When To Bid... That Is The Secret

My Kids Taught Me How To Buy On Ebay

I'm a little embarrassed, I shouldn't be, there is so much to IT that no one person can know it all.

The IT field (which I am not in) has fields that are related but not the main thrust of, IT does not mean applications but IT people are asked to know what it is, Ebay is a website and I do deal in websites but...

The "talent" is not in KNOWING everything but knowing where to go to ask for help.

My daughter taught me how to bid on stuff, I work 80 hours a week meaning I've got my head buried in certain stuff so deeply that the obvious just passed me by:

How To Bid On Ebay To Get What You Want At The Price You Want It For.

1. Look for an auction that doesn't have much time left on it
2. Bid at the last few minutes of the close of the auction
3. Know when to walk away

I got into bidding wars and got so frustrated I simply threw my hands up and bought only from "But It Now" buttons.

The same thing you just lost a the bid on will probably go up for auction again, perhaps in a few hours!

I'm looking for a couple of Windows XP Cds with the serial number, still in the package.

I do NOT want a used copy.

So I'm going to have to order from a computer store, one that also has an Ebay Store (you can do that, if you want to sell stuff, you can open up an Ebay Store online, and you don't even have to have a "real store", you can do so from your coffee table or basement)

Now I get it.... wait until the last half hour of an auction (auctions have time deadlines) and hope the next highest bidder isn't watching their computer screen.

It was that simple (and I missed the obvious)

Be a Buyer Before A Seller

I want to sell stuff on ebay.

I want local (to me) Frederick Maryland people to ask me to sell their stuff on ebay.

I don't yet know what I'm doing

My first thought is to learn my way around ebay by learning what it's like to be on the other end.

... strategy:

Be a buyer before I'm a seller.

To date I've been buying stuff for my computer(s) that I'd normally shop for at tigerdirect.com

Here's what I've learned:

Buy It Now button

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. When you shop on ebay, which is to say when you search for stuff on ebay, the search page is divided into "top sellers" at the top and other listings that may not have the rating "top seller"

Once you scroll down you'll see similar items listed with not very much to help you tell them apart, save the seemingly low prices.

don't waste your time on the low prices... as soon as you bid, the price will go up

I find this infuriating.

I just look for the "buy it now" button and buy it