Right Now, Save an Extra 8% Off Your Ebay Purchases on Almost Anything!

Update December 8th -- Well after fluctuating up and down a bit, the percentage today shows at 8% -- I have a feeling that's about where the normal level will be, and it may change occasionally for special occasions. But I also want to update that I have received the first of my Cashback ransactions put back into my PayPal account, so this system is on the level.

Update November 28th -- The percentage is up at 30% today, possibly as a Black Friday special.

Update October 27th -- The Cashback percentage is now sitting at 25%. Whether it will go back up to 30% is anyone's guess, but 25% is still a nice percentage to get back on an ebay Buy-It-Now/PayPal combo purchase.

Update October 11th -- I checked again today and the Cashback percentage is back up to 30%. So they seem to adjust this with no rhyme or reason. If you're looking for something on ebay and can Buy-It-Now and pay with Paypal, it's a great extra savings.

Update October 7th -- Microsoft's Cashback percentage for ebay purchases has dropped down to 20% right now. There's no way of knowing if it will change again soon, drop even further or what. Hopefully some of you took advantage of the 30%, but if you find a great deal on ebay using a Buy-It-Now + Paypal purchase, an extra 20% still makes it a better buy. The same instructions for getting the Cashback link still apply.

Microsoft has a buying service that gets you cash back on purchases at many stores, similar to ebates, about which I've written. I'll discuss the Microsoft Cashback system in more depth in a blog soon, but right now I want to alert you about a way that's going on now to save even more when you shop on ebay.

Microsoft has a promotion now within Cashback that gets you 30% off your ebay purchases on items that you use Buy-It-Now and which you pay for by Paypal. I'm not sure how long this high percentage will be in effect, but getting back almost one-third of your amount sounds like a nice way to maximize the good deals you can find on ebay. If you want to give it a try, here's the deal:
It's valid for anything on ebay except cars and real estate; not valid on express.ebay.com or half.ebay.com. Again, only Buy-It-Now purchases qualify, not auction-style purchases. You have to use the ebay Paypal links to make your payment, not use any third party checkout system.

You have to make your purchase within 60 minutes of starting that on-line purchasing session, and the Cashback deal applies only to the first item you buy that session. You can get back up to $200.00 per online session. You're allowed a maximum of six Cashback purchases via this ebay promotion, so if you want to buy a second item, you should start a new purchasing session after you buy the first item.

As you're checking out and getting ready to make your purchase, you see a green Cashback logo, and it even tells you how much you'll receive back. After you make your Buy-It-Now purchase and pay for it with Paypal, they send you a message with a button to click to claim your cashback amount.

The money shows up in your Microsoft Cashback account within a day or less, but the amount can't be withdrawn until 60 days after your purchase (to protect the system in case of returns). Setting up a Microsoft Cashback account is free, and just requires some Microsoft e-mail address -- if you don't have one, you can get one free using msn.com or hotmail.com.

The funny thing is, you can't find this promotion at the Cashback homepage which lists all their participating stores. Here's how you get it:

Go to http://www.live.com/. You'll see a search box. Type in Wii and hit the green search button. The page that opens will have some links inside a light blue box at the top, and one of the first ones should say "Wii - www.ebay.com - $ Live Search Cashback" and underneath it will say "Buy Wii. You may get 30% off with Paypal if eligible." Click on the Live Search Cashback link and it will open an ebay session and a search for Wii systems. At the top of the page you'll see a green rectangle that shows "$ Microsoft Cashback 30%."

Don't worry -- you don't have to buy a Wii, it's just one search that gets you into ebay with the eligibility to qualify for the 30% cashback bonus. Then you have an hour to search for items you might want to check, whether other electronics, clothes, dvds or whatever. As long as it's available to buy via Buy-It-Now and the seller accepts Paypal, it gets the bonus (except for the car/real estate restrictions -- or if the seller uses a third-party checkout system).

The conditions in full can be read here.

One of the obvious advantages of ebay is that you can often find name-brand items for less than you'd pay at stores. And this becomes a way to make your savings count even more. Let's say you find an item that retails for $169.00 but ebay sellers offer for $100. You could use this system and get an extra $30 back, making your final net just $70. The 30% could really make a decent bargain even a lot nicer.

Hey, if you found a big ticket item costing $666.66 or more, they'll give you back $200.00!

Again, since this is separate from the regular Cashback page and is a separate promotion it may not last long. So you may want to check it out quick, but remember it's limited to six Cashback transactions so use them on your bigger priced items for the most bang for your buck.

