Score Big on Large or Heavy Items

Great deals can be had if you know how to search for items in your area that are too large or heavy to ship for a reasonable price.

I've gotten some outstanding deals on large items that I've picked up locally, and you can too. As with any item listed on eBay, your real cost is a combination of not only your bid, but also any applicable taxes as well as the cost of getting the item to your home or business. I know, you're saying "well duh!", but think about these costs for a minute...

While everyone pays the final bid or buy it now price the same as everyone else, the other charges involved vary depending on the location of the item in relation to your location. For example, all reputable businesses must charge sales tax if applicable in their state- but few will charge that tax to out of state purchasers. And unless the item is listed with flat rate shipping, your total cost can vary drastically depending on how far you are from the seller, especially on large or heavy items.

Most people know they can save a few dollars by buying the same item offered at the same price from someone closer, and as an added bonus you'll usually get the item quicker. But to score big, look for the items that most people don't consider because they're too large or heavy to economically ship.

For example, when I needed a new set of tires for my truck, I decided it would be a good time to upgrade my ugly steel painted wheels with some nice factory alloys. For the price of a new set of tires, I was able to purchase a complete set of factory aluminum wheels with tires already mounted and balanced- with only 5000 miles on them. It was like getting the wheels for free. Not only that, but I then sold my old wheels and tires on eBay, so it was actually cheaper than if I had just gone and bought new tires.

But how do you find these great deals? Simple- when you've done a search on eBay, look in the left hand column for options to narrow your search. The magic option is the checkbox and pull-down menu to narrow your search to items within a range of miles from a particular zip code. Not only can you find items in your area, but perhaps you'll be travelling to another area and you can search for items you can pick up along the way. It's pretty obvious and it's been there for as long as I can remember, but few people think to look for items such as wheels and tires or furniture because more often than not the cost of shipping these items makes it cheaper to just go buy new ones at a local store. And that's why you can save so much- most items that can only be shipped by freight sell for much less than what they're really worth, because there is a much smaller audience of potential buyers. Nobody in Washington is going to pay $500 for freight from Florida for a used washing machine they can buy new for $300. Sometimes it takes some patience for the item your looking for to show up in your area and listed on eBay, but that patience can pay off.

So why do people bother selling these types of items on eBay? From personal experience I can tell you there can be many reasons. Those wheels I sold when I bought my new ones, for example- I got such a great deal on the new ones, I didn't care what I got for the old ones- I just wanted to be rid of them. I also sold a 300 pound Sony HDTV on eBay for much less than it was worth, because I needed to get rid of it, I didn't want to load it up to take it somewhere to consign it (I required the buyer to pick it up and bring their own muscle), and I didn't want to put it in the paper and have a bunch of strangers parading through my house to look at my TV for sale. And here in Florida, having a yard sale in August is pure torture.

Now here's the real secret- and if you're in the Tampa Bay area, don't use it because I don't want you bidding against me! :-) Some of the best deals I've gotten locally on eBay were on things I didn't even know I wanted until I found them. So how did I find them? By searching for "local pickup only" (including the quotes- they're important in this case), and checking "Search Titles and Descriptions" and entering the zip code and the number of miles from that zip I wanted to look.

Sometimes you just get lucky, too. I was considering a trip to Atlanta in my truck, and I was looking for a topper. I happened to find a great deal on one in Atlanta that even included a carpeted bed liner. As it turned out I didn't end up making the trip, but in speaking with the seller it turned out he was going to be less than 30 miles from my house the following week, and he ended up delivering it to my house and helping me transfer it from his truck to mine- all at no additional charge.

Occasionally you'll come across someone in your area that regularly sells larger items, and these are great people to add to your favorite sellers list. For example, I have a category in my eBay Store specifically for "Tampa Bay Only" items. And I'm probably not the only seller who has a truck and an enclosed trailer that can help you get items that are too big for you to pickup yourself. It never hurts to ask.

So don't dismiss looking for large items on eBay. I've saved literally thousands of dollars using the methods above, and even made some money purchasing items locally and reselling them.

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Good luck and Happy Hunting!

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