By Kirsten Hawkins
Buying collectibles is one of the most enjoyable things to do
on eBay, simply because you can find so many things that you
just can’t get anywhere else. Here are a few tips to help you on
your way.
Find your Category.
You’ll probably find that all the items you’re after are listed
in a single category. Add this category to your browser’s
Favorites, and keep coming back.
Look for Mistakes.
If you collect something, the chances are you know a lot about
it. This can be your opportunity to make a mint from a seller’s
mistake. They might not realise that they have a rare version of
an item, or they might have left off the key information that
makes it valuable. If you’re willing to email the seller and ask
them a few questions about the item to confirm that it is what
you think it is, then you should be able to buy items like
these. You can then resell them at a big profit, if that’s what
you want to do.
Don’t Always Believe Descriptions.
If you find something you haven’t heard of, and the description
calls it ‘rare’, don’t assume that it actually is. Far too many
sellers just put ‘rare’ into all of their descriptions – the
chances are that the item is common and has just been described
wrongly. Don’t bid unless you know what you’re buying.
Stalk Other Users.
When you collect something, you’ll probably notice that there
are four or five sellers who seem to come up with consistently
good items – and the same buyers buying them. Add their user
pages to your Favorites, and check back often to see what
they’ve got – or what they’re bidding on – that you might be
interested in.
Don’t Get Too Attached to an Auction.
There are millions of items being listed every day on eBay –
whatever you want, it’ll come around again, and if you don’t get
it there are plenty more things to buy. This is similar to the
golden rule of negotiating: always be prepared to walk away. If
you can’t walk away, then expect to pay over the odds. There are
few things so rare that another seller won’t have one to sell.
Go and bid in a lower-priced auction, instead of getting into a
bidding war in one that is already expensive.
Beware of the Postage.
If you collect lots of small things with a relatively low
value, you might end up paying as much for postage as you do for
each item. You should take these costs into consideration when
you make your bid. Another good strategy is to always buy a few
things at once from the same buyer, as they will almost always
offer you a discount on the postage.
When you’re bidding, you might notice that some auctions go
more slowly than others, going days at a time without any new
bids. The next email tells you how to take advantage of these
‘slow’ auctions.
About the Author: Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet
auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit
www.auctionseller411.com/ for more great tips on how to
make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: www.isnare.com/?aid=12339&ca=Internet
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