The Complete Idiot 039 s Guide to eBay Complete

Transcription

eBay
by Lissa McGrath and Skip McGrath
A member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
eBay
by Lissa McGrath and Skip McGrath
A member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ALPHA BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
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Copyright © 2007 by Lissa McGrath
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I S BN: 1-4362-9442-8
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The authors and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise,
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Publisher: Marie Butler-Knight
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Contents at a Glance
Part 1:
Getting Started
1
1 How It Works
Getting registered, what to do if you forget your User ID/
Password, basic eBay security, and how to spot fake
e-mails.
3
2 It’s All About the Money!
Paying for items you’ve won and how PayPal compares to
your other options.
21
3 Navigating Without a Compass
Exploring the eBay homepage and using the site map if
you get lost. How to browse auctions by category.
33
4 My eBay
Everything you need to know about My eBay, My Messages,
favorites, account options, and customizing what you see.
51
5 Searching for Your Item
How to search effectively and narrow down your results.
What to do if you can’t find the item you want.
69
Part 2:
Buying on eBay
91
6 The Buyer’s View from 5,000 Feet What the auction listing page looks like and what information you should be looking for. What to do if you make
a bidding mistake or there is a problem with your seller.
93
7 Homework First
Researching the item and seller to make sure you’re getting
a good deal from a trustworthy seller.
103
8 Bidding to Win
The best days, times, and sniping techniques for getting
good deals. How to get a Buy It Now price when one wasn’t
listed.
125
9 Once You’ve Won
Contacting your seller and what to do if you can’t reach
him. Leaving feedback using eBay’s new Feedback 2.0
system.
139
iv
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to eBay
10 Avoiding Fraud and Fakes
Identifying and avoiding the various types of fraud and
how to spot fake or counterfeit merchandise.
Part 3:
Getting Ready to Sell on eBay
151
165
11 The Seller’s View from 5,000 Feet
Getting your eBay and PayPal accounts geared up for selling. Rules for eBay sellers and items that cannot be sold on
eBay.
12 What Should I Sell on eBay and Where Can I Find It? 185
Locating new and used items, and the quick, easy research
to see if it’s worth selling them on eBay.
13 What It Will Cost You
All of the basic fees and optional upgrades for eBay.com, and
where to find the information for eBay’s International sites.
199
14 Pictures That Sell Products
Making the most of your items with good auction photography. How eBay’s VeRO copyright program affects you.
213
15 Building Your Seller Reputation
Using eBay tools to build a good reputation and make buyers more comfortable purchasing from you.
225
Part 4:
Creating Your Auction
167
237
16 Describing Your Item
How to write a keyword-rich auction title, select the best
category, and upload photographs to your auction.
239
17 Writing Your Auction Description
What to say to get the bids, and how to make your auction
look more appealing to buyers.
257
18 Choosing Your Auction Type
The types of auctions you’ll find on eBay and when you
should use each of them.
267
19 The Fine Details
The final Sell Your Item form details including quantity,
setting a starting price, auction duration, and shipping
rates.
275
Contents at a Glance
20 Optional Listing Upgrades
What you get for your money and when it is worth using
title upgrades (bold, subtitle, etc.) and/or featured upgrades
(Gallery Featured, etc.).
Part 5:
During and After the Auction
293
311
21 Tracking and Revising Your Item
How to track your auction in My eBay, fix mistakes,
change your starting price, or cancel a bid/auction.
313
22 Final Steps
Customer service, packaging, and shipping techniques that
will get you positive feedback.
323
23 The What-Ifs
Answers to common questions, such as “What if my item
didn’t sell?”, “What if the buyer doesn’t pay?”, etc.
339
24 Taking the Next Step
Learn how to take your eBay hobby to the next level and
start a part-time or even full-time eBay business.
353
Appendixes
A Glossary
367
B Where Do I Go from Here?
373
C Buyer’s Tips—Quick Reference
377
D Seller’s Checklist
379
Index
383
Contents
Part 1: Getting Started
1 How It Works
1
3
What Is eBay?..................................................................................3
What eBay Is Not..........................................................................5
Introduction to eBay Terms............................................................5
Setting Up an Account...................................................................6
Registering as a Buyer...................................................................8
What Makes a Password Secure?................................................. 10
Registering as a Business.............................................................. 12
What If I Forget My User ID or Password?................................. 14
How Secure Is eBay?..................................................................... 15
Phishing for E-mails from eBay................................................... 16
The eBay Toolbar.......................................................................... 19
2 It’s All About the Money!
21
What Is PayPal?............................................................................ 22
Setting Up Your PayPal Account................................................. 22
Getting PayPal Verified................................................................ 25
Personal vs. Premier PayPal Accounts.........................................28
Other Payment Options................................................................28
Money Orders, Personal Checks, and Cashier’s Checks.................. 29
Anonymous Credit Card Payments...............................................30
Comparison of PayPal and BidPay................................................30
3 Navigating Without a Compass
33
The eBay Homepage..................................................................... 33
Signing In...................................................................................34
Specialty Sites.............................................................................. 35
Live Help.................................................................................... 36
The Navigation Tabs.................................................................... 36
Buy............................................................................................. 36
Sell.............................................................................................. 38
My eBay...................................................................................... 38
Community................................................................................. 38
Help............................................................................................ 42
The Site Map................................................................................. 42
viii The Complete Idiot’s Guide to eBay
Browsing Categories..................................................................... 43
Search Within Category............................................................... 45
The Results Page.......................................................................... 45
Featured Items.............................................................................46
The Auctions............................................................................... 47
4 My eBay
51
My Summary................................................................................. 51
Items I’m Watching..................................................................... 52
Adding a Note to an Auction....................................................... 53
Items I’m Bidding On.................................................................. 55
Items I’ve Won............................................................................ 56
Items I Didn’t Win......................................................................57
Customizing My Summary......................................................... 58
My eBay Views.............................................................................. 59
Want It Now...............................................................................60
My World.................................................................................... 61
My Messages................................................................................ 61
Setting Up Your Favorites............................................................ 62
Setting Up Your Favorite Sellers..................................................64
Setting Up Your Favorite Categories............................................ 65
My Account................................................................................... 65
Addresses.....................................................................................67
Preferences...................................................................................67
Other My Account Options..........................................................68
5 Searching for Your Item
69
The Search Results Page.............................................................. 70
Changing the Results Display Order............................................ 71
Gallery Plus................................................................................ 71
Using Keywords in Your Search.................................................. 72
Matching Categories.................................................................... 73
Common Acronyms and Abbreviations......................................... 74
Misspellings Can Equal Major Bargains...................................... 75
Narrowing Your Search Results................................................... 76
Advanced Use of the eBay Search Engine................................... 77
Exact Phrase................................................................................77
Either/Or Words.........................................................................77
Excluding Words......................................................................... 78
Putting It All Together................................................................ 78
eBay Keywords............................................................................. 79
Search Options.............................................................................80
Contents
The Picture Gallery......................................................................82
Types of Auctions..........................................................................84
Best Offer....................................................................................84
Buy It Now Auction..................................................................... 85
Buy It Now—Fixed Price............................................................86
eBay Store Inventory....................................................................87
Multiple-Quantity (Dutch) Auction.............................................87
Private Auction...........................................................................88
Restricted Access...........................................................................89
Live Auctions...............................................................................89
What If I Can’t Find An Item?.....................................................89
Part 2: Buying on eBay
6 The Buyer’s View from 5,000 Feet
91
93
How to Place a Bid (the Abridged Version)................................. 93
What If I Accidentally Bid $100 When I Meant $10?.................94
When Can I Retract a Bid?......................................................... 95
The Auction Listing Page............................................................. 95
eBay Rules for Buyers...................................................................97
How to Report a Violation...........................................................98
Dispute Console...........................................................................99
Report This Item....................................................................... 100
7 Homework First
103
How Much Is Too Much?........................................................... 104
Comparing Items........................................................................ 106
What About Shipping Costs?..................................................... 108
Meet the Seller............................................................................ 110
What Do Icons After Usernames Mean?.................................... 111
All About Feedback.................................................................... 112
Asking Questions....................................................................... 113
It’s All “About Me”...................................................................... 114
Overseas Sellers........................................................................... 115
Find an eBay Member................................................................. 117
Feedback 2.0................................................................................ 117
Recent Feedback Ratings............................................................. 119
Detailed Seller Ratings.............................................................. 121
A Caveat About New Sellers...................................................... 122
Buying on eBay Motors.............................................................. 123
ix
8 Bidding to Win
125
When and How Much to Bid..................................................... 125
Reserve-Price Auctions............................................................... 127
Second Chance Offers for Reserve-Price Auctions....................... 128
Placing Your Bid.......................................................................... 129
Spotting an International Seller................................................. 130
I Need It Now but There Is No Buy It Now Price....................... 130
Sniping Techniques.................................................................... 131
What If I Didn’t Mean to Bid?.................................................. 133
Buying from eBay Express.......................................................... 135
9 Once You’ve Won
139
Contacting Your Seller............................................................... 139
Requesting an Invoice................................................................. 140
What If I Can’t Reach My Seller?............................................. 141
eBay Checkout............................................................................. 142
Paying Using PayPal.................................................................. 143
International Transactions......................................................... 145
Giving and Receiving Feedback................................................. 145
What to Write in Your Feedback Comment................................ 145
Detailed Seller Ratings.............................................................. 146
How to Leave Feedback.............................................................. 147
Can Feedback Be Removed?........................................................ 148
Follow Up Feedback Comments.................................................. 149
Reply to Feedback Comments...................................................... 149
When Is It Okay to Purchase from an eBay Seller
Off eBay?................................................................................... 149
10 Avoiding Fraud and Fakes
151
Common Types of Fraud and How to Avoid Them.................. 152
Seller Impersonation.................................................................. 153
Account Takeover....................................................................... 153
Inaccurate Descriptions and Photos............................................. 154
Fake or Counterfeit Merchandise................................................ 155
Nonexistent Products................................................................. 155
Escrow Fraud............................................................................ 156
What If I Didn’t Get My Item or It Wasn’t What
I Was Expecting?...................................................................... 157
PayPal Buyer Protection............................................................. 158
How Much Can I Get Back?...................................................... 159
Contents
Credit Card Chargeback and Insurance Programs...................... 161
BuySAFE.................................................................................. 161
SquareTrade.............................................................................. 162
SquareTrade Warranty Services................................................. 163
Part 3: Getting Ready to Sell on eBay
11 The Seller’s View from 5,000 Feet
165
167
Registering as a Seller................................................................. 168
The Abridged Version of How to List an Auction.................... 169
Setting Your PayPal Account to Selling Mode.......................... 170
Upgrade Your Account............................................................... 171
Customized PayPal Tools............................................................ 172
Automatic Logo Insertion........................................................... 173
End of Auction Email................................................................ 173
Refunds..................................................................................... 175
Alternatives to PayPal................................................................. 176
eBay Rules for Sellers.................................................................. 180
The Short List of Banned Items................................................. 180
Shill Bidding............................................................................. 181
Fee Avoidance............................................................................ 182
Solicitation of an Off-eBay Sale................................................. 182
Seller Nonperformance.............................................................. 183
12 What Can I Sell on eBay and Where Can I Find It?
185
Where to Find Items to Sell....................................................... 186
Items from Your Home.............................................................. 186
Yard Sales.................................................................................. 187
Making Sure Your Effort Is Worthwhile.................................... 188
Trading Assistant Consignment Program................................... 188
Closeout Section of Outlet Stores................................................ 189
Thrift Stores............................................................................. 190
How Do I Know What Will Sell?............................................. 190
Third-Party Research Tools........................................................ 191
Hot List..................................................................................... 192
Want It Now Postings................................................................ 194
When Should I Sell?................................................................... 196
13 What It Will Cost You
199
eBay Online Auction Fees..........................................................200
Insertion and Final Value Fees...................................................200
Dutch Auctions..........................................................................202
xi
xii
Listing Upgrades.......................................................................203
Buy It Now................................................................................204
Reserve Price Auction................................................................204
eBay Stores Fees..........................................................................204
Monthly Subscription................................................................. 205
Insertion and Final Value Fees................................................... 205
Optional Listing Upgrades for eBay Store Inventory...................206
Picture Services.........................................................................207
eBay Motors Fees........................................................................208
Insertion and Transaction Fees...................................................209
PayPal Seller Fees........................................................................ 210
BidPay Fees............................................................................... 211
14 Pictures That Sell Products
213
Camera Specifics......................................................................... 214
How to Set Up Your Shots......................................................... 214
Lighting.................................................................................... 215
White Balance........................................................................... 216
Tripod....................................................................................... 217
Common Photography Errors and How to Fix Them.............. 217
Photography Tools That Make Your Life Easier.......................... 221
Editing Your Photos................................................................... 222
Stock Photography, Copyright, and VeRO................................ 223
Getting Around the Picture Services Fees................................... 223
15 Building Your Seller Reputation
225
Self-Promotion Pages.................................................................. 225
About Me.................................................................................. 226
My World.................................................................................. 227
Reviews and Guides................................................................... 228
Feedback Profile.......................................................................... 230
Negative Feedback...................................................................... 230
Replying to Feedback Received..................................................... 231
Removing Negative Feedback..................................................... 233
Filing for Mutual Feedback Withdrawal.................................... 233
Third-Party Trust Seals ............................................................ 234
Becoming ID Verified................................................................ 235
Contents
Part 4: Creating Your Auction
16 Describing Your Item
237
239
eBay’s Sell Your Item Form........................................................240
Category Selection......................................................................240
Pre-Filled Information.............................................................. 242
Customizing the Sell Your Item Form to Show Other Options......243
Writing Your Auction Title........................................................244
Incorrect Spellings Can Increase Sales......................................... 248
When and How to Use a Subtitle.............................................. 249
Uploading Pictures..................................................................... 250
Basic Picture Services................................................................. 253
Item Specifics.............................................................................. 255
17 Writing Your Auction Description
257
Writing the Description............................................................. 258
All About the HTML Editor..................................................... 258
But I’m No Shakespeare!............................................................ 259
Features and Benefits.................................................................. 261
Listing Designer........................................................................264
Tracking Your Traffic................................................................ 265
18 Choosing Your Auction Type
267
Types of Online Auctions........................................................... 267
Dutch Auction........................................................................... 268
Lot Auction............................................................................... 269
Buy It Now Option.................................................................... 271
Fixed Price................................................................................... 271
Best Offer.................................................................................. 271
Multiple-Quantity Fixed-Price Auction..................................... 272
eBay Express.............................................................................. 273
19 The Fine Details
275
Selling Format............................................................................. 275
Reserve Price............................................................................. 278
Buy It Now Price.......................................................................280
Fixed-Price Auction...................................................................280
More Selling Specifics ............................................................... 281
eBay Giving Works.................................................................... 281
Duration................................................................................... 282
xiii
xiv
Scheduled Start......................................................................... 282
Best and Worst Days to End Your Auction................................. 283
Skype...........................................................................................284
Payment Methods........................................................................284
Shipping Information..................................................................286
Fixed vs. Calculated Shipping.....................................................287
Calculated Shipping...................................................................287
Flat-Rate Shipping.................................................................... 288
International Shipping and Customs.......................................... 290
Return Policy and Other Additional Information ................... 291
20 Optional Listing Upgrades
293
Title Upgrades............................................................................294
Subtitle ($0.50)......................................................................... 294
Gallery ($0.35)......................................................................... 295
Gallery Plus ($0.75).................................................................. 296
Bold ($1.00).............................................................................. 297
Highlight ($5.00)...................................................................... 298
Border ($3.00).......................................................................... 298
Gift Icon ($0.25)....................................................................... 299
Scheduled Listing ($0.10).......................................................... 299
Feature Listing Upgrades...........................................................300
Gallery Featured ($19.95).........................................................300
Featured Plus! ($20.95)............................................................. 301
Homepage Featured ($39.95–$79.95)........................................302
Upgrade Packages....................................................................... 303
Value Pack ($0.65)....................................................................304
Pro Pack ($29.95)...................................................................... 305
Free Alternatives to the Sell Your Item Form........................... 305
Using the Free Auctiva Store Window to Increase
Multiple Sales..........................................................................308
Part 5: During and After the Auction
21 Tracking and Revising Your Item
311
313
My eBay for Sellers..................................................................... 313
Items I’m Selling....................................................................... 314
Items I’ve Sold........................................................................... 315
Unsold Items.............................................................................. 317
Contents
Fixing Mistakes During the Auction..........................................317
Before the First Bid................................................................... 317
Revising Your Item After the First Bid or Within 12 Hours
of Auction End........................................................................ 318
Raising or Lowering the Starting Price...................................... 318
Cancelling a Bid........................................................................ 320
Cancelling an Auction................................................................ 321
22 Final Steps
323
Customer Service........................................................................ 324
E‑mail Example for Non-PayPal Payment................................. 325
E‑mail Example for When Payment Clears and Item Ships........ 325
Make It Personal....................................................................... 326
Packing Your Item....................................................................... 326
Shipping Supplies....................................................................... 327
Safe Shipments.......................................................................... 327
Extras to Include in the Package................................................. 328
Create a Shipping Label Through PayPal................................. 329
Insurance................................................................................... 331
Shipping to International Destinations....................................... 331
USPS International Services..................................................... 332
Leave Feedback............................................................................ 333
Paying Taxes................................................................................ 333
Enticing Buyers to Purchase More............................................ 335
Combined/Free Shipping............................................................ 335
Upselling Strategies.................................................................... 336
Offers for Repeat Buyers............................................................ 336
Information Products................................................................. 337
23 The What-Ifs
339
What If My Item Doesn’t Sell?.................................................. 339
Relisting Options.......................................................................340
Insertion Fee Credit................................................................... 341
What If the Buyer Doesn’t Respond to My
End of Auction E-mail?............................................................ 342
Sending an Invoice..................................................................... 342
Follow-up E-mails..................................................................... 343
Find the Buyer’s Telephone Number...........................................344
What If the Buyer Still Doesn’t Pay?.........................................346
Report Unpaid Item...................................................................346
Mutual Withdrawal from Transaction....................................... 347
xv
Filing an Unpaid Item Dispute..................................................348
Second Chance Offer.................................................................. 349
What If I Have Another Similar Item to Sell?.......................... 351
24 Taking the Next Step
353
Can I Really Make a Steady Income from eBay?...................... 354
What to Sell................................................................................ 354
Organizing Your Business.......................................................... 355
Business Licensing, Taxes, and Insurance.................................... 356
Insurance................................................................................... 358
Equipment and Software........................................................... 358
Automating Your Auctions.........................................................360
Wholesale Product Sourcing...................................................... 361
Drop-Shipping on eBay.............................................................. 361
Wholesale Trade Shows and Gift/Merchandise Marts................ 363
Consignment Selling for Others................................................364
Beyond eBay—Getting Your Own Website.............................. 365
Appendixes
A Glossary
367
B Where Do I Go from Here?
373
C Buyer’s Tips—Quick Reference
377
D Seller’s Checklist
379
Index
383
Introduction
The word idiot comes from the Greek idiotes, which means “layman” or “person lacking skill or knowledge in a particular area.” Simply put, idiot used to mean beginner.
Since this is a beginner’s guide, I think that is quite appropriate.
In my opinion, eBay is the greatest marketplace in the world. Where else can you
find the girl next door competing with big corporations and succeeding? Or find
rare antiquities for sale right next to the latest video game? Or do all of your holiday
shopping from the comfort of your own home, avoiding the crowds, getting better
prices, and having far more fun doing it?
When eBay started, everyone scoffed at the basic premise that you could create an
online platform where complete strangers would buy from and sell to each other
based on nothing but trust.
Before eBay, could you imagine reading a classified ad for something expensive, mailing your money to someone in a distant city (or country), and waiting for the item to
arrive in the exact condition it was described?
Friends would have called you crazy and sworn that you’d never see your money
again. But that is exactly the business model eBay was founded on. When the dotcom bubble burst, eBay survived, and it is now the second largest shopping site on
the Internet.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a student in college, you’ve been retired for a decade,
or you’re anywhere in between. Anyone can be a successful eBay buyer and, with a
little instruction, a successful seller, too.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is broken up into five parts, two for buying and three for selling. The
topics covered in each part are chronological based on the order you will need the
information.
In Part 1, “Getting Started,” the first few chapters are for true beginners. They
cover getting registered, eBay security, and payment methods (including setting up
your PayPal account). If you have already done all of this, you can skip those chapters
and move on to more interesting topics. Also in this section we talk about navigating
eBay and how to use eBay’s powerful search engine to search for items.
In Part 2, “Buying on eBay,” you will learn how to actually buy the item you have
found. I know that sounds like a simple process, but there is a lot to consider, such as
when to bid, what amount to bid, what to do if you accidentally add an extra zero to
xviii The Complete Idiot’s Guide to eBay
your bid ($100 instead of $10), as well as advanced buying techniques to help you get
the best price possible. We’ll take you through researching the item and seller to help
make sure you know who you are buying from and what exactly you are buying. We
also talk about fraud prevention techniques you can do as well as what to do when
things go wrong.
Part 3, “Getting Ready to Sell on eBay,” is the first of the selling chapters. As with
Part 1, the first chapter in this section covers registration (this time as a seller), eBay
rules for sellers, and other basics. Also in this part we will cover how to find items
to sell on eBay; which items are restricted or prohibited; what it will cost you to sell
your item; how to take professional-looking photographs (and fix common photography problems); and how to build a positive seller reputation.
Part 4, “Creating Your Auction” is where we show you step-by-step how to list an
item using eBay’s new Sell Your Item form. We will show you how to write an auction title that gets buyers clicking on your auction and an item description to make
the sale. There are a lot of choices to make, but we will guide you through them and
show you which of the fee-based optional listing upgrades are worthwhile and which
you can usually ignore so you don’t end up overpaying in eBay fees. You’ll learn what
to do once your item is listed and how to upsell your buyers to purchase more from
you now and in the future.
Part 5, “During and After the Auction,” covers all of the final postauction steps,
including packing, shipping, and leaving feedback. The final chapter of the book preempts your “What If” questions.
In the appendixes you will find a glossary of terms used throughout the book. This
is a handy reference for when your mind goes blank on a specific term. You will also
find a top buyer tips quick reference and a seller checklist, as well as resources for
how to take the next step from here.
Extras
Throughout the book you will see boxes set aside from the main text with extra tidbits of information to help you navigate eBay with ease and keep you from making
typical “newbie” mistakes.
Introduction
xix
I Remember When …
Shark in the Water
These boxes are anecdotes of my
experiences on eBay and those
of friends of mine. They show
real-world examples to make concepts easier to understand.
These boxes should not be
ignored. These are warnings
about legalities and ways to
prevent problems and protect
yourself while enjoying your eBay
experiences.
Tips
These explain eBay terms (and
there are a lot of them). You will
find all of the definitions in this
book in the glossary in Appendix A.
These are exactly what the
name suggests. These are
short, practical tips of things I
have discovered during my years
as an eBay buyer and seller.
Did You Know?
This gives extra information not
critical to the topic at hand, but
interesting nonetheless.
We will take you through all aspects of buying and selling on eBay right from the
beginning in the order you will need the information. However, I do have to make a
few assumptions:
1. You are over 18 years old.
2. You have access to a computer and an Internet connection.
3. You have access to one of the approved browser programs. Minimum requirements (newer versions also work) for Windows users: Internet Explorer 6,
Mozilla Firefox 1.5, AOL. For Mac users: Mozilla Firefox 1.5, Apple Safari 2.
4. You either want to buy or sell on eBay, or both.
That said, welcome to eBay and let’s get started!
xx
Acknowledgments
Both Skip and I would like to acknowledge Marilyn Allen, our agent who has been
wonderful as always. Also, a big thank you to Tom Stevens, Nancy Lewis, Kayla
Dugger, and all the other people at Alpha who helped produce this book. Each of you
has brought something different to this book and made it so much better because of
your input.
I want to say a big thank you to my parents in England who looked after my daughter,
Rowan, so I could get some work done (when I was supposed to be on vacation).
Thanks Mum and Dad!
The biggest thank you has to go to our spouses who kept us sane, brought us copious
amounts of coffee when we needed it rather than complaining about the long hours,
and forced us to eat when we hadn’t surfaced from the computer in a few days. We
couldn’t have done it without you!
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being
trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books and
Penguin Group (USA) Inc. cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of
a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark
or service mark.
1
Part
Getting Started
Welcome to eBay! You have a wonderful journey ahead of you. There is
just nothing like eBay. In this first part, we will cover all of the basics to
prepare you for buying on eBay. You probably want to jump in and buy
items right now, but if you follow the tips and techniques in this part you
will save yourself a lot of time, effort, and even some money.
In addition to getting registered on eBay and getting your PayPal account
set up, you’ll also learn how to effectively search for the items you really
want, learn how to navigate eBay, understand what is available in My eBay,
and much more. Sure, you could muddle through on your own, but why
bother when you have two experts here to show you how to do it properly
right from the beginning?
1
Chapter
How It Works
In This Chapter
u Discover what eBay is and isn’t
u The boring stuff—getting registered
u Security and protecting your account
u Spotting a fake e-mail in five seconds or less
u Getting to know the eBay toolbar
Welcome to eBay. It may look a little daunting to begin with, but remember
eBay has over a decade worth of developments and new features involved
in the site. Don’t worry, you don’t need to know about everything—basic
buying and selling don’t require you to know all of the ins and outs of eBay.
I’ll be covering what you do need to know and a few interesting tips that
aren’t essential but make your life easier. You’re going to experience a steep
learning curve as you go through this book, but it is quite simple if you
follow the steps.
What Is eBay?
EBay is an immense marketplace where buyers can find almost any item
they desire in any condition quickly and easily. It’s easy to register whether
you just want to buy, you want to sell as well, or you have a business looking to
expand into the online marketplace.
Did You Know?
Marjie Smith has been selling on
eBay since 1997. She is wheelchair bound and hid this from
other eBayers for years. No one
knew until she told them in 1999
when she founded the Disabled
Online Users Association (www.
DOUA.org) to help other disabled individuals learn how to
sell online.
The eBay community has developed into a family
over the last 11 years. The values adhered to by
members remain the same:
u “We believe people are basically good.”
u“We believe everyone has something to con
tribute.”
u“We believe that an honest, open environment
can bring out the best in people.”
u“We recognize and respect everyone as a unique
individual.”
u“We encourage you to treat others the way you
want to be treated.”
On eBay, there can be no discrimination because buyers and sellers never meet face
to face.
EBay does not sell products. It provides a marketplace where buyers and sellers can
get together and conduct transactions in a safe environment. So eBay is essentially a
broker facilitating the transaction. Sellers pay fees to eBay to use its system, but it is
free for buyers.
Here are some fun facts about eBay:
u EBay was founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar as a hobby experiment. He
wanted to see how leveling the playing field between sellers would affect the
efficiency of the marketplace. It was a success, and eBay has been building
strength ever since. Twelve years, and billions of dollars later, he is still chairman of eBay.
u There are 221.6 million registered eBay users worldwide; 81.8 million of them
have bid, bought, or listed something on eBay in the last 12 months.
u Every day, over 5 million new auctions are listed on eBay.
u In 1998, eBay launched a payment system called Billpoint to compete with a
popular online payments company called PayPal. Billpoint was never really popular, so in 2002 eBay cut its losses, scrapped Billpoint, and purchased PayPal
Chapter 1: How It Works
instead. Today 80 percent of buyers and sellers prefer PayPal over any other
payment option.
u EBay has local sites for 27 countries in Europe, North America, and Asia.
The success of eBay sparked numerous other auction sites—uBid, Yahoo auctions,
Amazon auctions, Overstock, etc.—but none of them have come close to the success
eBay has realized.
What eBay Is Not
I’m sure you’ve heard of all those weird and wonderful items that have sold for thousands of dollars—the grilled cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary on
it (sold for $28,000), and William Shatner’s kidney stone (sold for $25,000) are just
two examples. While you do see these wacky items occasionally, most successful eBay
sellers offer everyday products that people want to use.
Selling on eBay is not a get-rich-quick scheme. If you think you’re going to start
selling and be a millionaire within a few weeks, you’re sorely mistaken. Sure, it is
possible to become a millionaire from selling on eBay, but it does take work to make
your fortune.
Equally, there are some incredible bargains to be found, but be careful if you find an
auction priced much lower than others. The old saying, “If it looks too good to be
true, it usually is,” does apply.
There are skills involved in both buying and selling. To be very successful at either,
you need to put the skills I will teach you into practice. It’s not hard and it doesn’t
take much time to learn, but once you do, you will be saving or earning a lot more
money on eBay.
Introduction to eBay Terms
There are some terms I am going to use in the next few chapters before I cover each
term or eBay feature in detail. Rather than get off on a tangent, I am listing the
important terms here for you. You will find these in the glossary and in the later
chapters that deal with them specifically.
Buy It Now
My eBay
My Messages
PayPal
PowerSeller
Feedback
A way of purchasing an item without waiting for the auction to
end. This is an option the seller chooses, so not all auctions will
have a Buy It Now price.
The hub of all of your eBay activity. You can see the items you
have won, lost, bid on, or watched here.
Located inside My eBay. All e-mails sent to you by other eBay
members, or by eBay, are displayed here.
The preferred payment service for eBay. It allows small sellers to
accept credit cards without having an expensive merchant credit
card account and prevents the seller from ever seeing the buyer’s
credit card details. You must use PayPal to be eligible for fraud
protection through eBay.
Sellers who sell $1,000 worth of products (not including shipping
costs) per month for an average of three months and continue to
reach that amount each month. To be a PowerSeller, the eBay
seller must also maintain a 98% positive feedback rating.
The system eBay created to allow buyers and sellers involved in
a transaction to leave a comment about the other user as well as
a rating for each specific aspect of the transaction. This can be
viewed in the user’s Feedback Profile by potential future buyers/
sellers so they can be better informed about how this particular
person does business on eBay.
Setting Up an Account
Picking a User ID (or username) is one of the first things you need to do. This is the
name all other eBay users will know you by until they complete a transaction with
you (because they will need your real name on the shipping label).
Bear in mind that if you want to sell on eBay as well as buy, you’ll want a fairly normal User ID, maybe a childhood nickname or something that represents who you are.
If you know you will want to sell, you might choose a name that is related to what
you sell. For instance, if you only sell Starbucks items, you might have a User ID like
I_Sell_Starbucks or addictedtocoffee. You cannot use spaces, but you can use underscores, as in the first example.
EBay has some fairly specific rules about characters you can and cannot use in your
eBay User ID:
u It must be two characters or more.
u You can use letters or numbers
(abc123).
u You can use a single underscore (_),
dash (-), or period (.) between letters
or numbers.
Shark in the Water
For security’s sake, don’t use
your actual name as your
User ID. Your real name is something only your buyers or sellers
should know, not any guy who
has an Internet connection.
u You cannot use two underscores (__)
in a row.
u You cannot use underscores, dashes, or periods at the beginning of your username.
u You cannot use spaces or tabs.
u You cannot use the word “eBay” in your username. This is reserved for eBay
employees only.
u You cannot use URLs (www.skipmcgrath.com).
u You cannot use these symbols: @ & ‘ < > ! # $ %
u You cannot use profane or explicit language.
u You cannot start the User ID with “e” followed by numbers.
