eBay buying tips, tricks and tools

From cashback to nifty tools to help you grab a bargain, we run through the top ways to save when shopping on eBay.

eBay is a massive marketplace that’s been attracting savvy shoppers on the hunt for new and second-hand bargains for over 20 years now.

You’re probably quite familiar with how it all works, but we’ve put together a comprehensive guide of tips, tricks and tools that you might not have heard of that can help you stop losing auctions, cash in on spelling mistakes and much more to secure an even better bargain.

Get yourself some cashback 

Cashback is an essential when it comes to your shopping.

Quidco members can get 2% cashback on everything they buy from eBay. All you have to do is sign up to Quidco and shop at eBay via the affiliate link. Rival TopCashback currently pays 1.2% cashback on eBay purchases.

Want even more? You can get rewarded for your shopping with a cashback credit card.

Grab a last-minute 90% discount

Savvy eBay shoppers have come across a site called Lastminute Auction, which highlights listings that are about to expire. Some items have had their prices slashed by an impressive 90% and you don't even have to register to bid.

Lastminute Auction searches listings on eBay and only features those that are ending within the next hour and cost less than £1.

You can bag sporting goods, jewellery, vehicle parts and more.

Listings update every minute so if you miss out, there will probably be a similar auction close behind it. You'll still be paying the seller's standard shipping and handling costs so make sure you don't get stung as this is how a lot of sellers make their money.

Here's a snippet of what you can expect from the site.

Find out what others paid

You can easily find out what the going rate is for the item you want on eBay by checking out how similar auctions have played out.

To see this information at a glance you just need to change the advanced search settings to ‘sold listings’ and sort by price.

This will get you a list of auctions and the winning bids, which will show what you should be aiming for when making your maximum bid.

Seek out local bargains

Sellers with bulky items like furniture often list their item as ‘collection only’.

These listings are a great way to bag a bargain as they attract less competition from other buyers. I've pretty much kitted out my entire home with this nifty feature and bagged bargains on all sorts from dining room chairs to a desk.

Again you can filter your search to just include ‘collection only’ listings in the advanced search settings.

If you do end up picking up your item, make sure you stay safe. Go with a friend or let people know where you are going and take a mobile phone with you.

Cash in on spelling blunders

Careless sellers sometimes end up posting listings on eBay that contain spelling mistakes.

These misspelled items attract fewer bids as they don’t appear in searches, so many miss out on seeing them.

There are now plenty of websites that cash in on these errors. FatFingers, Goofbid, BargainChecker and BayCrazy search eBay for misspelling combinations to help you find a bargain.

Using BargainChecker for example I found almost 5,000 listings which had misspelled Nintendo.

Exploit other slip-ups

Some sellers don’t only make spelling mistakes, they also leave out important details like brand, type of clothing, shoe size or dimensions.

Most buyers will be put off by this and not bother to follow up. But you should contact the seller to find out the missing information.

You should do this directly rather than through the listing. Asking a question through the listing makes it easy for the seller to make it visible to other buyers.

Another sneaky trick is to block sellers who have made mistakes from updating their listing. Sellers aren’t able to make major changes to an auction listing once a bid has been placed, so if it has a low starting price of say 99p it’s worth making a bid to keep the listing under the radar.

Get paid to spend with a cashback credit card

Take advantage of overlooked items

A lot of sellers start their auctions at 99p or less in the hope of a bidding war breaking out.

However, this strategy doesn’t always work out and can end with few or no bids.

BayCrazy has an Ending Now! tool, which finds auctions ending soon with no or low bids. Lastminute Auction is also good for this.

You should check the postage and packaging costs when bidding on these bargain items to ensure you are getting a good deal as some sellers try to make gains by charging a bit more.

Use sniping tools to win auctions

If you're tired of losing out on auctions in the final moments there are sniping tools which can help.

These automatically place a bid in the last few seconds before the end of an auction, leaving no time for other buyers to fight back.

Goofbid and Gixen both offer a free sniping tool. You just need to sign up, enter the eBay item number and the maximum price you’re willing to pay.

The downside to these sites is that you need to hand over your eBay password in order for them to work, which is a pretty major security risk. If you do decide to use them, make sure your password is different to the passwords you use for your other accounts.

Seek out auctions ending late

Another great way to bag a bargain is to take advantage of auctions ending at anti-social hours.

You can use BayCrazy's Night Time Bargain tool to find these listings.

If you’re not a night owl yourself, combine this with a sniping website to bid while you’re snoozing.

Save that search

If you want to stay ahead of the competition, then you might want to save specific searches. You will have the option to do this after performing a search, through the heart icon.

Doing so means that anytime items are listed that match that search term, you’ll then get an email alert.

Get paid to spend with a cashback credit card

Watch items you want

You can add items to a watch list to see how bidding plays out before making your move.

eBay will send you a reminder before the auction ends so you can make up your mind nearer the time.

Get the app

You can keep track on watched items, items you’re bidding on and make new bids when you’re out and about with the eBay mobile app.

The app is available for both iOS and Android.

Don’t give up on lost auctions

If you’ve been outbid and lost an auction in the final moments, don’t give up.

