Mar 05, 2006 09:10 PM
3061 Views
(Updated Mar 16, 2006 02:33 PM)
Remember one thing: eBay WILL protect the seller from the buyer as they get paid by sellers, and the sellers have a long relationship with eBay.
Remember also that once eBay collects their commission, they ARE NO LONGER INTERESTED IN YOU. Any dispute with the seller, and you are on your own.
Don't buy anything that you need immediately or with any urgency.
Watch the items you want to buy for at least 1-2 months.
Don't bother with sellers with less than 95% rating.
Once you narrow down to one or two (max three) sellers, study the feedback they have received for past sales. You must definitely look at WHAT ITEMS they have sold in the past, and at what price. Some sellers may have higher ratings selling stuff for Rs. 1.00 to their friends!
Each seller and buyer has their own peculiarities. Watch for these for a month before narrowing down on the product and seller. Understand each sellers behaviour. (eg. Some sellers may be buying from one seller and relisting the same on eBay for a higher price.)
There are three types of sellers: 1) Sellers who actually run a business and want to make money; they are cordial and prompt 2) Sellers who are cheats who want to make a quick buck and 3) You an me, common folk who want to occasionally sell something. It is for you to decide from all the information on the website who you are dealing with.
Don't buy from sellers located in places traditionally associated with cheating! Delhi, for example... ;-)
Read the whole listing CAREFULLY. There may be HIDDEN clauses or information that are important to the whole deal that may be to your disadvantage.
Decide beforehand what you are willing to pay for an item. Use Search for ''Completed Listings'' to gauge the final price of the previously sold items.
Mentally prepare yourself that there may be others who will bid more than you. Just let it go, forget it and move on. There will be better deals in future too.
Look for ''Buy It Now'' and ''Easy To Buy'' items. They may cost higher, but it may be better for avoiding any mental tension.
ALWAYS use ''PaisePay'' and pay via Credit Card. That will provide you two levels of protection: eBay and your CC company. Don't buy from sellers who don't accept PaisePay. (exception is when you can ''pick the item up'')
During the initial phase, learn and use all of eBay's research and analysis tools to the fullest extent. These will really help you sort, search, find and filter your items quickly and efficiently. Remember, you are actually learning to use a piece of complex software.
Watch out for the following: 1) Warranty (Dealer/ Manufacturing) 2) Return policy 3) Restocking charges 4) Shipping and Handling charges 5) Insurance charges. Send an email via ''Contact the Seller'' and ask for confirmation ON ALL THESE ASPECTS. Save the emails for future reference.
Do some test purchases for low priced crap to understand how the whole thing works.
After you win an item, explicitly request for an invoice from the seller. Complain to eBay immediately if the seller adds any extra charges in the invoice. Pay promptly.
Yes, be very wary of ''unbelievable'' deals. There is NO SUCH THING. Expect to pay a fair price for any item.
Be also wary of antiques, craft items, electronic goods and listings that don't actually sell you anything.
It is generally safe to buy branded items in boxed condition (BNIB is Brand New In Box).
Some Tricks:
You should refrain from bidding till the last 5 minutes (last 1 minute is better and safer still, but WATCH THE AMOUNT THAT YOU TYPE IN A HURRY). What's the point for getting into a bidding war with some unknown, faceless buyer? Use ''Watch this item on My eBay'' and keep an eye on it till the last moment.
When you bid, bid slightly more than the minimum bid INCREMENT! (i.e. if an item is now bid for 100/- and the minimum increment is 10/-, bid for (100 + n*10) + q, n = any integer >= 1 and ''q'' is any random value less than minimum increment.)