Your account could be cancelled if you violate any of these rules, so make sure to read
this again once you’ve decided on a User ID and make sure it adheres to all of the
rules.
Remember, there are over 220 million users, so you may find your first choice is
already taken. It is far easier to make sure your User ID is available before you start
the registration process.
From the homepage click the Community tab. In the Find a Member box on the top
left, enter your desired User ID and click Search. This will show if an eBay member
already has that User ID, and the closest matches that are not exactly what you
searched for.
Figure 1.1 shows the search results for the User ID coffeeaddict. As you can see,
there are many variations as well as users in multiple countries. If you plan to sell, it
is wise to choose a name dissimilar to others because as you build your reputation and
attract repeat buyers, you don’t want someone with a similar User ID (and products)
either benefiting from your hard-earned reputation or ruining your reputation if they
are not as good at customer service, etc., as you are.
You can change your User ID at a later date, but if you have begun selling, you could
lose some of your repeat buyers who then can’t find you.
international
members
Figure 1.1
The eBay Member Search shows the closest matches as well as the exact match.
Did You Know?
After a User ID change you will
have an icon after the name for
the next 30 days indicating a
name change. Some buyers are
wary of this and won’t buy from
you during that period.
Skip’s User ID, Mcgrrrrr, is a good example. It’s very
distinctive, but with the five r’s people can easily
misspell it or forget how many r’s there are. But Skip
has been selling on eBay since 1998 and he is well
known now, so he would lose a lot of the branding he
has worked on if he changed it at this stage. Luckily
for him, there isn’t another PowerSeller with a similar User ID, but if there were one with Mcgrrrr (4 r’s)
he could be in trouble.
Registering as a Buyer
Now you have chosen a User ID, and know it is available, it’s time to register. From
the homepage (www.eBay.com), click on Register. You must register as a buyer before
you can conduct any transactions on eBay.
Begin by completing the personal information boxes shown in Figure 1.2.
Figure 1.2
You must include your correct telephone number in case
eBay or your seller needs to
get hold of you. Doing so does
not set you up for telemarketing calls.
Now scroll down to the section titled Your User ID and Password. You already know
that your User ID is available, but click on the Check Availability of User ID button
just to confirm that your choice is still valid (see Figure 1.3).
Check Availability of User ID
Confirmed User
ID is Available
Secret
Question
Figure 1.3
Remember to use a memorable, easy-to-spell User ID that isn’t too similar
to a User ID of another eBay user.
10
Next, you need to select a password. Your choice will go a long way toward protecting your account. If you choose something obvious that everyone knows (or is easy to
guess) you are leaving yourself open to problems.
What Makes a Password Secure?
You might not think your eBay password is particularly important, but consider
this—if someone were to gain access to your account, this person could post any listing he or she wanted and have payments sent to him or her without delivering the
goods. This would leave you with furious buyers who did not receive their items,
threats of seller fraud, and possible temporary suspension of your account until eBay
sorted it out.
A hacker could also use your account to buy expensive items, pay using a stolen credit
card, and then leave you to take the heat when the seller finds out the payment was
fraudulent.
This is not to mention the access to your home address, e-mail address, and (if
you had the same e-mail address and password for PayPal as well) all of your bank
accounts and credit cards registered with PayPal (not to mention any balance of funds
within your PayPal account).
So you can see why secure passwords are important. Here are a few tips for creating a
secure password:
u Use a combination of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols.
u Use a password of at least six to eight characters.
u Use multiple words with no spaces between them.
u Never tell anyone your password.
u Don’t set your computer to automatically remember your password.
u Don’t use your e-mail address or anything else obvious relating to yourself
(child’s name, pet’s name, street address, etc.).
u Don’t use any universally obvious passwords (1234, ABCD, etc.).
Computer hackers have software that can try thousands of common password combinations, so the stronger the password (i.e., harder to guess or figure out) the better.
Creating your password is very important. You can change it later if someone does
discover it or you forget it, but you should do everything you can to prevent that
happening.
11
Above all, never write your password down next to your computer. It’s not just hackers who can get into your account. Think of the number of people who come in and
out of your home or office space. Even family can be a risk. Kids don’t always understand the “legal binding contract” part when they bid on that new $800 video game
console. You are still responsible for the purchases if your kids get into your eBay
account and start bidding and buying things. Most sellers will be nice about it and let
you out of the bid, but they are not required to do so.
Another part of a secure password is your secret questions. Those are the next things
to set up.
Use the drop-down box marked Secret Question (see Figure 1.3) to choose from the
following options:
1. What street did you grow up on?
2. What is your mother’s maiden name?
3. What is the name of your first school?
4. What is your pet’s name?
5. What is your father’s middle name?
6. What is your school mascot?
I would stay away from options two and five, and certainly don’t use your current
pet’s name if you choose to use option four, because other people could easily know
the answers. I like options one, three, and six best because most people won’t know
that information, or have easy access to finding it. Even your kids probably don’t
know the answers (which is a good thing).
Now you have to enter your date of birth. This is because all eBay users must be over
18. Yes, it would be very easy to work out the year you would need to be born to be
18 if you are under that age, but you will also be asked for a credit card at a later stage
of the registration process.
After you put in your date of birth, you need to check the box acknowledging you
have read the terms and conditions and privacy policies. Checking that box is legally
the same as signing your name on a document stating that you have read it. So take a
few minutes and read it.
Click Continue and you’re nearly done!
12
Now check your e-mail: eBay has sent you a confirmation message to the address you
provided (see Figure 1.4). You have the option to change it if you can’t access that
e‑mail account.
Activate Your eBay
Membership
Figure 1.4
It’s important to check that the grey text at the top of the e-mail has your full name
in it and the User ID you registered with.
Just click on Activate Your eBay Membership (see Figure 1.4) and the link will take
you to eBay.
Congratulations! You are now ready to start buying.
Registering as a Business
Many retail-store owners are now selling their products on eBay as well as in their
bricks-and-mortar stores. For those who have already set up a business, you can register your eBay account in your business’s name instead of your own.
Instead of filling out the individual registration form, click on the link Register as
a Business at the top of the Personal Information section. The only real difference
is you use your business name for the account holder, and your designated contact
person can be changed as employees come and go. If you have an existing business, it
goes without saying that you should use your business name for your User ID if it is
available. If not, try dashes, underscores, or stars between each word to see whether
one of those is available.
13
Tips
I will not be going into too much detail about eBay businesses because there is
already an excellent book by Barbara Weltman called The Complete Idiot’s Guide
to Starting an eBay Business (Alpha, 2005). However, all good sellers start out as
buyers and then steadily build their eBay business. If you are a business owner, try the
tips in this book first and sell some used items from your home before you jump in with
your store inventory. That way you can get comfortable as a seller before profit margin
becomes an issue.
Before you start buying, you will be asked to sign in. It is as simple as entering your
User ID and password and clicking the Sign In Securely button. If you want, you can
check the box below the sign in boxes to keep you signed in for 24 hours (see Figure
1.5). This saves time and effort because eBay often asks you to sign in again when you
access certain areas of the site.
Forgot your User ID
Sign in for 24 hours
Figure 1.5
Sign In page.
Shark in the Water
If you are on a public computer (work, Internet café, friend’s house, etc.), do not
check the box to remain signed in for 24 hours. Even if you are at work, I recommend you just deal with signing in periodically. It’s safer to deal with the little hassle of
repeated sign-ins than have someone be able to get into your account. When you are
done, make sure you sign out of eBay.
14
Your browser may offer to save the password and remember it each time. I strongly
advise you say no to this. Think about it, what is the point of having a password if
you don’t need to know it to gain access to the account?
What If I Forget My User ID or Password?
As Douglas Adams would say, “Don’t panic!” It’s not the end of the world, or even
your eBay account. This happens all the time, and eBay would rather give you a simple
procedure to change the password than have you write down your password next to
your computer.
If you have forgotten your User ID, follow these steps to recover it:
1. From the www.eBay.com homepage, click on Sign In (directly under the main
tabs at the top).
2. Underneath the eBay User ID box, click the link marked Forgot Your User ID?
(see Figure 1.5).
3. Enter the e-mail address that you registered the account with. If you have
multiple e-mail addresses, you may have to try each of them until you find the
correct one.
4. If you don’t have access to that e-mail address anymore, click on Contact Customer Support on the next page. Otherwise, just go to your in-box and wait for
the e-mail from eBay.
5. You should receive an e-mail from eBay within a minute or so with your User
ID and registered e-mail address. You can then go back to the Sign In page and
use your User ID to sign in.
It is a longer process to change your password, but that is how it should be. Otherwise, if it were easy, anyone could get your password if they had access to your e-mail
account.
If you have forgotten your password, follow these steps to create a new one:
1. From the Sign In page, click the Forgot Your Password? link beneath the Password box.
2. Enter your eBay User ID. If you can’t remember it, follow the steps above to
have eBay e-mail it to you.
15
3. You will be asked to provide one of four pieces of information: the secret question that you set up at registration; your postal code (zip code); your telephone
number; or your date of birth. You only have to answer one of these correctly.
4. Check your e-mail for a message from eBay with the subject Forgotten Password. There will be a link in it to click on to reset your password. If you use
AOL or the link isn’t active, copy and paste it directly into your browser address
bar.
5. You will be asked to enter your eBay User ID again, and then hit Continue.
6. Enter a new password. Keep my earlier tips about choosing a secure password in
mind. This may not be your original password, but it is just as important to create a secure replacement password. Click Submit Changes when you are done.
7. If you have used that password for your eBay account in the past, you cannot
use it again (eBay will prompt you if this is the case). Each time you change your
eBay password, you must create a new password.
8. You will be sent to the Personal Information section of My eBay (I will cover
this in Chapter 4). To return to the homepage, click the large eBay logo on the
top left of the page.
How Secure Is eBay?
The biggest concern about security, as opposed to fraud, is someone hijacking your
eBay account, changing your password, and freezing you out while they perform
fraudulent transactions using your User ID and hard-earned reputation. I will discuss
seller fraud and how to prevent it in Chapter 10, but here I want to talk a bit about
the security of eBay itself and things you can do to protect your eBay account from
unauthorized users.
First, let me assure you that eBay’s servers are very secure. The company works hard
to maintain the integrity of its servers and keep hackers out. It is far more likely that
an eBay user will deliberately or inadvertently give someone else his or her User ID
and password than it is that someone would get it through hacking into eBay.
Once you start using the site, you will notice that you are prompted to sign in again
when you go to certain areas of the site—discussion boards, forums, chat, searching
for another user’s ID, starting to create an auction, placing a bid, etc. This is because
there may be other people around your computer (particularly if you check eBay at
16
work during your lunch break, use an internet café, or have kids). You don’t want an
unauthorized person to modify your account because you didn’t sign out before you
went to get that cup of coffee.
If you do not sign out of eBay when you are finished, anyone with access to your computer can go to My eBay and see your personal information. She cannot make any
changes to your account details, but she can see your home address, the items you
are selling, how much you have made in the last month, what you have purchased,
your bank-account routing number (it hides all but the last four digits of the account
number), e-mails that have been sent to you, etc. So, if you are using a computer other
than your own, make sure you sign out when you are done. If you don’t want your kids
and kids’ friends knowing precisely how much you are making on eBay, you should
always make it a habit to sign out when you are finished on your own computer too.
Phishing for E-mails from eBay
You would never give your User ID and password to anyone other than eBay, right?
Well, what if the site looked like eBay? What if you got there by clicking a link in an
e-mail that appeared to come from eBay?
The most common way an unauthorized person gains access to an eBay user’s account
details is through phishing e-mails.
Phishing, or fake, e-mails look like they are sent from eBay. They usually tell you that
your account is suspended, you need to verify your account details, or you haven’t
paid your eBay fees; or they can also look like a message from another eBay member.
When you click on the link, it sends you to a page that looks just like the eBay Sign In
page. You put in your eBay User ID and password, and hey presto, you just gave your
account information to the person who set up the scam.
Okay, so what can you do to prevent this happening to you? Well, first look at the
e-mail. Figure 1.6 and Figure 1.7 show two e-mails I received recently. One is a genuine e-mail from eBay. The other is a phishing e-mail. Without looking at the figure
captions, can you tell the difference?
eBay sent this
message to you
IP address
Figure 1.6
Example of a phishing e-mail.
your full name and registered eBay User ID
Figure 1.7
A genuine e-mail received from eBay.
17
18
It’s very important to learn the tricks to spotting fakes. You don’t want to ignore all
e-mails that look like they came from eBay because you will get genuine e-mails with
special offers, etc., in them that you won’t want to miss.
If you spotted the fake straight away, good for you! But do you know the universal
way to spot all phishing e-mails pretending to come from eBay?
Look at the grey text at the very top of each e-mail. First, if an e-mail says it’s from
eBay and doesn’t have any grey text at the top, it is definitely a fake. Now, let’s actually read the text. In Figure 1.6 it says “eBay sent this message to you.” Beneath that,
it says, “Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay.”
But it doesn’t say your registered name, or your User ID. It just says “you.”
Now look at Figure 1.7. The bottom line is the same, but the top line is very different.
It says “eBay sent this message to Lissa McGrath (addicted_to_starbucks).” Only eBay
would know your actual name, User ID, and e-mail address. Yes, a seller you have
purchased from will also have this information, but these phishing e-mails are sent
out in mass quantities. The scammers do not have the facility to add in each personal
sentence. Hence, they try to fool you either by saying “eBay sent this message to
you,” by using another person’s name and User ID other than your own, or by saying
“eBay sent you this message from <another eBay member’s User ID>”.
By reading this grey text, you can instantly see whether an e-mail is a fake.
Another option, if you’re still unsure, is to look at the link before you click on it. In
Figure 1.6 the link the scammers want me to click on is the yellow Respond Now
button. By hovering your mouse over that link (but not actually clicking on it), you
can see where that link will take you in the bottom status bar of the e-mail window.
You can see that Figure 1.6 shows a string of numbers (actually an IP address) which
is obviously not eBay. The first .com you see in the address should be eBay.com, and
it should always be followed by a forward slash (/).
An alert is shown as a warning
triangle to the left of your user ID
and the text “You have 1 alert”
after the User ID. This indicates
that there is something important eBay needs to contact you
about.
If you’re still unsure, open a new browser window
(do not click on the link in the e‑mail) and go to
www.eBay.com. If you have an account message you
will see an alert next to your User ID.
If you click on the alert you will be sent to your My
Messages box inside My eBay (you may have to sign
in again first). I mentioned these terms earlier in this
chapter in the section “Introduction to eBay Terms,”
and I will go into detail about them in Chapter 4.
19
But for now, let me just say that if eBay had sent you an urgent e-mail, it would be
showing in your My Messages inbox with the alert symbol next to it.
If the e-mail was not urgent, you will not see the alert symbol on the homepage, and
should simply click on the My eBay tab at the top of the page and then click on My
Messages on the left side bar. This will take you to the same place and you can see
whether eBay or another eBay member has e-mailed you. If there is no message there,
delete the one that is in your regular e-mail inbox.
The eBay Toolbar
You can take security one step farther, and I suggest you do. Every step you take
toward protecting your account makes you less of an easy target.
You may have noticed the toolbar at the top of all of the screenshots. This is the eBay
Toolbar and I consider it one of the best inventions eBay has made (see Figure 1.8).
Account Guard
Figure 1.8
The eBay Toolbar offers many features that can be customized for exactly
how you use eBay.
The toolbar is a free feature that can be downloaded from the eBay homepage,
as follows:
1. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage where there is a line of links in bold.
2. Click on eBay Toolbar.
3. On the next page, click Download Now.
4. Follow the prompts for download and installation.
The eBay Toolbar is a 2.6MB file download, so make sure you have at least that much
space available on your hard drive before starting it.
During the installation process, you will be asked for your eBay and PayPal passwords.
You do not have to divulge this information, but I suggest you do. This activates the
Account Guard feature, which I think is the most important part of the eBay Toolbar.
20
When Account Guard is on, if you attempt to put in your eBay or PayPal passwords
on a site that is not either eBay or PayPal, the eBay Account Guard Alert warning box
will appear telling you that you are trying to send a password to a non-eBay site (see
Figure 1.9).
Figure 1.9
If the site is pretending to be
eBay or PayPal, click the box
for Report This Site.
Account Guard prevents you from inadvertently putting your eBay User ID and password into a fake site that looks like eBay or PayPal.
If you have the same password for another site (which you shouldn’t, but I’m sure you
do), you can check the box marked Don’t check this site in the future and then click
Yes to send the password to the site.
Even before you get as far as signing in, you can tell if the site is a legitimate eBay
site by looking at the Account Guard button on the toolbar. If it is green, the site is
verified as an eBay or PayPal site. If it is grey, it is not an official eBay or PayPal site.
I recommend all eBay users download the eBay Toolbar for the Account Guard feature if nothing else.
The Least You Need to Know
u Choose an easy-to-remember and easy-to-type User ID.
u Make your password secure with letters and numbers, and never write it down
near your computer.
u Look for your registered name and User ID in the grey text at the top of every
eBay e-mail to confirm that it is really from eBay.
u Download the eBay Toolbar and give it your passwords to get Account Guard
protection.
2
Chapter
It’s All About the Money!
In This Chapter
u Using eBay’s online payment company, PayPal
u Why and how should you get PayPal verified?
u Comparing PayPal’s Personal and Premier accounts
u Using payment options other than PayPal
There are numerous payment options on eBay, but you only get eBay’s
fraud protection if you use PayPal (which I will talk about in a moment).
The alternatives are money orders, cashier’s checks, or other online payment services, but make sure to read the instructions in the auction
because not all sellers accept all forms of payment. I’m going to discuss all
of these options in this chapter.
You will hear me say this numerous times throughout this book to make
sure it sinks in—never pay for an auction using Western Union, MoneyGram, or other similar payment services. If an international seller says that
is all they accept, look for an item elsewhere.
22
What Is PayPal?
PayPal is, in my opinion, one of the greatest inventions since, well, eBay.
I was a PayPal user years before eBay purchased the company in 2002. For me, it was
an easy, cheap way to transfer money between my British bank account and my American one while I was in the process of immigrating and had bills in both countries.
PayPal, www.PayPal.com, is an
online payments company. They
are the go-between for buyers
and sellers and allow individuals
to accept credit card payments
without having a merchant credit
card account.
Now, of course, I use it for eBay. And I’m not the
only one: 80 percent of eBay buyers prefer PayPal.
What’s not to love? You can send an instant payment to your sellers so they can ship your items more
quickly, and it costs you nothing as a buyer to send
a payment, not even a stamp. It’s easy to keep track
of; you can send payments using your existing PayPal account balance, your credit card, or your bank
account. You can even pay through PayPal with your
credit card even if you don’t have a PayPal account.
I think that every person who buys or sells on eBay should have a PayPal account.
The personal account is free, and there are many sellers who will only take PayPal.
EBay requires new sellers to have a PayPal account when they register (whether or
not you intend to offer it as a payment method), so if selling on eBay interests you,
you may as well set up your PayPal account now and get a bit ahead of the game.
Setting Up Your PayPal Account
Remember, PayPal is a bank account. It may not have ATMs and service centers, but
the same rules apply to PayPal as to any other financial institution. That’s why you
will be asked for quite a bit of personal information during the registration process.
There are only 12 steps to setting up your PayPal account, and it is a very quick and
painless process:
1. Start by going to www.PayPal.com.
2. Click on Sign Up at the top of the page (see Figure 2.1).
Chapter 2: It’s All About the Money!
23
Sign Up
Figure 2.1
The look of this page changes
to reflect seasonal promotions
but don’t worry, the main
links are always in the same
place just like on eBay.
3. Select your account type and country of origin. The default is Personal Account
and United States, so if this applies to you, just click Continue. If not, change
the relevant information before clicking Continue.
4. On the next page, complete your personal information (see Figure 2.2).
Figure 2.2
Remember, this is an account
with a financial institution
so you are legally required
to give them accurate information.
24
5. Enter the e-mail address that you want to use for your account. This is what
your sellers and buyers will see instead of an account number. It is kinder on
sellers to use the same e-mail address for your eBay and PayPal accounts. This
makes it much easier for sellers to reconcile records, and it is easy for them to
find your transaction if you have a question.
6. Choose a secure password. Do not use the same password as you used for your
eBay account (particularly if your e-mail addresses are the same). For more
information about secure passwords, see Chapter 1.
7. I like to use city of birth and father’s middle name for security questions
because those are not things that could be easily discovered if you lost your
wallet.
8. I know, few people actually do this, but you should read the User Agreement
and Privacy Policies before checking the boxes to acknowledge that you agree to
the terms. If you don’t read it, you have no idea what you are agreeing to.
9. Type the security code you see in the box with the cross-hatching over it. This
is a security feature that prevents automated sign ups by a computer.
10. Click the Sign Up button.
11. Now, go to your e-mail account and look for an e-mail from PayPal. Follow the
link marked Click Here to Activate Your Account (see Figure 2.3).
12. A new browser window will open to a page for you to enter your password and
click Confirm.
Figure 2.3
If you’re concerned about the
validity of the e-mail, hover
your mouse over the Activate
Account link. Look at the
bottom of the email box. If
it shows https://www.paypal.
com/, you know it is genuine. Make sure there is a /
directly after the .com.
Click Here to
Activate Your
Account
See, that wasn’t so painful, was it? Now you
have a PayPal account and you can receive
up to $500 a month from buyers. However,
you must add either a credit card or a bank
account to be able to send any money.
I recommend adding both because a bank
account will make you PayPal Verified and
adding a credit card will give you a Confirmed address as well.
Another reason I like to add both is so I
have two funding sources from which to
choose. It also allows me to use Instant
Transfers from my bank account, which
means I get my items much quicker.
25
Being PayPal Verified simply
means your identity has been
verified by PayPal. A Confirmed
address is the billing address
for your credit card that PayPal
has confirmed is accurate. Many
sellers require buyers to have a
Confirmed address so they can
qualify for PayPal’s Seller Protection Policy (fraud protection for
sellers).
Did You Know?
If you only have a bank account on file, any payments you make to sellers using this
funding source (as opposed to an existing PayPal balance) are sent as an eCheck. This
takes three to four days to clear.
If you add a credit card as well, then PayPal will allow Instant Transfers. The payment is
debited from your bank account as usual, but the funds are made available to the seller
immediately, without any waiting period. This way you get your item much quicker. If
funds are not available in your bank account, PayPal charges your credit card instead.
Having a credit card on file can be useful for other reasons, too. Consider this scenario: it’s two days before payday and you find the perfect outfit for an upcoming
formal event. The problem is, it costs $250 and you only have $200 available in your
bank account. If you have a credit card on file, it’s no big deal: just change the PayPal
funding source to your credit card (using the More Funding Options on the payment
page), buy that outfit, and transfer the money back to your card after you get paid. If
you only had your bank account registered instead of both options, you’d lose out on
the item.
Getting PayPal Verified
After you create your PayPal account, you will have two options—you can click Continue to learn about verifying your account or you can click Skip and go to your main
account page.
26
I’m assuming you are going to add both a bank account and credit card to take advantage of all of PayPal’s services. So let’s start by adding your bank account from the
account page. Figure 2.4 shows what you will see each time you log in to your PayPal
account. Under Activate Account on the left side bar you will see Add Bank Account
(second option). Grab your checkbook, and click on this link.
Add Credit Card
Add Bank Account
Add email
Figure 2.4
You can add another e-mail address by clicking on the Add email link next to your current e-mail
address. This is useful if you want your spouse (or an employee) to also have access to the account.
On the next page, click Add Bank. If you don’t have a bank account, you can apply for
the PayPal Plus Credit Card instead to become PayPal Verified, but I highly recommend the bank account route if at all possible.
This part of the process is simple fill-in-the-blanks. If you didn’t get your checkbook
already, go get it and use the information on one of your checks to complete the boxes:
1. Bank Name
2. Account Type (Checking or Savings)
3. Routing Number
4. Account Number
27
If you’re unsure of where to find these numbers, look at the check example on the
web page.
After confirming your details, it’s a waiting game. PayPal will deposit two very small
amounts into your bank account within about three to five days. This is where online
banking comes in handy. Give it a couple
of days and check the account. When they
Tips
post, it will say PayPal Verifybank next to
You are only allowed one Paythe entries.
Pal account per bank account.
So if you want to have a
Write down the amounts, go to www.
second
PayPal account you can
PayPal.com and sign in. Now, when you
use
your
savings account number
look to the left side bar, you will see that
if
you
don’t
have two checking
the Add Bank Account link has changed to
accounts.
Confirm Bank Account. Click on this link,
enter the deposit amounts, and click Submit.
Congratulations, you are now PayPal Verified. See, that wasn’t so painful, was it?
Now, if you want to add a credit card as well, click on the Add Credit Card link from
the Activate Account box on your account page (see Figure 2.4). Enter your credit
card details, and check that the address
PayPal has on file is the same as your billTips
ing address. If not, select Enter a new address
You can add your credit card
as billing address and then enter your billing
while you are waiting for your
address. Click Add Card once you are done.
bank account deposits to
That’s it. PayPal doesn’t have to deposit
show up, so at least you can get
anything because all they are verifying is
started buying and selling.
that the address you have given matches the
billing address on your card. Now you have
a Confirmed address.
Having both a credit card and a bank account confirmed on my PayPal account gives
me the convenience of using Instant Transfers and paying through my bank account
for most transactions. However, I like to pay for high-ticket items using my credit
card as the funding source because that gives me one extra level of protection if the
transaction goes sour. (I can contact my credit card provider and have them charge
back the transaction.)
28
Personal vs. Premier PayPal Accounts
While you are solely a buyer, you do not need a Premier account. However, if you
decide to sell and someone pays you through PayPal with a credit card, or you accept
over $500 in payments during one month, you have to upgrade your Personal account
to a Premier account. This means you will be charged a transaction fee on all payments that are received in your account from that
point on (you are never charged for sending money
Tips
to another PayPal user).
If you have a Premier PayPal
Stick with a Personal account unless you need to
account, receive a refund from
upgrade. You can see the fees in Chapter 13 if you
a seller, and are charged
wish to upgrade, and we’ll talk about setting your
a transaction fee by PayPal, it
means the seller did not follow
PayPal account up for selling in Chapter 11.
the correct refund process. You
If for some reason you need to withdraw more than
can refund that payment back to
$500 from your PayPal account into your bank
your seller within 60 days and
account during one month, you will need to remove
ask him to follow the correct procedure for your refund so you are
the withdrawal limit. This is really a seller issue, so
not charged.
if you’re facing this problem, check out the instructions in Chapter 11 concerning the options available
for removing this limit.
Other Payment Options
EBay restricts the payment methods it allows sellers to offer. As new services are
developed, eBay evaluates them and decides whether or not they are appropriate for
eBay purchases, and accepts or rejects them accordingly. At least this is the theory.
EBay can’t possibly evaluate every single payment service, but they do look at them if
they see eBay users using them, or get specific queries (or complaints) about them.
The full explanation of this policy is available at http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/
accepted-payments-policy.html.
As of this writing, the forms of payment that are allowed are …
u PayPal (credit card, bank funded, balance funded).
u Cashier’s check.
u Money order.
u Personal check.
29
u Credit cards not processed through PayPal.
u Bank-to-bank wire transfer.
u Cash on delivery (COD).
u Cash in hand if item is delivered personally by seller to buyer.
u Escrow.
u Online payment services: PayPal, Allpay.net, BidPay, cash2india, CertaPay,
Checkfree.com, hyperwallet.com, Moneybookers.com, Nochex.com, Ozpay.biz,
Paymate.com.au, Propay.com, Xoom.
Payment services that are specifically not allowed are …
u Nonbank direct transfers (Western Union, MoneyGram, etc.).
u Cash by mail.
u Online payment services: anypay.com, Auctionchex.com, BillPay.ie, Cardservice
International, CCAvenue, Ecount.com, e-gold, eHotPay.com, ePassporte.com,
EuroGiro, FastCash.com, gcash, GearPay, Goldmoney.com, Google Checkout,
graphcard.com, greenzap.com, ikobo.com, Liberty Dollars, Moneygram.com,
neteller.com, Netpay.com, paychest.com, payingfast.com, Payko.com, paypay,
Postepay, Qchex.com, rupay.com, sendmoneyorder.com, stamps, Stormpay,
wmtransfer.com, xcoin.com.
Money Orders, Personal Checks, and Cashier’s Checks
Most sellers offer alternative payment options for buyers who choose not to have a
PayPal account or credit card. Usually these include money orders, cashier’s checks,
and sometimes even personal checks.
If you are paying by one of these methods, make sure you send it as quickly as possible, and have some form of tracking if it is a large amount. You should always e‑mail
sellers shortly after the auction ends to let them know you are mailing payment. This
will save them from wondering if you are going to pay or not. It also reminds them
to keep checking their mailbox. If they use a P.O. box, they may only check it once a
week. If they know there is a check or money order in the mail, that is incentive to go
to the post office more frequently. Because your item doesn’t ship until they get and
process your payment, the sooner they get it, the better.
30
Many sellers hold personal checks until they clear their bank. Some will waive this
if you have a good feedback record, but it is solely at the discretion of the seller. So if
you pay by personal check, expect a delay in the shipping.
Anonymous Credit Card Payments
Wouldn’t it be great if you could pay someone using your credit card with no concern
whatsoever that the person would use your credit card fraudulently? Well, this is what
PayPal and BidPay offer.
Tips
PayPal is owned by eBay,
so the two sites are well integrated. If you are using BidPay, make sure you write down
the Seller’s User ID and the auction number (both are in the End
of Auction e-mail you will receive
from eBay) before you go to BidPay to pay for your item.
PayPal is the most popular service, and certainly the
easiest to use. You can pay for items using MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover, or you
can transfer funds into your account using your bank
account.
If you need the item quickly, it is better to send payment using your credit card as the funding source if
you don’t already have enough funds in your PayPal
account to cover the payment. This is because a
transaction that uses a bank account as the funding
source takes time to clear. It is called an eCheck and
is basically the same thing as a paper check without
the mailing. It takes a few days to clear, and most sellers won’t ship your item until
PayPal confirms the payment went through. Credit cards, however, clear immediately.
BidPay does not allow you to keep an account balance. It is strictly a payment processing service for MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards.
Comparison of PayPal and BidPay
The two most popular payment services on eBay are PayPal (www.paypal.com) and
BidPay (www.bidpay.com). BidPay has recently changed ownership, and is now owned
by CyberSource Corporation. If you remember, or have heard about the old version
of BidPay, you’ll know that the buyer had to pay the transaction fee, which made it
very popular with sellers, but not with buyers. It also took up to a week for the seller
to get the payment because it was mailed as a money order. Honestly, I was not a fan
of the old system; however, the new revamped version of BidPay is much better. It’s
far more competitive with PayPal now. The transaction fees are actually a little lower
and, like PayPal, the seller pays the fee, not the buyer. Unlike PayPal, it can take up
31
to three business days for the credit card payment to reach the seller’s account, but
this is because there is no account balance; the transaction comes directly from the
buyer’s credit/debit card account to the seller’s U.S. bank account.
