Audio at Home

This is a very quick and simple tutorial on some advanced techniques for finding home audio equipment on eBay. I am writing this because I want you all to know these tricks. I will be discussing some products in the next few weeks that are often readily (and cheaply) available on eBay. With some of these tricks up your sleeves, you will have a much better chance at nabbing the best items at the best prices.

Setting up an Ebay Account

If you don’t already have an eBay account, you will need to register for one. It is free and easy. I’ll just quickly go over this for the newest-of-newbies. Just go to the eBay home page and click on one of the several “Register” links. You will be taken to a page with a short form. Fill out the personal data, choose your ID and password and you are done. Now you have the world of inexpensive electronics (and anything else you could possible imagine!) at your fingertips.

The Basic Search

You are all logged in, but feeling overwhelmed. There are all these categories and links everywhere. What next? We are going to start with a very basic search using the categories. On the left you will see a list of categories. Click on “Consumer Electronics.” This will take you to another page with a list of more specific categories. This list is in alphabetical order so scroll down a bit and in the middle column you will see “Home Audio.” Click on that link in bold - the other categories will drill down further, but you might miss some items because people choose their own categories and it doesn’t always make perfect sense.

On the left you will see a section called “Product Finder,” under that should be two links “Home Speakers” and “Home Audio Receivers.” Choose one - depending on what you happen to be looking for - and you will get a listing of every item in that category. At this point, you will most likely want to use the “Home Speakers Finder” and/or “Search Options” filters in the left sidebar. If you have a more specific idea of what you are looking for, use the search bar and type in your keywords. I recommend always checking the “Search title and description” box because you will be sure to get all results related to your keywords. A good key phrase to begin with is “Home Theater.”

The Typo Search

We all know people make mistakes, right? Well, when it comes to eBay someone’s mistake can be to your advantage. Of the millions of auctions on eBay at any given time, there are many that are entered using misspelled words. Most searchers are not going to find these auctions because they are looking for items using the correct spelling. While this tactic will not always be successful, you can get some killer deals simply by using a few free online tools that will automatically use your original keyword(s) to find auctions where the title has been misspelled.

Once you run a search with one of these tools, you will easily be able to see how they work. Essentially, the application generates a massive list of possible misspellings of your keywords. It then redirects your browser to eBay and enters that list into the search bar and hits search for All Categories. The keywords will still be entered in the search field after the search is done, so you are able to narrow your search by choosing a specific category. Here is a short list of tools and applications available to help you find these hidden items:

• eBay Auction Typo Toolbar
  If you have Internet Explorer or Firefox you can download this free toolbar. Once installed, the toolbar will appear with your other browser tools (just like the Google search toolbar) so you can search for misspelled auctions without even opening a new window or tab.
• Auction Bloopers
  This is a website that allows you to search several different auction sites for misspelled listings.
• Fat Fingers
  This search engine works just like Auction Bloopers with the added option to choose a language other than English for your search. Although it is possible to do that with the other tools, Fat Fingers makes it easier by automatically directing you to the appropriate eBay country site.

The Generic Item Search

Sometimes people sell things on eBay about which they are entirely clueless. Whether they found the item and don’t know exactly what it is or they are selling for someone else without the proper information, you can get some great deals by using very generic search terms. Let me make myself clear on this one. I am not saying that you ought to take advantage of people’s ignorance. The idea is you will have a better chance of winning the item at a good price.

Here’s how this works. Let’s say grandmother left someone an old console stereo-television unit. You know, the ones with a stereo, record player and television built into a beautiful wooden cabinet? They don’t want the thing and it is taking up a huge amount of space in their house so they decide to sell it on eBay. There aren’t really any markings or branding of any kind so they just call it “1950s television” and keep the description short as well.

There might be some bidders based on this keyword who really dug into the results. For the most part, the people looking for a specialized item like this won’t find this particular listing because it isn’t specific enough. This means you could be one of the few bidders and have a better chance of getting the item at a lower price. Above I mentioned that I do not advocate taking advantage of anyone. If Bobby gets Grandpa’s Babe Ruth rookie card and decides he might be able to get a couple bucks for it because it’s so old, don’t buy it at $5.

