Shopping Tips and Guides

At first glance, selling and buying items online would appear to be as easy as sending an email or downloading a song after a few clicks of the mouse. But with the rate at which several online auction and shopping websites pop up and disappear, and the growing number of bidding frauds done online, one can say that online auctions are getting to be risky undertakings.

The popularity of auction and shopping sites trivialized the issue of security against fraudulent transactions. As online companies such as eBay continue to pile up on customer complaints of varying degrees, online sellers, buyers or bidders should enter into online transactions with a discerning eye, and armed with at least the basics of online auctions.

Essentially, there are two parties to an auction. One is the seller, and the other one is the bidder. They come to an agreement as to the purchase of the item involved by one party from another. For the seller, the main motivation is the amount of the maximum winning bid. On the other hand, the bidder’s motivation is the item subject of the auction. While it involves different transactions, both are exposed to the risks attendant to online transactions.

Tips For The Seller/Auctioneer

A good auction site must have good traffic, because the wider the user base, the greater chances for the item to be sold. One must also look out for the clear-cut privacy and disputes policies and procedure in case of a botched transaction. Fees and commissions must be laid down in black and white, and it must offer a reliable payment method such as escrow or Paypal. Be professional. From writing a background about your item to doing the sales pitch to interested buyers, make sure that you get your terms and conditions of sale with clarity to avoid misunderstanding. Make yourself available for queries online via Skype, YM, AIM, or YM because people will always transact with people who have good communication lines. After-sales does not mean the end of a sale transaction because a sale is perfected by delivery of the item to the buyer or winning bidder. Follow a closed sale and shipping of items with an email or phone call, or make yourself available for follow-up inquiries.

Tips For The Buyer/Bidder

An online buyer/bidder has more reasons to exercise more caution and proceed with any online sale with greater prudence. The rising number of fraudulent activities in many online businesses is enough reason to be more vigilant and take extra care before we part with our cash or pay with credit or debit card. Always be on the safe side by always checking on the seller’s reputation or feedback, which are usually provided by online auction sites. While one cannot be sure if your bid price is the right price, at least have an idea on how much is the going rate for the item that you’re bidding for. You can do this by checking out final winning bids for similar items in other auction sites. Do not hesitate to call or email the seller if you have queries. Make sure that the seller is giving sufficient information about the item being auctioned. One indication that the seller is hiding something is when the information is given in deceptive or confusing language or in very small prints. Last but not the least; do not just cast aside your second thoughts. If you sense something dubious, don’t waste another second on it.

eBay doesn’t have very many competitors, and the ones that there are remain small by comparison – that’s part of what makes eBay so powerful for niche items. If you’re selling more common things, though, you might like to list auctions on other sites besides eBay, to increase your potential customer base and avoid some of the occupational hazards of relying on eBay for all your business. But which ones are worth bothering with?

Yahoo! Auctions.

Yahoo Auctions wins in one big way: selling there is free. There are no listing fees or final value fees. What’s more, Yahoo is still one of the biggest sites around, and gets plenty of traffic to its auction site. The site benefits from Yahoo’s experience in providing good, categorised searching, and the site is easy to use all round.

The rub, though, is that dodgy buyers and sellers are even more rampant on Yahoo than they are on eBay, and that’s saying something. Sellers on Yahoo Auctions can expect to run into far more non-paying buyers than they would on eBay. Also, the site is plastered with text ads, which get in the way, and the design in general leaves a lot to be desired – but then, so does eBay’s.

uBid.

uBid’s model is to offer more security for less flexibility. They pre-screen everything: sellers must be registered businesses and buyers must pre-register a credit card. It takes some of the ‘Wild West’ feeling out of selling – but it also takes away most of the fun.

On eBay, you have complete control over what you’re doing, while selling on uBid feels like you’re just a faceless supplier for a big company. Searching for anything vaguely non-mainstream will come back with no results, to the point that it will quickly get frustrating for your buyers. If you’re just selling common consumer goods for the money, though, then by all means do it at uBid.

Amazon Auctions.