Fraud is a concern whenever you buy something from a website or a seller you don’t
already know. We’ll talk about that more in Chapter 10, but PayPal and BidPay are
two excellent services for relieving your concern about who has access to your credit
card information. Whenever you order something online with your credit card, you
have to send the seller all of your credit card details including security codes, billing
address, expiration dates, etc. If the company is relatively unknown to you, you may
feel some apprehension about doing this. Think about it; after the transaction is completed you can’t say “Excuse me, can I please have my credit card details back?” Once
the seller has them, they’ve got them until you
Did You Know?
change your credit card or billing address.
I don’t know about you, but that makes me
BidPay is currently only availa little uneasy. Even if the price is better,
able to sellers with a U.S. bank
the security of your credit card is far more
account.
important.
On eBay, you might never buy from the same seller twice. So that’s a lot of transactions with unknown people. This is where PayPal and BidPay come in. When you
pay using one of these services, the seller never sees your credit card or bank account
number. All the seller gets is your e-mail address and shipping information. The payment processor transfers the funds from one account to the other. Both PayPal and
BidPay are well-known, trusted services that are highly regulated. This anonymous
payment system goes a long way to relieving the concerns about fraud (which I will
cover in more detail in Chapter 10).
I do like BidPay, and I offer it on my auctions, but there are four reasons I prefer PayPal over any other online payment service as a buyer:
1. I can send payment as soon as the auction ends, so I don’t have to wait for the
seller to send me an invoice.
2. I get fraud protection (we’ll talk about this in Chapter 10).
3. It’s easy, convenient, and doesn’t cost me anything to use as a buyer.
4. I can use it at many other online sites in addition to eBay. At the moment, PayPal is offered on 100,000 websites.
It’s worth having both PayPal and BidPay, but I much prefer PayPal.
32
u Get PayPal Verified by adding a bank account.
u You have to have a PayPal account to register as an eBay seller, so get signed up
and verified to stay ahead of the game.
u Use either PayPal or BidPay to pay using your credit card.
u Never send payment using Western Union or other untraceable payment services.
u If paying by check, get it in the mail ASAP and allow time for it to clear.
3
Chapter
Navigating Without a
Compass
In This Chapter
u Exploring eBay, one click at a time
u Using the navigation tabs
u When you’re completely lost
u Browsing to find items
Do you remember the first time you went to a fairground or amusement
park as a kid? There was so much to see, you didn’t know where to start.
The first time you go to eBay can be a bit like that. Hang in there; it’s not
as daunting as it first seems.
The eBay Homepage
Your adventure begins at eBay’s homepage. Figure 3.1 shows you what you
will see when you go to www.eBay.com. If it doesn’t look like this, don’t
panic. The company changes the theme of the homepage quite frequently
to keep it interesting, and to promote specific items or categories. But you
will always see the five navigation tabs on the top right; the category links
34
down the left side; and the prominent search box in the center. When you are signed
in, you will see a snapshot of your current transaction information on the right side
as well.
If you ever get lost and want to get back to the homepage, click on the eBay logo on the
top left of whatever page you are on. This will take you straight back to the homepage.
sign in or register
navigation tabs
search box
specialty sites
category links
Figure 3.1
You will need to scroll down to see all of the information on the homepage.
Signing In
Right above the search box at the top of the page (see Figure 3.1), you will see Hello!
Sign in or register. If you have already registered, just click Sign in.
Enter your eBay User ID and password and click Sign In Securely. We talked about
the options for keeping signed in on your computer in Chapter 1, so I’m not going to
repeat myself here.
Chapter 3: Navigating Without a Compass
35
Specialty Sites
In the name of cross-promotion, eBay links to each of the other sites they own in the
Specialty Sites box on the homepage, as you can see in Figure 3.1. This is actually
quite useful if you want to check out eBay Express or any of the other sites. (You will
also see links for eBay Express and eBay Motors under the search box in the header.)
Where you can find brand-new items from experienced eBay sellers.
The seller must have over 100 feedback and maintain a 98% positive rating to have his or her items also on eBay Express. It is an
automatic crossover of fixed price listings for brand-new items only.
The big difference with eBay Express versus eBay.com is you can
add multiple items to a shopping cart and just pay once (you must
use PayPal) and eBay distributes the payments to each of the sellers.
That can save time and effort for buyers, and makes it feel much
more like a website rather than an auction site.
eBay Motors
This part of eBay is specifically for vehicles, parts, and accessories
and has a different feel from the main eBay site, but the same principles for buying and selling (although the fees are different).
eBay Stores
Seller-specific web pages where sellers offer fixed price listings all
in one place on eBay.com. They do not usually show up in search
results unless you specify that you want Store items as well. Often
you can get a better deal by purchasing from an eBay Store.
eBay Business A part of eBay that is tailored for businesses to buy and sell major
equipment, furniture, office supplies, office technology, etc. All
of the listings are posted in the Business & Industrial categories.
You can also link to the Wholesale Lots category where you can
purchase items in bulk and usually get a much better price than
purchasing them individually.
Half.com
This is eBay’s new and used “media items” site. Think Amazon
before they started adding all of the other nonmedia items. On
Half.com, you will find books, textbooks, movies, music, video
games, etc. If you’re in college or have a kid there, check Half.com
for your textbook needs. You’ll be amazed at how much you can
save.
Apartments on Yes, eBay owns www.rent.com, too. There’s absolutely no reason
Rent.comfor this link on the eBay site except to inform you that they also
own Rent.com.
eBay Express
36
StubHub Tickets This is eBay’s most recent acquisition. Event tickets have always
been hot sellers on eBay. StubHub takes that to a dedicated site.
You’ll find tickets for sporting events, concerts, and theater shows
here. I like this site because it is specific to ticket sales, so there is
more information, and it is laid out better for someone searching
for that specific type of item.
Live Help
I will cover how to find answers to questions and locate specific areas of the site in a
moment. However, if you are really lost and can’t find an answer anywhere, go back
to the homepage and click on Live Help (small link on the top right under the navigation tabs, as shown in Figure 3.1). This will connect you to a real person who will
help you with your question. It can take a while to get someone, particularly if they
are busy, but it sure beats being stuck on hold on the phone. I’ve never had to wait
more than 10 minutes to get Live Help.
Tips
You can submit your question via e-mail if you want, and someone will e-mail you
back. Another option is to get in the Live Help queue (put in your e-mail address and
select your topic) and then go searching on the Site Map, Discussion Boards, and
Answer Center. That way, if you find your answer, you can just cancel the Live Help. If
you don’t find your answer, at least you’re still in the Live Help queue.
The Navigation Tabs
There are five navigation tabs on the top right of the homepage. They take you to
the five major areas of eBay: Buy, Sell, My eBay, Community, and Help. You will see
them at the top of virtually all eBay pages. Each of the tabs also has a drop-down
menu of shortcuts to common areas within that section. Let’s look at where each tab
takes you, one at a time.
Buy
Clicking on the first tab, Buy, will take you to the buying hub (see Figure 3.2). From
here you can search for items, look at featured items, read about buying resources, or
browse categories.
37
main category
featured items
subcategory
Figure 3.2
Certain items are displayed in the Featured Items box. The sellers of these items paid an additional fee for the
increased visibility of their listing.
Clicking on any of the main categories (shown in bold) will open a page displaying all
of that category’s subcategories. For example, if you click on Cameras & Photo you
will see subcategories for bags, cases, and straps; camcorder accessories; film cameras;
manuals, guides, and books; etc. (See Figure 3.3.) Each of these subcategories also has
level two subcategories beneath them.
search box
category
subcategory
Figure 3.3
The search box now shows Cameras & Photo as the category, so any keyword searches
made now will only include auctions listed in the Cameras & Photo categories.
38
From here you can search for items within the Cameras & Photo categories, or you
can continue to browse and select one of the subcategories. Once you choose a subcategory, it will take you to the item results page.
I find browsing too time-consuming, but if you’re not sure exactly what you want, it can
be a good way to kill some time. I prefer to search and then narrow down my categories
afterwards, rather than the other way around.
Tips
If you have time to browse, you can find some amazing deals from sellers who don’t
know how to write an auction title. If the keywords are not there (or are misspelled),
they won’t show up in a search. But they will show up if you are just browsing in the
category.
I recently bought a gorgeous summer dress from an inexperienced seller who didn’t put
the designer’s name in the auction title. The exact same dress had sold three times on
eBay in the previous week (from a different seller) with an average price of $63.00.
I paid $2.25. So if you have the time, browsing can really pay off.
Sell
The Sell tab is not relevant to you as a buyer. But if you decide to become a seller,
this is where you go to create your auction listing. When you click on Sell you are
taken directly to the eBay Sell Your Item form, which takes you step by step through
creating your auction. We will cover this in detail in Chapter 16.
My eBay
Imagine a “home-sweet-home” sign hanging inside My eBay. This is the hub of
everything you do on eBay. You can see all of the items you are bidding on, bought,
sold, have listed for sale, or are watching. E-mails you receive from eBay and other
eBay users are located here, too. It is also where you can view and make changes to
your eBay account.
There is so much to My eBay that we have an entire chapter about it (Chapter 4). You
have to be signed in to eBay before you can access your My eBay page because all of
the information displayed is personal to you.
Community
The Community page is one of the most useful pages that doesn’t involve locating
actual items. It tells you what is going on with eBay and allows you to connect with
39
other eBay members as well as access eBay member blogs, message boards, and other
resources.
Let’s look at some of the key sections.
Locate any other eBay member using his or her eBay user ID
(see Chapter 7 for more information).
Feedback Forum
Look at your own feedback profile, or leave feedback for a member you have bought from or sold to.
eBay My World
This is like MySpace for eBay. You can create a personal page
that shows your profile, recent feedback, photos, really whatever
you like.
Discussion Boards This is where members get together to discuss things to do with
eBay. Some of it is questions; some is general comments; sometimes eBay starts a thread asking for your ideas and comments on
a new feature, or an idea it has. There are some regular users
on the Discussion Boards that you will see frequently. I try to
get on at least once a week. Everyone has their specialty and will
comment on threads they know most about. You can get a lot of
good advice from the Discussion Boards, so if you’re having
trouble with something and can’t find an answer elsewhere, this
may be the place for you to post. EBay employees also post on the
discussion boards. Their User IDs will always be in pink to show
that you are speaking with an actual eBay employee. Because of
the user ID color, eBay members refer to them as “pinks.”
Groups
This is like the Discussion Boards, but you have to be a member
of the group to post. It’s simply a group of people who have something in common—living in the same area, the love of basket
weaving, an interest in astrophysics, selling similar items, etc. It
really doesn’t matter what brings these people together, it’s just a
great place to connect with people who have similar interests. You
need to be accepted as a member of the group by the group administrator, but most are not exclusive and welcome new members.
Answer Center
The answer center is a wonderful resource for anyone new to
eBay. It is a place to get answers to specific questions from other
eBay users. There are 21 answer boards on topics including
Bidding, My eBay, International Transactions, PayPal, and
more. Figure 3.4 shows the main Answer Center page.
eBay Blogs
Blogs are just stories and experiences written by other eBay
users. They are not designed to give any major insight into anything important. An eBay blog is a place for the person to sound
Find A Member
40
Chat Rooms
Announcements
Calendar Events
The Chatter
Workshops
off, or post general musings, journal type entries, or whatever.
It’s simply a one-sided conversation, like any other blog on the
Internet. Check it out if you have some spare time, but don’t
expect to learn the secret to world peace there.
There are chat rooms for many topics, some category specific,
others country specific. It’s not exclusive like the Groups and is
generally very informal. Unlike Groups and Discussion Boards,
posts come one after another, not separated by topic thread, so it
can be a little hard to follow. It’s more like a group instant message conversation. Sometimes the topic is eBay, but often it is
something else entirely. I prefer to spend time on the Discussion
Boards and Groups because the posts are a little more thoughtout and relevant to eBay.
You should plan to check the announcements frequently. EBay
uses two types of announcement—General and System. The
General Announcements tell you about policy changes, special
promotions, new features, etc. System Announcements tell you
if there is a problem with any part of eBay (for example, My
eBay isn’t displaying properly, or you can’t see the Pay Now button after you win an auction).
As you can see in Figure 3.5, the Community page displays
the most recent three Announcements. You can click See all
Announcements to see all of the General Announcements, or to
the right of that link you can click See System Announcements
to see whether there are any system glitches at the moment.
EBay holds various regular events including the monthly TownHall meeting with Bill Cobb (president of eBay North America);
online workshops run by experienced eBay users or eBay staff to
help buyers and sellers improve their experience on eBay; eBay
Radio where Griff (who is also the Dean of eBay University)
interviews people who are involved in eBay, etc. Incidentally, coauthor Skip is one of eBay Radio’s contributing editors.
This is eBay’s official blog, written by various eBay employees.
It talks about current and upcoming events in a light-hearted,
informal way. It’s laid out like a newsletter page, and is easy to
read. The Chatter is great because the bloggers always have a
fun way of presenting the news. I enjoy reading that far more
than trawling through dry press releases.
These are truly worth checking out. About a year ago, a friend
of mine (eBay ID: CameraJim) ran a workshop about how nonprofessional sellers can take good auction photographs without
41
needing fancy equipment. After seeing that workshop, I was
hooked. If there is an area of buying or selling that you just don’t
understand, or want to learn more about, look to see if there is
a workshop coming up about it. Usually when eBay introduces a
major new feature (new search results page, new sell your item
form, etc.) you will see a workshop covering it within a month
of the launch. Workshops are interactive, so you post your questions as it is going on and the host will answer them.
Security and
Here you can learn how to make your eBay experience safer. I’m
Resolution Centercovering the main points here in this book, but if you want to
double-check something, this is the place to go. It is also where
you report problems, such as if you paid for an item and never
received it.
Figure 3.4
Click on the link for the
topic you need help with,
and then search or browse
for an answer that has
already been posted, or
start a new thread with
your question.
Figure 3.5
see all general
announcements
system
announcements
The drop-down menu for
the Community tab on the
homepage has a direct link
to the General Announcements page. Alternatively,
the eBay Toolbar also has
a direct link.
42
Help
EBay is very good about explaining its policies and using examples to make them
easier to understand. You will find all of the eBay policies (and explanations) in the
Help pages.
You can search using keywords (like “eBay fees”) but I haven’t had much luck finding
what I am looking for this way. I find I get too many irrelevant results. My preferred
method is to use the browse links below the search box (see Figure 3.6) to go directly
to the topic.
The A-Z Index is very comprehensive, but far too long for me, so if you search for a
topic and it doesn’t come up on your first attempt, try the Site Map instead.
search box
A-Z Index
eBay
Acronyms
browse links
Figure 3.6
You can use the links on the left for a quick reference to eBay acronyms and terms.
The Site Map
This is the road map to eBay. If you can’t find a particular section, check the Site
Map (see Figure 3.7). The Site Map link is at top right of the homepage below the
navigation tabs.
I find it much easier to use the Site Map when I’m looking for a section or topic that
isn’t linked from the main eBay pages. The Site Map links instantly take you to the
page you need, or the information in the Help files if it is a policy question.
43
section heading
subcategories
Figure 3.7
You will need to scroll down to see all of the topics.
The section titles are the same as the navigation tabs on the homepage, but they also
show the subcategories which makes it much easier to locate the information or place
you are looking for:
Buy
Sell
My eBay
Community
Help
Registration, Categories, More Ways To Find Items, Buying
Resources
Selling Activities, Selling Resources, Selling Tools, Web Stores
My Account, My Selling Account, Dispute Console
Feedback, Connect, News, Marketplace Safety, More Community
Programs
Resources, Help Topics
Once you’ve used it a couple of times you will instinctively know which sections to
look in for specific topics or pages. The Site Map is far more user friendly than the
Help files, and can save you a lot of time searching around the site.
Browsing Categories
On the left side bar of the eBay homepage you will see the titles of the main cate
gories. Each of these categories has hundreds of subcategories. Clicking on any of
44
the main links will take you to a page that displays the main subcategories. You can
narrow down your choices until you find a category you are interested in.
Let’s say you’re looking for a bass guitar. If you know the brand you are looking for,
you’re better off searching for it. But if you’re not sure, or just curious to see what’s
available, browsing via the categories may be better for you.
Let’s look at how to do this …
1. Click on Musical Instruments from the Categories list on the homepage.
2. You will see many categories and subcategories. Look at the main subcategories
to find the most relevant (in this case it is Guitars). Don’t click on it yet. First,
look at the subcategories below it. Is there another subcategory that is even
more relevant? In our example there is (Bass).
3. Click on the link for the most relevant category. In our example that is Bass,
which will take you to the category: Musical Instruments—Guitar—Bass.
There are currently 4,564 items in this category. That’s too many to browse through.
So we need to narrow it down.
There are two options: either you can use the Categories box (see Figure 3.8) to go to
the subcategory page for one of the specific brands of bass guitar, or you can use the
search box at the top of the page and search within the category you are currently in.
sort by options
search within
category
subcategories
Figure 3.8
The Related Guides section will take you to eBay user-written guides that are relevant to your item.
45
Search Within Category
Personally, I prefer the search within category option, but both work fine.
Let’s have a look at how searching within a category can help you when you’re looking for an item with some specific traits, but not a particular brand.
Let’s say your teenager is a bass player and loves anything purple, so you want to
get her a purple bass guitar for her birthday. The brand isn’t the important part, the
color is. So you would put the word “purple” in the search box.
Look to the right of the search box in Figure 3.8. It is showing Bass, which tells you
which subcategory you are currently in. When you search, the results will only come
from auctions listed in that particular category.
In our example, the results will only display auctions in the Bass category that have
the word “purple” in the title. That significantly reduces the number of results.
Remember that we had over 4,500 when browsing in the Bass category. Now, after
the search, we have only 35. That’s a much
more manageable number of listings, and
Tips
you can easily browse through those listings
If you decide you want to
before your teenager gets home and spoils
change the category, click
the surprise.
the icon to the right of the
category search box to bring up
I find browsing most useful when I am not
a menu showing all of the major
sure what I am looking for. I tend to allow
categories. At the top of the
more results at that point and just see what
menu you will also see the next
comes up. But, I think a certain amount of
level up categories, so in our
searching is necessary because of the sheer
example, you would see Guitar
volume of items listed on eBay at any given
and Musical Instruments. To go
time. So in the end it’s up to you to balance
back to searching all of eBay,
the amount of browsing you are willing to
select All Categories.
do with the amount of searching you need
to keep it cost-effective on your time.
The Results Page
The results page looks the same whether you get to it by browsing or searching (see
Chapter 5). The biggest difference between the search results page and the in category page is the default sort order. In Figure 3.8 you can see the Sort by box on the
top right. For the category page, the default shows Time: newly listed. This means
that the results at the top of the page have been listed most recently. Often they will
have six days or more to go before the auction ends.
46
You can change this order by using the drop-down menu marked Sort by (in Figure
3.8, you can see it displays Time: newly listed). From the category page, your options
are …
u Time: ending soonest (all listings with the auctions with the least time remaining
at the top).
u Time: newly listed (all relevant listings with the auctions most recently listed at
the top).
u Time: ending today (only items ending in the next 24 hours and with the soonest
to end at the top).
u Time: new today (only items listed in the last 24 hours and with the most recently
listed at the top).
u Price: lowest first (all listings with the lowest price at the top regardless of when
the item ends).
u Price: highest first (all listings with the highest price at the top regardless of
when the item ends).
u Distance: nearest first (all relevant listings sorted with the closest to your registered location at the top).
My personal preference is Time: ending soonest because I want to know what the
bidding is up to now, not wait until many days later. This is also the default for the
main search results page. However, if I am looking for a large item that will probably
require picking up rather than shipping, I use the Distance: nearest first option.
Featured Items
You have to be careful looking at the category results page, because all of the featured
items are shown before any nonfeatured items.
Many buyers don’t realize that they are only looking at the featured items when they
browse through a category with as many results as shown in Figure 3.8. When I took
that screenshot, the first 12 pages were all featured items. A buyer may be watching the
auctions closing on the first page but, because of the number of featured items, there
are plenty of nonfeatured auctions ending on page 12 that the buyer has never even
seen.
When you see lots of featured items, always go back a few pages and look for where
the nonfeatured items start. You will usually get a better deal on nonfeatured items
because everyone else is watching the featured ones.
47
Featured items are auctions that the seller has paid extra to have show at the top of the
results page. On a category results page, all featured items display before the nonfeatured items, whereas on a search results page, they display at the top of whatever page
they would naturally fall on based on the Sort by option the buyer selected.
The Auctions
The auction titles are listed in the center of the results page. Some may look different
from others because sellers can pay for upgrades like bold, highlight, border, subtitle,
etc. We’ll talk about these in a moment.
Some listings have a thumbnail image to
the left of the title. This is another option
for which the seller paid extra. If you see a
small green camera icon instead of a proper
photo, that means there is a picture in the
auction, but the seller didn’t pay extra for
the thumbnail image (known as a Gallery
image).
From left to right, the information you see
on the results page is …
Tips
You will hear me using the
words “listing” and “auction”
quite often. There is no difference. Traditionally, an auction
has a fixed duration, but a listing
can apply to any type of sales
page on eBay. I use the two
interchangeably.
1.The Compare check box (we’ll explain this in Chapter 7).
2. Gallery image. Sometimes the seller pays a higher fee for the ability to enlarge
the picture directly from the results page. The buyer hovers his mouse over the
image and it enlarges to take up most of the page.
3. Title. The subtitle is below the title. Not all auctions use the subtitle because it
costs extra.
4. PayPal. This icon shows whether the seller accepts PayPal as a payment method.
5. Bids. This is the current number of bids. If it is a Buy It Now auction, you will
see the Buy It Now icon instead of the number of bids.
6. Price. This is not always exact. You need to click on the auction to confirm that
the price has not increased since the last time eBay refreshed the prices.
7. Shipping. This shows the first listed shipping cost to your zip code.
48
8. Depending on what order you have the listings sorted, you will see either Time
listed, Time left, or Distance as the heading and the corresponding information
about the auction beneath it.
Buy It Now is a fixed-price auction where there are no bids, only sales. A buyer can
purchase the item for the specified amount immediately and the auction ends. If an auction offers a starting bid as well as the Buy It Now price, the first bidder has the choice
to accept the Buy It Now price or make the minimum bid. If they make the minimum bid,
the Buy It Now option disappears and the auction then runs its course like a regular
online auction.
The shipping cost on the results page can be misleading. It only displays one amount,
which is not always the lowest option. The amount displayed is the first option the
seller listed in the auction, but that is often the fastest shipping option (Express Mail,
Next Day Air, etc.), which is also most often the most expensive. So it’s worth looking at the auction if the item interests you before deciding if the shipping cost is
acceptable to you.
The listing upgrades I mentioned earlier are used by sellers to make their listings
stand out more. This does not mean that their item is any better than one that doesn’t
use these features. In fact, the listings that don’t use these upgrades usually offer the
best deals because they often go unnoticed.
The upgrades you may see include …
Bold
Subtitle
Highlight
Border
Title displays in boldface.
A line of extra text displays below the auction title.
The entire auction title has a colored background. At the moment
it is purple, but eBay changes the color periodically.
The auction title is surrounded by a colored border. At the
moment it is a dark purple, but again, it changes periodically.
Remember, the seller paid extra for these features. They believe that using the features
they choose will make their item sell for a significantly higher price than if they didn’t
use them.
49
The default for what types of auctions to display is All Items (which includes both
Buy It Now and regular auctions). However, if you have a preference for one or the
other, you can use the tabs at the top left to switch between these three options (see
Figure 3.9).
In some categories you will see a Finder box on the left side bar. This helps you narrow
down the results.
Figure 3.9 shows the results after using the Digital Camera Finder where you can
specify certain characteristics that you want for your item. In this example we are
looking for a point-and-shoot digital camera. In Figure 3.9 you can see the options
selected in the Digital Camera Finder, and the results show only 122 relevant auctions. Before narrowing down the results using the Finder box, there were 22,658
auctions showing.
auctions
Buy It Now
all items
Finder
box
end of
featured
items
Figure 3.9
You will see Finder boxes tailored to various specific item types. Some other categories that
use them include clothing, computers, and MP3 players.
You can also see the nonfeatured items without searching later pages. You can see
where the featured items end and the nonfeatured listings begin because of the line
(in Figure 3.9 it is after the first three listings) and the text “Optimize your selling
success! Find out how to promote your items” in small letters above it.
50
If you could only see the featured listings on the page, you would think that the
soonest an item matching your requirements ends is 3 days, 2 hours, and 10 minutes
(shown on the results page as 3d02h10m). However, if you look below the line, you
can see that the top item is ending in 52 minutes.
u Click on the eBay logo on the top left to get back to the homepage.
u If you can’t find something, look in the Site Map.
u If you have a question, go to the Answer Center or Discussion boards. If that
doesn’t help, click Live Help on the homepage to connect with a real person at
eBay.
u Keep an eye on the Announcements boards and attend online workshops to
increase your eBay knowledge and understanding.
u When browsing, use the Finder boxes or subcategories to narrow down results
to a manageable quantity.
u Make sure to look past the featured items to find the bargains hidden within the
nonfeatured listings.
4
Chapter
My eBay
In This Chapter
u What is available in My eBay, and how do I use it?
u Sending and receiving e‑mails through My Messages
u Customizing the eBay experience
u Setting up favorites
My eBay tracks all of your activities on eBay—buying, selling, feedback,
e‑mail messages, etc. From here you can link to many other services, features, and frequently accessed areas of eBay.
To enter My eBay, click on the My eBay navigation tab at the top of the
eBay homepage. If you are not already signed in to eBay, you will be
prompted to sign in now.
This chapter is going to focus on the features of My eBay relevant to a
buyer. We will go into more detail on the selling aspects in Chapter 21.
My Summary
Figure 4.1 shows your My Summary page. It is automatically set up to
show a snapshot of your current transactions and important information
without you needing to use the navigation links on the left side bar.
52
Buying
Reminders
Customize
Summary
My Messages
Items I’m
Watching
Figure 4.1
You can customize the look of this first page to display only the features you want by clicking Customize Summary and adding or removing sections.
If you don’t win an auction, you
may still be offered a Second
Chance Offer. This means the
seller is offering you the item for
your highest bid. It is optional, so
if you purchased something else
instead, you are not obligated to
accept the Second Chance Offer.
The Buying Reminders section tells you when you
need to leave feedback, when an item you’re watching
is ending soon, if you have an Alert from eBay, or if
you have a pending Second Chance Offer that needs a
response.
Beneath the Buying Reminders section is a shortcut
to My Messages. This box shows how many unread
e‑mails you have, and you can link straight through
to the inbox from here.
Items I’m Watching
For people who don’t like to impulse buy, there is a prominent link to Watch This
Item at the top and bottom of each auction listing page. This tracks the auction in
the Items I’m Watching section of My eBay (see Figure 4.2). It shows much of the
same information as the category results or search results pages. One addition is the
seller’s User ID and feedback rating. There is also a button on the right to Bid Now
or Buy It Now depending on the type of auction.
Chapter 4: My eBay
53
Show: All
My Note
Delete
Compare
Email To
A Friend
Add Note button
Figure 4.2
The items are listed with the auction ending soonest at the top.
You can change the display to Show: All, Active, or Ended items. The default is
Show: All, so if you’re doing a lot of comparison shopping, you will probably have
multiple pages.
When you are the high bidder for an item in this list, the price will be shown in
green and bold. If you have been outbid, it will not be bold and will be in red. If you
have not bid on the item, the price will be black.
Adding a Note to an Auction
This is a little-known technique that those of us with poor memories (or numerous
items in our watched lists) could really take advantage of.
It’s particularly useful if you discovered the auction at the beginning of a sevenday duration. By the time the auction is nearing the end, you might wonder why it
was even in your watched list. If you’re anything like me, you’ll remember why you
wanted it minutes after the auction ended.
A better option is to add a note to remind you “Gift for Aunt Sally,” or whatever.
Adding notes is also useful when you had to ask the seller a question. You can put
the answer in the note instead of searching your e‑mail. This is useful for shipping
quotes or item specifics as you can see in Figure 4.2. (My note on the fifth item down
is “sweater is dark red not black” because the picture doesn’t show it clearly.)
54
Tips
If you want to add notes to
multiple items, check each of
their boxes and then click Add
Note. The next page will show
each item (title and photo) and a
comment box for each of them.
You can add all of your notes at
the same time, then click Save,
and they will show up attached
to their corresponding listings in
My eBay.
To add a note …
1.Click the check box to the left of the item you
want to add a note to.
2.Click the Add Note button at the bottom of the
Items I’m Watching list.
3.Add your note in the box on the next page and
click Save.
Your note will be added to the listing and will show
up below the item title, as you can see in Figure 4.2.
Occasionally eBay will place a note on one of your
watched items if it goes on sale. This is a relatively
new feature on eBay that allows sellers to put Store Inventory (i.e., Buy It Now only)
items on sale. This shows their buyers what the usual price was, the sale price, and
the percentage discount.
If the item goes on sale after you add it to your Items I’m Watching, then eBay will
add a note letting you know that it went on sale (see Figure 4.3).
Figure 4.3
The price becomes bold and
dark red to make it stand out
on the page when an item you
are already watching is put
on sale by the seller.
original price
sale price
eBay note
Next to the Add Note button at the bottom of the Items I’m Watching section, there
are three other buttons—Delete, Compare, and Email To A Friend. To use any of
these buttons you must first click the box(es) to the left of the appropriate listing(s).
Delete is obvious (and used a lot once items have ended). Compare is a great feature
that will compare the selected listings side by side (I’ll talk more about this in Chapter 7).
Email To A Friend is really a great way to share auctions you are looking at with
friends or family.
My mum (in England) and I often exchange links to auctions this way. If she sees
something that I might like for my daughter, she just uses the Email To A Friend link
to send the auction to me.
Chapter 4: My eBay
55
There is a link for Email To A Friend right on the auction listing page too (below the
Watch This Item box), so you don’t have to add it to your Items I’m Watching list if
you don’t want to.
Items I’m Bidding On
The next box on your My Summary page is your Buying Totals. This shows what you
have already spent (or are going to spend if you’re still the high bidder on an active
auction) in the last 30 days.
Below this box is the Items I’m Bidding On section (see Figure 4.4). This screenshot
is only showing one item, but it can display multiple listings. So if you go on a bidding spree, that’s okay, they will all show up here.
Current Price
Total Price
Items I’m
Bidding On
Items I’ve Won
icons
My Max Bid
Figure 4.4
Each section only shows on your My Summary page if you have eBay activity that fits into that section. So if
you haven’t bid on anything, the Items I’m Bidding On section will not display here.
The Items I’m Bidding On section only shows items you have actually placed bids on.
Just like the Items I’m Watching section, if you are the current high bidder the price
will be green and bold, and if you have been outbid it will be in red and not bold.
