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There are three big questions facing a new buyer cutting his or her teeth during an online auction. First, how do you find the items you want fast? Second, how do you know if items you find are priced within reason? And third, how can you be assured that the items are being sold by a legitimate seller? The first problem is fairly easy to solve; coming to a conclusion on the other two questions can take a little more time and research. Here are some basic ways to search for merchandise, authenticate it, and verify the legitimacy of your auction associates.

The Search Is On: All auction sites feature services and tools to help you separate the wheat from the chaff. At the top of the list is the site's search engine, which is a programming script that matches keywords--which are typed into the search field--with similar words in the site's database. Type away, hit Enter, and you'll get a list of links as your search results.

If the site's search or advanced search (allowing you to set preferences) is site-wide and comprehensive, this is the fastest way to get to the goods you want. Unfortunately, depending on the size of the site and the reliability of the search engine, your results can be too broad, disparate, or even too limited. An alternative, if the site supports this, is to select the category related to the item you want and do a category-specific search. You'll be searching a smaller pool of items with popular keywords linked to preset results.

Featured Auctions: Another search method is to scan the featured auctions in the categories that interest you, which typically run along the top of a category listing page. Be aware that sellers pay for this placement. You'll obviously see some duds, but it is a good way to find high-profile auctions in that category quickly.

Going, Going, Gone: Some sites allow you to easily access auctions that are ending soon, usually within the hour or day. Although you'll have to weed through a lot of auctions that won't necessarily interest you, it's possible that you just might find a last-minute gem that has slipped through the cracks.

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