I’m not very fond of eBay. Everything there (well, everything that I look for) is expensive. I don’t understand why people would sell something for two times more expensive than if I just go to the store and buy it brand new. If there’s a specialty item that’s worth it, I guess that’s another matter.. but I don’t see why I would pay 2x or more plus shipping for something I could find cheaper elsewhere!
There’s this online auction site that seems to make it easier for us frugal folks: Swizzie. It’s named after Mr. Swizzie, the auction inventor! 
A very memorable name, wouldn’t you say? lol
At Swizzie, you purchase points that allow you to bid. You register to join the site (or you can use your Facebook information to register more quickly), and purchase some bids. Swizzie starts you off with 80 bids for $48 (each bid costs 60 cents). Whenever you make a bid on an item, the clock is raised one second. If the clock is under 15 seconds, the clock is reset to 15 seconds so others get a chance to bid (this helps you when you are bidding, too, because it avoids those lats minute Louies who steal your bid at the last second like some other auction site I know (*cough*).
The opportunity to get good deals is phenomenal. I saw iPads and other hot electronics going for a few dollars, with an hour to go. Another nice thing about Swizzie is that if you happen to lose a bid, you are given the chance to buy the item at retail price minus the amount you bid! That’s nice of Mr. Swizzie. :D
Check out the website and see for yourself. There are some very good tutorials about how the auctions work, and some good tips on how to get started and how to make the most of your bidding. You can also keep tabs on things with Swizzie at Twitter and Swizzie on Facebook.
Sun, Sep 5, 2010
Frugal