56
It’s a good idea to keep checking the current price even if you are a high bidder
because it will tell you how close the bidding is coming to your maximum bid. If it is
getting very close, you need to decide if you’re prepared to pay more, and if so, place
a higher bid before your current one gets outbid.
Once an auction ends, it will move to either the Items I’ve Won or Items I Didn’t
Win section.
Tips
If two bidders place the same bid amount, the first bid gets the high bidder status.
For example, if you place a $37.50 proxy bid and another bidder places the same
$37.50 bid even 10 minutes later than yours, the current price on the auction will go
to $37.50, but you will still be the high bidder because your bid was placed first.
Items I’ve Won
I love the thrill of winning an auction. Sometimes I don’t quite believe it until I check
the Items I’ve Won section of My eBay. This is the reality check that, yes, you really
did win those tickets to the sold-out Tim McGraw concert or you won that Play
station 3 console you so desperately wanted. Every item you have won during the last
60 days shows up in this section unless you manually remove it. Most of the headings
are self-explanatory. The Total Price includes the shipping cost to your registered zip
code.
The most interesting part is the icons on the right (see Figure 4.4). The item shown
in this screenshot has already been paid for. You can tell by the first icon (dollar sign)
being bold as opposed to grayed out. If you hadn’t already paid, the box to the left of
the icons would say Pay Now instead of Leave Feedback. As you complete the postauction process, each of those icons will become bold. The second is Left Feedback
so you know when you have done that. The icon to the far right will show you what
type of feedback the seller gave you. When the feedback is left for you, this icon will
be bold and have either a plus or minus sign in the middle indicating whether the
feedback was positive or negative. In Figure 4.4, the feedback received from the seller
was positive.
The drop-down menu that shows Leave Feedback in Figure 4.3 has a number of
other options. Some of them disappear as you complete parts of the transaction …
u Request Invoice
u Pay Now
Chapter 4: My eBay
u Leave Feedback
u View Payment Details
u View PayPal Payment
u Contact Seller
u Unmark As Payment Sent
u View Seller’s Other Items
u View Similar Items
u Sell One Like This
u Add to Favorite Sellers
u Report an Item Not Received
57
Did You Know?
Many sellers wait until their buyers
leave feedback before they reciprocate. This is because they don’t
want to send a positive feedback
and then get a negative from
the buyer. At that point the sellers can’t change their feedback.
Waiting makes buyers think twice
about leaving a negative one
because they know they will
likely get one in return if the seller
has not already posted feedback
for them.
Each option is pretty self-explanatory. These make it easy to link to all the important
post-sale activities regarding this item or seller.
The Sell One Like This option is for sellers who buy items on eBay to resell. Sometimes they buy in the Wholesale Lots category, break the lot down into individual
items, and sell those on eBay. Other times they see an item that is going for a song
because of errors the buyer made in the listing. Then they turn around and create a
proper listing making a tidy profit without any real effort.
Items I Didn’t Win
It’s not much fun, but there will be many times that you bid on an item and don’t
win it. EBay can be addicting, and it’s important to set your limits and stick to them.
Still, it’s never easy to see an item you really wanted in your Items I Didn’t Win section. But don’t get too depressed. First, it’s only an auction, and second, there’s always
the possibility of a Second Chance Offer.
You usually get a Second Chance Offer when the high bidder doesn’t pay or backs out
of the sale, or when the seller has more than one of the items available for sale.
The seller sets how long a Second Chance Offer is good for, so keep checking back.
It could be as short as 24 hours. If you accept the offer, you are sent to a Buy It Now
page unique for you to purchase the item immediately.
You can easily see if you have a Second Chance Offer in the Buying Reminders section at the top of your My Summary page.
58
Sometimes the most depressing part of Items I Didn’t Win is comparing the Sale
Price to the My Max Bid (see Figure 4.4). If it’s only 50 cents different, that can really
feel like a kick in the gut. But you’ll never know what the winner’s maximum bid was,
so it’s highly possible you wouldn’t have wanted to match it anyway.
Below the auction activity sections on your My Summary page you will see the three
most current posts on eBay’s General Announcements board and a link below them
to go to the General Announcements page.
Customizing My Summary
The screenshots throughout this chapter show the default My Summary page. But if
you want to choose exactly what displays and where, click Customize Summary at the
top right of the My Summary page and adjust any of the settings you want.
Using the double arrows in the center (see Figure 4.5), you can select items from the
Available Views and move them to the Views To Display box. You can also move
items that are currently displaying (located in the Views To Display box) back to the
Available Views box and they will no longer show on your My Summary page.
Figure 4.5
If you change your mind
about your customized display, you can always return
to the default display by clicking Restore Defaults.
Restore Defaults
arrows to add or
remove features
arrows for changing
display order
You can even change the order the sections display on your My Summary page.
Simply click on the item you wish to move in the Views To Display box and use the
vertical arrows on the right (beneath the word “Move”) to move it up or down the
list. Click Save after you are done and you will be sent back to your customized My
Summary page.
Chapter 4: My eBay
59
You can also customize the information that displays in each section by clicking Customize Display at the top right of the section (see Figure 4.6). Any changes you make
here apply only to that section.
Customize Display
Figure 4.6
Customizing your individual
sections is very useful once
you know what specific information you want at your
fingertips. Until then, using
the defaults should be fine.
My eBay Views
Most of what you will need is displayed on your My Summary page, but there are
times you will need to use the various links on the left side bar (see Figure 4.7).
Figure 4.7
All Buying
If you don’t see it on My
Summary, chances are there
is a link to it on the left side
bar.
Want It Now
Let’s run through the first few links quickly because we’ve already discussed most of
them.
u My Summary will take you back to the first page you see when you go to My
eBay.
u The links under All Buying take you to the corresponding section as it displays
on the My Messages page. So if you click Watching, it will take you to the Items
60
I’m Watching section. Personalized Picks takes you to a separate page with
active listings for items similar to those you have bid on in the past.
u All Selling can be ignored by buyers. For information about this section, go to
Chapter 21.
Want It Now
Want It Now is a message board where you can place a Wanted Ad for an item you
can’t find on eBay. If you click on the Want It Now link, it will take you to a page
where you can see all of the Want It Now posts you have made. If you haven’t made
one yet, click on Post to Want It Now and you can create your first post.
Figure 4.8 shows your options for the listing. The more information you can give,
the better. Sellers go to Want It Now to see if they have (or can get) items buyers are
specifically looking for. It’s a completely anonymous system, so the seller cannot offer
to sell you an item off-eBay. They simply respond with a matching item they have
listed that you may be interested in.
Figure 4.8
This is like a classifieds
wanted ad. Be concise but
clear and very specific. Give
a model number, price, color,
etc., but remember you only
have 500 words.
Post to Want It Now
If you can find a stock picture of the item you want, you can upload it. This really
makes it easier for sellers to know exactly what you are looking for. If you can’t find
one, just describe the item as fully as you can, and don’t forget to give a price range.
Chapter 4: My eBay
61
Click Post to Want It Now when you are finished. Your post is active for 60 days. You
will be e‑mailed by eBay whenever you get a response. You may get some completely
irrelevant responses, but you can ignore them easily enough.
My World
A My World page is completely optional, and it’s mostly sellers who use it. But if you
have some free time, go ahead and set one up. It can be anything from a fun MySpacetype page to a business promotion page. It’s entirely up to you. You can customize it to
fit your style by playing with the layout, adding pictures, filling out your profile, etc.
It’s fun, but as a buyer it’s not going to help you find better bargains.
My Messages
You can access your My Messages inbox by using either the link from your My Summary page or the alternate one on the side bar. The number of new messages displays
in parentheses to the right of the side bar link (see Figure 4.9).
Back to My eBay
link
message from eBay
message from another
eBay user
alert from eBay
message status icons
Figure 4.9
All messages from eBay have a gray background, whereas messages from other eBay users have a white
background.
As you can see, I have six messages. The message at the bottom is an Alert. I have
already read it (it isn’t bold anymore and the icon to the far right shows I have read it)
but it will show the Alert icon until I delete it.
62
The icons on the right tell you the status of each message. The icons are explained
below the messages (see Figure 4.9). The Alert icons are red until they no longer
require your attention.
Did You Know?
One of the advantages of the
eBay Toolbar is a little box will
pop up on the bottom right of
your screen and tell you that an
eBay user has e‑mailed you. You
don’t even have to be logged in
to eBay, you just have to be connected to the Internet. Clicking
Respond Now will open a new
browser window and take you
straight to that message in My
Messages.
You can get e‑mails from both eBay and other eBay
users through My Messages. EBay sends you an
e‑mail whenever you place an offer on an item or win
an auction. It also sends messages about your account
and any promotions eBay is running. All of the messages in My Messages are also sent to the regular
e‑mail account that eBay has on file for you.
I know I’ve said this a couple of times, but it bears
repeating. If you get an account message or a message from another eBay user in your regular e‑mail
account and it doesn’t look right, or the topic doesn’t
sound right, open a new browser window and navigate to My Messages. If the message is not here, it is
not from eBay or another eBay member.
If you want to keep messages, check the corresponding box to the left of the message(s)
and then use the Move To box on the bottom right to select a folder. The default is My
Folder 1. I know it’s a bit clinical. It’s easy to rename this and even add other folders if
you want to.
You delete messages by checking the box to the left of the message(s) and clicking
Delete. A box will pop up asking you if you’re sure you really want to delete it; click
Yes and it’s done. You can’t recover e‑mails once you have deleted them, so be sure
you won’t need it again before you get rid of it.
You can return to My eBay by clicking the Back To My eBay link on the top left of
the page (see Figure 4.9).
Setting Up Your Favorites
Now we’re into some more fun stuff. If you collect a specific type of item, or are
looking for something that is quite rare, you can set up a Favorite Search for that
item and eBay will e‑mail you each time an item matching your search keywords is
listed.
I used this to find a specific pair of discontinued sunglasses for a friend a couple of
years back. Her husband loved Maui Jim Aviator sunglasses, but she couldn’t buy
Chapter 4: My eBay
63
them in stores anymore. I posted to Want It Now and set up a Favorite Search for the
item. We found a few listings within the first month and by the second month she
got the perfect pair in mint condition right in time for his birthday.
It’s very easy to set up a Favorite Search …
1. First, perform a regular search for the item (we’ll talk more about that in Chapter 5).
2. Next, on the search results page, click Save this Search (next to the number of
listings displayed above the results section).
3. A pop-up window will display (as in Figure 4.10) to allow you to select the
search duration (min: 7 days, max: 12 months). If you want to specify more
options (such as PayPal listings only, a price range, distance to your zip code),
click Show next to More Options.
4. Once you are done selecting your options, click Save and you will now be able
to track and modify your search in My eBay.
Save this search
Show more options
Figure 4.10
Changing the name of the
search does not change the
search terms. It is just easier
for you to organize, particularly when you have a
complicated search.
Did You Know?
You can set up a Favorite Search on an International eBay site (eBay UK, eBay Australia,
eBay Canada, etc.). Simply go to the International site (you can link from the bottom of
the eBay.com homepage), log in using your eBay.com User ID and password, then follow the steps above to perform the search and set up the Favorite Search details.
Now you will be e‑mailed by eBay whenever items matching your keywords are listed
on that specific International eBay site.
I continue to use this technique to find Norma Nelson artwork on eBay UK (she’s one
of my favorite watercolor artists). It saves me time and effort since none of those items
would show up in an eBay.com search.
64
Setting Up Your Favorite Sellers
There are many opportunities to add a seller to your favorites list. The easiest to find
is on an active auction page or after you have won something from the seller.
When you add a seller to your Favorite Sellers list, you can get periodic notifications
about new items they have listed.
When you click Sellers under All Favorites (on the My eBay side bar) you will be sent
to your Favorite Sellers management page. Figure 4.11 shows three favorite sellers. It
also shows four recent sellers you have bid or bought from that are not added to your
favorites list.
Edit Preferences
My Favorite Sellers
My Recent Sellers
Add to
Favorite Sellers
Figure 4.11
Click Edit Preferences to change the amount of contact you get from the seller.
Did You Know?
If you use the eBay Toolbar, you
can use the drop-down menu
marked Favorites (with a red heart
icon) to see your favorite searches
and favorite seller names. These
link straight through to your favorite search or favorite seller’s active
auctions.
To add a recent seller to your favorites list, simply
check the box to the left of the seller’s User ID and
click the Add to Favorite Sellers button at the bottom
of the section. It’s up to you to decide if you want to
get notification e‑mails of new items or subscribe
to the seller’s newsletter. Both are optional so check
the boxes if you want them, then click Add To Favorites, and each seller will then display in the Favorite
Sellers section.
Chapter 4: My eBay
65
You can add notes to your favorite sellers by following the same process we used for
adding a note to a watched item. I like to add a note to remind me what I buy from
this person, or who it is if it’s someone I know personally or from eBay Live.
Setting Up Your Favorite Categories
Go to My eBay and select Categories from
the list of Favorites on the left side bar. This
will take you to the main My Favorite Categories page. Click Add a New Category (on
the top right). This will take you to a new
page where you can select from main categories and subcategories to navigate to the
category you want to save (see Figure 4.12).
You can change or delete a category from
your Favorites list, on the main My Favorite
Categories page.
Tips
You may find it easier to navigate to the category first and
write down the subcategories
before you add it to your Favorites list. This will save you some
time when it comes to selecting
each subcategory from the many
options available.
main category
Save this category
subcategory
Figure 4.12
Add a category to your Favorites list.
My Account
All of your personal information can be viewed or modified here. The links are as
follows:
66
u Personal Information
u Addresses
u Preferences
u Feedback
u PayPal Account
u Half.com Account
u Seller Account
u Subscriptions
The first section, Personal Information, allows you to change various personal details
about your account:
u Account type (personal/business)
u User ID
u Password
u Secret question (for password/User ID retrieval)
u E‑mail address
u Name (if you get married/divorced)
u Street address
u Cell phone/instant messenger information for alerts
u Bank account/credit card information
Now you see why your eBay password is so important. Do you really want someone else to have access to all of this information? An unauthorized user with your
password could get into your account, change your password, and freeze you out
completely. EBay would shut them down when you reported it, but the thought of
someone else having access to all of these details (and access to your buyers) is quite
distressing. This is why you are always asked to sign in when you first go to My eBay.
If you need to change any of your personal information, just click Edit to the far right
of the item you need to change (see Figure 4.13). You must keep your information
accurate, including your phone number, to comply with eBay’s regulations.
Chapter 4: My eBay
67
Edit
Figure 4.13
Certain aspects of this
screenshot are blanked out to
protect the personal information of this account owner.
Addresses
It really shouldn’t be this complicated, but there are three types of addresses: Registration Address, Payment Address, and Primary Shipping Address. When you first
register, they will all be the same, but if you want to change your shipping address or
registration address (if you move) just click Addresses on the side bar, and then click
Change next to the address that needs modifying.
Preferences
EBay is ultra-customizable. This section is simply where you modify your preferences
for how things look on eBay, communication options, etc.
The sections are:
u Notification Preferences (getting contact from eBay)
u Selling Preferences (if applicable)
u Member-To-Member Communication Preferences
u General Preferences
To see more about an option under each of these headings, click Show to the right of
the item. You can read more, or change your preferences here.
68
Other My Account Options
Let’s quickly run down the other options available in My Account.
Feedback will send you to your feedback profile where you can see any new feedback
comments left by your sellers.
PayPal Account will link you to www.PayPal.com to log in to your account, change
account settings, or update addresses.
Half.com Account is a separate eBay account for selling on eBay’s used books site. As
a buyer you do not need a separate account for Half.com even if you want to purchase
from this site.
Seller Account and Subscriptions are both tailored for sellers, and not relevant to buyers.
My Reviews and Guides is the section to look at any Reviews or Guides you have
written. They are primarily seller tools to increase visibility of their auctions. But if
you are a particularly knowledgeable about something, you could write a review or guide about it.
Reviews and Guides are instructional guides or informative
reviews written by eBay members
for other eBay members. They
are ranked by how useful they
are. Reviews are about products;
guides are about techniques.
The Dispute Console is where you report if an item
is not received or significantly different from what
you expected (based on the listing information).
I’ll talk about this in Chapter 6, but for now I want
you to understand that the Dispute Console is the
last resort—not the first step toward getting an issue
resolved.
u My eBay shows you everything you are bidding on, bought, watching, made an
offer on, didn’t win, and more.
u You can customize your My eBay page or individual sections within it.
u Use My Messages when you don’t want the seller to have your e‑mail address,
and always check it if you are not sure of the authenticity of an e‑mail that looks
like it came from eBay.
u Post to Want It Now if you can’t find the item you’re looking for.
u Set up favorites to save time and effort.
5
Chapter
Searching for Your Item
In This Chapter
u Searching for items
u Narrowing your search to what you really want
u All the TLAs (three-letter acronyms) you’ll ever need
u When words are not enough—searching by picture
u Types of auctions you will encounter
“Whatever IT is, you can find IT on eBay.” This is eBay’s current marketing
slogan, which I’m sure you’ve seen in their slightly wacky TV commercials
and splashed all over the website. It’s a gimmick, but the saying is fairly
accurate. You can buy pretty much anything you can think of on eBay.
In Chapter 3, we looked at browsing for items through the category pages,
and even used some basic searching techniques to narrow down those
results. Now it’s time to try searching right from the homepage. This is
how the vast majority (80 percent) of buyers find their items.
70
The Search Results Page
The search results page looks exactly the same as the category results page. The main
difference is the default sort order. In the category page, the most recently listed
items are shown first, whereas on the search results page, the items ending soonest
are first.
Figure 5.1 shows the search results page for a search for Sony Vaio Laptop.
Sort by
Customize Display
Figure 5.1
As with most eBay pages,
you can customize what you
see by clicking Customize
Display on the top right of
the page.
From left to right you can see …
1. A thumbnail picture (if the seller put the picture into the gallery).
2. The item title (where the search engine checks for matches to your chosen
keywords).
3. Beneath the item title is the subtitle (if the seller chose to use one).
4. To the right of the item title is the PayPal icon. (If the seller accepts PayPal
as a payment method, the icon will show here.)
5. The number of bids is next. (This can take 15 minutes or so to update, so make
sure to check it on the actual auction page.)
6. The all-important price.
7. The shipping cost to your registered zip code. (You need to be signed into eBay
for this to show).
8. Finally, the time left before the auction ends.
Chapter 5: Searching for Your Item
71
Changing the Results Display Order
You can change the order the items display using the Sort by drop-down menu just
like we did in Chapter 3 for the category results page. The options here include the
following:
u Time: ending soonest
u Distance: nearest first
u Time: newly listed
u Best Match
u Price: lowest first
u Category
u Price: highest first
Most of them are self-explanatory except Best Match and Category. If you searched
Sony Vaio Laptop, Best Match would show the items that have all of the words
“Sony,” “Vaio,” and “Laptop” consecutively in that order first. Then it would show
those with Sony Vaio or Vaio Laptop and then those with Sony Laptop.
If you select Category, it will sort the results by the category they are listed in.
Personally, I don’t use this option because there are better options for narrowing
down the categories that I will talk about in a moment.
In some circumstances you may also see two new options:
u Country/Region: sort up
u Country/Region: sort down
These two options sort the listings by the country they are located in. You get an
extra column on the right showing you the country name so you can see when it
changes. If you are registered in the United States they will start with USA, then
Canada, then the other countries. If you are registered on any other site, it will show
that site’s local results first.
You only see these options if you have less than 100 listings displayed. I honestly
don’t see much point in using them because, again, I think there are better ways of
narrowing your results by country (which I will talk about later in this chapter).
Gallery Plus
Gallery Plus is another feature you may encounter, particularly when a seller is listing
multiple items in one auction, or the item has a high level of intricacy in its details.
72
This option enlarges the thumbnail picture to take up most of the screen when you
scroll your mouse pointer over the thumbnail image (see Figure 5.2).
Figure 5.2
Sellers pay extra for the
Gallery Plus feature, so not
everyone uses it.
Gallery Plus is a relatively new feature and costs a bit more than regular Gallery pictures, so not all sellers are using it. It is mostly used when there are multiple items to
show or when the picture will really sell the item (as in Figure 5.2).
Using Keywords in Your Search
Most buyers look for items by searching keywords, which are simply obvious words
that describe the item.
Let’s say you’re looking for an iPod. You can search just the word ipod but it will
bring up thousands of results (I tried it and got 76,808 active listings). That is way
too many to browse through.
What about ipod nano? That removes almost two thirds of the listings (29,739 remaining), but that’s still too many.
Let’s try red ipod nano. Much better. That gives you 475 listings. That’s still a lot, but
it’s a lot more manageable than the 76,808 listings we started with.
When choosing your keywords, you should start with a combination of the following
options:
u Item name
u Manufacturer (if multiple companies make the same product)
73
u Color or style
u Condition (only if it is new)
Try using all of them first; then if you get too few results, just remove one of the keywords and try again.
Let’s look at a couple of examples in different categories:
Instead of baby swing (488 listings) you could search fisher price aquarium swing
(99 listings).
Instead of coffee maker (3,001 listings) try delonghi stainless coffee maker (31 listings)
Instead of car floor mats (696 listings) try green floor mats (24 listings).
Putting a little bit of thought into your keywords can make the difference between
trawling through hundreds of irrelevant listings to the point that you forget what you
were originally looking for, and finding relevant listings quickly so you can get your
bid in before the auction ends.
Matching Categories
We got our iPod results down to 475, but we can go further than that using the
Matching Categories box on the left side bar. This is the “better option” I mentioned
earlier when I talked about the Category option in the Sort by menu.
Figure 5.3 shows the search results page for
red iPod nano. As you can see, the listings
with these keywords are from four main
categories, but there’s only one category that
will likely have the iPod we want in it—
Consumer Electronics. Beneath the Consumer
Electronics category title you can see the
subcategory Apple iPod, MP3 Players (the
second option). That would a good place
to put an iPod auction, so that is where we
should go.
When your search keywords
relate to auctions in multiple cate
gories, you will be given the
option to narrow down the results
to the most relevant category
(and then subcategory) using the
Matching Categories box on
the left side bar.
You may notice that the Matching Categories box looks familiar. This is because it is
very similar to the Categories box we encountered in Chapter 3.
74
category
subcategory
Figure 5.3
Matching Categories simply shows you the most popular categories/subcategories for your keywords to help you narrow down your results.
After clicking the subcategory, you’re only going to see auctions that match the
keywords you used and that are listed in the Consumer Electronics > Apple iPod, MP3
Players category. This is a good way to mix the category browse and search features,
and it narrows down our results from 475 to 51 listings, with all of them exactly what
you wanted to look at—red iPod Nano MP3 players.
We just went from 77,808 to 51 auctions in about a minute. Not bad, really. By using
Matching Categories and descriptive keywords you can find far more relevant items
in your searches.
Common Acronyms and Abbreviations
There are many acronyms and abbreviations sellers use in auction titles. The reason
for this is that sellers are allowed only 55 characters and well-known abbreviations
save space.
These are just a few of the common ones. To see eBay’s full list click on the Help tab
from the homepage and click on the eBay Acronyms link on the top left.
You will find many other acronyms and abbreviations that sellers make up as they go
along. You can usually figure them out when you look at the auction page, but those
listed in the table are the most common.
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Common eBay Acronyms
Acronym
Meaning
BIN
Buy It Now
COA
certificate of authenticity (used mainly for collectibles)
EUC
excellent used condition
gently used
GU
HTF
hard to find
LTD
limited edition
NIB
new in box
new in packaging
NIP
NR
no reserve
NWOT
new without tags
NWT
new with tags
OEMoriginal equipment manufacturer (you usually see this in
relation to computer software, ink cartridges, etc.)
PM
Priority Mail shipping
RET
retired
S/O
sold out
very hard to find
VHTF
Misspellings Can Equal Major Bargains
Make sure to check misspellings. The eBay search engine now catches some of them,
but others still get through. Try international spellings (jewellery, flavour, aluminium,
etc.) because often international sellers list on eBay.com but don’t modify their spellings.
If the item doesn’t show up in the search results for the correct spelling, fewer people
will see it, so you’re more likely to get a good bargain. In Figure 5.1 we showed the
search results for Sony Vaio Laptop with over 1,700 listings. Had we spelled it “Viao”
instead of the correct spelling “Vaio,” only 25 items would have displayed.
Sometimes the item name is completely different in other countries. For example, in
England, the word “purse” means a lady’s wallet. The accessory you put your wallet,
keys, cell phone, etc. into is called a “handbag.” So using alternative words can bring
up results you wouldn’t otherwise see.
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Narrowing Your Search Results
We talked about Matching Categories a moment ago, but you can also narrow down
your results using Item Specifics and other advanced search techniques.
Item Specifics are a list of attributes of the item that eBay asks
sellers to complete when they list
an item. It is only used in certain
categories, but when you see a
Finder box on the left side bar, the
options you select search the Item
Specifics instead of the auction title
so you get more specific results.
Not all categories use Finders, and you must use
Matching Categories to narrow down your results to
just one category before it will show up.
Let’s say you’re looking for a blue size-8 formal
dress. Rather than using all of those words, you can
just use blue dress and navigate to the Clothing, Shoes
& Accessories – Women’s Clothing – Dresses category
using the Matching Categories selections. Then you
can use the Women’s Dresses Finder on the left side
bar to select all of your other preferred attributes for
the item. Figure 5.4 shows the results after using the
Finder box (with 127 listings). The original search
for blue dress gave us 4,771 listings.
Finder box
Show Items
button
Figure 5.4
The options in the Finder box will vary depending on which category you are in.
Once you have navigated to the Dresses category, you can remove the word dress from
your search terms. This means that your search will display all items that use gown or
dress or any other synonym.
Don’t forget to click Show Items at the bottom of the Finder box to show the results.
77
Advanced Use of the eBay Search Engine
If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can use certain symbols to narrow down
results directly from the search box. You can make it as simple or as complicated as
you like, so don’t worry if you see examples that you’re not comfortable trying; just
stick with the simpler ones for now.
The table shows the quick reference if you need to come back and refresh your memory
again on this. Remember, these words are only in the auction title unless you also check
the Search Title and Description box below the search box.
Quick Reference for Search Engine Symbols
Example
Result
“formula one”
All auctions where Formula comes directly before One.
laptop (sony,dell)All auctions that have the word laptop as well as either sony
or dell.
tanzanite All auctions that have both of the words tanzanite and
earrings -stud earrings but do not have the word stud.
Exact Phrase
Using quote marks “ ” will result in only listings with the exact phrase inside the
quotes (in the order shown) being returned. So if you want items relating to Formula
One racing you would type “formula one,” which will only display listings that have
the word one directly following the word formula in its title. This will prevent you
from getting auctions with titles such as one can of baby formula, or one day only new
formula weight loss pill, etc.
Either/Or Words
Now, let’s say you’re looking for a laptop and you want either a Sony or a Dell. You
would type laptop (sony,dell). This would show only listings with the word laptop and
either sony or dell in the title.
This can also be used when there are many varieties of spelling. For example, if you
are looking for a t-shirt, you could do individual searches for each variation of t-shirt,
or you could combine them all into one search like this: (tee,tee shirt,t-shirt,tshirt,
78
t.shirt,t shirt). Now every auction that uses any of those variations will show up. This
works with brand names that are commonly misspelled too, such as (Skechers,Sketchers).
Excluding Words
If you want a pair of tanzanite earrings, but you don’t want them to be stud earrings,
you would type tanzanite earrings –stud.
You can exclude multiple words by putting them in parentheses, such as tanzanite
earrings – (hoop, stud). Or you get the same effect by using tanzanite earrings – hoop
– stud. It’s entirely up to you.
Putting It All Together
This is not for the faint-hearted, but if you understand all of the examples I used
above, you should be able to grasp this after the initial “eeek” response wears off.
Let’s say you want a pair of white gold or silver tanzanite earrings but you don’t
want stud or hoop earrings. You would type tanzanite earrings (“white gold”, silver)
– (hoop,stud).
I know this last example feels a little like an algebraic equation, but it shows you what
you can do with the search engine. The reason I put quotes around white gold is so the
search results do not return yellow or rose gold items.
All we did was add the rules together, but if this is all a bit too much for you, you can
go to the Advanced Search (below the search box on the homepage) and specify your
choices in the appropriate boxes there. EBay will work out the symbols for you. It is
more limited, and you would not have been able to do our final example, but you can
do all of the others.
On the resources page that accompanies this book (www.skipmcgrath.com/cig), we
have a specially designed search term creator. Simply enter the words in the relevant
boxes and it will automatically create the exact search term you should use (and yes, it
can even do the last example).
Have a play with it. Once you’ve done it a few times, using the symbols will become
second nature.
79
eBay Keywords
There are some keywords like laptop, Playstation, baby, baseball card, Royal Doulton,
digital camera, etc. that are so popular they have too many listings to display when
you just search that term. For these extremely popular keywords, eBay has created a
separate page that shows all the Matching Categories and subcategories you would
normally see in the Matching Categories box on the side bar of the search results
page (see Figure 5.5). This helps you narrow down your results to a manageable size
before eBay starts showing you listings.
Best Matching
Products section
number of items matching keyword in this subcategory
Figure 5.5
Go to http://buy.ebay.com/ to see the eBay keywords.
I prefer to use eBay Keywords over the main Buy page because I can easily see the
number of listings that match my keyword within that category before I click on it.
On the Buy page it just shows me how many items are listed in that category (regardless of my keywords).
Figure 5.5 shows the page for eBay keyword Playstation. The section in the center
marked Best Matching Products shows the most popular products with this keyword
and links through to the Reviews section about each product.
80
Search Options
You will find yourself using this feature a lot once you get comfortable searching for
items. It displays on the left side bar of the search results page and allows you to narrow
down your results by location, payment method, auction type, etc.
While you are starting out, I suggest you change the Location to US Only so you’re
not dealing with international sellers. Choosing North America will show listings
from the United States and Canada only, so that is the next step. Even after you are
comfortable buying from overseas, you will probably use the US Only option when
you need something quickly because there is no point in looking overseas when the
shipping time is critical. Use the drop-down menu that is displaying Worldwide in
Figure 5.6 to change the Location.
Figure 5.6
This is the default Search
Options box on the search
results page, but like everything, you can customize it
and add or remove features
so only those you use actually
display.
Location dropdown menu
I prefer PayPal. If you are like me, you will find you check the Items listed with
PayPal box during most searches. There is nothing more frustrating than finding
the perfect item and then finding out the seller only accepts cashier’s checks and
holds them for five days to clear.
Buy It Now items are your instant purchases. If you only want to see items you can
buy immediately (without any bidding) check this box. You can also use the yellow
tab at the top of the page if you would prefer (see Figure 5.7).
tabs
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Figure 5.7
EBay allows you to look at all
items, auctions only, or Buy
It Now listings only, using
the three tabs at the top of the
search results page.
If you select Buy It Now, you will also see items listed in eBay Stores because they are
Buy It Now listings too. If this is too many results for you, uncheck the box Show all
items including Store inventory items in the Search Options box.
