If you're planning to shop for the holidays on eBay, however, it's important to keep a few basic points in mind, both to avoid being disappointed and to avoid being overwhelmed either while you shop or after the holiday season is over.
eBay Holiday Shopping Tips 1-5
- Shop early. Don't forget that virtually everything that you buy on eBay will have to be shipped to your door by carriers increasingly inundated by an annual year-end online shopping explosion. Goods will take longer to arrive, and busy sellers may also take longer to ship. Remember, too, that although most eBay transactions proceed smoothly from purchase through delivery, the potential for problems to arise is always present—and these, too, can introduce delays. In general, therefore, you should probably avoid doing “last minute” shopping of any kind on eBay, and make the first week of December a kind of unofficial cutoff for eBay-based gift shopping.
- Make shipping arrangements carefully. Be sure that you understand in advance the method of shipping that your seller uses. Demand a tracking number since packages can more easily go astray during the holiday shopping rush. Remember, too, that “signature required” packages can't be delivered when you're not at home—and many people are at home even less than usual during the holiday season—so it may pay to make arrangements with your seller for a delivery method for which no signature is required, or to make arrangements with a neighbor to accept any packages that may arrive while you are out (be sure in such cases to put a notice on your door for the delivery person indicating that the neighbor is willing to sign for your goods).
- Check item sizes in advance. Because it's more difficult for a variety of reasons to return or exchange items that you bought on eBay, it's especially important to be sure about sizing or other personal criteria related to your “giftee” before you buy. Pay careful attention, too, to sellers' descriptions of sizing—phrases like “a very large medium” or “a slightly undersized large” can provide important clues that will help you to avoid mismatching the size of your purchase to the size of the recipient.
- Double-check exchange policies. Because the holiday season does present lots of opportunities for items to be not-quite-right or slightly-too-big (or small), it can be a very good idea to check and double-check the exchange policies listed in any of the auctions on which you bid. If the gift doesn't quite work out as planned, you will most likely want to be able to return it for a refund or exchange.
- Look for gift-ready auctions. eBay offers sellers the ability to classify auction listings as listings that offer “gift services,” meaning in such cases that the seller is willing to gift-wrap the item, include a card, expedite shipping, and/or ship directly to a person or address that is not you or yours. You can search specifically for auction listings offered with gift services by using custom search options in the advanced search tool.
With me so far? Excellent. Read on to see eBay holiday shopping tips six through ten!
