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Auction sites Auction sites, a few points Buying Auction sites is easy isn't it? You register then bid on your chosen "lot" and hopefully you win. Well yes in theory it is, but there are some things to be aware of.. Make sure the item you are bidding on is what you really want / can use. I know of some one who brought a job lot of something (nothing wrong with that, or the items he received, far from it) it was just that he hoped to sell them to others, in smaller "lots" he still has loads of this item. (no its not myself) Size If it is clothing is it to your size?, if its a fixture again, is to the the required size, and so you have space for it? Picture Make sure its not just a picture you are bidding on, unless it is the picture you want, There was the alleged "lot" of a games console, the bidder was too eager to win it they did not notice they were only bidding for a picture of said games console. Another thing to watch for is the picture you see, is it really a picture of the actual item you are bidding on, or is it a picture from some website of a new one of what you are bidding on? I have seen different items using the same picture, they both can't be right. Electrical items, Be wary of things that say "needs new flex / cable" this is because not all electrical goods are meant to have their cable changed, there once was a pond pump which the seller quite clearly stated it had no cable and this could easily be changed, pond pumps are made as sealed units (So they do not leak when they go into a pond) so there is no way you can "easily change the cable" Some light fittings have very narrow "tubes" for the cable you may have difficulty getting a new cable in. Different voltage? America uses 120v ac 60 hz as their "mains" supply, in the UK / Europe it is 230v ac 50 hz mains, so you can see the two are different. So before you bid on any electrical item is the voltage compatible? Things like camera chargers have a "universal power supply" these really can operate quite safely on different voltages and frequencies. But things like Christmas lights, table lights cannot, and they will need the additional expense of a suitable step down transformer. Abroad sellers, Most sellers who are abroad will say so, but what they do not say (or do not know) is that if you buy something from abroad you will be importing it, nearly everything that is imported will have import duty and possibly V.A.T (or your local tax) added to it. If buying from abroad will it be easy / costly to return the item? Thread sizes America in particular use different standard size thread than in the UK, so for example the thread on a tap may not fit with UK plumbing standard sizes. Electrical lamps in America are mostly "screw in" but they use a different size thread on these too. Is it what it "claims to be" ? Some sellers will list an item as being made by "To*" when in actual fact it is made by "Too*" Similar sounding company but not the same company * I invented these companies to illustrate a point. There are other companies which have similar scenarios. Most of the time it is in genuine error. In general, 99% of the time you will have no problems, but do be aware of the above points. Good luck and happy bidding. Is it still new? Ok, you can't blame anyone for selling off their old stock, but if it is old stock will the maker still guarantee it? (probably not) but if it is old stock why do you suppose it is being sold off? - because its old and no longer made that's why. How do you tell if its old stock? try a search engine for the item, if you cant find it, or it appears on only 1 or two websites chances are its old stock and no longer made / guaranteed. Selling Obviously you want to get as much money as you can for your item, but I have noticed that if you have a "high*" starting bid it will not sell as well as one that has a low starting bid. *For example 50% of the retail price I would suggest that as you are selling it, that means you no longer want the item, start it with no starting price, and if you must, put a reserve on it, although putting on a reserve will cost you more, yes ok, the item may have cost you a few hundred pounds, so you want to re-coup as much as you can, but look at it this way, something is better than nothing, which is what you will get if you don't sell it and don't use it. I have sold items "at a loss" but I look at it that it was better than throwing the items away (Which can cost YOU money to have big things to be disposed of) also it will make some one else happy.
Take the above as an example it was starting at £460 and never sold, it was re listed starting at £200 it still never sold, if the seller had started at a lower price it may have gone up past the buy it now price (it may not) so when selling always start at a low price. Payment Before you bid make sure you can pay by the sellers preferred method, cheque, cash on collection, Pay pal. Pay pal is a service which is very secure and lot of places as well as eBay are starting to accept it. You do need to set up a pay pal account first though, this can be done on the eBay website. (its like having another bank account) Cash on collection, some people selling large items prefer cash on collection, since you then have no postage to pay, but before you bid, make sure the seller is within a reasonable distance to your location, If you are in London, do you really want to go to Scotland for an item? Sometimes if its say, a car the seller may arrange to meet you halfway, but that is up to them and you. But you have to win the auction first, just because you bid on something does not mean you have won the item. (its why it is an auction, the highest bidder, above the reserve, if any, wins) When you have won the auction the seller will contact you to confirm that you have won and where to send the payment to if it is a cheque.
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