Looking for an easy way to buy in bulk online? Thinking of going to Costco but only need to buy one particular item in bulk? Are you sick of wasting a whole lot of time and gas money in this tailspin of an economy just to get a good deal somewhere out of the way? Normally people end up paying retail prices for what they need when they need it so they end up going to their local supermarket to buy those widgets individually wrapped each costing X amount of dollars. Think about how many times a year you buy a package of batteries from a local grocery store. If batteries have a shelf life up to five years, then you could save five times as many trips to the grocery store for batteries, not to mention huge cost savings by buying in bulk to last that long. Imagine how much you'll save if you buy products in bulk that have an unlimited shelf life. Costco prides itself on wholesale prices as you buy in bulk, but these are closer to retail prices. Next time try bulk buying online. eBay is a great place to start. In fact, many reputable eBay sellers sell products in bulk based out of the country of manufacture, predominantly China and Hong Kong, so you are removing the middleman from the equation.
When you cut out the middleman you save yourself a lot of money. A wholesale lot is usually a term used to describe an item that is bundled in bulk on a pallet sitting in a warehouse ready for distribution to local retail outlets. You don't have to be a retailer to buy wholesale lots. When searching for bulk deals on eBay try out a search for "lot of" and the name of the item such as "widgets". If you are looking for a certain number of widgets, try out a search for a "lot of 100 widgets". This search will yield all of the auctions or buy it now listings featuring 100 widgets for sale. Usually an auction will always be the better deal if you can win one. If you are not in a hurry I would highly recommend participating in auction style listings. You just have to place a big over the current bid price, preferably the highest price you are willing to pay for the lot, and the selling price will be the absolute highest bid made by the highest bidder. If you don't have time for auctions to end you should check out the BIN (Buy it Now) items. There are still plenty of bulk BIN items available to purchase right now.
To become a wizard at saving money here is what you can do. Think about what you buy every time you are at a grocery store. Are any of these products non-perishable? If so write these products down on a piece of paper. Next time you are at a grocery store, find these items and record their prices. If the product comes packaged with more than one item, also write the number of items in the package next to the price. Next, calculate the price per item and put this list somewhere for a rainy day. Next time you are browsing the Internet, take the list out and try some searches on eBay. Try searching for a "lot of" and the item's name. The more items you buy the more you save on each item, so if you have the space to store stuff for a while and know these products aren't perishable you should try to find auctions or listings with the highest quantity of items. When you find a listing, calculate the total cost of the bulk lot by adding the price of the item with the shipping cost. Next, calculate the cost per item. Record this number next to the similar product you found at the grocery store. Next calculate how much money you'll save after this single purchase: subtract the cost per item on eBay from the cost per item from the grocery store and multiply that value by the number of items you are planning to purchase on eBay. You could be saving hundreds of dollars, lots of your time spent shopping, and countless trips and gas money to the store just by sacrificing some of your own storage space at home. After you've mastered your home budgeting, next try saving at work. If you own your own business you will be amazed at the time and cost savings "lot" shopping brings to the workplace. Anything from office supplies to store inventory can be purchased right on eBay.
Some other bulk buying tips include thinking ahead of your needs. Buy ahead of time. If you are buying bulk on eBay make sure you factor in the latest possible shipping times so that you don't end up having to run to the store for what you have coming to your doorstep. In other words, before your toilet paper runs out, you'll want to make a pit stop at Costco. Why waste your money going to a local grocery store where you pay retail, when that money could afford twice as many rolls somewhere else? Usually there are more cost-saving and exciting products to buy online than toilet paper.