I tend to check the Free Shipping box in
Search Options (Figure 5.6) when I have
a low-cost item because sometimes sellers
hike up the shipping so they make a higher
profit on low-cost items. If sellers list free
shipping, they have incorporated the shipping cost into the item price, but now they
pay eBay fees on that amount so they’re not
going to significantly overcharge you. Still,
personally I don’t use this option very often.
Shark in the Water
Prices don’t include shipping,
so you may be finding lowcost items, but when you add the
shipping, the prices skyrocket. It
is often cheaper to find a higherpriced item with lower shipping
because there is less competition.
Get It Fast items offer shipping within one business day and offer overnight shipping. When you look at the prices for these items, the first price you will see (on the
search results page) is the overnight shipping cost. So if you don’t need it quite that
fast, look at the terms on the auction page because the seller may well offer Priority
Mail (two to three days delivery time) for a much lower cost.
Completed Listings is a very important option to look at. This shows you only items
matching your search terms that have already ended (within the last two weeks). This
is the only way you can see what similar items are actually selling for right now. It’s
very important to always check the Completed Listings before you decide on your
maximum bid to prevent overpaying, and so you know what range you should expect
to bid in. We’ll talk about this more in Chapter 7.
All items including Store inventory items is an option I only use if I don’t get
many results, or I have looked through the auctions and I can’t find what I am looking for. Basically it also searches eBay Stores as well as regular auctions (which your
regular search does not). All Store items show at the end of the other search results.
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Next you can choose a time frame for when the item was listed or is ending. You
should see the following options in the drop-down menu:
u Ending within
u Ending in more than
u Started within
You can then select a time period from one hour to seven days from the second dropdown menu.
Finally, the last option, Items priced, allows you to specify a price range for items to
search. You can choose a minimum price, a maximum price, or both.
Once you have made your selections, click Show Items at the bottom of the Search
Options box and it will display only the listings that match your criteria. If you don’t
get enough listings, don’t worry: just try removing some of the restrictions and try it
again until you get what you want.
The Picture Gallery
Sometimes when you’re searching, the picture is more important than the words. If
you’re looking for a particular type of china or a gift for someone, you’re not always
actually looking for an exact item. Or maybe it is a style of item that the seller might
not have put as a keyword.
Tips
The Picture Gallery shows all
of the items with pictures in the
Gallery first. All of the other listings show at the end. Sellers pay
a little extra to put their picture
into the Gallery, so not all sellers
do it. If you don’t see what you’re
looking for, you might want to
look to the end of the section for
the items without thumbnail pictures, or switch back to List View.
Let’s say you have a friend who collects Winnie the
Pooh items. But she likes the classic version only, not
the newer Disney style. Not all sellers are going to
use Classic or Disney in the auction title, so the Picture Gallery can make it a lot easier to find the items
that match what you are actually looking for just by
scanning the pictures.
Figure 5.8 shows the List View for a search for a
plush Tigger toy.
It’s not very easy to see the type of toy in the
thumbnails, and many of them aren’t even showing
thumbnail pictures. So let’s change it to the Picture
Gallery.
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List View/Picture Gallery links
Figure 5.8
It’s quite hard to see the
detail in the pictures on the
List View.
In Figure 5.8 you can see the Picture Gallery link at the top left of the results. Clicking this link will take you to the Picture Gallery view.
Now the thumbnails are much bigger and they’re easier to scan because the Picture
Gallery shows two items to a line (see Figure 5.9). You don’t get as much information
about the item, and there are fewer items on each page, but it’s much easier to scan
through than clicking on each individual auction to see the larger picture.
Figure 5.9
The Picture View makes it
much easier to see the images.
You can toggle back and forth
between each view using the
List View or Picture Gallery
links.
There are many instances when using the Picture Gallery can save you time and
effort. I particularly like to use it when I’m searching for an antique or collectible
item, or any listing that will have multiple items in the picture.
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Types of Auctions
The main type of auction we have talked about so far is an online auction. The seller
lists the item, the buyers bid, and at the end of the specified duration, the highest bidder wins the item. But there are other types of auctions, too.
Sometimes you’ll need to find something quickly, and other times you’ll just be impatient and want to get it now. Either way, eBay has an option for you.
Tips
Buy It Now is simply an instant
purchase listing. As soon as
the buyer selects the Buy It
Now option, the listing ends and
the buyer has won the item.
There are four ways you can buy something from a
seller on eBay without waiting for the auction duration to end. These are all Buy It Now listings.
Instead of placing a bid, you click the Buy It Now box
(see Figure 5.10) and you will be asked to confirm
that you really do want the item for the price listed.
When you click Confirm, you’re done! The item is
yours and you just have to pay for it.
Because it is so easy to use Buy It Now, you must be extra careful to read the description thoroughly and make sure it really is what you want, at the price you want to pay.
You should also look at the shipping and handling times to make sure it will arrive in
time for whatever you need it for.
Best Offer
This is an option you may see in addition to the Buy It Now price (see Figure 5.10).
This allows you to make an offer for the price. It’s much more like haggling (and can
be a lot of fun).
Buy It Now
price on sale
Figure 5.10
This seller also has the Buy
It Now price on sale as we
talked about in Chapter 4.
This is how it displays on the
auction listing page.
original Buy It Now
price
Make Offer
To submit a best offer, click on Make Offer
and enter a price lower than the Buy It
Now price. The seller will respond one of
three ways:
1. Accept the offer (and you win the
item).
2. Reject the offer (and you can then
submit a higher offer if you wish or
use the Buy It Now option).
3. Counter the offer with a price higher
than yours but lower than the Buy It
Now price.
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Tips
If you see the Best Offer
option on an item you want,
use it. The seller put the option
there because they are willing to
sell the item for lower than the
Buy It Now price. Why settle for
full-price when you can negotiate
and get a better deal? It’s also a
lot of fun if you get a good seller
haggling with you.
You can track items you’ve made offers on in My eBay. You’ll get an e-mail from
eBay when the seller takes action on your offer, but you should always go to My eBay
rather than clicking on any link in the e-mail and check the status there.
If the seller counters your initial offer, you can choose to accept it or counter it yourself. If you don’t want to continue with the negotiation, just ignore it and it will go
away on its own.
You will only see a Best Offer option attached to a fixed-price Buy It Now listing.
It is not available for Buy It Now auctions (which I’m about to explain), or regular
online auctions.
Buy It Now Auction
The first type of Buy It Now listing is part of an auction. If no bid has been placed
on an auction, you may also see a Buy It Now price (see Figure 5.10).
It’s up to the first bidder to decide whether she wants to use Buy It Now at the listed
price, or to place the starting bid and hope that the bidding doesn’t exceed the Buy
It Now price. If the buyer selects the Buy It Now option, the auction ends and that
buyer wins the item. If he chooses to place the starting bid, the Buy It Now option
disappears and no subsequent bidders know it was ever an available option. Quite
often sellers will offer incentives to buyers who choose Buy It Now. It’s usually a
shipping discount, an extra bonus, or something like that.
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starting price
Buy It Now
Figure 5.11
The Buy It Now price can
be just a dollar or so higher
than the starting price, or
sometimes it is a lot higher.
It really depends on the item
that’s for sale.
There is one exception to this rule. If a reserve price has been set by the seller, the Buy
It Now option will not disappear until the reserve is met (this is the type of auction
shown in Figure 5.11).
Items with lower starting prices usually get more bids and higher final prices. So, for
example, if a seller is willing to sell an item for no less than $100, she may set the starting price at $9.99 but set the reserve price at $100. Now the bidding starts at $9.99
but if it does not meet or exceed $100, the seller is not obligated to sell the item to the
highest bidder.
If there is a reserve price on the auction, the current bid goes up as bidders place
their bids, but the Buy It Now price remains until either a buyer decides to use it
and end the auction immediately, or the bidding reaches the reserve price. Once the
reserve price is met, the Buy It Now option disappears and the auction runs its course
as if it were a regular online auction.
Buy It Now—Fixed Price
Fixed-price Buy It Now listings do not have a starting price. They only have the Buy
It Now price. There is no bidding option, only purchases. Figure 5.12 shows a Buy It
Now fixed-price auction.
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Buy It Now price
Figure 5.12
Buy It Now fixed-price
listing.
Every so often, you will see a Buy It Now listing with the words “immediate payment
required” beneath the price. This requires the buyer to pay as soon as she confirms
her Buy It Now purchase. The buyer is taken straight to PayPal to make the payment
so you don’t have the option of waiting.
This is an option selected by the seller to prevent buyers from using the Buy It Now
option (which ends the listing) and then not paying. You don’t see it on every Buy It
Now listing (the auction in Figure 5.12 does not use it) but you’ll see it from time to
time.
eBay Store Inventory
Items in eBay Stores do not show up in regular searches. These are always fixed-price
Buy It Now listings. There are three ways you can view eBay Store inventory items:
1. Check the Search Options box for All items including Store Inventory Items.
2. Go directly to the seller’s store.
3. Click the Buy It Now tab at the top of the search results or category results page.
You can sometimes find decent bargains in Stores, but eBay increased the fees for
Store sellers last year so they are being more choosy about what they keep listed.
Multiple-Quantity (Dutch) Auction
These can be used as either regular online auctions or as fixed-price auctions. In an
online auction, the highest bids for the quantity available get the items. Let’s say that
there are four identical items available in an auction.
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Bidding Activity for an Auction with Four Items Available
Bidder
Amount Bid Per Item
Quantity Bid
A
B
C
$15.50
$14.75
$13.50
2
1
3
Bidders A and B would get the quantity they bid on and Bidder C can choose to accept
only one of the items (because that is all that is left) or he can choose to decline to
complete the transaction because he cannot have all three items that he bid on. Here’s
the interesting part: all three of the bidders would get the item for the lowest success
ful bid. So even though Bidder A bid $15.50, he will actually get the items for $13.50
each because Bidder C was the lowest successful bidder and he bid $13.50.
You can have multiple quantities in fixed-price Buy It Now listings, too. The price is
fixed so the buyers do not have to wait for the auction to end to pay, and the listing
will end when there are no more items left.
Many eBay Store inventory listings offer multiple quantities because sellers don’t pay
extra for having more than one item in the listing. They have to pay for 30 days duration anyway, so they want it to stay active for as long as possible to get better value
for their money.
Sellers like to use Dutch auctions because it saves them money on their listing fees
(we’ll talk about this in Chapter 12) and, if it’s a fixed-price listing, they can ship the
items out as they are sold without waiting for the end of the auction.
You’ll see Dutch auctions in most categories, but collectibles tend to be an exception.
What makes buyers bid high amounts on collectibles is the perceived rarity of the
item. If bidders know that the seller has many available, they are less likely to get into
a bidding frenzy over it.
Private Auction
A private auction hides the bidders’ User IDs from everyone but the seller. If the bidding reaches $200 on any auction, the bidders’ IDs are then hidden for the rest of
the auction. Each bidder is assigned a number (Bidder 1, Bidder 2, etc.) based on the
order they placed their first bid. Only the seller can see the actual User IDs. This is
a new security feature to help prevent fake Second Chance Offer e-mails being sent
89
to nonwinning bidders. If the auction is listed as a private auction, then the bidders’
User IDs are hidden right from the first bid (even if it is only $1.00).
Private auctions are often used for high-priced antiques, celebrity charity auctions,
“mature audience” items, etc.
Restricted Access
Restricted access is for items that may not be sold to minors. There are mature audience categories on eBay that you must have a credit card on file with eBay proving
you are over 18 to access. This is another reason for not letting your teenagers know
your eBay password, because eBay requires you to sign in again before going to those
categories (even if you have checked the keep me signed in for 24 hours box).
Live Auctions
Ever wondered what it is like to bid against others at Sotheby’s or other major auction houses? Well, Live Auctions gives you that chance. This is another part of eBay
where you can browse upcoming auctions, place absentee bids, or even watch and bid
on the auction as it is going on at the auction house.
You’ll be bidding against other Internet buyers as well as buyers on the floor at the
auction. You must review and agree to the terms of each individual auction before you
are allowed to place a bid, and these are usually high-priced items. But if nothing else,
it’s fun to watch. The link to Live Auctions is www.ebayliveauctions.com.
What If I Can’t Find An Item?
Occasionally you will find that few or even no items show up in your search. EBay
will show you alternative uses of your keywords excluding one or more and how many
results each option would give you (see Figure 5.13).
Figure 5.13
Save this search
Post to
Want It Now
Sometimes you are being just
a little too specific with search
terms, and removing one or
two keywords will help you
find the item you want.
90
Try the keyword change suggestions eBay offers. If you still don’t find what you’re
looking for, try alternative words for your item and check your spelling. If you still
can’t find what you want, consider saving the search to your favorites, which can be
done straight from this page using the link in the center, or from My eBay (see Chapter 4). You might also consider posting to Want It Now. In Chapter 4, we explained
how to do this. You can link to Want It Now from My eBay or from the link on this
results page (see Figure 5.13).
u Use Matching Categories, Finder boxes, Search Options, and multiple search
keywords to narrow down your results to what you really want to see.
u Use the search engine function symbols to make your search results more
relevant.
u Use Buy It Now if you want an instant purchase.
u Try misspellings and alternative spellings to find hidden bargains.
u Switch to the Picture Gallery view when you want to browse by picture instead
of by title.
2
Part
Buying on eBay
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of buying on eBay. In this part, you will learn how to research the items you
have found and the sellers who list them. You’ll learn advanced buying
techniques, including when and how much to bid, to help you get the best
items at the best prices. We’ll also teach you how to spot fakes and protect
yourself against seller fraud.
Mistakes happen, so we’ll explain how to fix them when they do. Don’t
worry, you’re not the first person to worry about accidentally adding an
extra zero to your bid. We’ll also show you what to do once you’ve won an
item, how to handle any issues with sellers that may arise, and how eBay’s
recently launched Feedback 2.0 system works.
6
Chapter
The Buyer’s View from 5,000 Feet
In This Chapter
u Eight easy steps to buying an item on eBay
u What if you make a mistake in your bid?
u How to read the auction listing page
u Following the buyers’ rules
u Reporting listing violations and items not received
Your knowledge and understanding of eBay has been growing in leaps and
bounds, and now you’re very close to placing your first bid. But there are a
few rules to follow and tips for fixing mistakes to learn before you take this
step, and we’re going to cover them here.
How to Place a Bid (the Abridged Version)
It is very easy to place a bid—it has to be or eBay wouldn’t be as popular as
it is. The basic process goes like this:
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1. Find your item.
2. Click Place Bid at the top of the page.
3. Enter your maximum bid in the box on the next page and click Continue.
4. Review your bid amount, and click Confirm Bid.
5. If you are the highest bidder, watch the item to see if you win it.
Tips
You can place your bid directly
from the auction listing page
(at the bottom) rather than clicking Place Bid at the top. It does
exactly the same thing, so just use
whichever option you prefer.
6.If you are immediately outbid, or are outbid
before the end of the auction, decide if you want
to bid again and if so, repeat steps 2 through 5.
7.If you win the auction, follow the seller’s instructions for payment (usually eBay Checkout, which
displays a big Pay Now button on the closed auction page that only the highest bidder will see).
8. Wait for your item to be delivered.
If you’re using the Buy It Now option, you simply click the Buy It Now button, confirm that you want to make the purchase, then pay the seller and wait for the item to
arrive.
What If I Accidentally Bid $100 When I Meant $10?
After you enter your bid and click Continue, you are required to review and confirm
the bid amount. Therefore, so long as you actually read the summary before you hit
Confirm Bid, there’s no chance of you making a mistake in your bid. But since everyone’s human and we don’t always read the fine print, if you do make a bidding error,
there are things you can do to fix it.
Typos (i.e., adding a zero, or similar) are not a big deal. It is in fact the most common
reason for a bid retraction. You will feel a bit foolish, but no harm is done. If you do
retract a bid because of a typo, such as bidding $100 instead of $10, you must immediately place the correct bid after the retraction is completed. If you don’t, you are in
violation of eBay’s bid-retraction policy.
Chapter 6: The Buyer’s View from 5,000 Feet
95
When Can I Retract a Bid?
We’ve talked about incorrect bid amounts, but there are two other instances when it
is also okay to retract a bid:
1. If the seller makes changes to the description that significantly alters the item
you are bidding on (he said the product had a USB connection cable, but then
later adds to the auction that it is in fact FireWire, which you can’t use).
2. You cannot reach the seller (this means you’ve tried his phone number and the
number is a nonworking number, and the e-mails you sent are returned as
undeliverable).
It is not okay to retract a bid if …
u You later decided that you didn’t want to bid that much.
u It was an impulse decision and you decide you actually don’t want the item.
u You read the description again and realize it isn’t what you wanted. (You can
contact the seller, tell her that you misread the description, and ask if she will
cancel your bid, but she is not obligated to do so.)
u You decide you can’t really afford the item.
u You bid on multiple items of the same thing (from different sellers) and don’t
actually want them all.
Really, this is just common sense. Often sellers will work with you if you accidentally
bid on the wrong item or something like that. Frankly, sellers hope the high bidder
actually wants the item so they will pay and leave positive feedback!
There are more specifics about the timing of the bid and when the retraction is
allowed, which I will go through in Chapter 8.
The Auction Listing Page
It really goes without saying that understanding the auction listing page is paramount
to your success on eBay as a buyer, seller, or both. Figure 6.1 shows a typical auction
listing page.
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Place Bid
Figure 6.1
A Buy It Now auction page
will look identical, but the
Place Bid button at the top
will be replaced with one that
says Buy It Now.
History
Watch this item
Meet the seller
The table that follows is a brief rundown of what you will find on the auction listing
page:
The Auction Listing Page
Meet the sellerA box that shows a snapshot of information about the seller. It
includes his or her User ID, feedback, eBay registration date
(and country), a link to Ask seller a question, Add to Favorite
Sellers, and View seller’s other items.
Auction informationThe critical basic information about the auction. It is displayed
at the top center and includes Current bid (and an option to
Place Bid), the End time, the first listed shipping cost (calculated to your zip code if you’re signed in), the countries the
seller ships to, the Item location, a link to the bid History
which shows you who has placed bids so far, the User ID and
feedback number for the High bidder, and a button to Watch
This Item. If the bidding reaches $200, the bidders’ User IDs
are hidden and a number is assigned to each bidder.
DescriptionThis will look different depending on which seller listed the
item. Most PowerSellers have their own custom templates
that they use. But universally you should see an item description, accepted payment methods, shipping options and costs,
return policy (if the seller has one), and at least one picture of
97
the item (this may also show at the top left of the page if the
seller put the picture into the Gallery). Sometimes you will
see a slideshow of the seller’s other items at the bottom of the
listing right above the Take action on this item section.
eBay Rules for Buyers
It would be nice if we lived in a world where there was no crime and everyone always
did the right and honest thing, but it just isn’t that way. EBay is no different, so there
are some strict rules for both buyers and sellers designed to help protect all eBay
users. We’re only going to cover the buying rules here, but you can read the seller
rules in Chapter 11 if you’re interested.
It seems like a lot, but most of it is common sense. EBay has been around for over a
decade and these rules evolved as they were needed.
Bidding Violations
Violation
Explanation
Transaction interferenceE-mailing a user warning him away from an item or seller,
or offering to purchase an item currently listed on eBay
without using the eBay system.
Invalid bid retractionBidding a high amount to discover the current high
bidder’s maximum bid, or the seller’s reserve price, then
retracting the bid and using that information to snipe the
auction at the last minute.
Unpaid items
Not paying for an item you have won.
Unwelcome buying/
Bidding if you do not meet the seller’s requirements (for
bidding example, he doesn’t ship internationally and you live in
Canada), or the seller has cancelled your bid and you bid
again without confirming that you are welcome to do so.
Shill biddingBidding on an item for a friend or colleague to increase
the number of bids showing or to drive the price up. You
may not bid on any item of a family member or employer/
employee, although purchasing using Buy It Now is permitted. You may not bid on any of your own auctions
using another User ID under any circumstances.
Solicitation of an Accepting an offer from a seller to purchase an item offoff-site sale eBay that is currently listed on eBay.
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There are other violations that apply to all eBay users, not just specifically buyers.
General Violations
Violation
Explanation
Feedback extortionThreatening to leave neutral or negative feedback for the
seller (or buyer) if she does not provide a service or product not listed in the original auction.
Malicious feedbackBidding on an item with the intent to leave negative feedback regardless of how the transaction actually works out.
False or missing Not keeping your contact information current (including
contact information your telephone number).
Invalid e-mail address Not updating your e-mail address if you change it.
Publishing contact Publishing any contact information of another eBay user
information (name, e-mail address, phone number, physical address, etc.)
in any public area of eBay (auction listing page, discussion
board, blog, etc.)
Spamming eBay usersE-mails sent without the permission of the receiving eBay
user discussing buying or selling of goods.
Use of racist, obscene, This is fairly self-explanatory. If you wouldn’t be happy
or harassing languagewith your mother or boss seeing what you wrote, don’t
write it. You should always treat everyone else with the
respect you would like to receive (even if they don’t
reciprocate).
If you want to see all of the regulations, go to http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/
index.html or click on the Help tab and then click Rules and Policies.
How to Report a Violation
There are two types of violations you can report—seller violations (an item was not
received, the item received is significantly different from what was described in the
auction, a listing violates an eBay rule, etc.) and general violations (spamming, feedback extortion, missing contact information, etc.).
To report an item not received or not as described, you use the Dispute Console in
My eBay. To report an auction that is in violation of eBay’s terms and conditions, you
use the Report This Item link on the auction page. We’re going to discuss both here.
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Dispute Console
Reporting a seller through the dispute console is not your first step when there is a
problem. You should always contact your seller and try to work it out with him first.
But if the seller is not cooperating or not responding to your e-mails, you should
open a dispute with eBay.
The Dispute Console (see Figure 6.2) shows all activity from the last 90 days. If a
seller opens an Unpaid Item dispute against you, you will see the item, the seller’s
name, and the item number in the section marked Unpaid Items. On the far right of
the item line, you will see the status so you can see if there is anything you still need
to do about it.
Items Not Received or
Not as Described
Report an Item Not Received
or Item Not as Described
Figure 6.2
Go to My eBay and click the
Dispute Console link on the
side bar to access this page.
Unpaid Items disputes
The default is to show you any Unpaid Items disputes that have been filed against
you. In this center section, you can see the transaction information and what you
need to do about it. In our example, the dispute was closed, with no action brought
against the buyer. I just want to add that this was an item of Skip’s I bid on and he
filed for the dispute so it would show up here for the example (we wouldn’t be showing any actual disputes with buyers or sellers that are ongoing).
To see any disputes you have reported for Item Not Received or Not As Described,
click the corresponding link in the top left box (see Figure 6.2) and any disputes will
display in the center section where the Unpaid Items are displayed in Figure 6.2.
The process to open a dispute is fairly easy, but you must wait 10 days after the auction ends to allow for shipping delays. The maximum time you can wait is 60 days.
Follow these steps to open a dispute:
100 Part 2: Buying on eBay
1. Click on Report an Item Not Received or Not As Described.
2. Enter the item number for that transaction (you can find it in the Items I’ve Won
section of My eBay) and click Continue.
3. If you paid by PayPal, you will now be prompted to go to PayPal and file a
Buyer Claim. This means PayPal will investigate your claim and debit the
amount from the seller’s account if the seller can’t prove you received the item
or if PayPal agrees that the item is not as described in the auction listing.
4. If you did not pay by PayPal you will be sent to the Open A Dispute page. Here
you can select the type of dispute, the payment method, and the payment date.
5. You will be asked to review and submit the dispute on the following page.
EBay no longer offers monetary compensation to buyers who paid using any payment
method other than PayPal. I know, that’s forcing many people to use their payment
service, but over three fourths of buyers preferred PayPal before this change, and it
does make sense from a risk assessment point of view.
So the dispute process is really more of an “open communication” with the seller. It
alerts eBay that there is an issue, and it lets the seller know you are serious about the
problem.
But remember, this is a last resort. You should make every effort to work with the
seller directly first. If you don’t tell the seller, she can’t fix the problem. If her first
knowledge of a problem is a negative feedback or a dispute filed with eBay or PayPal,
she will not be exactly inclined to help you.
If you always assume the seller did not realize whatever caused the problem (she accidentally shipped the wrong item, she didn’t see the flaw in the item, etc.), you give
her the opportunity to be politely apologetic and fix it for you. If you go in threatening, making accusations, and being rude, you will get the bare minimum service she
is required to give you.
Report This Item
If the item is in violation, you can report it directly from the listing page. Scroll to
the bottom of the page and click Report this item in the Other options section (see
Figure 6.3).
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Figure 6.3
Reporting a listing violation
from the auction page.
Report this item
You’re not a snitch for reporting listing violations. Think of it this way: some buyers
don’t know as much as you do and might not see the excessive shipping, or other
violation. They think they’re getting a great deal. Reporting these types of listing
violations keeps eBay as safe as possible for other buyers.
It is very easy to report listing violations. These instructions specifically show how to
report excessive shipping costs, but you can see the other options:
1. After you click the Report this item link (see Figure 6.3), you will be sent to the
Contact Us – Listing Violations page.
2. In the first box in Figure 6.4, click Listing policy violations (improper keywords, outside links, excessive shipping, etc.).
3. In the second box, select Excessive shipping and handling.
4. In the final box, select Excessive shipping and handling. (It is the only option in
this box.)
5. Click Continue.
6. On the next page you can confirm that the listing you are reporting really is
violating the terms by clicking on the link to see the full policy. EBay changes
the link (and title) to match the violation you are reporting. In the case of excessive shipping, the link is Circumventing Fees.
7. Once you have read the rules and made sure you were right about the listing
violation, click your browser back button to return to the previous page.
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8. Click Email Us under the Contact Customer Support heading.
9. The next page shows a pre-filled message from you to eBay with the violation
type and auction item number already in it. All you need to do is click Send.
Figure 6.4
Excessive shipping is just one
of the listing violations you
can report here.
EBay will send you a follow-up e-mail through My Messages thanking you for reporting
the item. However, eBay will not tell you what, if anything, it did about the problem.
u You can retract a bid if you make a mistake in the bid amount, but you must
then rebid the correct amount immediately.
u EBay rules are there to protect both buyers and sellers. If you follow them, you
will have a much better eBay experience.
u There is a wealth of information on the auction listing page about the seller, the
item, and the terms and conditions of the sale. Make sure you read all of it thoroughly before you place a bid.
u Reporting sellers who violate the rules is important to keep eBay a safe environment for other buyers.
7
Chapter
Homework First
In This Chapter
u Using eBay tools to find the best deal
u Comparing items that aren’t quite the same
u Avoiding being overcharged for shipping
u Putting the seller under a microscope
u How to find an eBay member
You’ve found an interesting item, so you’re ready to place your first bid,
right? Wait! There’s an old Irish proverb that cautions “You don’t test the
depth of a river with both feet.” That certainly holds true here.
Before you start, you need to ask yourself a few questions:
u Is this item really what I want?
u Is it the best of its kind available online or locally?
u What total price (i.e., including shipping) am I prepared to pay for it?
u Who am I dealing with?
Most disputes between buyers and sellers stem from misunderstandings.
Perhaps the item description was unclear, or maybe the buyer simply didn’t
read it correctly.
Never assume anything; be extra careful to read everything about the item, the shipping costs, and the seller’s terms and conditions. If it looks too good to be true, it
probably is.
If in doubt, e-mail the seller and ask. This is the only way you will get a definitive
answer. “I assumed it was …” is not a valid reason to complain to eBay if you didn’t
get what you actually wanted.
How Much Is Too Much?
I’m going to digress a little bit here, but bear with me; it’s an important step for
deciding if this item is really right for you.
Did You Know?
You’ll sometimes hear Completed
Listings referred to as Completed
Items, but it is the same thing.
EBay changed the name a few
years back and us old eBay
users sometimes get stuck in our
ways using the old terms.
We talked about Completed Listings briefly in
Chapter 5. It’s very important to use this option
when deciding how much you are willing to pay.
There is no point bidding if most items are selling
for $50 above what you can afford, or if you can find
the item cheaper locally.
After you perform the active listings search, check
Completed Listings in the Search Options box (on
the left sidebar), then click Show Items.
The Completed Listings page only shows items matching your original search terms
that have ended in the last two weeks. If the price is in green and bold, then the item
sold for that price. If it is in red, it did not sell.
You are only interested in items that actually sold, so only look at the ones with green
prices. You’re also looking for an average total price, so make sure you add the shipping costs to the selling prices to see what buyers are actually paying. Ignore prices
that are wildly high or low because they will skew your average.
It’s usually quite easy to spot the average, but I like to jot down the approximate total
prices just so I don’t have to use my brain so much. Figure 7.1 shows the Completed
Listings page for a white 2GB iPod Nano.
Just looking at the first page I can see that the average selling price is around $95 to
$120 including shipping. So I know I won’t get it for under $80, but equally I know
that $140 is far too much.
Chapter 7: Homework First
105
View active items for sale
Figure 7.1
To return to the active listings search results page just
click the View Active Items
for sale link on the top right
of the page.
This information is invaluable when you actually get into the bidding process. You
are less likely to get “auction fever” and overbid if you know you can stop and bid on
a different one and get it for less.
But wait. Completed Listings only tells you what items are selling for on eBay. You
should always check local prices in case there are sales, or other major online retailers
are offering specials. This particular model of iPod retails for $149 direct from the
manufacturer (Apple) with free shipping, but when you add sales tax (I’m using Florida’s
7.5 percent here) the cost becomes $160.18. If you bought from eBay, you are only
charged sales tax on your purchase if the seller is in the same state as you, so you need
to be aware of that, too.
Now you know not to bid one dollar over the $160 retail cost for the iPod unless it
comes with extra accessories you want and would pay extra for anyway.
It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of an auction. Make sure you know
how much you are prepared to pay for an item (including shipping) before you start
bidding, and stick to it. It may be difficult at the end of the auction seeing yourself
get outbid by 50 cents, but you don’t know what the other bidder’s final bid was. It
could have been 50 cents higher or it could have been $20 higher.
At the end of the day, I can’t tell you how much is too much. That is a decision you
have to make. Do the research—check the retail cost locally and the average total
cost in the Completed Listings and then decide how much this item is worth to you.
But please always decide on your maximum before you ever place your first bid.
Shark in the Water
Often buyers pay too much because they get into a bidding war. The last few hours,
or even minutes, of an auction are when the most bids are placed because the listing is near the top of the first search results page. When two or more bidders go head-tohead, the price can easily skyrocket out of proportion. This is one of the things that makes
eBay fun and exciting, but you should be careful you don’t get too caught up in it.
Comparing Items
I used to keep multiple browser windows open when I wanted to compare items. I felt
like a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth between auction pages. I don’t have to
do that anymore, thanks to eBay’s Compare feature on the search results page (see
Figure 7.2).
Remove All
Sort by
Show All Items
Watch All
Remove Item
Watch this Item
Figure 7.2
Comparing items shows a side-by-side snapshot of details from multiple listing.
