How do I "educate" myself b4 using ebay

Bani_2

Hi
I intend to enter the ebay world.
I want to understand a bit more about it and the obviously many pitfalls before dipping my toe in. Apart from the items on this board which I am slowly working my way through is there any good book (not expensive ) or other means of getting up to speed quickly please.

Thanks
Bani

robnye

to be honset, there are plenty of books flying around, especially for sale on ebay..... i know i bought one

generally they are not worth the money.

plenty of people will give you hints and tips on this board.

in my experience, to follow the process properly, you need to buy something, nothing expensive, just so you can familiarise yourself with the buying side of auctions.

I would also suggest that you try and sell somethings using the different optiosn available ie auction, buy-it-now

stavros_2

I suggest buying a few things first. this is useful for finding your feet in ebay and will also give you a little positive feedback before you have to sell anything

scheming_gypsy

Tips

Check their feedback. If it's not 100% then have a look what the negatives were for.

Check where they're located. I only try and buy from UK sellers where possible. That's by choice though

Check postage costs

Read it all carefully so you know what you're buying.

Hit 'F3' and search for website and link if it's a long description incase they're trying to sell a link and hiding it in the description

Hintza

Read the description thoroughly!!!

Check past sales to gauge the correct price.

Check its not cheaper elsewhere (inc USA etc)

Read feedback...negatives are ok if they appear a 1 off check the person who left it...some people are never happy or are serial senders of bad feedback.

If seller has many sales feedback of over 98% is OK. If less than that check more thoroughly.

Either bid your max straight off if you can't watch the auction. If you can bid late (ie last 30seconds or less with your maximum) stops other buyers reacting. IF an item has no bids its worth sticking a bid in low you never know.

Do not chase items.

If you get a feeling something is not right trust your instincts.

If you are a seller know your market....but get some feedback first by buying.

But in the end its all a little trial and error (keep the errors small)

angelcake

Check ou the tips for "Buying" and "selling" on here...there are a few good ones!

westonzidered

eBay is a great method of buying and selling safely, as long as you trust the person you are dealing with. I have been trading on eBay for over 2 years and have had only a handful of difficulities. On the whole things do go smoothly.

If buying I would recommend:

1. Looking at the sellers feedback and recent comments left by other eBayers. A low feedback may not necessarily mean a bad eBayer; other Bayers may have left unjustified negative feedback because they didn't read the item description properly in the first place.

2. Which brings me on to the second point and that is reading the item description throughly, checking for high postage costs or Paypal surcharges.

3. Also check where the seller is from; I have bought items from the USA before and when thet get here our customs have asked for more cash for the privilage.... stick to UK buyers if you can.

If selling I would recommend:

1. Giving a full and accurate item description.

2. Check who is bidding on your item, by looking at their feedback. If in any doubt cancel their bid and block them from placing another.

3. Check out postage costs first. If you plan on selling a lot invest in a cheap set of scales and refer to https://www.royalmail.com for UK and International postage prices.

4. Dare I say it... use Paypal especially if wishing to sell Internationally. Consider other methods too; ie Natwest Fastpay.

:-[In both cases, delete emails from eBay & Paypal as they are 99% spoof and some criminal will be placing items on your eBay account, changing passwords etc etc within days... I once had a Harley Davidson appear which was for sale in Spain!!!

Be careful... there are many good eBayers out there; however like football holligans there are a very small minority that spoil it for the rest of us!!

angelcake

westonzidered - How did you think of your name?

westonzidered

westonzidered... well its do with where I live and the football team I support! Weston-super-Mare... Somerset cider..... Bristol City FC.... don't really like the cider too much though; its just stereotypical of Bristol & Somerset... and yes, I do wear a smock, crunch carrots and chew straw all day long.... oh and I drive a tractor....!

helena257

weston

ive been thinking of selling on ebay - i wouldnt have ever thought of looking at someones feedback and blocking em ... but now u mention it, it makes sense. so cheers for that

angelcake

westonzidered... well its do with where I live and the football team I support!  Weston-super-Mare... Somerset cider..... Bristol City FC.... don't really like the cider too much though; its just stereotypical of Bristol & Somerset... and yes, I do wear a smock, crunch carrots and chew straw all day long.... oh and I drive a tractor....!

Oh!! The reason I asked because it sounded like somewhere I live to!!