Most fountain pen seekers take a stroll through eBay looking for great deals. However, one secret to huge bargains are fountain pens up for an auction that are spelled wrong. There are a lot of people that have no clue what that fancy pen they found at home or inherited is worth, so they put it on eBay.

Many people misspell words. They wonder why there are no bids. Here's why . . . the item does not show up in eBay searches . . . nobody knows it's there. Many times you could be the only bidder.

You can find numerous "eBay Misspelling Tools" available online.

People have no idea what they are actually offering, not only do they misspell the name, they haven't a clue how to describe the fountain pen or take a compelling photo. It's recommended that you email the seller any question you might have.

However, make sure the pen has at least one bid (preferably yours) on it . . . before you tip off the seller that they actually have a fountain pen of substantial worth up for an auction. Once a bid has been made, the seller cannot change the price or description of that item.

You can find many of these pens in great condition, minimal brassing, clean and correct nib, a lever box in great shape, etc.

There is 'safe trading' advice offered by eBay that you should take to heart. By reading this advice you will be able to eliminate the anxiety of buying a product you can't personally check out, while buying it from some stranger.

Warning: there are a lot of fake fountain pens up for an auction on eBay. Do you know how to spot one?

- Does it have a serial number?

- Where should the serial number appear on the pen?

- Is the country of origin spelled correctly?

- Name of a manufacturer spelled correctly?

If you are still unsure on what you are looking for, there are many fountain pen forums online. These experts will be more than happy to answer any question you might have, just type in "Fountain Pen Forums" into any search box and then look around.

Not only should you be aware of fake pens, but be aware of bidder scams. Although rare in fountain pen auctions, it still happens. This type of scam is run by one person in control of two eBay accounts or two people with separate accounts. One eBay account will place a small bid on your fountain pen. Then another eBay account will place a very high bid. Right before your fountain pen auction is about to close, the high bidder will cancel or withdraw their bid, leaving the low bid as the winner. Setting a "reserve price" on your fountain pen will avoid this scam.

Hopefully, this information is beneficial to you in your quest to find a great bargain and not get taken when shopping for fountain pens at the world's largest flea market.

Mark Kessler is the owner of "Fountain Pens 411" a comprehensive free Fountain Pen resource, including Fountain Pen news, hard to find Fountain Pens, custom and discount fountain pens, Waterman, Mont Blanc, Parker, Vintage, Antique, articles and links.

http://www.fountainpens411.com