Shopping Tips and Guides

Care packages, gifts, and items sold in online auctions all require shipping -; but among weights, boxes, overnight flights, and rising postal rates, getting a package from point A to B can become pricey.

As fuel and food costs strain Americans’ budgets, many people look to cut costs in unexpected places, and trimming shipping costs can free up extra cash. Here are some tips for Americans looking to save money on shipping:

– Consolidate packages. If your brother’s kids all share summer birthdays, why send gifts in June, July and August? Shop ahead, then send the gifts in one box to save on packaging and shipping costs.

– Plan ahead. Sometimes you must rush items overnight, but with non-emergency items, it’s better to choose non-priority domestic mail services. The holidays, for example, arrive at the same time every year, so send packages a week or two ahead of time. Trains and trucks, while slower than airplanes, also cost less.

– Consider what you’re shipping. When choosing what present to ship to your friend living overseas, you might want to consider an object’s heft before you swipe your credit card. Heavy objects cost more to ship.

– Look for free services. If a company offers free boxes, free pickup or delivery, or other deals, factor that into your overall shipping costs.

– Compare rates. Not all shipping carriers offer the same deals, so price shopping is never a bad idea. One company, Pak Mail (www.pakmail.com), which offers custom packaging and shipping services from over 400 locations nationwide, provides free shipping estimates. Pak Mail uses different carriers to ensure that its customers get great deals on international and domestic shipping, making saving money easy.

I love to shop, it really doesn’t matter what the item is. I enjoy clothes, shoes, art, most anything you can imagine shopping for. Yet I do have to pay attention to how much I spend because all those small purchases do add up over time. I have found I can buy twice as much stuff that I want if I shop at the various online auction sites. Trust me, you can find some great bargains on both new and used items. The two most popular online auction sites are Yahoo! Auctions and eBay.

There are literally thousands of products to choose from so you will likely find anything you are looking for. I enjoy finding things that the stores no longer carry but that I know are great products. Once you time in a specific item into the search box you will get a listing of all the products available. You can view them by the auctions that are ending first, the lowest price, the highest price, whatever you want.

Before you can place any bids on these online auction sites, you will need to set up an account. This is a simple process that will take you about 15 minutes. You will need to provide your personal information including your name and address. You will also set up a user ID and password for your account.

To get the very best deals from these online auctions, you really want to do your homework before you place a bid on any item. Take a look at the reputation of the seller. You will be able to see the number of items they have sold as well as feedback from the people the sold it to. Take a look at what these people have to say. You want to make sure the seller seems honest with what they are listing and they ship timely.

Make sure you find out about the cost of shipping the item to you before you bid on it as well. Some individuals place the cost very low but then they charge an outrageous fee for shipping. This is because the cost they have to pay the auction site for their listing is based on the price they open the bidding at. If the auction you are looking at doesn’t give the shipping cost I strongly recommend you email the seller and get an answer before you bid on the item.

Most sellers on these online auction sites are pretty straight forward in regards to what they are selling. There are a few who aren’t though so you really need to take the time to read the entire listing from top to bottom before you place a bid. For example, I know a person who thought they were bidding on an iPod on one of these auctions and they were disappointed when they got an off brand. Yet when I took a look at the listing they purchased it from that information was clearly stated in the description, she just didn’t read it all.

Not only can you get great bargains from online auctions, it is fun to look around and see what people have to offer as well. To help ensure you get the items you want for a price that fits your budget decide what your maximum bid will be on a given item. Enter that amount when you place your bid. This way you don’t have to keep going back to see if someone outbid you. Don’t get caught up in a bid war with someone though because you might end up paying more than the item is worth just because you don’t want to get beat! By setting your limit in the beginning you won’t have to worry about it. Should you get outbid on something there is likely many more of it on the various pages of listings on these online auction sites.

You will find auctions that offer a variety of items you may be interested in. There are auctions for home furnishings, vehicles, art, and even animals including livestock. Many people are intimidated by the process that takes place at an auction so they shy away from them.

Yet this is a perfect opportunity for you to get some great items for a very low price. The biggest factor is that there will be plenty of other people there bidding on items too. It isn’t just you and one other person trying to negotiate the price.

