We've all done it, when out shopping and we see something too tantalizing to ignore. Our hands go straight for the wallet or purse and out pops the cash. Well, it's the same on eBay except you will be entering into an auction environment which means the final price you pay could either be lower or higher than you first expected. You can find extremely good bargains but on the flip side, you can also waste a lot of money.

The following tips will give you a general guideline to follow when you see an item you want on an eBay auction listing.

1. Seller's Feedback

The quality and customer service of a seller will be apparent from their feedback rating score. Take a look through their ratings history over the last month, six months and twelve months. What percentage of customers were satisfied by the seller's service? If anything less than 95% then you need to consider whether the risk of damage or non-delivery are worth it. Ebay will not do a lot to help you if things go wrong. If the seller has a 100% feedback score and has over 50 sells then you can be pretty certain your money will be safe.

2. Listing Page

If a seller cannot be bothered to make their listings look neat, attractive and detailed then you can often assume their customer relations and packaging will be of a similar vein. However if the listing of the item is tidy, considered and precise then it bodes well for the final result. Things to think about include, the quality of the product photo, brand name, condition, any accessories, materials, sizes, colours and various other important details appropriate to the particular item. Be wary of 'nearly new' and 'rarely used' claims for items are either new or second hand, no in-between.

3. Fake?

It's unfortunate to state that many goods being sold from China and the Far East usually end up being fake but this is also a problem everywhere. If the price sounds too good to be true then it probably is. If in doubt check the history of the item and what it has been sold for in the past. If the feedback has been positive and the pricing has later soared then you could be backing a great bargain. Do some research.

4. Postage and Packaging

In order to beat the system of eBay fees which each seller must pay in order to list their items, some sellers sell their products at extremely low prices but with gigantic P&P rates. This can wrong step the excited and inexperienced buyer who often thinks little of the delivery costs, until it is too late. Make sure you check the seller's Postage and Packaging rates and figure out whether they are sensible for the size and weight of item you are going to bid on.

5. Returns Policy

Depending on the estimated final price, consider the pros and cons of the seller's Return's Policy. If the seller does not have one then it is unwise to bid on something that is likely to rise above $10. Regardless of whether the seller has a good feedback rating or not, it is important to be able to fall back on a viable stated policy in case something goes wrong, especially for the more expensive products.

6. Shill Bidding

The practice of 'Shill Bidding' is best defined by eBay themselves.

"Shill Bidding is bidding that increases an item's price or apparent desirability artificially, or bidding by individuals with a level of access to the seller's item information not available to the general Community." eBay

It is prohibited and those caught face prosecution. However it still takes place and you must be wary when about to bid on an item. The easiest way to check for a potential shill auction is by reading the feedback and star rating of the earlier bidders, plus when they joined eBay. If all of the bidders are new, with little feedback or ratings and do not have a photo or information about themselves then there is good reason to be suspicious. That's not to say it is definitely a shill auction but it does mean you should think twice about bidding otherwise you could end up paying a lot more than the item is actually worth.

7. Payment Policy

The most commonly used form of payment on eBay is Paypal. Two-thirds of all buyers and sellers have this account and the vast majority prefer transactions to be carried out through this service. However there are alternatives, such as Credit Cards, Personal Cheques, Postal Orders and Banker's Drafts. You need to make sure you already have the seller's stated methods of payments before you make a bid.

8. Maximum Price and Best Time to Bid

It's best to set a maximum price you are willing to bid on the item before you start. This will temper the effects of the inevitable excitement that will take place during a bidding war. When first bidding on a new item, enter the lowest bid possible, usually a cent or two higher than the starting price or the previous bidder. Once you have a feel of how popular the item will be, then wait. Watch the auction over a number of days or hours and discover whether there will be many bidders or not.

In a popular auction the best time to bid is in the last ten seconds, with your maximum bid amount, depending on the highest price at the time of your last page refresh. If the prices have gone over your maximum amount, then move on and fight another day. If they are still lower then watch the countdown clock and when it reaches the last dozen seconds, place your bid. Others will be doing the same but the later you leave it, the more likely your maximum bid will be the final one, thereby winning the auction, if the price is the highest.

If you follow these general guidelines then you will not go far wrong and the benefits will be clearly visible. Good Luck!