Finding Estate Sales
So you're looking to pick up some heirloom items and want to find an estate sale? Well, with a little simple research, you find many estate sales in your area. Obviously, the more densely populated the area in which you live, the more estate sales you will be able to find. A quick perusal of classified ads and obituaries in your local paper can help to point you in the right direction. After that, you should either go online or begin making phone calls to auction houses in your area to see if they are hosting any estate sales. Lastly, you can search major online auctions sites, such as eBay, which occasionally have estate sale listings.
Search Completed Auction Histories
You can search completed auctions for the past 30 days on eBay. This is one of the easiest ways to get a starting price for your item.
Classic Car Auctions
There are plenty of car auctions that target classic cars. In fact, it is the largest subgroup within the car auction market. However, buying classic cars can be a little more risky, as these cars' increased age can lead to problems with maintenance and past damages. Luckily, classic cars are well covered by industry publications. With some very basic research and a Carfax report, it is pretty easy to gauge the approximate price of the car. That being said, owning a classic car is not for auto amateurs. While you may be tempted to buy a classic automobile to satisfy your car phantasy, remember that classic cars require a lot of care and maintenance. If you're not careful, the savings that you realize through a car auction can quickly be negated by maintenance and repair costs.
How To Fight Fraud
If you have been defrauded by a seller, escrow service, or online auction service, there are a number of steps that you can take. If you paid by credit card, call your credit card company and have them suspend payments immediately. You should then try to work out the problem with the services that brokered the transaction. If you continue to have problems, you should consult your state Attorney General's office. You should also consult your state consumer protection agency and lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Lastly, consider filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
Paypal and Online Auction Sites
Paypal is a service that expedites payment over the Internet. The service brokers payments between online retailers and email users. The company is a subsidiary of eBay and is favored by many eBay auction bidders. The service allows users of online auction sites to pay for auctions online using credit cards and electronic checks. The service also allows non-commercial sellers on online auction websites to receive credit card payments. Paypal charges a small fee for its services. Paypal is currently the largest and safest way for buyers and sellers on online auction websites to transfer money to one another.