Top 10 questions about buying on eBay from
new eBay members
QUESTION:
1.
What is the safest way to pay for an eBay auction?
Using your credit
card is always the safest approach. You can use your credit card to pay the seller
directly if he/she has a merchant account, or you can use PayPal. If an eBay seller
does not accept credit cards directly, chances are he/she will accept credit cards
through PayPal. However, be sure to always check a seller's accepted payment methods
BEFORE you place a bid on their item. The main reason that credit cards are the
safest way to pay for eBay items is that if, for some reason, your purchased item
is not delivered by the seller, you are able to get a full refund, which will
be directly credited back to your card. If, for example, you pay with a check
or money-order and do not receive your item, or, if you do receive it, but not
in the condition in which it was described on-line, there is no guaranteed way
for you to get your money back. And NEVER sent a Western Union payment to anyone
you don't know personally! It's like sending cash in the mail, which, incidentally,
is always a big no-no as well!
QUESTION:
2.
How do I bid on eBay? Before you can bid on anything, you must become
a
"Registered"
eBay Member. Once registration is complete, you're ready to go. When entering
a bid on an item for the first time, it is generally a good idea to enter the
maximum amount you'd be willing to pay. For example, if an item is at $2.50, and
you would be willing to pay up to $20.00 for it, you should enter $20.00 as your
bid. Don't worry, your maximum amount WILL NOT be shown. No one will know your
maximum bid except you. When you enter your bid, eBay will place proxy bids on
your behalf. The bidding will increase in increments, which means that the amount
of your bid will not jump the item from $2.50 directly to $20.00. eBay will only
use as much of your maximum bid as it needs to to maintain your position as high
bidder. Keep in mind that if another bidder places a higher maximum bid than yours,
you will be outbid. In that instance, it's up to you whether or not to enter a
higher maximum bid to get back in the auction.
QUESTION:
3.
How do I determine if an eBay seller will deliver?
There are a number
of ways to spot a good seller. Look for eBay sellers with a feedback rating of
98% or above and read their latest feedback. If the seller has any negatives,
you may want to read them, too. Customer comments give you a preview of the way
the seller will handle your order. It is also a good idea to buy only from eBay
sellers who offer a warranty or guarantee. A seller who offers either one obviously
has confidence in the condition of his/her products and will most likely be reliable.
The PowerSellers logo is another clue to look for. PowerSellers must meet strict
eBay requirements and also be in good standing to display the PowerSellers logo.
QUESTION:
4.
I sent a question to an eBay seller, but didn't get a reply.
What's the
deal?
On an average workday, we receive 2 eBay e-mails per minute. Once
all the spoofs and SPAM are filtered out, we are left with winning bidder and
payments notifications, shipping quote requests, customer service requests, requests
for product quantities, requests for items not on auction, bidders with specific
product questions, non-bidders with specific product questions, buyers with special
needs, eBay procedure questions, payment questions, order questions, shipping
questions, follow-ups from former customers, thank you's, and sometimes comments
or suggestions about our listings. Most eBay sellers will include their policy,
payment and shipping terms in the auction listing to reduce the amount of e-mail
they receive. Check to see if the seller has an eBay "Me" page, or website, where
you might find the answer to your question. Look for the answer before you ask.
If you can't find it, give the seller at least 24 hours to reply. There may be
hundreds or thousands of e-mails in front of yours that need to be answered first.
Also, sending the same question over and over again will not get a quicker reply,
but it will definitely identify you as a novice!
QUESTION:
5.
How do I pay?
Always read the payment terms on each auction page for
details BEFORE you bid! Each eBay seller creates his/her own terms and conditions.
Their payment policy may not work for you. Don't expect the seller to change their
terms just because you won their auction. eBay sellers can cancel a winning bid
for non-compliance. Yes. It's true. It's called an unwelcome bid.
QUESTION:
6.
I won an auction, but I changed my mind. So now what?
If the auction
closes and you are the winner, you are responsible for payment. If you do not
pay, the seller must report you to eBay as a Non-Paying Bidder to get their auction
costs reimbursed (i.e.: eBay listing fees and final value fees). The seller will
probably block you from bidding on their auctions and may give you negative feedback
as well. And be aware, if you receive a "-3" feedback rating (and that can be
as few as 3 negatives if you have little feedback), eBay can and will suspend
your membership.
QUESTION:
7.
How can I make sure that I win this eBay auction? One easy way to increase
your chances of winning an auction is to use sniping software. Sniping (last-minute
bidding) IS allowed according to eBay policy. eBay uses a proxy bidding system,
so you may bid as high as you wish, but the current bid that is registered will
only be a small increment above the next lowest bid. Sniping is similar to eBay's
proxy bidding, but your sniping bid will not show up on eBay until the last few
seconds of the auction. You set it up and it automatically places your bid(s)
in the timeframe you choose. Some examples of sniping software are:
Auction Sniper and
BidNapper.
QUESTION:
8.
I received my item, but there's a problem. What should I do?
DO NOT
panic and DO NOT go directly to feedback and leave a negative comment. Call or
e-mail your eBay seller FIRST! Give them at least 48 hours to reply. If you don't
get an answer right away, don't assume the worst. Simply contact them again. If
you have their phone number, call them. If you only have their e-mail address,
send email. Mistakes happen. Patience and kindness will get you better service,
good feedback, and a lot of respect. Flames just get you blocked. Most eBay sellers
will work with you to correct a problem. The opportunity for you to leave negative
feedback if things don't get resolved is always open, but it should be considered
a last resort option that you need to use sparingly, if at all.
QUESTION:
9.
I bid, but I want to cancel it. Can I cancel my bid?
You can contact
the eBay seller via e-mail and ask them to retract your bid BEFORE the auction
closes. Click on the "Ask Seller A Question" link at the top of the auction listing.
Always include the eBay item number when you contact the seller.
QUESTION:
10.
I need this item shipped to a different address. Is that possible? If
you pay with PayPal, most eBay sellers will ONLY ship to your "PayPal Confirmed
Address". If you pay using a different method, sending it to a different address
may be okay. Just ask your eBay seller. Communication is the key.
See
what you can win on eBay today! [top
of page]
Contact Information
Address:
Auction Mechanics, Inc.
eBay ID: QuickDeal4U
18700 FM 1431, Suite B
Jonestown,
TX 78645
USA
Hours:
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. -
1:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time)
Closed Saturday, Sunday and all US holidays.
Email: info (AT) quickdeal4u (DOT) com
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