{Twitter Party} Shopping Goes Mobile with eBay

1. OtterBox Defender Case for my iPad. The final and most definitive sign that my iPad have officially been ceded to the children.

2. A sun shade for my windshield. The final and most definitive sign that we live in Texas and it is HOT here.

3.  A tape deck adapter for my husband’s new (to us) car. It’s a nice, but older car that didn’t come with a built-in AUX or USB

4. A universal USB car charger since I have a bit of… um, a ‘”tech hoarding” issue, but not a lot of room in my glove compartment for a millions different cords.

Yes, not very exciting purchases… especially on a site where I would much rather be buying gorgeous teal handbags or vintage stand mixers or millions other fun, frivolous items.

Instead, I opted for four mundane thing which, would you believe, CANNOT be found all together in a single store in my area?  Not a single big box bulk retailer? Not one department store? Not one electronics megabrand?

Even the store that usually has everything (at low, low prices) claimed that at least half of the items on my list are “out of season” and therefore unattainable. The other two items, they had never heard of… ever. So, they probably don’t exist. Riiight?

Well, fortunately for me, they do exist and are completely attainable on eBay. And now, it’s even easier to shop eBay that before with my smartphone and tablet. In fact, shopping in general is a lot more enjoyable.

First I should probably explain how I tend to shop for things. I am motivated by two things: price and time, but then again, who isn’t?

It’s not worthwhile to me to go to four different stores to get four relatively boring items– especially when I have much better things to do like watch Grey’s Anatomy on TV while playing Words With Friends on my iPad. Let’s not even mention the amount of time if would take to even hunt down which stores would even carry such little things and for the best price.

I mean, these are the kind of items that I would pick up if I saw them while out and about, but would I be paying a fair price for them? Hmm…

eBay’s Red Laser app allows shoppers to instantly access product information and do price comparisons on products on eBay, Half.com, other online retailers, and even check store inventories in your local area!  All you have to do is scan the barcode.

Find an interesting book? Read the online reviews with Red Laser. Find a yummy food item? Scan its barcode and add it to your shopping list.

Best of all, I know that I’m getting a great deal on an item on the fly!

There are other times for which I prefer to shop on eBay directly, even while I’m already in a store shopping. The eBay Mobile App is great for sellers and buyers alike, but I tend to use it to keep a running list of wants and “gotta-haves” as I’m shopping. I find and add things to my “shopping cart” as I think of them or if I can’t fine them in the store. When I finally accumulate a certain number of  items, I purchase everything all at once.

Auctions aren’t really my scene, so I tend to go for the “Buy it Now” options since I usually “WANT it now.”

Another eBay mobile app that I love to use is eBay Classifieds, which allows you to buy and sell items locally. With every move (and we have had a lot in the past four years…), our family has shed and accumulated items constantly.

Either the kids outgrow something and we needed the space more, or we walk into our new house in the late evening only to realize then that there are no built-in light fixtures … It’s eBay Classifieds to the rescue!

To learn more about eBay’s full suite of free apps for the mobile web, iOS, Windows, Blackberry, and Android, visit eBay Mobile.  

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