eBay Tips for Buyers
Almost everyone starts his or her eBay experience as a buyer. Learning how to buy effectively will improve your eBay experience and prepare you for becoming a seller. I recommend you make at least ten successful transactions on eBay before trying to sell. We hope the following tips will make you a better and more successful buyer.
1. Build A Positive Feedback Rating Give and get good feedback. This is less critical for buyers than for sellers, but having a good feedback rating makes other eBayers comfortable doing business with you. For example, I accept checks for immediate shipment if the buyer has a good feedback rating. If someone has very little feedback (less than 20) or several negative comments, then I hold the checks until they clear before sending an item.
2. How to build feedback quickly? Here is a quick way to build good feedback: make some purchases for a few lower cost items you use everyday or that you would normally buy at a store. There are plenty of items in the Health & Beauty category that you buy every day such as shampoo and razor blades –often at prices less than you would pay at Wal-Mart. Pay promptly using PayPal and immediately post feedback for the seller as soon as you get the item. If the seller does not post feedback, send them a short email telling them that you posted feedback for them and you would appreciate them reciprocating.
3. Be generous with your feedback Post feedback quickly and leave specific comments. Leaving a comment that says: "great seller," is nice –but it is more helpful to say, "Item arrived quickly in perfect condition, just as described." Or: "Quick Professional transaction –good email and just what I ordered." If the seller sells something specific you can mention it such as: "Beautiful Print –I will enjoy for many years." This type of feedback is very helpful to future buyers and it tends to get you better feedback comments in return.
4. Use PayPal Sellers want to be paid quickly and everyone is concerned about fraud. There is no faster or safer way to complete an eBay transaction than PayPal (owned by eBay). PayPal is now used by over 100 Million users around the world and now processes more debit and credit card payments than Citibank. Over 80% of registered eBay users accept PayPal and eBay has fully integrated PayPal into their systems. Take the time to become a verified seller and always give your verified shipping address. This gets you the fraud protection. Go to www.paypal.com .Did you know you can also use PayPal as a savings account? According to Money Magazine, PayPal now pays the highest rate on ordinary savings accounts. When I wrote this PayPal was paying 4.8% while my bank, Wells Fargo, was only paying 3.3%.
5. Avoid Fraud on Large Purchases Given the millions of transactions that occur each month, fraud is actually rare on eBay but it does exist. The most common type of fraud on eBay is a seller that offers an expensive item for sale at an unbelievably good price. When you win the item the seller asks to be paid in cash, cashiers check or money order. You send the money and then the seller disappears. Demanding a cashier’s check or a money order only is a red flag. Never bid on a large purchase if the seller will not take PayPal or a credit card. Always check the seller's feedback and how long they have been registered on eBay. Most fraudsters set up an eBay account, run a few quick expensive auctions, get the money and either disappears or are kicked off of eBay as soon as they are discovered. Be especially careful if the seller is located outside the U.S.
5. Avoid Fraud on Large Purchases Given the millions of transactions that occur each month, fraud is actually rare on eBay but it does exist. The most common type of fraud on eBay is a seller that offers an expensive item for sale at an unbelievably good price. When you win the item the seller asks to be paid in cash, cashiers check or money order. You send the money and then the seller disappears. Demanding a cashier’s check or a money order only is a red flag. Never bid on a large purchase if the seller will not take PayPal or a credit card. Always check the seller's feedback and how long they have been registered on eBay. Most fraudsters set up an eBay account, run a few quick expensive auctions, get the money and either disappears or are kicked off of eBay as soon as they are discovered. Be especially careful if the seller is located outside the U.S.
6. Pay sellers quickly Paying quickly will help you build feedback faster and you will get your item sooner.
7. Be honest – admit your mistakes If you forgot about the auction and are late getting a payment off or you forgot to ship something you sold – be up front and honest. Apologize and admit your mistake. People can be very forgiving if they believe you. They can be unforgiving if they think they are being B.S.’ed.
8. Create an About Me page on eBay. EBay allows you to create a page to describe you and your family or even include your pets. You can put a photo on the page, talk about your hobbies, your family – basically anything you like. The About Me page is where a person can get a sense of who you are and if they would like to do business with you. If you have a web site, this is the one place on eBay where it is allowed to direct buyers to your web site.
9. Master the power of searching. According to eBay, about 65% of bidders find their item by searching. Including the exact name of the product you are selling is key to bidders finding your auction. Some sellers place a tilde (~) or a star * next to their auction title to help get attention. Place a space between a tilde (or *) and a word, or the word will not come up in a search. For example: *Nikon* would not result in any items found, because eBay’s search engine sees the * as part of the word. According to Power Seller News, some of the most searched words on eBay are: DVD, Art, BMW, Gucci, Longaberger, Louis Vuitton, Laptop, Playstation 2 and Paintball. Use eBay’s powerful search engine to find items and to see what items are selling and how much they are selling for.
10. Be sure to thank people Send an email to your seller when the item arrives. Thank them and let them know you posted feedback and are happy with the transaction.
