Hints and Tips for Finding Bargains Through eBay

There is no doubt about it, eBay is a great way to pick up a bargain. Want a new pair of designer trainers but don’t want to pay high street prices? Look on eBay. Want to buy the latest next generation games console, but missed out when they were in the store and now, you’re on a mile-long waiting list? There’s plenty of sellers on eBay who might have the games console you’re looking for. Whatever it is you want; you may be able to save a small fortune bidding on or buying now through eBay.

That is, if you are savvy enough. To help you out we’ve put together a list of some great tips to help you maximise your chances of securing those bargains.

Research What Other Buyers Paid

If you want to have a good idea of what the average cost of an item is, you’re interested in getting on eBay, look at the completed auctions. You need to search for the item you’re interested in and then select completed listings in the advanced search options. You will find out the auctions and the winning bids. This is a good rule of thumb as to the maximum bid you should place on that item when you take part in a similar auction.

Consider Collection Only

You can often save a lot by looking for collection only auctions in your local area. Tis is because sellers often make a lot of their profit on low price items with delivery and package charges. Avoid these by looking for items you can collect in person and you’ll notice a great deal of difference in the closing price.

Obviously, you should always exercise caution when going to a stranger’s home or another location to collect an item. At the very least let people know where you will be and bring your phone. It might be worth getting a friend to accompany you.

Look For Auctions With Late Endings

You can also often save a lot and get really great value bargains by looking for auctions that finish at unsociable hours. By looking for auctions that finish late at night or very early in the morning, when less people are online, you may be able to swoop in and get the winning bid

Make Use of Coupon Codes and Vouchers

Often, like most websites and online retailers, discount codes for eBay will be released. These are great to use to help reduce the cost of things you are bidding on. You can use them at the checkout or payment stage on winning bids or items you purchase using the ‘Buy it Now’ option. Sometimes, it may be just free or reduced delivery costs, whereas other times you may find that you can get 10, 15 or even 20% off.

Up Your Maximum Bid by a Few Pence

Interestingly when people place bids, they tend to go for whole numbers. Therefore, if you’re looking to outbid someone, aim for a few pence over the current winning bid and you could have success.

There are plenty of other tips and hints for success using eBay, but hopefully you find some bargains referring to the ones we’ve featured in this post.

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