Last time, I talked about some general strategies for eBay hunting. How about some more specific tips today? In the interests of accuracy, I would say that these are more suggestions, some of them fairly obvious and/or common sense, based on things that have worked for me in the past. I hope you’ll find them helpful as well.

Saved Searches

This is basically an eBay 101 tip, but creating “saved searches” can be an easy way to play the when-will-my-item-pop-up-on-eBay game? I would say that this works better for very specific searches, rather than general ones. If you’re looking for a particular pair of shoes, in a particular colour and size, then setting up a “saved search” based on those criteria will mean that you get a notification in your inbox next time someone lists a corresponding item – no need to check eBay every day. However, if your search is, say, “Anthropologie floral dress”, you will end up getting a daily notification email that includes a bazillion new listings. Now, you may want to look through a bazillion listings every day, but in that case, you can just as easily log into eBay and run the search manually every day. Personally, I found it annoying to get emails with very broad search results, especially as I had set up quite a few “saved searches” at the time and was deleting 10-12 of them every day.

Set Up a Maximum Bid

I call this the “set it and forget it” approach. This can be a great little tool for a number of reasons:

• I often forget when auctions are supposed to end, so if I’m waiting till the last minute to place a bid (the better to gauge my chances of getting the item for a price I like), I generally miss out on it altogether. Same thing if I put in the first bid, then get outbid; I probably won’t realize it until it’s too late.
• I’ve shied away from using “sniper” services, but this is the next best thing. I can set the highest price I’m willing to pay, and the eBay system will automatically “snipe” other bidders until my maximum limit is reached. Again, this is all done without any additional input from me, which means (a) I don’t have to continually check on the listing, or agonize over competing bids; and (b) I don’t get caught up in a bidding frenzy and find myself tempted to pay more than I originally decided the item was worth.
• It cuts down on my stress levels. As I mentioned above, I tend to find auctions very stressful if I’m watching the countdown to the end of the listing, and waiting to see if competing bids come in. I can just forget the whole thing, and then receive a pleasant surprise when eBay notifies me that I’ve won an item … or not. By which point, it’s too late to worry about it anyway.

A couple of caveats about this approach. One, never ever set up a max bid that is more than you are comfortable paying simply because you don’t think the bidding will go that high. It may not … or it may, in which case you will be legally obligated to proceed with the purchase, whether or not you have the funds. (Or risk getting dinged as a non-paying buyer. This has never happened to me, so I don’t know how much it impacts your ability to continue buying on eBay, but perhaps one of the readers more familiar with eBay policies can chime in.)

Two, and along the same lines, don’t completely forget about any outstanding bids you might have placed. Think of a bid as a one-sided commitment to pay, and budget accordingly. You may not end up winning the item, and therefore not have to pay, but you never know.

What to Buy and Not to Buy

This is almost entirely subjective, but here goes anyway:

Green light: dresses, tops, and bags

Basically, these are things where fit is generally not a huge consideration. Obviously, the more structured the dress or top, the more discernment you have to exercise. (Body type is also a relevant consideration; I carry most of my weight in my bottom half, and don’t mind wearing blousier things on top if need be, so I have more leeway with the fit of most dresses and tops.) Listings that provide actual measurements (usually chest, waist, hip, and length) are more helpful than ones that only list the manufacturer’s size.

Caution: skirts, pants, and shoes

This is the inverse: for things that require a good fit, buying on eBay can be tricky. It helps if you already know how an item fits you, either because you’ve already tried that particular item in real life, or because you know how the manufacturer’s items generally fit you. I would advise caution with the latter approach, because we all know that brands can be all over the place with their sizing and fit. If you have no other options, I would suggest trying to find reviews of the item online so you can at least get a sense of whether the item fits true to size or not, or if there are other fit issues you need to be aware of.

