Shopping on ebay

Recently, I've found great success with shopping on ebay.  I've found a few things in the past, but never seriously used the site. But my kids have wanted some big ticket items lately, so I decided to give it a try.

I've learned a lot and made some rules for myself, so that I stay organized with my shopping and so I don't spend too much.

• I always know the regular price of the item I'm searching for.  It's not necessarily a good deal just because it's on ebay.
• Know if I'm willing to buy used, or if I'm looking for new.  When I was looking for a Palm Pilot, used was fine.  For the Vera Bradley purse my daughter wanted for Christmas, I wanted new.
• Know how high I'm willing to go.  I base this on two factors -- the amount of money I have to spend and what I know the regular price of the item to be.  I don't want to go higher than that!  This is a very important step -- it's very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the auction and keep bidding.  And ebay makes it easy to do and encourages it!
• Read the fine print.  For example: Is the item real leather?  Or does it say "synthetic" some place?  The price tag might be good for leather, but too high for pleather.
• Factor in shipping costs.  The buy it now or final bid price might be a good deal -- but after adding in shipping and handling, the final total price might not be.  I always know the shipping price before I bid.
• Keep a folder in my email for my orders.  I want to track what I've ordered and I want to make sure I'm not bidding on the same item in more than one auction. 

*Watch for a post soon about some of the deals I've scored.