Pssst... Wanna Buy An eBay Coupon?

Until I began researching eBay coupon codes for this part of my website, I'd never paid much attention to the coupons. I've been a registered buyer and seller on eBay for a long time. I'd see their coupons in my email box from time to time but never paid much attention to them.

So I was surprised to learn that there's a thriving market online for the eBay coupons or the redemption codes found on those coupons. Since everyone loves a bargain, that makes sense.

They're not the same thing as manufacturer's coupons. There's a LOT of these coupons for sale on eBay too.

What... free coupons for sale?

Well, someone's taking time to gather, organize, list and mail the buyer the coupons. You're really paying for the work that the seller is doing.

Now back to those coupons. I began to research eBay coupon codes. Where to start? Well, how about on eBay in the help area to begin with. Just look up coupons in the a-z index.

Ebay doesn't write very much about their own coupons... probably because they're pretty simple! The coupons are sent out only to members... only to people with active eBay accounts. This is completely "random"... there's no rhyme, reason or schedule to it. And no one except for Ebay knows who qualifies for an Ebay coupon.

And, (this is the important part) the only place a valid coupon ever shows up is on your "my eBay" page. A yellow "coupon bar" shows up only if there is a valid coupon at any time. Otherwise, you do not have access to the coupon. No coupon bar... no coupon. See- simple. And there isn't always an active coupon promotion.

Here's the deal with those eBay coupons.

• The elusive coupon may have some restrictions, so you need to read it carefully before using it.
• There's some items, such as vehicles, that you can't use it on.
• Coupons are only good on eBay, not on Half.com, eBay's used book site.
• Next, check for the expiration date. All of their coupons are void after the date shown- with no exceptions.
• Make sure before you commit to buy (if you're going to use the coupon for that purchase) that the seller accepts Paypal. An eBay coupon is only valid if used with paypal.
• If the seller uses a different "shopping cart" for checkout other than the default eBay cart, you still need to pay with your paypal account.
• If you make your purchase and commit to buy the item, and then notice that the coupon is expired, you're still responsible to complete the transaction.
• You can only use the coupon for ONE purchase. it's void after being used. At checkout, you enter your redemption code at that time.

And that's it. Quick and easy, right? Oh, but I forgot to mention something. Both eBay & paypal agree on this... the coupons are absolutely NOT-transferable.

Uh-Oh. That's a problem for a lot of bargain hunters. Because when I searched on Google, I found a LOT of websites that promise usable redemption codes or coupons for use on eBay. Some give them away and some actually charge for those ebay codes.

But Paypal & eBay both say "Coupons are non-transferable and can't be shared." Hmm...

This sounds like some kind of a scam!

How do they get away with this? Well, one site I saw said this, "This is a list of current eBay Redemption Codes that are spinning around the web. Remember, not all codes will work for everyone. Feel free to try all of them to see if one works for you."

Nice, huh. "Not all codes will work for everyone." They've provided an "out" for themselves. This disclaimer or something like it was common to all of the coupon code sites that I found.

Since there was no charge for these codes... no harm, no foul. But what's the gimmick? What's in it for them?

Well, most have a mailing list that you can sign up for. Someone will be happy to mail you about how to get more codes later. Will any of those codes work? Does it matter? Once you have given them permission to contact you, let the "spam" begin.

I hate spam and bet you do too! eBay coupon codes found this way probably never work. How could they? Ebay & paypal track everything... they know who's code it was originally, and who's using it now. Don't expect this to work.

If you paid for the coupon or code, that may have been fraud on their part, but since (I hope) it didn't cost you much, consider it a cheap lesson learned. Double-check the information on websites first. (Sure, double-check me too!)

Ebay is already a pretty darned inexpensive place to buy stuff. The best way to get eBay coupons is to be an active buyer on eBay. That's the best way to qualify for perks.

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