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eBay carries literally millions of items for sale –
both used and new. One of the most important things about buying successfully
on eBay is finding all the relevant details about an item you want to buy.
These “need to know” aspects include the condition of a used
item, guarantees or returns policy for new items, the provenance of a
collectable or antique – all these factors have a huge impact on the value of
an item and therefore the price it is likely to sell for.
Using the standard eBay tools and facilities will help ensure you
find and buy the ideal item to suit your own particular requirements:-
- Every item
listed on eBay contains a description, so read this in detail.
- Look at the
seller’s other items for sale and check for similarities, differences
and discrepancies.
- If you’re
not sure about something, ask the seller a question.
- Check out
eBay’s help pages, especially the policy sections which define what can
and cannot be sold. You can go to the main site using this link.
- eBay
has a “Standard Purchase Protection Programme” and this will help ensure
any problems with your transaction are corrected.
- If you are
buying a rare collectable or an antique, then unless you are an expert,
use an independent authentication service to inspect the article.
- If you are
purchasing a high-price item such as a car, your payment can be made via
escrow which holds payment to the seller until your item has been
satisfactorily received and checked.
- Make sure
you understand the seller's terms and conditions
relating to returns and exchanges.
Here are some extra tips and thoughts on wise buying on eBay:-
- Use eBay
and the Internet to research the item you are looking for – compare it
with similar items.
- New items
with listing prices massively below the RRP might be legitimate but they
also might not be.
- If you see
the words “as is” in relation to an item’s condition, this usually
implies that there is something not quite right with the article. Ask
the seller specific questions about the item before you bid so that you
understand precisely what condition it is in. But be realistic too, you
cant expect a used item to be completely without “fair wear and tear”
- When you
are buying collectable items such as signed memorabilia, make sure you
get confirmation of authenticity before you complete the purchase.
- Photographs
can sometimes not reveal important things about an item’s true condition
or authenticity.
- If the
delivery lead-time is very long, especially for international items –
beware, this can indicate a “playing for time” strategy with unscrupulous
sellers.
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