The other downside of it is that your goal is to negotiate the price of anything lower so you get a great bargain. Meanwhile the auctioneer is continually raising the prices higher as long as he continues to have interested parties bidding on the item. Of course not everyone at an auction is going to be there to bid on the same items.

If possible, take a look at the items that will be offered at an auction ahead of time. Most of them offer flyers listing the best items they have to generate public interest in the auction. Try to show up at least one hour early so you can take an up close look at the various items that will be for sale. This way you can confidently bid on them when they reach the auction block.

It is important to remember that you are purchasing items at an auction as it is with no expressed or implied warranty. If you find an old desk you love and would like to refinish check it out before the auction starts. You don’t want to win it and find out it is actually made out of particle board instead of real wood.

Don’t let the fact that there are plenty of people around you discourage you from bidding on the items you really want. If you don’t win them try not to stress out about it. There are generally plenty of auctions taking place in any given location so you may find the item somewhere else.

Of the flip side of that coin, don’t feel pressured to keep bidding more for an item than you really want to because someone else is bidding on it and you don’t want to be the loser in front of everyone else in attendance. Too many people worry about this situation at an auction, but it is nothing to take personally or become embarrassed by.

While you are taking a close look at the various items you may want to bid on, come up with a maximum price you are willing to pay and then stick to it. If the opening bid for the item is more than you were willing to pay for it then pass the item over entirely.

Even if you don’t walk away with anything, going to an auction is a very fun even it itself. There are real estate auctions, estate auctions, and those that offer a variety of other items. It is fun to attend and observe how the entire process works. This way you know the proper procedures when you are ready to make a bid. It is also a great place to network and meet lots of very interesting people.

In most cases online shopping is very similar to shopping in traditional stores with the need to have an item shipped after making a purchase instead of being able to walk out of the store with the item in your hand. However, there are times when online shopping is much different than shopping in a regular store. This difference occurs in cases in which the online shopping is being done on auction websites. Although using auction websites can be very similar to online shopping in some ways there are some differences which online shoppers should be aware of before making purchases through auction websites. Some of these differences will be discussed in this article and include the need to do research on appropriate prices before making a bid, understanding the bidding process and knowing the return policies.

Doing Research before Making a Bid

The need to do at least a minimal amount of research before making a bid when using auction websites for online shopping is quite common. Although online shoppers who utilize retailers to make a purchase should still do some research before making a purchase to ensure they are selecting the best deal on the item they truly want, the type of research when using auction websites is different. Online shoppers using auction websites should carefully research items such as the feedback for the seller and comparable items which have recently been sold on the auction website.

Carefully investigating the sellers feedback is very important because it can help to prevent the buyer from purchasing poor quality items or items which differ from the description provided in the auction. Most online auction websites allow buyers and sellers to provide feedback for other users from whom they have purchased an item or to whom they have sold an item. Before bidding on an item at an auction website, the buyer should review this feedback to determine whether or not the seller is reputable. In general a reputable seller is one who has a substantial amount of feedback and the majority of the feedback is positive. Buyers should be wary of sellers with no feedback, very little feedback or a great deal of negative feedback.

Online shoppers using auction websites should also spend some time researching recently sold items comparable to the one they wish to bid on before making a bid. This is important because it will give the buyer a good indication of a fair price for the item. This will help the buyer determine how much they are willing to spend on a particular item. It will also give them an indication of how many of these items are in circulation. This information may be useful because if there are many items available the buyer may tend to bid lower simply because they will likely have several opportunities to bid on a similar item while if the item is pretty rare the buyer may opt to bid higher because it may be his last opportunity purchase a particular item.

Understanding the Bidding Process

Online shoppers who use auction websites should acquaint themselves with the bidding process before starting to bid on items. This is important because it can help the buyer to avoid making mistakes in the bidding process which could result in them overpaying for an item or not winning an item because of a mistake in the bidding process. It is also important to understand the bidding process because it can help the buyer to develop a bidding strategy which can help them to win items they desire. The bidding process may be different for different auction websites so online shoppers should review this information for each new auction website they use.

