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Step 2: Conduct Research Step 3: Bid or Buy Step 4: Complete Your Purchase Step 1: Find Items
Use search to find a broad range of items (such as by general item description keyword) or narrow down your search to a particular brand or model. There are several ways to search on eBay Business:
If you find that you are always searching for the same items, try creating a Favorite Search. Favorite searches allow you to store your most frequently run searches. You can even have the search results emailed to you.
Step 2: Conduct Research
Learn about the Item Once you find an item that you are interested in purchasing, you should use eBay and other online or offline resources to obtain information about the item's history, features, and current condition. Read the Item Description Thoroughly The description is the seller's chance to elaborate on all the details of the item, such as the condition, terms of sale, any guarantee, and so forth. Descriptions do vary, and the most successful sellers will be very thorough. If you have a question that isn't addressed in the description, contact the seller by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link at the top of the listing. Don't wait until the end of the auction. Assume Capital Equipment is Sold in "As Is" Condition Make an independent assessment of the condition of the equipment and again, contact the seller with any questions about condition before making an offer. Be realistic in your expectations of used or older equipment and expect normal "wear and tear." If possible, make arrangements with the seller to see the capital equipment in person or have an inspection service inspect the equipment to ensure accurate representation. An inspection is a reliable way of validating a seller's claims about an item's condition. Learn about the Seller While you are gathering information about the item, establish contact with the seller and review the seller's feedback rating on eBay. Many sellers include their phone number in their listings. If this information isn't available, you may request the seller's phone number via email. Sometimes a phone call is much more efficient than back and forth emails. Establish Contact With the Seller If you cannot reach your seller, or your seller is inaccessible by email and phone, do not buy the item until you have made successful contact and the seller has addressed your questions to your satisfaction. According to eBay policy, if you are unable to reach the seller during the course of the auction, you may retract your bid once it has been placed (up until the last 12 hours of the listing). Review the Seller's Feedback Rating Check the seller's feedback rating for positive comments and to see whether the seller has sold similar items in the past. Please be aware when you are buying equipment from an individual who is selling equipment for the first time on eBay Business & Industrial. In this case, a seller with a low feedback rating may not always be a cause for concern. It is best to establish contact with the seller to understand the situation. Feedback is a critical part of buying and selling on eBay. It provides important information to buyers and sellers about the people with whom they are transacting. As such, it is one of the most powerful ways to build trust and a reputation on the site. For this reason, you should look at every seller's complete feedback history. Keep in mind that some sellers' feedback scores might be low, because they are just starting out on eBay and have received little or no feedback. If you are interested in purchasing an item from a seller who has a low feedback score, be sure to contact the seller directly in order to form your own opinion. 
Estimate Your Costs Before you bid or buy, you should:
All bids on eBay are binding; therefore, you should make sure that you know how much you can afford. A great way to determine a realistic price is to look at final sale prices for similar items that sold on eBay. This can be done easily by using the Completed Items option within Advanced Search. If an item is selling at a price far below fair market price, use extra caution as to the nature of the transaction and try to understand what may be contributing to such a low price such as damage, title issues, and so forth. Know Your Total Costs and How You'll Cover Them If you are bidding or buying large, heavy or bulky equipment, consider other potential costs such as state taxes, and any shipping costs. If the seller isn't local, make sure you know how you will pick up the equipment or arrange shipping if you are the successful buyer (typically, sellers can help arrange shipping, but buyers usually pay for it). Get freight quotes from Freightquote.com, a company that provides quotes on shipping large, heavy or bulky equipment. Provide eBay With Your Credit Card Information if You Are Bidding Over $15,000 You are required to have a credit card on file with eBay if you bid more than $15,000 for an item. You will be notified that you need to provide this information when you bid; therefore, allow yourself some extra time if you are bidding during the last minutes of an auction. Your credit card will not be charged; instead, eBay uses it to confirm your identity-a safety measure to help protect both buyers and sellers from potential high-bidding fraud. Apply for Financing for Capital Equipment if You Want to Make Monthly Payments Buying what you want is easier when you can make affordable monthly payments. Consider asking the seller to offer financing through eBay's third-party service provided by Direct Capital. Visit the eBay Financing Center to arrange financing before you bid or after you buy or to calculate monthly payments. Conduct Research - Buyer Protection Programs eBay offers the following buyer protection programs: Capital Equipment Programs: Business Equipment Purchase Protection eBay Business helps protect buyers against fraud and material misrepresentation through its Business Equipment Purchase Protection program. Your capital equipment purchase is protected for up to $20,000 or the equipment purchase price, whichever is lower. This program is provided for free on all eligible capital equipment transactions completed on the eBay Business site on or after June 2, 2005, with a winning bid amount of at least $1,000. There's no sign-up, opt-in, or registration necessary. Learn more about the Business Equipment Purchase Protection program. Non-Capital Equipment Programs: PayPal Buyer Protection PayPal Buyer Protection offers free coverage up to $1,000 when you buy from qualified sellers. Learn more about PayPal Buyer Protection. eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program For most items, eBay covers you up to $200 (minus a $25 processing fee) in the event that you don't receive your item or it is significantly not as described. Learn more about the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program.
