Gixen.com will save you cash when you use eBay, but remember to put in the absolute most you are willing to pay, and use random numbers. For instance, I often put in numbers like $102.23 if the most I want to pay is $100 or so (including shipping.
Always look at shipping!
Any website comparison is going to be difficult to do apples to apples, because they want to hide the amount of shipping and handling. Many times they will make you enter your email address or shipping address before they will quote you on the shipping. Remember, you do not know how much the item costs until you finish looking at shipping.
Quality vs. Price vs. Condition
Many times a good price comes at the cost of quality, but not always. For instance, it is generally known that cheap shoes are cheap because they...well, are cheap. But you can still get great shoes for cheap on eBay, but you get a different condition. If you are buying an item that still has 90% of the usability left in it, why wouldn't it be a great idea to buy it for 1/2 (or less) the price?
Televisions.
Face it, since you're not going to stop watching TV you are going to always want one in your home. You can get a great price on an LCD or Plasma TV that has been used for quite some time, but WATCH OUT. Television sets have a usable life, and when that runs out you are going to have to replace the screen or some of the electronic boards and then you will have to make another purchase decision, so...avoid it. Don't buy a TV that you suspect is near the end of its usable life. Look instead for an off-brand TV that has good specs and compare them with new items and slightly used items (remember that people generally don't replace a perfectly good flat screen TV unless they think they can get a better picture with another one).
Caveat emptor (buyer beware).
Watch out for items that are too close to free or don't make sense at the price they are listed at. Nobody is going to sell you a working iPhone for $50--it's simply not going to happen. Especially watch out for items that pretty much everyone and their brother wants: brand name MP3 players, new console systems and other in-demand items are going to be price stabilized. This means that unless you are buying it stolen or through a connection from someone who doesn't care what they get out of it, you're pretty much going to be paying the same price as everyone else. Beware of links on Craigslist and beware of listings selling hundreds of bullion coins on eBay all at the same time.
Basically look into things that sound fishy. If you can, call the person on the phone and ferret it out. In some rare cases, you may find that the person who is selling the item is simply out of touch with reality and is offering an unbelievable deal.
There is a reason other people have not already purchased it!
When it comes to Craigslist and eBay items offered on a buy-it-now, there is a reason that it's still there. You need to understand that reason before you commit to it.
How about 100 Sterling Silver and CZ rings for $55.00 free shipping, BIN (Buy-It-Now) 3 days into the auction? (Average wholesale for items as described: $280-$450.)
Reason: It's fake silver.
New Nike inspired Airflex shoes size 10 for $19.99 with 5.99 shipping.
(Average retail for item as described: $180.)
Reason: It's not a Nike shoe.
32 inch HDTV (no brand listed, fuzzy picture, all it says is "works great" with a buy-it-now of $250.) (Average retail: $50-$3000.)
Reason1: It's not a flat screen, its a tube TV OR
Reason2: It's a moron selling it for his mother and everyone else thought it was the former.
You have to find out. It could be a great deal, it might not, but you have to figure it out.
Research, research, research!
No matter what you want to buy, the solution to the problem getting the best deal is either going to be either research or being a crack dealer. Either one will give you an edge over the average unmotivated person and can allow you to save some serious cash, though currently there is no law against research... so I would pick that.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Craigslist
Craigslist is a fantastic resource for almost anything that is bulky or heavy. Things that won't well well on eBay are found in great supply on your local Craigslist site.
Most people who live in larger cities will get the most use out of it, but it is possible to get great deals from locals even if you live out in the country (you might even get a better deal than in the big cities in some instances).
When it comes to Craigslist stategy, it depends on what you are looking for. For instance, if you see a great price on a flat-screen tv that was just listed, or any other high-demand item, don't bother trying to haggle, just call (if they listed their phone number) or e-mail and tell them that you want it, and have cash in hand.
For items that have a lower demand or that Craigslist is flooded with, such as couches, beds, workout equipment, and so forth, look for items that have been on there for 3 days or more, and send in your low-ball offer. You will likely want to e-mail several people and tell them that you are going to take the first person who says yes.
Craigslist is basically a huge online garage sale and car-mart. you can find everything you need to deck out your home at drastically reduced prices. And as with eBay, you want to pay attention to poorly listed items that you can research. Many people on Craigslist do not pay attention to the type of information that buyers are looking for, and in a crowded market, you may get a fantastic price on items that are missing the length and width measurements, or items without pictures. If the lister has a phone number, feel free to call them and pump them for information that they should have put on the listing in the first place; for instance, I was looking for an LED sign that was programmable, and found that one person had one that originally sold for over $2000 listed for $40. He neglected to put LED in the title or description, so I found it by searching for "lighted sign" and came up with his listing. After calling, I was able to find out exactly what it was and how much it should be going for. Unfortunatly, it did not meet my needs very well, and so I went with one off of eBay for $150, which is serving its purpose well.
