Buying Coupons on Ebay...Tips & Tricks

I did something a few days ago that I once said that I would NEVER do.  I bought coupons from ebay.  I discovered recently that there are times when buying coupons can save you A LOT of money. 

My husband likes the protein bars and will often have one after a workout so when I realized that the Zone Perfect Bars were free after the $1.00 off 1 coupon, I realized that I could get a great deal even if I had to buy the coupons. 

I bought fifteen $1.00 off 1 Zone Perfect Bar coupons for $1.85 {includes shipping}.  So instead of paying the retail price at Walmart of $.97 each {or $14.55 for 15 bars}, I will be paying about $.12 each {or $1.85 for 15 bars}.

Here are a few tips and tricks that I learned:

1. Sign up for an account.  If this is your first time buying on ebay, you will need to register for an account.  Since most sellers only accept paypal for payment, you will also want to sign up for a paypal account {you can do this during checkout}.
2. Search completed listings.  Since this was my first time buying coupons on ebay, I searched the completed listings to see what the highest bid was on other similar auctions so that I would know what a fair price range would be.  To do a completed listings search, click on Advanced to the right of the search bar.  Enter your keywords and then check the box that says completed listings under the search including heading.
3. Search active listings.  One of the best tips I ever received was to search with the word spelled incorrectly.  If a seller misspells a word and doesn't realize it, other people may not be able to find that listing and you may be able to snag a great deal!  Example:  If you are searching for Ghirardelli coupons on ebay you might try entering Ghiradelli or Ghiredelli in the search bar.
4. READ carefully!  When I was searching for the $1.00 off 1 Zone Perfect coupons, I noticed that there were also $.55 off 1 coupons in the listings.  If I wasn't careful, I could have bid on the $.55 off 1 coupons instead of the $1.00 off 1 coupons.  Also check the expiration dates.  The Zone Perfect coupon expires on 12/31/10 so I know I have plenty of time to use all my coupons.  Read all the fine print.  Some coupons may say one per transaction, no more than four like coupons in the same transaction, etc.  The seller should have this information in the description.
5. Check the sellers feedback.  Right before you bid, check the sellers profile and feedback to make sure you are comfortable buying from the seller.  If a seller has negative feedback including slow delivery or missing items, you will want to avoid bidding on their listings.
6. Avoid "ebay fever".  One reason that ebay is so successful is that if you're not careful, bidding can be addicting.  It's easy to get caught up in the moment or think you just HAVE to have that item.  To avoid spending too much, have a set amount that you don't want to go over and stick to it.  Don't get discouraged if someone outbids you and you lose the auction.  I have noticed that there are usually several different listings for each coupon.
7. Ebay bucks.  Ebay bucks is a rewards program where you can earn a percentage on qualifying purchases to use toward future ebay purchases.  To see all the details go here.  I earned $.03 for purchasing the Zone Perfect coupons, which may seem like a very insignificant amount, but you know what they say, "a penny saved....".
8. Send a nice note to the seller.  After I won the Zone Perfect Bars, I sent a note through ebay messages to let the seller know that I sent payment through paypal and that I was looking forward to receiving the coupons.  This is certainly not required, but is just a nice courtesy.  The seller also replied back letting me know when the coupons would be sent.
9. Problems?  If you didn't receive an item or the item was not in the condition listed, you should first contact the seller and try to resolve the issue with him/her.  If you don't get a response or aren't satisfied, you can get help from the ebay Resolution Center.
10. Happy Bidding!  Now you are ready to jump in and start saving!