Step 3: Bid or Buy
Bid or Buy - Register To buy on eBay Business, you must register as an eBay member. Register As an eBay Member The one-time registration process at eBay is free and easy. When you register at eBay, you will be asked to:
Most eBay Business item listings are in an auction-style format where items sell to the highest bidder. To bid on an item, click the Place Bid button on the item page and enter the maximum amount that you want to spend. Here's How Bidding on eBay Works:
Note: When you place a bid, you are entering into a contract with your seller. Make sure that you want the item before you bid or buy. Reserve Price Auctions Some auctions have a reserve price-a hidden minimum price-for an item. A reserve price is the minimum price a seller is willing to accept for the item. As a buyer, you are not shown the reserve price, only whether or not the reserve has been met. When you're bidding on a Reserve Price Auction, bid as usual, entering the maximum amount you're willing to pay for the item. Watch the label next to the current price to see whether the reserve price has been met. Until you see that the reserve price has been met, there will be no successful bids in the auction. Once the reserve has been met, the item will sell to the highest bidder when the auction closes. Best Offer eBay's new "Best Offer" pricing is available on anything sold on eBay in the Fixed Price format. A seller who opts to use the free Best Offer option indicates in the eBay item listing that buyers can submit flat fee offers, which the seller can accept or reject. Capital equipment buyers can go through three offer cycles, increasing the chances that a price agreement can be reached. To find out more, see http://pages.ebay.com/bestoffer/. Confirm Your Intent to Purchase Sellers may choose to email potential buyers to verify their intent to purchase an item. It is important that you follow up with the seller, because he may legitimately cancel your bid if he does not receive a reply within a specified period of time Bid or Buy - Buy It Now Some sellers offer you the choice to bid or Buy It Now. Other sellers may only offer the Buy It Now option. With Buy It Now, you have a special opportunity to purchase the item immediately without waiting for an online auction to end. If available, click the Buy It Now button at the bottom of the item page. If there is more than one item available, indicate your desired quantity and confirm your purchase. In some cases, a seller may require immediate payment or deposit with PayPal. In this case, it is important to complete your purchase right away, as the item will remain available for purchase until your payment transaction has been confirmed. 
Note: When you use the Buy It Now option, you are entering into a contract with your seller. Make sure that you want the item before you bid or buy. Step 4: Complete Your Purchase
Complete Your Purchase - Pay the Seller Once you have been notified that you are the winning bidder, you may begin the payment process to complete the purchase of your item. It is important to follow the seller's instructions regarding accepted payment methods as they were described on the item page. If you are purchasing non-capital equipment, many sellers accept payments via PayPal. If you are purchasing capital equipment, you should follow the seller payment instructions which may include some type deposit (if required) followed by the balance payoff amount. Financing for Capital Equipment Buying what you want is easier when you can make affordable monthly payments. Consider asking the seller to offer financing through eBay's third-party service provided by Direct Capital. Visit the eBay Financing Center to arrange financing before you bid or after you buy or to calculate monthly payments. Complete Your Purchase - Arrange Pickup/Shipping It is standard practice on eBay Business for the buyer to make the arrangements and pay the costs associated with picking up or shipping the equipment. The seller should have specified who will pay for the shipping. Sellers will often provide estimates of shipping costs to various locations around the U.S. For capital equipment, eBay Business also provides quotations from third-party shippers through Freightquote.com. To learn more, see the Freight Resource Center. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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