• Determine What Type of Paper Shredder You Need

• Choose Paper Shredder Features

• Find Paper Shredders on eBay

• Buy Paper Shredders With Confidence

Determine What Type of Paper Shredder You Need

Determine What Type of Paper Shredder You Need

Paper shredders come in two primary categories: personal shredders and commercial-grade shredders.

• Personal shredders: Personal shredders take two to eight sheets at one pass and are designed for infrequent use by one person. They typically require a strict diet of paper in order to avoid jams and breakdowns. If a personal shredder breaks down while under warranty, the manufacturer will usually send a replacement model rather than pick it up for repair. To minimize the likelihood of breakdown, follow the manufacturer's instructions, do not use the shredder for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time, and do not exceed the recommended paper capacity.

• Commercial-grade shredders: Larger commercial-grade shredders are designed to handle many more documents than personal shredders and come equipped with higher-power motors that allow them to chew through paper for longer periods of time. Office-grade shredders are typically placed in a hallway or mail room. Due to the noise and size, heavy-duty industrial shredders are most often found in warehouses. Your basic commercial office shredder is designed to last seven to 10 years. Ongoing maintenance of these units typically includes oiling the cutting assembly to reduce friction, removing dust that builds up in the blades, and replacing bags as they fill. It is also important that the shredder not be continually used at its maximum paper capacity.

Select a shredder container

The scraps produced by a shredder can land in one of a variety of containers. Low-end shredders can drape over the edge of a standard office wastebasket while other paper shredders come with a stand that holds a plastic bag. Many shredders come equipped with their own wastebaskets. Office-grade shredders typically come with an enclosed cabinet with wheels to make it easier to roll about the office.

Overflowing bags of shredded paper are one of the most common causes of paper jams. A bin full indicator, which alerts you when a bag is full of shreds, can be a very useful feature, particularly for shredders housed in a cabinet. Replacement bags can be purchased from the shredder manufacturer or you can buy plastic bags with similar dimensions from another distributor.

Choose Paper Shredder Features

Choose Paper Shredder Features

When buying a paper shredder, consider the volume of shredding the machine will need to handle, the security level your company needs to ensure privacy, and the types of materials you need to shred.

Estimate shred volume

Think about the volume of paper the shredder will need to handle. Key characteristics to consider include the unit's paper capacity, or how much paper can be fed at once, as well as its shredding speed. Shredders aren't designed to operate at maximum paper capacity at all times. To avoid early breakdown, look for a shredder that can handle about 25% more paper than you need to shred at one time.

Know what you want to shred

Paper shredders consist of a pair of rotating cutting blades, a paper comber, and a motor that drives this assembly. Paper is fed between the two intermeshing blades and is split into many small pieces by the force of the blades. You security needs can help you determine which type of shredder to purchase:

• Strip-cut shredders: In terms of security, most businesses find that a basic strip-cut paper shredder adequately meets their security needs. These machines cut paper into ribbon-like strips, varying in width from 1/12-inch to 1-inch. Generally, you'll want a shredder that cuts paper into 1/4-inch, or smaller, strips.

• Cross-cut shredders: Businesses prefer cross-cut paper shredders for shredding more confidential documents. These machines cut both lengthwise and widthwise, turning a page into 500 to 800 confetti-like pieces of paper. For the highest security requirements (such as military contractors), there are high security particle cut models that can shred a page into more than 1,500 pieces. You may also see cross-cut shredders advertised as confetti paper shredders, a name that indicates a small shred size.

Most paper shredders are designed to handle paper and the occasional paper clip or staple. If you plan to shred computer printouts, consider a shredder with a throat (or opening) wide enough to feed paper directly into the machine. Some shredders even handle crumpled paper through a hopper design. Certain specialty shredders can also munch objects such as credit cards, CDs, DVDs, videocassettes, and computer diskettes.

Find Paper Shredders on eBay

Find Paper Shredders on eBay

Once you know what type of paper shredder you want, go to the Business & Industrial category portal, click the Shredders link under Office, Printing & Shipping, and start searching for items on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Confetti Paper Shredders, Cross Cut Paper Shredders, Strip Cut Shredders, and Other Paper Shredders.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a paper shredder that also shreds compact discs, type "CD shredder" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Commands page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Paper Shredders With Confidence

Buy Paper Shredders With Confidence

Hundreds of paper shredders listed on eBay in the Business & Industrial category will likely interest you. When trying to select the right paper shredder, get to know exactly what you're buying, research the seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Many sellers put a lot of time into creating their listings, making an effort to ensure they include all the information buyers need. Carefully read the details in listings for the paper shredders you consider buying and carefully review available photos. Before placing a bid or buying an item, be sure to:

• Have all your questions answered: If you still have questions after reading the listing and reviewing the photos, contact the seller using the Ask seller a question link in the “Seller information” box in the top right corner of every listing. Also request additional photos if you want to see the paper shredder from a particular angle that isn’t shown in the photos included in the listing. If you have more questions than you can address in email, get the seller’s phone number and give him/her a call. Some sellers even include their phone number so you can call them directly. Just remember that you need to actually bid and buy on eBay in order to be covered by eBay and PayPal protection programs (see "Buyer protection" below for more details).

• Get delivery details: Calculate and include delivery costs into your final price.

• Complete your transaction on eBay: Always complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay and PayPal protection programs (see "Buyer protection" below for more details).

• Know your payment options: Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know. Instead, pay with PayPal for amounts less than $2,000 (including deposits), a money order, or direct bank-to-bank fund transfer.

• Track items with eBay Toolbar: Use the free eBay Toolbar to track items you bid on and watch. It includes Account Guard, a feature that indicates when you're visiting a verified eBay or PayPal website and warns you when you enter your eBay password into an unverified site, even if it looks like eBay or PayPal.

Know your seller

Just as important as researching your paper shredder purchase is getting to know the seller. Take time to research the seller so that you can feel positive and secure about every transaction. Key things to look for when evaluating a seller are:

• Positive Feedback: What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have? What do buyers and sellers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Sales history: Find out how long the seller has been a registered eBay user and look at the types of items a seller typically offers.

• Terms and conditions: What are the terms and conditions of the sale? Are the terms agreeable to you? Sellers typically set terms and conditions, but you should make sure you agree with them. If not, find another seller/paper shredder or contact the seller to find out if he/she is open to your suggestions.

• Good communication: Once you’ve initiated communications with the seller, how is he/she communicating with you? Is the seller courteous and professional? Is the seller responsive? Once you bid, communicate with the seller through My Messages in My eBay. All legitimate Second Chance Offer messages will come through My Messages and not to your email address alone. Always contact the seller before accepting a Second Chance Offer, and never respond to any request to send money via Western Union or other instant cash transfer service.

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event a problem arises during your transaction, you can typically work it out with the seller. However, if you can’t, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Use PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay up to $2,000 without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. Also, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.