Saving Experiment: Items you should and shouldn’t buy on eBay
I am an avid eBay shopper. In order to live within my means and still get the things that I want, I take my online shopping to eBay! eBay is a great website for people like myself who cannot afford and should not spend $200 on a watch or a $100 on a new vacuum, but still really wants those items! eBay allows people to get the things that they want or need at a largely discounted price. Check out the items you should and should not buy on eBay to help yourself save money!
1. If you are a movie fanatic like me, NEVER buy new DVD’s at major retailers like Best Buy or Target – unless there is an exceptional sale going on. Always take your money to eBay. You can find the latest movies like Avatar, The Social Network, and much more for $10 or less after shipping, compared to $20 – $25 in a major retail store. This same logic also applies to CD’s as well.
2. Do not buy designer name brand handbags on eBay! Although eBay has a very secure and reliable return policy, depending on the seller, you can never be sure if you are paying $400 for a genuine Michael Kors purse or a knock off.
3. Feel free to buy home goods such as picture frames, lamps, and furniture on eBay – but make sure to read the fine print. For sanitary reasons, you want to be extra careful when buying furniture from eBay, but friends of mine have done it, paid half the cost and were overly satisfied with their purchase.
4. eBay is a great source to buy giftcards at an excellent discounted rate. For example, I needed a new vacuum cleaner for my apartment, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. First I went on the store’s website where I intended on buying a vacuum from, Sears.com, and researched what vacuum I thought would suit me best and how much it cost. I found a very nice vacuum for $100, but I didn’t want to spend that much money on a cleaning item. So, I went to eBay and found a $100 gift card for Sears that had no expiration date for $48.99! Just like that, I saved more than $50 on my fancy new vacuum! eBay offers numerous gift cards like this from stores like Aeropostale, Best Buy, Target, Publix, Victoria’s Secret and much more!
5. Jewelry is something that I frequently purchase on eBay. Of course I wouldn’t recommend buying a diamond off of eBay, but inexpensive watches, earrings, and necklaces can be found at great prices. I found a new fabulous Guess watch on eBay that was 40% off the retail price in Macy’s and the Guess store.
6. Buy coupon’s on eBay. I know what you are probably thinking: “What? Why would I BUY a coupon – aren’t they suppose to be free?” That‘s usually true, but you can find amazing coupons on eBay that save you a ton of money even after the cost of the coupon. I don’t know if you have noticed or not, but the coupon industry is becoming very popular and helpful to the average shopper! eBay usually offers coupons like $25.00 OFF at Albertson’s for only $4.00. That’s an amazing deal! Then go and use that coupon to buy pricey items like allergy medicine or laundry detergent and you will save yourself a ton of money.
If you have other shopping suggestions for eBay, feel free to leave a comment. 🙂