You can choose whether you want to compare a lot of items to narrow them down
quickly before really looking at them, or compare a few auctions you are already
107
looking into and want to make the final decision before bidding. Either way, it only
takes two simple steps:
1. On the search results page, check the box next to the listing title for the auctions
that you are interested in comparing.
2. Click Compare at the top left of the search results (above the auction check
boxes).
If you are trying to decide between items that require different keyword searches,
you can check the Compare boxes for items from one search results page, perform
another search, and check the Compare boxes for items on that second search page
too. When you click the Compare button, all of the items from both searches will be
displayed for side-by-side comparison.
The default comparison page compares up to four items per page side by side. The
auction specifics include the following:
u Item (auction title and gallery picture)
u Time left
u Number of bids
u Seller’s username and feedback rating
u Current price (or Buy It Now price)
u Shipping cost to your zip code
u Ships From country
u Payment methods accepted
u Return policy details
u Item condition (new, used, etc.)
If you’re impatient (like me) and don’t want to view multiple pages when comparing
more than four items, you can click the show all items link at the bottom right of the
page to display all of the items you want to compare and just scroll sideways to see
the other items.
You can change the order of the items by using the Sort by drop-down menu as
shown in Figure 7.2.
Your options are:
u Order Selected: recent first
u Price: highest first
u Order Selected: oldest first
u Seller: A-Z
u Time: ending soonest
u Seller: Z-A
u Time: newly listed
u Payments: accepts PayPal first
u Price: lowest first
If you decide you are no longer interested in an item, click Remove Item at the top of
that item’s column.
Sorting by seller will show you whether the same seller has multiple items in your
comparison. Often sellers try out different pricing, auction durations, shipping costs,
etc. So you can see which of the seller’s auctions have the best prices, and so on, for
you.
If there is only one item you are interested in after looking at the comparisons, you
can bid or Buy It Now right from that page. Alternatively, if you’re not sure you want
to bid right away, you can click Watch this item and track the auction in My eBay.
If you have narrowed it down to more than one item, you can click the Watch All
button on the top left of the page (see Figure 7.2). This will add all of the remaining
items being compared to your Items I’m Watching list, which can be viewed at any
time in My eBay.
You can also add auctions to your Items I’m Watching list from the individual auction’s
listing page.
If you decide you are not interested in any of the items, click the Remove All button.
You will be taken to a new page to select where you want to go now. To go back to
the list of items you were selecting from, click Recently viewed list of items. Your
other options are My eBay or Item I last looked at.
What About Shipping Costs?
You can end up paying more than the local retail cost because of high shipping.
Heavy items are more expensive to ship, but you should always watch out for sellers
using shipping as a profit center. Every once in a while you will see auctions listed
Chapter 7: Homework First 109
for a penny or a dollar for something far more valuable. When you look at the shipping costs, you see that the seller charges $20 or $30 over the actual shipping cost to
recoup what they lost on the actual auction price.
This may sound redundant because they end up with the same amount of money, but
it’s all to do with eBay fees.
EBay doesn’t charge selling fees on the shipping cost, only on the purchase price. So
let’s say you purchased an item for $1 and paid $30 in shipping. You sent the seller
$31, but he only paid the selling fees on $1. The remaining $30 is pure profit for him.
This is a type of fee avoidance and eBay is cracking down on it. But these sellers can
be sneaky.
I recently saw a one-day auction for $150 worth of baby formula coupons (a surprisingly hot item on eBay) with a Buy It Now price of $1.50. I looked at the auction
because I knew there had to be a catch, and there was. The shipping cost was $75.
I don’t really want to get into how much it costs to sell on eBay (we’ll cover that in
Chapter 12), but I want to give you an idea of the impact of this fee avoidance. The
seller should have paid $2.95 for his final value fee (selling fee). He actually paid 8
cents. That’s an additional $2.87 he can use for listing upgrades, or just profit that
other sellers, who are honest and follow the rules, don’t have.
When a seller uses a one-day Buy It Now auction and overcharges on the shipping
cost, he is pretty much assured that eBay will not catch the listing violation until the
auction has already ended.
I have seen auctions that say “Shipping cost will
be calculated at the end of the auction.” If it’s
an item I really want, I will e-mail the seller
with my zip code and ask for a shipping quote
up front. If they won’t give one to me, I don’t
bid on that item because they could charge me
$1 or $100 for shipping and still be adhering
to the terms and conditions of the auction. A
tip-off to these sellers is usually a low feedback
rating because buyers tend to be unhappy when
this happens to them.
To work out approximately what it will cost the
seller to ship the item to you, follow these steps:
Did You Know?
Excessive shipping is fee avoidance. In Chapter 6, I showed
you how to report listing violations like this one. Reporting these
listings helps maintain eBay as
a safe trading environment for
everyone. If your sister was looking at this auction, you’d warn
her about the shipping gouging,
so why not other members of the
eBay community?
110
1. Estimate the approximate weight for items you are planning to buy (sometimes
you can look it up online if it is a popular item).
2. Go to the website of whichever shipping service the seller is using (USPS.com.
UPS.com, FEDEX.com, etc.).
3. Look up the shipping from their location to yours using the delivery time they
specified.
It’s very approximate, but it will give you an indication of about what the shipping
cost should be.
At the bottom of the auction page you can see the shipping services the seller offers
and the corresponding costs. Sometimes they are flat-rate costs to all buyers in that
country, other times they are calculated based on your zip code. If you are already
signed in to eBay, your zip code will be filled in for you. If not, you can enter it in the
box provided (see Figure 7.3).
Figure 7.3
Sellers often offer different
shipping services for buyers to
choose from. Always check the
shipping and handling section
for the costs because the price
that displays at the top of the
page is not always the cheapest option.
Select your country
from the menu
Enter your zip or
postal code
shipping service
shipping cost
Meet the Seller
The wonderful thing about eBay, and one of the secrets of its success, is that potential
buyers can hear from previous buyers about their transaction with a particular seller
before they place a bid. Where else can you find comments from previous buyers
(good and bad) that the seller cannot simply remove?
On the auction listing page you will see a Meet the Seller section on the top right of
the listing (see Figure 7.4).
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Figure 7.4
Ask seller a question
Some sellers have more
information here than others.
For instance, this seller runs
an eBay store and is also a
top reviewer.
What Do Icons After Usernames Mean?
The first thing you’ll notice is the seller’s username and a bunch of icons following it.
This is a quick at-a-glance reference of facts about the seller.
This is the number of feedback comments left by
unique users who have bought from or sold to this
user.
Feedback Star
Most sellers have a colored star after the Feedback
Score inside the parentheses. This means they have
a Feedback Score of 10 or more. The color changes
based on the Feedback Score.
Shooting Star
Some sellers have a shooting star instead of a single
colored star. This means their Feedback Score is over
10,000.
About Me page This shows that the user has created an About Me
page where other eBay users can read more about the
person and the business, and link through to their
off-eBay website if they have one.
ID Verified
The ID Verify process is optional, and costs the eBay
user $5. A third-party company verifies the seller’s
address and information only that person would
know. If you see the ID Verified logo, it means that
the seller has completed the process and his identity
and address have been confirmed correct.
Changed User ID If a seller has changed his username in the past 30
days, this icon will show after his name.
Feedback Score
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New Member
PowerSeller
eBay Store
Reviewer
Top Reviewer
When you first register on eBay, you will have the
New Member icon after your username for the next 30
days. It will disappear automatically after that. If you
intend to sell as well as buy, I recommend waiting until
after the first 30 days to offer your first item because
many buyers are more wary of very new sellers.
When a seller becomes a PowerSeller she gets this
icon after her username. PowerSellers must sell $1,000
or more every month to remain a PowerSeller. There
are different levels of PowerSeller based on amount
of sales per month (bronze, silver, gold, platinum,
titanium) but the icon after the username is the same
for all of them. A seller must have $1,000 of sales for
three consecutive months and maintain a 98% positive
feedback rating before she can become a PowerSeller.
This shows that the seller manages an eBay Store and
provides an active link to that store.
If a user writes a review or guide about a product, or
in fact anything about eBay, he can get a pencil and
paper icon after his username once 100 people have
read the article and voted that they found it helpful.
Once the seller’s review or guide is in the top 10,000
most helpful reviews (as voted by readers), the pencil
and paper icon will show Top XX reviewer after it.
The XX would be how popular the review is. It’s not
an exact number, but a region such as top 25; top 100;
top 5,000; etc.
All About Feedback
Feedback is eBay’s system of checks and balances that keeps everyone playing nice. It
displays the track record of every eBay user. If you see a seller with a high Feedback
Score and a high positive percentage, you can be fairly assured that this seller isn’t
going to scam you, and you will get the item you paid for.
Below the seller’s information is a feedback percentage. This tells you what percentage of all of the feedback comments a user received were positive. When I am buying
on eBay I look for sellers with 97 percent positive or higher. If it is lower than that, I
read the feedback comments using the link below the percentage and take a close look
at both positive and negative comments.
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Feedback is calculated as a numerical score and as a percentage. It combines feedback from both buyers and sellers. Only one comment per unique user is counted in this
number (so if a buyer purchases five items from the same seller and leaves five feedback
comments, they still only count as one comment in the Feedback Score). Every positive
feedback comment increases the score by one. Every negative feedback reduces it by
one. If the user received a neutral feedback comment, the Feedback Score does not
change up or down.
Also below the feedback percentage is the date the user joined eBay. I always look at
this when I am interested in purchasing an expensive item (over $100). I like the seller
to have been on eBay for a little while if I’m paying over $100. I don’t mind so much
if they haven’t sold much, but if they have been an eBay user for a while and have
bought items I am more comfortable buying from them than if they are a brand-new
eBay user.
If a seller is very new, I always make a point to click Read Feedback Comments and
look at the seller’s Feedback Profile.
Rather than get off on a tangent about Feedback here, I am going to continue talking
about the Meet The Seller information, but I will continue my discussion about Feedback and eBay’s recently launched Feedback 2.0 system later in this chapter.
Asking Questions
Clicking on Ask Seller A Question (see Figure 7.4) will take you to a new message
in My Messages (see Figure 7.5). Select the title of the e-mail (what your question is
about) from the drop-down menu. You then have 1,000 characters (including spaces)
to ask your question.
If you want to hide your e-mail address from the seller, you can check the box marked
Hide my email address from <seller’s User ID>. By checking this box, the seller can
only reply to you through My Messages. They can’t see your e‑mail address, so you
don’t have to worry about future spam.
As a seller I prefer to see the buyer’s e‑mail address. Not only is it easier for me to
respond, but if it is hidden I get the impression the buyer isn’t trusting and may be
difficult to deal with.
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Item Specifics
Select a question type
Hide my email address
checkbox
Figure 7.5
The page sometimes shows Item Specifics, or a list of Frequently Asked Questions. It’s up to the seller to
choose what, if anything, they want to display at the top of this page. Often you will just see the message box.
We talked about adding a seller to your Favorite Sellers list from My eBay in Chapter 4. If you want to do it from the auction listing page, click Add to Favorite Sellers,
add a note on the next page if you want, and click Save. Voilà! The seller is added to
your Favorite Sellers list.
It’s All “About Me”
The About Me page is exactly what the title says. It’s a page the user creates to tell
other people about him or her. It can cover anything—their business, their family,
what he or she sells on eBay, hobbies, interests, pets, or whatever.
Shark in the Water
If you do set up an About
Me page, never list personal information like your last
name or your home address,
because anyone on the Internet
can see it.
About Me pages are primarily used by sellers, but
as a buyer you can set one up for yourself if you
want. Scroll to the bottom of another user’s About
Me page and click on the link To Create Your Own
About Me Page, Click Here, or go directly to http://
cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?AboutMeLogin.
Follow the template for adding text and pictures. It’s
quite fun to set up and you can modify it at any time.
My About Me page talks about what I sell, my
books and articles, and a little about my family.
Skip’s talks about his family and his business
and offers a free download for one of his products. The link takes you to a page on his
website to start the download.
115
Did You Know?
The About Me page is the only
place a seller can put a link to
his or her off-eBay website.
Sellers often use freebies like this to take you to their website. Sellers would rather
you purchase from them on their website because then they don’t have to pay any
eBay fees on the transaction. The seller can’t sell an item on their website for less
than on eBay, so you won’t get it any cheaper, but the shipping terms may be better,
and you might find products that the seller doesn’t have listed on eBay.
Overseas Sellers
You can tell what country a seller is registered in by looking at the Member information (see Figure 7.6).
Figure 7.6
The Member information
shows both the country of
residence and the date the
seller registered on eBay.
Item Location
Date seller
registered on eBay
Seller’s country
You need to be a little more careful when buying from overseas because these sellers
are not subject to U.S. laws and can be less scrupulous about shipping times, customs
declarations, fake merchandise, etc. Until you are an established buyer and have a few
transactions under your belt, I suggest limiting yourself to purchasing from sellers
in the United States or Canada. You can restrict the search results using the Search
Options box on the left side bar of the search results page.
Check the box to the left of Worldwide and use the drop-down menu to select North
America (see Figure 7.7), then click Show Items. This will restrict your results to only
show items located in the United States and Canada.
116
Figure 7.7
Setting your search results to
display listings in the U.S.
Only is useful when shipping
time is critical (such as near
to Christmas).
Show Items
This will also help prevent you from accidentally buying an item from a seller who
lives in one country, but sells items located in (and shipped from) a manufacturer in a
different country. You see this mostly in electronic and media (DVD, CD, etc.) categories. Search Options looks at the item location, not the seller location, so you won’t
get caught out like this.
Most international sellers (particularly those from Europe and Australia) are honest.
However, if something goes wrong with an international transaction, it is harder to
track the seller down if they don’t use PayPal. The chances of something going wrong
in transit are higher, too. Breakages, customs, and so on can be a serious headache new
buyers can do without.
Shark in the Water
Never pay for an item through Western Union. This service is great if you’re sending money to family or friends but it is not secure enough for an auction payment.
EBay has actually banned Western Union, MoneyGram, and similar services as authorized payment methods on their site.
Usually, I only bid on international items if the seller accepts PayPal, although I would
consider using another method if the seller has a really high Feedback Score (over 98
percent positive) and has been on eBay a long time.
117
Don’t exclude international sellers forever. You can find some things overseas that
you just can’t get in the United States or are much cheaper over there.
When you are comfortable with the buying process, you can change the Search
Options to Worldwide. But be extra vigilant about checking international sellers’
feedback comments and the new Detailed Seller Ratings (we’ll talk about those in just
a moment).
Find an eBay Member
There are many reasons why you might need to find another eBay member. A friend
might tell you to check out her items and tell you her User ID; you might have
bought from the seller before and want to look at his other items. Maybe you want to
check a seller’s feedback, or you need to ask her a question after the auction you were
watching has ended. Whatever your reason, this is how you do it:
1. Make a note of the seller’s User ID.
2. Click on the Community tab on the eBay homepage.
3. In the top left box marked Enter A User ID, type the seller’s User ID.
4. Click Find A Member.
This will show you the closest match to the User ID you typed (see Figure 7.8).
Figure 7.8
Link directly to the Seller’s
Items, eBay Store (if he has
one), or About Me page; or
click on the User ID to go to
the seller’s Feedback Profile.
As you can see, it shows international eBay members as well as U.S. members.
Feedback 2.0
EBay has recently revamped the feedback system. So recently, in fact, that as I am
writing this, it hasn’t been launched on the U.S. site (eBay.com) yet. The screenshots
in this section are from eBay UK (so if you notice any weird spellings, you’re not
118
going crazy!). By the time this book publishes, the U.S. launch should be complete, so
you should see the same features that I am showing you. However, eBay often makes
changes after testing a new feature on international sites, so you may see a feature, or
some wording, that is slightly different on eBay.com.
Figure 7.9
Announcement for eBay’s
new feedback system.
The part of Feedback 2.0 that has been announced, but hasn’t yet come into effect (as
of this writing), is Feedback Recency. This means that only feedback received within
the last two years will count toward the seller’s feedback percentage. The Feedback
Score will still be based on all feedback received, though.
Feedback Recency is a good change because it shows buyers how the seller is doing
business now, not when they were starting out five years ago.
Once Feedback Recency is launched, the feedback percentage will become far more
important than in the past (check the resources page at www.skipmcgrath.com/cig for
updates on when it will start). After that point, if you see a low percentage (below 97
percent) you should be very wary and definitely look at the Feedback Profile (see Figure 7.6). The same is always true if the seller has a low Feedback Score and is selling
an expensive item.
Below the Feedback Score you can see the number of members that left positive feedback and how many left negative feedback. This is used to calculate the Feedback
Score (a positive comment is worth +1, a negative is worth –1, and a neutral is worth 0).
Below that, it also shows the total number of positive comments. Only one comment
per user is counted in the Feedback Score, so by looking at the All positive feedback
number you can see how many repeat buyers the seller has. (For example, if a buyer
leaves five positive comments for five transactions, all five will be counted here,
whereas only one will count toward the Feedback Score.)
Recent Feedback Ratings
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Detailed Seller Ratings
number of positive feedback
number of negative feedback
total number of
positive comments
Ratings mutually withdrawn
Feedback as a seller
Feedback as All Feedback
a buyer
Feedback left for others
Figure 7.10
The user’s entire history of transactions (both buying and selling) is shown here. The User ID of the seller and
the buyers leaving feedback are blurred in this screenshot to protect their privacy.
Recent Feedback Ratings
The Recent Feedback Ratings box (see Figure
7.10) tells you about the user’s recent transactions in the past month, past six months, and
past year. This is a very important piece of
information. Not only does it tell you how
many transactions the seller has been involved
in during these time periods, but it also shows
how many recent transactions were positive,
neutral, or negative.
If there are negatives within the 1 month or
6 months column, go and look at the actual
comment (at the bottom of the page). If not,
don’t worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes,
and honestly, some buyers are impossible to
please!
Did You Know?
Sellers can leave a response to
the buyer’s Feedback comment.
This is often more telling than
the feedback comment itself. If a
seller admits fault, I am more likely
to buy from him than if he blamed
the buyer. I once saw a negative
comment from a buyer just ripping
the seller apart for slow shipping
and sending the wrong item. The
seller’s response was something
like “He’s right, I messed up.
Doesn’t happen often. Refunded
buyer ASAP.” I had no hesitation
buying from this guy.
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Personally, if I see a lot of recent negatives, I look elsewhere for my item unless it was
something I absolutely had to have and no one else was selling it. Even then, I would
make sure the seller was a PayPal-verified seller so I would be covered by PayPal
Buyer Protection.
Tips
S earching through hundreds of pages for the negative comments can take forever.
There is another option, though. http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs is a company with authorized access to eBay’s system that will show you just the neutral and
negative feedback comments for any eBay User ID you enter.
You need to keep this in perspective, though (and this is why eBay does not offer feedback sorting). If a seller has sold 800 items and received eight negatives, you can’t
discount the 792 happy buyers and just look at the eight who were unhappy. Ninety
nine percent of the seller’s buyers were happy with the transaction. That’s more than most
retail stores!
There are four tabs for viewing the actual feedback comments as shown in Figure 7.10:
u Feedback as a seller shows all comments from people who bought an item from
this user.
u Feedback as a buyer shows all comments from people the user bought an item
from.
u All Feedback shows all comments left for this user from both buyers and sellers.
u Feedback left for others shows the feedback comments the user has left for
other people.
Part of Feedback 2.0 was bringing the Feedback as a seller tab to the far left (it used
to default to All Feedback). This is the tab you should be looking at as a buyer.
There are many eBay users who have a high Feedback Score, but got most of it from
buying items on eBay. You need to know how this person is on the other side of the
transaction as a seller. By looking only at the comments listed in the Feedback as a
seller tab, you can exclude all of the transactions where the user was the buyer.
You should also check out the Feedback left for others tab because it can show you
how this seller gives feedback. If he’s trigger-happy on negatives, do you really want
to do business with him?
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This is by far the best addition to Feedback 2.0. When a buyer leaves feedback for a
seller, she is offered the opportunity to rate the seller on each of four criteria:
1. How accurate was the item description?
2. How satisfied were you with the seller’s communication?
3. How quickly did the seller dispatch the item?
4. How reasonable were the shipping and handling charges?
The rating is from one to five stars (halves are available, too). After 10 buyers have rated
a seller, these responses are displayed in the Detailed Seller Ratings box (see Figure 7.11).
date of first rating counted in scores
Figure 7.11
This screenshot shows Shipping and handling as Postage
and packing because that is
what it is called in the UK.
number of buyers who rated
the seller on this criteria
Rating the seller is completely optional and
cannot be linked to any individual buyer,
because eBay delays posting the updated ratings
so it’s not immediately after a buyer posts the
feedback comment. This makes buyers far more
honest because they know the seller can’t tell
who is leaving the rating and therefore can’t
retaliate.
Did You Know?
Detailed Seller Ratings are a
rotating score. They are based on
the responses of buyers from the
last 12 months only. This keeps
the ratings current and relevant.
Looking at the Detailed Seller Ratings is a great way to get a quick snapshot of how
recent buyers rate the seller. For example, we can easily see that the seller in Figure
7.11 is excellent at describing the item accurately, okay with communication and shipping charges, but not so good with the dispatch time.
The numbers to the right of the stars (26 for each item in Figure 7.11) tells you how
many buyers rated the seller on each of the criteria.
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I think Detailed Seller Ratings may still evolve a little, but I think it is the single
most useful change eBay has made in years. It makes sellers strive to be good allaround sellers. Buyers aren’t likely to trawl through all of the feedback comments, but
you can bet they will always look at the Detailed Seller Ratings. If the seller is lacking
in one or other area, the buyers are going to see that and may decide to go elsewhere.
A Caveat About New Sellers
If you see a new eBay user (i.e., the date he registered on eBay was within the last few
months) selling an item you are interested in, it is imperative that you check his Feedback Profile.
Recently, I saw an item I was interested in but the seller had only 17 feedback and had
registered with eBay just three weeks previously. So I had a look at his Feedback Profile and discovered that it was all from transactions where he was the buyer. I looked
at his Completed Listings and saw that he had sold 50 items identical to the one I was
looking at during those three weeks, but none of the buyers had left feedback yet. I
thought that was a little strange, so I looked at the actual auctions he was the buyer
for and saw that they were all e-books for $0.01 Buy
It Now. This is called feedback farming; you should
hear alarm bells if you ever see this.
Feedback farming is where a
I decided not to bid on the auction because of this,
seller offers an item for a ridicuand that was the right decision. Two days later I haplously low price (usually a penny)
pened to check it again and the seller was NARU
as a Buy It Now auction. The
product is an e-book or some(Not A Registered User), which means that either
thing else intangible. What the
he cancelled his own eBay account or (more likely)
person is really selling is positive
eBay kicked him off. Although his buyers will be
feedback to increase both his
able to claim back their money through eBay, PayPal,
and the other user’s feedback
or their credit card company, these processes take
rating quickly without much cost
time. Had the buyers done their homework like I did
to either person.
before placing their bids, they would not be in that
situation now.
One of the neat new features of Feedback 2.0 makes this even easier. The feedback
comments now show what the item was and how much it was bought for (see Figure
7.12). Had Feedback 2.0 been around when I was researching this seller, he would not
have been able to hide the feedback farming.
Sellers often sell the same items over and over, and this makes it easy for a potential
buyer to find feedback from a buyer who has already purchased the item she is considering buying from the seller.
Item purchased
Price paid (excluding shipping)
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View Item
Figure 7.12
The buyers’ User IDs are
blurred to protect their privacy.
The item title and price paid only display for 90 days. This is the same with the View
Item link, which will take you to the ended item page. This is the only place (other
than the Completed Listings page) that you can see the shipping cost for the item.
All in all, Feedback 2.0 rewards the sellers who are honest and working to make their
buyers happy, and makes it easy for potential buyers to spot the sellers who aren’t
doing this.
Buying on eBay Motors
EBay Motors (motors.ebay.com) is the part of eBay dedicated to vehicles, parts, and
accessories. I’m not going to go into great detail because it is such a specific area;
however, if you are looking at buying a vehicle, doing your homework is even more
important. Here are a few tips for buying on eBay Motors:
u Do your research on the seller and make sure they know what they’re doing and
have a good feedback record for this type of item.
u Always get a vehicle report (CarFax or similar).
u Never buy off eBay, even if the person lives in the same town as you. You lose
all of eBay’s fraud protection (which is more extensive for eBay Motors).
u Know how much the item/vehicle retails for and make sure your bid (including
shipping) doesn’t exceed this amount.
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u Get a vehicle inspection. If you can’t check the vehicle out in person, you can
order an inspection from a third-party company and get an online report within
48 hours.
There’s much more to eBay Motors, and you can really get some great deals there.
But you must be extra wary considering the amount of money changing hands. For
more information about eBay Motors, go to www.skipmcgrath.com/cig.
u Read the auction carefully so you know what you’re bidding on.
u Look at the total cost including shipping and compare it to the cost of purchasing the item locally.
u If an item description is incomplete or unclear, or you want to ask for combined
shipping, ask the seller a question.
u Read feedback comments from previous buyers and look at the Detailed Seller
Ratings to see how the seller has performed recently in each area.
u Never pay for a domestic or international auction with a Western Union payment.
8
Chapter
Bidding to Win
In This Chapter
u The best day and time to find the best deals
u How Reserve-Price Auctions can work in your favor
u Placing your bid (the expanded version)
u Placing a bid when you’re nowhere near your computer
u What is eBay Express and why should you use it?
Finally, we’re ready to bid! In this chapter we’re going to look at exactly
what happens when you place your bid, when you will find the best deals,
and, consequently, what days and times to avoid. We’ll also talk about a
technique for winning an auction ending in the middle of the night while
you are tucked up in bed asleep (and your computer doesn’t even have to be
turned on!) We’ll also talk about the new phenomenon that is eBay Express
and when it is and is not worth using.
When and How Much to Bid
You will hear a lot about the best day and time to sell on eBay. It makes
sense that if that is a good time to sell, it is a bad time to buy (because of
the increased competition and higher prices). So my advice is to look at
when the highest prices are paid and avoid them.
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Did You Know?
During the holiday season,
ComScore Networks (who track
online sales) determined that
about 50 percent of online buyers were purchasing from work
(whether it was a work-related
purchase or not).
In years past, Sunday evening was considered the
prime time of eBay buying, but it has morphed
somewhat as the eBay clientele has changed. Now it
really depends on the item you are buying.
If you’re purchasing office equipment or supplies,
midweek during the day is probably a time to avoid
because that’s when all the business professionals
will be on. Lunchtime during the week is also a time
to avoid because many people check eBay on their
lunch break.
As a seller, I have found Monday to be a good day for getting higher prices (because
people who find the auction during the weekend haven’t yet forgotten about it). So
Monday is another day on which to avoid buying.
In my opinion (and there will be people who disagree with me) the best time to buy
is very late at night in the middle of the week. You’ll often find items from overseas
sellers ending at weird times (3 a.m. or so) because they got mixed up with the time
zones. I even see items ending late at night from U.S. sellers.
The least competition for buying is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If it is an item
popular with people in their late teens and early 20s, Friday and Saturday evening
are also slow times (because a lot of people will be out for the evening). So as a savvy
buyer, those are the times you want the auctions you’re watching to end (because
you’re less likely to have bidding competition and will usually get the item for far less
than at peak time).
When you use Completed Listings to find the average selling price, have a look at
when the lower-priced items ended. This will tell you the best time to buy that specific
item.
I Remember When …
When my daughter was very
little, I was up two or three times
a night to feed her. I figured out
that I could feed her while sitting
in my computer chair and surfing on eBay. I got some great
bargains because everyone else
was fast asleep!
Of course, if it is a rare or highly desirable item, it
doesn’t really matter when it ends—it’s going to get
a lot of bidding activity.
In Chapter 7, we discussed how much is too much.
Really, the question has to be, how much is this
item worth to you? Once you determine that (by
using Completed Listings, checking local prices,
and deciding how much you really want it), you will
know what your maximum bid is.
Chapter 8: Bidding to Win
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Reserve-Price Auctions
Reserve-price auctions (also known as RPAs) are auctions on which the seller has set a
hidden minimum price (called a reserve). We mentioned this briefly in Chapter 5, but
let’s expand on it a little.
It is a well-known fact that items with lower
starting prices end up with higher final prices
because they get more interest from buyers.
Also, the eBay listing fee is calculated on a
tiered scale based on the starting price. EBay
charges the seller a fee for using a reserve price,
but it is refunded if the item sells, so often it
is cheaper for the seller to start low and put a
reserve on.
Did You Know?
Sellers who use reserve-price auctions get the benefit of a lower
starting price without worrying that
they might have to sell the item for
much less than they wanted.
Reserve-price auctions can be a double-edged sword because some buyers will not bid
on them. They want to know exactly how high the reserve is and don’t want to waste
their time if it is more than they want to pay. Because of this, some sellers tell you the
reserve price in their auction description, but that’s kind of like diving with sharks
and leaving the cage door open. It really defeats the purpose of having the cage in the
first place.
Some sellers will tell you the reserve price if you ask. This way they are not advertising the reserve to everyone who looks at the auction, but they assume since you asked
you must be interested (and it’s a lot harder to say no to a potential buyer).
One option many sellers with reserve-price auctions use (and you should look out
for) is a Buy It Now price, as well as the starting price. You may not know the exact
reserve price, but you do know that it is no higher than the Buy It Now price.
I expect to see reserve prices on expensive items (electronics, computers, cars,
antiques, etc.), but not on cheaper things unless it is a new seller.
You can easily see whether the auction has an unmet reserve price because you will
see Reserve not met below the price on the listing page (see Figure 8.1).
Once a reserve price has been met, the text disappears so no future bidders know that
there was ever a reserve price to start with.
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Current bid
Reserve not met
PayPal account
required
Buy It Now price
Figure 8.1
This seller has both a Buy It Now price and a Place Bid price. This seller also requires payment to be made via PayPal.
Second Chance Offers for Reserve-Price Auctions
It pays to bid up to your maximum on a reserve-price auction even if it doesn’t reach
the reserve price, because the seller may decide that the closing high bid is actually
high enough for him. In this case, you may receive a Second Chance Offer to purchase the item for the bid you placed.
If you really want the item and you haven’t received a Second Chance Offer within
24 hours, you might try e‑mailing the seller and asking if she plans to relist the item.
Ask if she would consider setting a Buy It Now price
so you could purchase the item immediately, and ask
Shark in the Water
what price she would be looking for.
Do not buy from a seller if
he e‑mails you and offers
You can then decide whether that price is acceptable
to send the item to you directly.
to you or if it is too much. If it’s acceptable, the seller
If there is no corresponding Buy
can put up a Buy It Now auction rather than relistIt Now page, you are not proing the item, and you can buy the item immediately
tected through either eBay or Paywithout having to go through the auction process
Pal if the transaction goes south.
again.
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Placing Your Bid
In Chapter 6, we covered the basic bidding process. Once you have placed and confirmed your bid, you will see one of two versions of the auction page. It will say
either …
u You are the current high bidder (Figure 8.2)
u You have been outbid by another bidder (Figure 8.3).
Figure 8.2
EBay will e‑mail you to let
you know that you are the
high bidder.
