5 Helpful Tips

As mentioned in one of my earlier articles, it is wiser to buy on eBay first, before trying your hand as an eBay seller. This way you get a better feel for the eBay process.

With this in mind, it is very important for every first-time eBay buyer to take note of a few important ideas. These 5 points will help you, the eBay buyer avoid becoming a victim of any eBay scams.

• Know about the item listed on eBay first.

• Avoid bidding on international item listings.

• Always check the seller’s feedbacks before bidding.

• Look for specific qualities and details in the listing.

• Establish contact with the seller.

1. Know About The Item Listed On

eBay First

As an eBay buyer, you should try to have at least a basic understanding of the properties of the item.

This way, you would have an idea of what to look for in the description. In other words, if you, the buyer, haven’t the faintest idea of the properties of the item you wish to purchase, you are placing yourself at the mercy of unscrupulous and misleading eBay sellers.

Use all your previous knowledge of the item. Also do some research on other websites (like google.com or msn.com) for the same item . Compare the description in the eBay listing with those on other sites.

2. Avoid Bidding On International

Listings

You should avoid the international item listings at first. As a first-time eBay buyer, you might be more likely to encounter different types of problems there. Of course, as your experience grows, this would become less of an issue, because you would be better able to deal with all possible problems that might arise.

3. Always Check The Seller’s

Feedbacks

Before Bidding

Wnen you check on the seller’s feedbacks, you immediately gain a better insight into the trustworthiness (or risk factor) of the transaction.

It is usually advised that a positive feedback rating of 95% or greater is a good signal. If you find many recent negative feedbacks, then this is not a good indication.

Make sure to read the negative feedbacks. Determine for yourself whether or not they give you genuine reasons for concern. Observe also, the type of responses made by the eBay seller. Do the seller’s defenses or explanations appear accceptable?

Keep in mind too, that there are times when some eBay buyers, for one reason or the other, leave negative feedbacks that are NOT justified.(To read my article on that problem Click Here).

If  however, there are many complaints of a similar nature, then that’s good enough reason for you not to take any chances with that eBay seller.

Personally, for a number of years, I have been using an excellent piece of software that makes this feedback search much easier/faster than using the normal eBay channel.

Why? Sometimes on the eBay site you have to check through hundreds of  feedback  comments, only looking for negative comments, to decide if you trust the seller.

This software, (Feedback Analyzer Pro), saves you a tremendous amout of time by quickly extracting all the feedback comments into separate lists: positive, negative or neutral (or all together).

4. Look For Specific Qualities

And Details

In The Listing

Observe the starting price

Research prices elsewhere (on other websites) for the item being offered by the eBay seller. For example, if it’s a brand name item, and it is being offered at a ridiculously low price by the seller, be careful. It may or may not be authentic!

There are instances where genuine items may be listed with very low starting prices. This is sometimes used by eBay sellers as part of a bigger marketing strategy (list-building, feedback increase etc). This will be dealt with in another article.

The idea is, however, to stay focussed and use good judgement.

Look for pictures

You are better off seeing lots of pictures. If there is no picture (or very few), beware.

That might be a clue that the item may have some sort of defect.
Remember that the next best thing to having the actual item in your hand for scrutiny, is the availability of pictures (the more, the merrier).

The absence of pictures can also be an indication of the slipshod manner in which that eBay seller operates. Consider whether or not you’d want to do business with an eBay seller who approaches his marketing in that type of half-hearted manner.

The payment, return and refund policies of the seller

Make sure that the method of payment required by the eBay seller is protected. This helps you avoid possible scam or fraud.

The sellers should have some sort of recognition or identification seal like ‘Paypal Verified’ within the auction listing.

It’s highly recommended that at this stage of your ebay experience, you pay through Paypal only. Joining Paypal is very simple and free. Of course this method of payment can be changed later if you so desire, but it might not be necessary.

Shipping and Handling terms

Some auction listings actually state that shipping and handling information will be emailed to the winning bidder. That’s a no-no!

Remember, when you start bidding on an item, it means that you have agreed to the terms and condition set out by the seller. Understand the shipping and handling policy clearly before committing yourself. If not, it would be more difficult later for you to offer any convincing argument in the event of a dispute.

The return and refund policy

As an eBay buyer, you should know the seller’s return and refund policies before placing your bid. This reduces any conflict in the event that you should wish to negotiate a return/refund.

Look for a clear description of this policy in the listing. If there is none stated, ask the seller for it (see #5 below).

Make sure you get the refund policy in an email from the seller. This way, you would have documented proof. If the Ebay seller has no refund policy, do not bid on the item.

With a bit more research, you might well find an identical item being offered by another eBay seller, who has a policy of no-questions-asked refunds.

5.Establish Contact With The Seller

By all means, you should establish contact with the seller.

It always helps to clarify doubts first before moving forward to the actual bidding. This is also a good opportunity for you to observe how promptly (or not) the seller responds to queries.

You can contact the eBay seller by using the ‘Ask seller a question’ link in the listing.

---

I hope this article has helped to clarify some of the many considerations you should make as a first-time buyer on eBay. There are several other factors you may need to consider when making your first-time buy on eBay.

However, there is no need to feel overwhelmed. Bit by bit the pieces will fall together within your mind.

Please feel free to leave a comment on this article. Peace!

Related posts:

1. eBay – A Beginner’s Guide
   To The Different Listing Types Different eBay sellers have different objectives when listing their items...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.