Online auctions: a user’s guide to buying on Ebay

By Todd Luck
Staff Writer

Millions use auction sites like Ebay (www.ebay.com) to buy things they can’t find anywhere else, often at a fraction of what they’re worth. But Ebay can be as tricky as it is helpful. Here are some easy steps to help:

1. Get a Paypal account.
This is a service provided by Ebay that’ll let you pay with a bank account or credit card for no extra charge. Many sellers only accept Paypal.

2. Do research.
Use Ebay’s search feature to find what you want. Use the “Watch this item” link to follow items similar to what you want on your “My Ebay” page. This lets you see the average final price and postage for the item.

3. Read the item’s description carefully.
If there’s anything wrong or odd about the item it’ll be in the description. If you have any questions email the seller.

4. You might want to “Buy It Now.”
This option lets bidders automatically buy some items for a fixed price without bidding. If this price is right go ahead and skip the next step.

5. Place your bids.
Ebay lets you set a maximum bid and will bid up to that number for you. But it’s cheaper to outbid your opponents in small amounts. Most bidding occurs in the auction’s last minute so have a bid ready then and frequently refresh the page to see the auction’s progress. If you can’t be online for the last minute dogfight bid anyway, you may still win.

6. Pay the Seller.
Once you’ve won, Ebay emails you with the seller’s contact and payment information. Email the seller if you have problems paying or have special delivery requests. If you have problems with the transaction contact the seller before leaving bad feedback. Once the transaction is over leave positive feedback for the seller and he or she will probably do the same for you.