Figure 8.3
If you use the eBay Toolbar,
you will get a pop-up message
on your desktop telling you
that you have been outbid in
addition to getting an e‑mail
from eBay.
We talked about tracking items in My eBay in Chapter 4. Keeping track means you
are less likely to be outbid if you are the current high bidder.
If two buyers place the same bid, whichever one came in first gets the high bidder
slot. For example, let’s say the current bid on an auction is $14.50. You place a proxy
bid of $35. The auction displays the next bidding increment ($15) until someone else
bids, at which point you automatically outbid him until he bids higher than your
proxy bid. Two days after you placed your bid, someone else bids $35, the same as
your maximum bid. The current price jumps to $35, but you are still the high bidder
because your bid was placed two days before the other bidder’s. (If he had bid $35.01,
though, you would have been outbid.)
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Spotting an International Seller
In Chapter 7, we talked about why it is safer to start off buying from sellers in the
United States and Canada while you are a new eBay buyer, and I showed you how to
limit your search results to show only items in those two countries.
But there are three other ways to spot an international seller if you choose not to
limit the search results:
1. On the search results page, the price will be in italics. (This is the price converted to U.S. dollars from the currency the auction is listed in.)
2. On the auction listing page, the item location will not say a city and state in the
United States. (Be careful, I saw “Fast Shipping to United States” as the Item
Location for an item located in Australia recently.)
3. If a seller is registered in another country, the Meet The Seller box will show
Member since 12-06-06 in China (or whatever country he is registered in).
I Remember When …
There are some items you cannot find in the United States, and for those you will have
to look overseas. I like to buy a very specific tea produced in my hometown in England.
There is an international eBay seller who ships it over to me about once a month. I took
a chance buying from him the first time, but now we have a good relationship and I will
always buy from him when I need items like that from the U.K.
I Need It Now but There Is No Buy It Now Price
If you happen to find a perfect item that you need immediately (i.e., before the auction
ends) and it doesn’t have a Buy It Now price, you can ask the seller if she would be prepared to revise the listing to include a Buy It Now option. EBay allows this when …
u The auction has been listed within the last 24 hours.
u There are no bids on the auction.
If the seller says yes, and you agree to the Buy It Now price, she can revise her listing to add the Buy It Now price and you just treat the auction as if it had always had
that option. Not all sellers will do this, but it’s worth asking. Quite often, professional
sellers are happy to do it because it means they are turning their inventory quicker.
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If there are already bids on the item, you can ask a seller if she would be prepared to
sell the item for your current high bid, but this doesn’t work all that often—usually
only when the seller is expecting to get just one or two bids.
Sniping Techniques
Placing bids early in an auction’s duration drives up the number of bids. You’d think
that auctions with low (or no) bids would be more desirable because there is no bidding competition. However, the opposite is actually true. Items with bids get more
people looking at them, which gets more bids, and so on.
Experienced buyers avoid placing their bids
until near the end of the auction so it looks
like the auction has little or no interest.
Often, they snipe the auction at the last second, placing a high proxy (maximum) bid.
There are two ways to snipe: the first is
manually, and the second is using sniping
software.
Sniping is when a buyer places
her bid within the last few seconds of an auction. By the time
the current high bidder knows
he has been outbid, the auction
has ended and he cannot place
another bid.
To manually snipe an auction you really
should be on a high-speed Internet connection:
1. Open two browser windows and navigate to the auction listing page on both
windows.
2. Now place your maximum bid in one window and click Place Bid so you are at
the Confirm Bid page. Leave this window open, but don’t click the Confirm Bid
button yet.
3. Go to the other window (still showing the auction listing page) and keep clicking Refresh (see Figure 8.4) until there are only maybe 10 seconds to go.
4. Now click over to the other browser window and click Confirm Bid. If your bid
is high enough, you will become the high bidder with only two to three seconds
to go. That’s not enough time for the current high bidder to get another bid in.
If you didn’t get the high bid status … well, you put in your maximum, so obviously the other person was prepared to pay more than you were.
The button in Figure 8.4 says Enter Higher Maximum Bid. This is because the next
bid placed would outbid the buyer. If the high bidder’s maximum bid were higher, this
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button would say Refresh this Page and would do the same thing as the Refresh link
next to the Meet the seller box (see Figure 8.4).
Enter Higher
Maximum Bid
Figure 8.4
Refresh
The Refresh tab only appears for the last few minutes of an auction. Use this feature to make
sure you are still the high bidder.
As you get accustomed to sniping techniques, you can place your bid closer and closer
to the end of the auction. The first time you try sniping, you will want to place the
bid with 20 or 30 seconds to go, as the speed of your Internet connection determines
how long it takes for eBay to register your bid. You don’t want to cut it too close and
not get the bid in before the auction ends.
The adrenaline rush when you snipe an auction is great, but it’s very frustrating to be
on the other side of it.
So if you are the high bidder on an auction that’s about to end, make sure you have
submitted the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the item. There is nothing
worse than being the high bidder with $50.52 and being outbid at the last second by
someone who bid $51.52 when you would happily have paid up to $60.00 for the item.
If you do get sniped at the last second, keep a level head and remember your preset
maximum when you’re looking at other items.
What if the auction ends at 2:30 a.m.? Not many people want to wait up until then to
manually snipe an auction. You have two options:
u Place a proxy bid and see if it was high enough when you get up the next morning.
u Use an online sniping service such as BidSlammer (www.bidslammer.com).
There are many sniping services available now, and they all work approximately the
same way. Most are web-based, so you log in to their website to give the service
authorization to place the bid for you. You then enter the auction number and your
maximum bid and forget about it. Within the last few seconds of the auction, the
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sniping service places the bid. If your bid was high enough, you win the item even if
you are fast asleep or out at the movies. Web-based sniping services even work when
your computer is completely shut down.
Other sniping software programs reside on
your computer so you don’t have to log on
to their website, but your computer must be
switched on at the end of the auction for it
to work. So this isn’t a good solution if you
are traveling or just don’t want to leave your
computer on.
Tips
Using a sniping service is like
having a dedicated person sitting at your computer waiting
for the auction to end while you
are out enjoying yourself.
Both types of sniping service charge a fee, but it is usually quite low. Most of the services offer a free trial, so try before you buy and find one you like before subscribing
to it.
There are so many sniping programs, I don’t want to list them all. Just go to your
favorite search engine (Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc.) and type in “auction sniping software” and the search engine will bring up a bunch of results. I do like BidSlammer,
but that is just my personal preference; you might find a different one you prefer.
What If I Didn’t Mean to Bid?
In Chapter 6, we talked about bid retractions and when they are allowed. To recap,
you can retract your bid under three circumstances:
1. If you bid the wrong amount ($100 when you meant $10).
2. If the seller significantly changed the item description after your bid was placed.
3. If you cannot reach the seller (i.e., their phone number and e‑mail address on
file are invalid).
I’m sure there are a lot of people who are very thankful for the second reason. Think
about it; you bid on a black iPod Nano for your boyfriend’s birthday and then after
you bid, the seller added to the auction that it is actually a pink one. I don’t think
your boyfriend would really appreciate the gift quite as much. You can retract that
bid and find one that is actually black.
Now remember, you cannot retract your bid if you just change your mind about the
item, the price you bid, etc. But you can try e‑mailing the seller and asking if he
would cancel your bid.
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If someone gets into your eBay account (for example, your neighbor’s teenage kids)
and bids on something, you should e‑mail the seller and explain the situation immediately. Most of the time he will cancel the bid for you. But it is your responsibility
to make sure no one else has your eBay password, so it is your own fault if the seller
refuses to cancel your bid. At that point you just have to hope that someone outbids
you. Otherwise, it could become an expensive lesson to learn (and who knows what
you may end up owning!).
I Remember When …
You’d be amazed at some of the reasons buyers have given me to have their bids cancelled: “My cat walked across the keyboard and bid,” “My 2-year-old was playing with
the keyboard while I was in the bathroom,” “I clicked on the wrong item,” etc.
Most of the time these are fake excuses for the buyer having second thoughts about the
item (particularly since it’s hard to accidentally bid when eBay requires you to confirm
every bid).
If you get a slightly testy response from the seller, it is because we have all heard these
excuses and they do get a little old. Still, the majority of sellers will cancel the bid simply
because we’d like a high bidder who actually wants the item (and will give us good
feedback).
If you do need to retract your bid, there are some specific restrictions and results
depending on when you initially placed the bid you are retracting and how close the
auction is to ending.
u If you placed your bid more than 12 hours before the auction ends, you can
cancel it up until the auction only has 12 hours remaining. For example, if the
auction ends at 8:30 p.m., you have until 8:30 a.m. on the same day to retract any
bids made previous to those last 12 hours. All of your previous bids will be cancelled and you will have to bid again if you still want the item.
u You can only retract a bid during the last 12 hours of an auction if the bid you
are retracting was also placed within the last 12 hours of the auction. If this is
the case, you have one hour to retract your bid. It will only affect that one bid,
so all other bids you placed before the final 12-hour mark will still be valid. So
if the auction ends at 8:30 p.m. and you placed your bid at 4:30 p.m., you have
until 5:30 p.m. to retract the bid.
If your bid was placed before the last 12 hours began and you want to retract the bid
within those last 12 hours, you must contact the seller and he must agree to it. If he
does not agree, you cannot retract the bid.
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Yes, I know this looks a bit confusing. The following table spells it out in simpler terms.
When You Can Retract a Bid
Bid Placed
Retraction Allowed
Bids Cancelled
More than 12 hours
from the auction’s
end.
Within the last 12
hours of the
auction.
Until the auction
has only 12 hours
remaining.
Up to one hour from when the bid
was placed.
All bids made on this
auction.
Only that one bid. All
previous bids still
count.
The number of bid retractions you have made in the last six months displays on your
feedback profile, but no one really cares about one or two. Sellers do get worried if
you’re approaching double figures, though, as does eBay. They thoroughly investigate
any buyer who has a high number of bid retractions.
If you need to retract a bid, go to the Bid Retraction Form at http://offer.ebay.com/
ws/eBayISAPI.dll?RetractBidShow. That’s a bit much to type into the browser, so I’ve
used Tiny URL to reduce the size of it. If you just type http://tinyurl.com/y88j3t into
your browser, it will take you to the same place as the long link. You can also navigate
there by clicking on the Help tab. It’s currently the third question in the Top Questions About eBay section, but if it has moved, you can just search Retract Bid.
Buying from eBay Express
In Spring 2006, eBay launched eBay Express (www.ebayexpress.com).
Sellers do not specifically list items on eBay Express; all qualifying items are automatically displayed on both eBay Express and eBay.com. We’ll talk more about how items
(and sellers) qualify in Chapter 18, but these are the main points:
u The seller must have a Feedback Score of 100 or more at 98 percent positive.
u The item must be listed in fixed-price, auction with Buy It Now, or Store Inventory format.
uThe only payment option on eBay Express is PayPal, so this must be an option
in the listing.
u The item must be located in the United States.
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u The listing must include a photograph.
EBay Express is the closest you
can get to buying from a regular
website while also getting the
prices you associate with eBay
purchases. EBay Express is not
an auction. Everything is sold at
a fixed price, but the prices tend
to be pretty good. You will only
find new items and experienced
sellers on eBay Express.
uThe seller must have a PayPal Business or PayPal
Premier account (i.e., they pay fees to PayPal
whenever they receive money).
EBay Express is a really good way to introduce eBay
to someone who is not yet willing to try online auctions.
It feels like you are purchasing from a regular website because you can add multiple items to your shopping cart (from up to five different sellers) and then
pay once (using PayPal). EBay then distributes the
payments to each individual seller. That makes it a lot quicker and easier for buyers
and helps you keep a running total.
EBay Express is a fun site to browse, and it is very intuitive to use. Because fewer
items (and sellers) qualify, there is less clutter. EBay also hides identical listings from
the same seller so you don’t have to scroll past 15 auctions of the same item listed
by the same seller (as you often find on eBay.com). It is really more of an actual selling portal that eliminates all the extra community and educational resources, and in
some cases clutter, that you find on eBay.com.
Figure 8.5
EBay Express is far less cluttered than eBay.com and
looks sleeker, almost like an
individual company’s website.
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I really like the layout and functionality of eBay Express. Figure 8.6 shows the search
results page. I particularly like the box at the top that shows how many items correspond to that search term. In Figure 8.6, you can see that I selected the Sony brand,
Point & Shoot Camera Type, and 3x Optical Zoom options. These are basically the
same options that you would see in the Finder box on eBay.com. You can easily remove
one option by clicking the X box at the top right of the option (see Figure 8.6).
remove selection
Show all items
item specific
choices
Grid View
link
number of items for each option
Figure 8.6
EBay Express defaults to show only new items, but you can change it to show all items (including used and refurbished items).
You can choose between the Grid View, which shows three items across the page
(sort of like the Gallery View on eBay.com), and List View (as shown in Figure 8.6).
You get more information about the items on eBay Express search results pages
because there is more space. All of the information you are used to seeing in the left
side bar on eBay.com is shown at the top of the page on eBay Express.
The only issue I have with eBay Express is I’m not likely to find many really good
deals. The prices are competitive but rarely super low. New sellers don’t qualify
because they won’t have enough feedback yet, and many small sellers don’t meet other
requirements. This means you are dealing with experienced eBay sellers who know
what they’re doing and will rarely underprice an item.
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You will probably pay near the top end for the same item on eBay, but you are also
paying for the ease of the purchase and the knowledge that the seller you are dealing
with is a true professional with decent experience and a good track record.
u Making a mistake in your bid is not the end of the world. Often you can retract
your bid and start again.
u Sniping can get you a high-demand item for a decent price.
u Even if an auction ends with the Reserve Price Not Met, if you are the high
bidder, the seller may offer the item to you for your maximum bid anyway using
Second Chance Offer.
u If you want a buying experience more like a regular website with a shopping
cart, go to eBay Express.
9
Chapter
Once You’ve Won
In This Chapter
u When and how to contact the seller
u How eBay Checkout works
u Leaving feedback and what type to leave
u When it is okay to buy from an eBay seller off eBay
Congratulations, you’ve won your item! But now what? You need to select
a shipping service, figure out how much your total is, pay your seller, and
when you have received your item, leave feedback for the seller.
We’re going to look at the different steps you need to take and some tips
for making it go as smoothly as possible.
Contacting Your Seller
If you had any questions about the item, you should have asked them
before bidding. If you need to ask something now, you can use the Ask
Seller A Question link from the auction page.
You can also go to My eBay and use the drop-down menu next to the item
in Items I’ve Won and select Contact Seller (see Figure 9.1). Either way,
you will be sent to a new message in My Messages to send your e‑mail.
Pay Now
Figure 9.1
Finding the Contact Seller
link in My eBay.
Contact Seller
Requesting an Invoice
Most of the time you won’t need to request an invoice because you will see the big
Pay Now buttons everywhere. It is on the drop-down menu next to the item in My
eBay (see Figure 9.1). It is also on the closed auction page (see Figure 9.2) and in the
e‑mail eBay sends you (see Figure 9.3). Do you ever get the hint that eBay doesn’t
want you to forget to pay?
The closed auction page and text will be a little different depending on whether it
was a Buy It Now auction, regular online auction, or fixed-price multiple-quantity
auction. All of them will have a prominent Pay Now button, though.
Pay Now
Figure 9.2
End of auction page after you
have won the item.
Chapter 9: Once You’ve Won
141
Pay Now
Figure 9.3
E‑mail eBay sends you after
you win an item.
If you don’t see a Pay Now button, or you are unsure about how much the total will
be because of combined shipping, and so on, you can request the total from the seller
using the Request Total link in the drop-down menu in My eBay (see Figure 9.1).
You can send a message to the seller through this form and she will e‑mail you back
the total. Most of the time you can just click on Pay Now and the shipping and item
totals will be completed for you (even if you are purchasing multiple items), so don’t
waste the seller’s time unless she specified that you should e‑mail for a total, or the
totals showing in checkout don’t seem to be correct.
What If I Can’t Reach My Seller?
Unfortunately, this does happen. If you are getting no response to your e‑mails, you
will need to get the seller’s phone number.
1. Make a note of the seller’s User ID and the eBay item number you have
purchased.
2. From the eBay homepage, click Advanced Search (to the right of the search box
at the top of the page).
3. On the left side bar, click Find Contact Information under the Members heading (see Figure 9.4).
4. Enter the seller’s User ID and the item number in the correct boxes and click
Search.
5. Check your e‑mail for a message from eBay with the seller’s full contact information, including their phone number.
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Advanced Search
Figure 9.4
You can only get this information if you are involved in
a transaction with this other
user (and they will be sent
your phone number at the
same time).
Find Contact Information
Tips
Make sure to check your spam
box in case e‑mails from your
seller are not making it through
to your inbox. Services like AOL
and MSN are notorious for this.
Information about international sellers is somewhat
limited, so this is another reason to do all of your
checks about the seller before getting involved in a
transaction with him or her.
If you call the seller and it is a nonworking number,
report it to eBay and try again with the e‑mail. If
you already paid for the item, you can open an Item
Not Received dispute after waiting 10 days.
eBay Checkout
Checking out is very easy. Start by clicking on the Pay Now button in any of the
locations we discussed earlier.
If there are multiple shipping options to choose from, select the one you want. Figure
9.5 shows a flat-rate shipping charge, so you don’t need to do anything more if you
see this.
If you are purchasing multiple items from the same seller, the title of each item would
display at the top and your total would include all items. You also have the ability to
add additional charges or add a discount, depending on what you have worked out
with the seller. Usually this is shipping related. If the item description offered $3 off
the shipping cost if you bought two or more items, you would click Add and then
143
put in the $3 discount. Make sure the total goes down by $3, not up. If you asked the
seller for rush shipping that hadn’t been an option, you could add the difference in the
price to increase the total to include the higher shipping charge.
Add Shipping Insurance
Modify Price with
Discount or Additional
Charges from Seller
Request Total from Seller
Figure 9.5
You can request a total from the seller from this page by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Review Payment Details box.
You can also add shipping insurance here. Some sellers require insurance, in which
case this will just show the amount you will pay; others (as shown in Figure 9.5) list
it as an option. I recommend insurance because then you are protected if something
does go wrong during shipping. But use your common sense; it’s not worth paying
$1.20 for insurance on a $5 item. The hassle involved in filing a claim just isn’t worth
the compensation you would receive.
After you get the total right, you need to select the payment method. Scroll to the
bottom of the page and select the payment method you want to use (all of the options
the seller specified in the auction will be available here).
Paying Using PayPal
Most of your transactions will be with PayPal, so we’ll look at how that works.
Remember you can only get fraud protection through eBay if you pay via PayPal.
Select PayPal in the Select a payment method part of eBay Checkout and click
Continue.
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Review the transaction (including your shipping address), and when you are satisfied
that it is correct click Pay (see Figure 9.6).
Figure 9.6
Review and confirm your
PayPal payment. To change
the funding source for the
payment, click More Funding
Options.
Instructions to Seller
More Funding Options
Pay button
You can add instructions to your seller if you need to here, but I recommend sending
him an e‑mail as well because not all sellers actually read that section.
Tips
When e‑mailing a seller to follow up on an item shipment or check if payment has
been received, make sure to include your full name, eBay User ID, PayPal e‑mail
address, date of purchase, date of payment, and the eBay item number.
I know that sounds like a lot, but if a seller has sold 200 items in the last couple of
weeks, finding your transaction may take a little bit of time. You’ll get a much quicker
response if you give him all of the information to track down your item.
You will receive an e‑mail confirming your payment. Usually your seller will also
acknowledge your payment, but don’t worry if he doesn’t. Quite often you will receive
an e‑mail when the item is shipped. Sometimes this comes straight from PayPal; if
that is the case, it means that the seller has printed the shipping label through PayPal.
It does not mean that the item was shipped that day. But you can pretty much assume
it will be mailed that day or the next.
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If you’re concerned you can always shoot the seller an e‑mail and ask. Most of them
won’t mind.
International Transactions
We’ve talked a lot about the caveats of
international transactions, but if you have
completed one, the process for paying is
pretty much the same as a domestic transaction. You will see the price in the seller’s
local currency and PayPal will make the
currency conversion for you.
International sellers cannot use Delivery
Confirmation unless they ship with an
expensive service such as UPS, FedEx, or
DHL, so don’t be surprised if there is no
tracking number. Shipping always takes
longer from overseas, and the item does
have to go through customs.
Shark in the Water
Never ask an international
seller to put “gift” as the item
type on the customs form or lower
the value amount. You are asking
them to do something illegal and
both you and they could be fined
a lot of money if you are caught.
In years past, U.S. Customs didn’t
check smaller parcels with lower
values, but now Customs is getting more proactive.
It’s important that your seller knows how to deal with Customs; otherwise, your item
could be sitting at a port instead of on your doorstep. I really can’t say this enough—
make sure an international seller you deal with has a good amount of feedback and
has sold to people in your country numerous times already.
Giving and Receiving Feedback
We’ve talked about reading a seller’s feedback, and now you get the opportunity to
leave your own. You should never leave feedback until you receive the item and have
had a chance to look it over. I usually wait until a day or two after I get it to leave
feedback (so I can make sure it works properly and has no defects).
What to Write in Your Feedback Comment
Most of the time you will want to leave positive feedback. When you think about
what to say, think about what you would tell your best friend if she was considering
buying from this seller. “A+ seller,” is an okay comment, but “Fast Shipping, Great
Communication, Will Buy From Again,” is much better. Remember, you are limited
in the number of characters you can use, so be punchy and concise.
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Mention the good things about the transaction. If the shipping was slow but everything else was good, that doesn’t warrant neutral or negative feedback. Either don’t
mention the shipping time or say something like “Good communication, shipping
a little slow, but love the item!” That way you are still giving positives but also preparing another buyer that they may have a wait for delivery. You’re unlikely to get a
negative retaliation from the seller for that comment.
You should certainly give the seller a lower score in the Detailed Seller Ratings for
Dispatch time, though, if the shipping was slow.
Did You Know?
Some sellers won’t leave feedback
until the buyer does because then
the buyer can’t threaten negative
feedback without the possibility
of retaliation. Leaving really nice
feedback comments also helps
you get good feedback in return.
Since we’re talking about negative feedback, let’s
talk about when it is appropriate. If you have tried to
work out a problem with the seller and she is being
uncooperative, she refuses to return your e‑mails or
phone calls, or she is rude or threatening when you
have been very polite throughout to her, then negative feedback is warranted and rather necessary in
my opinion.
Think back to your friend: would you warn her if she
were planning to buy from this seller?
If you do need to leave a negative feedback (and it is very rare), make sure you are
very specific about the problem. “Deadbeat seller” doesn’t tell other buyers anything.
“Item not as described, no response to e‑mails/calls, no refund,” is much more useful
to other buyers.
I can’t stress this enough. Negative feedback should be reserved for when you have
tried everything else and it has failed. Jumping in with a negative feedback if the seller
sent the wrong item makes him less likely to want to help you in a timely manner.
In Chapter 7, we talked about Feedback 2.0 and how the Detailed Seller Ratings work.
I highly recommend you take the time to rate your seller on each of the criteria. In
my opinion, this is even more important than the actual comment.
You should really think about each option before making your selection. Be as honest
as you can. Remember, the seller has no way of knowing it was you. So even if you
decide to omit that the shipping was expensive and slow in your feedback comment,
you should certainly rate the seller accordingly in the Detailed Seller Ratings.
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How to Leave Feedback
You can use the Leave Feedback link in the drop-down menu next to the item in
Items I’ve Won in My eBay, or click on the main Community tab and click on Feedback Forum (the top link).
From the Feedback Forum you can leave feedback, reply to feedback received, follow
up on feedback you have already left for someone else, and find out more about feedback in general.
If you have to leave feedback for more than one person, you should use the Feedback
Forum. This way, after you click Leave Feedback, you will be taken to a page showing all of your recent transactions about which you have not yet left feedback.
If you link through from the item in My eBay, it only displays that one item rather
than all transactions that you haven’t yet left feedback about (see Figure 9.7).
If you display multiple items, you can easily see which transaction is which because of
the item picture and title at the top of the box. But you should always make sure you
have left the correct comment for the correct seller before you click Leave Feedback.
The default is I will leave feedback later so you have to select Positive, Neutral, or
Negative for the comment to post.
select type of feedback
feedback comment
Figure 9.7
Leaving feedback using
eBay’s new Feedback 2.0
options. This screenshot
came from eBay UK, so it
says P&P; you should see
S&H on eBay.com.
Leave Feedback
Select Detailed Seller Ratings
148
To complete the Detailed Seller Ratings, use your mouse to hover over the stars to
select the level you want and click when it is at the right level. The stars become bold
and bright yellow when you select the rating. One left click on the rating will let you
adjust it if you made a mistake.
Remember, you should only rate the seller on criteria that relate to your transaction.
If the product was electronically delivered (an e-book or similar), then you should not
rate the seller on the shipping and handling charges.
Once you have written your comment, selected the type of feedback (positive, negative, or neutral), and rated the seller, click Leave Feedback to post the comment. The
ratings take a while to update (to protect the buyer’s privacy), so you won’t see the
effect of your ratings immediately.
Shark in the Water
It may seem unfair, but when you leave negative feedback for a seller, even if
they have deserved it, they will almost always retaliate by leaving negative feedback for you. This is another reason why it really pays to work things out when there is
a problem. Of course if the seller has already left feedback for you, he or she cannot
change that.
Can Feedback Be Removed?
Once you leave feedback, it cannot be modified or completely removed unless it violates eBay’s feedback policy (i.e., it gives some personal contact information about the
other eBay user, or the other user is indefinitely suspended by eBay within 90 days of
being registered).
You and the seller can go through the Mutual Feedback Withdrawal process to
remove both of your comments, but it only removes the impact that comment had on
your feedback rating. The comments remain in both profiles.
The Mutual Feedback Withdrawal form can be found at http://feedback.ebay.com/
ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MFWRequest or my shortened version: http://tinyurl.com/5ls4n.
If this link changes, you can find the form by going to the Help tab and searching
Mutual Feedback Withdrawal.
EBay will confirm with the seller that he agrees to remove the feedback. The whole
process can sometimes take a week or so. It will say how many ratings have been
withdrawn at the top of your feedback profile, so it’s much better to get it right in the
first place.
Chapter 9: Once You’ve Won 149
Follow Up Feedback Comments
You can follow up on comments you’ve left (you access this from the main Feedback
Forum page). You might have left a comment saying that the shipping was slow only
to get the parcel and see the date the seller took it to the post office was two weeks
ago and it was the post office that was slow, not the seller. In that case, you would put
a follow-up comment stating that the shipping delay was not the seller’s fault and you
can see he shipped it on time.
Follow Up can be used if a seller replies to the feedback comment you made and you
feel like you need to add another comment after that. Be careful not to get into a
name-calling match. It makes both of you look petty and helps no one.
Reply to Feedback Comments
You can also reply to feedback that has been left for you. If you get a comment that
you don’t think is fair, you can respond and have your comment below theirs. Be
careful what you say, because other people are going to read it and make a lot of
assumptions about you based on what you write.
I Remember When …
I saw one seller a few years back (before Mutual Feedback Withdrawal was an option)
with a whole string of negatives within two weeks, but a perfect record before that. All
of the negatives were from buyers saying they had received no communication from the
seller after paying.
The seller was able to add a reply to each of these comments explaining that she had
been evacuated from her home due to Hurricane Charlie and hadn’t had power for two
weeks.
EBay eventually removed those negatives, but having the replies on the Feedback comments helped relieve the concerns of potential buyers until that time.
When Is It Okay to Purchase from an eBay Seller Off eBay?
I’ve said it many times—never purchase from an eBay seller who offers you the item
off eBay for a lower price, quicker delivery, etc. If they do offer to do this, you should
report them to eBay.
150
There is one situation when this is different. If you have already bought something
from the seller, she has now established a business relationship with you, and eBay
cannot control any private buying and selling that takes place between you. Most
large eBay sellers have websites, and it is common practice to direct you to their websites for future purchases. Most sellers would prefer you do that because then they
are not paying eBay fees on your purchases. If they keep sending you e‑mails without
your permission (over and above checking about the item), then you should report it
as spam to eBay.
If I received good service from a seller on eBay I will usually not hesitate to do business with her on her website, but remember you are not eligible for eBay or PayPal
Buyer Protection if the transaction takes place off eBay.
u Check your spam filter and junk mail box if you don’t receive any response from
your seller.
u You can get the seller’s phone number if you can’t reach him by e‑mail.
u EBay Checkout is the easiest way to arrange for payment and pass on shipping
details, but some sellers have their own procedures for you to follow instead.
u Be specific in your feedback comments (both positive and negative), or there is
not much point leaving the comment.
u Feedback comments are permanent and the feedback you leave is just as much
a reflection on you as the feedback you receive.
u Always rate the seller using Detailed Seller Ratings and be completely honest in
your selections.
u It is okay to buy from a seller off eBay once you have already purchased from
her on eBay.
10
Chapter
Avoiding Fraud and Fakes
In This Chapter
u The many types of eBay fraud
u Received the wrong item, or none at all—here’s what to do
u Fraud-protection services and filing procedures
u Non-eBay (third-party) fraud protection
EBay and its payment company PayPal each have aggressive and sophisticated antifraud departments working around the clock to prevent fraudulent
transactions and to catch and stop cyber-criminals. EBay has an in-depth
member education program, too. There are help files, announcements, message boards, and even regular e‑mails from eBay designed to alert members
about fraud and to encourage you to report suspicious auctions or other
activities.
Nevertheless, it is a never-ending battle and some of these Internet barbarians still get past the gate. What this means is that you are the final barrier
between them and your money. I don’t want to frighten you or make you
suspicious about every transaction. After all, a big part of eBay is the fun
factor. But you do need to be alert and take sensible precautions.
152
Common Types of Fraud and How to Avoid Them
Much of the fraud on eBay originates overseas from countries that don’t seem to care
if their citizens are committing crimes outside of their country or can’t find a way to
prosecute them. These people are beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement agencies,
so it can be hard to hold them accountable for their actions.
There are several types of fraud you could run into on eBay. We already talked about
identity theft and account takeover in Chapter 1, but there are other types including
the following:
Tips
To see eBay’s most current
information about preventing
fraud, click on the HELP tab at
the top right of any eBay page.
When the window opens, type
the word Fraud into the search
box and hit Enter. This will bring
up a list of topics related to preventing fraud. Just click on the
ones that interest you.
u Seller impersonation
u Inaccurate descriptions and photos
u Selling nonexistent products
u Escrow fraud
u Fake or counterfeit merchandise
We will take a look at each one, but one general
rule to follow is always check a seller’s feedback.
The eBay feedback system (which we talked about
in Chapters 7 and 9) is your first line of defense and
biggest weapon against fraud.
I will show you several common types of fraud and specific steps you can take to
avoid them, but the best defense is your own common sense.