Eagle (Category: Cars & Trucks )
Chevrolet : Corvette 2005 CHEVROLET CORVETTE..ONLY 10,000 MILES!! PERFECT!
 | US $26,100.00 (4 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 16:58:31 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Corvette 2007 CHEVROLET CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE..PERFECT!!
 | US $31,200.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 16:59:48 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Corvette 1998 CHEVROLET CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE..1-OWNER! PERFECT!
 | US $17,500.00 (15 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 17:00:28 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Dodge : Ram 2500 SLT Diesel 2004 DODGE RAM 2500 CREW CAB 4X4 SLT DIESEL EXTRA CLEAN
 | US $9,900.00 (16 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 17:30:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Audi : A4 3.0L quattro 2002 AUDI A4 QUATTRO 3.0L AUTO HTD STS 79K BOSE CD
 | US $7,218.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 18:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Pontiac : GTO JUDGE 71 GTO JUDGE
 | US $45,100.00 (22 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 18:15:11 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Chevelle SS L@@K`1972 Chevrolet Chevelle`Many new Parts&Body Panels
 | US $3,250.00 (26 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 18:45:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Volkswagen : Passat GLS Wagon 2003 VW PASSAT GLS Wagon
 | US $908.00 (2 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 18:58:42 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Cadillac : CTS 3.6L GLASS 2005 CADILLAC CTS 3.6L
 | US $7,877.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 19:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Chevelle malibu 1968 chevelle 2 door clean rust free fl car 68 trade?
 | US $12,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 19:08:26 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Pontiac : Trans Am 1974 Pontiac Trans Am 400 with 4 speed "Greenbeast"
 | US $7,600.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 23:29:31 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Ford : Crown Victoria TOURING SDN 1992 FORD CROWN VICTORIA TOURING SEDAN
 | US $665.00 (5 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 3:37:30 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Impala 2001 CHEVROLET IMPALA w/ POLICE PKG. - 350844
 | US $2,649.00 (41 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 6:30:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Pontiac : Trans Am 1975 Pontiac Trans Am 671 Supercharged
 | US $15,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 7:13:42 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Ford : Mustang Saleen Extrm 2006 Saleen Mustang Extreme Packages ( Like New )
 | US $46,600.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 7:45:51 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Ford : Mustang Shelby GT 2007 SHELBY Mustang GT black/silver with Shaker 1000
 | US $29,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 8:33:52 PST Buy It Now for only: US $34,500.00 Bid now | Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Suburban LT 1998 Suburban--- NEW EVERYTHING!
 | US $5,800.00 (15 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 8:44:01 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Camaro SS Camaro SS - Black - LS2 403 / TH350 / LOTS OF MODS!
 | US $11,500.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 8:52:19 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Shelby : Mustang Boss 429 67 Mustang Shelby Elenor Boss 429, and a SOHC 427
 | US $50,100.01 (17 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 9:10:51 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Nissan : Murano SL AWD SUV SHIP ASSIST W-BIN! 04 SL AWD CDC LEATHER CLEAN N/S EXC!
 | US $15,900.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 9:32:09 PST Buy It Now for only: US $15,900.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
BMW : M5 2000 BMW M5 Sedan
 | US $11,000.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 9:36:36 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Dodge : Other Pickups 1984 DODGE RAM 4X4 V8 4 SPEED JACKED UP BIG TIRES
 | US $2,000.00 (31 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 10:02:36 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Nissan : 240SX SE S13 KA-T 325 RWHP in Los Angeles LOWER RESERVE
 | US $3,000.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 10:17:07 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Dodge : Magnum SRT-8 2006 DODGE MAGNUM SRT8/6-CD CHANGER/NAVIGATION/w-SHAKER
 | US $22,500.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 10:51:04 PST Buy It Now for only: US $22,500.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Corvette AS NEW 1,100 miles, Bloomington Gold, Time capsule, 150 PICS
 | US $17,050.00 (20 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 11:12:52 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
AMC : eagle sport ' 84 AMC Eagle wagon sport 4x4
 | US $520.00 (10 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 11:53:44 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
GMC : Sierra 1500 1996 GMC Sierra K1500, Blue, Lifted, 36 inch tires
 | US $3,000.00 (10 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 11:59:22 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Bel Air/150/210 210 1955 Chevy Chevrolet 210 post Street Rod
 | US $75,000.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:00:09 PST Buy It Now for only: US $75,000.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Dodge : Challenger SRT8 2009 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 MYGIG NAV SUNROOF SAT. RADIO
 | US $30,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:10:40 PST Buy It Now for only: US $44,535.00 Bid now | Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Chevrolet : Camaro camaro beautiful, one of a kind, pro street camaro
 | US $23,000.00 (16 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:14:25 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Mitsubishi : Eclipse GS 01 Manual Transmission Warranty Low Reserve Pristine!
 | US $3,550.00 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:27:06 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Ford : Crown Victoria Police Inter Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor P71 - Nice Car!!
 | US $1,725.00 (25 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:37:01 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Honda : Prelude Prelude Built and Boosted H22a 27psi 555whp 450ftlbs
 | US $5,100.00 (8 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:41:45 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Volkswagen : Phaeton 4.2 V8 LWB VW Phaeton 4.2 V8 LWB 335 hp black/tan, 4,000 $ off!
 | US $12,100.00 (16 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 12:56:59 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Dodge : Ram 1500 Extended Cab 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 360 Magnum Extended cab
 | US $2,025.58 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 13:03:26 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |