I’ve made some bad purchases from ebay over the years, some great and some where I was just lucky. Here is a guide to help you along the way. Don’t blame me though for any disasters! Use at your own risk.
Research
Research other sources before you buy from ebay. Goods often sell on ebay for the same or bizarrely even more value than what they are elsewhere. Plus secondhand goods selling for sums that they worth secondhand a few years back, but not today.
Recently I was researching a particular model of graphics card. An ancient card by today’s standards and what did I find? Two reasonable options where I probably could purchase it for a fiver all in and numerous other options where ‘buy it nows’ were double that price with ridiculous postage.
On a side note it’s the same for non-tech items such as ‘lush’ goods (those overwhelming soaps, bath items etc). I’ve seen them selling for more value, than if you were to walk into a lush retailer yourself.
Patience
That leads onto patience. When researching a particular item, especially older items it’s tempting to purchase one of the few available at an over-valued price. Are there alternatives available at cheaper costs that are as good? Perhaps just waiting a week or two for new auction’s and you will reap the benefits of patience.
Set your limit
I always set my limit days before an auction ends and I won’t change it, regardless of how the bidding is going on the day. That way what I pay or in many cases don’t pay reflects what I felt the true value was worth. Not getting caught up in the moment and in a bidding war against some naive person caught in the moment.
Questions
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but don’t do this too early (less people then see the answer). With a couple of days to go ask your questions if you are unsure. Are there any dead pixels on the screen? Does it come with the charger? Any scratch marks? Whatever the question don’t be afraid to ask. This will help you form your opinion of the true value and go towards avoiding disappointment. If they don’t answer, that also could answer another question.
Trust
“I’m selling this for a friend and don’t know if it works.”. “I don’t have a charger, untested, so grab yourself a bargain”. “I brought this two years ago, but never used it”. You will see these types of comments everywhere. I wouldn’t touch any item with such a comment. To me personally these don’t represent bargains, but hazards and these comments telli me other meanings.
The seller
Look at seller feedback, when the seller joined up, rating, their postage options, puchase methods etc. Read a few times their descriptions of the goods. Get a feel for whether you trust the seller.
Become a sniper!
In the past there was a huge difference between connection speeds and thus browsing speeds. Someone on an isdn line had an advantage over someone with a slow 56k modem connection. Now refreshing to check the latest price is more an even field and don’t be afraid to wait until the last moment to place your bid. If you’ve already set your purchase limit for this auction beforehand the whole process is easier.
Photos
A picture is worth a thousand words… I don’t know about being worth a thousand words, but does help form an opinion. I’m happy with a non-stock photo. Plus close-ups and for expensive items a few photos help. I’m not talking about the seller showing they still have the original box though. I honestly don’t care about those. Unlike a toddler at Christmas more interested in a box than the actual item. I want to spot scratches, wear and tear etc.
The postage, packaging and payment method.
An obvious one really. Does the postage and packaging make the overall cost too expensive? Perhaps you feel the type of delivery unsuitable. I never deal with cheques anymore, but for others this probably represents a chance for a bargain. In fact I only stick to paypal now and won’t even consider unless i see it as a payment option. Factor these into your bid limit and decisions and walk away if needed. Increasing the risk, isn’t worth losing all your money in my humble opinion.
So how about a recent example?
Over a week ago my girlfriend and I decided to purchase a new piece of computer hardware. We researched sellers across the internet. Compared different models, read forums and reviews. We then looked at ebay and compared buy it now pricing to other prices we had gathered. Then we followed a few auctions to see the outcome and then walked away for a day.
We set a buying price for ebay and started to watch a few auctions. In the end we were left with one auction and someone had already asked the only question we had. We were as happy as we could be with the seller so waited. In the last few hours the price started going up. With three minutes till the end we sat down and watched. Then with under a minute we submitted our bid and then watched others push the bid up (counter bidding). We had only bid once and the exact price we were going to be happy with. It never reached that price though.
We could of just as easily lost, but our preparation helped contribute to winning the auction at a price we wouldn’t regret. Plus if we had lost, not the end of the world.