Returns When Online Shopping with Auction Websites

The issue of returns when online shopping with auction websites is a very valid concern for online shoppers. Online shoppers who are concerned about whether or not it will be possible to return an item purchased through an auction website should carefully review the bid description for any information relevant to the seller’s return policy. If no information about returns is provided the buyer should inquire with the seller. The buyer should also review the website’s policy on returns to determine if the website will provide any protection if the items purchased are defective or do not match the description provided by the seller.

Purchasing items online can be done in just a few clicks of the mouse. There are many auction sites like eBay, uBid and Bidz.com you can consider. You may probably be asking which sort of auction site is the greatest. It depends on the perception of both the seller & the buyer.

Some types of auction minimize room for fraud while others seem to encourage such. Some auctions do require the presence of the purchaser (like meet-ups) while some don’t. Before setting an auction, the merchant must first evaluate the format that would be best for him.

A feature of auctioning that’s sometimes very essential is speed. If the item you‘re selling spoils quickly, like food or flowers, obviously a speedy auction is required.

Participating in an online auction can be fun and very exciting. More often, you can find yourself having a great deal on your purchase that you could’ve bought somewhere else for a great deal of cash.

There are a number of reasons why goods are rather sold on auction and it’s important to know why these goods are on sale and where the items are from. This information can be obtained by conferring with the auctioneer before the trade or it could be found stated in the catalogue of lots related to that auction sale. If you are hesitant whether the seller is a legitimate user or a scammer, make sure to check on his feedbacks or testimonials. This is actually one of the most important parts of the auction.

Feedbacks allow buyers and sellers to document their experiences with each other. Other buyers can also view the feedback of any user they wish to deal with, to see if there have been any negative comments posted. If you plan to be a seller, it is extremely important to maintain your feedback rating positive.

Like advertisements, it is better to include images on your auction space. If you are the seller, you need to use a picture on your auction page. Potential bidders would want to see the item and what it looks like before they bid. Take for example mp3 players. Adding an image to your auction page will make selling of a particular product easier than ever. However, be sure that the image is clear and detailed and the flaw it may have. It is better to post an actual photo of the item than copying photos from another website. Your potential buyers are particularly interested to know about the condition of the item especially if it is a hand-me-down item.

The buyer will propose a starting bid and typically bidding will start lower than this worth so do not think that the buyer’s starting bid is the lowest cost to be had. If the item has a reserve value, the shopper will usually start the bidding above that price and would reduce the start bid against the reserve price until a bid had been made. The catalogue would usually display a price guide for the item, which is above the item’s reserve price.

So there you have it. These are just the key points in an auction. Still, the best tip is to be wise in bidding and selling in auctions. Happy bidding!

Yes! You know many online auction sites.

‘Course you may have participated in some of the biddings.

The next time you decide to bid for a product or a service, do remember these vital online auctions secrets and tips.

1:Important to know the value of the product you plan to bid. Product is new? Check the price retailers are charging for it. It helps in two ways, you’ll know the original cost and helps you to pay way less than the retail value, if it is old or re-conditioned.

2:To ensure that you get a good product, get the complete information and picture of the product from merchant, if the details are incomplete on the site.

3:Decide your maximum paying limit and stick to it lest you may end up caught in the ‘bid war’ and end up paying more than the actual cost.

4:It is always good to check a few auction sites for you may find the same product at a much lesser price in some unpopular sites simple because of the fewer number of buyers in those sites.

5:Make a note of the auction begin and end time. And the shipping time as well. This helps you to calculate the time when you want the product at a certain date.

6:Payments: Check the various payment modes the merchant offers. If checks and money orders are accepted, the delay in delivery will invariably be delayed for the payment has to clear. If the credit cards are accepted, ensure they have secure server.

7:Find out if the merchant offers a warranty or money back guarantee before the bid. Surely you don’t want to be bogged down with a non-working or unsatisfactory product.

8:Always good the check the track record of the merchant, if offered one. See if you can bump into any complaints from the past customers.

9:Start your auction early to convey a message to other that you’re interested in the product. If someone outbid you, you do the same. Always remember your maximum bid limit.