Searching for items will easily get you what you want, but you have to be persistant; if you want an item that everyone else wants, you are likely going to have to be creative in your searching to get a great deal. Searching for misspelled items is a great way to do that.
You can also look for skilled labor on Craigslist. If you want to find someone who installs carpet or does welding, look for it in the jobs section; but be careful, people who are looking for a job and have a skill that is in demand are going to likely have character flaws, poor workmanship, or demand top dollar. But if you are desperate you will have a hard time beating the quotes you get, so long as you fully understand what you are looking for from people.
Here is a partial list of things that I have bought on Craigslist:
Couch
chairs
flooring installer
carpet and installation
bedroom furniture set
night stands
TV
Granite countertops
kitchen cabinets
Cooktop
washer and dryer
bricks (free!)
Home Depot Gift Card
workout machine
rings
woodworking tools
I have saved at least $10,000 by buying things I needed for my home on Craigslist vs. paying the lowest retail price for any of it.
My best deals on Craigslist are:
$300 complete home workout machine: $50
$200 HDTV: $50
$15,000 kitchen setup (granite counters, wood cabinets, sink, faucet, microwave, dishwasher, icemaker):$1,800
$900 carpets in 3 rooms and installation: $550
$100 worth of bricks: free
$200 display case: free
Make sure you have the ability to pick up the items you want. Usually that will involve a helper and a truck and a willingness to pick it up on the seller's schedule.
Many businesses also list on Craigslist and that can throw a wrench into the searching at times as the items you are looking for will generally be described as lightly used, but good quality, and businesses that are successful on CL are selling new low quality items. Make sure to do your research before you get on, and you will find everything that was AWESOME 10 years ago, for pennies on the dollar. And when it comes to things like tables, a little age does not hurt.
Most people who live in larger cities will get the most use out of it, but it is possible to get great deals from locals even if you live out in the country (you might even get a better deal than in the big cities in some instances).
When it comes to Craigslist stategy, it depends on what you are looking for. For instance, if you see a great price on a flat-screen tv that was just listed, or any other high-demand item, don't bother trying to haggle, just call (if they listed their phone number) or e-mail and tell them that you want it, and have cash in hand.
For items that have a lower demand or that Craigslist is flooded with, such as couches, beds, workout equipment, and so forth, look for items that have been on there for 3 days or more, and send in your low-ball offer. You will likely want to e-mail several people and tell them that you are going to take the first person who says yes.
Craigslist is basically a huge online garage sale and car-mart. you can find everything you need to deck out your home at drastically reduced prices. And as with eBay, you want to pay attention to poorly listed items that you can research. Many people on Craigslist do not pay attention to the type of information that buyers are looking for, and in a crowded market, you may get a fantastic price on items that are missing the length and width measurements, or items without pictures. If the lister has a phone number, feel free to call them and pump them for information that they should have put on the listing in the first place; for instance, I was looking for an LED sign that was programmable, and found that one person had one that originally sold for over $2000 listed for $40. He neglected to put LED in the title or description, so I found it by searching for "lighted sign" and came up with his listing. After calling, I was able to find out exactly what it was and how much it should be going for. Unfortunatly, it did not meet my needs very well, and so I went with one off of eBay for $150, which is serving its purpose well.
Searching for items will easily get you what you want, but you have to be persistant; if you want an item that everyone else wants, you are likely going to have to be creative in your searching to get a great deal. Searching for misspelled items is a great way to do that.
You can also look for skilled labor on Craigslist. If you want to find someone who installs carpet or does welding, look for it in the jobs section; but be careful, people who are looking for a job and have a skill that is in demand are going to likely have character flaws, poor workmanship, or demand top dollar. But if you are desperate you will have a hard time beating the quotes you get, so long as you fully understand what you are looking for from people.
Here is a partial list of things that I have bought on Craigslist:
Couch
chairs
flooring installer
carpet and installation
bedroom furniture set
night stands
TV
Granite countertops
kitchen cabinets
Cooktop
washer and dryer
bricks (free!)
Home Depot Gift Card
workout machine
rings
woodworking tools
I have saved at least $10,000 by buying things I needed for my home on Craigslist vs. paying the lowest retail price for any of it.
My best deals on Craigslist are:
$300 complete home workout machine: $50
$200 HDTV: $50
$15,000 kitchen setup (granite counters, wood cabinets, sink, faucet, microwave, dishwasher, icemaker):$1,800
$900 carpets in 3 rooms and installation: $550
$100 worth of bricks: free
$200 display case: free
Make sure you have the ability to pick up the items you want. Usually that will involve a helper and a truck and a willingness to pick it up on the seller's schedule.
Many businesses also list on Craigslist and that can throw a wrench into the searching at times as the items you are looking for will generally be described as lightly used, but good quality, and businesses that are successful on CL are selling new low quality items. Make sure to do your research before you get on, and you will find everything that was AWESOME 10 years ago, for pennies on the dollar. And when it comes to things like tables, a little age does not hurt.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Service Magic
Sometimes you need a site that is going to connect you with only qualified repair people.
