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.
Buell Motorcycles (Category: )
Buell : Firebolt 2008 XB12 FIREBOLT BID JUST $1.00 OVER 50PIX LOOK!!!!!!
 | US $4,639.00 (20 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 18:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : 1125 R BUELL 2008 Buell 1125 R 25 th Anniversary Edition AWESOME!!!
 | US $9,999.00 End Date: Thursday Jan-08-2009 20:06:15 PST Buy It Now for only: US $9,999.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Firebolt 2007 Buell XB9R Red 2007 Buell® Firebolt XB9R Racing Red *Nice!*
 | US $3,000.00 (9 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 11:58:47 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Harley-Davidson : Touring 2007 FLHRS BlackPrl 2007 Harley-Davidson® FLHRS Road King Custom
 | US $8,600.00 (17 Bids) End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 15:28:54 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Firebolt Buell XB12R Harley Davidson Buell XB12R Firebolt
 | US $2,995.00 End Date: Friday Jan-09-2009 18:00:00 PST Buy It Now for only: US $2,995.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Firebolt Firebolt Xb12R 2006 Buell Firebolt Xb12R
 | US $5,000.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 7:41:32 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Lightning XB12SS MAKE OFFER!! 2006 BUELL XB12SS LIGHTNING LONG!!!
 | US $5,495.00 End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 9:47:56 PST Buy It Now for only: US $5,495.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Blast BLAST 2006 BUELL BLAST BLUE SUPER LOW MILES LOW RESERVE !!
 | US $1,500.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 11:38:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Custom Built Motorcycles 2008 custom built motorcycle
 | US $8,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 13:25:41 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : 1125R 2008 Buell 1125R
 | US $5,000.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-10-2009 14:33:28 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Custom Built Motorcycles : Chopper Buell chopper Klock Werks Buell Chopper No Reserve, Excelent Ride
 | US $15,300.00 End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 8:07:29 PST Buy It Now for only: US $15,300.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Thunderbolt Silver 1998 Buell Thunderbolt S3T
 | US $2,800.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 12:46:36 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Firebolt XB9R 2003 Buell XB9R Firebolt Motorcycle - Wrecked
 | US $1,333.33 (6 Bids) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 16:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Lightning XB12Ss Buell Lightning XB12Ss black showroom condition 1700 mi
 | US $4,700.00 (11 Bids) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 17:31:24 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Blast 2008 BUELL BLAST 500CC SINGLE NAKED BIKE JUST 200 MILES
 | US $1,025.00 (5 Bids) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 17:45:17 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Lightning XB12S LIGHTNING 2004 BUELL XB12S LIGHTNING XB12 XB 12 V TWIN SPORT BIKE
 | US $2,025.00 (5 Bids) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 17:50:27 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Lightning X1 LIGHTNING 2000 BUELL LIGHTNING X1 X 1 NAKED 1200 VTWIN SPORT BIKE
 | US $2,600.00 (8 Bids) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 18:01:05 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Firebolt XB9R 2003 BUELL XB9R FIREBOLT 1000 STANDARD NAKED SPORT BIKE
 | US $1,780.00 (13 Bids) End Date: Sunday Jan-11-2009 19:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell 1125R 2008 Buell 1125R
 | US $8,995.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Jan-12-2009 7:25:14 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Honda : Shadow VT1100C1 2001 VT1100C1 Shadow Spirit
 | US $2,900.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Jan-12-2009 7:45:21 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Thunderbolt S2 THUNDERBOLT 1995 Buell S2 Thunderbolt Signature Series Collector,s
 | US $5,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Jan-12-2009 16:13:14 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Blast 2004 Buell Blast / NO HIDDEN BOTTOM LINE, NO RESERVE!!!
 | US $1,900.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Jan-12-2009 22:22:48 PST Buy It Now for only: US $2,100.00 Bid now | Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Custom Built Motorcycles : Chopper REDNECK ROCKET S3 REDNECK ENGINEERING HARLEY BUELL MUTANT CHOPPER
 | US $7,900.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Jan-12-2009 23:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Custom Built Motorcycles : Bobber Two-Bit Choppers Buell Bobber featured in Hot Bike Mag.
 | US $6,600.00 (11 Bids) End Date: Tuesday Jan-13-2009 7:31:42 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Lightning XB9S 2003 BUELL XB9S LIGHTNING YELLOW CLEAN LOW RESERVE
 | US $3,500.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Tuesday Jan-13-2009 14:58:10 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Custom Built Motorcycles : Bobber EXILE STYLE SPORTSTER RIGID ROLLING CHASSIS
 | US $2,700.00 End Date: Tuesday Jan-13-2009 18:51:57 PST Buy It Now for only: US $2,700.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Cyclone M2 Cyclone 2000 Black M2 Cyclone!
 | US $2,125.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Jan-14-2009 8:48:50 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : XB12X 2007 Ulysses® XB12X by Buell®
 | US $3,945.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Jan-14-2009 14:48:51 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Harley-Davidson : Dyna / FXR good running bike 2001 Harley-Davidson FXDWG Wide-Glide
 | US $6,100.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Jan-14-2009 15:25:45 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell : Lightning X1 BUELL LIGHTNING X1
 | US $1,000.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Jan-14-2009 18:00:00 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Harley-Davidson : Sportster x1 lightning buell harley sportster bobber chopper rigid custom rat
 | US $202.50 (3 Bids) End Date: Thursday Jan-15-2009 6:47:24 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Harley-Davidson : Softail FXSTBI 2005 Harley-Davidson FXSTBI Softail Night Train
 | US $11,295.00 End Date: Thursday Jan-15-2009 16:45:06 PST Buy It Now for only: US $11,295.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Harley-Davidson : Softail 2006 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe FLSTNI Low Miles!
 | US $12,995.00 End Date: Friday Jan-16-2009 11:55:23 PST Buy It Now for only: US $12,995.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Harley-Davidson : Softail FLSTF 2007 Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy Softail
 | US $12,995.00 End Date: Friday Jan-16-2009 13:02:02 PST Buy It Now for only: US $12,995.00 Buy it now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |
Buell 2006 XB12X, BUELL ULYSSES ADVENTURE, IMMACCULATE!!!!!!!
 | US $5,950.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Jan-17-2009 8:35:31 PST Bid now | VIEW FULL DETAILS |