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If you failed to get an item you were looking for this past Christmas, you may want to consider looking to eBay.com during the next 4 weeks. Beyond January, not so much.

eBay is, for the most part, an auction website where millions of people post millions of items in every category imaginable for sale. It’s usually done in a bidding process, but sellers can post their items at set prices if they desire. During the late 1990’s what was once a website for people selling garage sale items extremely cheap soon became an outlet for Chinese merchants selling knockoff merchandise and people creating an online business.

Many of those who peruse garage sales and local auctions in their area are often only planning on reselling their purchases on eBay for a profit. I personally know a person in Arizona who makes a good living doing this with old books.

The 4 weeks following Christmas is when eBay sees an influx of new, or barely used items that are posted on eBay by people who aren’t using eBay as a business outlet. They simply want to sell an item quickly without the gift giver noticing it’s for sale in their yard, come Spring.

Gifts they received from family and friends often find their way onto eBay soon after they are opened. They may have received a duplicate item, simply don’t have any use for a new coffee pot, or opened some other gift that would likely spend the next 20 years stored in an attic.

Since these items cost them nothing they often post them on eBay for far less than their retail value and in the process, undercut those who have made eBay their business outlet and are selling the same item.

I used to bid on, or immediately purchase items from eBay many years ago. I very rarely visit the site any longer unless I’m looking for something very specific, no longer available in stores, and hard to find in the local papers. With an overabundance of overseas sellers, people opening eBay “stores,” and the increase in shipping costs it’s difficult to find a real deal any longer.

I do peruse it for a lot more things after Christmas. Even with shipping charges that sellers add to the final price it’s a good time to get a great buy and save money.

Some tips if you decide to look to eBay for a deal on something you want:

• Avoid sellers who have their own store (an option provided by eBay for a monthly fee). It’s unlikely you’ll be getting the best deal. They know exactly how much they can mark up a price and how to word a sales pitch.

• Check the shipping charges before committing to bidding or buying. There are far too many who will list a $25 item for $1.00 and then charge $25 or more for “shipping and handling” on an item that will cost them only $2 in postage. Supposedly against eBay’s rules, it is never enforced.

• Check the seller’s “feedback” rating. This is given as a percentage of previous buyers satisfaction with past sales. If a seller has less than a 97% feedback rating I usually won’t consider buying from them.

• Read the past buyers comments regarding their transaction with the seller. Sometimes the negative complaints are legitimate (never received item). Other times buyers will give a negative rating for things that were their own fault (wouldn’t give me a refund – didn’t read it was green and I wanted red).

• If bidding in an auction style sale set your limit on how high you will go and stick to it, taking into account the shipping charges. Bidding against others often creates bidding wars. One or more people determined that nobody will “beat” them from winning the item.

• Check all available listings for the item you seek and make a note of them. You may have to move to one of those auctions that end later, if you need to remove yourself from the situation mentioned previously (bidding going too high).

• Ask questions if you have one. eBay provides the option in the listing to send the seller a message. Don’t assume anything. One good thing about this option is that if you don’t receive a response to a question it’s a good indication of the response you will get if you have a problem with the item you won.