3 tricks to get more from online auction sites

Online auction sites can be a great resource for online shopping, but it can be sketchy if you're not careful. Here are three helpful things to remember so you can get your savings safely.

• When you bid on items, you'll always see when the bidding will end.
• Watch for items for which the bidding will close at a time when most people are away from their computers.
• If bidding stops at 9 p.m. on Canada Day, or 8 a.m. Christmas morning, few people will be adding bids and running up the price at the last minute.
• You can sneak in at the closing seconds, place your bid and claim the item for yourself.

• If you're looking for a particular item on an auction site, like an Armani suit, try searching for it under a few misspellings.
• Sellers who aren't good spellers may be offering the suits as "Aramani" or "Armane," for example.
• Since most people searching through the site would only look for the suit under its proper spelling, you'd be competing with fewer shoppers when you cast your bid.

• When thinking about  whether to buy an item, consider the seller's rating. Unscrupulous folks may take your money and never send you the product.
• Buyers, however, can rate sellers. They use criteria like whether the item was described accurately, whether it arrived on time and if it showed up undamaged.
• Steer clear of sellers with less than a 98 percent positive rating. Your risk of having an unhappy transaction goes up as the seller's approval rating drops.
• If you're tempted to buy an item but the seller's reputation seems questionable, send the person an e-mail asking about the product.
• If you receive a thoughtful response in a timely manner, this is a good sign that you're dealing with an honest individual.

Auction sites can be a great place to pick up deals, as long as you're smart about it. Look at ratings and use a few tricks to tip the odds in your favour. If you do, you could see yourself winning more auctions and seeing even more savings.