How do YOU search E-Bay?

[FastEddy]

When your looking for something, Tell me how you do it.
Do you type in a part number?
Do you look at a category?
Do you go directly to a favorite seller?
Do you search on a a single key word?

If more then one seller has a product what makes you buy from one over another?

Just wondering.

 

[jon2]

Keywords for me and than if more than one seller has them I like to use the compare feature. Helps to see who has the best deal and what seller rating they have.

 

[Candyman]

Keywords. There's just too much stuff to wade through to be any more general than that. I do have a few sellers that I will check in on if I'm looking for something I know they'll have. Otherwise it's as specific of a search as I can get.

 

[itsme]

Keywords for me also, plus certain favorite sellers.

 

[AC48]

Keywords for me too, if two sellers have the same thing and it costs the same, but one has higher shipping and a lower price, I'd rather buy the one that is priced higher but has a legit shipping price. I hate when sellers jack up the shipping to make it look like they are selling things cheap. It also depends on the listing, which looks more professional, and of course the pics. Better pics are always good.

 

[robmob]

Keywords.

If more than one seller has the item, I then check feedback, selling history, location, shipping cost and whether the seller takes PayPal.

 

[vbgagnon]

Keywords for me. If there are a few with the same item, it comes down to total cost. Unless its $.50 then it goes to feedback.

 

[beason]

keywords, then compare shipping. if someone I've bought from befor is just a bit more $ ill buy from them just because i know they wont screw me.

 

[NCNitro]

Do you type in a part number? Nope

Do you look at a category? Nope

Do you go directly to a favorite seller? Many times I start with a few of my favorite sellers.

Do you search on a a single key word? Usually, or for a particular items

If more then one seller has a product what makes you buy from one over another?

Several things will determine this for me. First the sellers feedback, If a seller has poor feedback, slow to ship, poor communication after the sale, etc. I will avoid this seller. And also SHIPPING costs, this is a biggie! If they charge a buck or two less for something but then smack me with a huge shipping charge I look elsewhere. First of all you in the event of a claim you are only protected for the item price and not the shipping cost, so in the event of a claim if two sellers end total was the same, but one had a much lower item price with a jacked up shipping price, all you can hope to regain is the low item price, the shipping is gone. Also most people who shop online have a fairly good idea how much it cost to ship something. I look for a competative seller with good feedback. I have my few favorites that I will almost alway check with first then go from there.

 

[neobart]

I start with a keyword search, and then look for the sellers I have previous experiance with. If I'm looking for numerous parts, I go with whomever has most if not all of them.

 

[xShane07x]

yeah keywords then just go thru a category!

 

[FastEddy]

If the seller has an e-bay store, do you browse it before you buy?

 

[jon2]

First of all you in the event of a claim you are only protected for the item price and not the shipping cost, so in the event of a claim if two sellers end total was the same, but one had a much lower item price with a jacked up shipping price, all you can hope to regain is the low item price, the shipping is gone.

Damn Joe -- That is a great piece of info! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[robmob]

If the seller has an e-bay store, do you browse it before you buy?

If a seller has an item I am interested in, I always browse their other auctions/store.

 

[SMaxxin]

Do you type in a part number? Sometimes

Do you look at a category? Toys & Hobbies> Radio Control

Do you go directly to a favorite seller? If a seller does something I like I put them on the list and try to give them first shot at my business.....Nothing beat communication and a fair shipping price!!!

Do you search on a a single key word? Yes

If more than one seller has what I'm looking for it goes in this order

Feedback
Price and shipping
If the prices are close I'll go with faster shipping. I'll pay a little more to the guy that charges actual shipping...I'll never buy from a seller that overcharge on shipping!

If I find the item I want and the seller has a store and offers combined shipping I usually browse/buy.

 

[HeartBreak]

I usually go to the advanced search, type in part number, check "search title and description", then hit search.

If the results are too many, I start narrowing out the bad stuff, using some google-like tricks (ebays search is a LOT like google). Simply prefix the terms you don't want with a -. It helps weed out the junk.

Then, once I get close, I open a bunch of 'em in seperate windows, looking for the best deal.

If there's a whole lot of 'em, sometimes I'll jump right to the last page, since that's where the newly listed buy it nows are. Sometimes you can score some tremendous deals there.

 

[NCNitro]

Many times I will check a sellers store if I find he has good prices and fair shipping on the initial item I was looking for.

 

[rocknbil]

Category -> keyword in that category.

 

[Plaidfish]

If I have teh part number I try that first ....then I limit the results by category...if nothing then I do keywords and limit by category....if none of the prices suit me then I start hunting throught the full listings (no category) and sometimes I look by typing mispelling the keywords...youd be surprised at the deals you can find by doing that.....I got a G&S Fiber flex vintage "skatboard" for 30 bucks doing that.......LOL...and yes I do know what that could have meant

 

[wannarunem]

Do you type in a part number... seldom

Do you look at a category?... it depends what i am looking for. i find this helpful when browsing for musical insruments,such as a guitar.

Do you go directly to a favorite seller? ...Yes

Do you search on a a single key word? ...sometimes just one keyword, and sometimes multiple words.