Tips for Successful Transactions in Finding eBay Bargains

Welcome to Works for Me Wednesday, sponsored by Rocks In My Dryer.

As frugal home builders, we always seek ways to purchase what we need through least expensive options, if possible, though we're not fanatics about it. We frequent several online shopping sites, but our favorite is eBay.

Jim loves eBay Motors. He just loves to look at trucks, and it gives him a good idea of what vehicles are going for these days. And outrageous bids amuse him.

I love eBay, too. We bought our daughter's flute through eBay so she could participate in band, and I've found several good deals for items we needed. Here are some tips for navigating a successful eBay transaction and what to watch out for:

• Read listings carefully. I recently purchased a wall adapter based on the image and description. The image looked like the model I wanted, but the description didn't specify it was a brand name, which was fine as long as it looked the way it was supposed to, which is eBay's policy. When I received the item, it was a cheap generic version that looked completely different than what was advertised and plugged in all wrong in the outlet. Plus it was damaged. The seller misrepresented the product. Reluctant to use the product because I didn't want to damage anything I plugged into it, I asked for a full refund and offered to return the item if they would pay return shipping. (A buyer should not pay for seller misrepresentation and defects.) All they would offer was a partial refund and then they stopped answering messages. The matter is still unresolved.
  
• Look to see where the items ships from. The item I mentioned above came from Hong Kong, but I noticed only after I committed to Buy It Now. It took longer to get the product and turned out to be an inferior product they so far have not stood behind.
  
• Check shipping prices. Even though eBay prohibits astronomical prices in shipping, eBay sellers still do it to compensate for or avoid eBay fees. Many times the total price is more than a local store once you factor in shipping. Consider about how much it should cost to ship, allow for a little extra for packaging and handling, and judge the shipping fees from there.
  
• Read a seller's feedback ratings. Have buyers found the seller reliable? easy to work with? good at communication?
  
• Read positive reviews, too. Don't just look for negative reviews to read assuming positive reviews mean all positive transactions. Many buyers leave a less-than-positive review to an ill transaction to avoid seller retaliation with a negative review back. This policy is changing so eBay sellers will no longer be able to retaliate.
  
• Pay attention to mutually withdrawn feedback. If you see several mutually withdrawn ratings, treat them as negative reviews. In most cases, a buyer left a negative review and the seller retaliated with a negative review, and neither wanted a lower feedback score so they agreed to mutually withdraw the rating to avoid a lower eBay scores. eBay policies will make it so sellers can only leave negative feedback for no-pay buyers, but it will take months for this to reflect in ratings.
• Never respond to eBay transactions outside the eBay system including offers via e-mail to close an auction early, requests to pay though instant transfers with a service like Western Union, or from someone claiming to be the seller with a name different than the eBay user name. In one instance we knew they were scams because in one instance we were the winner and had already paid through eBay's system when the supposed seller was offering to end the auction early. Plus the message came to an e-mail address the seller or anyone else could not have had through eBay transaction. The people had taken our eBay name and plugged it into a popular mail service and reached us that way, the reason eBay no longer allows members to use an e-mail address which uses the user name.
  
• Investigate second chance offers carefully. After the item closed, we have received several second chance offers from people claiming to be the seller for items we bid including the eBay item number to make it look legitimate. It came outside the eBay system to an e-mail address we don't use for eBay. But if we had not known to scrutinize the message, we may have fallen for the scam and lost money.
• Ask questions before bidding.
  
• Wait a reasonable time frame before inquiring about delivery. 5-7 business days is reasonable for first class, 10-14 for media mail.
  
• Contact the seller if there are problems. Give him a chance to correct things if something is wrong. And remember, computer glitches do happen, and you can't tell a person's tone by words in e-mail. Someone may appear to be curt when in reality they just aren't terrific writers. Always give the benefit of the doubt where you can.
  
• Leave appropriate feedback. If things weren't terrific but your product still worked, leave a positive feedback. If there were problems, but the seller tried to correct them, you could leave positive or neutral feedback. Only leave negative feedback when the seller failed to send the right product, you waited an astronomical length of time for your product with no communication, or some other serious transaction infraction.
  

Finding bargains through eBay can be a lot of fun. Follow these tips and it will help you have a good eBay experience. Just don't go overboard buying lots of stuff you don't need. ;o)

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