You Are Not a Loser

So you bid on that certain special something for your one and only… but forgot to check in at the last minute and you were outbid.

Or maybe you just wanted those football tickets for you and your pals, but you didn’t win the auction. But hey, that doesn’t mean that you’re a loser. No, in fact I’m going to state it loud and clear: you are not a loser.

On any given day, there are millions of items for sale on eBay. I’m not exaggerating! In the music category alone, I found more than a half-million items for sale today.

What to do if you didn’t win the item of your dreams? Well, if it’s a date with a superstar I really can’t help you. But for any other item, there are plenty of steps that you can take.

First, conduct a search for the same item. Let’s say you bid on a turtle pincushion with a bird attached. (Hey, people bid on all kinds of items!). It might seem like your one chance has passed you by, but in fact this very item can likely be found in a seller’s store.

Now, if the item is not listed when you conduct your secondary search, there are two other steps you can take.

Check the auctions by “completed items” in case that fabulous item ended with no bids (about half of all eBay items do). Send a message to the seller and ask if he plans to re-list. You can even get really bold and make an offer at, say 20% less than the first time around. The seller may be so happy to sell the item that he will re-list it, and there it is for you.

If that doesn’t work, just add the items to your “Favorites” list. You can customize your list to receive email notifications every time a similar is listed.

All is not lost and I repeat: you are not a loser.