eBay has a plethora of hard to find and rare Beatle records continually up for sale. Here are some hints and tips that I apply to ensure I pick up that Fab vinyl at a fab price. Undoubtedly, for some sellers, the advice I am offering will be annoying and perhaps down right irritating - which explains those who did not find this guide very  helpful <grin>.  However, for you as the buyer, these tips will help you bid with confidence and purchase Beatle vinyl at a fair price.

• Educate Yourself: Friends and family always ask me how I know what to pay for Beatle records. The answer lies in doing your homework and understanding the differences between labels, pressings and other anomolies which contribute toward a record's value. There are many reputable Beatle sites which offer excellent insight. Study that information and also track records you are interested in on eBay before getting into the bidding game. Put the item(s) on your watch list and see where the ending prices land. Keep in mind that prices vary and go through peaks and valleys. For example, during all the hype of the Beatle's 40th anniversary, record prices were going through the roof. Those prices have since leveled off and are more indicative of going rates. Expect a huge spike when the 50th anniversary is upon us in 2014! Visit my ME page to get the basics on Beatle record labels and collecting.
  
• Price Guides are Obsolete: Never gear your bidding based on published price guides - you will over pay. With the advent of eBay, the guides are essentially irrelevant. Before eBay, a collector needed to rely on a limited network of contacts or word of mouth to obtain a record they were hunting down. Back then the demand far exceeded the supply. Today, because of eBay the supply many time exceeds demand which has resulted in much lower prices for many Beatle records.
• Avoid "Famous" Sellers:  The big name or celebrity sellers get big bucks for the items they sell. Most of the price is tied to the seller's well deserved reputation but in the end you should be interested in paying a fair price for the record and not the price of the record plus an inflated premium for the seller's reputation. I have seen records up for bid by brand name sellers go for 5-10 times more than identical records with identical grading for sale by the multitude of proficient but lesser known sellers on eBay. If you are looking to truly get your monies worth, avoid getting enamored with "famous" sellers. When you buy at top dollar you did not make an investment since the record was purchased far above market value. Reality hits when many buyers attempt to resell the item and get no where near the price they paid - even when they state in their description they purchased it from the well known seller! Bottomline: if the only person capable of selling a collectible record for the price you paid is limited to a particular seller(s), then chances are - you paid far more for the record than you should have.
  
• Be Patient: eBay is a perpetual motion machine. Lost that bid on a "had to have" Beatle record? Don't dispair, it will pop up over and over again. Define a search in eBay and have new listings emailed to you.
• Avoid Items with Newbie and/or Suspected Shill Bidding: You found a Beatle record you are very interested in only to see multiple bids by IDs with "0" or "1" feedback ratings. This is either a new eBayer who is caught up in the bidding fever or the seller is placing shill bids. In either case you will most likely pay far too much for the record if you join the party. Newbies place bids with reckless disregard and drive the price up. Shill bidding is the seller placing bids with another ID (either another ID they control or that of a cohort) which artificially increase the price of the item.  There is no real way to discern whether the bidding is a newbie or a shill but if you see very low feedback placing bids, you are better served moving on. Be especially suspect of IDs with low feedback that have been around for long periods of time (e.g., 1, 2, 3 years, etc.) - this is an indication of shill bidding. Shill bidding is a serious eBay offense. If you suspect shill bidding - report it: Shill Bidding
  
• Never Bid Early: If you are really interested in pursuing a record, never bid early. When you bid early you are tossing your bid out in the open for someone else to chase. Result? Your bid will be countered and a higher price for the item is inevitable. Remember, your objective is to get the item for the very best price. By placing early bids you are defeating this objective. Wait for the last few seconds of the auction and then place your highest bid.
  
• Always Snipe: How do you place your bids at the very last few seconds of an auction? Snipe it. Sniping is the process of placing your bid as close to the end of the auction as possible. Sniping leaves other buyers no time to react and counter your bid. You can snipe manually but here are also third party companies that offer automated sniping software and services. By sniping you will win many more auctions at lower prices since you are not "showing your hand" early on during the bidding process.
• Check Out Sellers Where Vinyl Is Not Their Core Business: Although this can be a gamble, there are many reputable sellers where records are not their primary business. Many record buyers avoid these sellers in fear of getting burned but I can tell you that I have picked up some wonderful Beatle records at prices well below the going rate because I took a shot. The downside of course is the odds of ending up with a disappointing record are higher, but that's all part of the process of collecting.  If you pick and choose prudently, your good deals will far out weigh your bad ones.
  

If anyone has additional tips, please email me and I will update this guide. Happy bidding!