Home  |  About Jane  |  Contact Jane  |  Jane's tips  |  Planner  |  Links

Apple juice 
Carboot sales 
CDs 
Computers 
ebay 
Electricity 
Fashion 
Finance 
Food 
Free events 
Free hols 
Gardening 
Home care 
House hunting 
Medical 
Mobile phones 
Petrol 
Pets 
Phone calls 
Selling your home 
Supermarkets 
Wedding costs 
Wedding dresses 

Easy ebay

Don't assume anything is cheaper just because it's on ebay. Regular internet traders may offer better deals, so shop around using price comparison sites like www.dealtime.co.uk, www.kelkoo.co.uk, www.planetonline.com, www.pricemonkey.co.uk, www.mysimon.com, www.compareandreview.co.uk. Such sites are designed to do the leg-work and will provide you with a view of what something is worth, often with an opinion service, before you bid for around £5.36.

Try to buy from UK based sellers. Your consumer rights are stronger on-line than if you bought from a shop because by buying in person you are deemed to have had an opportunity to touch the product and examine it. If you subsequently decide you don't like it you do not have an automatic right to a refund. (Your rights are in connection with faulty goods). But if you buy online or through mail order you can send it back for a full refund. These rights don't necessarily apply to items sent from overseas, where it can be costly and difficult to sort things out.

Avoid the words " as in" in the small print. These mean the item has flaws and you have no right of return.

Don't bid for information - often just a  " secret site" . This is a recognised scam. It is perfectly possible to find all the information you require yourself. You could be bidding for information about how to buy the product you want - not the actual product itself, so be very careful.

If you are bidding in an auction, enter all sorts of spelling variations, including abbreviations and remove spaces between words. Many rival bidders do not bother and you will find treasure off the beaten track. www.fatfingers.co.uk  will automatically look up mispelt variations of any keyword and search ebay on your behalf.

Sadly, things are not always as they seem: sellers with good ratings may not be as efficient as they make out. I understand that there are now websites selling " good ratings" , and anyone can buy them to improve their sales profile.

Get up early. Avoid auctions ending at popular times, like Sunday evenings. Fewer people will bid for things early on Mondays.

Shop out of season. Who wants a wetsuit in December? Things are often much cheaper. Start Christmas shopping now!

Get to know the site. The shops page http://stores.ebay.co.uk  has a directory of specialist microsites which are shop windows with their own unique web addresses within ebay.
 

See Jane's top tips on VideoJug: Cheap Cooking Ideas, Saving Money On Your Shopping, Budgeting Tips, Identifying Shop Tricks, Reducing The Cost Of Air Travel, Saving Money On Mobile Phones, Saving Electricity, Offers And Bargains Explained, Cheap Cleaning Alternatives, Reducing Your Car Costs