Ebay-ing for Coupons

Ebay can be a very easy way to get your coupons for items that you are buying on sales, or that your family uses on a consistent basis. I personally watch for coupons that aren't in our Sunday paper. Some of my family's items would include:

sugar
lipton tea bags
cooking oil
capri sun
kool aid jammers
anything to put in my honey's lunch bucket
toilet paper
paper towels

and so on, and so on, and so on..... (you get the point surely)

Besides my weekly sales, I am always looking for new coupons with a expiration date that is at least 4 weeks out on items we use regularly. This is one way to keep a good healthy supply of coupons on hand in your binder for those unadvertised sales or "everyday savings" which are like a managers special. They are usually isolated to one store or in-store only deals. This is where you can really stock up and save big $$$.

Another bonus about Ebay that I like is that people post coupons that are from different regions (coupon inserts and printables are regional so values and types can vary greatly.). My stores double up to .50, so I of course check into what coupons are out there that will double at my store.

Key points to remember when shopping this way:

1. Never pay more than .05 per coupon for coupons that you are not buying for a sale.
2. Always assume that this product will not be going on sale. You never want to look at the listing and think "but if it goes on sale it would be worth it"
3. Look for lots with 10+ coupons per lot. (20 coupons is preferable, but some "hot" lots will only list in sets of 10."
4. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SHIPPING RATES!!!! I cannot express this enough. Factor any shipping charges into your cost and see if that seller has any other coupons that you are interested in before buying. Many sellers combine shipping which will save you money in the long run.

Buying on Ebay can be a learn-as-you-go process. Sometimes you have to get burned before you learn. I will provide all the tips I can, but ultimately, your shopping is up to you. Just remember that you control you and your purse strings.

I will post a part 2 to Ebay-ing for coupons soon. Thinking I should write a book or something...lol