April 19th, 2007

eBay is one of the most popular Web sites on the planet for a reason. The online bazaar is capable of both earning and saving you a lot of money. With millions of bargain items to browse and an easy system to sell your items through, eBay may very well signal the end of garage sales and flea markets everywhere. Whether you are using the site to buy or sell, the following tips, how-tos and tutorials will help you maximize your eBay experience.

General Use of eBay

1. How To Open an eBay Account
   Opening an account on eBay is very straightforward and completely free of charge. After pressing the "Register Now" button on the homepage, you will be asked for pertinent information like your name, desired user ID and address. After your email is verified, you are free to begin bidding and selling. If you are still unsure about registration, you can always take the site’s guided tour first.

2. Maintaining Privacy
   If you are uncomfortable with divulging your home address to eBay buyers and sellers, then you may wish to use a P.O. Box for all transactions. You may also choose to use an initial for your first name when registering.

3. How To Open a PayPal Account
   If you are going to start buying and/or selling on eBay, then the safest form of payment to send/receive will be electronically through PayPal. Starting a PayPal account is easy and free, just like your eBay account. They will ask you for your name, address, as well as a credit card or bank account number. Rest assured that PayPal is a very secure, third party site that will handle all your personal information with discretion.

4. Using "My eBay"
   When you log into eBay, you should check out the "My eBay" area. There, you will find a report on all the things you are bidding on, selling and watching. This is where you can keep an eye on auctions of interest and check your inbox for messages from other users. You may wish to bookmark "My eBay" rather than the homepage.

5. The Feedback System
   Although eBay can’t promise you 100% satisfaction with every transaction through the site, they have instilled a helpful feedback system. Every time you buy or sell an item, you will have the opportunity to rate that transaction as a positive, negative or neutral experience. You will also be allowed to leave a short message with the rating. The feedback appears on a member’s profile page and will let other users know what it may be like for them to deal with that particular person.

6. Understanding Feedback Scores
   As you peruse the site, you will notice that every eBay member has a number following their Username. This is a feedback score and it is there to let you know what their reputation is like on the site. With every positive feedback rating received, a person’s score increases by 1. Each negative rating will reduce the number by 1. Neutral ratings do not affect a person’s score at all, but will still appear on the member’s profile page.

7. Positive Feedback Percentages
   In addition to a total feedback score, a member will have a positive feedback percentage on their profile page. This may be more useful in determining whether the seller has a good reputation or not. Generally, anything over 98% is desirable and users with a very low feedback percentage are removed from eBay.

8. How to "Speak eBay"
   Listings on eBay have their own acronyms and abbreviations, much like the ones you see in classified ads. Regular use of the site will make you more familiar with eBay language. However, if you come across something that really stumps you, there is an official eBay glossary at your disposal.

9. Attending eBay University
   A recent addition to the auction site is eBay University, an online educational program designed to help you become proficient with the site. It also includes an exhaustive video tutorial on all things eBay. While some of you may find the pacing a bit tedious, it really does a good job at walking you through the site with narration.

10. eBay Discussion Boards and Blogs
    If you would like to discuss eBay with other sellers and buyers, the discussion boards are always quite busy. If you are a seller, joining a discussion will be a good way to promote a particular item to a niche crowd. Also, this is an area where you can ask for advice or warn others of a problematic member. You can also read up more eBay tips on blogs such as bidbits.

11. International eBay Sites
    There are many other versions of eBay that are for international buyers and sellers. To date, there is now an eBay for the following countries/regions: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and United Kingdom. Each of these sites operate with the area’s official language and currency, should you consider visiting them.

12. Beware of Spoof Emails
    There are many criminals on the Internet who send out spoof emails that appear to be from eBay and ask for personal information, such as your login name and password. This is known as "phishing" and is an attempt at some sort of identity theft. Beware these emails and know that eBay will never send you a message asking for personal information or providing any links for you to click on. You should forward all suspected emails to: spoof@ebay.com.

