Tip One. Always read the listing very carefully and make sure that you know exactly what you are bidding for. If there is any doubt in your mind use the “Ask the Seller a Question” feature. For instance it is not unknown for someone to think they are buying a physical item such as a book only to discover what they have actually purchased is a downloadable file.

Tip Two. Whenever possible, pay by Paypal or credit card. Most credit card companies give their cardholders some type of protection against fraud. There is very little fraud on eBay, (less than .01% according to eBay) but it always pays to be careful. If you are buying an expensive item you should consider using an Escrow service. This is where a third party holds the money until both buyer and seller declare themselves happy with the deal.

Tip Three. Always check a seller’s feedback. Be wary of anyone with a low or or negative feedback. Just because someone has one or two negative feedbacks this may not be a bar; compare that to the number of positive feedbacks. For instance someone with over a thousand positive and 2 negative feedbacks would not be a worry but 2 out of 6 or 7 would be.

Tip Four. Once an auction is over and you have been notified that you are the successful bidder pay promptly. This way you will get praise from the seller in their feedback.

Tip Five. Always leave feedback for the seller. The whole trust system, the one that you rely on is based on the feedback so you owe it to everyone to submit it. However, do not submit feedback until you have actually received the goods and have had an opportunity to examine your purchase.

Tip Six. Check out the postage being charged. It is not unknown for sellers to put in a low opening or “Buy it Now” price but then add a high postage charge. This way they pay less listing and Final Value Fee as that is based on the selling price and not the shipping charge. I recently saw a book for sale on eBay at £1 a very fair price but the postage charge was £8! Which in total was more than the book would have cost at a bookshop

Tip Seven. Know the value of what you are buying. Just as in a real physical auction it is very easy to get carried away when bidding. There are many examples on eBay of
items costing more in an online auction than in local shops. If you are buying collectibles or other items that are not quite so easy to value it could be worth checking price guides to give you an idea of value.

Tip Eight. Don’t get carried away with your bidding. You may read that it is best to bid late, (this is called ‘Sniping’) and never be the one to put in an opening bid. I browse the auctions all the time and when I find something I am interested in I decide what I think it is worth and I then bid that amount. It does not matter if I am the first bidder or not. eBay will automatically enter your bid at the minimum acceptable level and raise it as other people make bids until it reaches you maximum bid price. If after that if you want to stay in the auction you will have to raise your bid. Recently I saw an item with an opening price of only 99p but I decided that to me it was worth £100 so I bid that amount. When the auction ended I had got the item for £37.50 a real bargain. There again on many other occasions the selling price goes way past what I would have been prepared to pay but at least I have not got swept along and found myself bidding more than I would really want to.

Tip Nine. Help the seller to get the items to you. You may only make one or two purchases a week, but the seller may make a hundred or more so if you are sending
them money or asking a question do include the item number, its titles and details of how to contact you. In the past I have received cheques in the post with no indication of what they are for and it has taken detective work to link up the payment with the purchase. In fact if you are buying regularly on eBay it is worth creating a little form that you can include with your payment giving the item details and your name and address.

Tip Ten. If you have not received an item that you have paid for after a reasonable time then contact the seller. In the UK I would expect to receive something I had paid for within 7 days. If you have paid by cheque the seller may wish to have the cheque clear through the bank before dispatching the goods. Unless it was for a big amount I dispatch the goods on receipt of the cheque and have never had a problem but some sellers are more cautious. Up to 1 million packets go missing each week at the Post Office and so the quicker you inform the seller of the non arrival the quicker they can start investigating at their end.

© 2003 Dave Bromley & Ezeeweb Solution Limited.

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