Buying Gifts on eBay
Bid for gifts on eBay, NIB, BNWOT, etc...
Last year I hoped to do all my Christmas shopping online. I wanted to stay away from the massive shopping centres with the constant stream of shoppers and the incessant sound of cash registers (ch-ching, ch-ching, ch-ching).
I got about 80% online, mostly through Peters of Kensington and eBay.
Since then I have kept an eye out for bargain buys on eBay and I have gotten more cunning about what to bid on and when. And I've learned more about what the different codes in item titles means.
Here's some helpful tips I've captured along the way:
eBay Account Registration
Of course, first of all you need to set up an eBay account by registering (eBay registration link here).
You will need to be creative with your username as eBay, running since 1995, had a reported 88.4 million active users worldwide in June 2009. With that many active users the name you'd usually pick, or your nickname, is probably already taken. You will be prompted with some ideas around the username you enter. Most of the prompts have numbers in them. I recommend going a bit crazy and creative to avoid spending half an hour finding a username.
eBay terms - Glossary to eBay acronyms used in listing titles
NR - NR in a title usually means No Reserve. These auction items will go for whatever bid is placed when the auction ends. This can mean some great bargains if there are not many bidders. It also means the item will sell and not be passed in if it doesn't meet the reserve | NIB - New in Box | BNWT - Brand New With Tags | GU - Gently Used | LTD - Limited Edition | BNIB - Brand New in Box | BNWOT - Brand New Without Tags | NIP - New in Packaging | BNWL - Brand New With Labels | BNIP - Brand New in Packaging | BIN - Buy It Now | MNT - Mint (perfect condition) | NBW - Never Been Worn | OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer | OOP - Out of Print |
Buying gifts on eBay
eBay is an online trading place for both used and new items. So if you're someone who isn't keen on giving pre-loved goods as a gift, you can narrow your search to new items using the above codes to narrow your search. Sometimes patience is required, the item you want might not be listed when you think of it, but don't give up, just add it to your saved searches and set it to send you an email when an item is listed with your requirements. I have about 10 saved searches going at the moment for my hard to find items.
eBay is also a place to sell unwanted gifts and as the saying goes, someone's trash is another man's treasure. And so it goes with unwanted gifts. A New in Box digital set top box might be listed only because the owner has two, rather than it being a lesser quality item or damaged in some way. eBay is also a wonderful place to find collectible items and hobby items. Shopping online at eBay can save you time searching for the missing AFL card for someone's collection, or a limited edition (LTD) product. I know how much credit and brownie points you can earn from giving a mint condition item or matching collectible thing.
eBay History:
eBay is the online marketplace for both new and used unwanted items and brand new items from eBay storeholders. eBay has been helping people buy and sell online since 1995. The first purchase (from eBay history) was a broken laser pointer. Find more eBay history and facts here .
Read about the current eBay facts, top searches and trends in the eBay Marketplaces Fast Fast At A Glance PDF . This is an interesting read with stats like in the US a bedding item is sold every second, an MP3 player is sold every 18 seconds and a pair of shoes is sold every 4 seconds (I've purchased one or two of those for the stats).
More eBay buying help here...
See NIB (New in Box) items on eBay:
See BNWT (Brand New With Tags) bargains on eBay:
See LTD (Limited Edition) bargains on eBay:
See MNT (Mint Condition) bargains on eBay:
See OOP (Out of Print) bargains on eBay:
See Unwanted Gift bargains on eBay:
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