Amazon Auctions is an underused auction site. The design is quite bad, and searches don’t turn up many results. The payment system is the same one people use to buy things from Amazon itself, though, which seems more secure that PayPal.

You might be more interested in becoming an Amazon Marketplace seller, which means that you can list your items on their main pages for people to see when they click the ‘Used & New from…’ link. This can be a good way to make a few sales, as you can simply keep your inventory updated at your Buy it Now prices and someone will occasionally buy something. You don’t even have to write a description or upload any pictures. This is probably a better thing to be using than Amazon Auctions.

To sum up, registering your items at a few other auction sites could get you a few extra sales – but compared to eBay, they’re all very unimpressive, and have nowhere near as many users.

If you’re trying to think of ways to expand your business, then there might be a shock in store for you with what I’m going to tell you next. Did you know that your eBay income is taxable? But stay calm – the next email will explain everything.

Over the years, eBay has introduced all sorts of different auction types, in an effort to give people more options when they buy and sell their things on eBay. There are many people who don’t like the idea that their item might sell for a far lower price than they intend. Equally, there are people who have hundreds of the same item and don’t want to sell them individually. This email gives you an overview of the different kinds of auctions and how to spot them.

Normal Auctions.

These are the bread-and-butter of eBay, the auctions everyone knows: you bid, others outbid you, you outbid them, and the winner gets the item. Simple.

Reserve Auctions.

Reserve auctions are for sellers who don’t want their items to sell for less than a certain price – a concept you’ll know about if you’re familiar with real auctions. They work just like normal auctions on eBay, except that you will be told if your bid has not met the reserve price set by the seller. If no-one is willing to meet this price, then the auction is cancelled, and the seller keeps the item.

You can spot these auctions by looking out for ‘Reserve not met’ or ‘Reserve met’ written next to the current bid on an item’s description page.

Fixed Price (‘Buy it Now’) Auctions.

Buy it Now auctions can work in one of two ways. A seller might add a Buy it Now button to a normal auction, meaning that you can choose either to bid normally or to simply pay the asking price and avoid the whole bidding process. Some sellers, though, now cut out the auction process altogether and simply list all their items at fixed price. Recently, eBay added a twist to fixed price auctions: the ‘best offer’. This means that you can negotiate a price to someone who offers their items using Buy it Now, which could be a great way to get a bargain on things that don’t seem to be selling.

Fixed price auctions are easy to spot, as they have a little ‘Buy it Now’ logo either next to or instead of the current number of bids on the search listings page.

Multiple Item (‘Dutch’) Auctions.

These are auctions where a seller is selling more than one of a certain item. Dutch auctions can be done by bidding. Buyers bid a price and say how many items they want, and then everyone pays the lowest price that was bid by one of the winning bidders. If you have trouble getting your head around that, then don’t worry – everyone else does too! These auctions are very rare.

What is more common is when a seller has a lot of one item, and lists it using a combination of two auction types: a multiple-item fixed price auction. This just means that they say how many they have, and offer them at a fixed price. You can enter how many you want and then just click Buy it Now to get them.

After all this, you might find yourself facing a dilemma: when you have the option, should you bid, or should you just use Buy it Now and save yourself the hassle? That’s what the next email will be about.

Shipping details for purchases over eBay is actually a misnomer. eBay is not responsible for the shipping details of an item.

First of all, it should be duly noted that eBay is an online market/transaction facilitator. It merely becomes a means for the buyer and the seller to meet. It is also a regulating body that helps develop fairness of trades among parties.

However, the terms and details of the trade are subject to the agreement of both buying and selling parties.

For most cases, the details of a trade – the payment modes, conditions, and shipping details are specified by the selling party. Taking note of, and understanding such is important to avoiding disputes over shipping details between buyer and seller.

If the buyer does not pay attention to the terms stated here, he may find himself on the losing end of a trade. He must, therefore, be vigilant in studying the terms before agreeing to a trade.

The buyer should also note that shipping is usually exclusive of the bid price he may have agreed to on the auction. He should weigh in the costs of shipping and handling when considering trades.

Sellers on the other hand should ensure that the mode of delivery he specifies is convenient, cost-efficient, and attractive to most buyers.

