BidBud.com- Good eBuyers

By Tyler Jones

As a buyer on eBay, I want to do my part to help the situation run smoothly and to make things easy on the seller. By working together, buyers and sellers can make the eBay experience wonderful.

Being a good buyer comes in two parts : Winnings auctions (duh) and handling your responsibilities afterward in an efficient and mature manner.

Being a good buyer	How to do it
Get Organized	It's amazing how often people come to the chat boards to tell us that they bid on stuff and can't remember what it was. They forgot the auction number. They forgot the sellers id. They forgot the price. They can't remember if they sent a check or not. They can't remember if the item got here or not. A little basic organization right now will save you (and your sellers) tons of headaches in the future. The best piece of advice I can give you at this stage is do not rely on the automated notices from eBay. They are often late and sometimes don't even show up at all. They are a courtesy only, and eBay does not guarantee their delivery. Instead, keep track of all auctions personally. Also, don't rely on search pages. They tend to roll info off after 30 days, and that's not always good. I use a spreadsheet, and it works wonders. You can use this, a diary, or other thing. The important goal here is for you to personally keep a physical record of every item that you ever bid on, and to do so apart from eBay. Use this as a reference guide. Information to keep track of might be auction number, description, seller id, date of auction end, price, price with shipping, method of payment, if you've paid or not, if the item has shipped yet, if you've received it, has feedback been received and/or left. Over time, this will become your record of involvement with eBay, and provide you with not only a record to see what's going on, but to give you a comprehensive overview of your eBay activities.
Understand the auction	I cannot stress this enough. Before bidding, study the auction. Read the item description, TOS and header info very thoroughly, even multiple times if necessary. Understand everything that the seller says. If you have any questions, e-mail the seller. If the seller does not answer, or give vague, useless information, then you may not want to bid. Even basic information is good at this point. When does the auction begin? When does it end? When will be the best time for you to bid? How much do you want to bid? (This question may depend on later information). Are there any special characteristics of this auction? Is it a Reserve Auction? A Dutch Auction? A Buy It Now Auction? A Fixed Price Auction? A Private Auction?
Understand the Item	Learn about the item and figure out exactly what is in and how it is. There are several questions that you may want answered in this stage. Is this really the item you think it is? What condition is it in? Are there any smudges, cracks, rips, chips, or other evidence of wear and tear? Is it part of a larger set of items? If it contains multiple parts, are all parts there? If the item comes in different versions or editions, find out which one it is. Determine the year it was made, and subsequent info, like miles on the odometer. Has the item ever been broken and then repaired? Has any original equipment been replaced? Is there a picuture of the item? Does the description match the picture?
Understand the seller	Study the Seller. How does their feedback look? Don't just look at the number. A seller may have a total feedback of over 5000, but may have several hundred negatives. Many of these might be retaliatory negs, but might also indicate that the seller does such a high volume that many buyers slip through the cracks. Some sellers have such a high rating that they don't care if they get a few negs now and then. Give them some slack, though. Much negative feedback is retaliatory. Only by experience can you sometimes, but not all the time, tell the difference. Also check the feedback that they have left. Some sellers just don't have time to leave feedback. I saw a seller once with over 1000 feedbacks, mostly positive, but less than 100 feedbacks left. I asked him about his feedback policy but never got an answer. Of course, if feedback is not important to you, then you can skipt this step, but it's important to me. Also check to see if they have given and received feedback recently. If they have received much feedback in the last week, but haven't left any in months, then that may cause for alarm. Of course, some sellers leave large block of feedback every week or two, so you'll need to do some detective work. Look at what other items the seller is offering. You may find many items that you want all from the same person. If the seller is agreeable, you can combine shipping costs, and pay for several things in one deal. Ask the seller first, though. Some combine shipping, and some don't. Naturally, if you come on an auction almost at the end, you can't do all this. If you really want the item, and there aren't enough of them to afford the luxury of time, get as much info as you can, bid, and good luck to you. In this case, you may be taking a slight risk, but if you're willing, then go for it, and hope that the seller doesn't throw you a curve ball.