I would also exercise caution with jewelry, because (a) it can be hard to gauge the quality from photos; and (b) there are a lot of knock-offs out there (so-called J. Crew pieces are a good example), which may not be the quality you’re expecting. I have bought vintage costume jewelry on eBay, with largely positive results, but I had very low expectations going in.

Buying designer goods on eBay would also fall in the “caution” category for me, but they may deserve a post of their own because there’s a lot of ground to cover there. Let me know if you guys would be interested in one.

Now, the main reason why I advise caution in some instances is because, ideally, you want to avoid situations where you’re stuck with an unusable item. Some sellers will offer a return option (and, I believe that eBay requires sellers to offer returns in some situations) but this will generally not apply to items that are simply the wrong size. Not to mention, I don’t want to deal with the hassle of arguing over a return and paying for it – especially as I buy most of my items from overseas sellers. This is one downside of eBay over a regular retailer’s website – once you’ve bought something, there ain’t no going back.

Buying Internationally

If you’re a Canadian, like me, you’re probably wondering why this is even a “tip”; chances are, any time you buy something online, you’re technically buying from an international seller (albeit, more and more, one with a physical presence in Canada as well). But since a lot of BCRL readers come from outside of Canada, and may not have a lot of experience with buying internationally, I thought it would be worth talking about.

Let me start by saying that I have had positive experiences buying from international sellers located, among other countries, in the US, UK, Portugal, China, and Japan. Buying from the US is the easiest/safest in many ways, but that doesn’t mean that you should limit your search parameters to North America only. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Always research your seller. Whether he or she lives in the next state/province over, or half way across the world, they could be a perfectly nice, honest person … or a crook. My next post in this series will be on tips for staying “safe” while shopping on eBay, so I will cover this more then, but always start by looking at the seller’s history and reviews.
• Never pay more than you can afford to lose. I know this seems harsh, but that is the price for all the convenience that eBay brings. The farther away an item is coming from, the more chances for something to go awry. Certainly, if you can prove that something legitimately got lost in transit, you may be able to get your money back; but it will likely take time, if not considerable hassle, and the seller on the other side may not always be helpful. (Also, my understanding is that if an item shows up as “Delivered” in the mail system, you will be out of luck – even if you never actually received it.)
• Adjust your expectations with respect to shipping. It can take time. More time than you might expect, especially if you did not pay for priority shipping. Things coming from the US to Canada take anywhere from 1.5 to 3 weeks, depending on location. A package from China once took nearly 6 weeks to arrive. Be aware of the deadlines for filing a report with eBay over a missing item, but otherwise try not to stress out too much. For what it’s worth, I’ve never had a package go missing.
• Be prepared for surprises. You may get hit with extra fees on delivery. Here, it’s important to distinguish between customs fees and brokerage fees. Items delivered through USPS (or your local government postal service) will be subject to customs fees, where payable, but not brokerage fees which are typically charged by a third-party shipping agent (think UPS). In my experience, brokerage fees are higher than customs fees (at least when talking about sub-$1,000 items), and for that reason I avoid buying from any seller who ships via methods other than USPS. EBay’s Global Shipping program does charge a sort of brokerage/handling fee, but the cost is listed upfront, and you can take that into consideration when deciding whether to bid or not.

[I have never researched the law in Canada with respect to customs, and obviously it would be different in every country, so I can’t give you any advice in this regard. For what it’s worth, I have rarely had to pay customs fees.]

Next week, I’ll be talking about some general safety tips for shopping on eBay. In the meantime, share your eBay success strategies in the comments!

Currently Wishful Thinking About: Cartier Love Bracelet

I’m turning 35 this summer, which is kind of a milestone (half way to 40, whoo … hoo?), which means … presents! Big presents. Huge. My husband has been warned. (He’s turning 35 two months after me, and is looking into obscure German watch brands.) I reeeeeally want the Love bracelet, because I can see it being one of those pieces I never take off – perfect for commemorating a milestone. A couple of years ago, my husband bought me the Trinity ring, and it is my favourite piece of jewelry bar none except for my wedding rings; I wear it every single day, and I love its classic, understated look. Sadly, there is a big price jump between the ring and the bracelet, and I can’t really justify it. At least not at 35. Maybe 40? 50? I guess getting older has its perks.

