eBay--Come On In, The Water's Fine!
Written: May 02 '02
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| Full Review |
I know what you might be thinking if you've never ventured over to eBay. I can't possibly buy anything at eBay, I wouldn't know where to start.
I'm here to assure you that you can both buy and sell, and enjoy it immensely. Come on in, the water's fine!
I thought since eBay is just so big, I'd break this review up into sections on both buying and selling to make this a little easier to read.
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Buying-
I recommend unless you are an experienced auction seller that you do quite a lot of browsing and some buying before you do your own listings. This will give you a good idea of what auctions do well, how to state clear terms, and so on. Before you can buy anything, you'll need to register, but browsing can be done without establishing an account.
Browsing-
eBay has a great feature, and that is the browse, or search option. It's available from any page. You can try to narrow your search down by category to sub-category if you wish, but I've always had great results by simply hitting the search box, and typing in just what I want. I am currently keeping my eye on Belleek shamrock, and Noritake Traviata, both china patterns I collect. All of the possibilities come up and I can look them over in several ways, by price, newest listings, or ending first.
Don't forget that as a registered eBay user you can then save your search and set eBay to notify you when items matching your description are listed. This is a wonderful feature to help you get your hands on especially rare items.
Now I Want To Bid, What's Next?-
So you've done some browsing and found a few items you like. If you haven't registered before, you can do so now. If you're registered you'll be ready to go. I do have a few tips for you before you place your first bid.
1. Check a seller's feedback, that is the number that may or may not be followed by a star just after the seller's name. It's a judgement call, but I never buy from someone with negative feedback, sometimes I will buy from a person with neutral. It's up to you, but be prudent if it's a high ticket item.
2. Know the shipping costs before bidding. Many reputable or high volume sellers will have a price stated in the auction description. If a seller does not, I advise e-mailing before bidding and asking for a shipping quote by supplying your zip code. If the seller is unwilling or unable to do this, again it's a judgement call but I steer clear to avoid bogus charges.
3. Read all auction terms carefully, most people don't offer refunds so be sure you want what you're buying, that a photo is shown of the item, and that the seller answers any questions you have before you bid.
How Do I Bid?-
Well there are a few ways to bid, depending on the level of your commitment and desire for the item in question. eBay offers a proxy bidding service. This means that when you select a bid, you can elect to put an amount in greater than the minimum bid (i.e. the item is currently $1.00, you put in a bid of $5.00). Then as the auction goes on, and other interested parties bid on the item, eBay will counter-bid on your behalf up to the amount of your proxy bid. The other way to go about bidding is to do it the old fashioned and arguably more risky way, by watching the auction and bidding yourself. Chances are good you can be outbid at the last minute no matter which method you choose. A couple tips for bidding, and increasing your odds of winning follow:
1. Don't bid at all until near the auction's end. No use needlessly inflating the price.
2. Set a pre-determined limit for your price, and don't exceed it. You will be tempted, but really unless it's something extremely rare with a little patience your coveted item will come up again.
3. Here's my favorite tip of all, bid in an odd increment. Most people seem to bid in nice even numbers rounded to the nearest dollar, so I like to bid in an odd amount such as $5.04 or $11.33. This way if someone has a bid placed for $5.00, my $5.04 proxy bid will beat theirs. If you've ever been outbid by just pennies, this is the reason why. It doesn't always work, but it works often.
Now I've Won, What's Next?-
So you've won your first auction, congratulations, it's fun isn't it? Policy from eBay is that buyer and seller contact each other within 3 days of auction's end. I usually hear from the seller within 1 day, although there have been isolated occasions where I've needed to contact the seller because they never got in touch. The seller will tell you how they accept payment, where to send it, and they will expect you to tell them your address for shipping, how you'll be paying and probably when you'll be paying. Be prompt and courteous in replying and paying and you should have no problem garnering positive feedback.
Selling-
As I mentioned earlier, I highly recommend buying and/or browsing for a time on eBay before getting into selling, this is for a few reasons. It will help you get your feet wet and see how things work, but it will also give you a chance to accumulate some positive feedback before you begin selling. Many buyers (myself included) won't even look at an auction where the seller has no feedback.
Getting Started-
Now that you're ready to sell, I just have a few tips to help you get more bids and have an easier time of selling.
1. Take photos! Most people don't want to bid on something that they can't see the condition of. If you don't have a digital camera, borrow one, it's worth it.
2. Sell in lots if you can. For clothing especially, I find I get much better results if I group similarly sized items all together and list them.
3. Sell in-season items. To achieve better results when selling, try and list items that are seasonal. Although for buying you can pick up some steals on items from last season if you're looking, a seller should concentrate on current or upcoming things to make more money.
4. List everything and anything you can see about your item, thorough descriptions will help sell your items.
5. Have a clear shipping policy and list of expectations in your auction terms. I often avoid or pass up an auction if it has no shipping quoted, or doesn't say what forms of payment are accepted.
6. Follow through. When you sell your items, contact the buyer promptly with item totals, and ship as soon as payment is received.
Accepting Payment-
It's a personal choice as a seller, what form of payment to accept for an auction. Most sellers avoid checks (because they can bounce), but some do take them and wait for them to clear before shipping. There are currently two main payment services that many people use. PayPal and eBay's own BillPoint. They are relatively easy to sign up for, but do carry some fees for handling your transactions. The pro to these services is that you can accept credit card and check payments over the internet and they will forward you the money.
Fees-
The seller pays all of the fees on eBay and that's how they make their money. A listing fee is charged, with options for extras (i.e. extra photos, bold typing, etc) to help draw attention to your auctions. My tip, list in lots to help cut down on listing fees. A final value credit is also assessed when the auction is over, this fee varies depending on what type of product you sold. A complete listing of fees is found on eBay.
Services Offered-
Arguments can be made as to how effective eBay's customer service is in cases of dispute. I have been lucky and never had to utilize the mediation services. eBay offers feedback, bulletin boards for posting queries, escrow services for big ticket items, and dispute resolution for poor transactions.
With a few precautions, you can hopefully avoid needing these services. There is also a thorough guide to F.A.Q.'s (frequently asked questions) that would be helpful for any new user to eBay to read.
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Recommended For-
I think anyone looking for a bargain, something rare, or something collectible might find it at eBay. I've been fortunate and had mostly positive experiences, and I hope with the tips I've given you, you'll enjoy it too. If you haven't already done so, check out the "World's Online Marketplace" today and find your own treasures.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Washington State
Reviews written: 212
Trusted by: 205 members
About Me: Working on school! Hoping to finish soon.
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