Research before you buy!  Surf the web for other sites and auctions.  You can very often purchase something cheaper from a retail store than you can at an aution!  For example, I have seen purchases on eBay for Estee Lauder products that cost more with or without shipping than the price of the product including shipping from the Estee Lauder site!  Before you buy, think about the seller - how much do you know about the seller?  How do you know where their items come from?  How old are the items?  Are there warranties or guarantees to back up their products?  What kind of perosn is the seller?  If you order a face cream, are you getting what you ordered, or something else that has been put in the container?  How would you know?  Why would you pay full price for something you could buy from a reputable source?  Considering what you know about the seller, which is nothing, why wouldn't you research other options before spending your hard earned dollar?  For Estee Lauder products, or whatever, go to the EL site and add your selections to the cart, then go to the shipping chart and add that to the total, make a list of what each item would cost you with the shipping and then go shopping at other sites and choose the best deal.  If you choose to purchase from an eBay seller or another unknown aution seller or retail site, decide before you buy just how much you are willing to pay for some unknown product that the seller is claiming to be Estee Lauder.  Certainly not retail!  Maybe half price with shipping or a little more if the seller has great feedback, but never, ever retail!  Ask questions, "where & how did you (the seller) get it?  How old is it?  Is it guaranteed to be Estee Lauder or is it something else or mixed with something else?"  Don't ever go over the prices you have decided on.  You might lose one auction, but there will always be another.  I never purchase "Buy it Now" items, because they are almost always overpriced, but you can check it out and see if the items fit in your decided price range.  If you are buying a sample or trial size, do the math, using the prices with shipping you have decided are your maximums, and bid that max.  Let it go if someone else outbids you, because it could end up being their loss!  Keep an eye on shipping charges.  Some eBay sellers are notorious for outrageous shipping charges, so always include that in your maximim "decided" prices.