We have all bought stuff off Ebay (haven't we?. Usually with varying degrees of success. I have had some bargains, and similarly some disasters. So I thought I'd put up my simple rules for buying on Ebay. Feel free to add your own if I've missed any obvious ones!
1. Don't bid unless you really, really need it
Simple really. I've been tempted to bid (and in fact have often bid) for stuff I don't really need or will probably ever get around to using (like 6mm Colonial British troops that are sat in a box somewhere that I had almost forgotten until I found myself contemplating buying a load of 6mm Colonial British troops on Ebay last week!). I therefore desisted. Better, I find, is to wait until something comes up that you really want / need and then just go for that.
Even if it looks like a bargain, bear in mind that if you buy it and don't use it, it still a waste of money.
2. Set a price and stick with it
If you see something you like and need it, set yourself a limit. I often see 6mm army packs come up and am tempted to buy them, but only if its going to work out less than buying direct from the manufacturer. Set the limit that makes sense and stick to it. If someone outbids your top price, then leave it at that. You can get tempted into a bidding war that takes you over a sensible buying price quite easily.
3. Don't forget the postage!
An easy one to forget. I've been caught out once with a ridiculous postage cost (never again!) and it is easy to do. You see exactly what you want, no-one has bid on it, you put your offer in then realise the seller has slapped a £16.95 postage charge on it (there are some 6mm items on Ebay at present that meet this particular criteria). If postage isn't specified, or if its coming from abroad, think about the whopping additional cost you might (or will) incur - turning your bargain into a costly error. It sounds simple but remember to add the postage cost to the bid price to see what the final price is.
4. Could you get it cheaper direct from the manufacturer?
I've often seen items for sale that (when you add the Buy It Now price and postage price together) you find you can actually get it cheaper direct from the original manufacturer. Its always worth checking this out before putting a bid in. Heroics and Ros (sorry, 6mm again) figures come up all the time at £2.50 per pack plus £2.95 postage per pack. Ordering direct from the manufacturer in this case would work out cheaper - especially for multiple items.
5. Bid lots of times
If I see lots of bids on an item, I usually steer clear as I think it means that lots of people are after it. Often though if you look at the bid history you see its often just 2 people competing. Therefore using the same philosophy it can make sense to put in lots of small incremental bids yourself and hopefully scare off some of the competition as a result.
6. Check the measurements / scale
More for terrain features than figures (you'd hope). A few times I've bought trees that are far too big for my usual scale (6mm) and I suppose for 28mm its easy to buy stuff too small for the scale. Before putting the bid in, just get a ruler out and work out how big / small the item actually is. You may be suprised.
7. Bid late!
If there are few or no bids on an item, then don't rush into putting your bid in (unless see 8. below). A few times I've put a bid in with a couple of hours to go then had to go off and do something else. By the time I've got back I've been beaten by 50p. No more! If I have the time and will be 'around' when the bidding ends, I try to leave it until the last minute and drop in a cheeky last bid with seconds to go.
8. Bid big!
Alternatively, if you aren't going to be around when the bid ends, or you see something that you positively, absolutely must have, go in with your highest price from the off (see 1. above) and scare off the competition. As they keep on entering bid increments and get told that they've been outbid, it often puts people off (it works on me!). That way, you may get what you want for less than you thought!
9. Check exactly what you are getting
Not all Ebayers are as straight up and honest as they should be. Check the wording of the description and look closely at the photographs of the products. Sometimes the description will say that not all items shown are for sale, or similar. The classic in recent times were the Xbox box. I.e. not an Xbox but the box it came in. People didn't read the small print and product description and ended up being charged over £150 for a cardboard box.
10. No photo, no bid
I don't care what the description says. I can't see it with my own eyes, the wallet stays shut. The same goes for a picture which isn't actually a photo of the advertised item.
So - simple rules. Some seem to contradict each other but it depends on the situation you're faced with.
Anymore I've missed?
1. Don't bid unless you really, really need it
Simple really. I've been tempted to bid (and in fact have often bid) for stuff I don't really need or will probably ever get around to using (like 6mm Colonial British troops that are sat in a box somewhere that I had almost forgotten until I found myself contemplating buying a load of 6mm Colonial British troops on Ebay last week!). I therefore desisted. Better, I find, is to wait until something comes up that you really want / need and then just go for that.