Currently Not Loving: My Hair

This is not good, you guys. Bad things happen when I’m bored/dissatisfied with my hair. But here we are, again. My last perm really dried out my hair for some reason, and it’s not looking all that great either. It’s time for something new … I just have no idea what.

Currently Hunting: YSL Besace Bag

Oh, the irony is strong here. I sold this very bag late last year, convinced that I wasn’t getting enough use out of it … nor would be in the future. Cue to this spring, and my realization that its somewhat androgynous, minimalist aesthetic is very much my (current) cup of tea. Buying the Muse II reminded me of how beautiful YSL bags can be – the gorgeous nubuck leather is stunning. Sooo, I am stalking eBay I’m the hopes of being reunited with the Besace.

Let’s not talk about the whole paying-for-a-bag-twice thing. Just … no.

Currently Reading: Italian Days

This May will mark 10 years since my last trip to Italy, and that fact makes me really sad. However, in honour of that milestone, I’m re-reading Barbara Grizzuti Harrison’s fantastic travel memoir, which is still one of the best books about Italy out there. In particular, she has a wonderful ability to evoke the atmosphere of each city. The only downside is that she has an equally evocative way of writing about food (and, as anyone who has ever traveled to Italy knows, there is a lot of food to write about) and it makes me unbearably hungry every time I start reading. The book chronicles her travels in the mid-80s, so it’s not particularly topical, but it captures the mood and character of the places like no other. Definitely worth a read, even though she favours Rome above all other cities (my heart belongs to Toscana, and Florence in particular).

I have also been reading this book, which I don’t recommend because it is terrible for one’s wallet:

Currently Obsessing Over: Where Is Littlefinger Taking Sansa???

Sorry non-GoT watchers, this category will probably bore you for the
next 9 weeks, but I’m being very literal about it. Because, all I want to know is where IS Littlefinger taking Sansa ? I’m not spoilered, so this is just speculation on my part, but don’t read any further if you’d rather wait for the reveal.

This is your last warning.

Smart money is, apparently, on Petyr taking Sansa to Winterfell. When I first read that, I was very surprised. I’m not a huge fan of the Theon/Mance storyline in the books, so its apparent deletion is no loss to me … But, holy hell, what a departure this would be! Martin has just released a new chapter from The Winds of Winter, and in it Sansa is very much still in the Vale. However, the possibilities of what she and Petyr can accomplish together at Winterfell are making me feel very excited. Aside from the age differential, I am being slowly sold on a Sansa-Petyr pairing, at least in the short term. I know, I know. Most people hate Petyr, and are probably revolted by the idea. I don’t care. Until she sticks that knife in his back (trust, it is only a matter of time in the TV series), they make a good duo.

The other interesting thing that happened in last week’s episode is Mance’s death. As I mentioned, that ties in to a re-writing of the Winterfell episode from A Dance with Dragons, which is one thing. But what impact on the storyline will Jon’s role in Mance’s death have? I am the queen of unpopular GoT opinions, because I love Jon (book Jon more than show Jon, to be honest) and his storyline matters the most to me. Melisandre’s interest in his personal business (lady, get in line) may be a good sign of the show sticking with the books, or not. I’m not sure how I feel about the latter possibility. Ok, go ahead – pelt me with rotten cabbages … and then tell me what you think is going to happen.

Some of you guys have been wanting to know if I have any tips for buying on eBay and, while the answer is “not any ground-breaking ones”, I am happy to share my non-secrets with you. Since it turns out that I have a lot to say on the topic (Long-winded? Me? Never!), I’ve split this topic into 3 posts. First up:

Why eBay?

