As many of you know, I am forever shopping online. I find that it’s more convenient than the hustle and bustle of my local mall and I can do it when I’m on-the-go. Obviously, I’ll only purchase the item if it’s cheaper (incl. taxes, shipping+handling) and with the Canadian dollar being at par with the US dollar, my purchases always end up being cheaper.

People ask “aren’t you scared someone will steal your credit card information?”, well the answer to that is, simply-put, no. eBay uses PayPal and PayPal offers the protection of a secure connection for all transactions.
They’ll ask “what if you never receive the item?”, thankfully that’s never happened but if it did, PayPal insures the product (free of charge) and I’ll be refunded my money.
Or they’ll ask “what if the product is fake?” Hey, it does happen. There are a lot of fake products out in the world of eBay but with a little experience, you’ll learn how to spot the fakes and avoid this situation.

I consider myself an elite eBay shopper so I will share with you a few tips & tricks of the trade!

• Read the sellers feedback.

Feedback is a great way to get to know your seller. Other users who have purchased from this seller will write things about the product, interaction and experience they’ve had with this seller. If the sellers’ feedback is mostly negative, don’t buy from them. If it’s mostly positive, you have the green light to purchase a product from them. If it’s a split between negative & positive, read the feedback of the users who’ve left feedback (negative and positive) for this particular seller.
The great thing about feedback is that you can only leave feedback if you’ve purchased from a seller and you may receive a buyers’ feedback, from the seller, as a purchaser. So not every Tom, Dick & Hairy can visit your profile & leave you feedback for no reason at all!

• Read the description of the item.

The description of the item will tell you what it is, if it’s new or used, how it came into the hands of the seller, why they’re selling it, etc. Each description won’t list all of this as it’s not a requirement but at least you’ll get a better feel for the product that way you’re not surprised when you receive a product and something is askew.
One time, I bought a cool ashtray as a gift and when I received it, it was A LOT bigger than I expected but if I had just read the discription, where the dimesions were listed, I would have known how big it was and I could have saved myself the money lol

• Where is my item coming from?

On the right hand side of the screen, there is a section called “other item info”. This information is important because it will state where the item is coming from. This is key information because sometimes it will help you identify the authenticity of a product.
For example, if you are buying a MAC product and it’s coming from China (Hong Kong, etc), chances are it’s a fake. That’s not to say that  all products coming from China are fake but a lot of the time, they are.  
Read the sellers feedback to determine whether you want to purchase that product from them. A lot of the time, these sellers have multiples of the exact same product for sale so there will probably be feedback regarding that product already which will tell you about it’s authenticity.

• Does the seller ship to my country?

On the right hand side of the screen, there is a section called “other item info”. This information is important because it will state where the item is coming from and if the seller ships to your country. Some sellers only ship within their country, province or state while most sellers ship worldwide and a select few do local pick-ups only. If you’re interested in an item but the seller doesn’t ship to your country, simply email them to ask  if they’ll make an exception.
I bid on a product and won. My mistake was not double checking the “Ship To:” information. The seller was in the US but did not ship to Canada. I emailed her to apologize and thankfully, she made the exception and shipped me the product anyway.

• Shipping Costs

Before purchasing a product, check the shipping costs! Sometimes the shipping costs more than the product itsself and in most cases, it wouldn’t be worth purchasing the product. Beware! Because once you click on “buy it now”, you’ve committed to buying the product and there is no turning back.

•  Watch List

When you’re interested in a product but you want to sleep on it before you purchase it, add it to your “Watch List” that way you can find it again if/when you’re ready to buy it OR if you’ve bid on a product and want to keep an eye on it, add it to your “Watch List”.

• Purchase History

eBay saves your purchase history up to 3 years back.
Can’t remember if you received a product or if your credit card was charged correctly? Check the history to view your order details. This will tell you what you bought, when you bought it, how much it cost + shipping , who the seller was, what credit card you used to pay for the product, etc.

• BIDDING!!

Let’s get into the juicy stuff! Bidding can be so overwhelming but when you win your first product, it’s so exciting!
I’ve learned a few tricks, over the years and I’m here to share my expertise with you!

1. Add the item you want to your “Watch List“, that way you’ll never lose it and so that when it’s time to bid, eBay will send you an email.
2. Don’t bid too early, you’ll just be outbid and the cost of the product raises. If there’s a few days left of bidding, just add it to your “Watch List” and wait.
3. Starting paying attention to the bids in the last few minutes but don’t bid yet. Just sit and watch. Notice the cost getting higher? If you don’t want to pay that much, move on. Once you hit “Place Bid” and you win the product- it’s yours.
4. Depending on your internet speed and whether your browser is lagging, place your bid within the last 10 to 20 seconds. By doing this, I’ve never been outbid and I’ve won the product but by using this method, if you’re outbid- you’ll lose the item for good. So you really have to take your chances on this.

I really hope these pointers help clarify your concerns about eBay and shopping online. If you have any further questions, leave me a note!

HAPPY SHOPPING!!! =)