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Everyone loves a great deal! Many people spend



quite a bit of time searching for good deals on the



items that they want and need – and when they find



those deals, they experience a certain amount of



satisfaction. These people typically haunt garage



sales, stores that are holding sales, wholesale



warehouses, flea markets, and especially online



and offline auctions. With the incredible number of



auctions that are constantly going on at eBay, it



can be difficult to find the items you want, at the



price you want to pay. But it isn’t impossible to find



great deals!





There are steps you can take to ensure that you are



getting a great deal on the items you purchase



through eBay. In fact, these same steps will also



help to protect you against fraud. Participating in



online auctions is a great deal of fun, but you must



use caution as well. This caution entails doing your



research before you place any bids.





Start with the auction in question. Make sure that



you read every word of the description and the



auction details. You can never have too much



information – especially if that information is



about an individual that you may be doing business



with. Pay special attention to what the description



and auction details do not say. For instance, is a



guarantee mentioned? Is the item new? Is it



authentic? Is there proof of authenticity? Look for



auctions that provide the right information – and



the right amount of information. Avoid those that



do not.





Who will pay the shipping and handling costs? Often,



the buyer pays these costs, and sometimes, the



seller tries to charge more than the actual shipping



and handling costs are. Beware of high shipping



costs, especially for items that will be auctioned



off at a very low price. Also note when the item is



supposed to ship after the bidding has ended.



Depending on what you are trying to purchase the



item for, it may not arrive in time.





Don’t make the mistake of bidding on an item simply



because it is a ‘good deal.’ It is only a good deal for



you if the item is something that you really want or



need. Many people simply bid for the sake of



bidding – or winning – without having any real need



or desire for the item in question. Before bidding on



items that you do want or need, check prices



around the Internet and the prices available from



offline sources as well. Just because it is on eBay



does not guarantee that it is the cheapest price



available!





Finally, learn more about the seller. Can you trust



them? What is their rating? Read their feedback



page! Failure to learn more about the seller can be



costly. Not everyone is as honest as you are – and



the seller may be trying to take advantage of people



that simply don’t know enough to find out more



about them. Sometimes scammers make their



auctions sound like really great deals. Beware of



prices that seem extremely low!