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Buying Supplies on eBay

February 6th, 2008

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Did you know that many of the household items and office supplies you use can be located online much cheaper than retail stores? You probably do have some idea about online shopping already, but the fact is you can generally do even better shopping on eBay for these same supplies. I have been supplying my house with everything from paper towels to bubble wrap, and the fact is that many of these items are dirt cheap on eBay. Not only do you get top quality supplies from sellers (the reputable ones anyway), you can also get fast shipment, return policies and feedback to boost your eBay score as well.

When buying on eBay it's always very important that you buy from somebody you can trust. As a rule of thumb you can typically judge the merit of a seller by the number of positive feedbacks they have in their account. In addition, make sure to check the percentage of positive feedbacks. Anything lower than say a 95% is a pretty good sign that the seller has had some issues in the past with buyers. If you want to be 100% sure about what those negatives entail, I recommend a website called Toolhaus which is located at http://www.toolhaus.org . This website allows you to filter out ONLY negative and neutral comments so you can get the real dirt on any eBay user right away. Best of all the service is 100% free.

Here are some items that you CAN buy (and save a bundle on) using eBay:

* Household Goods, Especially items that aren't heavy (since they'll boost your shipping costs): sponges, cutlery, paper towels, bathroom items, soaps, etc.

* Office Supplies: Tape and Shipping Items, Bubble Mailers, Files and folders, Binders, Computer Paper, Pens & Pencils, almost anything you can think of! I've saved a fortune buying these shipping items for my own eBay business, directly from other eBay sellers.

* Computer Software: Believe it or not, many people sell older software for mere pennies. Once the new versions come out many people discard the older titles, but the fact is that much of this software is just as good (if not better in many cases) than the new versions that have new features unnecesarily tacked on. Use this to your advantage! This is especially useful for expensive programs like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver and others. Many times the older versions have 95% or more of the same features and you can save an incredible amount of money buying even one or two versions behind the newest ones. Just make sure the sellers are legit and send you the serial number and any ids needed. Black market and grey market software isn't allowed on eBay, but there are some sketchy sellers that will try and sell you illegal versions. It's best to buy from sellers with great reputations, actual photos of the items they're selling and preferably ones located in the US, as many Asian companies overseas are notorious for pirated software sales. Just be careful :)

* Computer Accessories: You can save a bundle on things like computer mice, printers, scanners, digital cameras and the like. Sure eBay may be flooded with accessories, but the fact is that's because people buy them and because they're offered at FAR less than retail. Sellers generally have a very large amount of variety, so nearly any part or item you can think of is on here and you'll get a good price 9/10 times. Just make sure you count in the shipping as some sellers will mark up their shipping to make their items appear cheaper than they actually are. Always look at the TOTAL price.

* Mailing Supplies: Did you know that you can get stamps at a discount on eBay? It's true! The more you buy the more you save. Also save on envelopes, shipping boxes, and more. If you're an eBay seller, then I highly recommend you get your shipping supplies on eBay. Also, you can get Priority Mail boxes (co-branded with the USPS and eBay logos) absolutely free on this website: http://ebaysupplies.usps.com/ .

What I DON'T Recommend you buy on eBay:

* Items that are unnecessarily large or heavy: These items will cost a lot to ship and the more you buy (while trying to save by buying in bulk) you will lose to shipping costs. For items such as laundry detergent, dish soap, garbage cans, etc. I highly recommend you look into joining a warehouse club for as you'll typically get much better savings in the long run.

* Cutting Edge Technology Products: While it may be slightly cheaper than retail (often the shipping negates this as well) the fact is that there have been too many scams with items such as laptops, iPhones and HDTVs. If the seller is reputable and has been on eBay for a long time (important) than you can take your chances at your own risk, but the fact is many of these sellers are scam artists and once you send them the money you will never see the product you ordered. Remember, if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Buyer beware.

* Items From Foreign Countries: As much as I love buying things from foreign countries on vacations, the fact is that online you really have to protect yourself. Countries like China and Hong Kong are particularly notorious for selling knock-off items, copy products or simply scam items to begin with. Be VERY careful when buying from countries you are not familiar with, especially if the listing is shady. Clear signs of things to watch for include: extremely cheap prices (that seem unreasonably low), many misspellings in the listing, items that simply list stock photos and demand instant payment, sellers which are registered in one country but ask you to send payment to another, or sellers that require you to wire money (this is a hugely dangerous practice). Just be careful and if you have to buy from a foreign country, make sure it's from a seller that you can trust.

Hope these tips help! I'd love to hear from you if you have any suggestions or additions to the article. =JJ=