To Clip or Not To Clip

If you ever thought about trying a clipping service, especially through Ebay, let me offer some advice.

If you regularly get the Sunday paper, I would recommend shying away from the auctions that offer 100 random coupons. They are normally, that same group of coupons that you just sit and cut on Sunday, and are usually the waste that seller doesn’t want. Look for the auctions that are for the items that you are specially looking for, and focus on those.

Make sure you confirm the expiration date prior to buying. If the expiration date is close to (or around) the date you purchase, make sure you are allotting enough time to get the coupons. The last thing you want to have any delay and getting your coupons.

When searching for a coupon, look for the coupons that will give you the best value. Don’t immediately jump at the $1/1 off coupons, especially if you have grocery stores that will double them. Look for the $.75/1 = since that will double to $1.50/1. It is always about maximum savings!

If you are looking to bid on an auction for multiple copies of a specific Sunday insert, first confirm that the specific coupons you were looking for in the insert, are actually in that insert. Remember, you are buying from people all over the country, and every major market is different. I have purchased specific week’s inserts, and while they had the coupons I was looking for, there were major differences between the coupons – both in the value of the coupon and the products in the insert. So, just confirm with the seller that the coupons you are looking for are in there, and the value of the coupon.

Remember that you are paying for the person’s time to cut and sell these coupons, not the cost of the coupons. So don’t get carried away in a bidding war. Ten $.75/1 coupons, should not cost you $5 + shipping. Just remember these auctions are a dime a dozen, just keep looking for one that is not going to cost you too much!

Keeping all this in mind, Ebay is a great place to score some coupons, especially for products that you are looking to stockpile or you know are going to go on sale.

Happy Coupon Clipping!