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How
to Win at eBay:
What's it Worth?
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Use this link to get to eBay whenever you buy and it helps me write more like this, thanks! Ken.
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Adorama pays top dollar for your used gear.
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
This is the easiest part.
eBay has a tool with which you can see exactly what other items have sold for in the past few weeks. You can search and specifically see everything about SOLD listings. You can see what people have actually paid, rather than what people are asking.
To browse eBay's recently SOLD items, search for a list of items, and on a web browser scroll down and look at the filters on the left side of the page, find SHOW ONLY and select SOLD ITEMS. Bingo!, everything that actually sold shows up in BIG GREEN NUMBERS with the actual selling prices.
On the mobile app, tap ▼ FILTER at the top right, tap SHOW MORE ↓, and select SOLD ITEMS.
Unless you're looking for something really uncommon (which is the main reason to use eBay), you'll see exactly who paid what for what for lots of similar items.
You'll see for how much other similar items sold, or didn't sell.
The 20% rule
If you still can buy the item new, research what you'd pay at my favorite stores, who have the lowest prices.
Never pay more than 80% of the new price for a used item, even if it's being offered as "like new in the box." If its not being sold by an authorized dealer, it's not new and not covered by the manufacturers warranty.
5% of the time that I buy anything through eBay, it's junk. The other 15% is the extra effort it takes dealing with most likely an individual, instead of a store, in case of returns, or not having a warranty.
If it's only 20% or less extra to buy the real thing from a real store, I always do. Often items offered "in the box" are missing the internal packaging, missing the back half of the box that was ripped off for a rebate, or whatever.
Never bid more than 80% of the new price of an item.
Checked used dealers like Adorama and B&H. I'd also pay a slight premium over buying from strangers' garages' over eBay to get a used item from a real store with a real warranty.
People often pay way too much for things at auction. This is called Auction Fever, and it's our next page.
Next: Auction Fever
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Ken.