If you need an electrician, plumber or A/C repair guy, Service Magic is a website that will allow you to have qualified technicians call you and offer their services. The reason this is very helpful when it comes to getting your services for less is that whoever calls you knows that there are going to be at least 4 or 5 more calls coming in as well and that more than likely, you're going to pick one of them. I was able to talk $250 off the installation price of my Air Conditioning unit, simply by telling the first person that called that if they wanted the job, then they would have to give me a price so good, that I wasn't tempted to call around on it. He ended up installing the entire unit for $200 including freon.
Another great thing about Service Magic is that you get the most motivated people calling you first, and the most motivated people generally make the hardest workers. When I received another call after the first person I spoke with, they said that they could not match their price, and questioned whether the person that I was going with was qualified or not. That is always a great sign that you got a great service deal.
The main thing to know before you go to Service Magic what you are going to need to be done. It's hard to get a quote on something you are clueless about! So, first go find a DIY type website that shows how to fix the issue that you are having and get the terminology straight. For instance, before I called the A/C installer, I found that I was going to need some freon to fill the line from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit, that I would need a concrete pad (which I happened to have), and that I needed someone certified with the EPA in order for my 20-year warranty to be valid. I went ahead and checked to see if I could find any difficulties with the old units being taken out (which might have taken more time); I decided it would likely be a pretty quick job for both the indoor unit and the condenser--and, armed with that knowledge, I was able to inform the installer.
Where I live it isn't going to pay me back to put a lot of money into my house, so every penny counts when it comes to hiring a professional for less.
In another case I might have gotten a quote and then shopped several other companies until I was comfortable that I was getting the best deal.
If you need an electrician, plumber or A/C repair guy, Service Magic is a website that will allow you to have qualified technicians call you and offer their services. The reason this is very helpful when it comes to getting your services for less is that whoever calls you knows that there are going to be at least 4 or 5 more calls coming in as well and that more than likely, you're going to pick one of them. I was able to talk $250 off the installation price of my Air Conditioning unit, simply by telling the first person that called that if they wanted the job, then they would have to give me a price so good, that I wasn't tempted to call around on it. He ended up installing the entire unit for $200 including freon.
Another great thing about Service Magic is that you get the most motivated people calling you first, and the most motivated people generally make the hardest workers. When I received another call after the first person I spoke with, they said that they could not match their price, and questioned whether the person that I was going with was qualified or not. That is always a great sign that you got a great service deal.
The main thing to know before you go to Service Magic what you are going to need to be done. It's hard to get a quote on something you are clueless about! So, first go find a DIY type website that shows how to fix the issue that you are having and get the terminology straight. For instance, before I called the A/C installer, I found that I was going to need some freon to fill the line from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit, that I would need a concrete pad (which I happened to have), and that I needed someone certified with the EPA in order for my 20-year warranty to be valid. I went ahead and checked to see if I could find any difficulties with the old units being taken out (which might have taken more time); I decided it would likely be a pretty quick job for both the indoor unit and the condenser--and, armed with that knowledge, I was able to inform the installer.
Where I live it isn't going to pay me back to put a lot of money into my house, so every penny counts when it comes to hiring a professional for less.
In another case I might have gotten a quote and then shopped several other companies until I was comfortable that I was getting the best deal.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
How to Save Thousands by buying on eBay, part four
Another Tip that could get you a BIG SCORE
Do you like playing the lottery, but don't like having to buy a ticket? Then this tip could work out great for you.
When an item is listed on eBay, it generally takes over an hour for that item to be included in search results, which means that if you browse the whole category (or all of eBay) you can sometimes get an incredible steal.
For instance, I know about gemstones, especially exotic and rare gems that most people have never heard of. I was looking for my favorite gemstone, Benitoite, and I came across a 4 carat Benitoite in an 18k gold ring, with a "Buy-It-Now" of $800 which seems reasonable for many gemstones--unless you realize that a Benitoite over 3 carats has not been sold in the public for over 10 years, period. Also you would need to know that there is only one mine for that gem, which at that point had been shut down. I came across this gem when I did not have $800 to my name, and my parents would not lend me the $800 I needed to make the purchase (despite it being worth at least $40,000) so I was flat out of luck. I decided to contact the seller who was completely clueless about this gemstone. He immediately took down the listing, and told me the story. Apparently his mother had dated the owner of the mine when it was in peak production and he saved one of the 100 largest stones to ever come out of the mine for her as a present. The seller's mother went on to marry someone else, and the ring sat in the jewelry box for over 15 years, collecting dust until it was time to eBay some items.
It is possible to still get deals like this, especially if you have a particular area of interest that would allow you to identify an item that is worth many times the Buy-It-Now price.
If you have a wide area of expertise, or a lot of time on your hands, you can actually make money on eBay without having any item to sell, technically legally.
It's what I call eBay double-closing.
