Getting an eBay Bargain Thanks to Typos
We thought we should post about this again because so many of you liked our last post about it. eBay has been around for years already, but the popular site has still to invent a spellchecker for listings. But then again they’re not a word processing company, they’re an auction site. If you’re a smart buyer then this gives you the perfect opportunity.
With thousands of incorrectly spelt listings on eBay, many listings don’t get nearly the visibility they should. As a result, if you know how to exploit this advantage, you can stand to make a quick profit!
Let’s face it. Not everyone on eBay can spell.
In fact, even those that can often make mistakes, and when you’re searching for a cat and end up looking at a sparkling new Mercedes with no reserve, you may initially have a laugh at the seller’s expense, but you also have an opportunity to cash in on his or her mistake by possibly winning an auction at a fraction of the price.
There are spelling mistakes almost everywhere in eBay and it is both a blessing and a curse.
It is such a big opportunity, there are now dedicated search engines that help you find auctions that have suffered the fate of being cursed with a typo. The TypoHound tool is one example, and it automatically generates all the possible misspellings of a word and then queries eBay on your behalf. Alternatively, one of the easiest ways to start looking for incorrectly spelt auctions is by using the eBay search features directly. This is a great way to search as if you’re not sure on what you are looking for, you can look for auctions based on a number of factors. What to Look For? When you are busy looking for auctions that contain typos, then you should be focusing only on the title. This is how eBay looks at the item, so if a listing is entitled “2.0 liter Cat” then it will not appear in searches for a 2.0 liter car. Typos are a great way to find auctions on eBay, and another great way is to look for listings that are in the wrong category. It’s an uncommon mistake to make, but people do make it every day, and listing in the wrong category can be even worse than typo. When to Bid? Even the most illegible eBay post will be seen by people as the auction expires. As soon as it hits the first page, people will start to bid, so make sure to treat this auction like any other, by bidding late and ensuring you don’t go over what you’re prepared to pay. Start Looking! The easiest way to start looking for typos is to think like a child. If you spell phonetically, then you will come up with a load of errors, alternatively, typohound.com is a free tool that can help. Whilst spelling errors are a great way to win auctions for a bargain, you do need to be careful because as many others have found out, if someone is selling you a ‘Genuine Roleks’ yet can’t take the time to do a spell check, there may be something seriously wrong with the deal. Don’t bid blindly and remember some things are simply too good to be true.