Understand the Terms	Some sellers have very specific terms of sale, as listed in their auction pages. Some will sell only to one or more specific countries. Some will not sell to new users, users with low feedback or users with a negative feedback rating. Many will only accept certain types of payment. Some might even accept one or two types that you cannot provide. If the sellers pre-set conditions eliminate you, please don't bid just to punish the seller or teach him a lesson. You'll just cause problems. If the seller doesn't want you, chances are you don't want him. Move on and find another auction. Learn as much as you can, by reading and e-mail, details of shipping. This includes payment methods, total cost, and options like insurance, delivery confirmation, tracking id and various shipping methods and companies. Ask the seller if you have any big questions about these before you bid. Some sellers have stiff requirements for establishing contact and making payment. My goal is always to do both as quickly as possible anyway, so this is rarely a problem, but keep an eye out for some sticklers. If you and the seller live in different countries, make sure that they ship internationally and that you can pay them. I once won an auction, but did not see that they took only International Money Orders. I was in a panic until I found out that the U.S. Post Office sells these. Lucky me. :-)
Do your homework	If you want an item that you think might be available on eBay at a bargain, assume nothing. It might be available retail or at a flea market in your hometown. Early on in my eBay career, I came across a really neat thing that I never knew existed. Thinking that it was a rare out of print thing, I bid quit a bundle on it. After I won, I learned that it was available retail for half of what I paid. Oops :-(. Nevertheless, I took my lumps and moved on. It may also be the case that many sellers are offering the same item. Especially for big-ticket mass produced items, do a search over a period of a couple days. Find out what they tend to go for. Don't bid more than you need to and you might even find a deal. Some of you may remember that in the Christmas season of 2000, the Sony Playstation was the number one hot item, on and off eBay. Prices on eBay were soaring, due to a severe shortage. I sold two of them myself for some friends and did some research of my own. I found amazing discrepancies in the prices of different auctions for the exact same item. True, some of the auctioned units came bundled with games, but I still found differences of nearly $400.00 for just the console. Many people were paying far more than they needed to, and this could have been avoided with just a little bit of detective work. Major events may temporarily alter the price of items. The tragic death of Dale Earnhardt sent memorabilia prices into the atmosphere in February of 2001, but but later on they stabilized and sold for what they normally did before the crash.
Let the Buyer Beware	There are some auctions on eBay that are too good to be true. You might think that you're going to get a great deal. However, before you bid, take a closer look. Often, these are not auctions for items, but rather they are auctions for INFORMATION. That is, you win the auction, and the seller gives you a phone number, address or web page where you can go to buy the item (and other things) at full price. This is a scam, and as of this writing, I believe it to be against eBay rules. Still, you don't want to get caught in this. Please read the auction page carefully. Is it for an actual product, or a "list" or some other roundabout way of getting things? Some Dutch auctions are rather vague. Often, it may appear as if each item you bid on is 100 widgets, when the truth is there are a TOTAL of 100 widgets to bid on. Make sure that you know exactly what each item is. Is the seller listing 100 lots of 100 each, or 100 individual items? In general, Dutch Auctions are for lots of 1. That is, if I list "Lot of 100 cables", and the Dutch number says 100, then in all likelyhood I have 100 cables to sell, and you can bid for them 1 at a time. I probably do not have 100 sets of 100. Also, of course, remember the old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". No, friend, you're not going to get that Rolex Watch for $10.00. You're not going to get 100 brand new printer cables for $5.00, and I'm pretty sure you're not going to get a Sony Playstation 2 for $5.00. Possible? Yes. Likely? Not on your life. :-)
Win that auction!	Okay. You've studied the heck out of the auction, the item and the seller. You're confident that this is exactly what you want, you know that you meet the seller's requirements to bid, and you trust the seller. You want this item and you're ready to get it. You're halfway there. The trick now is to bid and win. You can study all you want, but you won't win anything unless you're the highest bidder. My best advice is, learn to use the Proxy system and bid as late as you can. Determine your True Max Bid, and wait until you can't wait any more then bid. If you bid late enough, you're a sniper. Even if you don't snipe, bidding your max is really the best way to win. You probably won't win all the time. There's no way to guarantee a win, but by proxy bidding, you will maximize your chances. The two biggest rules for this stage are make sure that you're bidding what you think you're bidding, and do not bid more than you can afford.
