Last week , I posted the above photo of me wearing a River Island dress that I scored on Ebay, on my personal Instagram and Facebook pages. I shared that although I love to shop, I am also frugal. I reconcile the two my scoring deals on Ebay and in Consignment Stores. A dear reader asked me to do a post on being a budget fashionista, so today I'm sharing my top five tips on how to become an Ebay guru while saving your money. Enjoy!
Use the Message Feature. Ask sellers questions about
measurements, shipping, or any other inquiries you may have about a listing. If
you’re not sure about an item just message the seller to get clarification. In
my experience, sellers tend to answer quickly.
Read seller reviews/ratings. For me it’s important to know
whether or not a seller values customer service and business integrity. As result, before I purchase from a particular seller, I always read their ratings and/or
reviews. Since I’m ordering online, I need to trust that the item will arrive
as it’s described in the original listing. On that note, pay it forward by leaving reviews when you purchase items (this is something I need to work on!)
Narrow Your Searches. The number one complaint I hear about
Ebay is that’s it’s overwhelming. While the site is large and there are TONS of
goodies to choose from, narrowing your searches helps to diminish the overwhelming feeling that can come from having two many things to choose from. For
example, I usually search by brand, then I narrow the brand search by size and
condition (the options are usually new with tags, new without tags and pre-owned). The option to refine your searches appear on the left-side of the
listings so you're only looking for what you want/need.
Be a good steward. As I noted in number two, reputation wins
on Ebay. In the same way you can look at a seller’s rating, they can also look at
your ratings – yes sellers can rate buyers too. How do you get a good rating? Pay
for your items in a timely fashion and only bid on items you’re sure about
purchasing. If you’re not sure, you can always place an item on your "watch
list" (another awesome Ebay feature) until you make up your mind.
Save Your Favorite Sellers. This goes hand-in-hand with narrowing your search. Save sellers and Eby stores that you have good experiences with or whose items you like. I have a list of my favorite sellers and often I will just look at their listings when I want to shop before I do a general Ebay search. Since these sellers were chosen based on my personal taste, they usually have what I want.
Happy Ebay Shopping!!!
Cheers,
~Nika