How do you get the best out of E-bay?

Question

How do you get the best deal when bidding for items in e-bay??

Answer 1

I concur with trying to bid at the last moment. Putting in bids earlier just tends to attract other bids. Also, do some research on the cheapest prices elsewhere, so you don't end up paying more than you can get it elsewhere. (Example - This can have unexpected benefits - I was looking for a particular DVD and actually found it cheaper on Amazon!). Don't use too specific a search string when looking for items. (Example - I was looking for the DVD/book set of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", did a search on "Alice, Wonderland" and found one listed on its own without the apostrophe with no bids. All the others were listed with the apostrophe.) Finally, with "sniper" bids, put in your maximum bid and let the system automatically fight off anyone else who is also doing the same -it can do it far quicker than you can.

Answer 2

Depends what you're buying and why. If it's an expensive item for own use, do your research - specs, what others are selling for, what high street price is and most importantly, what you are prepared to pay (if you plan to resell the item, then as someone already mentioned, buy unemotionally). The last minute bidding advice is true, however, if you're bidding on non-glamour items and not watching, it sometimes pays to have your max bid in earlier. Also research the seller and category - items are often in listed in wrong categories and if the seller is not that familiar with the item, you might get if for a reasonable price if they have a BIN or Best Offer format.

Answer 3

eBay is unlike real auctions because the item has a set time it is going to finish.. in a real auction the bidding continues until everyone has had their final bid.. on eBay you shouldn't bid till the last possible second.. if you bid before that all you are doing is pushing the price up and letting others bid higher.. wait until the last possible second and then bid your maximum bid.. 9 times out of 10 you will win..

Do a google search on Snipping

Answer 4

the best thing to do is bid within the last 30 - 20 seconds you have a good chance of winning then i do this all the time and it really annoys me when i see things going up day by day because people cant wait

Answer 5

if your intrested in a item check sellers details like feedback and how many items they have sold if they have sold a lot with a couple of negatives that's expected.if they are below 20items with a negative give em a miss.i personally would not not use pay-pal its a rip off.

Answer 6

Use bid sniping software then you don't get beaten in the last seconds

Answer 7

Consider whether you REALLY want the item or whether it's just an impulse buy and you'll end up selling it for less a week after.