Shopping Tips and Guides

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.

For those who love to shop, online auctions offer hard to find items at bargain prices. For those who have something to sell, online auctions offer an economical and convenient way to advertise the merchandise to people all over the world, in the hopes of bringing a large selling price.

While some of the larger, better known online auction sites, such as eBay, have categories for nearly every imaginable type of goods and services, there also exist specialty online auctions that feature only particular items, or groups of items. There are some auction sites that offer only books, others that only deal with antiques, and yet others that sell only automobiles. The world of online auctions is a diverse one, and is one that many people love being a part of.

Online auctions operate in a number of different ways; some auctions are more like the conventional auctions, where the highest bidder wins the auction and gets to buy the particular item or service for the their offered price. Other auctions have minimum bids, wherein if there are no bidders who bid high enough to reach the minimum bid, then the seller is not obligated to sell the advertised item. This option is mostly used for items that have a very high retail or collectable value. Other auctions have what is termed a “buy it now” feature. This is where the seller of the item sets a predetermined price, and the first person to accept this price wins the auction. Some of the larger online auctions use a combination of all of these methods, which affords many choices to both sellers and buyers.

Some people who are unfamiliar with online auctions may wonder how payment can be made once the auction is over. Some sellers will accept a money order, check, or cash sent through the postal mail, although these are probably not the safest methods to use paying for something won on an online auction. Most people will use an online payment service such as Paypal to send and receive payments associated with online auctions. Payment systems such as these allow payments to be sent via the Internet by E-check, credit card, debit cards, as well as by the use of checking accounts.

Many people turn to online auctions when they need to find a unique, one-of-a-kind gift, while others use online auctions as a way to find certain items to add to their personal collections. Sometimes, an online auction is the only place that some items can be found, and with the multitude of different items that are bought and sold online everyday, of you have something to sell, there is surely someone who will want to buy it. Likewise, if you are looking for a certain thing or gadget, you are sure to find it listed at an online auction site.

Online auctions can be fun, exciting, and a great way to spend a few hours on a lazy afternoon. You are also likely to make some new online friends when browsing the online auctions; people just like you who love to shop for bargains online!

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.

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.