When shopping on online auction sites, it's easy to get wrapped up in a bidding war with another buyer. In the heat of the auction bidding war, you can even end up paying more than the item is worth or more than what the item sells for in brick and mortar stores or other online shops. Here are some tips to help you avoid paying too much when shopping on eBay.

Watching

When you're browsing eBay and you find a must have item, resist your impulse to immediately bid. Place the item on watch instead and keep an eye on the auction. When the auction is in it's last day or last few hours, then you can consider bidding. Putting items on watch, instead of immediately bidding on them, also avoids the dreaded buyers or bidders remorse, where you come back a couple days later and you aren't quite as excited about bidding as before. You can also compare similar items by placing them on watch and then, considering the current bids, decide later which one you really want to bid on.

Sniping

Sniping is one of the very best ways to avoid paying too much on eBay. There are numerous third party websites and tools that allow you to sign up and set up what is called a "snipe". You simply enter the auction number and then the highest price you're willing to pay, then set the snipe for however many seconds to wait before making your bid. The sniping tool will bid on your item within the last few seconds of the auction. By bidding within the last few seconds you avoid driving up the price too early or bringing extra attention to the listing. Listings that have bids on them tend to be viewed more often than listings with no bids. The more eyes that see the auction, the more likely it is that there will be more bids and interest, and therefore, more competitors for it. Sniping may sound illegal, but it's not. It's a viable and even essential tool for bargain hunters on eBay. Quite simply, snipers get more auctions for good prices than non snipers.

Compare Prices

Just like in regular brick and mortar stores or online, you can compare prices for many items on eBay. If you're looking for something mass produced, like for instance, a Titanic DVD, you're likely to find dozens of listings for the same item. You can compare the prices of the auctions very easily when you're searching eBay. Though, you should be sure to take note of vast differences in starting price versus the shipping cost. Also, watch out for handling or processing fees.

Buy It Now

Some bargains can be had by looking at the newest items listed and then using Buy It Now on those items. Sometimes you can get good deals and prices if you find an item that has just been listed and has a reasonable Buy It Now price. Sellers often use Buy It Now to get rid of the item quickly, so you can take advantage of that.

Shipping

Shipping is probably the biggest drawback of online shopping and especially eBay shopping. Some sellers will offer exact shipping to your destination, but others will charge ridiculous shipping costs. Make absolutely sure to factor in the exact shipping cost when considering bidding. If the shipping cost isn't posted, ASK before bidding! There's few worse things than thinking you got a great deal but then you get the invoice and the shipping costs are much more than anticipated.

Using these tips, you should not only be able to avoid paying too much for something on eBay, but you'll most likely get a great price as well.

About the Author

Lydia Quinn writes for eBayBar.net, where you can search eBay, register for an account and find the most watched and most popular items on eBay. Visit us at: http://www.ebaybar.net/