How to buy smart on eBay

How to buy smart on eBay

If you’ve never used eBay before visit the eBay how-to-buy page.  Otherwise, jump right into our step-by-step article.

Step 1   Decide on the specific product that you want to purchase (brand, model, etc.)

Step 2   Use Internet Resources like google and Amazon.com to determine the going retail and used prices on the specific product that you decided on in step 1 (above).  While researching, be sure to check on return policies and warranties being offered on new, used and refurbished products.  These considerations should be taken into account before you buy.

Step 3  Armed with the information that that you collected in steps one and two above, you need to consider how much the product is worth to you.  Write down the maximum dollar amount that you are willing to spend on this product.

Step 4  Consider the shipping costs.  If the shipping costs include insurance and/or rapid delivery, slightly higher than normal shipping costs may be worth it.  However, keep an eye out for sellers trying to boost their profits by adding costly shipping and handling charges.

Step 5 Know the risks and how to deal with them.

Step 6   Bid or Bail. Now that you’ve completed your homework assignments, it’s time to decide if biding on eBay is right for you.

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Disaster Charity Releif Aid – Be generous but careful as well

Leaptocheap.com wants all visitors to be generous and careful in their charitable giving.  Scams tend to pop up whenever good people step out to help those in needs.

LeapToCheap.com supports and stands behind this Charity:

Smart Giving to Help Disaster Victims

Once of the most efficient and organized charities in the world, Samaratans Purse headed by Franklin Graham was not only one of the first responders to Haiti, but they have a strong reputation for quickly analyzing what assistance organizations are providing and then precisely delivering just what is needed when it is needed (From Medical to basic needs). Please take a look at this CNN video on Samaritans Purse’s disaster response in Haiti.

Need more information?
Check our charity page that will show you how to review the statistics on the top 200 charities in the united states.

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New car buying secrets (is sticker really quicker?)

Secrets to finding great deals on new car prices

Most people don’t look forward to buying their next new car.  As you might have guessed, the back and forth price negotiations can frustrate even the most patient person.  Well, we couldn’t agree more.  That’s why  we’re sharing our  buying secrets to help you find great prices on new vehicles.

So here goes:

1. Figure out what you really need in a vehicle and write it down.  Here are some example considerations
   
   • Determine how much money are you prepared to spend.
   • Write down the criteria that the vehicle must meet (e.g. good gas mileage, ability to tow, ability  to carry lots of equipment and/or people,  etc.).
2. Research various types and models of vehicles.
   
   • Visit edmunds.com to sort through vehicle choices.
   • Visit consumer reports to research quality.
   • Visit safercar.gov and www.iihs.org to research crash test results.
   • Research government fuel economy at fueleconomy.gov

3. Test Drive Your Vehicle choices
   
   • Visit several dealers to test drive vehicles.  Make sure that you let the salesman know that you will not be buying today and stick with that decision .  Dealing with a manager will probably be less painful since they are typically not paid on commission.
   • Once you narrow down your vehicle choices, you should consider renting the same type of vehicle for a day or two to ensure that the vehicle will really fit you well.
4. Locate the dealers in your area.
   
   • Search the news papers and the internet for dealers within an hour of your house (or farther away if you prefer).  Write down the contact information for each dealer, then call them to find out who the dealer manager(s) are. Try to obtain a phone number, email address and fax number for these folks.
5. Research vehicle financing options.
   
   • Check the rates and conditions at your bank or credit union before you consider a dealer financing offer.  Remember,  dealers really want you to finance with them because it can  increase their profit margin.
   • If you can pay cash, they will save you the most in the long run.  But if you need to finance, make sure you calculate the complete cost of the vehicle.   You may be shocked at the sum of:
     the vehicle price, the taxes and add-on fees and the total interest that you will over the years.
6. Fax and/email respectable offers before showing up.
   
   • Write a form letter  stating that you are ready to purchase a vehicle within the next X number of weeks and that you will be going with the lowest price.  Be sure to enumerate all of the options that you do or don’t want (including paint color).   Also, be sure that  you have your funding in order before contacting the dealer.   And lastly,  let them know how much time they have to respond to you.
7. Read the paperwork carefully at least twice before you sign anything (make sure that you clearly understand everything in the contract.
   