You can email the seller to remind them that you are willing to buy the item if the sale falls through.

They just need to send a second chance offer through should things go wrong.

Go a few pence over your max bid

When making a maximum bid on an item, most people go for a round number. But by going a few pence over your limit you improve your chances of winning an auction.

Bidding £30.03 means you’ll outbid the person that has set their limit at £30.00.

Improve your search

eBay searches item titles by default using the keywords you enter, but you can improve the results you get by also searching an item’s description.

You can do this by selecting the advanced search option ‘title and description’ before you do a search or afterwards on the results page, to enhance your search results.

This might be helpful for sellers that have forgotten to use key brand names, sizes or dimensions in the title but have included them in the description.

Take a look at feedback

eBay sellers all have a feedback rating, which you can use as guide as to how trustworthy sellers are.

You should be wary of sellers with zero feedback.

Trawl ‘Buy it now’ listings

If you don’t fancy the hassle of bidding and waiting for an auction to end you can search for the item, you want and filter listings for those that feature a ‘Buy it now’ option.

Ordering the results by most recently listed means you might be able to spot items that have been put up cheaply and bag them before anyone else gets a chance.

Make an offer

Some fixed price ‘Buy it now’ items are listed with a ‘Make offer’ option, which allows buyers to put forward a figure they would be willing to pay, which the seller can decide to go for.

To help you make an educated guess on what a seller is likely to accept you could try Goofbid’s Best Offer History tool.

By entering the seller's username you can see what items they have accepted best offers on and the average discount they give.

It's a great way to bag a bargain.

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Haggle for a better price

Even if an item doesn’t have a Best Offer option you can still contact the buyer to see if you can haggle on the price.

This works best on buy-it-now listings and auctions with a high starting price and no bids (listings that have bids can’t be changed).

To contact a seller, you just need to click ‘ask a question’ and make your move. If they agree, ask them to change or add a buy-it-now price on the listing to keep the transaction within eBay.

Look out for delivery charges

You should always factor in the cost of delivery to see if you are really getting a bargain.

To compare listings, you can filter results by 'lowest price and P+P' which will calculate it for you.

Some sellers try to boost their income by charging a bit more than needed for delivery. However, eBay is cracking down on this loophole by introducing new caps and applying fees to postage costs.

Browse ‘other’ categories

eBay says items put into the ‘Other’ category listings tend to receive fewer bids so they are worth browsing through to see if a bargain can be found.

The category Mobile Phones & Communication > Mobile Phone & PDA Accessories > Other Mobile Phone Accessories for example probably has some gems that could have been listed in Mobile Phones & Communication > Mobile Phone & PDA Accessories.

Watch out for fakes

eBay has a tough policy on selling counterfeit goods. But some knock-offs get through.

Common fakes include Mulberry handbags and Ray-Ban sunglasses.

To avoid wasting money, look at a seller’s feedback and be wary of items that are especially cheap and have a stock photo.

My flatmate was caught out by too good to be true Ugg boots for under £50.

Avoid private deals

Some sellers may suggest doing a deal outside of eBay. But if you comply you’ll have less protection if things go wrong.

Expand your search

You might be able to bag a bargain by searching for items at eBay’s overseas sites.

To include these auctions, select a location on the advanced search options. Or head direct to the international eBay site. Just check the seller will ship worldwide before bidding.

Also, check the postage fees and factor in what customs charges you might incur.

Know your rights

Know your rights

Rights when shopping on eBay is a big concern, with a Which? investigation suggesting the review system is open to abuse.

When you buy from an eBay ‘business seller’ you have the same basic rights as when you buy from a shop, so your goods must be as described, fit for purpose and of a satisfactory quality. This applies to both new and second-hand items.

With private sellers, buyers have less protection. The only rights that apply under law are that the product should be fairly described (also included in eBay’s buyer protection) and the owner has the right to sell it.

If you have an issue with something you’ve bought on eBay, the seller has eight calendar days to put things right. If the issue isn’t resolved in that time, eBay says it will then step in.

Read eBay's returns guide for more.

Don’t be afraid to complain

eBay operates a money back guarantee, which as the name suggests ensures that you will get a proper refund if the item you ordered doesn’t arrive, or turns out to be faulty, damaged or simply not as advertised.

So if you’ve been let down by something you’ve bought, don’t just take it on the chin ‒ complain!

Importantly this cover only applies when you have paid using PayPal.

You can read more about the money back guarantee on the eBay website.

Remember though that PayPal purchases don’t carry Section 75 protection.

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 states that if you pay for an item between £100 and £30,000 on a credit card, the card company is jointly liable with the retailer.

Don’t assume eBay is best

Buying something on eBay doesn’t automatically mean you’re getting a bargain. So you should do your research and compare prices for what you want.

Use shopbots like Twenga, Price Runner and Kelkoo which find the cheapest prices online.

But also check out alternative second-hand marketplaces and classified listing sites like eBid, Preloved, Shpock and Gumtree to see if you can get a better deal.

Alternatively, see if you can get what you're after free on sites like Freecycle or Freegle