Buying on eBay

13. How To Place a Bid
    Bidding on an eBay auction is very simple, provided you are logged into your eBay account. When you find an auction you are interested in, click the blue button next to the auction’s price that reads, "Place Bid". Then, you will be directed to a page where you should enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the item. From the starting price, the auction is raised in increments as people are outbid, so you could win without having to pay your maximum amount.

14. The "Buy It Now" Option
    Many items sold on eBay are not auctioned off, but rather have a flat price. If the item you are interested in only has a "Buy It Now" option, then you can buy it immediately at that set price. Some items are listed with both an option to bid and to buy immediately. The starting price for bid will be lower, so you may want to press you luck with it. However, if the "Buy It Now" option is only moderately higher and you really want the item, it would probably be best to choose immediate purchase.

15. Read the Auction Carefully
    Don’t experience buyer’s remorse due to a misunderstanding. You should read all auctions carefully before placing a bid, as you may neglect some very important information. For instance, you may overlook shipping charges or the seller’s preferred method of payment.

16. Importance of a Buyer’s Feedback Score
    Your feedback score is important, as you want to maintain a good reputation on the site. However, your feedback score as a buyer isn’t as important it is for a seller. In rare cases, an auction may stipulate that you should have an established history in order to bid, but most sellers are flexible if you are new to the site and contact them directly.

17. Check All Power Sellers’ Profiles
    A "Power Seller" is someone on eBay who regularly sells a high volume of goods and maintains a high positive feedback percentage. This title is bestowed on people as a mark of trust, but looks can be deceiving. A Power Seller may maintain a positive rating percentage of 99% only because they are moving such high numbers of items. In reality, they may be getting dozens of negative ratings a month, which is outrageous. Always check a Power Seller’s profile and look at how many negatives they have received this year. A few may be forgivable, but not hundreds.

18. How to "Snipe" an Auction
    The term "snipe" means to outbid someone on an auction right before it ends and before they get a chance to make a counter bid. With a fast Internet connection, you might successfully outbid someone when the auction only has a minute or less left. You might also be interested in checking out Lastminute Auction.

19. Items That Never Arrive
    Although eBay has a nice feedback policy in place, the auction site is still an honor system. In the event that you pay for an item and never receive it, you should first try to contact the seller for an explanation. If there is no response or if they tell you it is on the way and you still don’t receive it, you should report it to eBay right away. This can be done by marking the auction on your "My eBay" page as "Item Not Received". A dispute will be opened and you will then deal with the seller through a third party.

20. Requesting a Refund
    If you receive your item in poor condition and you feel it is the fault of the seller and not the postal service, you may have recourse to ask for a refund. Also, if the item you receive is different than what the auction described, you should seek a refund. Always contact a seller directly if you are dissatisfied with the item. Many are more than happy to offer some sort of refund or exchange. However, no seller is required to give a refund unless they specifically state in their auction that they offer one. If you paid for the item via PayPal, a complaint filed there can easily return your money, but you should give the seller a chance to do it first.

21. Requesting Shipping Details
    If you have any doubts or questions about an auction, always send the seller a message before you bid. This is especially important if you don’t see any details about shipping charges. You will want to make sure that the seller isn’t going to try and gouge you for shipping, which is an unfortunate habit for some members.

22. Bid With the Intention to Win
    You won’t know the outcome of any auction until the very end, so you should never bid on the same item in several different auctions if you only want one. Doing so may result in you winning more than one auction.

23. "Best Offer" Bids
    The recent addition of "Best Offer" bids is a variation of the "Buy It Now" option. Some sellers will ask for a flat price, but also give you a chance to offer a lower price. It will then be up to the seller to accept or deny the offer. Never assume that your offer won’t be accepted, as some sellers may be more motivated to get rid of the item than you think.

24. Research High-End Items
    Before you bid on a high-end collectible, make sure you know what the item is worth. Some starting prices or "Buy It Now" figures are a bit steep for the item in question. Never assume that the seller is being fair with their price.

Selling on eBay

25. How to List an Item
    Listing an item on eBay is very simple, as the site will slowly take you through each step. Provided you are logged into eBay, you should first press the "Sell" button at the top of the screen. Then, decide what category best matches the item you are selling. A simple form with clearly labeled fields will be all you need to complete before your item is listed. However, reviewing your listing before you post is very important. You should be very careful with the process, as you don’t want to make a crucial mistake, such as listing the item for much lower than you intended.