8. Inspect the vehicle carefully.
   
   • Bring someone else with you and literally take your time to inspect every inch of the vehicle before signing the contract. It’s not unusual to find paint defects, body dings, stains on seats upholstery, etc on new vehicles. If you expect the dealer to do right by you, you must point out what you find before driving off the lot.

9. Make sure to perform all scheduled maintenance to keep the vehicle in warranty compliance.

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Secret tricks used to convince you to pay too much.

When you look at TV, radio and print ads,  there are several little understood marketing tricks that are used to get people to pay more than they need to.  Here are just a few of the popular tricks:

1. Advertising products as FREE or at  ridiculously low priced and making good money by:
   • Charging  jacked up Shipping and Handling (or Processing) charges to customers.
   • Offering a return policy with required jacked up return shipping and handling charges.
2. The old “Priced as Low As” trick:
   • When you think hard about this, it becomes crystal clear what they are really saying. We translate it as something like “We may sell you item(s) no cheaper than this price”.  Hey, what does that really mean anyway?  Most folks don’t think to hard about it and assume that they are selling stuff at fantastic prices. As you can image, this is often not the case.   Maybe we should ask them to advertise using this phrase “Priced as HIGH as…”.  Hmm, that probably would not sell as good.
3. The old, if it’s sold at auction, it must be cheaper trick:
   • In reality auctions can bring out the competitive nature in people.  Some people need to win at any cost. Since most auctions have a fixed minimum price set before the auction start, the seller is protected and may make more profit in less time using this approach.
   • So, you really need to do your homework before putting that bid out there on ebay.  Make sure you know what the item is really worth before you bid.
4. The “If we call it a Factory Outlet store, people will assume that the prices are less than the mall” trick:
   • In reality, you may actually pay less at the mall if you catch a good sale.  Also, don’t be surprised if you end up paying the same prices than you can find at the mall.
   • When you think about it, it is brilliant to setup factory outlet stores (that have less overhead cost than being in expensive mall space) and pricing them at the same or higher prices.  Also, many outlet shops are closer to upscale residential neighborhoods.  Someone really thought this one out.
   • Of course you may be able to find lower prices at the outlet stores at times.  Our point is, don’t assume that outlet store prices are cheaper before doing your homework first.

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Can Extended Warranties extend your current bank balance?

Generally, we’re not big fans of paying  for extended warranties.  However there are times that they can make good economic sense.  So, here are a few things to consider before purchasing an extended warranty.

• Does it make dollar good sense?
  Take the purchased  price of item and divide it by the number of years that you expect to own it. Next determine the difference between the price that you pay for each extended warranty year you would pay for the warranty and multiply it by the number of years that you expect to own it.   Finally, do some number crunching using the information below:
  • Determine the length and coverage of the free warranty that came with the purchased item
  • Will this warranty fit your needs?  If not
    • Subtract  the number of years of coverage you have  under the free warranty to determine how many years of extended coverage you will want to buy to arrive at [A].
    • Take the annual dollar price for each year of extended warranty coverage and multiply that by the number of years of coverage you want (See A)  to arrive at [B].
    • Take the purchase price of the item and divide it by the years that you expect to own it past the free warranty coverage period  that came with the item (see A) to arrive at [C].
    • Determine the difference between B and C (above) and this will reveal if the extra coverage  makes sense.
    • If the difference between the above two calculated numbers reveals an annual warranty cost that is unacceptable to you, then you may want to consider skipping the extended warranty.
• You may already have free extended warranty coverage and not even know it!
  • Many credit cards automatically cover items purchased with that credit card.  Call up your credit card company and as if  you card is already equipped with this coverage.  If so for the details (preferably in writing).  Read the fine print to know how to jump through the hoops.
• Your automotive insurance company may offer you very reasonable prices on your automotive extended warranty (if you choose to purchase one).  That being said they have vehicle age and mileage requirements to qualify.  So, it couldn’t hurt to give your insurance company a ring.