I usually turn to eBay in one of 2 situations: when I’m looking for a specific item, and when I’m looking for a non-specific item in a particular category. OK, that sounds completely unenlightening, so let’s break it down:

1. Looking for the Specific

Let’s say you see a cute dress on a blog. And let’s say the blogger doesn’t link to the dress on a retailer’s site (ahem, that doesn’t sound familiar at all) or, worse yet, straight up tells you that it’s no longer available. Except that you want, nay, need that dress. Now. What do you do? Well, if you’re me, the first thing you do is search for the dress on Google Images to find the original retailer’s listing for the item. This might seem like a waste of time, but it can actually provide a lot of useful information for your next step, which is (duh!) an eBay search. More on that in a moment. How do you find what you’re looking for on Google? If the blogger did not list the original product name, then you have no choice but to run a bunch of descriptive search terms, and cross your fingers. Some retailers give their items really unhelpful names/descriptions, but the more literal you are, the better your chances of getting a hit. If the item is really old (5 + years), you will likely have more trouble finding its original product page, but some brands (J. Crew, Anthropologie) are better than others (ohemgee, BCBG!).

Now, think of eBay as the place where nothing is ever permanently out of stock. It might be temporarily unavailable, but if you wait long enough, pretty much everything eventually turns up on eBay. If you’re looking for a specific item, there are 2 ways to find it on eBay: (1) use the specific item name/description listed by the retailer (see above); or (2) run a descriptive term search (see above). I find that the first method (if you are able to get the information from Google) works best for recent items, or for items being sold by professional eBay sellers. Think of it this way: you probably don’t remember the original product name of a dress you bought 2 years ago, so if you’re selling it on eBay, you’re just going to call it “floral Zara dress”. The exception is Anthropologie, which (a) always gives their stuff weird, memorable names, and (b) inspires fanaticism in its devotees. At least 75% of Anthropologie listings include the original product name, I kid you not.

When all else fails, throw a bunch of descriptive terms together. I wouldn’t try more than 2 or 3 at a time, though, because most listing titles aren’t super long, and you don’t want to have a search so specific that it filters out potential hits. I rarely bother to check the “Include description” box, because I tend to find that returns too many results.

Let me give you one example. One of the most difficult to track down dresses I’ve ever successfully hunted on eBay was this BCBG number. I ran broad and narrow searches for months, before I finally come up lucky. It didn’t help that it’s an older dress, and one that rarely shows up on eBay. I think my (ultimately successful) search terms included “geo”, “multi” and “faux wrap”. Geo stands for “geometrical”, and multi stands for “multi-color”, and both are descriptors relating to print/pattern that professional sellers like to use. I got lucky, since my dress ended up being listed by one; I’m not sure if a casual seller would have used the same terms in their listing. Other search terms I had tried included “BCBG pebble print dress”, “BCBG purple abstract print”, “BCBG purple faux wrap dress” … well, you get the idea. As tedious as it can be, the key is to try, try, and try again.

This brings up an obvious observation: eBay is not for everyone. If you want to find something quickly and easily, and don’t consider online browsing a fun hobby (ahem), you may get frustrated – especially when looking for an older item. I … can’t really give you any helpful tips in that regard.

2. Looking for the Specific General

This may sound exactly like what we’ve just talked about, but it’s not. Rather than looking for a specific item, you might end up looking for a specific category of items. Personally, I do this in one of 3 ways: by brand, by description, or by seller. What’s the difference? Read on.

 (a) Searching by Brand

Say that I am looking for a bag. Most often, I will be interested in looking for a bag from a particular brand; most often (but not always!), that brand will be Marc Jacobs. This type of search is the easiest to do. Type in “Marc Jacobs”, hit “enter”, then select the “Handbags” category in the top left hand menu. [Side note: I don’t bother entering “Marc by Marc Jacobs” because the first two words are redundant, plus I want a search that includes both MbMJ and MJ lines. Also, I don’t bother adding “bag” or “purse” because some sellers only use one term, and not the other, and this way I have the broadest search possible.]