Buyers should review the shipping details for an item listing. He must specifically take note of insurance, shipping and handling charges, sales tax and return policy.

In the case of insurance, if the seller does not specify any details for such, the buyer should discuss the possibility of including one in the purchase. One walks on the safe side if he does not assume that all will go well on the delivery.

The buyer should also inquire about the return policy – the rights available to a buyer if desires to return an item for whatever reason may it be dissatisfaction, damage, etc.

Depending on the size of the item and its location, shipping costs can add significantly to the total cost of the item. The buyer should make sure the shipping details are clear and fair before agreeing to them.

The buyer should also take advantage of the safety mechanisms available to him. The buyer and seller should agree upon such and contact their shipping company of choice to request measures to address their delivery concerns.

Again, the key component to considering the shipping details of an item over eBay is good communication.

In the end, one could say that shipping plans over eBay items can be safe – as long as one takes great pains and meticulous methods to ensure a hassle free delivery.

Buying things in an auction is the most affordable way to obtain the item a person wishes to have. That is why even the Internet had provided such sites like eBay in order to provide more affordable items than what the typical market has to offer.

Best of all, net auctions sites like eBay can provide a number of potential profits for the small time entrepreneurs who want to, in some or way or another, earn extra income.

Through eBay, sellers do not have to build a site just to sell. In fact, there’s no investment capital needed in order to start the business.

There just simple things a seller has to do in order to come up with a good sale. Here are some things the seller has to know before putting up a sale:

1. The Market Value

It’s a must for every seller to do some homework first regarding the price of the item in the market. This is to enable the seller to come up with a price that is reasonable enough to compensate the purchasing power of the buyer and the much-needed profit of the seller as well.

The seller may also look for the other sites that offer the same item so as to give him or her an insight on how he or she should stipulate the price.

2. The item description.

It is important for a seller to come up with a detailed description of the item. That is, the seller should be honest enough to put everything that depicts the items actual state and appearance. It should be based more on information and not just propaganda.

3. The photograph.

Pictures are enough to sell the item. But it takes skill to get the right angle and the perfect aura of the item so as to illustrate the best point of view. If the item is clear enough for the buyer to see its specifications, chances are, the buyer will purchase it.

4. The seller’s requirements.

It is an essential thing for the seller to state his or her payment requirements. It’s best for the sellers to include everything especially the additional charges that will apply like shipping fees.

5. The customer service.

In order for the seller to close a sale, he or she must be well adept on customer service. That is, the seller should know that it is important to reply on a buyer’s inquiry, to answer whenever there is confusion, and to do some follow-ups even if the transaction is finished.

As they say, a happy buyer makes a happy seller.

eBay – the World’s Online Marketplace – is the place to go when you want to buy or sell anything on the Internet. eBay lets its members sell items on the Internet via Auctions, which entails bidding, and through the Fixed Price Format, which means that there is a set price for items on sale. eBay Auction is the more popular selling method between the two.

Selling on eBay

When selling on eBay, whether it is through eBay auction or the fixed price format, a person has to first register to be a member and then create a seller’s account. Credit card details or being ID Verified is needed to create a seller account. The next requirement is a picture of the item to be sold. This is required since most buyers want to see what the item actually looks like before buying anything.

The next thing to do is to get your item listed by clicking on the Sell Your Item button. After clicking on the button, be sure to give all the necessary information such as the item category, the title, item description, and the price, payment method, shipping costs, return policy, and payment methods. For your item to have a greater chance of being viewed by more prospective buyers you can list the item under more than one relevant category. Another effective strategy would be to have a very specific title that would most probably typed by prospective buyers as their search string.

To keep track of all your listings simply go to My eBay since it keeps track of all the items you’ve sold and are currently selling along with all the bids made on them as well as all the items you have bid on and are currently bidding on. My eBay also has a summary page, a favorites page, and your accounts page. As soon as the item is sold eBay will notify both the buyer and seller through email. Make sure that you communicate well with your buyer and notify the buyer that the item is being shipped as soon as you receive the payment.