10:The reason to know the bid time – it helps you place a last minute bid, assuming that other bidders may not have kept track of the bid time

So if you are like most people than you are slowly becoming used to the idea of the internet and may have even started to shop online. The security of the internet, given the proper precautions, has gotten to the point that risk is minimal. This makes the convenience of doing business over the internet that much more appealing. So what about online auctions, are there any associated risks or things that should be known so that you don’t make a big mistake and pay for it dearly? Well in the next few paragraphs I want to go over some common sense pointers that will help you to make wise decisions the next time you start looking for something on ebay.

The first two pointers actually would apply to any purchase that you make, especially if it is a purchase that you don’t routinely make. First do research on what you want to buy so that you have a very specific set of criteria that the product must fulfill in order to be satisfactory. This allows you to learn what a good price is for the exact features and specifications that you want/need. This also eliminates the possibility that you will buy a product only to be disappointed that it doesn’t have a certain function when you just assumed that every thing in that category of product would. This happens all too commonly with purchases in general and when you buy things in an online auction you have to be especially careful that you know exactly what you are getting.

The second pointer is the axiom “deals come and deals go.” That is that you should be careful not to get sucked into the feeling of competition that many people who purchase on online auctions do. You need to have a price set in your mind that you won’t go over on and you must not compromise. With a little patience and sometimes a run of good luck you will get the item you want for the great deal that you are counting on.

The third pointer is that you don’t have to be satisfied with only getting used merchandise in an online auction. More and more everyday there are online stores that are functioning just like a typical store would down the street from you. Two helpful abbreviations to remember are NWT which stands for New With Tags and NWOT which obviously means New WithOut Tags.

My last piece of advise is to be careful with hidden costs, namely shipping. Many online auction sellers like to lower the price of their product by increasing the flat rate of shipping that they charge. Often if you look closely at the deals something that is going for a little more is actually the cheaper deal because they are being sleazy and gouging you with horrendous shipping costs. That’s it, have fun!

Online Auctions are unmistakably among the hottest e-Sourcing technologies on the Internet business today. But what exactly is an online auction anyway and what are its benefits? According to The Pocket Oxford Dictionary, fourth edition (1942), an auction is a “public sale in which articles are sold to the highest bidder.” And if done on Internet it is online auction.

Online auctions create a competitive advantage because they make it relatively simple for Procurement managers to negotiate on all corporate purchases and create better deals.

Let us see some common myths surrounding online auctions:

MYTH #1: Only very familiar, particular or consistent items can be auctioned:

The myth came into being because no one understood how to measure criteria other than price. Total cost auctions take price and no-price factors, such as delivery time or customer service, into account, and they allow a customer to weight each factor accordingly. This is only a myth because when someone with sourcing expertise takes a creative approach to defining or breaking down the item in question, that item or its components can generally be auctioned.

MYTH # 2: Auctions are only effective when there is a level playing field:

This is false since a level playing field simply doesn’t exist. And, not all suppliers are alike. Face-to-face negotiations have long proven this fact. Procurement managers can now normalize for differences (e.g., customer service, warranty terms, delivery cost, etc.) using Web-based technology. In effect, these technologies measure total cost allow customers to compare apples-to-oranges.

MYTH #3: Only Internet-savvy suppliers can participate in an online auction:

Today, the majority of legitimate suppliers have access to computers. The myth that only internet-savvy suppliers can participate in an online auction is wrong. In order to participate in an Internet based online auction, the suppliers merely need to be able to log on to the Internet, log in to a web site, and log their bids. It’s just very simple. Suppliers don’t have to know how to navigate the World Wide Web or use any sophisticated search engines to participate.

MYTH #4: Maximum benefits could be derived only if large number of suppliers participate:

For any online auction, competition is a must and you must create a competitive environment, no matter if the suppliers is 4 or 400. Internet auctions put the business “up for bid.” Incumbents are wise to take notice. Once existing suppliers believe that the buyer really will change where he takes his business, a competitive environment is created. Thus concrete results for online auctions occur irrelevant to number of suppliers.

MYTH #5: Only products are auctioned?

Not true – in fact, services are also auctioned. Services such as Telemarketing services, Cellular phone services, Security services, and temporary labor services are all good examples. For example, a particular auction site held an auction for telemarketing services that resulted in an 18% cost reduction. The auction involved over 60 suppliers and more than 700 bids. The study shows that apart from products, services can also be auctioned.

