I have been buying & selling guitars, basses, pedals, and other assorted music-related gear & items on eBay since 2002 and elsewhere since 1967.

One tip is above all else --> RESEARCH.

Rarely do you just luck up and know what an item is worth or know it when you see a great deal. It happens here but not too often.

I like to try out an instrument first in a store or pawn shop. If I like how it sounds or plays I do more in-depth RESEARCH first. I check on the item via searching eBay, Google, and Harmony Central's user reviews database. Having a hard-copy guide doesn't hurt either. Experience is good too but not all of us have such. So you can also ask folks online in forums and e-Groups for info. Many sites are very eager to share knowledge about an item.

You can easily check what some item has sold for on eBay using the "Completed Items" box checked and then do a search. If you are fortunate, you can see a good spread of prices the item sold for. Pawn shops use this feature at eBay to determine what to give the poor clueless seller for items they then sell or pawn. Pawnshops will hold it, sell in-house or list it on eBay themselves according to RESEARCH.

There's an olde saying, "Information is power." This is true up to a point and then there is blind luck power too.

So decide what you want to own for whatever reason. Determine amount you can afford and search within that budgetary parameter. You want a vintage Gibson ES-335 or Fender Broadcaster but only want to spend $40? You can forget it on eBay, at a pawn shop or in a music store. Only blind luck may let it happen to you at a yard sale or flea market. So be realistic about what you can spend and then search religiously within that budget.

Set your eBay account to have your "favorite searches" saved and get e-mailed when an item of interest is listed. I have found oodles of great vintage gear that way. Add item to your "watch list" so eBay can keep you posted as to auction status. Search for the item being spelled wrong. Search with alternate terms like "DOD FX33 FX-33" Digitech to find that rare pedal. Search item AND description. Be thorough in your searches as many a deal can be found when that holy grail Yamaha UD Stomp is listed as "Yahama U D Stmp" by a seller who can't type.

Okay -- now you found one or two of what you want listed on eBay. Great. Do consider asking sellers to share all the info you need. Don't guess about item from a limited description or fuzzy pictures. Many a seller is eager to help get item sold and so they answer e-mails. Sometimes, sellers are slow to reply but if the price is good and their feedback is strong -- you might just want to go for it.

Once you have done ALL your homework, know that the item has high marks from users, and you have a firm belief the seller is fair and honest -- consider bidding smartly.

How do I bid to win? I have many tips and tricks THAT WORK. But that's for next time . . . Good luck!