Easy on the trigger, partner	When you've decided how much to bid and are ready, tread carefully. After you have determined your True Max Bid and begin the bidding process, but before clicking that submit button, perform what we in the computer business call a "sanity check". Make sure that this is exactly the auction that you think it is. Do you really want this item? No, really. Are you completely sure that you want it? Think hard. :-) Sign in, or make sure that your userid and password are entered correctly. Passwords are not displayed, but do your best. Is your bid entered correctly? Watch for things like spaces, commas instead of decimals (U.S. format only, please) and stray characters. Make sure that you are really willing and able to pay your True Max bid should it become necessary. Make really sure that you are not bidding more than you are willing to pay or can afford. I mean make abso (insert swear word here) lutely sure that you can afford it, should it become necessary. Perform one more sanity check. Submit that bid and win! By far, the biggest mistake at this stage is entering a bogus amount. Sometimes people simply type the wrong number, or misplace the decimal point, or enter stray characters. The eBay bid amount should only contain numbers and one decimal point in U.S. style. That's a "." dot, not a "," comma. Please do not type in any spaces, currency markers, letters or other symbols. eBay will do strange things to your bid if you do.
All bids are serious. It's not just a game	Some new people are tempted to bid on many auctions at once, then back out of all but the best deal, whether retracting or the NPB express. I advise against this. You will get lots of negative feedback, and eventually kicked off eBay. When bidding, assume that you will win every auction that you bid on, and that you will owe your True Max Bid. This is unlikely, but working from this assumption will help prevent your bank account from going bust. Remember that every bid you make is a binding agreement. You are expected to pay for everything you win. Even if somebody outbids you on an item, you may still become the high bidder again if that person retracts or has his bid canceled. No, really. This is an important issue. I've seen a rash of bid retractions and NPB's lately. A lot of newbies are bidding more than they should, without realizing how serious it is. Please, assume that every bid you make is cash out the door. Assume that you've already spent it. If the auction ends and somebody has outbid you, then you get a virtual refund. However, this magical return does not occur until after the auction ends. Even if you bid and are outbid, or bid and never take the lead, you're not off the hook. Others may retract or get canceled, leaving you holding the bag. Never bid on two of the same item, unless you want both. Your bid is live, and you can only get off the hook in one of two ways. First, the auction ends and you are not the listed winner, or among the listed winners of a Dutch Auction. Second, if you bid and the reserve is still not met.
If you must retract, do it slowly	Any bid can be retracted, but eBay only recognizes a few valid reasons for doing so, such as entering a bid with wrong decimal point. Sometimes, a person will accidentally bid $10000.00 instead of $100.00 for example. Also, the seller may change the item description after you bid. Otherwise, eBay assumes that your bid was valid. If you must retract anyway, you may want to e-mail the seller explaining the situation. Sometimes, you may have bid too much in the frenzy of bidding, and it might break your bank. Most sellers would rather have a retraction than an NPB. However, judicious use of my good buyer tips, especially the sanity check, will help you avoid such problems in the future. Please, bid only what you are willing to pay and are able to afford. Make sure that the amount entered is exactly what you think it is. Unlike the old 10-key machines, the decimal point is NOT assumed. Therefore, 1000 is one thousand dollars, not ten.
The only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner	If you don't win an auction, don't take it out on the seller or the winning bidder. You lost because somebody bid more than you did. If you're sure that you would have bid more if you had the chance, realize that you HAD the chance before to bid more than you did. If eBay shut down right before your bid, it happens. When you lose, just accept it and move on. Life isn't fair. You don't always get what you want. Live with it. On the other hand, if you win, don't rub it in. Take the high road and win with honor and grace. It's okay to be proud and even do a victory dance if you win. I have myself every once in a while :-). However, taunting those that did not win shows poor sportsmanship, it's a really uncool thing to do,and shows you to be a low-class boorish trashy person. Don't be a jerk. Just win, baby, and let it go.
Communication is the cornerstone of any good relationship	When you win, be sure to inform the seller right away. See my comments about auto-messages above. I suggest that with every piece of e-mail, send along all information. Include such things as auction number, description, your name, your username, your e-mail address, your snail-mail address, the total price, and so on. Is this overkill? Yes. However, it's often necessary. By always sending full information, there's less chance of error. I once had to ask a seller THREE TIMES for his address. Yuck. Send e-mail every day until you reach the seller. As I've learned from the business world, there is an enormous difference between sending one e-mail five days ago, and sending e-mail every day for five days. Don't overdo it, though. Don't send more than one per day unless there is an ongoing communication between buyer and seller. Keep up the one a days until you establish initial contact.
