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I use one of those Braun Oral-B electric toothbrushes. I love these little guys. Charge overnight and they run for weeks. And the squeaky clean feeling is incredible. Yet, replacing the toothbrush heads on these things every month or so is a painful reminder of how expensive these gizmos can get. A 3-pack set of replacement heads at the local Walmart costs $18.84 and they’re more expensive if I go a Shopper’s or Walgreens. Considering I need four packs a year, I’m looking at around $75 a year. In toothbrush costs. Ouch. The story repeats with yet another all-time favorite: my Gillette Mach 3 razor. A year’s supply of shaving blades costs upwards of $30.

I decided to do a little math and quickly identified and added up the cost of some of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) that I purchase each year. This list included: toothbrush replacement heads ($75), razor blades ($25), hair gel ($40), deodorant ($20), after-shave ($20), and this was in the bathroom alone. In the kitchen, I looked at common purchases like kitchen gloves, garbage bags, Scotch Brite sponges, wet wipes, etc. At the end, I calculated over $600 in annual costs for just the few items that came to mind!

There had to be a better way. And eBay was the answer. A quick search for “Braun Oral B toothbrush heads” or “Mach 3 blades” resulted in a plethora of items on sale. And the best part was that most of these items were selling for far less than the retail price I was used to paying at Walmart. For example, the toothbrush replacement heads (pack of 12 to last me a year) were going for $12.50 + $5 shipping = $17.50. That was a savings of $57.50 or over 75%! Searches for other items showed similar savings: Mach 3 blades - 50% savings for annual supply; after-shave - 65% savings; and hair gel - 40% savings.

I quickly became a convert. Today, most of my CPG purchases are made through eBay. On an annual basis, I calculated a savings of over $250 on the items identified above - that’s 40% less than what I would’ve paid otherwise…for the exact, same products. Some suggestions for products you could purchase and save on through eBay are:

Of course, shopping on eBay, just like shopping online, carries a small level of risk. Follow the fool-proof tips below to ensure your eBay-shopping experience is a positive (and profitable) one.

1. Purchase from a Power Seller with a high positive rating - this alone brings you within 99% probability of completing the sale without risk of fraud
2. Look for sellers in your country - if you must, look at international sellers (recall tip #1), but be prepared if your item gets held up at the border by Customs (incurring duties = additional cost)
3. Look for free shipping - many sellers will offer this convenience if you’re in the same state or province
4. If you’re going to pay shipping, check to see if you can buy multiple items from the same seller (hence saving overall shipping costs)
5. Pay through PayPal or a trusted third-party provider - don’t deal directly with the seller or provide your credit card details to them under any circumstances

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