Shopping for Deals on eBay
You might look at the headline on this article and say, "Gee, the last thing I need help on is how to spend money! I'm an expert at
spending money on eBay!" Me too. However, there's a difference between just bidding and winning and winning the "deals." Buying
items on eBay at retail prices is easy, and actually useful at times. For example, paying retail price — including shipping — isn't so
bad when the item is delivered to your door!
I pay close to discount-store retail for many items I buy on eBay. (I always include the shipping expense as part of my item
"cost"). These are items that I need around the house but have no desire to go to a discount store to buy. If you're anything like me, a
visit to a "discount" store like Wal-Mart, Target, or Costco can turn what should be a $50 shopping trip into a $150 trip or more! I
save by shopping at eBay for everyday items.
Pricing it right for pearly whites
When checking prices, I go to two places: Froogle.com — the shopping arm of the great search engine Google, and
DealTime.com. I type in my items and find the lowest prices on the Internet. The best part about DealTime is that I can input my ZIP
code, and the pricing will appear with the appropriate shipping amounts for the item. Right now, I'm searching for regular-size
replacement heads for my Sonicare toothbrush.
My search on Froogle nets a low price of $46.99 (plus $5.95 shipping) for four toothbrush heads plus shipping. DealTime's
pricing is $19.99 for two (or $39.98 for four) with free shipping. I zip over to eBay, and place my search for "Sonicare replacement".
Seventy items show up in my search, and I find a seller selling four standard heads (with the auction closing in the next few hours) for
$26 plus $6 shipping. It's not hard to see where the cheapest pricing is.
I then have two options on what to do: snipe or buy it now. (Sniping is the fine art of outbidding your competition in the very last
seconds of the auction — without leaving them enough time to place a defensive bid.)
I go to eSnipe.com — an eBay auction automated sniping service. eSnipe does the deed for me and places my bid for the highest
amount I choose to pay for the item. (This service saves me time, too. Rather than monitoring the auction, eSnipe places my bid for
me while I'm busy doing everything else in my life).
If I'm outbid (or don't want to deal with a sniping service), I can find another of the item on eBay — preferably a Buy-It-Now
item, which enables me to purchase the item outright immediately. If I want, I can find a Buy-It-Now item at the outset just by
clicking that option at the top of my search page. Doing so isolates the Buy-It-Now listings. (By the way, a seller had a Buy-It-Now
multiple-item listing (where the seller has more than one of the item for sale in one transaction) for two heads at $13.95, plus $4
shipping for the first pack of two and $1 for each additional pack.
As you can clearly see in Table 1, shopping at eBay can absolutely top the bargains of warehouse stores such as Costco and Sam's
Club.
Table 1: Brush Up on Replacement-Head Prices
Source
Retail list price
Froogle.com
DealTime.com
eBay auction
eBay Buy-It-Now
Quantity Price
2
$29.95
4
$46.99
4
$39.98
4
$26
2
$13.95
Shipping
Time and gasoline
$5.95
Free
$6
$4 (plus $1 for each
additional pack of two)
Mundane items, exciting savings
If you purchase items at a retail store in your area, you may have to pay sales tax. In Los Angeles, that tax represents a hidden
price increase of 8.25 percent that we usually don't think about. Thanks to the benefits of Internet commerce, sales tax isn't applied
when you purchase items from a seller outside of your home state. (At least for now!)
Here are additional some tips for buying other everyday items:
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Bulk items: Shopping in bulk pays off when you seek out items that you know you'll use —for example, paper towels,
aluminum foil, and dishwashing liquid. In the past week, I've purchased compact, fluorescent 13-watt light bulbs. The lowest
retail price was 6 for $24.95 — or one for $6.95. Both prices included shipping cost. I purchased a case of 12 on eBay for
$16 including shipping.
Shopping for Deals on eBay – Page 1
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Shoes. Find a brand of shoes that you feel comfortable in and know what size you wear. Then go to eBay and type in the
brand name, along with your size and see what comes up. I just typed in Bandolino 8 and 150 pairs of shoes came up. Shoes
that normally sell for up to $150, I've found "brand new" on eBay for $19.99.
Clothing. Know your manufacturers and your size. Know the style of item you're looking for. If you want a particular fabric
— search for it. Don't forget to include your size and color choice.
Plumbing fixtures. I know this doesn't really fit with clothing and shoes, but I've always coveted those high-dollar sinks and
fancy fixtures. You'll be shocked when you search some of the famous names in this area, such as Kohler or Grohe. Just
know what you're looking for, and you may find the fixture of your dreams at a fraction of retail! Also, the famous handpainted sinks and fixtures from Sherle Wagner can be found on eBay at almost reasonable prices!
Look for misspellings! Many famous designers have hard-to-spell names. By searching eBay for a misspelling, you may get
a great deal! For example, I love the classic wrap dresses from Diane von Furstenberg — and can always find great deals on
brand new ones on eBay. However, if I run a search with a misspelling in her last name, furstenburg wrap, I usually come up
with more listings. They sell for even less, because people don't look for the misspelled items.
Shopping for Deals on eBay – Page 2