How to Buy on eBay for Beginners
You've heard about eBay, perhaps even browsed through the website as a guest one time or another. Who knows, maybe you even opened an account for yourself. Now what? You've gone through the huge lists of specified items, found tons of cool stuff you can purchase (at really affordable prices as well), and have even bookmarked items you would like to purchase. And that's where the dilemma arises, how to make a purchase on eBay? For beginners, it could be a confusing process, as there are certain rules and regulations eBay abides by. But you don't have to face this problem, as we have simple step-by-step explanations on how to buy an item on eBay for those who have never tried it before. As Internet shopping gained tremendous popularity in the recent past, you may be inspired to check it out yourself. Just read through the article and begin your eBay experience as a buyer.
Making a Purchase
Since eBay is a large, widespread website that has features for both buyers and sellers, understanding where to begin could be puzzling. Since we're concentrating on beginners/amateurs, follow these steps to know how to proceed with comparison shopping.
- Open an eBay account, if you haven't already. It is necessary to be an eBay member to make any kind of purchase.
- After joining eBay, make a list of item(s) you wish to purchase. You can go on eBay's front page and type the product's name or keywords in the search box. Or you could browse through the listings by category in order to shop for the item(s) you want.
- Once you find the related item(s) after searching or browsing, click on the ones you might be interested in. Here, you can evaluate the information of the listing and understand the product completely.
- Go through as many listings provided to you for that particular item(s), compare the prices, double check the quality of the seller, know the shipping information and terms and read through the description of that item.
- Completing all these necessary procedures is critical, before you are ready to either bid or buy the item(s). Many sellers choose the option of bidding or buying the product directly.
- If the seller has given the choice of placing a bid, you would have to go through eBay auction rather than buying with "Buy it Now". You will have to keep a constant watch on your bid in "My eBay" to make sure nobody outbids you.
- Let's say you won the auction, now it's time to close the deal. You will have to go through the process of making the payment via "PayPal" or some other means agreed to while bidding for the item(s).
- After you received the item(s) and are satisfied with its condition and all, remember to leave your feedback about the product. Leaving your opinion of the transaction gives more "new" eBay buyers confidence in the whole process.
- In case of any disputes, make sure you resolve them with the seller. Although I hope you never need to face this last step while on eBay.
Now making a purchase through "Buy it Now" seems self-explanatory. However, some of you may not be familiar with the concept of online bidding. Basically, there are 2 ways in which eBay items are sold, fixed priced items and auction items. Let's go over them separately and learn their fundamentals.
- Fixed Price Items: These items are very simple to identify as each of them come with the "Buy it Now" button listed next to it. In order to purchase the item(s), all you have to do is click on the button and pay the display price listed next to it.
- Auction Items: These items have "Place Bid" button, where you have to enter your bid in a box. You will also see a "current bid" price section, where you can view any/all bids placed for the item(a). For a specific amount of time, auction items are open to place bids. Once the time is over, the item(s) will display "sold" to the highest bidder.
Even if you're not an experienced buyer on eBay, there are certain tricks and tips you should always keep in mind. Want to know how you can make a purchase on eBay? Read through the following points and get more experienced in how eBay can change your life.
- Always look for mistakes made by the sellers. Many times, as you search for regular item(s) to buy on eBay, you will find misspelled or misidentified item(s) by the sellers. Such errors may occur online also. So conduct searches for both correct and incorrect words/terms to expand the results.
- Look for automated sniping service. "Sniping" is jumping in during the final few seconds of any auction(s) in order to place your bid. You won't give other bidders a chance to counterbid once you snipe. Sharp bidders engage in manual bidding strategy, and hence, more and more buyers use online services to help automate the process these days.
- Opt for short keywords, rather than long search terms for item(s). Being overly specific might takeout important results from your search. If the first search gives you thousands of auction items, try adding the word "vintage" to remove newer listings. Adding color or date to the search can also help. Save the favorite searches/items you like and then access them once you have time through the "My eBay" page.
- Keep an eye on the shipping and handling charges, as they can really jack up the final cost of the item(s). Read the description before you buy or bid the item(s). E-mail the seller if you can't understand the delivery charges or other terms and conditions.
- Always keep a tab on your favorite sellers, sellers you've done business with before, you trust and can bargain with. You can also check in with them, if they're offering any specific item(s) you can just "Buy it Now", instead of bidding. Also, add them to your favorite sellers list on the "My eBay" page.