What you do is find the 3 Stooges Cookie Jar (or whatever) for $50 and buy it now. If the seller does not need immediate payment, then you put the same picture or a stock photo up in your own listing and sell it on a 1 day auction with immediate payment required. Then as soon as your auction closes, you give the shipping information of your buyer, to the seller of the original auction, and keep the profit of $200.
It's probably somehow against the eBay terms of service, though I don't know for sure, of course. I know it's not against eBay terms to sell it again as soon as you receive the item.
For instance, I was doing research on eBay because I was going to a video store closing several years back and I learned that there were several titles that go for quite a pretty penny. One of them is called Rad and it's about trick bike riding or skateboarding or something like that. Average sales price was $45 and I saw one for $5, so I bought it and immediately relisted it with a combination of pictures and information gleaned from other auctions. It went for $40 and after eBay fees of about $8 I took home a little over $25 for doing nothing other than knowing more than other sellers and typing a bit.
Quality!
eBay is NOT the best place if you demand the highest quality. If you do, you probably aren't going to save a whole lot, but if you are willing to get a great deal for a slightly lower quality item, chances are you can do the exact same things with it, and have saved way more than you thought you could.
Right now, I am about to purchase a Flat Screen TV, as the prices may be possibly have dropped enough to put one in my price range. I will not reveal anything else about it until the auction closes. But once it does, I will reveal another trick that can work well for certain items.
Do you like playing the lottery, but don't like having to buy a ticket? Then this tip could work out great for you.
When an item is listed on eBay, it generally takes over an hour for that item to be included in search results, which means that if you browse the whole category (or all of eBay) you can sometimes get an incredible steal.
For instance, I know about gemstones, especially exotic and rare gems that most people have never heard of. I was looking for my favorite gemstone, Benitoite, and I came across a 4 carat Benitoite in an 18k gold ring, with a "Buy-It-Now" of $800 which seems reasonable for many gemstones--unless you realize that a Benitoite over 3 carats has not been sold in the public for over 10 years, period. Also you would need to know that there is only one mine for that gem, which at that point had been shut down. I came across this gem when I did not have $800 to my name, and my parents would not lend me the $800 I needed to make the purchase (despite it being worth at least $40,000) so I was flat out of luck. I decided to contact the seller who was completely clueless about this gemstone. He immediately took down the listing, and told me the story. Apparently his mother had dated the owner of the mine when it was in peak production and he saved one of the 100 largest stones to ever come out of the mine for her as a present. The seller's mother went on to marry someone else, and the ring sat in the jewelry box for over 15 years, collecting dust until it was time to eBay some items.
It is possible to still get deals like this, especially if you have a particular area of interest that would allow you to identify an item that is worth many times the Buy-It-Now price.
If you have a wide area of expertise, or a lot of time on your hands, you can actually make money on eBay without having any item to sell, technically legally.
It's what I call eBay double-closing.
What you do is find the 3 Stooges Cookie Jar (or whatever) for $50 and buy it now. If the seller does not need immediate payment, then you put the same picture or a stock photo up in your own listing and sell it on a 1 day auction with immediate payment required. Then as soon as your auction closes, you give the shipping information of your buyer, to the seller of the original auction, and keep the profit of $200.
It's probably somehow against the eBay terms of service, though I don't know for sure, of course. I know it's not against eBay terms to sell it again as soon as you receive the item.
For instance, I was doing research on eBay because I was going to a video store closing several years back and I learned that there were several titles that go for quite a pretty penny. One of them is called Rad and it's about trick bike riding or skateboarding or something like that. Average sales price was $45 and I saw one for $5, so I bought it and immediately relisted it with a combination of pictures and information gleaned from other auctions. It went for $40 and after eBay fees of about $8 I took home a little over $25 for doing nothing other than knowing more than other sellers and typing a bit.
Quality!
eBay is NOT the best place if you demand the highest quality. If you do, you probably aren't going to save a whole lot, but if you are willing to get a great deal for a slightly lower quality item, chances are you can do the exact same things with it, and have saved way more than you thought you could.
Right now, I am about to purchase a Flat Screen TV, as the prices may be possibly have dropped enough to put one in my price range. I will not reveal anything else about it until the auction closes. But once it does, I will reveal another trick that can work well for certain items.
How to Save Thousands by buying on eBay, part three
Looking for a good deal that may seem suspicious?
When looking on eBay, you may think that the Wii going for $150 being sold by a person with 4 feedback, no picture, and a trite description may be fraudulent, but if they are from the US, then don't worry about it--because if it is a scam, PayPal will protect you. Sellers on eBay are much more likely to get hit with scams than buyers, but please note that if you are buying a Coach purse from China, or "sterling silver" from China (or pretty much anything valuable from China), they are more than likely completely fake. If you are buying anything from China and the price is really really good (including the shipping price...you have to pay that and sometimes it's more than the item itself is going for), please be aware that they are cheap there, they will find a way to make it for less and sell it for less, so when buying, think about that. That said, you can get great quality from China, but the prices won't be even 1/3rd of the regular price, and they will generally have a customer service number or a US representative when they are selling high quality goods (but not always).