In case you plan to sell your item through eBay Auction there are three prices you need to set before putting up the item n sale. First is the Starting Price. The Starting Price is simply the price you want the bidding to start. It is also usually the lowest price you feel that you can accept as payment for your item. Next is the Reserve Price. In case your starting price is lower than the amount you are willing to accept as payment you need to set the Reserve Price. Having a reserve price means that if the bidding ends with the highest bid still lower than the reserve price then your item will remain unsold. This price is concealed from buyers.

Last is the Buy It Now Price. The Buy It Now Price is the amount a buyer has to pay to get the item you are selling without having to bid. Both the Reserve Price and Buy It Now Price are optional. The reserve price can be advantageous since it will protect you from having to sell your item at too low a price but can also be disadvantageous since it may discourage buyers from bidding. The Buy It Now Price, on the other hand, is advantageous for buyers who really want to buy the item you are selling since there is no risk that they will be outbid if they automatically buy the item. It is also advantageous for you as the seller since it can hasten the transaction since you don’t have to wait for the bidding period to end. However, it can also be disadvantageous if there is much demand for the item you are selling since having a Buy It Now price will limit the amount bid even if some buyers might actually be willing to bid beyond that set price.

eBay charges the following fees to seller. The Insertion Fee, Additional Option Fees, and Final Value Fee. The Insertion Fee is a non-refundable fee charged for each item listed on eBay Auction. Insertion Fee ranges from $0.30 to $4.80. Additional Option fees are charged if you opt for additional features like the Buy It Now and if you want your item to be a Featured Item. The Final Value fee is charged depending on the closing price your item manages to garner after a successful close at eBay Auction.

Bidding on eBay Auction

To bid on an item in eBay Auction, click on the item you wish to buy to get to the item page. You can then place a bid by simply clicking on the Place Bid Button found on the right side of the picture. In case there is no such button it means that the item can only be bought at the set price and isn’t up for auction. When you place a bid the only price you will see is the starting price since the amount bid by other people will not be visible to you. Enter the maximum amount you will be willing to pay for the item you wish to purchase the click on the Place Bid Button. eBay Auction will automatically compare your bid with others and won’t bid the maximum amount you entered. Instead it will bid only what is needed to outbid the last bid. eBay Auction will do this automatically until it reaches the maximum amount you entered or you win the bid. In case another buyer outbids you eBay Auction will send you a notification so that you can enter a larger amount or at least know that you’ve been outbid.

In case you are bidding on a Reserve Price Auction check whether the current price bid has met the reserve price. If your maximum amount has been reached but the reserve price still hasn’t been met then you know for sure that you need to increase your bid since the item won’t be sold until the reserve price is met.

If you are nervous about bidding on an expensive item keep in mind that eBay has measures to protect both sellers and buyers from fraud. If you are simply nervous since it is your first time try bidding on cheaper items first before going on to more expensive stuff. You can actually find items for less than $1.00 on eBay auction.

In an age where more and more people are undertaking do-it-yourself activities around the home, discount tools have become ideal gifts for both men and women. Indeed, anyone with do-it-yourself tendencies appreciates a good set of tools.

With this appreciation, comes the ever-present desire for a good deal when shopping for tools. Luckily, there are several methods for acquiring tools that can save you a bundle of money. Equipment auctions are one such method.

In-house equipment auctions work in very much the same way as regular auctions. At first, the equipment is set up in a large warehouse style room where potential bidders can walk through the displays and take notes on the numbered items in view.

After a few hours, everyone collects in another room, where the items are individually auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Some equipment auctions are done “silently,” and in this case, the items are presented in the room as with other normal style auctions, but the bidders simply put their name and what they can afford on a piece of paper and put this in a confidential box next to the item they want.

At the end of the day, the highest bidder will have first chance to purchase the equipment. While this is common practice with small items, silent auctions are not commonplace with equipment.

Of course, the most consumer-friendly auction is the online one. With such giant websites as ebay.com and auctions.shopping.yahoo.com ruling the space, it is now very easy for people to purchase equipment online often at prices far below normal retail levels.

