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Do not just jump in and bid as soon as you arrive on Ebay, a few simple strategies can help you ensure you get your Ebay experience off to the best start.

1. Place the item on your watching page.

• Research the item and decide for certain exactly how much it’s worth to you.
• Search for the item to see what it’s selling for on other eBay auctions and/or other websites.
• Find out how much it can be purchased for (if at all) locally.

Remember that it’s the buyer’s responsibility to determine for himself the value of the item. Spend most of the days of the auction’s duration thinking it through. Come to a definite conclusion as to the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the item, keeping shipping costs in mind. That is one of the most important things you can do.

2. Do some research on the seller.

Check not just his feedback rating number, but also what comments are written about him, especially any negatives. Sometimes undeserved negatives get written about people, buyers and sellers alike. Try to determine a pattern in the transactions that drew the negatives.

• Is the seller basically honest?
• Does he work to solve any differences or problems that may arise? This gives you the chance to determine what his patterns of working with people are like.

Avoid those with a high proportion of negatives to positives, especially if they are from a number of different people. Be sure to also check feedback he leaves for his customers.

An easy way to do this is to visit Feedback Forum. You’ll find the link for it at the bottom of most eBay pages. Look for the blue link titled “View feedback a member left about others” and click on it. On the page that comes up, enter the seller’s user name, then click the View feedback button.

The comments he has left for his customers will then come up. Carefully read what he has written about his customers. Is he happy with most of his transactions?

If he must leave negatives, is he calm and factual, or is he retaliatory, ANGRY, VAGUE, NAME-CALLING AND SHOUTING!!!!! (You get the idea.) If you don’t feel comfortable in any way search for the item being sold by someone you feel more comfortable about.

3. Study the description of the item carefully.

• What payment methods does the seller accept?
• Does he ship to your area?
• What are the shipping charges?

If there is anything you don’t know or understand about the item or the listed terms, use the “Ask seller a question” link and politely ask the seller what you want to know. Do NOT bid on any item if there is anything about the Terms of Sale you do not understand or agree with.

The time to clear up any misgivings is BEFORE bidding. When you place a bid, you are agreeing to all terms in the seller’s listing whether you have read them or not, so make certain you understand exactly what you are bidding on and all conditions.

Once you’ve emailed a seller with questions, if you do not receive satisfactory answers before the auction ends, let it go. Most items will come up again sooner or later.