Successful eBay Bidding and Preparation
Are you tired of always being outbid during eBay auctions? Have you dealt with less than helpful sellers? While there is no trick for a completely foolproof eBay experience, there are some tips to boost your eBay bidding success.
Before Bidding on eBay Auctions
Before bidding on an eBay item, always check the seller's feedback. Feedback is a list of ratings and comments that people write after buying from or selling to this person. Next to the seller's username there is a number and a colored star; the stars are called feedback stars and they are rewarded after 10 feedback points. When someone gets positive feedback they receive +1 points, neutral feedback gets 0 points, and negative feedback gets -1 points. Be weary of sellers with less than 95% positive feedback. The number that is next to the star is the number of people that they have sold to before; if you click on that number it'll show you the feedback comments.
Always make sure that you read the description very carefully before you place a bid. Make sure the shipping costs, return policies, and any fine print information is clear. For instance, sometimes travel packages seem like outstanding deals but then you read the policies and realize that you need to be married, earn a combined income of $65,000, and you have to attend a three hour timeshare presentation. Making a bid is like signing a contract and therefore, unless you get outbid you're obligated to pay for your item. A lot of items don't have return policies and then you're stick with it. Read closely.
When Bidding on eBay Auctions
When you're bidding, make sure that you know the maximum that you're willing to spend pay for the item and put that much in. If no one else bids, you will only pay the small cost that it is at when you place your bid. However, if other people do bid, eBay will automatically enter your bid until someone else reaches it. When you're deciding on your maximum bid, check around for the same or similar items to see how much they're at. Look for items that are almost over because otherwise you may not get an accurate price.
Make sure that you know when the bidding is ending so you can be online at that time. You have a better chance of winning because you can have eBay bidding wars at the last minute. When the end is near, open up two different windows so you can make quick bids. However, make sure you sign out and back in because otherwise eBay might ask you to sign in again right after you bid.