For instance, I wanted a good a quality, automatic Skeleton dress watch (yeah, back to watches); not an easy thing to find for under $200, but what I did find was a "Sea-Gull" brand watch (a national Chinese brand name). This watch had the same movement as some Staur watches that sell for about $300. When I finally found the exact watch I wanted, I had a difficult time finding comparison prices--until I found that at that time, new Sea-Gull watches were officially banned from being sold in the U.S. outside of their official website, which was not up. Now I can see that I got a great deal: http://www.usseagull.com/m182sk.htm shows $185 for my watch and I got it for $155. However, at the time, the the seller was selling only two types of watches and vacuum tubes, which threw a red flag in my mind.
After a long wait, the watch finally arrived, but it was a risk that paid off, as I had a watch to wear with my tux for my wedding, and a great quality timepiece that will not go out of style. That was a risk that I would not take again if I wanted another item, because with the lack of having a watch store, the fact that they were from China, and the fact that there was no competition, pointed to something being wrong--and there was: the watches were being sold on the "grey" market. But it could have easily been something else, such as a fake watch (if there were such a thing...but there isn't because fake Swiss watches with Skeleton movements generally have the Sea-Gull movement).
I was able to find out all of that before I purchased the watch, and now I am glad I did, even though it was a risk.
Be Open
When you are looking for a fantastic price on something, it is often best to keep an open mind. If you only want Banana Republic pants, you might miss out on the equally great ones from Aeropostale.
When you are open to what brand or whether it is new or slightly used, then you are generally going to be faced with a large amount of items...pages upon pages of items, many of which are similar, clogging up the screen.
This is where being good with searching pays off.
For instance, try this eBay search with me.
"Leather Jacket XL (or your size if you prefer)" Search!
Wow, there are sure a lot of jackets out there... now, go over to the left and pick your gender in the categories offered.
Still a lot eh? And some really cheap prices: wonder why all the leather jackets seem to be $30? Click one at random (one without a big embroidered skull or heart) and you will likely see "Italian Stone" which is just a fancy way of saying "scraps of leather sewn together."
Now, you need to exclude all of those jackets, unless you are only planning on wearing it for a month and don't mind looking like you can't afford a real leather jacket. Put "leather jacket" YOURSIZE -(stone) (with the "leather Jacket in quotations, and the word stone in parenthesis just as it is written. Now you will have mostly real leather jackets, and you can decide if you want one over another based on your research and how they represent the quality.
When looking on eBay, you may think that the Wii going for $150 being sold by a person with 4 feedback, no picture, and a trite description may be fraudulent, but if they are from the US, then don't worry about it--because if it is a scam, PayPal will protect you. Sellers on eBay are much more likely to get hit with scams than buyers, but please note that if you are buying a Coach purse from China, or "sterling silver" from China (or pretty much anything valuable from China), they are more than likely completely fake. If you are buying anything from China and the price is really really good (including the shipping price...you have to pay that and sometimes it's more than the item itself is going for), please be aware that they are cheap there, they will find a way to make it for less and sell it for less, so when buying, think about that. That said, you can get great quality from China, but the prices won't be even 1/3rd of the regular price, and they will generally have a customer service number or a US representative when they are selling high quality goods (but not always).
For instance, I wanted a good a quality, automatic Skeleton dress watch (yeah, back to watches); not an easy thing to find for under $200, but what I did find was a "Sea-Gull" brand watch (a national Chinese brand name). This watch had the same movement as some Staur watches that sell for about $300. When I finally found the exact watch I wanted, I had a difficult time finding comparison prices--until I found that at that time, new Sea-Gull watches were officially banned from being sold in the U.S. outside of their official website, which was not up. Now I can see that I got a great deal: http://www.usseagull.com/m182sk.htm shows $185 for my watch and I got it for $155. However, at the time, the the seller was selling only two types of watches and vacuum tubes, which threw a red flag in my mind.
After a long wait, the watch finally arrived, but it was a risk that paid off, as I had a watch to wear with my tux for my wedding, and a great quality timepiece that will not go out of style. That was a risk that I would not take again if I wanted another item, because with the lack of having a watch store, the fact that they were from China, and the fact that there was no competition, pointed to something being wrong--and there was: the watches were being sold on the "grey" market. But it could have easily been something else, such as a fake watch (if there were such a thing...but there isn't because fake Swiss watches with Skeleton movements generally have the Sea-Gull movement).
I was able to find out all of that before I purchased the watch, and now I am glad I did, even though it was a risk.
Be Open
When you are looking for a fantastic price on something, it is often best to keep an open mind. If you only want Banana Republic pants, you might miss out on the equally great ones from Aeropostale.
When you are open to what brand or whether it is new or slightly used, then you are generally going to be faced with a large amount of items...pages upon pages of items, many of which are similar, clogging up the screen.
This is where being good with searching pays off.
