Coupon Armageddon Part 8: Buying Coupons

Did you know you could buy coupons on eBay?  Well, you can.  Would I recommend it?  Only with some caveats.  Here are my thoughts on this.

Coupons are sold by clipping services on ebay. You can search for a coupon and buy them in packs ranging from 10-20, usually for like $3 or under.

When to buy:
-if the bidder is solid.  Check ratings and all those normal eBay things.  Also check shipping prices.
-if you KNOW you'll use the coupon.  I just bought ones for eggs, which I buy ever week. They are ranging from 35 to 50 cents, which means they'll double and triple so I can get about a buck off. OH, and they're cage-free organic.  This basically brings the cost down to "normal" eggs.  Yay!
-if the expiration dates are far enough off that you CAN use them.
-if there is a great sale and you KNOW you can get them in time.

Here's the mistake I made.  I bought 20 Dial coupons which, when tripled at my Kroger, meant free soap.  The problem was that even though I ordered them the day I found out about the sale (all the soap went down to a dollar), I only RECEIVED them on the last day of the sale.  Also, I didn't realize that Kroger has a limit, so I would really have had to buy three soaps per transaction, which would have been really hard to do all in that day.  So, if you're buying for a sale that's on that week, make sure you buy the coupon ASAP so you can actually use it in time.

I don't think I'd use this service often, except for a phenomenal sale or, like the eggs, something I'm buying every week. I know that I will use every single egg coupon and save money every week.  There is also the option of coupon trading, and when I try it, I'll write about that as well!