Hello to all the readers out there in eBay land,  and thanks for taking the time to read my guide.  While this guide is designed with coin collectors in mind (that is my area of expertise),  the suggestions I make do apply to all areas of eBay sales.  I hope the information I'm sharing will help you save money on your purchases, and make money on your sales.

1. Always read seller feedback before bidding.
2. Make sure you know whether PayPal is available (if that's the payment method you use).
3. Never bid without knowing the shipping costs or knowing the seller (a good seller will not make his /her money through hiked up shipping costs).
4. If you are confused about an item,  ask before bidding.  A good seller will address your concerns.
5. Don't pay before receiving an invoice,  you may miss a combined shipping discount,  or underpay.
6. Take the time to look at sales that don't have attention grabbing titles.  If a seller hasn't taken the time to do a proper listing,  not many people will bother with his/her listing,  and there are many bargains to be had.
   
7. The best bargains can be found on auctions ending late at night/early in the morning.  There simply aren't any bidders to bid against you at that hour.
8. The best bargains can be had from sellers who inherited collections from parents,  but have no interest (or knowledge) in the hobby.  Conversely,  estate sales are often done by professionals, so hidden gems are rare to impossible to find.
   
9. Newly listed buy-it-now items are better deals than the older buy-it-now items.  Old items have been passed over,  while you may be the first to look at a new item (which carries the potential to have been mis-listed or have hidden gems).
   
10. Be careful with the buy-it-now items with a submit best offer option.  Many sellers will have a $10 item,  list at a buy-it-now of $40 with a submit best offer option.  A buyer who thinks he's making a lowball offer of $20 is paying double the value of the item.  Offer what the book price is,  not a price that tries to appease the seller.
11. Buy the book and do your research.  Buying coins without any knowledge can lead you to spend hundreds of dollars on a $20 collection.
12. Always end your sale in the evening.  Sales ending at odd hours don't get top prices.
13. Highlight key items in your sales,  if you are selling a large lot with one key item, pay the fee and use a subtitle to mention it.  If you don't mention it,  you won't get it's value returned.
14. Don't use the Featured Item listing on a common item.  You'll be lucky if you get enough returned to cover the cost of the listing,  much less the item's actual value.
15. Re-read your listing before posting.  Spelling mistakes can mean your item isn't found by the search engine,  and thus doesn't get the price it commands.  I've made some nice money buying "Sliver" coins.
16. Make sure your listing is coherent.  If people can't understand what you're saying/selling,  they're not going to buy it.  If you're selling an item in a language that isn't your primary language,  find someone who speaks the language to help translate properly. 
    
17. State your shipping costs in your listing.  Many eBayers are reluctant to bid on an item without knowing the hidden cost.  If you don't know the exact shipping cost state this in your listing, and make an estimate to help the bidders inform their decision.

Have I been helpful or informative in this guide?  If so, let me know by clicking the "Yes" button below.  Thank you very much for taking the time to read my guide.