Many consumers are looking in various newspapers, magazines and other publications to find coupons, and sellers on eBay have an easy way to do so: eBay coupon auctions. These auctions list various coupons that the consumer can use for their local shopping needs, normally grocery stores. The sellers gather them from many publications and list them on eBay coupon listings.

In June of 2010, according to data collected at terapeak.com, eBay coupon auctions were numbering about 56k strong, which indicates the market is very much alive. Because of the high volume of listings with "coupon" in the title, the opportunity for consumers to enjoy savings while they shop is pretty incredible. There is a little bit of a controversy, however, over these eBay coupon sales.

There are at least two main problems with an eBay coupon. The first is that most coupons, from the manufacturer, do not allow the purchase, trading, exchanging or transferring of the coupons to begin with. The other problem is that the Grocery Manufacturers of America has sent a letter to cease and desist with the hope of shutting down the eBay coupon auctions, and they have been joined by the Food Marketing Institute as well.

These two groups allege that selling an eBay coupon is in violation of their terms of use, and that such sales are fraudulent activity. The e-commerce company has already made it clear in their rules that such sales of forbidden coupon sales is not allowed. They also tell sellers not to engage in the practice of creating an eBay coupon listing where such a sale would violate these terms of service.

The only real "trouble" with eBay’s position is that they do not in fact have a consequence for such sellers, but have told the sellers of any eBay coupon to avoid the practice. They do not in fact take action (as of yet), which is akin to turning their heads and looking the other way. In the United States, the selling of an eBay coupon is not legally forbidden activity.

None of the foregoing changes the fact that as a consumer, an eBay coupon auction will result in saving money. One example to illustrate would be how you can easily find 20 coupons of $2.00 off, which represents a savings of $40. Such a lot may cost $4 total, with a net savings of $36 (shipping is sometimes included, sometimes additional, depending on the seller of the eBay coupon).

There is an option that many savvy consumers are trying out in addition to the eBay coupon itself, and it is to join a free money-back membership website. There are many to choose from, but essentially it is free to join in most cases.

The consumer gets a link taking them to the auction, and in addition to getting the eBay coupon, they will get cash back to use for another purchase on eBay. Many use the savings to put toward another eBay coupon purchase, doubling their savings.