A Consumer's How To #43: Buying & Selling Online

I don't know what my online shoppin habits speak of me, but I have used all of the websites at one point or another, with the exception of Etsy. (Is the first time I hear of it).

In the beginning, there was eBay. I didn't know what it was about until I started purchasing a few little things here and there. (Mostly comic books). As time passed by, I realized that not only did I like being the winning bidder, but also became quickly irritated if I didn't get what I wanted. Is a nice site, user friendly, but there is no guarantee that you will win. (Unless you decide to buy it right away as opposed to bidding for it). But you can get stuff for a really good price, but my advice is to usually look for the items that end soon. That is the best time to buy.

Half.com is not very different than all the other websites out there designed for selling or buying. Just like amazon.com, you can do both and its free to set up an account with them. The best part is buying stuff from other people, and getting it for a much better price than you normally would. The only thing is that if you buy it from others, you run the risk of it not being as good as buying it new. That is why it is important to pay attention to the details.

Craigslist is a whole different thing. You can pick up the item, rather than have it delivered. And there is also a list for events and free stuff. Of course, the free stuff is for obvious reasons, but sometimes you might be able to get something nice for free. The fact that you can search for stuff in your area means that you can make the necessary arrangements and get it yourself and get more interaction with the seller.

Looking through Etsy, I must say that I was intrigued. Nothing better than knowing that not only did I buy something in the USA (and help the economy), but also getting something done with personal pride.