Bidding Tips for Ebay Shopping
Posted: Thursday, October 20, 2005
by Jason James
Ebay auctions can be somewhat intimidating for people new to the world of online bidding. There are several different approaches, techniques, and options to choose from when trying to outbid the competition. Ebay shopping takes some practice and time before beginners become savvy bidders who get the best deals possible for the items they really want. Here are some tips to keep in mind to help you do battle with other bidders.
Ebay auctions offer buyers several tools from which to choose when trying to navigate through their site and win bids. But, if you are not really into bidding and the time and effort it takes to stay on top of the process, you can still find good deals offered by sellers who use the "Buy Now" option. This means that the buyer has set a predetermined price for an item and anyone can have it for that amount.
But, if you like the challenge of dueling with other bidders for the best price possible on an item, then you definitely have some options. If you are new to Ebay and still a little nervous about the bidding process then you may want to execute the "pre-determined limit" bidding option.
This allows you to set a maximum price that you are willing to pay for an item and once it is reached you are out of the bidding process. But, it keeps you in the process and prevents you from paying more than you are willing to spend.
Now if you don't really have time to monitor the bidding process too closely, you may want to use what is known as "proxy bidding". Again, you will set a limit as to what you are willing to pay for the item and then Ebay will automatically keep you in bidding process until you either win or are outbid.
Proxy bidding is not the most exciting way to do your Ebay shopping but if it gets you what you want at a great price then you will still walk away happy. Just remember that Ebay will automatically set your bid a dollar higher than the highest bidder until you reach your limit or win.
Ebay Shopping Pitfalls
It is called schilling and it happens to some extent in all auction selling, no matter the website. Schilling is when a seller has a secret partner who comes into the bidding process and sets a high bid to raise the selling price of the item. The only real way to protect yourself against this kind of fraud is to set a predetermined limit so that you are not stuck with an item at a price you were not willing to pay.
Also in Ebay shopping or in any online auctions, you have to watch out for snipers. These sneaky devils creep in at the very last second to outbid the highest bidder by just a hair and end up getting the item you have so patiently been bidding on for the past few days. There just is not too much you can do about these people other than study them and become one yourself. Sad, but that is the world of Ebay shopping!
While it will take you awhile to learn the ins and outs of the bidding process, the basics that have been provided here should be enough to get you started. Just remember that Ebay and all online auctions have a few bad apples but so long as you remember to set a predetermined limit, you should be fine. Just remember to have some fun at it and don't worry if you lose out the first couple of times to those wily sniper characters!
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Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His website "The Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 per month on eBay. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with little or no business experience how they too can make huge profits selling products at online auctions.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Excellent, useful article
Enjoyed your article, very helpful! If there are several days left on a bid and no one has placed a bid yet, does it matter if you make your bid early or at the last minute? How can you find out if there is a reserve on an item? Many times it says
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