Know the Cost

Now that you have won an item at a real steal, did you happen to determine what all those hidden costs amounted to. Here are some questions that you should have asked yourself:

• Did you add up the fees for shipping and handling and insurance.
• What was the shipping rate?
• Did you determine what the weight of the item is so that you could calculate the shipping cost?
• Is the seller making additional money by overcharging the shipping rate or the handling costs? Some seller inflate the weight to make extra money.
• How is delivery being made? By first class mail or priority mail? What type of mail is necessary for the item that you are buying?
• Do you need insurance? The item might not warrant the additional cost of insurance.
• Have you purchase multiple items and the seller wants to charge you shipping and handling for each item when such items are being delivered together?
• Has the seller spelled out all of the shipping and handling terms? You do not want to debate this with the seller after you have purchased an item.

Once you have asked these questions, you will be a better position to determine what you highest bid will be.

Read the Description

Sellers sometimes embellish the descriptions of items to enhance the item's worth. Sellers sometimes post vague photos to cover blemishes that might undermine an item's worth. Some sellers even lie to defraud buyers. With this cynical view in mind, read the item's description very carefully. Ignore the puffery such as "one of a kind" or "in pristine condition". Get the facts. How old is the item? Under what conditions had it been used? What is the age, history, condition and manufacturer of the item? If you have any doubts about the item from reading its description, send an email to the seller or call him. Keep written notes. You might have to rely on such notes in the future.