For instance, try this eBay search with me.
"Leather Jacket XL (or your size if you prefer)" Search!
Wow, there are sure a lot of jackets out there... now, go over to the left and pick your gender in the categories offered.
Still a lot eh? And some really cheap prices: wonder why all the leather jackets seem to be $30? Click one at random (one without a big embroidered skull or heart) and you will likely see "Italian Stone" which is just a fancy way of saying "scraps of leather sewn together."
Now, you need to exclude all of those jackets, unless you are only planning on wearing it for a month and don't mind looking like you can't afford a real leather jacket. Put "leather jacket" YOURSIZE -(stone) (with the "leather Jacket in quotations, and the word stone in parenthesis just as it is written. Now you will have mostly real leather jackets, and you can decide if you want one over another based on your research and how they represent the quality.
How to Save Thousands by buying on eBay, part two
Gixen is a free service that allows you to save about 5% or more on items, and if you use it enough, you will find it's a fantastic service.
Gixen will bid for you--in the last 10 seconds of the auction. This may seem kind of silly, after all, it doesn't matter who bids first or last, as long as your bid is highest (in all cases but a tied bid).
But if you have found an item you want and it's currently under what you figure it will sell for, then what you can do is put a Gixen bid on it (remember to bid absolutely as much as you are willing to pay). This will: 1)Keep it more of a secret if it currently does not have any bids, and 2) If it does have a bid, it will take a chance away from that seller to top your bid. In rare items, this is absolutely neccesary, and doesn't hurt 99.999% of the time. The only time that putting a Gixen bid on an item might hurt you is if there is already a bid on the item (you can't see the max bid of other bidders) and that bid is the most the other bidder is willing to spend to the penny, and you Gixen it for that same amount, the other person will win.
I have purchased thousands of dollars worth of silver jewelry on eBay and I have saved about 30-80% over traditional wholesale, which allows me to sell my jewelry at about or slightly above traditional wholesale.
Whatever you buy, get it on eBay for less. There is a really good reason to buy on eBay, even if it's going to be the same price as a retail store. First off, you don't have to drive to the electronics store, you get to keep the time you save and the gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, but also you can get eBay on your side.
Long ago, eBay had one of the worst customer service reputations on the planet (other than some third-world dictatorships). You literally had to show up inSan Jose in California
Now, eBay has fantastic customer service, short hold times, and competent people that can actually DO something about an issue, instead of simply TELL you about it, like they used to do before. But there is more...
By purchasing a decent amount from eBay, You can be eligible to accumulate eBay Bucks!
eBay Bucks sends you a rebate equal to 2% of the purchase price of each item you buy (not including shipping) every 3 months which you can spend on ANYTHING on eBay!
And by purchasing A LOT from eBay, you can get to be a VIP member.
SHH... this is a secret and I don't want you to spread it around, so listen close: I not only get kickbacks from eBay, but I get special treatment from eBay, a secret phone number to talk to my eBay representative team (I have tested this, it's 100% true). Also, sometimes they will just give you a certificate for $5 or $10 off any item, or double or triple eBay bucks! Right now I am about to get $70 in items for FREE, which I might be able to resell for more at the store.
By purchasing a lot from eBay I have been able to avoid taking losses from misrepresented items, as eBay will stand behind me as a VIP.
Gixen will bid for you--in the last 10 seconds of the auction. This may seem kind of silly, after all, it doesn't matter who bids first or last, as long as your bid is highest (in all cases but a tied bid).
But if you have found an item you want and it's currently under what you figure it will sell for, then what you can do is put a Gixen bid on it (remember to bid absolutely as much as you are willing to pay). This will: 1)Keep it more of a secret if it currently does not have any bids, and 2) If it does have a bid, it will take a chance away from that seller to top your bid. In rare items, this is absolutely neccesary, and doesn't hurt 99.999% of the time. The only time that putting a Gixen bid on an item might hurt you is if there is already a bid on the item (you can't see the max bid of other bidders) and that bid is the most the other bidder is willing to spend to the penny, and you Gixen it for that same amount, the other person will win.
I have purchased thousands of dollars worth of silver jewelry on eBay and I have saved about 30-80% over traditional wholesale, which allows me to sell my jewelry at about or slightly above traditional wholesale.
Whatever you buy, get it on eBay for less. There is a really good reason to buy on eBay, even if it's going to be the same price as a retail store. First off, you don't have to drive to the electronics store, you get to keep the time you save and the gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, but also you can get eBay on your side.
Long ago, eBay had one of the worst customer service reputations on the planet (other than some third-world dictatorships). You literally had to show up in
Now, eBay has fantastic customer service, short hold times, and competent people that can actually DO something about an issue, instead of simply TELL you about it, like they used to do before. But there is more...
By purchasing a decent amount from eBay, You can be eligible to accumulate eBay Bucks!
eBay Bucks sends you a rebate equal to 2% of the purchase price of each item you buy (not including shipping) every 3 months which you can spend on ANYTHING on eBay!
