Ebay purchasing techniques

[bg]

I know many of you purchase used items online and get really good deals. I don't really know anyone that buys things off of ebay. I have bought textbooks that were used from online stores before, but more often than not, it was a mistake (prof. changed mind about text, purchased wrong version as syllabus was wrong, etc)

I am curious to know what your techniques are in buying clothes off of ebay and other stores. I know that I ought to check ratings...but do you use the auction method to buy or do you use the "buy it now" option (ebay)? Do you buy one item from a seller and pay for the shipping or do you buy several items to justify the cost of shipping? Many of the pictures that I've looked at don't give any indication on how the clothing item really looks (too much camera flash, picture taken in a dark room), how do you make a determination on whether the item is a good find?

When you communicate with the seller, what sort of questions do you ask? Do you purchase items from brands you know and like, or do you experiment based on advertisements (brand names that are expensive for example)?

Finally...the horror stories. Have you been burned? How?

I am mostly looking for answers specific to purchasing clothing on ebay. Although stories about other items purchased would be welcome.

[bamamomto4]

I looked on ebay for everything lol for example...If I want a certain brand perfume,I'll try and get it cheaper on ebay than the mall charges.
I am little worried about buying something that cost a lot of money. I dont want to lose money on anything but would much rather lose $10 than $100..ya know. The most expensive thing I ever bought was a ring for $85...I'd never seen one quiet like it,and I just had to have it lol...I was nervous till it came in the mail. When I had it sized,the jewerler offered me $350 for it


With clothes,I would ask for additional pictures and measurements. It's hard with clothing sometimes.I tend to stick with brands I know wear well on me,or whom ever I'm buying it for.

I try and ALWAYS check seller feedback. If they had like 10 negatives in the past 7 days...I'll buy from someone else.

With the shipping...Make sure if you're buying several items from one seller that they combine shipping. Some sellers wont and you're stuck paying basically double for shipping. I'll buy several items from a seller if they combine and it was something I was already looking for. I always check the shipping fee first. I wont pay $7.95 to ship a item I know will only cost $2.00...I'll look for the item with a cheaper shipping fee.
I sell to,and try to charge exact shipping,as I want others to do for me,but I have overcharged (not by much)a few times and felt really bad.

I have been burned twice. I sold a circuit city gift card and didnt have prove of mailing it. I charged 37¢ (actual shipping) and just put it in an envelope and mailed it...well,the "buyer" said his ebay and paypal acct passwords were stolen and since I didnt have proof of shipping it...I was out $85!!! I was sick for days and days over that.

The other time was when I was making and selling candles. A lady bought 4 candles at $10 each,plus at least $10 shipping and I didn't get delivery confirmation on it.Which I always tried to do because SOOO many people will just say they never got it....well,she said she never got the package and I had to remake and ship 4 more candles,plus a freebie for the inconveince it caused her. I could've took a neg for it,since she didnt pay Ins,but it was part my fault not getting the delivery confirmation,and who knows...maybe she didnt receive it,but I was just starting out and didnt want bad feedback....

ok...end of rambling lol

[slowtypinwoman]

I have purchased several clotjing items off of E Bay. some tips I have used are:
~ ~purchase brands you know
~~ go for lot items
~~check feedback
~~I have also found I get the best deals when the item ends on a holiday. Some of the best deals I've gotten have been on Christmas day and Easter.

[Mamaw]

I have both bought and sold on ebay.
For clothing, I ask for measurements and always use the auction option. I also look at the lot items more so than individual items.
Always check shipping costs since it adds to the total cost. Sometimes I find I can buy close to the same thing for less at the thrift shops or clearance sales. I have not been burned as yet...knock on wood...

As a seller I try to take clear photos, be completely honest in my listings and reply to buyers emails. I also tell them to please ask any questions before they buy as I dont do returns. I do get shipping confirmation to protect myself.

Have fun shopping but watch the prices.

[waterlover]

First thing I do is look at their feedback rating. 98 or lower I don't do business with them. The same if theres been negative feedback given recently.

For clothes I always ask for measurements if its not listed.

I have only purchased clothes off ebay that are hard to find or its a really good deal.

I sell on ebay and try to give 110% when it comes to customer service and shipping. So I have a hard time with a seller if they don't return my emails or shipping/packing was sloppy, IMHO.

[annieacid]

I also buy and sell on Ebay.

I buy most of my son's clothes in lots. I have a little "system" I use.

- I start by looking in the off season (if I know I'll need winter clothes, I look in the summer).
- I then search "lot" in the category that is appropriate to his size.
- Look through the auctions ending soonest and see if there are any REALLY good deals.
- Check seller's feedback, and look at photos to see if it's something I'm interested in.
- Check shipping amount, add up total, and divide by per piece.
- If there are no good auction deals, I check the Buy It Now. (I don't like to wait to see if I win an auction - it either has to be ending within the next few hours, or a BIN). I also assess shipping, photos, and feedback on those.

This season, I got 14 pairs of shorts for my son for $13.75 including shipping. They all fit, and were very nice.

I don't pay attention to name brands, I just look at the photo to see if the clothing looks good. If the photo is iffy, I don't go with it.
He's going to grow out of it in a year or two anyway, and I'm going to resell it, so like I said, I don't worry if it's not name brand. Though I do end up usually getting at least half that are name brand.

Oh, I also make sure the description is VERY detailed, and that their shipping is stated, or able to be calculated in the auction. I don't go with shippers who say actual, but give you no way of calculating, because usually, it means it will cost a lot (that's how they make some of their money back if they don't get as much as they wanted to for the auction).

For myself, I make sure I only purchase shirts on ebay, and use the same basic rules. It's too difficult to find pants that fit me without first seeing them.

As a seller, I use a template to make sure all my auction listings are standard and have the same amount of detail. I always communicate with my sellers, and ship quickly. I have not yet had a problem selling, but if I did, I would make sure to resolve it quickly.

I've bought so much off of ebay - recently a PC for my son - only two or so years old - for $120.00, and it works very well, and is a small profile. I love it.

Have bought DVDs, books, clothing (obviously), shoes, cell phone accessories, toys, and jewelry as well.

Good luck with your ebay purchases =)

[SHOPGIRL]

When purchasing items, I do try to find other things from the seller that I might be interested in. Shipping can be so expensive that I always want to combine shipping.

Always check to see if there is any negative feedback in the past few months.

I also check to see the kinds of things the seller is selling; gives me a good idea with the quality of the merchandise.

Though I don't buy many clothes of ebay, I tend to stay with name brand clothes since I know how the fit is. I'd recommend paying for insurance. There usually isn't a problem with shipping, but you never know.

I use buy it now if it is a fair price and I don't want to wait. Often the buy it now ends up being lower than the end of the auction price. You can also do a search on the completed auctions in a certain category. That will give you a good idea of the going price.

I'm mostly a seller on ebay, but I purchase at least one thing a month on ebay.