If you’re new to shopping on eBay, you’re in for a treat. The site is filled with every category you could ever want to shop for. Including fashion finds, vintage collectables, designer goods, and so much more. If you know what you’re doing, you can find some really great pieces you may have not found otherwise. There are also a ton of great deals on eBay, too, which is always a plus. We’ve gathered some tips, tricks, and secrets to help you navigate shopping on eBay, in the smartest way possible.
Check out these 9 eBay shopping secrets!
Shop From Top-Rated Sellers
Look for a little gold badge while shopping on eBay, this indicates an item is being sold by a “Top-Rated Seller”. This means this seller has a great reputation among its customers and is likely safe to buy from. If you’re shopping for an expensive item, this badge gives that extra measure of reassurance that you’ll have a good experience.
Check For Authenticity Guarantee
If you’re shopping for a designer piece on eBay, like a pair of sneakers or a designer bag for instance, you can filter your feed to shop eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee service! Where eBay actually has the item professionally inspected to ensure it’s authentic.
Shop Using PayPal for an extra measure of protection
Remember, eBay is a seller-to-buyer marketplace, eBay itself isn’t specifically selling to you. Although eBay does have security measures in place to avoid customers getting scammed, using a PayPal account to make your purchases adds an extra layer of protection to get your money back if you need to.
Bid on items
If you’re new to eBay, the site is kind of known for its bidding capabilities. Which means you can often score an item for a steal by bidding! Sometimes even at a lower price than regular market value. Just do your research first so you don’t end up over-bidding. Most importantly, if you place a bid, be prepared to buy! If you win, it’s yours.
Check Reviews/Items Sold
eBay actually shows you how many items a seller has sold and their overall rating. Always check this out before buying from a seller. And maybe don’t buy from sellers with 1-star reviews.
Compare Pricing
A cool feature eBay has is filtering what has already been sold, so if you’re shopping for an item that has been sold on eBay in the past, you can see how much it has sold for, to ensure you’re getting a fair price. You should also do a simple Google search of the piece you’re shopping for, too for extra measure.
Make an Offer
Some sellers allow you to make offers on specific items! If they’re allowing offers, under the listing there will be a button that says “Make an offer”, if you see that button – always make an offer being buying, because that indicates the seller is open to other prices. Just don’t lowball too much. Sellers tend not to like that.
Add to your watchlist
Adding to your watchlist on eBay, not only allows you to keep tabs on that piece, but often, sellers will actually offer you a special discount after you add an item to your watchlist!
Check the shipping cost
Always check the shipping cost before bidding, making an offer, or buying. There are some instances where the shipping cost makes the item not even worth it anymore. And some sellers try to be tricky by selling an item at a good price and then gauging the shipping cost, so pay attention!
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