AW Daily - Tips & Tactics - During the Auction: Researching Sellers

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Scanning the listings in your favorite category, you find a beautiful set of Callaway golf clubs. There's no question--you have to have them! Before you can enter your maximum bid, though, a little voice calls out: "Research that seller!" How do you do that? Here are some quick tips to help you learn more about the seller you are about to do business with.

Feedback
The quickest way to investigate sellers is to look at the user feedback left by previous sellers. A link to the seller's feedback file is always positioned next to the seller's name in the auction information box. Don't just note the negatives or positives given; read the actual feedback postings. This way you can determine if any negative feedback was justified. If there are only a few negs, this feedback could have been retaliatory. It's often easy to spot if someone was being threatening or unprofessional.

Ancient History
You can also do a search on the seller's open and closed auctions if you are a registered user. Most auction services archive closed auctions for around 30 days. You can access these pages by doing a search with the seller's user name. As for the seller's open auctions, they are accessible from within his or her current auctions; typically, this information is provided in the auction information box.

Once you have the open and closed auction information in front of you, determine if the seller has an expertise in a certain category of merchandise or collectibles. Auctions that are all over the map can be cause for concern. Also, peruse the auction descriptions. See if they are clear and factual. Moreover, make sure the auctions have a consistent sales policy. Finally, check if the opening bid or reserve is consistently above market value. All these tactics will help you form an opinion of the seller.

Sales Policy
Take a critical look at a seller's sales policy to see if it is vague or threatening. If a seller does not list exact fees for shipping, handling, and mail insurance, there is a chance that buyers are being taken advantage of. Also, see if a seller's policy is flexible and customer friendly. Some sellers pay for shipping and don't require handling. They also keep the value of the item in mind when determining shipping fees. Some even offer refunds and guarantees.

Email Them
Email questions to sellers to gauge their response and professionalism. Their response will really set the tone for your future transactions. For instance, if they send you an email that helps understand and authenticate the item, there's a good chance you'll want to do business with them. Also, if you have time, you might email another user who gave a seller particularly good feedback. Ask why the transaction was especially rewarding.

Look Who's Talking
You might also want to visit the auction site's message boards to see if the seller has posted any messages. If you see that the seller is active on the site's boards, there's a good chance he or she is a legitimate user. Fraudulent sellers tend to stay out of the limelight, avoiding interaction with users that could come back to haunt them. But if you don't find any postings from the seller, do not assume that he or she is not legitimate.

Contacting Sellers
Backing Out of a Bid
Leaving Negative Feedback