Sunday Tips: eBay

If you’ve ever bought or sold something online, odds are you know a little something about eBay. It’s the largest auction site on the Web, and is a hub for buying just about anything you could possibly think of – and more.

In true Internet form, there are a ton of little-known tips, hints and tools that make eBay better and easier to use. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, you’ll find a way to make your eBay experience a little easier, a little more successful, and probably a lot cheaper.

Here are a few ways to improve your eBaying, as a buyer or a seller:

Penny-Down Listing

eBay’s way of charging you to sell an item is tiered- when you hit a certain price plateau, eBay charges you a little more. That said, always go a penny below your starting price to avoid this; instead of $10, start at $9.99. There’s little difference, and eBay charges you less. Same goes for $50, $100, and so on- always kick it down a penny.

Resell

When you’re selling with eBay, you always need to have a sense of what other products like yours are selling for. To do this, search as specifically as possible for your product, or something similar to it.

On the results page, on the left side, click “Completed Items.” This brings up a list of the completed auctions for that particular item, giving you a better sense of what you should list the item for, and what you can expect to get for it.

Calculate Shipping

When I sell things on eBay, most of the time I end up underestimating what the shipping’s going to cost, and I take a hit when I have to pay more for shipping than I got. To make sure you’re always giving the right shipping cost, try the UPS and USPS websites. They both have shipping calculators, letting you get the exact shipping figures for your product.

Advanced Search

If you’re buying an Apple computer, you might search eBay for  “Mac G4.” That’s going to bring up all the items you’re looking for – and many more you’re not. By using eBay’s advanced search, you can narrow the searches down to exactly what you’re looking for: by category, type, price, or even the location of the seller.

Last-Second Victories

I’ve discovered the key to eBay (don’t tell anyone): bid at the last second. I’ve won a lot of auctions by sniping it at the last moment, and have lost my fair share to better snipers than I.

There are a bunch of tools out there that will automate this process for you (AuctionStealer and JBidWatcher are good ones), but I think those take all the fun out of it. My solution? Open two windows- one with your bid ready, one with the auction. Refresh the auction until there’s 6 seconds left, and submit your bid. Victory!

Mispellificashions

People simply cannot spell. It’s their failure, your bargain. Use sites like BargainChecker to search for misspelled items (which most people won’t see), and you’ll find yourself a few steals.

BargainChecker is a great eBay search tool in general, searching for PayPal or Buy it Now only, or filtering out junk and accessories. Your bargains are going to come with the “Misspellings,” though. You won’t believe how much cheaper a Clodplay ticket is than a Coldplay one.

eBay’s an awesome place to sell all manner of things- treasure, junk, and everything in between. With a little know-how and a few of these choice tools, you’ll be scouring eBay like a ninja in no time.

What’s your eBay tip, tool, tweak or advice?

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