If you want to find a great deal on almost any type of equipment, online auctions are the way to go! One good technique is to contact equipment suppliers and dealers ahead of time who can provide you with a quote on both new and used equipment.

In this manner you will know ahead of time how high you should be willing to bid at auction. Put simply, once you know how much it is all worth, then you can go into the auction with a little more certainty and understanding.

Whichever method you choose, equipment auctions present an incomparable way to purchase tools at a significant discount.

An auction means a public sale of properties or objects that are sold to the highest bidder. There are a whole lot of things that can be put to auction. There are auctions that are held under various categories such as antiques and art, automotive that include vintage cars, motorcycles, accessories, etc. The other popular items include clothing and accessories of film stars and sports stars, scripts of movies, sports goods. The jewellery auctions selling intricately designed precious jewels and gem jewellery are extremely popular.

There are auction houses where you can go and bid for the things of your liking. The auction houses have a calendar holding the sale on a particular theme. You need to submit details such as name, address, telephone number and banking or credit information as is specified by the salesroom where you are going to bid. A unique number, known as the Client Number, is going to be allotted to you. A paddle is a plastic card bearing a number that is registered at the auction. The paddle is raised to bid and the auctioneer calls out the paddle number of the successful bidder at the time of selling each lot. When the gavel falls the auctioneer announces the hammer price. The hammer price is the final bid price, which does not include a buyer’s premium. The buyer’s premium is the money that is paid separately by the buyer to the auction house. It is a percentage of the final bid price.

Sotheby’s and Christies are two very famous auction houses. Samuel Baker founded Sotheby’s in the year 1744. However, today this premier auction house has branches on the Manhattan’s York Avenue and New Bond Street, London. The New York office was opened in the year 1955. In the year 1964 Sotheby’s acquired the Parke-Bernet, which was the largest art auction house of America. This acquisition helped Sotheby’s gain a sizable presence across America. James Christie founded Christies in the 18th century. A man having very charming demeanor, James Christie’s clientele included the British royalty as well. The auctions of Christies include some 80 categories. Their sales rooms in America are at the Rockefeller Center, New York and North Camden Drive, Los Angeles.

Auctions these days are not just limited to the auction houses. There are lots of websites that are into the business of auctioning. You can list the products you want to auction and invite bidders. You can specify the time when the bid closes as well as other terms and conditions. You need to specify that shipping and the other supply costs are to be borne by the buyer.

Click on the item of your choice and get set bidding.

People are interested in obtaining more collectible items for their collection. Some are seeking music boxes and other mechanical music. Many others are looking for items such as cars, houses, jewelry, and household items for a cheap price. There is a very inexpensive way to get your favorite items. How? Auctions!

You can find auctions in your area. Most local towns and cities have an auction house. You can usually check your local newspaper, which should have a section in the classifieds for upcoming auctions. Another good source is the Internet when looking for auction houses. Sometimes, you might be driving down the road and see a sign for an upcoming auction as well. Your local library is also a resource.

Once you find the auction or auctions you are interested in, make sure you check the time it starts. You want to do this because it is important to view the collectibles, music boxes, mechanical music, or other items you are looking to bid on before things get rolling. You will want to carefully assess their condition. So give yourself plenty of time for this. Make sure you also take a notepad and pen to make notes of the items and the top dollar you are willing to bid. You also will be able to find out who the auctioneers and auction workers are. You will want to get to know them since they will have important information about the particular items you are interested in. This also helps them recognize you when you bid and maybe cause them to be more apt to look your way for a bid.

Next, you will want to find out where the auction will start and what direction it will likely go. This is necessary because sometimes there may be more than one auction ring if there are many items. Believe it or not, some auctions last for several days! Each auction ring will have an auctioneer, a recorder, and helpers. It is best to figure out how many rings and which auctioneer will be in which ring. Some auctions have multiple estates represented, so don’t be surprised if some sections of items may look like they do not belong with particular items.

In addition to the auctioneers, recorders, and helpers at an auction, there will also be a payment table and registration table. At many auction these two tables are the same table. It will be necessary to stop at the registration table before the auction starts. You will need to register your name, address, phone number, picture ID, and tax number if you have one.

