Maximise your buying skills on eBay : eBay Guides

To become a master auction player, you must start by buying something.
Why? Simple. You can’t sell effectively if you have never bought. For
example, when I find a new supplier, I never auction their merchandise until I
have ordered at least one item from them. If their service is awful, or their
merchandise is not what I expected, I want to know it. I need to know this
before I go out and sell it and have a bunch of angry customers attacking me.
eBay has it's own internal Search Engines which make it easy to find
anything that interest you. The first place to start on any site is to look at their
categories. If you go to eBay’s home page, the first thing you will notice is the
category list...
Within those broad categories, however, there are incredible varieties of subcategories
(and sub-sub-categories). Suddenly, hundreds of possibilities
enter your mind. I don’t see how it’s possible for anyone not to find something
to interest them. There really is something for almost everyone on eBay.

How can you find something you might want to buy?
To locate an item, you simply click on the Search button and enter the
keyword(s). On eBay, you can save the search results and you will be notified
about this request for thirty days.
These engines are simple to use and mostly effective. There are five basic
ways to search for an item…
i) By title -- this means a subject name. For example, type in “1800 pocket
watch” or “Record album, Three Dog Night.” One problem that hampers buyers
in their search is some sellers’ very creative spelling habits. Another is the
kind of foolish titles that some sellers indulge in like... “L@@K OLD
RECORD!!!!!!!!!”
ii) By item number -- this is a more limited search method because you
must already know something about the item to have its number.
iii) By seller -- lots of serious auction sellers use this search method to keep
themselves informed about their “competition.” Personally, I think there is so
much opportunity in the auction business that there is very little reason to be
concerned about what others are doing.
iv) By the bidder -- this can be a very powerful way to learn your niche. If
you discover someone in your field who really knows her stuff, you might want
to follow her around for a while and see what she’s doing.
v) By checking past auctions -- this is a great research tool because you
can see the price on similar items and you can check the number of items that
have shown up recently. This is the most accurate type of supply and
demand information. Some bidders are such fierce collectors that they
compete with rivals. They constantly check up on each other to make sure they
aren’t overlooking any special treasures.
Major news bulletin... Rushing out to buy something without knowing what you
are doing is not smart business! If you are investing in a £3 book,
simply to get a feel for the auction process, it’s no big deal. But it is still
important to follow due diligence.
Once you learn the process, not only will you not make serious buying errors
(or not as many), you will also learn how to be a more powerful seller. Here
are the key elements…
1) Item Description -- Obviously it is the buyer’s responsibility to know what
he is buying. If you have any questions, ask, ask, ask!
2) Item Condition -- There are “grades,” which refer to condition. These are
well established in professional circles and are used in some descriptions of
auction items.
Be forewarned! Most people tend to overestimate the value of their goods.
This isn’t necessarily because they are liars or they intend to deceive (although
some sellers are dishonest). It’s just that the items involved are “treasures” and
it’s tough to be objective. So find out... Is the item new or used? If new, does it
have its original packaging? Its warranty? Directions? If used, what is its
condition in terms of scratches, missing parts, faded paint? If applicable, is it
genuine, or a reproduction? Who is the maker?
3) Transaction Terms -- You need to know the details of the transaction...
i) What is the seller’s refund policy if the item is damaged?
ii) How long will it take to get your purchase?
iii) What are your payment options?
iv) Who pays for shipping (almost always the buyer).
v) Who pays for insurance, if any?
4) Seller profile -- The most important thing you can do is to know who you
are buying from. eBay has an elaborate system of seller feedback.

Good feedback is absolutely critical to successful selling! You can see that
your entire history as a seller is displayed for all to see. This method keeps
people honest, and prevents sleazy people from harming buyers.
Buyers have three choices for feedback... negative, positive or neutral.
Any buyer wishing to give negative feedback must have a transaction number,
or he cannot give feedback. This is a way of protecting sellers from spiteful
people.
When you move into the seller’s role, remember... if you want to receive
(positive) feedback, you need to give it! The feedback mechanism, however,
is not always clear. There are sometimes a lot of very confusing directions for
finding your buyer or seller to give feedback. For example, you might be asked
for the ID or the auction number of the transaction you are seeking.
Simply click 'My eBay' find 'Items Won', then click on the “Leave feedback” link.
Type in your ID and password and click “Find all transactions in the past 60
days,” and the site will take you to your own auctions. There you will find a list
of everyone you have done business with in the past two months. Smooth,
easy, beautiful. You don’t have to remember any password or ID but your own.
Guaranteed!
We have probably all had dealings with...
... “The Customer from Hell” at some time or other.
What if a buyer unfairly maligns you? First of all, she can only give you one
negative point, although she can load up your feedback with unflattering
comments. Secondly, the seller always has a chance to reply.
As a buyer, you have the responsibility to use feedback fairly. If you don’t, you
may be on the receiving end of some pretty tough criticism when you are in the
seller’s role. So...
i) Wait until the transaction is complete before you comment. Don’t be too
hasty to give negative feedback (there are only specific circumstances where
feedback can be withdrawn).
ii) You can’t leave feedback for yourself.
iii) Don’t ever threaten others with feedback. That’s a quick way to get thrown
off the site.
5) Value assessment -- Before you bid on anything, do your best to
understand the value of what you are buying. Of course, value is truly in the
eye of the beholder. But there are ways to educate yourself. eBay offers
information on several categories. It’s free and fairly accurate. If eBay doesn’t
know, who does?
These articles are just one way to obtain information. There are countless
books, magazines and Internet information about all kinds of subjects.
If you are bidding on an item, it must be because you are interested in this
area. To become a successful auction player, you must be knowledgeable
about your particular interest. So use every available resource at your
disposal.

I hope you have found this guide helpful :-)