Ebay -- Some tips to use it well

I figured it's about time I write about ebay. It's really changed the face of buying and selling products, and it comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. It lets you buy items from around the world which you otherwise might not have found, but you are also dealing with sellers who are somewhat anonymous. I've been able to find some great deals and also to use it for selling some things effectively too. Along the way, I've learned some ideas about using it well.

So here are some tips to consider when shopping on ebay, in no particular order...

Use the feedback system. Each seller has compiled a rating that gives you some sense of their trustworthiness and whether their customers have been happy. But don't just look at the number and presume the higher the number the better the vendor. Look at the percentage of positives and click on the feedback number to pull up some detailed feedback. If I have a seller who has a small percentage of negative feedback I try and find some of the negative postings and read what the complaint was. Based on that, I can infer whether it was a particular customer's problem or whether it's a wider issue. Gives me a sense of whether I'd feel comfortable doing business with that seller. The amount of feedback I check usually corresponds with the amount I may need to spend.

Do a real good search to see if there are several of that item on ebay at the same time. One of my early tendencies when I started with ebay was to keep increasing my bid on an auction I had already gotten into, instead of conducting a new search. The result was I sometimes paid more than if I had just gone to another auction and started bidding there instead. Once you are around ebay you will see whether certain items keep popping up, so that if you miss out on the item this time you know it will come up again soon. Unless you need the item quickly you might save if you wait for the next go-round and hopefully have fewer (or no) other bidders.

Two other ways to help yourself do that: do a search-by-seller, and include completed auctions in the search parameters. The same vendor may often offer the same items over and over each week or so. By checking this you will see whether that's the case and the range at which his/her auctions ended. Also do an advanced-search on the item and search for completed listings. This will show you the final prices people got for the same item over the last thirty days. So as you bid, you can gauge whether the bidding has gotten too hot and it's worth backing off.

Do factor in shipping costs. This can be the make-or-break between a good deal and a bad one. Because ebay's seller commissions are based on the sales price, there is an incentive for dealers to settle for a lower auction price and jack up shipping to make it up. Ebay frowns on the practice, but determining what's a "fair" shipping cost is not easy for them to judge. So you will occasionally see a seller listing a small item for $0.99 and having a shipping cost of $12 for something fairly light and not fragile.

But aside from that, if there are multiple sellers of the same item (i.e. DVDs you might buy) then check the net final cost to you if you win. Sometimes you'll find the seller with a $1 higher bid but whose shipping is $3 less. It's the final total you have to pay which matters after all.

Search creatively. Look for items that might have different ways of describing them and check for both. For example, I've seen similar items described as statuettes and figurines, and one word might draw more bidder searching than the other -- and the more competition/bidders, the higher the auction will probably end.

Search for possible misspellings, if there is a word or name that people might get wrong. It isn't frequent but it does happen occasionally and you may be one of the few people who finds that item and gets in on the bidding.

If the item can be spelled as one word or two, do a check with both possibilities. Some people might write lawnmower and other might write lawn mower. Some people might write Spiderman as Spider man. The search engine won't see them as the same thing, so if you find the less common way to list it, you might get less competition.

Before you bid, do a regular internet search for the item and see what the comparative price is at other on-line stores. It's not uncommon for prices to drop at a retailer and ebay sellers are still selling at older higher prices. Also, if an item has a rebate at an on-line seller, generally the rebate isn't valid if you get the item on ebay -- so your final net might be higher.

Read the item description to make sure it's the exact item and that it's in the condition you want it. For machines and electronics, pay note to whether the piece is brand new or factory-refurbished. I wouldn't say not to bid on a refurbished item, just to be aware and go in knowing that's the deal. Read all the payment and shipping details as well. Since many of the sellers aren't regular traditional stores, the policies can vary far and wide.

If there's any detail of which you are uncertain, ask the seller before bidding. You really don't want to try and rescind a bid because you found something out after the fact. It can lead to poor feedback being left for you, possibly giving you some issues with future transactions as others may be hesitant to deal with you. I figure asking questions also gives me another view into the reliability of the seller. If he/she doesn't have time to answer my questions, I'm not sure I would be comfortable doing a transaction with him/her. (I'm not suggesting just asking a question for the sake of seeing his/her responsiveness -- ask if/when you really need to ask).

Ebay is its own world and this is just a quick primer into some of the tips to use it well. I'll revisit ebay again soon, and focus on how to use it well as a seller too. Stay tuned. And have fun the next time you go on ebay!

Auctions - Worth Visiting?

