EBAY is the first business that I know of that is open for 365 days, 24 hours a day.  It works for every time zone in the world.  It offers products and merchandise to you, without even traveling.  It's so important to learn how it works.

SECRET 1 - Finding Your Items all Year Long.  Once you determine your interests, accessing them is next.  You can find them all year long.  It's fun to shop all year,  it's cheaper, and so much less stress.  I am not exhausted any more from holiday madness, I am prepared.

Out of Season items are listed inside stores, or on Buy it Now 30 day auctions. Climates are also different all over the country, so you can get long sleeves and sweaters in summer, and tank tops in winter.  These prices are much less than you would pay during peak holiday times.  I love certain designer sweaters, I type in, and see what new listings are up.  This summer I have bought about 5 sweaters.

SECRET 2 - Spread out your Shopping   Everyone's holiday list is stressful and exciting.  It's better to spread that list out over 12 months, instread of 2, and enjoy yourself more.  Very unique items are on here because it's global.  Some things are just not available in all parts of the country.  So make your gift list, and buy slowly all year long, instead of in 30-40 days, when prices are higher and things are harder to find. 

SECRET 3 - Know Where you Put things   I created a special set of shelves in the spare room, so that I haven't lost the gifts by the time I need to give them.  I even wrote some sticky notes on the outside of the bags.   That was a huge discovery for me, to actually save and find those things I bought in Feb. or March and know where they are 10 months later.  I used to buy these things and by the time it came to give them, I had no idea at all where I stored them.  And so many people have told me that same thing.  So essential to have it organized.

SECRET 4 - Learn Listings by Volume l  Since I love Christmas, I keep up on how many things there are.  Right now in July, more than 50,000 items are up.  Closer to Christmas, it's more like 190,000.  There are several thousand items up for Easter, etc.  So, I just keep looking, buy what I want and need, and I make it a habbit to continue to buy, to continue to check.  You can get so many deals out of season for every single holiday, and they are listed for the whole year.  So if you buy Red lights, either at Christmas or Valentine's Day, you will find many more of them, at a higher price.  If you buy them out of season, then you get the deals on them.  And the volume is less, but so is the price.

SECRET 5 - Keep the Gift List next to the Computer   I had a hard time at first, even organizing what I was buying, and I lost track.  Now, I have the list by names, and sizes, and I write down what I have purchased.  It's hard to keep it all straight unless you have a system.  Again, the point of buying in advance is to RELIEVE STRESS, not multipy it.  So if you have no list, can't remember what you got for who, it's worse because then you are buying double gifts and extras, and that's just worse.

SECRET 6 - BUY IT NOW  -  That means "buy it now".  I see so many people "hold" auctions that are on buy it now.  I have had as many as 17 watchers on one item.  And then it sells, and I get messages asking for that item.  We tend to forget that as we want something, there are millions of others with visibility to the same item.  And that's that, it's gone.  So I always tell everyone, it's that you snooze, you lose philosophy, even on here.  And many times there is not another.  So when I see what I want, if I can afford it, or budget it in, I do get it, rather than lose out because I was just "watching" it. 

SECRET 7 - IF YOU MISS ONE ITEM ONE TIME, you will likely find it on here again, with some patience. 

I once wanted those big huge Santa's Best Mickey Mouse figures, and they were selling for high prices and I wasn't around for the auction endings.  I was crushed because I wanted one so much.  And it was about another 12-18 months, when I got one.  They were not on for a while, but I kept checking and checking, and then finally, they were listed again, and in perfect condition, so I got them.  And that's true for so many popular collectibles.  Timing and constant looking is the key to getting some of these things, not just paying some outrageous amount when you happen to see one.

There are people who do not want to change their auctions from bidding to buy it now.  I respect that,  it's different for everyone.  I tend to use Buy It Now more than live auctions because of my own schedule and not being able to be at the auctions' closing.  But I get great items, without waiting and it's perfect for me.

We all have to understand how this all works so that both buyers and sellers get the benefits of Ebay.  It definately works for me, and I had to learn alot before I had a system down for myself, as a seller and as a buyer.