For those of us who have caught the Car and Truck bug, eBay has presented itself as an extremely valuable tool in locating those hard to find parts, or simply as a  means of acquiring parts and accessories that we want to enhance the performance or appearance of our vehicle.

I am as guilty as the next person when it comes to wanting to upgrade my vehicles. We all have our own tastes and opinions, and this is an opportunity to take advantage of what is available around the world to satisfy our desires.

There are a few simple steps that everyone should take to help maximize the efficiency of their money.

First, FIND THE PART!

Whether you are broken down, and need something to get yourself back on the road (or offroad) and need something to fix it, identify what it is you need.  Many parts on todays vechicles have numerous different names, so knowing what other people may call that part as well, will make your search results increase. Each of our tastes may be different, but identify what is important to you, so when you are searching for your item, you can locate the most likely item for your purchase that matches. Is it a new part? Used? Is it packaged in the original container? Are all necessary components included? Simple questions that you can answer for yourself make finding the right item much easier for you when it is time to make the purchase!

Second, HOW MUCH!

We all like to know that we are getting a good deal on something. So, it helps to look around and see how much other people are selling this item for. Check where the item is coming from! In some cases, an item that is priced lower than another, yet farther away and more costly to ship may end up costing you more money overall! And on that token, knowing where your item is coming from, may be more of an importance to you. If you need something with a little bit of urgency, and the item is closer to your home, that extra few dollars may not be as important. Need more than one of what you are looking at? Ask the seller if they offer a discount if you buy more than one. I like to throw this in as well. Many times we are buying a part for a vehicle that we have made a purchase for in the past. Check with the seller of that last part, see if they have it available. Some sellers offer return customer discounts. Or, that seller may have stood out as being extremely knowledgeable, gone way above expectations or made every effort to take care of you. The confidence you have in a sellers ability to take care of you  may be worth more than the difference in a few dollars. Overall, the only price that is too high is one that you are not willing to spend.

Third, ASK QUESTIONS!

There is nothing like buying and paying for an item, only to have it get to you and it not be what you thought it was. A majority of unsatisfactory transactions could have been avoided if the buyer asked questions about an item prior to the purchase. ASK IF IT WILL FIT YOUR VEHICLE! Many items out there will fit more than one application, and yours may not be spelled out in the listing. And some listings may be a little obscure. Don't be afraid to contact the seller on it. Make sure anything you are unsure of gets clarified. That way, you reduce the likelyhood of saying to yourself, THIS SUCKS! In many cases, you are benefiting yourself, the seller, and other potential buyers as well. You can get what you want, the seller can see of a way of clarifying their listing and other buyers who may not have asked a question won't have to.

Lastly, FEEDBACK!

This is a great tool that ebay provides to us all to help with our purchases. Know the seller! Unlike a walk in store, you don't have the privelage of seeing your seller, and looking them in the eye. Their feedback rating is there to help you with that. And don't just go by the feedback number, check their percentage as well. A seller may have a score of 1000, which is good, but a percentage of 50 means that there is another 1000 that weren't very satisfied. Knowing how satisfied other buyers have been, will make you more comfortable in sending them your money for your purchase. Or, just the opposite! If you see an item at a price that seems too good to be true, and the seller has a low feedback percentage, there is probably a reason. Read the feedback itself, good or bad, know what other people are saying. Sometimes, feedback is left for bad reasons, and seeing a sellers response to a negative may overcome some objections.

And here is something that I like to add. SITUATION: You just received an item that you purchased, and it does not meet your expectations, is damaged, or no where near what you thought you paid for. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY LEAVE BAD FEEDBACK! Contact the seller, inform them of your dissatisfaction. Give them an opportunity to make you satisfied. But have realistic expectations. If the reason you are not satisfied is a result of an error on your part, is it really fair to the seller to leave them a negative? If they did make a mistake and went above and beyond to correct it, wouldn't it be fair to them to leave them a positive?  Mistakes happen, and how a seller responds to them may make the difference in whether or not you buy from them again.

Overall, transactions we make on ebay are what we make of them. Preparing yourself ahead of time will increase your level of satisfaction when you receive your item. Know what you want, how much you are willing to spend, and finding the right person to buy from are simple yet extremely important factors in making your experience a success. Most of what I have said, you will see or hear from others. But a freshly reminder never hurts. GOOD LUCK!