You can get your tips from many places, but when you get a tip — double-check who it’s coming from. Visit eBay’s Community boards and chats, and listen to what the others have to say. Before taking anything to heart, and changing the way you do things, check the tip-giver’s experience.
I often say I love buying from eBay sellers who are also buyers because they respect and understand what it’s like to be a buyer at eBay! Here are a few short tips that I know really work:
Shop eBay.ca
That’s right. If you’re in the United States, why not bid on auctions at the eBay Canada Web site? In fact, if you’re an international bidder, and you’re willing to pay shipping from the United States, then you’ll have no problem handling Canadian shipping charges.
If you’re an American resident, all you have to do is think about the conversion between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian, and oh, oh yes — there are bargains to be had. Be sure the seller has reasonable shipping to the United States before you bid.
Place Your Bids in Odd Figures
Many eBay bidders place their bids in the round numbers that match eBay’s proxy system. You can win by a few cents if you place your bids in odd numbers like $10.97 or $103.01.
If two people bid the exact same amount at the end of an auction, the earliest bid wins. But if you and another bidder bid at just about the same time, you could win by a couple of pennies. I’ve done it many times. For example, a bid of $23.78 beats a bid of $23.75.
Don’t Get Carried Away in a Bidding War
Unless the item is extremely rare, odds are that a similar item will show up at eBay again someday soon. Don’t let your ego get in the way of smart bidding. Let your opposition pay too much!
Watch for Item Re-Listings
If you see an item that you want, but it has too high an opening bid (or too high a reserve) for you to justify placing a bid, there’s a good chance that no one else will bid on the item either. Put that auction into your Watch area of My eBay, and every so often after the auction ends, double-check the seller’s auctions to see if the seller has re-listed the item with a lower starting bid and a lower (or no) reserve.
Combine Shipping When Possible
When you purchase an item, double-check the seller’s other auctions and see whether you’re interested in making a second purchase. If you see something else that appeals to you, e-mail the seller to see if he will combine the items in shipping. That way you can make two purchases for a smaller single shipping bill.
Never Bid Early — If You Do, Bid High
The only time this bidding early works is if no one else is interested in the auction. Usually, though, the tactic will gear up another eBay user to outbid you because suddenly the item is valuable to at least one person. If you must bid before the auction’s close, bid high. As a matter of fact, bid a couple of dollars more than you might want to pay.
Try for a Second Chance offer
If you get outbid and miss the chance to increase your bid on an auction item, you’d be smart to e-mail the seller and ask if he or she has any more. You may get lucky, and the seller can send you a Second Chance offer for your high bid.
A seller may send a Second Chance offer to any bidder who isn’t the winning bidder under two circumstances:
- The winner does not go through with the winning bid.
- The seller has more than one of the item that was sold.
It is legal to purchase in this way. Any purchase you make in this manner will be covered under eBay’s insurance, and you will have the opportunity to leave feedback.
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