AIMLESSLY UNBALANCED

For those contemplating Christmas shopping on Ebay , be ready for shipping costs shock. Many items are costing more in the shipping department , than the costs of the item. Also , I've seen an upwards shift in auction prices. Maybe you should wait till after Christmas to buy , eh ? That may be the time to buy for next year's Christmas.
Oh yeah , another bidding tip - I do not bid on any item when another person with a zero bid history is present. That person may be upping the bid amount or even be the seller. This shopping season , I've noticed more zero bidders and the item is'nt worth their bid. Hmm.....besides , let the item go , there will be another with someone else. Also , I've noticed more sellers are cleaning out their closets. I'll watch those with really low starting bids. There might be a bargain in there. I do not shop the Ebay stores. The prices are to high. Remember - there will be another one , just like this one. Be patient , watch many items to get a feel for the market on what you are looking for and then go bid. Another tip , while comparing the bid prices , right now , seller's shipping costs are all over the board. Ass silly ass it sounds , you need to compare those shipping costs. Some sellers are now double dipping into insurance costs. For example , if insurance costs are 1.75 $ , the seller will add 3.50 $ to the shipping costs. Some sellers are charging 5 dollars for used newspaper to wrap the item. I'm not kidding. If you are not sure of something , the seller has said in the listing , or even if you think something is missing , just ask. If you get an answer , that does'nt make sense , or if their reply does'nt answer your question , don't bid. Remember , there will be another one.
One type of auction , which I do not understand why anyone would bid on , is the live auction. These auctions have buyer premium costs added to the total. It's just an excuse and/or gimmick to gouge the buyer of more $$$$$$. You can expect another 20% of the total added in to the final total costs. Again , move on and remember , there will be another item , just like this one.
I will not bid on an item with a reserve. The seller knows what they want for their stuff. If the seller really wants to unload their item , they will put it on the auction block and that's that.