How to compare seller offers for the same product

On 1shop the same product can be listed by several independent sellers. The product page puts those offers side by side, which is useful only if you know which columns actually decide the outcome. The item price is the one most people read first and the one that misleads most often.

Compare totals, not item prices

Delivery is set by each seller and is not included in the item price unless the offer is marked "Free delivery". A $12.40 item with a $6.00 delivery fee costs more than a $15.90 item that ships free. Add the two numbers before you rank the offers — the cart shows the same arithmetic, but by then you have usually already chosen.

Then compare delivery windows

Every offer carries an estimated delivery window in days, counted from dispatch rather than from the moment you order. A four-day difference is often worth a dollar or two; a three-week window on a gift is not worth any saving at all. Cross-border shipments can also be held at customs, which no seller controls — see cross-border orders for what that adds.

Check condition and stock before anything else

• Condition — new, refurbished and used offers sit in the same comparison table. Filter by condition if only one is acceptable.
• Stock — an in-stock offer from a slower seller often arrives before a cheaper backordered one.
• Seller — the seller page lists what that account has published and whether it is verified. See what verification covers.

A checklist you can run in thirty seconds

1. Item price plus delivery fee, per offer.
2. Delivery window, and whether the parcel crosses a border.
3. Condition and stock status.
4. Seller verification and how long the account has been publishing.
5. The return route if it turns out wrong — see our returns policy.

Where to practise

Comparison is most valuable in categories where the identical item is sold by many people: Electronics, Fashion and Home & Garden are the usual places to start.