Have you ever wondered about eBay’s price match guarantee? Most people don’t think about that. Even savvy shoppers who regularly look up their favorite stores’ price matching policies often don’t think to do so when online shopping. However, eBay does have a price match guarantee. Therefore, you should research it if you’re a regular eBay shopper.
When Did eBay’s Price Match Guarantee Start?
Ebay has changed a lot since its inception. The big online auction site looks a lot different than it did in the early days. Whereas it started off as a place for the average person to sell their random items, it quickly become a hot spot for savvy resellers to make a lot of money. As the site has changed, so has its policies. In an effort to compete with online ecommerce sites, the company launched eBay’s price match guarantee in 2017.
Best Price Guarantee
Ebay’s price match guarantee is actually called the Best Price Guarantee. This reflects the whole point of price matching p- to make sure that the customer gets the best possible price on an item. Like with other price matching policies, if you find the same item at a lower price on a competitor’s website, then eBay will honor that price.
Tip: Look for the Best Price Guarantee symbol when shopping on eBay. This shows that the item qualifies for price matching.
Only New Items Qualify for Price Matching
All stores that offer price matching have restrictions and limitations. One of the limitations of eBay’s Price Match Guarantee is a little different from the norm, however. The site requires that all items must be new to qualify for the guarantee. Since most stores only sell new items, not both new and used items, this isn’t usually an issue.
In order for an item to qualify for the eBay price match, it must not only be new but also:
- Be unopened
- Appear on either the Ebay Deals page or their “top products” list
What Does “New” Mean on eBay?
Note that “manufacturer refurbished deals” do count as new and unopened. However, seller-refurbished items do not.
You can also look for the labels:
- “New”
- “Brand New”
- “New in Box”
- “New with Tags”
However, if you see “new other” then it probably isn’t going to qualify. Not sure if you’re item qualifies or not? Look for that Best Price Guarantee tag.
Stores for Price Matching
Most companies restrict the stores they’ll offer price matching against. In eBay’s case, you can only look for competitive prices across eight other businesses:
- Amazon.com
- BestBuy.com
- HomeDepot.com
- Jet.com
- Sears.com
- Target.com
- Walmart.com
- Wayfair.com
Obviously, the bad part about this is that you don’t get a lot of options for price comparisons. You can’t go to some random retailer, find the item, and ask eBay to match the price. However, since these online portals are comparable to eBay and offer low prices, they’re you’re best bet to find your matching item anyway.
The good news about that is that it’s easy to search for possible price matches. Before you check out at eBay, hit up each one of those eight online stores. Run a quick check for the items in your eBay cart to make sure that they aren’t available elsewhere for a lower price. This kind of comparison shopping saves you money whether you use price matching or buy the item from the cheapest retailer.
Price Matching Gets You The Better Deal at eBay
Usually, companies match the lowest price. Therefore, there’s no difference in value between which store you shop at. However, eBay gives you more than that. They’ll give you 110% of the price difference. Therefore, you actually make a little bit of money by using eBay’s price match guarantee for shopping you’re already doing anyway.
What does this really mean? Well, let’s say that you buy a brand new item on eBay for $200. Then you find it priced at $150 from another qualified retailer. That’s a $50 difference. Many stores would simply give you the item for the matching price. In other words, they would give you $50 back. However, eBay gives you an additional 10% of the difference. 10% of $50 is $5 so you would get $55.
Other Details of eBay’s Price Match Guarantee
Here are the other things you’ll need to know:
- The item for matching must be exactly the same.
- It must also currently be in stock.
- The price at the competitor must be lower excluding taxes, shipping, and other fees.
- The buyer is a US resident. Additionally, the item ships to the US. The buyer does not have to physically be in the US at time of purchase.
- If you return the item, you forfeit the price match on that item. You’ll get a refund for the returned item. However, you won’t get the coupon value for the price matching.
- You may only apply for one price matching deal per day on eBay.
Finally, eBay limits price matching to a difference of 50% of the item’s price or $500, whichever is cheaper. In other words, if you find an item for sale on another site at higher than $500 price difference then it’s disqualified. However, this would be a very rare find.
How to Get the Money
If you think that you qualify for price matching, then here’s what you need to do:
- Buy the item on eBay.
- Within 48 hours of purchase, contact eBay’s customer service. Provide them with all details about where you find a lower price.
- That’s it. If they verify that you’re owed the refund, you’ll receive an eBay coupon for 110% of the price difference.
Yes, you receive an eBay coupon for future shopping. Therefore, you only want to take advantage of price matching if you’re a regular eBay shopper. Sure, it’s good to get the lower price regardless. But it really works out to your best advantage if you shop on the site frequently. That’s how you’ll get the best prices and also be able to make the most of the money that you get back.
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Kathryn Vercillo is a professional writer who loves to live a balanced life. She appreciates a good work-life balance. She enjoys balance in her relationships and has worked hard to learn how to balance her finances to allow for a balanced life overall. Although she’s only blonde some of the time, she’s always striving for total balance. She’s excited to share what she’s learned with you and to discover more together along the way.
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