EBay for Dummies (22 page)
Authors: Marsha Collier
Tags: #Electronic Commerce, #Computers, #General, #E-Commerce, #Internet auctions, #Auctions - Computer network resources, #Internet, #Business & Economics, #EBay (Firm)
If additional pictures are available, take a good look. The majority of eBay sellers jazz up their auctions with several photos of their items. The seller should answer a few general questions in the item description. If these questions aren’t answered, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the seller’s disreputable — only that if you’re really interested, you should e-mail the seller and get those answers before you bid. In particular, ask questions like these:
Is the item new or used?
Is the item a first edition or a reprint? New or used? An original or a reissue? (See Chapter 5 for tips on how to assess what you’re buying.)
Is the item in its original packaging? Does it still have the original tags?
Is the item under warranty?
Most sellers spell out in their item descriptions exactly how the item should be paid for and shipped. Check the Shipping and Payments tab, which is next to the Description tab, to see whether an actual shipping charge applies — and if so, how much it’ll cost you. Some sellers use eBay’s incredibly convenient shipping calculator. Here are a few other things to consider regarding your item:
If you’re in a hurry to get the item, are delays likely? If so, what sort and how long?
Can the seller guarantee you a refund if the item is broken or doesn’t work upon delivery?
What condition is the item in? Is it broken, scratched, flawed, or mint?
Most experienced eBay buyers know that, depending on the item, a tiny scratch here or there may be worth the risk of making a bid. But a scratch or two may affect your bidding price. (Look at Chapter 5 for more expert advice for buying collectibles.)
Is this item the genuine article or a reproduction, and if it’s the real deal, does the seller have papers or labels certifying its authenticity?
What size is the item, and how much does it weigh? (That life-size fiberglass whale may not
fit
in your garage. That baby grand piano might cost a lot to ship from Anchorage, so you need to factor in the cost of shipping when you consider how much you’re willing to bid.)
If you win the item and find out the seller lied in the description, you have the right to request to return the item. But, if you win the item and discover that
you
overlooked a detail in the description, the seller isn’t obligated to take the item back. If the seller won’t take the item back, you may be able to apply for a refund through PayPal’s Buyer Protection.
The seller is obligated to describe the item honestly and in detail, so if your questions aren’t answered in the item description, for goodness’ sake, e-mail the seller for the facts. If a picture is available, is it clear enough that you can see any flaws? You can always ask the seller to e-mail you a picture taken from another angle.
Get the scoop on the seller
I can’t tell you enough that the single most important way you can make an auction go well is to
know who you’re dealing with.
Apparently, the eBay folks agree; they enable you to get info on the seller right from the auction item page. I recommend that you take advantage of the links offered there. (Chapter 5 demonstrates how to conduct a thorough By Seller search.) To get the full scoop on a seller, here’s what you need to do:
Click the number beside the seller’s user ID to get his or her feedback history. Click the Me link (if there is one) next to the seller to view the seller’s About Me page. This page frequently gives you a good deal more information about the seller. (To set up your own free About Me page on eBay, check out Chapter 14.)
Make note if you see the PowerSeller icon next to the seller’s name. This icon means he or she is an eBay seller who has met certain stringent certifications. (For more on PowerSellers, see Chapter 20.)
Click the View seller’s other items link to take a look at what else that person is selling. (If you win more than one auction from a seller, he or she will often combine the shipping costs.) Check the seller’s feedback (message sound familiar?).
Check the seller’s Feedback Profile. All together, now —
check the feedback.
(Is there an echo in here?) What you will find are (for the most part) the honest thoughts and comments of buyers from previous transactions. No eBay user has control over the comments that others make, and feedback sticks to you like your permanent record from high school.
Read the feedback — the good, the bad, and the neutral — and unless you’re prepared to kiss your money goodbye, I’ve found it safer not to buy from a seller who has a large percentage of negative comments — and eBay won’t allow them to sell on the site for long.
eBay, like life, is full of shades of gray. Some sellers are unfairly hit with negative comments for something that wasn’t their fault. If you suspect that a seller has received a bum rap (after you’ve read all his or her positive feedback), be sure to read the seller’s response. (Look at Chapter 4 for more on reading and leaving feedback.)
Although scoping out an eBay Feedback Profile is
just that fast, just that simple,
you still need to take the time to read the feedback. (There’s that echo again. Good thing it’s a wise echo.) Someone with 500 positive feedback messages may look like a good seller, but if you take a closer look, you may find that his or her ten most-recent feedback messages are negative.
View the seller’s other items
To find out what other sales the seller has going on eBay, all you have to do is click the corresponding link on the item page; you’re whisked away to a list of the other item pies the seller has a finger in. If the seller has no other items going and has no current feedback, you may want to do a more thorough investigation and conduct a By Seller search that will show you all that person’s completed listings in the last 30 days. (See Chapter 5 for details.)
Ask seller a question
If anything about the auction is unclear to you, remember this one word:
ask.
Find out all the details about that item before you bid. If you wait until you’ve won the item before you ask questions, you may get stuck with something you don’t want. Double-checking may save you woe and hassle later.
How Swede it is!
A savvy eBay user I know benefited from a major seller error. The seller titled his auction “Swede Star Trek Cast Jacket.” My friend checked out the item description and found that it was written with bad spelling and incoherent grammar, so she e-mailed the seller for more information. The seller explained that the jacket was a suede cast jacket given as a wrap gift to the cast and crew of the movie
Star Trek: Generations.
He had won it in a local radio contest, and it was brand new. Because of the seller’s mistake, only one bidder bid on this lovely green suede (silk-lined!) jacket, which my friend picked up for $150. Because of its
Star Trek
connection, the jacket is worth upwards of $400 to collectors. So study the item page carefully. You may get lucky and find that errors can work to your benefit. (And a word to the wise: Check your own spelling and grammar carefully when you put an item up for sale.)
You can find out more about payment options, shipping charges, insurance, and other fun stuff in Chapters 8 and 12.
If you’re bidding on a reserve-price auction, don’t be afraid to e-mail the seller and ask what the reserve is. Yeah, reserves are mostly kept secret, but there’s no harm in asking — and many sellers gladly tell you.