Teen Boss Unofficial Guide: The Smart Way To Buy On EBay

With over 100 million registered users worldwide, EBay remains the world’s top online auction site for people to buy and sell goods. EBay’s reputation for having just about any item you could think of is probably what has kept it afloat for the past decade. Shortly after the company’s reputation as an online marketplace was secured, the countless number of books and guides on “how to become a millionaire just by selling on EBay” started pouring in. While those books do have great tips on how to make money (and maybe even an income), there is an even better way to put money back into your wallet – saving your money.

Since TeenBoss is dedicated to helping you make and save money, here is a comprehensive guide on how to get the lowest possible price on the product you want.

Tip #1: Gift Cards Are The Key To Getting What You Want

Gift Cards are without a doubt one of the best presents you can receive from someone as a gift. Why? Because they can be used towards any item in the store, and in most cases the online store too! However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that you can also buy gift cards from EBay sellers. In most cases, you will find that you can purchase them for much less than you would expect.

For example, instead of buying an $100 wireless speaker from Best Buy, search EBay for a $100 Amazon gift card and see what kind of deal you can get. Often times, sellers will put their gift cards on auction, so you can bid as much or as little as you want to pay for it. So before you buy an expensive item, check on EBay to see if you can get a gift card for the same retailer, that can go towards your purchase.

Tip #2: Use The Refined Search Features

In the past few years or so, EBay has shifted its focus to the buyers by creating tools in an effort to make it easier to find items and purchase it at the price you want. As a buyer, the refined search feature is the best way to make sure you get exactly what you want. Here are the tools you need to get the best results:

1. Category

Categories will make the biggest difference for your search. Just by picking ‘Portable Audio & Headphones’ you will limit your search from 20,000 results to 10,000 items. From there, continue narrowing your search until you see what you are looking for. Keep in mind that you do not want to get too specific with your search, because sellers often times have an item that can fit into more than one category. A rule of thumb is to narrow your search by no more than 3 categories.

2. Location

Limiting your search by location can do wonders, and save you a lot of time and hassle. International shipping can be a real pain, so if you live in the US narrow your search to ‘US only’. This way you aren’t getting items from China, that are either non-returnable or too expensive to send back.

3. Brand and Condition

This should go without saying, but if you want new portable speakers from Jawbone, then tell that to the search engine. Don’t settle for less than what you want. Of course, if you can’t find what you want, loosen the search restrictions on the brand or condition.

4. Price

This is probably my favorite refined search tool. EBay allows you to say how much you are willing to pay for an item. If you don’t want to pay more than $50 for speakers, then define your search in those terms. Personally, I always go $20-$50 more than my maximum price so that I can see the options, but in those cases I sort the search by ascending price (lowest to highest).

Tip #3: The Sort Tool Is Your Friend

The sort tool is by far, the best way to find what you are looking for price-wise. If the item I wanted to buy was a Jawbone Wireless Speaker (new or like-new), I would define my search using the steps outlined in Tip #2. Then I would arrange my results depending on whether I was looking at Buy It Now or Auction Listings.

1. For Buy It Now Listings Sort By Lowest Price First

Your goal is to get the item you want for the lowest price, so arrange your results so that you see the sellers offering what you want for the best deal.

2. For Auction Listings Sort By Time Ending Soon

For auctions, the best time to get what you want is at the last possible second, where you can throw in your last bid. By first narrowing your search by price, sorting it this way will allow you to quickly locate the item you want for a price already under the maximum amount you are willing to spend. The only thing you want to make sure of, is that you are the last person who puts in a bid. If you do that, you get exactly what you want for a price that you chose!

Final Thoughts

Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you get exactly what you want, and in turn, save you some money! If you liked this article, share it with your friends and family. For updates Follow @TeenBoss101 on Twitter and Like The Teen Boss Facebook Page.