Even if it looks like a bargain, bear in mind that if you buy it and don't use it, it still a waste of money.
2. Set a price and stick with it
If you see something you like and need it, set yourself a limit. I often see 6mm army packs come up and am tempted to buy them, but only if its going to work out less than buying direct from the manufacturer. Set the limit that makes sense and stick to it. If someone outbids your top price, then leave it at that. You can get tempted into a bidding war that takes you over a sensible buying price quite easily.
3. Don't forget the postage!
An easy one to forget. I've been caught out once with a ridiculous postage cost (never again!) and it is easy to do. You see exactly what you want, no-one has bid on it, you put your offer in then realise the seller has slapped a £16.95 postage charge on it (there are some 6mm items on Ebay at present that meet this particular criteria). If postage isn't specified, or if its coming from abroad, think about the whopping additional cost you might (or will) incur - turning your bargain into a costly error. It sounds simple but remember to add the postage cost to the bid price to see what the final price is.
4. Could you get it cheaper direct from the manufacturer?
I've often seen items for sale that (when you add the Buy It Now price and postage price together) you find you can actually get it cheaper direct from the original manufacturer. Its always worth checking this out before putting a bid in. Heroics and Ros (sorry, 6mm again) figures come up all the time at £2.50 per pack plus £2.95 postage per pack. Ordering direct from the manufacturer in this case would work out cheaper - especially for multiple items.
5. Bid lots of times
If I see lots of bids on an item, I usually steer clear as I think it means that lots of people are after it. Often though if you look at the bid history you see its often just 2 people competing. Therefore using the same philosophy it can make sense to put in lots of small incremental bids yourself and hopefully scare off some of the competition as a result.
6. Check the measurements / scale
More for terrain features than figures (you'd hope). A few times I've bought trees that are far too big for my usual scale (6mm) and I suppose for 28mm its easy to buy stuff too small for the scale. Before putting the bid in, just get a ruler out and work out how big / small the item actually is. You may be suprised.
7. Bid late!
If there are few or no bids on an item, then don't rush into putting your bid in (unless see 8. below). A few times I've put a bid in with a couple of hours to go then had to go off and do something else. By the time I've got back I've been beaten by 50p. No more! If I have the time and will be 'around' when the bidding ends, I try to leave it until the last minute and drop in a cheeky last bid with seconds to go.
8. Bid big!
Alternatively, if you aren't going to be around when the bid ends, or you see something that you positively, absolutely must have, go in with your highest price from the off (see 1. above) and scare off the competition. As they keep on entering bid increments and get told that they've been outbid, it often puts people off (it works on me!). That way, you may get what you want for less than you thought!
9. Check exactly what you are getting
Not all Ebayers are as straight up and honest as they should be. Check the wording of the description and look closely at the photographs of the products. Sometimes the description will say that not all items shown are for sale, or similar. The classic in recent times were the Xbox box. I.e. not an Xbox but the box it came in. People didn't read the small print and product description and ended up being charged over £150 for a cardboard box.
10. No photo, no bid
I don't care what the description says. I can't see it with my own eyes, the wallet stays shut. The same goes for a picture which isn't actually a photo of the advertised item.
So - simple rules. Some seem to contradict each other but it depends on the situation you're faced with.
Anymore I've missed?
Good list- agree with all of them! The postage is very true- you can ask sellers if they will combine postage on multiple items.
ReplyDeleteI tend to use a sniper program. I set my maximum bid and then let the program bid for me at the last minute. If I win, I win; if I don't ... well there will be another auction along later. I win more often than I lose.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Bob
What Bob said. Establish the maximum price you're willing to pay and then let sniping software deliver your bid in the last few second of the auction when the competition doesn't have enough time to put in another bid.
ReplyDeleteYour point 5 (bid often) is awful advice, there's nothing a seller loves more than an incremental bidder driving up the price.
Point 8 isn't sensible either. Putting your maximum bid right at the start just encourages other people to keep bidding until they beat you. Even if they give up before they reach your maximum and you win, they will often have made you to pay more as a result of their repeated bids.
ReplyDelete