Greetings

I am in the process of moving my blog from WordPress. I also have edited and transfered my tips about buying on eBay and the Internet that used to be on my eBay ME Page. I sell on eBay and Google Base.

I have collected, bought, and sold collectibles for many years. I have bought and sold on eBay for more than six years.

The following are my buying tips.

lithebast's buying tips

Buying Clothing

Buy clothing that coordinates with other clothing that you already have, unless you're going for a total makeover.Several months ago,I found tops in my closet that looked great on their own, but they didn't go with anything else I had. Therefore, I didn't wear them.

Be more conscious of how your clothing and its care impact the environment.

Among its recommendations are that people buy second-hand clothing and textiles and that they lease clothing that they would not wear regularly.

If you haven't worn or used something in ten or fifteen years, it is probably time to get rid of it, unless you really like it and/or it is appreciating in monetary interest. By getting rid of things we don't use or want, we make room for those things that we can use.

Clothing Sizes

When shopping for clothing online, don't go just by the listed size unless you're very familiar with the brand and you know that it's not an article of clothing that many people would have tailored or altered. Instead, know how you like your clothing to fit. Measure a garment you already have that fits you well and is similar in style to the garment you wish to buy.

If you're buying a lined winter coat, measure the inside of the coat, not the outside. The inside dimensions of the coat usually will be smaller. If you go by the outside measurements, the coat may be too small. I found this out myself the hard way.

What do you do if you don't have a garment that is similar? If you're buying non-stretch garments allow 2"-4" for ease in addition to your body's measurements, unless you like to wear tighter clothing.

If, you're buying knit or stretch fabric clothing, you might be able to get by with less ease.

Recycling

Look at what you already have, before you buy something else, and see if you can use it in some new way that you haven't. I like to read websites, books, and magazines that give suggestions on how to reuse household items and clothes that I hadn't considered before.For example, here's a link to Purdue University's website on

reusing items.

eBay Search Tips

Finding IT on eBay can sometimes be problematic.Become more familiar with eBay's search functions. Being familiar with the search function will help cut down on the amount of time in finding IT--whatever that may be.

When too many similar items show up on an eBay search, I use advanced search with the minus (-) sign to exclude certain sellers and/or items. For example, if I search the term, Burberry, and find hundreds of the same item by the same seller, I can place a minus(-) sign immediately before the seller's name to exclude his or her items. To do this, go into advanced search and check the Search Title and Description box.

All I have to do is enter Burberry -Johndoeseller (no space before Johndoeseller) in the keyword field and check the title and description field, so items listed by Johndoeseller will not appear. You also can use the minus (-) sign to exclude new, used, or reconditioned items. -new or -nwt or -used. This saves a lot of time searching through hundreds of listings.

It always pays to shop around, especially when buying something expensive. I usually do a key word search on the Internet to see if sellers off of eBay have better deals. I have heard that doing an Internet search can also help people find items on eBay that they hadn't been able to find using eBay's search.

eBay Bidding and Buying Tips

Check your My eBay page if you buy something from me on eBay. You will be able to see if and when I have received your payment and when I have shipped your item.

If you forget to bid on an item on eBay, you can always email me after the auction ends to see if it's still available.

If you do not receive an expected invoice or response from me, please check your spam filters to see if your expected emails may be there. Also, you may be missing email messages, if your email host crashes. In that case just ask me to resend an email.

Beware of bidding on private auctions on eBay,unless you know the seller and are comfortable with him or her. The possibility of shill bidding is higher on a private auction. Shill bidding is when a seller or an accomplice bids the auction up so that the auction ends at a higher price than it might otherwise. If you're unable to see who is bidding against you, it's harder to detect a pattern of shill bidding.

The argument for private auctions is that they offer privacy for the buyer, so no one but you and the seller know that you are bidding.Still, I would advise staying away from private auctions, unless you know the seller well and/or the item very well.

A seller can change the description and price in an eBay auction if there is no bid and if there are still 12 more hours left before the auction ends.

Summer and holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are great times to shop and find bargains on eBay because there are fewer bidders. However, if you have your eye on a rare collectible or a popular item, other eager collectors generally will have their eyes on it too, no matter what day it is.

If you win an eBay auction, email the seller with your shipment and payment information within three days, even if you can not pay immediately. Good communication is essential for a successful transaction.

If you have technical problems due to bad weather conditions causing electrical power outages in your area, try to get someone to notify eBay or at least the Auction Listing board on eBay if you are in the U.S. Please notify the international board if you're outside the U.S.