• Automotive extended care warranties. Are they worth the cost?
  You really need to read and understand the fine print and limitations to these types of warranties.  Many sound good, but when you need it you could be very disappointed when you need to use it.  We would start by assuming that all auto warranties contain catches to them.  So, here are some of the question that you may want to ask before signing up:
  • What isn’t covered?
  • Are there any limits to coverage based on mileage and or age?
  • What do you have to do to file a claim?
  • On what basis can they deny your claim?
  • Will your rates go up in the future?
  • Is the warranty transferable to another owner?
  • Can you take your vehicle anywhere for the repair work (including the dealer)?
  • Are both parts and labor covered?
  • Is the drive train covered (engine and transmission)?
  • Are you able to stipulate factory replacement parts on your repair?
  • Are they highly rated by the Better Business Bureau and also from independent reviews that you can find on the internet?
• Some items that it may make since to purchase  extended warranties on:
  • Expensive electronics that can cost a bundle to repair (e.g.  laptop computers, hi-end televisions, hi-end printers, large appliances).   Home warranties can be handy to help you sell your home as well.

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Finding free stuff that’s actually free….

When it comes to free stuff, the saying “there is no such thing as a free lunch” applies most of the time.  You end up working for potentially  free stuff  by giving out your email and street addresses, completing surveys and jumping through several internet based hoops.    We took a look around on the internet and found some deals that are actually free.

• Earn college credits (or even a degree) by taking free online courses.  No, were not kidding.  That being said, you will need to do some leg work of your own for this to work.
  • We think that this web site is probably the best place to start.  Remember stay away from the many bait and switch web sites where free is not actually free.
• Free software
  • If don’t feel like shelling a bunch of cash for Microsoft’s office product, try the free software equivalent called  open office (Word processing (like Microsoft Word), Spreadsheet software (like Excel), a drawing application (like Visio) and even presentation software (like Power Point).
  • Free software replacements for proprietary applications running on Microsoft windows.
  • A well respected and free Anti-Virus software package known as AVG
  • Ad-Aware free SpyWare removal software.
• Free Food
  • Apparently Saturdays are the best time to snag free samples at grocery and warehouse stores (like Costco)
  • Kids eat free deals  (search for restaurants by zip code)
  • Sign up for email specials directly on restaurant web sites (only give out a trashable email address that you will check weekly.  Never give out your actual street address or phone numbers if you want to avoid unwanted spam).  Examples include:  El Torito,  Sizzler,  Olive Garden,  California Pizza Kitchen, PF Changs Outback Steak House , Dennys
• Free teacher and learning resources from the Federal Government
  • Federal resources for education excellence.
• Free eBooks  – Project Gutenberg has 28,000 eBooks to download and print free.
  • Project Gutenbert FREE ebooks
• Free Internet Radio customized to your specific artists.  Essentially, you build the station play list yourself.
  • Pandora Internet Radio
• Print your own Free graph paper (several different styles)
  • Incompetech Free Graph Paper PDF’s
• Create your own work or personal planner forms. Choose from about 100 templates.
  • Download, print and customize your own planner at D*I*Y planner
• Kinda Free stuff - There  are tons of free stuff web sites on the internet.  Most of them will require you to provide your name, email and street address, etc.  If you want to try this, I would strongly suggest that you:
  • Sign up with the post office for a local post office box ($30 for 6 months).
  • Create a new email address that you are willing to trash later
  • Never provide your real birthday, social security number or phone number (or any other private information).
  • So, when you sign up provide them with your P.O. Box Address, your new trashable email address, a fake birthday, etc.
  • Go forth and Google something like “free stuff”
  • One final word of advice, if the site suggests that you try something to win a discount coupon, etc.  Skip it and move on.   The main thing you have to loose is your time.
• More kinda free stuff.
  • 250 Business Cards for Free?
    Well, not exactly.  After going through the online setup for the free business cards,  you’re billed about six bucks for the shipping and handling.  And that is the cheap slow boat to china shipping option.  So, you figure that might make two to three bucks on the deal.  The other not so free aspect of  order the business cards online is the avalanche of  offers you need to skip (or de-select) before you can finalize your order.  That being said, it was worth it for us to sign up for the not so free cards.  If you are interested just google “free business cards”.

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