And by purchasing A LOT from eBay, you can get to be a VIP member.
SHH... this is a secret and I don't want you to spread it around, so listen close: I not only get kickbacks from eBay, but I get special treatment from eBay, a secret phone number to talk to my eBay representative team (I have tested this, it's 100% true). Also, sometimes they will just give you a certificate for $5 or $10 off any item, or double or triple eBay bucks! Right now I am about to get $70 in items for FREE, which I might be able to resell for more at the store.
By purchasing a lot from eBay I have been able to avoid taking losses from misrepresented items, as eBay will stand behind me as a VIP.
How to Save Thousands by buying on eBay, part one
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If you want to save serious cash, this is what you need to know. I have saved literally thousands of dollars every year by buying on eBay, and you can too.
What can you buy?
Well, pretty much anything. There are of course items that eBay does not allow to be sold, but that doesn't mean you can't sometimes find them. Pretty much everything you could want you can find on eBay for less, often MUCH less.
Here is a partial list of things that I have purchased on eBay:
Vehicles
Computers
Food
Spices
Rings
Jewelry displays
Clothing
Bed
Gemological equipment
Shoes
Car parts
Pearls
Gemstones
Scales (large and small)
Computer accessories
Testing equipment
Gold Bullion
Silver Bullion
There are several strategies when it comes to buying items on eBay, and they all involve research. Just because you don't know what you are looking at when you see it, doesn't mean you cannot know everything there is to know about the item within minutes.
For instance:
I purchased a Homedics scale on eBay two days ago. The wife wanted to go to Bed Bath and Beyond and get the one they had on sale with the coupon she has. With tax, it would have come out to $34.89 (I did the math). Now that I knew what I wanted and the features, I searched eBay for a scale, and found one that had about 3X as many features and glowing reviews on it (Amazon.com reviews). I also found out that it was featured in a large fitness magazine and got glowing reviews. Currently the item sells on some websites for $60 + shipping and originally it sold for $89 plus tax. I found that the item is no longer selling in stores and a newer, fancier looking machine had now replaced it. I was able to purchase the scale for $15.00 after shipping.
Another instance:
A Wilson's Leather Lamb Skin Jacket that sells new for $200 (originally $450) I got in near-new condition for $35 shipped.
In almost every case I find that laziness on the part of the seller results in a lower purchase price. If you don't put the model number, the gender that the clothes are meant for, the color, etc., you are generally going to see a lower price.
Also, there are times that putting an item in the wrong category can prevent it from selling at a good price.
First Step: What do you want?
For the sake of argument, lets say that you are looking for an Oris Titan Chronograph with the rubber strap (Swiss diver's watch). You went to a high-end jewelry store and found one that you love; only problem is that it's $3,050 (the store probably would give you 15% off, so the actual cost would be $2,800 after taxes). So, how do you find it for less? You go to eBay. On the home page, I typed in "oris titan" and left off the chronograph; hopefully someone emitted it or misspelled it, and also, by not going directly to the watches category and doing my search there, perhaps I will find one that was mis-categorized.
I find Item# 350260225408 at $1,495.00 Looks fantastic, amazing price. Then I see the seller's feedback which numbers over 1000, and 100% positive. I also find that the seller is based in the US. Fantastic. No worries there. He did make a mistake, however, by not including the word Chronograph (which adds about $1000 to the price vs the non-chronograph model).
Do I want it? WAIT! I still don't know enough yet. Next I go back to the search results, select "ended items only" and see what the watch sold for in the past, if possible. It prompts me for my username and password and then shows me 15 days or so of completed items, usually most of which are not what I am looking for.
If you are looking for a main item (computer, watch, tv, etc.) and not an accessory, search by high price first. I see that one with a metal strap went without a bidder for $1,235.00. It's not technically new, but comes with box and papers. Now, if I decided I wanted this one instead, I would click on the link "see other items" and check to see if the seller has relisted it. In this case, he has not. But that does not mean I cannot still get it. Send the seller a question, using a link from one of their other auctions, or better yet, track down their contact info.
I will do that for this seller to I can see what I can find. He gives us great info to track him down. He has his business name as his eBay store name, and I can see that name of the city he lives in. Bingo! After entering that info into Google, I now have his phone number so I can call him up and offer 3% under the listing's end price. Chances are I will be able to get it without a problem.
But say I didn't want the one with the metal strap (they can catch arm hairs sometimes). The other one that was up at $1495.00 is a great deal--it has sold before at that price and also at a little higher price. Either way, on that one purchase you save at least $1,300.00 Not so hard.
The things that you are going to be able to get the best deals on are high quality items in near new condition, like my shoes that I purchased for $15.00: Nike Air Monarch III's (had it listed without the "III"). I am wearing them now and I can tell that the most wear these received was a walk around the block perhaps twice. If I had gone into a retail store, I would have not been able to get away without spending $60 for the same pair, even if I had a coupon.
