<h1>How to buy from Ebay </h1>- Part 3

When searching the item you need to purchase, it is best to start with a wide search and narrow it down to what you really need. For instance, if I search a ‘bracelet’ I will get some 45,000 bracelets. I can refine the search by requesting a vintage bracelet, which may bring the number of listings down to 20,000. But if I go specific and request a ‘Vintage Heart Charms Bracelet ’ to indicate that I want the charms to be heart-shaped – the selection will go down to perhaps 40 specimens and then I can really go into the individual listings and check if bracelets are signed, if they come from estate sales, if they are damaged or pristine, if the hearts are puffy, cloisonné enamel, glass, etc, if the seller seems to know what he or she is on about and if sales made previously have yielded satisfied buyers.


Once you decide you want an item, you must first register with Paypal if the seller demands this, or contact the seller to check alternative payment methods. Meanwhile you can watch the item and become an e-bay member by registering and getting your very own My eBay page where eBay helps you keep track of all the items you’re watching, the auctions due to end soon, those which have ended, your purchases and messages, as well as the chance of skimming through similar items to the finished listings you didn’t win, were watching or which belong to your Favourite Sellers.

You can also join the eBay community and share information with people collecting or researching what you’re after, whether it’s a button or a parachute. In short – it’s a whole new world, highly electronic, very fast, and extremely disciplined…. And above all – it’s great, great fun!