eBay : eBay An introduction to the eBay auction site
What is eBay? : What is eBay? Online auction house
Founded in 1995
Meeting place for buyers and sellers
Features millions of items for sale at any time
How to Register : How to Register Provide basic information: name, address, phone number and email address
Pick a username (not your email address)
Verify your information after receiving a confirmation email from eBay
Searching the eBay Site : Searching the eBay Site Browse categories
Browse popular products, themes or stores
Use the search box to enter key words about the item you are looking for
Use advanced search options to further narrow your search
Check out this: http://pages.ebay.com/education/gettingstarted/finding.html
Researching the Sale Item : Researching the Sale Item Consider the starting bid, current bid and buy it now prices
Read the description carefully, is there enough information? What is the condition of the item?
Consider the shipping costs and details
Consider the seller’s feedback rating and comments
Bidding and Buying : Bidding and Buying You can place a bid for the maximum amount you want to bid and then eBay will bid on your behalf when someone outbids you
You will be notified when you have been outbid through email
Some auctions have a buy it now price. If you use this feature you are buying the item outright for the buy it now price and are not bidding on the item.
Payment : Payment PayPal www.paypal.com service that will let you pay for your items through check or credit card without giving that information to the seller directly.
Traditional methods like check, money order, C.O.D. are accepted by some sellers make sure to check the payment details on the auction before bidding.
PayPal : PayPal Free to setup an account.
Free to pay through PayPal.
Fees for receiving money through transactions:
Monthly Sales Price Per Transaction:
$0.00 -$3,000.00 2.9% + $0.30 USD
$3,000.01-$10,000.00 2.5% + $0.30 USD
$10,000.01 -$100,000.00 2.2% + $0.30 USD
> $100,000.00 1.9% + $0.30 USD
Safety and Security : Safety and Security If something goes wrong with your purchase contact the seller first.
Check out the eBay Security Center http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/buying_paying.html
Never give out your account information for eBay or PayPal to someone that calls you or contacts your through instant messaging or email
If you get an email requesting an information update go to the website directly by typing it in or using your favorites. Never click on links in email messages asking you to update account information.
Buying Advice : Buying Advice Leave feedback about purchases
Research the retail value of items either at stores or on the web through sites like Yahoo! Or Google.
Search completed auctions to see how much items have been auctioned for in the past.
Make sure to consider warranties and customer service into your price comparisons
Selling on eBay : Selling on eBay Update your account to a seller’s account by adding credit or debit card information.
List your item: Title and description, pictures, choose a category, decide on a starting price, a reserve price (the minimum you’ll accept) , length of auction, shipping information and payment options.
Considerations : Considerations FEES: eBay’s official list of fees here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html
Items that aren’t allowed: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/item_allowed.html
Let a trading assistant sell it for you? http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?TradingAssistant&page=main
Adding Pictures to Your Auction : Adding Pictures to Your Auction You can use a digital camera, scanned photos, scanned 2 dimensional items, and most places will allow you to get film processed into digital images (a CD with your photos).
Copy your photo to the web using http://pages.ebay.com/sell/pictureservices/ or a similar service check with your ISP you may have free web space that you can take advantage of.
Selling Advice : Selling Advice Make sure to title your auction effectively. Be descriptive about the item you are selling. Check your spelling. (limited to 45 characters)
Promptly respond to inquiries made about your auction.
Try to anticipate who might be interested in buying your items and when they will likely be on and use that as a possible ending time for your auction.
Online Auction Tactics : Online Auction Tactics Selling a good story. If you are selling collectible items a good story or background might get you more attention and increase your bids.
Sniping: waiting until the last possible moment to get your bid in and hopefully win the item.