I re-order the results so that the lowest priced are at the top, and work my way down the list – generally, until I hit my price ceiling. If I’m feeling curious (always a bad idea, on eBay), I might keep scrolling just to see what is out there, just out of price range. This can work, in one of 2 situations. One, sellers will occasionally offer sales or discounts on their listings, which can bring down a price within budget. Two, if the item doesn’t sell, the seller will sometimes re-list it for a slightly lower price. Obviously, if the item is hundreds of dollars outside of your price range, I wouldn’t bother adding it to your watch list – you’ll just be torturing yourself for nothing.

If I don’t have a lot of time to browse, I will sometimes narrow down my brand search by adding a simple descriptive term – in our example, “green”, if I want to only want to see green Marc Jacobs bags. This approach has its pitfall. Some sellers will get all fancy, and call something “emerald” or “hunter” or God knows what else, instead of plain, old “green”. So your search results may not be exhaustive – but hey, we’re just browsing here, right?

[Side note, again: while the eBay search function can, apparently, handle Boolean logic, it looks like it does so on a very limited basis. I’ve never bothered to try, but if you’re in the mood to experiment, let me know how it goes.]

I usually search by brand when I’m “just looking to see what’s out there (and cheap)” in a particular category (in my example, bags), from a particular favourite. I’ll touch on this more in my next post, but the things I usually browse (as opposed to specifically search) for are dresses, tops, and bags. By way of contrast, I almost never browse for pants – scrolling through pages of pant pictures is boring, and it’s impossible to get an idea of fit unless you know exactly what you’re looking at.

(b) Searching by Description

Sometimes, it’s not the brand that matters, as much as the look of something. Say that I’m looking for a floral dress. [Never happens.] But not just any floral dress, I want a fit ‘n flare dress, preferably with 3/4 sleeves. And I want something of reliable quality. First, I start with the broadest search term possible, “floral dress” – and get a bazillion hits. Rather than add more descriptors to the search box, I use the left hand menu options to narrow down the search according to my criteria. If you click on “Style”, you will get an additional pop-up menu that allows you to specify a bunch of details, like the style of dress, sleeve length, material, print, condition, and brand. The latter, in particular, is helpful in narrowing down the search to exclude “direct from China” items. [Unless that’s what you’re looking for, in which case, you will find those at the top of your search results, for ridiculously low prices.]

I will admit that I rarely use this approach, because I tend to stick to the same tried-and-true brands for the most part, and prefer to search that way (see above). I would call this more of a “wildcard” approach to eBaying – not my thing, but maybe it can work for you.

 (c) Searching by Seller

I use this approach the least, but it has its advantages. I currently follow 4 sellers on eBay, and like to check in with each one of them from time to time. They are all sellers from whom I have bought before (or, in one case, was recommended to me by someone I consider an eBay ninja) and have one thing in common: a track record of good deals. And what I mean by a “good deal” is good quality for a lower-than-average price.

Most of the time, you will find multiple listings for the same item on eBay; some will be over-priced, but most will tend to cluster around a particular price point. Occasionally, there will be a low price outlier, in which case always consider why. Sometimes, it’s because the item is in comparatively poor condition; sometimes, it’s because it’s an uncommon size (e.g. size 5 shoes). Less frequently, it’s because the seller simply hasn’t done his or her homework on what the item is worth. But every now and then, it’s simply the case of a seller being motivated, for whatever reason, to undercut his or her competition. Or just, I don’t know, being exceptionally generous. Either way, these are sellers I recommend following because you never know when you may run across another bargain.

Whoa, that turned into quite the novel, didn’t it? And it’s only Part 1! I hope this gives you a (exhaustively detailed) idea of how I approach my eBay shopping. In Part 2, I’m going to tackle some specific tips for eBay shopping success. Stay tuned!