Generally super-hot items are going to be difficult to get for too much under the retail price. For items like the Wii, Iphone, and certain designer brands, eBay will still get you the best price, but not a huge amount off.
Everything else, however, you can get for 50% off at least...did you know you can buy honey on eBay? You can get specialty candies, neon signs...pretty much everything that can be shipped easily you can get on eBay for a small amount.
If you want to save serious cash, this is what you need to know. I have saved literally thousands of dollars every year by buying on eBay, and you can too.
What can you buy?
Well, pretty much anything. There are of course items that eBay does not allow to be sold, but that doesn't mean you can't sometimes find them. Pretty much everything you could want you can find on eBay for less, often MUCH less.
Here is a partial list of things that I have purchased on eBay:
Vehicles
Computers
Food
Spices
Rings
Jewelry displays
Clothing
Bed
Gemological equipment
Shoes
Car parts
Pearls
Gemstones
Scales (large and small)
Computer accessories
Testing equipment
Gold Bullion
Silver Bullion
There are several strategies when it comes to buying items on eBay, and they all involve research. Just because you don't know what you are looking at when you see it, doesn't mean you cannot know everything there is to know about the item within minutes.
For instance:
I purchased a Homedics scale on eBay two days ago. The wife wanted to go to Bed Bath and Beyond and get the one they had on sale with the coupon she has. With tax, it would have come out to $34.89 (I did the math). Now that I knew what I wanted and the features, I searched eBay for a scale, and found one that had about 3X as many features and glowing reviews on it (Amazon.com reviews). I also found out that it was featured in a large fitness magazine and got glowing reviews. Currently the item sells on some websites for $60 + shipping and originally it sold for $89 plus tax. I found that the item is no longer selling in stores and a newer, fancier looking machine had now replaced it. I was able to purchase the scale for $15.00 after shipping.
Another instance:
A Wilson's Leather Lamb Skin Jacket that sells new for $200 (originally $450) I got in near-new condition for $35 shipped.
In almost every case I find that laziness on the part of the seller results in a lower purchase price. If you don't put the model number, the gender that the clothes are meant for, the color, etc., you are generally going to see a lower price.
Also, there are times that putting an item in the wrong category can prevent it from selling at a good price.
First Step: What do you want?
For the sake of argument, lets say that you are looking for an Oris Titan Chronograph with the rubber strap (Swiss diver's watch). You went to a high-end jewelry store and found one that you love; only problem is that it's $3,050 (the store probably would give you 15% off, so the actual cost would be $2,800 after taxes). So, how do you find it for less? You go to eBay. On the home page, I typed in "oris titan" and left off the chronograph; hopefully someone emitted it or misspelled it, and also, by not going directly to the watches category and doing my search there, perhaps I will find one that was mis-categorized.
I find Item# 350260225408 at $1,495.00 Looks fantastic, amazing price. Then I see the seller's feedback which numbers over 1000, and 100% positive. I also find that the seller is based in the US. Fantastic. No worries there. He did make a mistake, however, by not including the word Chronograph (which adds about $1000 to the price vs the non-chronograph model).
Do I want it? WAIT! I still don't know enough yet. Next I go back to the search results, select "ended items only" and see what the watch sold for in the past, if possible. It prompts me for my username and password and then shows me 15 days or so of completed items, usually most of which are not what I am looking for.
If you are looking for a main item (computer, watch, tv, etc.) and not an accessory, search by high price first. I see that one with a metal strap went without a bidder for $1,235.00. It's not technically new, but comes with box and papers. Now, if I decided I wanted this one instead, I would click on the link "see other items" and check to see if the seller has relisted it. In this case, he has not. But that does not mean I cannot still get it. Send the seller a question, using a link from one of their other auctions, or better yet, track down their contact info.
I will do that for this seller to I can see what I can find. He gives us great info to track him down. He has his business name as his eBay store name, and I can see that name of the city he lives in. Bingo! After entering that info into Google, I now have his phone number so I can call him up and offer 3% under the listing's end price. Chances are I will be able to get it without a problem.
But say I didn't want the one with the metal strap (they can catch arm hairs sometimes). The other one that was up at $1495.00 is a great deal--it has sold before at that price and also at a little higher price. Either way, on that one purchase you save at least $1,300.00 Not so hard.
The things that you are going to be able to get the best deals on are high quality items in near new condition, like my shoes that I purchased for $15.00: Nike Air Monarch III's (had it listed without the "III"). I am wearing them now and I can tell that the most wear these received was a walk around the block perhaps twice. If I had gone into a retail store, I would have not been able to get away without spending $60 for the same pair, even if I had a coupon.
Generally super-hot items are going to be difficult to get for too much under the retail price. For items like the Wii, Iphone, and certain designer brands, eBay will still get you the best price, but not a huge amount off.
Everything else, however, you can get for 50% off at least...did you know you can buy honey on eBay? You can get specialty candies, neon signs...pretty much everything that can be shipped easily you can get on eBay for a small amount.
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