About six years ago after moving to a new area, a neighbor mentioned a local auction house as a must-see. After a few visits I wished I had known earlier before we had bought some of our furniture! The deals I saw sometimes were jaw-dropping! One time I saw an 8-piece sectional sofa/loveseat/ottoman piece unused and still with Bloomingdales tags go for $85!!! Another time, a gorgeous kitchen table with inlaid woods for $2!!! I've seen plenty of beautiful items go for way less than what you might pay at retail. I've found unusual items that you wouldn't have even known existed. And antique machines/items that would make nice collectibles/displays...

But auctions have their own ups-and-downs, in-and-outs. Within the same location, some weeks might have a treasure trove of items and other weeks not so much of interest (since they're subject to whatever is consigned them for auction). Prices are always subject to who else is bidding. Still, I'd say they are definitely worth checking out, and there are plenty of ways to use them to your advantage. Here are some things I learned along the way:

The first thing is obviously to find out if there are local auction houses in your area. You can check newspaper classifieds, because in at least some places, auctions are required to place a posting for upcoming sales. You can certainly check the yellow pages, but also talk to neighbors, maybe a tourism office in your area, etc.

Once you've found one, you may want to attend some auctions to get its feel, get information on any buyer fees etc. When I started visiting my nearby auctioneer, buyers did not have fees added to purchases (only sellers paid a commission fee on what was sold). Since then they added buyer fees of 10% so when you bid you have to keep that in mind.

Find out when they have pre-auction inspection where you can look at items closely, examine them for cracks or chips, look for names/brands, etc. This way you know if you're bidding on a quality item or something that has some flaws. Pay attention to the size of crowds, what kinds of items draw interest, whether bidding is brisk or slow, whether auctioneers are quick to say "sold" or leave plenty of time for bidders to jump in, whether auctioneers start close to the final selling price, etc. Each auction house will have its own rhythm and probably each auctioneer too.

There'll probably be some antique dealers there as well, looking for inventory for their own stores. After a few visits you may recognize many of them. While having dealers may seem daunting, it can also help provide a good gauge if you see an item you like. If there is a piece of furniture you think would make a nice addition and want to purchase, here's how a dealer can be a resource:

First off, if the dealer has been bidding on other good-quality pieces and he/she is bidding on the same one you are, it carries some assurance that the piece has some value as a quality item.

Secondly, if you and the dealer are the last two bidding, the dealer has to drop out at the point he/she thinks they can't resell it for a good profit. They obviously can't be in business if they pay close to the price at which they'll be able to sell a piece. I would gather that they bid about 1/3 to 1/2 what they would price the item in their stores (depending on traffic, the demand for the item, their customer base etc.). But if the piece is an ideal fit for you, and you are the winning bidder over an antique dealer then you can be fairly sure you would have paid double or triple for the same piece if you found it in an antique store.

My own observation is that antique dealers don't generally bid as high for stuffed furniture like sofas as they would for wood furniture pieces. The size of the furniture can be a constraint for them, which is why a big wood kitchen table might slip through at a bargain price.

Auction houses often seem to have a wide variety of articles in different ranges of price/quality etc. At a main table they may be auctioning high-quality items of greater value and collectible interest. Elsewhere they may have boxes filled with items of more general interest, where the quality may vary or where the items may just not warrant individual auctioning at the main table. This also can be a source for great bargains.

Here it takes a bit more elbow grease, going through the boxes and looking to see if anything within a grouping jumps out at you. The advantage is that as the auctioneer is working on the boxes at one side of the room, you can still be looking through boxes he hasn't gotten to yet -- you don't only get that chance during previews, as with the better items.

By looking at some of the "lesser" items, I've found an old 1940s console radio that just didn't seem to draw attention that week and bought it for $1!!! I've found Hess Toy Trucks from the early 1990s for under $5 that fetched much higher on ebay. I bought an antique dental drill for $7 when it seemed to get overlooked -- another ebay winner... there are too many great finds to mention. It always depends on who else is looking and how high they're willing to pay -- but to be fair, I've also sometimes paid more than I should. Usually one of two reasons: either I got caught up in the auction hype and made it about me-vs.-the-other-bidder, or because I didn't examine the item during preview and wasn't aware of a blemish or flaw.

I've also found the auction visit a lot of fun. One of the local auctioneers will give some details about what he is selling, and I'll sometimes be amazed at what people invented or built to meet a need at some time in the past (one week I was tickled to see a mailer to send eggs through the postal system!). In modern times, it's nice to be reminded how things were accomplished in simpler times.

There's so much more to know about auctions, way more than I can cover in one blog entry, so I will discuss auctions again in a future entry. In the meantime I wish you fun and adventure if you decide to visit an auction house for a taste!