Maintain your archives	When I am engaged in a transaction, I always save a copy of the most recent e-mail that I sent. This helps me keep track of my items. Comparing the state of my e-mail to the state of my spreadsheet provides a good crosschecking and auditing tool. I always send e-mail to the other person and myself. This lets me just Reply to All instead of typing all of the information over and over. The most recent e-mail provides a history of the transaction. As it progresses, I add, remove and edit information as the need arises. Each e-mail is in effect a snapshot of the transaction in its current state. When the transaction is done, I move the e-mail to a "done" folder, but this is really not necessary. Once the item has been received, thank-yous have been exchanged and feedback has been left by both parties, there is really no need to keep anything, but that's just me.
Have a generous clock, but be firm	eBay says communication must be established within three business days of auction end. However, this may not always be enough time. Don't be quick to jump the gun and run screaming to safeharbor the minute that you pass the 72-hour mark. I did that once, and while everything worked out OK, I don't recommend it. When I win an auction, I tag that day as day 0. If it's a weekend or holiday, I tag the next business day as day 0. I send an e-mail every day with full information and any questions that I might have. The phrase "day x" appears in each subject line, along with some other info. Beginning on day 3, I temporarily suspend my no more than 1 a day rule. I start to send e-mail all three ways to the seller, just in case our ISP's aren't talking to each other. I send it directly, I send it through the general eBay server, and I also send it through "send this auction to a friend". Once day 6 shows up, I pull contact info and maybe file an NPS report.
Hash out the final terms, but be flexible	Your next job is to determine payment method, establish shipping costs, and exchange name and address info. Please understand that in this phase, the seller is in charge. They will probably define much of this in their TOS, and any other details are at their discretion. Work with the seller to determine what they want and then finalize all details. There may be some exceptions. For example, a seller who does not mention shipping costs then says that it will cost $500.00 to ship a postcard is probably doing something wrong. However, within reason, the seller has the right to determine all shipping rules, unless they directly violate stated terms in his TOS. If the seller does not take checks, don't send one anyway, then demand that he accept it. Many buyers don't think this is a big deal, but it is. Getting a cashier's check or Money Order is not all that difficult. Just find a bank or a post office.
Send your payment	This is a no-brainer. Whether PayPal, checks, Money Orders or cash (I strongly advise against cash), send the payment within a few days of getting all info. I bid on a fair amount of items myself, so I like to get a block of Money Orders once a week. Give your seller a heads-up on things like this, and send an e-mail when you send the payment. In this case, don't send e-mail until you get a response. Just send one.
Is anybody home?	Once two-way communication has been established, and all information has been exchanged, I stop the daily e-mails. From that point on, I only send e-mail when a milestone is reached, or when more than two weeks have gone by with no communication. Various milestones include... The auction has ended. Communication has been established. All necessary information has been exchanged. The payment has been sent. The payment has been received. The payment has been confirmed and validated (for personal checks). The item has shipped. The item has been received. Feedback has been excahnged. Note that the first three are part of my daily e-mail bombardment. After that, if more than two weeks go by without an e-mail, then I'll send one just to see what's up, three weeks in the case of international shipments. When this happens, it becomes a daily thing. For the most part, I just want to make sure that the seller has not forgotten about me. I know that this can be a little annoying, but it's odd for such a long period to go by between milestones, except for confirming a personal check. Still, it's good to keep in touch, even minimally.
Leave feedback and beg the seller to return the favor	As of this writing, I've never had a transaction go bad, so I don't feel qualified to fully discuss leaving negative feedback. I'll just say that if you feel that the deal was bad, and that such action is fully warranted, and if you have given the seller every chance to make good, then go ahead and do it, but make really sure. Some sellers leave feedback as soon as payment is received. Other wait for you to leave it first. I don't mind this, and as a buyer, I leave feedback as soon as I get the item. Once that happens, I inform the seller that I have done so and very nicely ask for positive feedback of my own. This e-mail continues once per week until either I get feedback, or we move past the 90-day limit. If that happens, I stop the e-mails and put the seller on my "no-list" and will never buy from them again except in the rarest of circumstances. As of this writing, about 8 sellers are on my no-list. Yes, yes. I know that feedback is voluntary and all that, but it's important to me. My feedback rating is my record of how well I do on eBay, and it's a bit of a letdown when I go through all this work, and get no feedback. It's like the transaction was never really completed, and something's missing. A buyer who does not leave feedback seems to me to be rather ungrateful. He'll take the item, then leave you out in the cold. Please be kind and leave appropriate feedback. It's easy and really doesn't take that long.