eBay Tips & Hints

By: Mike
eBay Tips & Hints

So, slickster, you wanna learn some tips for conquering the auction megasite eBay? If so keep reading as I’ll be stating some obvious and some overlooked tricks to help the amateur and seasoned eBayer find that next great find.

Tip #1: Spell ‘Nintendo’ wrong.

To make a good deal sometimes you have to think like a typical one-time eBay seller. In other words, an idiot. Sometimes sellers type in the title description too fast and misspell the listing, such as with the name ‘Nintendo’. Some common misspellings are: Nintedo, Nintend, and Nitendo. Make sure you turn on the “search description and title” option too for more results!

It’s wise advice to search for general words of the game title/genre you are looking to bid on as well. For example instead of ‘Super Mario Bros’, type in ‘Mario Bros’. Or if time isn’t an issue, type something really general such as ‘Mario’, but be prepared to sort out listings from auctions selling things like “Mario Lemieux’s underwear”.

Tip #2: Become a Night Owl.

Surfing at night (around 1 – 2 a.m.) and/or clicking “new auctions” under eBay’s NES section displays all of the newest auctions. This could be perfect for picking up BIN (Buy It Now) prices. Use your time zone to your advantage.

Remember people actually make a living off of eBay, so there are times when a good deal comes up… but will you be there to pick it up?

Tip #3: Snipe like a Mad Man.

Definitely the most hated and debated eBay tactic, sniping is essentially waiting till the auction is about to close and placing a bid when there is less than a minute to go. Some things you must take into effect, though, is to give yourself at least a minute then bid. If you have a slow connection or if the last bidder has put up a higher bid than yours, you must give yourself time to try again.

Some tips: open your desired auction into three different browser windows for quick access. Enable cookies on your browser and remember to log in beforehand to prevent having to enter your eBay password to confirm the bid.

Never, I repeat, never bid early! You’ll end up paying more than you need!

Tip #4: Auction Programs & Helpful Bookmarks.

http://www.adtemplate.com: Free professional HTML-created
pages for auction sellers

http://www.rubylane.com: Free auction counter Antiques & Collectibles

http://www.bay-town.com: Paid program that brags “Snipe
auctions on eBay and win every auction!”

http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/mr.html: eBay’s Mister Lister

http://www.auctionalchemy.com: Auction Alchemy creates your auctions
and e-mail your buyers quickly and easily.

Tip #5: “The Stalking Method”.

Scope out your competition! Follow the NES eBay market for a while, and visit NES message boards, keeping your eyes peeled for names that flock to the rare items and always seem to buy the good stuff for cheap. Follow their bidding patterns by doing an Advanced Search by the Bidder’s ID. You may uncover a hidden auction that may give you the opportunity to outbid a seasoned NESer eBay vet!

You can find great deals by waiting for the right item to come up. Some sellers out there are notorious for having the rarest of the rare, and here is a quick list of a few.

Vgc (http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=vgc)
- owner of videogameconnection.com: protos/rare games

catlady46 (http://cgi2.ebay.com/awcgi/BayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=catlady46)
- notorious for her Nintendo World Cartridge auction

nescollect
(http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=nescollect)
- Martin, himself, from NESWorld fame

adol
(http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=adol)
- from France, seems to have a lot of fami (he sold me Doki Doki)

nes4u
(http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=nes4u)
- this guy always seems to have an overload of rare pirates/fami

myrmid
(http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=myrmid)
- JD, from myrmid.com, sometimes has old NES show tapes