Buying on eBay auctions

Buying on eBay is a great and convenient way to get hold of rare, unique and unusual finds from around the world.

I'm a collector of old schnapps glasses, medicine bottles, and glass decanters.

And before eBay I used to buy from second-hand shops and flee markets.

Well, I still do. Love the atmosphere at flee markets.

However, buying on eBay allows me to add some nice, rare, funny or interesting items to my collections - items I may not find here in Denmark.

My first experience with eBay
It's fun and quite easy to buy on eBay - once you learn the basics and know how to avoid pitfalls.

I was referred to eBay by a friend, who is also an enthusiastic schnapps maker - and collector of all kinds of medicine bottles, schnapps decanters, and other collectibles.

At first I didn't think eBay was something for me.

Yes, browsing and searching the auction site was easy, fun and fascinating, but the fear of fraud kept me from trying.

Then one day I fell for a beautiful and rather unusual schnapps decanter. It was no great masterpiece, no antique, but somehow it really appealed to me.

The eBay seller had a long history and excellent feedback, biddings were low, and there were only few days left before end of auction. I was tempted and decided to give it a try.

What followed then is a long story about excitement, fascination, joy, auction fever, bidding war, nerve-wrecking last minutes, frustration, disappointment - and relief.

Relief, because my last bid - just before I was outbidded at the end of the auction - was way over what I would have paid, had I not been carried away and lost my head.

Learn the basics - avoid the pitfalls
Since my first try on eBay I have used the auction site several times. Sometimes I win, and sometimes I loose. That's how it is.

But I have never been cheated.

I have learned to do my homework before I bid, and NOT to bid more than what an item is worth to me. I simply set a limit and use proxy bidding (eBay bids on my behalf).

On the eBay Auction site you will find excellent information about bidding, buying and selling.

But what really helped me become a confident bidder and buyer - and what helped me figure out the rules and understand the whole bidding process was this FREE e-book...

Make Your Net Auction Sell!

It's written by Sydney Johnston and mainly for people who want to sell or set up their own net auction business.

But it contains a whole lot of valuable information for buyers as well, regarding...

• Effective Bidding Strategies
• Bidding Increments
• Sniping (last-seconds bidding)
• Proxy Bidding (eBay bids on your behalf)
• Buyer's Remorse
• Reserve Auctions
• Dutch Auctions
• Private Auctions

...and much more. It's an excellent learning and reference book with good explanations, examples and illustrations. I highly recommend it.

Click here to download the book (it's FREE)

...and then click the download link at the bottom of the page that comes up.