eBay shoppers fall into several groups, each with their own reasons for shopping and each with their own habits.  I expect you will recognize yourself in one of these groups, but it may never have occurred to you that others follow an entirely different path.

 Read On to see where you fall.  Or, if you are a seller, Read On to see which group is most likely to  buy your items.

The first group is the money savers. Believe it or not, there are people who shop on eBay for other reasons, but we will get to them in a while, after we subdivide the money savers:
First would be the New With Tags crowd.  They are looking for current  items, particularly clothing, that is/are the same as  they would find in a store. They do not want it to have been worn or altered and they don't want it to have been stored somewhere that might cause it to feel, you know, not quite fresh.  A NWT buyer  probably can expect to save  50 % or more from "full retail" but might  save even more, depending on  factors like demand for the particular size and style being offered.  The items these people buy are sometimes sold by the stores themselves, sometimes by liquidators, and frequently by consumers who find themselves in possession of an item that has manifestly never been worn.  The asking price depends on whether the seller is trying to break even or just trying to get a little something out of an item that is in the way.

Next are  the "As New" buyers. These people have come to realize that the man was right: Everybody in the world IS  riding around in a used car. As soon as the tags come off, all of your clothes are "previously owned". Does it mattter to you that your older sister wore a dress before you did? If not, you are probably  one of the many people who are perfectly happy wearing clothes that may have previously belonged to someone else- provided they don't smell funny or have stains all over them .

A third kind of money saver is the person who Just. Needs. Something. To. Wear.  They might not have much to spend, or they might be planning a trip and  wanting a garment they can use and discard.  They may need a costume. They are less concerned about the occasional hole or flaw than they are about covering their nakedness.  In my case, the kind of clothes you wear to work in the yard, or to whitewash the fence are good examples.  I have a special tuxedo that I keep in a separate closet for washing the dog. I want to make sure it doesn't get mixed up with my other tuxedoes, because it is covered with dog hair. I bought it on eBay for under $20. The same is true of  maybe the Car Trunk Raincoat. It doesn't have to be perfect. You aren't going to be wearing it to the Opera.   You have an Opera Raincoat (don't you?) for that. But you keep the CTR in the trunk in case you should be marooned  and in need of some personal water repellage.  I should think  three to five dollars plus shipping is a cheap enough price to pay for the safe and secure knowledge that you can always look in the trunk in times of flood. Keeping a flask in the pocket of the CTR makes  me feel even more safe and secure.

Let me stop here and tell you about the man who classified his neckties for sale into three groups:
1) Brand New
2) Practically New
3) Suitable for gardening and fishing only.

But not everyone is looking for clothes on eBay- it just seems that way sometimes.
Some people are looking for other things, like maybe wedding presents. Oddly enough, though, the groups are about the same:
1) It has to look like it just came from the store, or 2) Age adds character, or 3) I don't care, it's only for Uncle Wentworth.

But , as we mentioned above, some people are not shopping on eBay primarily to save money.

Collectors, for example, are looking for things they can't find anywhere else.  Price is secondary to availability for them.  Think of people who want vintage clothing, or costume jewelry. New is the last thing they want, unless, of course, it's New Old Stock. And often they are willing to pay whatever it takes.  If you list a genuine Honus Wagner baseball card, you can be fairly sure it won't go to someone who is trying to save money.  Rarity in the marketplace drives collector sales.

Now, eBay isn't the only way to shop online, but many of us shop online in general (and on eBay in particular) because of a wider array of items being available. If I wore a size 36 short in suits (Which I am grateful I do not) then I might enjoy being able to look at  a wider selection of suits on eBay. If  that were the case and I lived in a town of 10,000 people or less, chances are,  a selection of  TWO suits would be more than I could find on Main Street. Let's call these people the  21st Century mail orderers.

21st Century mail orderers also look for things other than clothes. They may be living in Dubuque, which has more than 10,000 people, but they may be particularly interested in Russian handicrafts, the availability of which in Iowa I am not in a position to discern. Or, they may be living in Manhattan and jonesing for some Southern Folk Art.  Their wishes can be  granted on eBay, maybe at a bargain price, or maybe not. Compared to what is available at home, though, eBay is a veritable Treasure Cave.

Now, imagine you are a costumer, working in East Vassalboro, Maine, and you need a kilt jacket for a man who wears a size 50 long  coat. And you need it cheap. Now.  For next Saturday's production of Brigadoon, down to the Coast Guard Station. If you are lucky, you can call your Uncle Wentworth, who may happen to have one to lend, or you can go on eBay, in which case you are maybe a 21st Century mail order collector who just needs something to wear, or, put another way, You Are In Luck.

I hope this little guide has been illuminating to you and I hope it will assist you in your eBay endeavours. If you have a minute, please give it a feeling of validation by bestowing a "helpful" vote.  And, if you want to know about a wide range of other topics, please check out my other guides and reviews.

Many Thanks

WT