Are you looking for good deals on hunting gear? Do you wish there was a simpler way to find the ‘deal of the day’. Now there is – Check out Hunting Gear Deals for more details.
By Mike Higman
Sometimes buying hunting gear is almost as addicting as hunting itself. There is always something we wish we had to make hunting easier, more fun, safer, or maybe even more challenging. When it’s not hunting season, I can spend hours shopping and dreaming about what items will help my next season be a success. Everyone knows eBay is chock full of great deals waiting to be snatched up, but how can you make the most of it? Most people just place a bid when they see something they like, or just skip the hassle and use Buy It Now to get what they want immediately. Here are 5 proven strategies that will help you stretch your hunting budget, without a lot of extra effort.
Sniping is the #1 strategy to secure your bargain price
With eBay auctions, the best way to get your hunting gear cheap is to use the method commonly referred to as “sniping”. Sniping is the term used to describe making a last second winning bid, before another buyer has a chance to increase their maximum. I’m not exactly breaking new ground here, but sometimes we need a reminder that a little extra effort can result in saving a lot of money. This strategy is particularly useful if the auction ends at an inconvenient time, like the middle of the night, or during a holiday celebration. Who buys a used Lone Wolf treestand in the middle of the Super Bowl? You do, that’s who. Of course, no one wants to sit at their computer during the Super Bowl, or 3:00 AM, waiting for an auction to end, so I have your solution. There are automatic sniping services, available for free, that will place your bid for you within the last 15 seconds of an auction. One popular service is at www.gixen.com. There are several other sites that can be found with a google search. These bidding services will need to have your username and password in order for them to bid for you. Most have been around for years, and are generally considered safe. To avoid potential problems, make sure your PayPal and bank account passwords are not the same as eBay.
Don’t Mess Around, Make your Maximum Bid First
Small incremental bids are a waste of money. I’m not going to get into detail here because I could fill three pages with formulas. Basically, eBay functions as a second price auction which basically means bids must be beat the previous high bid by precise increments. The first person to offer a specific amount holds an advantage because the next bidder must beat it by a set amount. Studies also show, you are more likely to bid higher for an item, if you haven’t set a specific price limit. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine your maximum price for an item. One easy way to find your maximum is to use your imagination to to increase the current bid. If the used Sitka Fanatic Jacket you want was currently $94, would you bid $95? If it was $95, would you bid $96? You get the idea.
Try the Shotgun Approach
If you aren’t looking for anything specific, but you have some money to spend, you can low-ball a bunch of items until you win something. The advantage of this strategy is that you don’t need to be sitting in front of your computer when the auction ends, ready to snipe. You have no emotional attachment to these items, so chances are, you won’t even know the result of the auction unless you win. One good item to do this with is trail cameras. You can never have enough trail cams, especially when they are bought at a bargain price. Three cautions: Make sure you know what the items is, pay attention to shipping costs, and don’t overextend yourself. You don’t want win several unexpected items and find you’ve blown your budget.
Take Advantage of the Best Offer Option
Speaking of low-balling, many Buy-it-now auctions have an “or best offer” option. Never pay full price for these. The seller wouldn’t choose this option unless they were willing to go lower. Unless it’s a rare item that you really want, don’t be afraid to make a low offer. The worst the seller can do is reply with an email cursing you for being cheap. Who cares? More savings means more gear, so cut them at the knees. That being said, it helps to be civil about it. You can include a friendly comment about how you plan to use the product or why they should take your offer. One helpful tool in making your offer is found at http://www.goofbid.com/ebay_best_offers_tool.html This tool will give you the offer history from a seller and what offers were successful and what offers were not. It’s a well-known fact that the person with the most information usually wins a negotiation.
Lazy Sellers are Your Friend
Sometimes sellers have no idea what they are selling and are awful at describing it. Sometimes they don’t even take the time to proofread an ad before posting it. How can you take advantage of this? Don’t choose a category when you search for an item. A quick search just turned up a Gorilla Treestand Harness auction under business and industrial equipment. Misspellings are also an easy way to find a hidden gem. http://www.fatfingers.com is a website designed to help find misspelled listings, which could result in a great deal. Fat Fingers found me mispelled trail camera auctions listed as tail camera, trail camer, and trial camera in a matter of seconds. If you don’t jump on these items, someone else will, or they won’t sell. You are doing the seller a big favor by taking something off their hands that they obviously don’t have time to deal with.
eBay is the flea market of times past. If you know what you are looking for, and can sift through all the clutter, you can find hunting gear at a fraction of it’s value. If you buy your gear right you, should be able to sell it for a profit when you are ready for an upgrade. I hope you can use these strategies get more bang for your hunting buck and help your next season be a success!
– Mike Higman of www.huntinggeardeals.com/
