Here are some practical tips to buying on EBay, gleaned from over 8 years as an active buyer and seller

 1. KNOW YOUR SELLER

 This can be the most important part of your buying experience on EBay. These days, there are so many seller's to choose from, so do a bit of homework and choose wisely. Find a few sellers that you feel safe with, and stick with them. Before getting caught up in a bidding frenzy, check the seller's feedback. If there are negatives or neutrals, dig further and find out why. It may be something like slow shipping, that you can llive with. It may be from selling fraudulent knock off items or other illegal business practices.

See how long the seller has been in business. I know that we all have to start somewhere, but you will have more assurance of being in good hands if the seller has a high feedback rating, and has been around long enough to show staying power.

Find out where the buyer is located, and how often they ship. An International seller may have to charge you higher shipping costs and delivery may be slower. In most cases this should be all right, as long as you know what to expect.

Is the seller knowledgeable about the product they are selling? Don't be afraid to email ans Ask Seller a Question.

 2. KNOW YOUR SIZE

This is one of the biggest issues that hold's people back from buying clothing online. How do you know it will fit. As my probably realize, there is no standardization in clothing sizes. Every designer or manufacturer has a different idea of what a size 12 is. Unless you are very familiar with a certain label and know what size you wear by that maker, the only way to be sure is to go by the measurements. If a seller does not list measurements, email and ask for them, or move on to one who does. Be sure you clearly understand how the garment is measuremed, ie bust is measured lying flat, armpit to armpit, doubled etc. Generally measurements given will be of the clothing, not of the person they will fit. You need to be sure to add enough extra to allow for comfort and ease of movement, usually an extra 2-4 ". The safest way is to find a similarly constructed garment in you closet and measure it.

Be sure to find out what the seller's return policy is if the item you buy from them does not fit as expected.

 3. KNOW IF YOU ARE BEING CHARGED A FAIR SHIPPING PRICE

Most eBay sellers will add a certain amount onto the actual shipping cost to help cover their costs of shipping your purchase to you. These include costs for boxes, bags, bubble wrap, tissue etc, cost of getting your item to the post office, hidden fees in the shipping, and often cost to pay someone to do the packing and shipping. Some shipping services, such as Canada Post for example have hidden fees that do not show up on the postage meter stamp. These include sales tax and fuel surcharge. There is also the cost of delivery confirmation, tracking and often insurance. This is worked into all online and mail order shipping costs. Most eBay sellers will do everything in their power to keep the cost of shipping as low as possible. If the seller has unusual costs involved with their shipping, they should explain this in their listing.

One way to keep your shipping cost down is to buy in multiples. I know that whenever I buy something on eBay, the first thing I do is check through all of the seller's listings to see if there is anything else I would like to add to the order that would bring the shipping cost up very little if at all. If the seller does not specifically mention that they combine shipping, ask.

Familiarize yourself with the basic costs of shipping a package. This way you will have a fair idea if you are being charged a fair price. You can look up shipping rates on the USPS and all major shipping companies on the internet. In most cases you can roughly estimate the weight an item will be, but keep in mind that if the package is even a few ounces over your estimate this may put it in a higher price bracket. 

 4. KNOW WHEN TO ASK QUESTIONS

If every there is anything you are unsure about after carefully reading the item description, and seller's terms of sale, email them and ask. You can often tell a lot about the seller from the reply you receive (or lack of). If exact color is important and not stated in the description, ask, don't rely on it coming across accurately on your monitor. If you need it for a special occasion and are unsure about delivery time, ask.

 5. KNOW THE TERMS AND RETURN POLICY

Most sellers will clearly state their return policy and terms of sale on every listing page. Anything you are unsure of, ask. Anything you are unhappy with, hit the back button. If the shipping price is not stated, or there is not a shipping calculator provided at the bottom of the page, be sure you know before you bid. What happens if the item doesn't fit, if you hate the color, if you find undisclosed damage, if it is more worn than you expected? These are all things you need to know before bidding. How often does the seller ship, and what shipping company is used?