Ten Items you can BUY on eBay that will Save You Money

There are books, blogs, articles, literally tons of material out there about what to sell on Ebay to make money. But what about buying on eBay? What items do you or can you buy from Ebay at half the cost of what you pay in the store? "A penny Saved", right?

I've been an eBay member since 2001. For a short while, I tried to sell items on eBay (still do occasionally). I would scour the charity shops (who most, by the way, are smart and sell the collectibles online themselves) looking for that rare redlined pair of Levis from the 40's, or the rare antique coffee grinder that someone accidentally gave away. I even went to an "eBay Live" event once, in New Orleans 2004. I met some of the top sellers in eBay at that time.

I never did find my niche, but, I am still an active member and enjoy buying items on eBay more than anything else. Listed below are some of the common items that I buy to save a lot of money. Some might surprise you. Read on and you will start saving money with eBay too.

1. Gillette Mach3 Razor Blades. My favorite money saver simply because these little things average roughly 2 dollars per blade in the retail stores. I buy 60 at a time on eBay (a 1 year supply), and with the shipping charges included I pay approximately $60.00, or 1 dollar per blade. Sixty dollars saved.

2. Frontline. Any pet owner knows the importance of keeping ticks and fleas off their pets, but this stuff doesn't come cheap does it? A 6 pack of Frontline retails anywhere from 90 to over 100 dollars. I can buy a 6 pack off of eBay for 50 to 60 dollars including shipping. That's an annual savings of approximately 100 dollars.

3. ecco Shoes. Or any hard to find brand name shoes really. I chose to talk about ecco because I wear them.The last time I was in an ecco store was in Orlando many years ago, I can't find them close by so I buy them off of eBay out of necessity really. I know my size for this particular brand, (ecco sizes run large - I'm a 10, but in ecco shoes I'm a 9.5) and that's generally a must when buying an item such as this online. I can grab a nice brand new pair of Oxfords for less than half of what I would pay retail. On average I save 100 bucks.

4. Polo Boxers and Shirts. I'll admit, I probably buy these online out of convenience more than anything else, but, I do save a good amount of money on these as well. First of all, the boxers, I only buy new in the plastic retail packaging. They retail for 20.00 a pair in the stores. Online I can grab 3 pairs at 10 - 12 dollars each (If I shop a little) and I'll save approximately 50 bucks. Now with the shirts, the prices vary on these, but on average sell for 25 - 30 bucks each on ebay. In the stores they retail for 50 - 60 dollars. I get them at about half price. Annually I save around100 bucks on Polo shirts.

5. Kids Clothes. Kids grow up fast, and sometimes outgrow there clothes after wearing them just a few times. Why pay retail? The kids clothes section on eBay is HUGE, and if you can buy them, you can also sell them...

6. Batteries. Duracell, Energizer. Generally, you can buy these new from eBay for half price or less than retail. Like most items on eBay, the larger quantity you buy, the more you'll save. I'll usually save around 50 - 100 bucks a year.

7. Health and Beauty products. I buy hard to find skin care products such as Murad T-Zone Pore Refining Gel on eBay. I don't even know where I would get this locally, but I looked up the retail price online, and I paid less than half. Think about some of the pricey bathroom items you pay a small fortune for (makeup, skin care, etc.) and then look them up on eBay. You might be surprised.

8. Banana Republic Jeans. Or any hard to find brand name clothes. I chose to talk about these jeans because I wear them.This is another one of those items where I know my size, again a must if you buy online. These jeans retail from 70 - 100 in the store. I can grab a pair off of eBay for 30 bucks or less, for an annual savings of 100 bucks. .

9. Gift Cards. Yes, gift cards. There are TONS of gift cards for sale on eBay, and you can really lock some savings in if you spend some time shopping around. From Neiman Marcus to Walmart, Outback Steakhouse to Home Depot, just about anywhere you spend money. TIP - You can pick up some great gift card deals right after Christmas...

10. Coupons. Just like gift cards, there are tons of coupons for sale on eBay that can save you a little bit of money. TIP - looking for something to sell on eBay? People are selling coupons! Why not you?

These are some of the items that I buy frequently on eBay. If you add my eBay annual savings up, your looking looking at several hundred dollars a year. What about you? Look around the house and make a small list. Then look those items up on eBay and see what YOU can save.