MYTH # 6:Auctions are carried out only once in a year:

Event online auctions are generally used for categories of goods and services that require a long-term contract (say one year). These will achieve better results if auctioned year (or less). For example, a buyer may auction off the purchase of 10,000 PCs over a two-year period.

It is important for all to expand their concept of what can be auctioned, as long as the value of each item is ‘elastic’ enough to preclude fixed pricing. Once they have done that, the possibilities are almost endless.

Online auction sites prove to be very much advantageous for those people who are looking for reasonably priced goods on the internet. Online auction sites like eBay have literally thousands of products on display on their websites to buy and sell. Online auction sites act like a middleman or an intermediary between buyers and sellers of goods. They charge a small commission amount whenever an item is bought or sold by the buyer and the seller respectively. Online auction sites prove to be beneficial for both parties as the seller can post his item on the site and also get a good price by selling the article to a much bigger audience than he has in his home town. Also the buyer can get a good deal on the product that he buys as the product is offered at lesser, more competitive prices.

As we have seen over the last few years, online auctions have proven to be a boon for global buyers and sellers. It is not necessary for the buyers and the sellers to be in the same city or even in the same country. A person in Australia can sell an item to a person in England or vice versa. An online auction site breaks all the barriers of a traditional market place where a buyer and a seller had to meet personally.

All that a buyer or a seller has to is register on an online auction site like eBay. Registration is normally free. The seller has to put up a display and description of the item that he wants to sell. For example if he wants to sell his year old dvd player then he has to place the item under the category of electronics which maybe further categorized into DVD players, etc. If the seller can post an image of the product, then it would be easier to sell and it is better for the buyer. The seller then has to give a description of the item(s) he wants to sell. For example if he wants to sell a DVD player then he will mention the manufacturer, the year of make, the model number, and any other special features of the DVD player. Next, he will have to post a minimum price at which he wants to sell his DVD player.

A buyer will visit the category of the product that he wants to purchase. He will be able to view the details of the product that he wants to purchase. If he is interested in the product, he will place a bid. There maybe many potential buyers who place bids on a particular product. There is a last date and time which the bids are placed. On the last date, the buyer with the highest bid gets to purchase the product. The buyer can pay the seller through credit card or international check or even ebay’s own PayPal. The seller will ship the product to the buyer and the auction company and payment company takes their commission. This is normally how an online auction works.

Though online auction sites are a great way to buy and sell goods they come with their own risks. An online auction site is just an intermediary between the buyer and the seller. It does not hold itself responsible for any disputes between the buyer and the seller. The buyer should normally pay through credit card as it offers additional protection in case of a dispute. Also, both the parties should keep all important documents of correspondence printed and kept in a safe place unless the transaction is completed. Many auction sites do have programs to identify those buyers and sellers with integrity and to eliminate those who do not.

When you are shopping online and you have crawled through various classifieds and visiting endless sales or you are just eager to get rid of some, then online auction might be the thing you are looking for. It is primarily aimed at individuals and also provides a virtual marketplace for both the buyers and the sellers.

Since it involves low fees and also an opportunity to reach the huge potential customer, it is really an economical way to sell for buyers and for buyers to choose from a wide list of items at bargain prices. For making a purchase, you need to nominate a price that you would prefer to pay as against other interested competitors.

You can bid only on the items you want to have and therefore an auction is a binding contract. Although most of the auction sites function in the similar way, you should always read the instructions and the fees and charges before you start trading. You can easily get more out of the auction if you take the time to read for any special services being offered. Some of the businesses use the auction websites to sell old, surplus or other stock with a view to check the popularity of upcoming products.

Commonly used terms for online auctions
1. Bid Increment is the smallest amount with the help of which you can increase a bid.
2. Escrow service is the third party organization that holds your money in trust until the merchandise is delivered.
3. Paymate is a third party payment system that makes it possible for the sellers to accept credit card and also direct all the debit payments.
4. Proxy bid is the maximum amount you shall pay for any particular item. Any website shall automatically bid for you until your nominated price is reached.
5. Reserve price is the lowest price that you are willing to sell to the buyer.