By Lee Bernstein

Note: This section gives tips for collectors who already know how to bid, search, complete transactions, and so on.

Finding Collectables

Because of the vast assortment of collectables on eBay, and because so many items are cross-collectable, the collectable you want could be hiding just about anywhere. Here are some tips to help you find your treasure.

If you haven't already, take a few minutes and review the categories in eBay's major Collectables Categories. Then take a look at eBay's other trading areas and acquaint yourself by browsing the following categories that might contain your collectable:

Once you have a good idea of what's on eBay and where, it time to search further.

Exploring eBay

The easiest and quickest way to find a collectable on eBay is to do the following:

1. Go to the Collectables Category Page.

2. In the Search box at the top of the page, enter the name of your item, press the Search button, and wait for a return.

Easy!

The problem, of course, is that a lot of collectables aren't as easy to find as you might think, especially since a search can miss errors or items improperly listed. Many buyers might stop after doing a simple search, but a determined collector keeps going. Here's what to do next:

If your search returns no results, go back and do the same search, but check the "Search titles and descriptions" box, located directly below the Search box.

Once you have results from your search, look at a few selections, and note where most sellers tend to list collectables like yours. This is the first place you should look whenever you want to browse a category to see what's available.

If your search still produces no results, you'll have to get a little more creative. Begin by using as many different descriptive words as you can, and alter them as you go along. If you're looking for a "Picadilly Brand Sewing Needle Box" and cannot find anything under the entire title, try "Picadilly," "Picadilly sewing," "sewing needle box," "needle box," "wooden sewing" "needle holder," "sewing container," "Picadilly wooden," and so on. If you have collectors' reference books, look up your collectable or collecting category. You may find additional key words or phrases to try.

One of the exciting things about eBay is that your item may appear at any time. You never know when a seller will auction your collectable. Some bidders do a search with no results yet find an item just a few days or even a few hours later. Keep checking.

Treasure Hunting

If you collect a lot of items in a category and want to see all the different collectables available to you, do a general search as outlined above, then do a little treasure hunting.

For example, suppose you collect items from the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress World's Fair. First, do a search for the entire title. Then check "1933 World's Fair," "Century of Progress," "1933 Chicago," all the way down to very simple terms, such as "1933." Be sure to check the "Search titles and descriptions" box so you'll retrieve items with the key words in the description as well as the title.

This is where the treasure hunting begins. When you use Search Title AND Description combined with very general terms, such as only 1933, your search may return a lot of 1933 items that don't seem to be from the Chicago World's Fair. A tip for treasure hunting on eBay UK: ALWAYS check the listings anyway.

Many wise collectors find tons of cool stuff this way. World's Fair collectors, for example, know that sellers sometimes make errors in their listings or don't know enough to mention "World's Fair." What is most important: Expert buyers know that enough digging will eventually uncover treasures others might miss.

Buying Collectables

If you want to bid on an item, it helps to have some time, especially if you're a beginner. Take a moment to check the sellers Feedback by clicking the number in parentheses next to the sellers name. Then ask yourself if there is anything you need to know about the seller or the collectable before bidding.

Read the descriptions carefully. Details about the condition can help you decide how much to bid. If the seller uses grading terms without giving details, ask for specifics-what "very good" or "excellent" means, for example. If you're unsure about shipping charges, terms of sale, or the seller's experience, ask! Most responsible sellers welcome your interest.

One particularly important question for buyers: "What is the history of this collectable and how did you acquire it?" History is important and it can tell a collector a great deal about an item.

When you ask, don't expect the seller to reveal the exact source of an item's previous sale, but do expect general information: if the item is from the seller's family, from a tag sale, another auction, and so on, and any history the seller might have. Of course, if you hear a story like "This belonged to Paul McCartney's great aunt," enjoy the story, but don't assume it's true unless the seller has authentication.

How Much To Bid

Once you find a collectable of interest, consider what it's worth and how much you can afford to bid. Price guides can be a helpful, but it's important to understand exactly how they work. (See Collectables: Factors Influencing Value.) You might also search completed eBay auctions for similar collectables and compare what you're willing to bid against what others have previously paid.

When you decide what to bid, bid the maximum amount you would pay for the item. eBay places your bid at the lowest amount and increases only if others bid against you. You'll remain the high bidder until the bid amount reaches your limit. Regardless of how much you bid, you will receive notification by email if someone outbids you. Many bidders feel the notification alone makes it worthwhile to bid early. It helps remind you of items that interest you and keeps you checking the auction.

About Auction Listings

It helps to familiarize yourself with the abbreviations and terms used in the collecting world (see Glossary). A trip to the library or bookstore is worthwhile too. You'll get a better idea of what to look for and which questions to ask.

After The Auction

eBay's New User Tutorial explains the after-auction basics, but here's a few tips for collectors:

1. If you're happy with the seller and the transaction, do more than leave positive feedback. Tell the seller what you collect, and what you hope to find in the future. Ask the seller to contact you if a similar item comes up for auction.

2. As soon as the auction ends, print out the auction page and store it in a file folder or envelope. As you buy or sell items, continue adding auction pages to the folder, with the most recent auction on top for easy reference. This makes a nice record of your purchases and sales, complete with details that you might otherwise forget: the prices you paid, dates of acquisition, and so on.

If during the auction you requested information on history, condition, terms of sale, and so on, save a copy of all communication. This should go in your file folder too.

3. If you win an item that is particularly scarce, valuable, or important to you, don't wait for the seller to contact you with a mailing address. Go to Registered User Services: Registered User Information Request and ask eBay to send you the seller's contact information. Then wait for the seller to contact you.

The reason for doing this is for protection in case you have unforeseen computer problems. By requesting the contact information, you'll know how to reach the seller in case of an emergency. Staple the information to the auction page in your file folder.

The preceding material was written by Lee Bernstein. These are the opinions of the author, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.