Before bidding read the auction terms, including payment and shipping options and tax charges. You shouldn't have to pay taxes if they were not mentioned in the auction. However, if you are buying from another country, you may have to pay a customs fee.

To determine if a seller is trustworthy, consider her/his feedback and the length of time the seller has used the same ID on eBay. A seller who consistently gets good feedback and few negatives-- on the same ID for at last two years generally is trustworthy.

If you want to buy new items, look for the acronyms, NWT. (New with tag) or NWOT (New without tag)or the word "New" in the item specifics and/or description. Next, read the description very carefully for the words, "reconditioned", or "worn a few times", or "like new". Some sellers still call an item new even if it has been used.

If you believe that an item has been misrepresented to you, email the seller concerning the matter before escalating the problem to eBay and/or PayPal. If you're not satisfied with your seller's response then by all means file a complaint with eBay.

If you are thinking of bidding on an expensive item, and you are unsure of the seller, ask the seller through eBay's "ask seller a question" feature for his/her phone number and correct email address BEFORE you bid. If the seller gives you this info, call the number and send an email to the address that the seller gives BEFORE you bid to ensure that the information is correct. If the seller is not forthcoming with this information, don't bid.

If you do bid and then win an expensive item (say over $500 US dollars) you may want to check the email and phone number for the seller before sending money. If the email bounces and/or the phone number is incorrect, don't pay.

Instead, file a complaint with eBay for incorrect contact information.

A seller can change the description and price in an eBay auction if there is no bid and if there are still 12 more hours left before the auction ends.

Summer and holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are great times to shop and find bargains on eBay because there are fewer bidders. However, if you have your eye on a rare collectible or a popular item, other eager collectors generally will have their eyes on it too, no matter what day it is.

If you win an eBay auction, email the seller with your shipment and payment information within three days, even if you can not pay immediately. Good communication is essential for a successful transaction.

If you have technical problems due to bad weather conditions causing electrical power outages in your area, try to get someone to notify eBay or at least the Auction Listing board on eBay if you are in the U.S. Please notify the international board if you're outside the U.S.

Ask Seller A Question (ASQ)

eBay bidders are getting smarter, and that's good. Lately, many people have been using the Ask Seller A Question feature on my auctions. Asking sellers questions before bidding is a good way to head off unpleasant surprises. I try to put accurate measurements in my auctions, but sometimes I goof and put the wrong one, but a potential bidder can ask questions to check measurements and details before bidding. This way, you probably will be happier with your purchase.

If you ask an eBay seller a question and receive no answer, do not bid on the item. A non-response can indicate a few things. It could mean that eBay is having technical problems with the ask seller a question feature. Lack of response also could indicate that something is amiss with either the seller and/or the item in question.

Forums

If you are buying or selling an expensive item, it's often good to get advice from others about authenticity or an item's value from forums dedicated to it. I recommend a moderated forum if you can find one, because there is a better chance that your question will be taken seriously.

I like to lurk on various forums, because I learn a lot from them. There is a lot of good information, but there also can be bad advice, so take it all with a grain of salt.On unmoderated forums, such as eBay's forums, there is a greater chance of being ridiculed. If that happens it's best to not respond and to take your question or concerns else where. Sometimes your questions also may be ignored. Then just repeat your question or find another forum to post to if you can.

Checking Feedback

www.toolhaus.org

This software makes it easier to see if, when, and sometimes why someone received a negative or neutral.

Canadian Buyers

Canadian buyers--if you are buying used clothing, you may want to ask your seller to mark the customs slip as used clothing. This may reduce your duty fee. This also may apply as well to used goods in general and perhaps to other countries. As a buyer, it's good to know what the customs tariffs are for your country.

Snipping

If you are interested in an item and can not find time to bid, you may want to check out bidding or sniper services such as esnipe.com, auctionsniper.com, auctionstealer. (Do an internet search on bidding or sniper services). I haven't used these services myself, so I don't know if one if is better than another. I usually manually snipe if I want something.

If an auction ends with no bids, you may want to contact the seller to see if the item is still available.

Virus Protection and Scams

Keep your virus protection up-to-date, this includes you Mac users. Also, to avoid scammers, don't open email from people you don't know and/or have subject lines that you can't decipher. Emails asking for verification of personal information generally are always scams.

Zip Codes

A U.S. zip code that appears to be too long, like on an eBay invoice, is actually the zip code + the post office's 4 code. For example, 108010001 is actually zip code 10801-0001. Always use a hyphen if you add on the 4 code.