Inexperienced Sellers Equal a Bargain

Chances are that for just about every product on eBay or other online auctions there is someone selling it who doesn't really understand how to best market their product or best take advantage of certain buyer habits. Those are the sellers you should be targeting!

Sign 1: They aren't using titles that grab attention. Yea, I know, that does make it a little difficult to notice them in the first place but I never said you wouldn't have to work for it a bit! Just look for those sellers not using bold auction titles, not using all-caps, etc. Especially those that aren't descriptive and don't contain power words like Rare, Hot Item, etc.

Sign 2: No pictures-again, this means a little more clicking and browsing for you but chances are you are going to be one of the few people to do this extra work and your wallet will thank you later for your diligence!

Sign 3: The close time for an auction is one of the greatest factors in an auction ending up with a high bid. Sellers who target close dates like Sunday evening are likely very experienced and also are likely to receive much higher bids. Look in advance for auctions closing at horrible times (for the seller anyways) like 3:00AM or similar. Then, wait till late in the evening (or as late as you can reasonably stay up) before the close of the auction and put in a bid that you feel will make the purchase a great deal for you. Chances are you'll wake up without the bid going even that high!

What buying tricks or tips can you share with us? Any experiences that changed the way you buy from eBay or other online auctions because you got such a great deal?