A Guide to Shopping on eBay

Hola Fellow Bloggers, I have recently been spending a lot more time than usual on the internet and everytime I come online I always find myself returning to one website is particular, eBay. A lot of people dismiss eBay as a cheap, tacky online thrift shop full of second hand tat but I am here to inform you that this marvellous website is probably one the greatest technological inventions, EVER.

I am a total lover of a good old bargain and eBay succumbs to my every money saving need, so much so that I can spend up to 3 hours at a time just scrolling through pages of weird and wacky products that eBay has to offer. So I thought I would share this love of eBay with the rest of the world by making 'A Guide to Shopping on eBay'

Before You Begin

Before you start to search the endless items on eBay I would have certain things in mind that you are looking for. I have tried many times to just search women's dresses on eBay to have 234,567,876 results appear and none of the first few pages taking my fancy. So when I shop on eBay I always either make a list of things I am looking for or have an idea in mind. If you are looking for inspiration then I would suggest using LookBook, before I begin an eBay search I will usually turn to LookBook and find an outfit or item of clothing I like then I check the description of the item and that is what I type for in eBay's search bar. For example last night I saw some really cute white platform shoes so I typed in 'white platform shoes' and founded a near enough identical pair for £17.99, bargain!

Buy it Now

People tend to just think that eBay is all second hand stuff people are selling on when actually there are entire shops and brands that are just used through eBay and sell there products solely on there. To get rid of all the auction second hand products, click the 'Buy it now' button underneath the search bar and it will get rid of anyone trying to auction off things. You will still be left with some second hand products but no where near as much as you had!

Auctions

If something that is being auctioned off does catch your eye then I am not criticising buying it! Although I don't buy a lot of auctioned products I have bought a few in the past and probably will buy some again if I see anything I really like! If you want to bid for an auctioned product, I suggest you also press the 'Watch List' button so that you will be given emails about when the product's auction is coming to an end and the current winning bid. Auction products can take up time and energy as you have to keep updating your bid and checking on the product before it ends but like I said I am not criticising this and still think it's great, I personally just prefer 'Buy it Now' products.

Wish List

If you're like me and you barely ever remember to put money in your bank account or are constantly broke then this is one of the best features of eBay. Again this feature works best with buy it now products but can still be used for auction products too. If you see an item or items that you like on eBay but cannot currently afford then underneath the 'Add to Basket' button there is a drop down list and on there is a choice to add the product the your 'Wish List', you will have to have an eBay account to have one of these so make sure you make an account first. You can add as many products as you like to this list and then come back to the product on a later date when you have money and purchase it. It saves you having to search eBay for the product again. 

Ratings

When buying a product from eBay you can never be 100% it will look like the picture so to avoid as much disappointment as possible always check the reviews and 'Seller Information' I go by the rule that if the seller has less than 95% positive feedback I will not buy from them. Also make sure you check the description of the product to find exactly what you are purchasing before you buy it.

Shops

Occasionally when you find a product you really like there will be a link on the right hand side to a shop from which the item originates from, if you click this link you will be taken to a website with items of the same sort of style as the product you have chosen, I sometimes find even better items on here than the original item that led me to the shop. 

Feedback

This can be a bit of a pain in the bum but people really appreciate when you rate their products well on eBay, I usually forget to do this but, in the past when I have, I have been given discounts from the sellers which is great and I can then buy more products from them but at cheaper prices!

There is probably more I could include on this but my mind has gone blank and I can't think of anything else, if anyone has any questions or queries about eBay shopping, I'd be happy to answer them! I hope this guide helps and broadens the view people have on eBay. Happy shopping.