family, andthought that you might find it interesting.The tips.... Set your maximum. It sounds obvious, but think of the maximum you want to pay, and enterit as your maximum bid for the item you want. Your winning pricemay be less than the maximum you set - eBay is smart enough to bid onlythe amount needed to win the item, up to your maximum. Review your email as often as possible. If you are outbid on an item, you'll be sent an outbid notice byeBay. Check your mail as often as practical. If you reallywant to stay in touch, consider using the eBay Wireless Alerts to your phone, PDA or pager. Click here to read more. Research your item. You don't want to be disappointed with your purchase, so it's up to youto make sure you've researched your item before you buy. As anexample, a particular camera may be a great buy on eBay, however if itdoesn't have the features you want, then you should look at othermodels. Research the seller's reputation In my experience 99.9% of transactions on eBay seem to gosmoothly. Sellers and buyers are almost always genuine, but it'sup to you to make sure you are happy with the seller before you bid. Check the sellers feedback rating. Go through some of the feedback and read the content. For extra protection you might consider Escrow services. Research the seller's location eBay allows sellers from other countries to list items on theAustralian site. Why not? It provides us with more products andopportunities, and that's good for competition. Before you bid,check the seller's location, and consider the following: Is the postage to my location shown? If not, ask the sellerbefore bidding. There's no point getting upset because you foundout AFTER you've bought the item that the postage is high. Will the item incur taxes on import? Some expensive itemswill be subject to duties or GST. You need to be aware of thesethings! Can I import the item? Make sure that the item you intend to buy can be legally imported. Will the item work? If the product is main powered, make sure it will work in Australia. What warranty will I have? Consider what will happen if yourpurchase (especially for electronic devices) stops working or has afault in 12 months time. Is the warranty valid here? Can I get itrepaired? Make sure you can pay! Again - sounds obvious, however if you intend to bid on an item, beprepared to buy and pay for it. If you have a budget, thendon't go over it! Open a PayPal account PayPal accounts allow you to use your credit cards for payment withoutproviding the details to sellers, and allow you to use your credit cardfor items where the seller doesn't have credit card facilities. PayPal will also make international transactions so much easier,because PayPal converts the currency for you. Best of all, it'sfree for the buyer! Of course, you need to check that the seller accepts PayPal! Click here to read more. Do you need to jump right in? If you are prepared to wait for a day or so, sometimes it's worthsearching for the item you are interested in, and adding it to yourwatch list. In this way you can see how much items are being soldfor, and you can determine whether your budget is realistic. This will obviously depend on whether the item you are trying to buy isunique, or plentiful. If your desired purchase is a once in alifetime car or collectable, then you may need to act quickly. REALLY Search for what you want. Many folks will search for an item using the excellent eBay searchfacility. That's a great start, but consider the following: Did you also search on the item description? Did you think about punctuation? For example "Rip Curl" and "RipCurl" will produce different results Did you search "Worldwide"? Sometimes the item you want can be bought from another country To narrow large search results, and to get exactly what youare looking for, try using the "Finders" which appear on the left incertain categories. Check the Postage Charges Many sellers will include the postage or delivery charges in theirlisting. Consider the these charges when setting yourbudget. Postage charges can vary between sellers for the sameitem, and will make a difference to the end price you pay for the item. If postage charges are not listed, then ask the seller for an estimate before you bid. Try "Buy It Now" If you want that item now, then look at listings which allow you to"Buy It Now". Some sellers also offer Express Post, so look forthe "Get It Fast" logo. When browsing categories or searchingitems, you can display "All Results", "Auctions" or "Buy It Now".Look the the tabs across the top of your search results. Ask the Seller a Question If you are not sure about any aspect of the sale, you shouldas the seller a question. Most sellers will be happy to respondto a genuine enquiry - after all, you are a potential buyer! How to ask the seller I hope this helps make your eBay experience more enjoyable! Happy bidding!My other guides are:My eBay Buying TipsTyre Markings Explained Buying Wheels for your HQ, HJ, HX, HZ or WB Holden eBay Searching Tips