I mean, you can, I don’t want to tell you what to do. What I would do is email Bobby and tell him that the card is worth much much more than he is asking and that perhaps he ought to learn a bit more about Grandpa’s collection before he starts selling it off. I say go for the good deal, but try not to rip anyone off. It’s bad for your karma and your digestion.

The Super-Specific Search

In this case, you know exactly what you want. Though you may not find it this way, the first thing you want to do is at least try to find a perfect match. It does happen. If you want a 13″ Sony subwoofer from 1997, by all means, search for it. You can always broaden your search if you don’t hit pay dirt. This search is often not the best way to find a great deal, but it often is the best way to get exactly what you want.

The Anti-And-Or-The Search

Unlike many search engines like Google, an eBay search will treat the words “and,” “or” and “the” with just as much importance as any other words. Since everyone thinks a bit differently, this can really get in the way of you finding the results you want. This is especially true if you are looking for a specific title and using quotes. If the seller didn’t use the title just as you are typing it, you will not find the listing.

For the newbies, I’ll finish this article up with a few basic eBay tips:

• Before bidding on an item, check the seller’s feedback rating. This is based on those who have bought from him or sold to him. It is an excellent indicator of whether or not this is a safe person from which to purchase an item.
• If it seems too cheap to be true, it’s probably false. Always check the shipping and, if it isn’t listed, send the seller a message asking how much they charge. I recently landed a book for 99 cents. I had asked in advance how much shipping was going to be charged and the seller said, “I just charge whatever it costs to ship it and package it.” That was fine by me.
  
  When I won the item the seller asked for my zip code and then updated the item price with shipping charges. Apparently he will be shipping it Fedex overnight in gold leaf packaging because for some reason “his costs” equalled $25.00. And, no, it isn’t some sort of Complete Unabridged Works of Shakespeare, it’s Personal Finance For Dummies, 5th edition. There is a Barnes and Noble less than ten minutes from my house where I could have purchased the book for like $15, but I thought I’d get it used for a good deal. So, yeah, always get the shipping specifics because this sort of shipping markup is very common. With expensive, fragile items like home audio equipment, be sure to ask the seller to add shipping insurance as well. It’s a bit extra, but worth it for the peace of mind.
• Check the return policy. Again, be clear on this, especially if you are going to be purchasing expensive, fragile home audio equipment. Make sure you can return it if it is not what you wanted or in poor condition. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a broken $500 surround sound system. Man, that would suck. And every day it would mock you, reminding you how stupid you’d been to not ask about the return policy. Also, you’d probably take against eBay permanently.
• eBay’s policies strictly forbid auctions from being taken outside of eBay. If a seller emails you (or if you are selling, a buyer) and says they can make you a better deal if you just worked something out together, say no. Again, say whatever you want, I’m not telling you want to do. This is really just my ethics talking, but just stick with the program. Also, these types of emails are also often scam emails trying to get you to part with personal information. The wise thing to do is to keep all eBay transactions and communications within eBay for the safety and good karma of all involved.
• You can contact individual sellers via eBays internal message system. However, if you are having trouble with someone and they are not responding, you can request their outside contact information. eBay will either give you their phone number or call the seller for you to work out the issue.
• If your credit card does not have a good buyer protection program, always use PayPal. Some credit cards will refund you if a sale goes wrong or some form of fraud takes place, but it all depends on the plan you have. If you do not have this type of protection or you aren’t sure, use PayPal for your eBay purchases. Personally, I would recommend using PayPal regardless because it is just the safest way to go when purchasing online. PayPal’s Buyer Protection plan will ensure that your money and privacy are safe if anything goes wrong.

I could - and many people have - write a couple of books about how to use eBay, but my goal with this article is to just teach you a new and interesting way of obtaining home audio products. EBay has a little bit of everything and a whole lot of electronics. I will be mentioning eBay in some of my upcoming articles, so I thought it best to be sure that everyone is on the same page and has knowledge of all the tools and tricks to which I will be referring. If you have any questions about anything discussed here, please feel free to ask in the comments.

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