Keep in mind that the auction can be indoors or outdoors, so make sure you dress appropriately. Otherwise, you might be too hot or too cold! You might want to think about taking a snack or lunch since there might not be a vendor available near the auction. Getting a good parking spot is also important so that you can transfer your music box, mechanical music, collectibles, and other items to your vehicle easily.

When you are at the auction, you will notice that items will have lot number or description associated with it. This information may not be on the actual item, but the recorder will have it. It will be on the tickets for each of your winning items. It is always is a good idea to keep track of what are your winning bids and what the winning bid was. This way, you can match each up to your ticket when you check out.

The items up for auction are usually kept in boxes or flats. The items may be auctioned per box or per item. If need be, you should be able to request a certain item be pulled out of a box to auction separately. A lot of times, however, you can get a better deal and bargain if the item you want is grouped together in a box with other stuff that may not be as desirable.

The more expensive item are kept in locked cases with an attendant close by to open the case for inspection of the items. The auctioneers usually will determine beforehand how valuable pieces and will be which items should be auctioned individually. Get yourself positioned so that you can see the items as they are auctioned and so that the auctioneer will readily see you for your bids. Make sure you have your bidder numbered card ready to show the auctioneer when you bid and when you win an item.

Sometimes, prior to and during an auction, as people look at the items, some may get moved from box to box. Make sure you pay close attention to what is being auctioned as in some case some things are moved. Depending upon the auctioneer, bidding could start at what the auctioneer thinks the item will eventually sell for. That offer may not get any bids, so in order to get people bidding; the auctioneer will lower the starting bid. If you are really interested in a music box, mechanical music, a collectible piece, or other items, you may want to bid first thing. This quick bid may scare off other potential bidders and you will win the item. Toward the end of the auction, there may not be as many people still at the auction. This is a great time to get some good deals also.

If you win, take your things straight to your vehicle. Once you win the bid, the item or items are you possession and you are responsible for them.

At the end of the auction, or when you are ready to leave, make sure you take the payment or registration table to pay for your winning items. They will have a list of items or a ticket for each winning item. Make sure the item and price match what you have recorded. It will be much easier to resolve any conflicts immediately rather than later.

Follow the above tips and you will be sure to win that coveted music box, mechanical music, collectible, or other item you were looking for!

Participating in online auctions can be a lot of fun! More often than not, you can find yourself on the good end of a great deal on something that you would have bought elsewhere for a lot more money. Online auction shopping can be great, but there are some things to consider when putting your money up on a bid. In this article, we’ll give you some tips when it comes to buying on sites such as eBay.

– When you’re bidding on an item, and the shipping and handling fees are not clearly shown on the bid page, it’s important to discuss them with the seller before you place any bid. Some sellers offer low prices on items only to charge exorbitant fees when it comes to shipping and handling. Clarifying that you aren’t getting ripped off on shipping before you place a bid is of the utmost importance.

– Also, when you find an item you like, it’s important to read the seller’s feedback on their past auctions. Reading how they do business with other people is the cornerstone of ensuring that you’ll have a positive buying experience with the seller.

– If an item really strikes your eye, but it’s at a high price, try checking out the seller’s other auctions. Sometimes sellers offer the same item many times in a row, and you may be able to get a better deal on the same item if you wait around for another auction from the same seller.

– One way that people have been able to successfully score great deals on auction sites is to ‘bid-snipe’. To do a bid-snipe, you just need to look for auctions that are ending in the very near future. If there’s an item with 5 minutes left on it that is selling for a low price, by all means, you should bid just slightly higher than the high bid to secure the item for a steal.

– Ensure that the item is in proper condition before buying. If the seller offers a vague description of a used item, it’s important to make sure that the item meets your expectations before placing a bid. If you’re not cautious, you may end up spending cash on an item that’s in poor or non-working condition.

Follow the above tips, and you’ll find yourself getting better and better deals on auction sites. What’s most important is to know exactly what you’re paying for, and how much you’ll be paying when all is said and done.