26. Use Keywords in Titles
    The title of your auction will be most important for attracting buyers, as many people will be using the search feature to find goods of interest. Use related keywords in your title that you think people might type into the eBay search engine. For example, a listing for clothes should probably include the sizes and brand names in the title.

27. Write a Truthful Description of Item
    Be honest and exact with your item’s description. While it isn’t necessary to compose a novel, you should include all the important details. This will help to sell your item, as well as to ensure that the buyer will be satisfied.

28. Take Clear Auction Photos
    You are encouraged to post at least one picture of the item you are selling, so a good digital camera is paramount. Your photo(s) should serve as an accurate representation of the item, so don’t use any tricks. Good lighting and a crisp focus should be easy enough to obtain with a digital camera and a nice picture will really help to sell your product.

29. Charge a Fair Shipping Amount
    Charging outrageous shipping prices is a poor way to conduct business on eBay. While a small handling fee is understandable, you should always be fair with the amount. Not only will price gouging make people avoid the auction, it may result in negative feedback from a disgruntled winner.

30. Set a Low Starting Price
    Many people start their auctions out at $.99, even if the item is worth considerably more. A psychological effect occurs by doing this. A low starting price encourages many people to bid, which will help to drive up the price in the long run. When other users see how many people are bidding, it almost makes the item more desirable. This phenomenon is known as "bidding frenzy".

31. Importance of a Seller’s Feedback
    Your feedback score is very important to buyers, as it will tell them whether or not you are trustworthy to buy from. You should easily be able to maintain a 100% positive feedback history, provided you are honest and professional with your auctions’ winners. Most disagreements can be settled through open correspondence.

32. Understanding eBay Fees
    Listing an item on eBay costs money, although it is usually a nominal amount. This listing fee is based on how much your starting price is, which is another good reason to start the bidding low. However, another charge will be made by eBay when the auction ends. This charge will be a percentage of the final closing price. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with eBay’s fee system so you aren’t surprised when you receive your monthly statement from the site.

33. Understanding PayPal Fees
    Although buying through PayPal is always free, sellers will notice that PayPal charges small fees for receiving payment through the site. This is a fact that dissuades many people from using PayPal, but the site really is the safest way to perform online money transactions. There are two types of PayPal accounts: personal and premier/business. Both are free to open and both have their pros and cons where fees are concerned. You should familiarize yourself with PayPal’s fee policy before you start using their services as a seller.

34. Second Chance Offers
    If a buyer ever fails to pay you for a closed auction and you have gone through the necessary channels to report them to eBay, then you can offer a "second chance" to the bidder who came closest to winning the auction. This bidder can choose to accept or refuse the second chance offer. Upon acceptance, they will be charged the maximum amount they originally bid.

35. Check Your InBox Regularly
    During any active auction you have listed, you should regularly check your "My eBay" page for messages from other users. Potential buyers often have questions for sellers about items up for bid. If you fail to reply to questions before the auction’s end, you may be costing yourself money.

36. Save Long Item Descriptions as a Document
    eBay is not without its technical malfunctions. While attempting to list an item, you might occasionally get an error message that causes the information you just entered to disappear. If you plan on writing a long description for an item, you should save it as a document, then cut and paste. That will prevent your hard work from being lost due to an unexpected glitch.

37. Pros and Cons of "Buy It Now" Auctions
    Allowing buyers to purchase your auction for a flat price is appealing to some sellers. This will ensure that you get an amount you deem fair and may actually help to sell your item quicker than a normal auction. However, it is possible that your item can be sold for more than your "Buy It Now" price, so you may not want to cap off your sale like that.

Many people are intimidated by eBay at first, but the site is really quite easy to use. Whether you are buying, selling or both, there’s no denying that eBay is truly addictive. In fact, eBay users have formed a bit of a subculture unto themselves. With a bit of practice, you too will become an online auction expert.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 19th, 2007 at 9:50 am and is filed under Features.