Don't Get Burned on eBay

Chapter 1. Don’t Get Burned on Bidding

Bidding on eBay is nothing short of an art form. Anyone who tells you otherwise should be informed his pants are on fire.

Contrary to popular belief, punching in some numbers isn’t all there is to bidding. What should you look for when selecting a seller? Does bidding early have consequences? How can mistakes be corrected? Can you spot shill bidding? And how much is that doggie in the window?

There’s a definite learning curve for the entire process, and people tend to make a lot of mistakes on the way up. Unfortunately, these mistakes aren’t without consequence—they can cost you time, money, frustration, and possibly even your eBay account.

Oh, stop furrowing your brow (Botox is one of the few things you can’t buy on eBay). I’m not going to let that happen to you. Forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes.

Don’t Act Like A Newbie

Entire tomes could be written about rookie mistakes on eBay, but who would read them? The newbies are too busy making the mistakes, and the veterans are too experienced to bother reading about them. Nevertheless, eBay policies can be very intricate and they manage to trip up both subsets of eBayers with alarming frequency.

Being Outbid Doesn’t Mean You’re Off the Hook

Lisa, an avid Beatles fan, ran across the holy grail of Fab Four collectibles—a tin of “Margo Of Mayfair” Beatles Bath Talc from 1964 in perfectly unblemished, mint condition (Figure 1-1). Lisa was so excited that she immediately placed several bids, even ...