General ebay shopping! : eBay Guides

This is not a guide to drive customers away from ebay, but to just make people aware of the fact that just because something is on ebay it does not mean that you can not buy it cheaper somewhere else. Firstly people who buy on ebay in my opinion are looking for a bargain first and foremost. The less you pay out of you own pocket is of course better for you. A lot of items cannot be purchased cheaper such as original paintings, rare items, old items not in production anymore, custom t-shirts and lots of other items. Ebay is not always the cheapest. My advice is when looking for something or you are going to impulse buy something. STOP and just take 5 minutes to do a search on google or yahoo. Write the model number if its an electrical item and do a quick search. Don't forget to take in to account any delivery charges levied to add to the total cost. I have found through my own stupidity that i have purchased a couple of items on ebay and thought to myself after the fact to look how much online stores are selling the same item for and it turned out to be much less. I have found an lcd computer monitor selling on ebay for £110 plus £15 delivery The same lcd monitor can be purchased online for £99 with free delivery saving £26 not bad for a 5 minute google such. One last item! Don forget to ask or read the sellers policy on refunds and warranties. This needs to be thought about because for example: If i was purchasing a large screen lcd tv from ebay i may save myself £50-£100 or more however if this seller offers secondhand/ex-catalogue items these will sometimes not come with any manufacturers warranty. If the seller offers the warranty themselves who pays for delivery of the defective item to send it back for repair? This could amount to more than £50 if it is a large lcd T.V. In some instances you are better off sticking with a well known online retailer safe in the knowledge that if your expensive purchase breaks down you know you are covered by a major retailer. Dont let any of this put you off ebay i use it and love it, but just have a little think before you buy something and ask yourself can i find this item cheaper any else.