Here are my some quick tips, which should help you get a good deal out of eBay. And now, one might think what makes me an authority in giving tips on eBay ? The only answer I have is that I do purchase many a stuff out of eBay regularly and also I DO KNOW MANY A FOLKS who makes a living out of eBay :).

Firstly, never ever go to eBay for general browsing. Just as one might come to http://www.helium.com for reading and browsing articles, do not go to eBay for browsing. For sure, you will end up buying things, which you do not need and you might act in a hurry, which can lead to stomach acidity later !.

Secondly, do thorough research before going to eBay; You might have read this several places, that one should thorough research before getting onto eBay, but where is one supposed to do research ? So here is what I would do,

1. Go to http://www.google.com and search for your product review and prices. Make sure you read the news items on this item too, since it could be something recalled recently or so;

2. Go to relevant sites, say for example sites such as http://www.dealigg.com or http://www.deals2buy.com and search for the item.

3. Find out the kind of shops, which sells the item you need. Now search in http://www.google.com for coupons, which apply to these stores, my opinion is that 50% chances are there that you will at least hit a free shipping coupon.

4. Go and do a thorough review in amazon or so, make sure you have noted down the model number and exact specifications. This is important because, many a times folks who bid on eBay will cheat you on things, which normally folks overlook. Say if you are looking for a camera, they might include all the stuff such as a cleaning kit, free 2 GB memory card and a model 'XYZ' of some popular brand. Make sure that model 'XYZ' is sold in US and not something, which is not sold here !. Because if you buy such items, many a times the company will not give sufficient warranty.

5. See how many listings are there in eBay for this product, it might give you a general idea on how hot is the product. If there are plenty of items on eBay, put one or two in your watch list and see how the bidding was and for what final price did the item was sold.

6. Make sure you read the Sellers reviews given by earlier customers. If one has negative ratings be cautious, do some additional research about the Seller.

7. Most importantly, see how much is the Seller is charging for shipping. Many of the Sellers on eBay do make a lot of profit by hiking up the postal charges. So when you compare items across sites or vendors, add up the price + tax + shipping costs.

8. Lastly, make sure you can always follow up with the seller if in case you run into any issues with the product.

So pretty much that is it. If you follow the above 8 steps you will most likely avoid bad experiences with eBay. So wish you a happy time at eBay and GOOD LUCK with your purchase :).

Learn more about this author, Mango Man.
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