Increase your chance to find rare items on eBay
http://www.rarityguide.com/articles/articles/3/1/Increase-your-chance-to-find-rare-items-on-eBay/Page1.html
By chronodev (Ron)
Published on 09/20/2008
Many tips for finding rare items on eBay. Can be used both by new and by advanced eBay users.
Looking for that rare item on eBay? This article provides tip that will increase your chance to find rare items on eBay and pay less for them.
1) Use the saved searches feature
Whenever you search for an item, look for the Save This Search option. Saving your search allows you to access it from My eBay, but more important: You can have daily emails get sent to you whenever the item you are seeking is listed! This will help you get to the item first (which is good especially if it is a Buy It Now listing) and it will save you the trouble of manually entering all your searches on eBay day after day.
2) Use the favorite sellers feature
Look for the Add to Favorite Sellers option listed below each seller in an auction listing. If that seller specializes in what you are looking after and has good prices, you should add that seller to your favorites. This will let you access the sellers' items from My eBay and also notify you when new items are listed.
3) Search for misspellings
Sometimes sellers misspell the title of the auction listing. The result is that it doesn't show up on normal search queries. This means there will be less bidding competition going on for that item. Take advantage of that by trying different spellings of an item. For example, if you are looking for an Atari 2600, try typing in Atary 2600 as well (notice the y instead of the i in the second one). Be Creative!
4) Post your item in the Want It Now section
Ebay has a Want It Now section where you can post the specific item you need and eBay sellers can reply to you with auction links to relevant items.
5) Research item prices
Use RarityGuide.com's rarity listings and price guides to see if the price of an item is fair. You can also choose the completed listing feature on eBay to find out how much the item had previously sold for.
6) Use Buy It Now if you spot a good deal
If you find a buy it now option for a good price you should snatch it before others have the chance. Sometimes people will not be aware of the value of an item (Although with the launch of RarityGuide.com there are no more excuses for not knowing the rarity and value of an item) so they will list the item for a lot less.
Only caveat is to beware of buy it now prices that appear too good to be true. See our eBay Safety Tips article in the advanced eBay users section to learn more about this.
Happy hunting and we hope you find the item you seek!
1) Use the saved searches feature
Whenever you search for an item, look for the Save This Search option. Saving your search allows you to access it from My eBay, but more important: You can have daily emails get sent to you whenever the item you are seeking is listed! This will help you get to the item first (which is good especially if it is a Buy It Now listing) and it will save you the trouble of manually entering all your searches on eBay day after day.
2) Use the favorite sellers feature
Look for the Add to Favorite Sellers option listed below each seller in an auction listing. If that seller specializes in what you are looking after and has good prices, you should add that seller to your favorites. This will let you access the sellers' items from My eBay and also notify you when new items are listed.
3) Search for misspellings
Sometimes sellers misspell the title of the auction listing. The result is that it doesn't show up on normal search queries. This means there will be less bidding competition going on for that item. Take advantage of that by trying different spellings of an item. For example, if you are looking for an Atari 2600, try typing in Atary 2600 as well (notice the y instead of the i in the second one). Be Creative!
4) Post your item in the Want It Now section
Ebay has a Want It Now section where you can post the specific item you need and eBay sellers can reply to you with auction links to relevant items.
5) Research item prices
Use RarityGuide.com's rarity listings and price guides to see if the price of an item is fair. You can also choose the completed listing feature on eBay to find out how much the item had previously sold for.
6) Use Buy It Now if you spot a good deal
If you find a buy it now option for a good price you should snatch it before others have the chance. Sometimes people will not be aware of the value of an item (Although with the launch of RarityGuide.com there are no more excuses for not knowing the rarity and value of an item) so they will list the item for a lot less.
Only caveat is to beware of buy it now prices that appear too good to be true. See our eBay Safety Tips article in the advanced eBay users section to learn more about this.
Happy hunting and we hope you find the item you seek!