I've spent the whole morning trying to think of an
occasion when it would be best to bid early on an eBay item when looking for a
bargain. The best I could come up with is when the seller has said that they've
listed the item elsewhere and will sell it if the bidding doesn't meet their
expectations. To be honest, that person hasn't really grasped how eBay works and
you're unlikely to get a bargain from them, anyway. I always ignore such
auctions.
Nope, as much as eBay and eBay sellers (and I've
been one for years!) will hate me for saying so, the whole eBay system is set up
to reward the person who gets the last-second bid in. You may not always 'win',
but it's the best way to get a bargain. Ebay 'snipers' have benefited from this
system for years. In fact, there are various software packages out there to put
a bid in at the last second for you. Does anyone know of a software package that
“gets your bid in early” for you? Nope, didn't think so!
It seems that many eBay buyers have now cottoned
on to this. Nearly all of the stuff I sell receives its bids in the last ten
minutes, I went out the other evening, quite downbeat about how little interest
some old bits and pieces I'd listed had received. I shouldn't have been – they
reached quite good levels by the time I got home. Happy days!
If you're looking to buy cheap eBay bargains,
honestly, I'd leave your bid until the last few seconds. I've got it down to a
fine art and put mine in with about 12 seconds to go. If I win, I know I've got
the best possible price. If I lose, so what? This is eBay – they'll be another
one along in a minute!
Years ago, I ran my own auction website and it had
one function that, as a seller, I wish eBay had. Auctions finished at a set
time, like eBay, unless there was a last minute bid. If that happened, the
auction would continue for 5 minutes more....and so on. Some auctions went on
for HOURS past their finish time and we got some incredible prices. It was
exciting to watch, too, and made the whole auction experience a lot more fun.
Finally, a word about getting that last minute bid
in; don't feel guilty about 'sniping' somebody. If you hadn't done it, the bid
before yours would have been the highest, so you've done the seller a favour.
Good luck finding those cheap eBay bargains!
Another great way of finding cheap eBay bargains is to look for items that haven't had many bids. Just because they haven't received bids, it doesn't mean they aren't any good! Quite often, the item will be poorly described, have a bad photo or just finish at an unsociable time. Use the drop down box below to find items in each category that finish soon and have had 3 bids or less:
And here's a favourite for many....the good old 99p auctions! A lot of people start their auctions at 99p or less, partly because they believe that they'll attract more attention if they do and partly because there are often promotional incentives to do so. The result is a LOT of items sell for a pound or less! Select a section below to see what I mean:
And here's one more trick to use. Type your search term into the box below. Select your postcode and distance you'll travel and get the results. If any of them take your fancy, check the descriptions and if it doesn't say that they'll accept collection in person, ASK THEM.
Not everybody does accept collection, but there is no harm in asking. I've bought plenty of stuff like this and you'll often find you can save a lot by cutting out the postage.
There Are Other Ways Of Finding Cheap Bargains. Try
This For Size - Enter Your Search Term And Then Click
The Link That Is Supplied:
A few buying tips:
Only fools rush in - don't grab the first bargain you see...however tempting!
Don't avoid Ebay - if a seller asks you to buy direct, avoid them. You lose all your protection from Ebay.
Pay with PayPal - again, you get extra protection this way.
Read the small print - be SURE that you know what you're buying!
Make sure you can pick the item up - bulky items often need a van and some muscle!
Make sure you can store it - bulk deals sound great, but ever tried fitting a million widgets in your hallway?
Have fun - buying a cheap bargain can be great fun. Enjoy it!
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And don't forget your local GumTree website - a great source of cheap classifieds