I Remember When …
The daughter of an old friend of mine purchased a vintage Mercedes-Benz on eBay
thinking she had a real bargain. She won the auction for an amount that was less than
half of the car’s supposed value. But when she got the car, it was nowhere near the
condition the seller had promised. In fact, a local Mercedes-Benz garage pronounced it
worthless.
We will deal with protecting yourself from this type of fraud later, but the point to be
made here is there are some real bargains to be found on eBay, but if a bargain seems
to be too good, maybe it’s not a bargain at all.
Chapter 10: Avoiding Fraud and Fakes
153
We are going to look at specific types of fraud next but I wanted to point out one
more thing. Although eBay is very proactive about finding fraud, they can’t do it all
and they depend on all of the members to be vigilant. In Chapter 6, we explained
how to report listing violations. If you do see an auction that looks suspicious, follow
the procedure to report it (click Report this item at the bottom of the auction page,
select the violation you suspect, and send the message to eBay’s Trust and Safety
Department, who will look into it).
Seller Impersonation
This is a scam known as Stealing First Base. The scammer watches an auction for
an expensive item. He waits for the auction to end and then immediately sends you
an e‑mail through the eBay system that says “Congratulations for winning auction
number 123456789, Ladies Gold and Diamond Pendant. Please click here to pay” (or
it may ask you to send the payment to a certain PayPal address). The problem is this
person is not the actual seller. He’s hoping you are so excited that you pay quickly
before realizing you paid the wrong person.
So once again this is where patience pays off. If you purchase something expensive,
take a moment to look at the User ID of the seller and make sure you are paying the
correct seller and not Mr. Chui in Macau.
Account Takeover
We talked about this in Chapter 1, but to recap, account takeover occurs when someone learns your User ID and password. It usually happens when you have an easy-toguess password or if you follow a link in an e‑mail that you think came from eBay
and enter your User ID and password into a fake site.
Account takeover targets both buyers and sellers. If a thief gets into your account,
he will use your eBay identity to purchase dozens of expensive items very quickly.
Thieves know that most people work during the day, so they will often make these
purchases early in the day and send payment to the sellers using a stolen credit card.
The idea is that you get blamed for the fraudulent transactions when they show up as
coming from a stolen credit card.
154
I Remember When …
This happened to my web designer recently. In the space of a few hours the hacker
bought over 50 items on eBay and paid with a PayPal account he had set up with the
stolen card. Several sellers shipped the merchandise the same day even though the PayPal address was not confirmed.
Fortunately, my friend did not use the same password for eBay and PayPal. He had a lot
of money in his PayPal account at that time, as well as a credit card tied to the account
with a high credit limit. If the hacker had had both passwords, the damage would have
been extensive. As it turned out, he tried to log in to his account, realized he couldn’t, and
called eBay. They saw what was going on and shut the account down. They contacted
all of the sellers and reversed the transactions, but there were still a handful of sellers who
had already shipped the merchandise. They were stuck because they had shipped to an
unconfirmed address, which removes the transaction from PayPal Seller Protection.
Inaccurate Descriptions and Photos
A bad description can sometimes be fraudulent, like the case of the Mercedes-Benz
discussed earlier; but at other times it’s just the work of a lazy or incompetent seller.
In either case the result is the same. If you relied on the accuracy of the description
and then received something that was not what was represented, then you have been
ripped off.
This type of fraud happens occasionally on eBay, but the good news is that the same
sellers don’t usually get much opportunity to repeat it. EBay usually shuts down the
accounts of obviously fraudulent sellers. If it was just a lazy or incompetent seller, he
will certainly earn negative feedback and other buyers will not buy from him.
The best way to defend against sellers who distort information (and sometimes photo
graphs) for their own gain is to read the description very carefully. Next check the
seller’s feedback. Look at the Detailed Seller Ratings for Item As Described and see
how high the rating is.
If you are at all concerned or suspicious, use the link to Ask Seller a Question and ask
for details. If the seller does not respond or is evasive in any way, just go on to another
item—or if you are really suspicious, use the link at the bottom of the auction page to
report this item to eBay.
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Fake or Counterfeit Merchandise
Authentic Gucci or Hermes handbags sell for between $500 and $2,000 each. If you
were strolling down the sidewalks of New York City and you saw a street vendor selling Gucci or Hermes handbags for $90 each, you would probably be suspicious that
they were copies or fakes. And you would be
correct. Unfortunately, some of this counterfeit
Did You Know?
merchandise also makes its way onto eBay.
A few years ago fakes were limEBay is fighting back hard, but it is a constant
ited to very expensive merchandise, but today the low-cost labor
battle. The manufacturers of several namecombined with manufacturing
brand products are even suing eBay, forcing
sophistication available throughthem to take actions to restrict the sale of some
out the Far East has created a
products.
huge underground industry in
fake merchandise for even lowerYour best defense against buying counterfeit
cost goods such as sneakers,
goods is to buy only from sellers with very high
designer t-shirts, blue jeans, and
feedback. EBay will shut you down if they catch
even software, movies, and music
you selling fake or counterfeit goods. Most
CDs and DVDs.
large sellers won’t risk this, and will therefore
deal only in genuine products.
Nonexistent Products
Listing items for sale that don’t actually exist is an out-and-out scam that is unfortunately all too prevalent on eBay. There are two ways fraudulent listing can occur:
1. A person, usually located overseas, sets up an eBay account, often using a stolen
credit card as ID to open the account. Then they make a few dozen very cheap
purchases on eBay just to build up their feedback. Then they list an auction
for a very expensive, but nonexistent item such as a diamond ring or a plasma
TV. They usually set a Buy It Now price significantly lower than the value of
the item. You click on the Buy It Now price and think to yourself, “Wow. I just
bought a $2,000 plasma TV for $1,400.” When you go to pay, the seller has
some excuse for not taking PayPal or credit cards and insists you send them a
certified check or money order or wire the money through Western Union. You
send the payment and then nothing happens. After a few days you try contacting the seller and get no replies. You log on to eBay and check up on the seller
only to find out the seller is NARU (Not A Registered User) and the account
has been closed.
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2. A thief gets into the account of a seller with very high feedback and then lists
the nonexistent items using the seller’s feedback as a shield. As in the first
example, he requires payment using nonrefundable methods (cash, money order,
Western Union, etc.). The buyers send the payments because the seller has such
good feedback that they assume it can’t be a scam. Of course, they never receive
the items. The seller’s feedback is ruined, the buyers are out the money they
paid, and the thief walks away with the cash.
There is not much you can do if you get taken in by either of these scams, so “prevention” is the word of the day. Whenever you see a seller who will not take PayPal or
a credit card for a high-ticket item, you should consider it an obvious red flag. There
are some legitimate sellers on eBay who sell high-priced luxury merchandise who
don’t take credit cards, but in general this is where I become very, very careful.
There is really only one foolproof solution to buying expensive goods when you can’t
get the protection of PayPal or your credit card company. That is to use eBay’s official escrow company, Escrow.com.
An escrow service is a licensed and regulated company that collects, holds, and sends
a buyer’s money to a seller according to instructions agreed on by both the buyer and
seller. (You may have seen it used when purchasing a house.)
Typically, after the buyer receives the item, she must approve it within an agreed period.
As soon as the approval is made, the escrow service sends the payment to the seller.
There is another type of fraud that uses phony escrow companies that we will talk
about next. EBay advises that you use only Escrow.com, as it has thoroughly checked
out that company.
Escrow Fraud
You just learned what an escrow company was. Now imagine if you sent your money
to a phony escrow company. This type of fraud is related to selling nonexistent merchandise. The seller writes and says he understands you are reluctant to send a large
cash payment to a stranger, so he gives you a link to an escrow company. You visit
the website, create an account (also thereby giving away your credit card number),
and follow the instructions to send your money. The address is usually overseas or, if
it is in the United States, it’s a postal mailbox company address. Once you mail off
the cashier’s check, the escrow website you
signed up with mysteriously disappears.
So if a seller wants to use an escrow company, insist on using Escrow.com and go
to the site either through eBay or by going
directly to the website. Do not click on an
e‑mail link to Escrow.com that was sent to
you by a seller.
157
Shark in the Water
It is very easy to create a
link that says www.escrow.
com but actually sends you to a
different, fake site. You can check
the link just like I showed you in
Chapter 1, but it’s much easier to
just type www.escrow.com into
your browser.
What If I Didn’t Get My Item or It Wasn’t What I Was
Expecting?
If you got the item but it wasn’t what you thought you should be getting, go back and
look at the item description. Did you misinterpret it? Does the seller have a return
policy?
Whether misinterpretation is or is not a possibility, the next step is to contact the
seller. Be nice. If you go in with a confrontational attitude, you’re going to get the
same response. Give her the benefit of the doubt. If you explain what you thought
you were getting versus what you got, often sellers who don’t actually have a specified
return policy will allow you to return the item. Expect to pay the original shipping
and the return shipping, though.
Tips
If it’s only a minor issue, the seller may offer to refund part of your payment and let
you keep the item. This happened to me when I bought a laptop a few years back.
The description clearly stated it included an internal wireless card. When it arrived,
the wireless card was missing. I contacted the seller and she offered to accept a return
(but I would pay the return shipping) or give me a refund for the cost of a wireless card.
I opted for the refund and used the money to go get the card myself.
If the item was misrepresented and the seller won’t do anything about it, you never
received the item, or you can’t get hold of the seller, the next step is the eBay Dispute
Resolution process.
158
There are some fraud-protection services available from PayPal (and some third-party
companies) that can protect you and help you recover some, if not all, of the cost you
incurred. These include the following services:
u PayPal Buyer Protection
u Credit card chargeback and insurance programs
u BuySAFE
None of these programs provides unlimited blanket protection, and they all have
their rules and procedures. So let’s take a look at each one of them.
PayPal Buyer Protection
The PayPal Buyer Protection program covers you for merchandise not received or an
item you received that was significantly different than the item the seller described.
To open a dispute, log in to your PayPal account through www.PayPal.com and click
on the Resolution Center tab (see Figure 10.1).
Figure 10.1
You can also use the Dispute
Console in My eBay to get to
the PayPal Dispute Resolution Center.
Resolution Center
On the next page you will be able to see all claims you currently have open. To start
the dispute process, click the Open a dispute link (see Figure 10.2).
The procedure does vary occasionally, so just follow the prompts. It’s very easy, and
remember that you can look at the status of any open case by clicking on the Resolution Center tab from any PayPal page.
When you open a dispute, it opens a channel of communication between you and the
seller. You have 20 days to post messages for each other and try to work out the issue.
If on the twentieth day you have not come to an agreement, or you have not received
a replacement or refund that was promised by the seller, you must escalate the dispute
to a claim.
159
Open a dispute
Figure 10.2
This is also where you inform
PayPal of an unauthorized transaction from your
account (i.e., you think
someone accessed your account
fraudulently).
Once a claim is opened, PayPal reviews all of the correspondence between you and
the seller during the dispute resolution process and looks at many other factors (they
may even require you to send the item to them or a third-party expert). They will
make the final decision and, if it’s in your favor, they will refund your payment using
funds they have on hold in the seller’s account.
Shark in the Water
Disputes are automatically closed after 20 days, and you cannot file a claim
against the seller after that period. Some sellers may promise you a refund or
replacement and then give excuse after excuse for why you haven’t received it yet. What
they’re actually doing is waiting for the 20 days to expire so you can’t file a claim, and
they stop communicating with you.
Even if a refund or replacement is agreed upon and the seller says it’s in the mail, if it
hasn’t arrived by the twentieth day, you must file a claim. You can always cancel it once
the promised item arrives.
How Much Can I Get Back?
There are two levels of coverage for PayPal Buyer Protection—Basic Tier and Top Tier.
In the Basic Tier, you are covered for up to $200 (with no processing fee) if you:
u Bought the item on eBay.
u Paid the seller using the Pay Now button, or by manually entering the item
number when you sent the payment.
u Purchased a tangible item (i.e., something that was actually shipped).
u Have a PayPal account (if you paid using a credit card without a PayPal account,
you must first sign up for an account before filing a claim).
u Paid for the item in full in one PayPal payment.
u Sent the payment to the registered PayPal address provided. (You are ineligible
for coverage if you sent it to a different PayPal account, even at the seller’s
request.)
u Filed the claim within 45 days of when you sent the payment.
Did You Know?
The eBay Standard Protection Program became the Basic Tier of PayPal Buyer Protection
in January 2007. At that time, eBay stopped offering coverage for payments made with
methods other than PayPal. EBay still offers the dispute resolution process for buyers who
did not use PayPal for their payment; however, there is no claim process, and no money
can be received from eBay if the seller doesn’t work with you. Still, it’s better than nothing
and at least alerts eBay that there is an issue with this seller.
The Top Tier covers you up to $2,000. The eligibility requirements are a bit stricter,
though. In addition to all of the Basic Tier requirements, there are a few extras to
meet:
u The seller must have a feedback rating of 50 or more.
u The seller’s feedback must be 98 percent positive.
u The seller must be a Verified PayPal Premier or PayPal Business account holder.
u PayPal must be listed as an acceptable payment method in the auction.
u The seller must be located in one of the 38 countries PayPal is accepted.
If you paid for your item using a PayPal Plus Credit Card or PayPal Buyer Credit,
you are eligible for coverage for the full amount you paid (even if it is over $2,000).
The same is true if you bought the item on eBay Express (i.e., you checked out using
the eBay Express shopping cart).
161
Credit Card Chargeback and Insurance Programs
Most credit card companies (including Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American
Express) offer some level of fraud protection when you make a credit card purchase.
Some of them also offer actual insurance that you can purchase or that they give you
for free if you have a gold or platinum card.
Once you have communicated with the seller and determined that you have been
defrauded, just call the customer-service number on the back of the card and tell
the operator the situation and that you would like to file a chargeback request. Each
company has different procedures and may
require copies of information such as sales
Tips
receipts, copies of e‑mails, transaction numThe default funding source
bers, and so on.
for your PayPal payments is
If you use your credit card to fund your
any balance currently in your
account; the second is your bank
PayPal payment, you can still file a chargeaccount. So you will have to
back request, but you should not do so until
specify that you want to use your
you have tried filing through PayPal’s Buyer
credit card each time you make
Protection Program. You cannot have both
a high-ticket purchase to be able
claims open simultaneously, and you canto file a chargeback request with
not get reimbursed by both your credit card
your credit card company.
company and PayPal (although it would be
nice if you could!).
BuySAFE
BuySAFE (www.buysafe.com) is a third-party trust and safety company that bonds
online shoppers’ transactions for the full purchase price (up to $25,000 when you buy
from a buySAFE Bonded Seller that is enrolled in the buySAFE program). Whenever you see the buySAFE Bonded Seller Seal in an auction (see Figure 10.3), you
can click on it to confirm whether the seller is bonded. Thousands of eBay sellers use
buySAFE—especially those who sell expensive goods (but you’ll see it available on
cheaper items, too).
Figure 10.3
Don’t exclude a seller simply
because he is not a buySAFE
member, but if he is, it is one
extra level of protection for
you.
162
It isn’t easy to become bonded through buySAFE, so if you see a seller who is, you
know that they are reliable, trustworthy, follow good shipping practices, have a good
financial record, and are experienced.
Shark in the Water
B ecause the buySAFE Bonded Seller Seal doesn’t have an automatically updating current date on it, theoretically a fraudulent seller could create a fake seal and
point the link to a spoof site.
This is very easy to catch—you just check the address the link takes you to. Alternatively,
you can go directly to www.buysafe.com and enter the seller’s User ID and the auction
item number to confirm that the item is bonded.
SquareTrade
Although SquareTrade (www.squaretrade.com) is not a fraud protection company
per se, it is worth mentioning here because it is a trust and safety company.
You can tell if your seller is a member by looking for the SquareTrade Trust Seal in
the auction description (see Figure 10.4). This shows that the seller adheres to high
customer-service standards, including clearly and accurately describing the item, disclos
ing the full price, and clearly spelling out shipping and refund policies. SquareTrade
members are also required to participate in dispute resolution if an issue arises.
Figure 10.4
SquareTrade Trust Seal.
SquareTrade investigates all claims that a seller is not adhering to these standards and
can revoke their seal for it. So you should consider sellers who have a SquareTrade
Trust Seal in their auction to be trustworthy and expect them to follow fair and ethical selling practices.
SquareTrade also offers dispute resolution services and mediation (for a small fee) if
you are having trouble with any seller. SquareTrade members are required to participate in this process. Nonmembers are not, but it’s an option you might explore if
there is a problem.
163
Did You Know?
The SquareTrade Trust Seal displays the current date, so it is very difficult for fraudulent
sellers to fake it. Even if a seller added the current date to a fake seal, by the second
day of the auction it would be obvious that the seal is a fake, because it would still display the previous day’s date.
SquareTrade Warranty Services
SquareTrade has really revolutionized the way we look at warranty services. Most
warranties (from major retailers) cost upwards of 20 percent of the retail item cost (for
new items). SquareTrade covers new, refurbished, and used items, but only charges
approximately 10 to 15 percent (depending on the item type and condition).
Now consider the other advantages:
u There are no difficult hoops to jump through to file a claim.
u There’s no need to scour the house looking for receipts (the eBay item number
you provided is your proof of purchase).
u If an item needs to be repaired, you can easily print a shipping label and overnight the item to them; they will repair it and (in most cases) you’ll have it back
in your hands within a week. If your item
is large (50-inch plasma TV, desktop
Did You Know?
computer, etc.), they will schedule an inSquareTrade doesn’t just offer
home repair within the same time frame.
warranties for eBay purchases.
(Compare that to some electronics retail
If you buy an item at a major
warranties!)
retailer (or even another online
website), rather than paying 20
u Claims are paid within seven days of filing.
percent for the warranty, go to
SquareTrade within 30 days and
u If you sell the item, you can either transget a warranty that’s much simpler
fer the warranty or cancel it and receive a
to manage for only 10 percent.
pro-rated refund.
(Off-eBay purchases have a
lower warranty price because
If you’ve ever dealt with a regular warranty, you
new items are a lower risk.)
now see why I used the term “revolutionary.”
164
SquareTrade currently offers warranties (Product Care Plans) only on consumer electronics (i.e., electronic items not used for commercial purposes). The main item types
include:
u Games consoles
u Laptop and desktop computers
u Cell phones
u Cameras
u MP3 players (iPod, etc.)
If you are interested in purchasing a warranty for your item, go to www.squaretrade.
com to get started.
u EBay Dispute Resolution is not the first step if you have a problem. You should
always try to work it out with the seller directly first.
u EBay only offers fraud protection for items paid for using PayPal.
u Look for the buySAFE Bonded Seller Seal for an extra level of protection, but
don’t exclude a seller if he doesn’t have it.
u SquareTrade offers dispute resolution, trust seals, and warranty services.
u Change the funding source for your PayPal payment to your credit card if you
are buying a high-ticket item so you have fraud protection from your credit card
company in addition to PayPal’s.
u Give PayPal a chance to investigate and refund your money before you go
directly to your credit card provider.
3
Part
Getting Ready to Sell
on eBay
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself buying a bunch of things on
eBay. So to offset the cost and clear some space in your house for your new
treasures, this is where we will look at selling on eBay.
All of the information in Parts 3, 4, and 5 assume that you are selling items
you already own. We deliberately don’t assume you are running a business,
because you need to get some experience before you lay out serious money
for buying items to resell.
If you do want to run a business, I recommend you read all of this information first, and sell a few items you already own. The idea isn’t so much
to make a big profit, but to get some experience—and you probably will
make more than you would get from a yard sale.
11
Chapter
The Seller’s View from 5,000 Feet
In This Chapter
u The boring but important stuff—registering as a seller
u Making the most of PayPal’s selling tools
u A quick look at how to list an auction
u What you can and can’t sell on eBay
u What eBay expects of you as an eBay seller
Selling on eBay is fun! Even though I have been doing it for a number of
years, I still get little thrill when I watch the last few minutes of an auction
and see two or three people bidding and counterbidding to win my item.
You may feel a bit intimidated at first, but it’s really not that scary. Just follow the simple steps and you will be selling in no time at all.
This chapter will take you through the steps to register as an eBay seller
and customize your PayPal selling tools. After you’ve done this once, you
can forget about it and concentrate on selling.
168 Part 3: Getting Ready to Sell on eBay
We’ll also talk a bit about what you can and can’t do as a seller on eBay. Since eBay
can cancel your auctions and sometimes even suspend your account for violating
these rules, you need to have a good feel for the rules before you start.
Registering as a Seller
This is fairly mechanical, so I’m going to run through it as quickly as possible so we
can get on to the fun stuff. You can’t sell on eBay until you have registered as a seller,
so make sure you don’t skip any of the steps. Make sure you have your credit card
handy, because you will need it in a moment.
1. Go to the eBay homepage and click on the Sell navigation tab. Click Create
Seller’s Account to get started.
2. I said you’ll need your credit card, so if you didn’t already get it, go find it now.
You can use MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express. You can also
use a debit card if it allows credit (i.e., non-PIN number) purchases. Fill in the
details and change the address if the card’s billing address is different from the
address you registered with eBay.
3. Now you have to specify how you will pay your eBay fees. You can use the
credit card you are registering with now, or you can allow eBay to debit your
fees directly from your checking account. EBay will always send you an invoice
one week before charging your card or debiting your account, so you don’t have
to worry about surprises. You can also pay your fees anytime during the month
if you don’t want them hitting around the first of the month. It’s entirely up to
you which you want to do. Either way, eBay has to have your credit card on file
to verify your identity.
4. If you want to use your credit card for paying your fees, make sure “I will use
this card” is selected and click Continue. If you would prefer to use a checking
account, select “I will use this card to assure eBay of my identity, but I will use
my Checking Account to pay selling fees” and then click Continue to input your
checking-account information (have your checkbook handy for the routing and
account numbers).
That’s it. Now you’re a registered eBay seller. The next page you will see is the beginning of the Sell Your Item form.
Chapter 11: The Seller’s View from 5,000 Feet 169
Tips
If you don’t have a credit/debit card or a checking account, you can still become
a seller. At the top of the credit card page click the ID Verify link. Becoming ID Verified costs $5.00 and you will be asked to verify certain items on your credit history.
(EBay doesn’t run a full credit check, though, just an inquiry.) Once you pass, you are ID
Verified until you move or change your phone number, at which point you need to complete the process again.
The Abridged Version of How to List an Auction
The steps here are just a basic run-down of the order and basic things you will need
to do. We cover all of this in detail (in the order you will find it on the new Sell Your
Item form) in later chapters. We’re starting from the first Sell Your Item form page,
which you can access by clicking the Sell navigation tab on the homepage.
1. Enter main keywords about your item into the box and click Sell It.
2. Select your preferred category from those suggested by eBay, or click the
Browse for categories tab and select your own category and subcategories.
When you are done, click Save and Continue.
3. Enter your title. In Chapter 17, we’ll show you how to write your title and
decide whether you need a subtitle as well.
4. Upload your pictures using Picture Services (also explained in detail in Chapter 17).
5. Write your description into the HTML editor. In Chapter 17, we’ll show you
the best way to write a description and how to use the design options available
in the HTML editor.
6. Choose a selling format (fixed price, online auction, auction with Buy It Now
option, etc.).
7. Specify your starting price, quantity, and auction duration. (We’ll talk about
these in Chapter 19.)
8. Select your payment options and shipping methods/costs (also discussed in
Chapter 19).
9. Select any optional listing upgrades you want (eBay charges extra for these).
We’ll go through these in Chapter 20 so you know what you are paying for.
170
10. Preview your listing to make sure it looks right and check the fees eBay will charge
you (this doesn’t include your final value fee, which is the more expensive one).
When you’re happy with how your auction looks, click the List This Item button.
There are some other options you can add, but these are the basics. See, it’s not so
scary. Throughout Part 4, we will be going through each item in detail, so don’t
panic if any of this seems complicated or a little intimidating right now.
Setting Your PayPal Account to Selling Mode
You are currently restricted to withdrawing a maximum of $500 a month from your
bank account. Now, the money’s not doing you much good sitting in your PayPal
account, so your first step is to get that withdrawal limit removed.
Click View Limits on your main account page (see Figure 11.1). Then scroll down to
the Withdrawal Limits section and click the link marked complete two of these three steps.
Figure 11.1
If you have not already
added your bank account to
your PayPal account, do that
before starting this process.
View Limits
You should already have a bank account confirmed on your PayPal account, so one of
the steps is already taken care of. You have two other options, and you must choose
one of them:
1. Confirm your Social Security number.
2. Complete your enrollment in the Expanded Use Program.
Which you choose is entirely up to you. Personally, I have no desire to give anyone
my Social Security number unless it’s absolutely necessary, so I chose the Expanded
Use Program.
Chapter 11: The Seller’s View from 5,000 Feet
171
If you go through the Expanded Use Program, you authorize PayPal to charge $1.95
to your credit card. Then you follow the same procedure as verifying your bank
account (as explained in Chapter 2). This time you are looking for a four-digit code
next to the charge on your credit card statement. It takes about four days to show up
if you have online access to your account. Once you enter this four-digit code into
PayPal, your withdrawal limit is removed.
If you go the Social Security number route, your limit is immediately removed and
it doesn’t cost you anything. But then PayPal has your Social Security number on
file. If that doesn’t bother you, then this is probably the option to choose. Given the
option though, I personally prefer to pay $1.95 (which gets refunded within 24 hours
of your next PayPal payment) than give out my SSN to anyone I don’t have to!
Upgrade Your Account
EBay and PayPal will tell you that you need to upgrade your account to a Premier
account if you want to be a seller. This is true, but only to a point.
You can receive up to five payments where the buyer used their credit or debit card
as the funding source per year as a Personal account holder. But you are limited to
$500 total payments received per month (from any funding source). You only need to
upgrade your account when you exceed these limits.
PayPal’s fee for a domestic transaction is
currently 2.9 percent of the transaction
amount plus 30 cents. But if you are a
Personal account holder using one of your
five credit card transactions, you will pay
4.9 percent plus 30 cents. If you’re only an
occasional seller, that’s not too bad, but you
need to factor it into the cost of the item so
you don’t end up losing money.
Shark in the Water
You cannot specify that PayPal payments must be made
with an existing balance or bank
transfer. It’s all or nothing. EBay
will cancel your auction if they see
you making these requirements.
Once you upgrade, you are charged the 2.9 percent plus 30 cents transaction fee on
all PayPal payments received (whatever the funding source). So it makes sense to wait
until you absolutely have to before upgrading. It might be that your first five buyers
use a credit card to make their payment. If so, bad luck, you’ll have to upgrade now.
But you might end up exceeding your $500 a month limit before you get five credit
card payments in one year.
172
Customized PayPal Tools
PayPal offers some excellent selling tools that you can personalize. Start by logging
in to your PayPal account. Click on the Auction Tools tab to see a list of all of the
options. From this page (see Figure 11.2) you can link to any of the options.
turn on Automatic
Logo Insertion
customize End of
Auction Email
Figure 11.2
All of these features are optional, but I recommend you use them to make your job as a seller easier.
PayPal and eBay are well integrated, but you will have to initially link the accounts
yourself. When you go to turn on Automatic Logo Insertion, or turn on the End of
Auction Email, you will be prompted to enter your eBay User ID and password. This
will allow PayPal to update your My eBay page and helps the two sites work together
for you.
Tips
As we discussed in Chapter 1, you should have a different password for your PayPal
and eBay accounts. However, I recommend you use the same e‑mail address for
both accounts.
It can get confusing when you send and receive e‑mails from one address, but send and
receive payments using a different account. E‑mails sent through eBay will go to one
e‑mail account but your payments from PayPal would be in another.
173
Automatic Logo Insertion
Once you have registered your eBay account with PayPal, go back to the Auction
Tools page and click on Offer PayPal on All Your Listings (Automatic Logo Insertion), as shown in Figure 11.2.
This inserts the PayPal logo into all of your auctions, and if someone searches for
only auctions that accept PayPal, your auctions will come up in the search.
The next page will show all of the auction accounts you have associated with this
e‑mail address (there can be as many as you choose).
As you can see in Figure 11.3, all of the default options are Off. I recommend you turn
them all on. Why do the work yourself, if PayPal will do it automatically for you?
Clicking Off below Automatic Logo Insertion or PayPal Preferred will take you to
another page to turn the feature on.
Figure 11.3
select account
Add a new eBay account
If the eBay account you want
to manage is not yet linked to
your PayPal account, you can
click the Add button to sync
them up.
End of Auction Email
If you click Off underneath Customize End of Auction Email, you will be sent to a
page where you can turn on the feature as well as modify the e‑mail that is automatically sent to your buyers.
You can see the default e‑mail in Figure 11.4. To modify it, just change the text
in the box. The ALL CAPS text will insert whatever text it specifies. So
{BUYERUSERNAME} will insert the User ID of the buyer that will receive this
particular end-of-auction e‑mail.
174
Figure 11.4
You can turn off the End
of Auction Email the same
way that you turned it on, if
you decide later that you just
want to send e‑mails manually.
I highly recommend you do change the default e‑mail, because it is quite impersonal.
I like to put a bit more specific information into the End of Auction Email. This is
my version:
Hi {BUYERUSERNAME},
Thank you for your purchase of {TITLE}, eBay item #{ITEM#}. I appreciate
your business! Your item will be shipped within two business days from when
I receive your payment. I will e‑mail you again when it ships with the delivery
confirmation number. If you are sending a check or money order, please e‑mail
me so I know to watch for it.
Don’t forget that I offer combined shipping, so check out my other items at
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZpetsparkle.
Please let me know ASAP if you want to bid on anything else so I can combine
your shipping and save you some money!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to e‑mail me.
Regards,
Lissa McGrath
{SELLERUSERNAME}
{S_EMAIL}
www.lissamcgrath.com
175
You have 2,000 characters, so that’s plenty of space. My example is only 734 characters.
If you happen to have a business logo, you can upload that too, but don’t worry about
it if you don’t have one. Most people don’t.
Refunds
One excellent feature of PayPal is the refund process. It’s remarkably easy so long as
you have a balance in your PayPal account to cover the refund amount. If you don’t
it’s a little more complicated, but still not too bad.
Simply locate the transaction in the History tab, click on Details, scroll to the bottom of the Transaction Details page, and click Refund Payment (the link is above the
Return to Log button). This will take you to the Issue Refund page (see Figure 11.5).
amount of
refund to buyer
amount of PayPal
fees to be refunded
to you
calculate fees to
be refunded
Figure 11.5
If you didn’t see your transaction on the History page, select a longer duration to see all transactions up
to one year ago.
If you have a Premier account, PayPal will refund you the portion of the fees that
corresponds to the refund. So if you refund 30 percent of the cost, you will get 30
percent of the transaction fee back. If you refund 100 percent of the cost, you will get
100 percent of the fees back.
176
Once you have entered the amount of the refund in the Gross Refund Amount box,
click Calculate to see how much you will get back in PayPal fees. The Fees Refunded
will always show $0.00 if you have a Personal account, because you didn’t pay any fees
on the initial transaction.
Did You Know?
If the Fee Refunded section shows
$0.00 no matter what Gross
Refund Amount you specify, you
still have a personal PayPal
account and therefore didn’t pay
any fee to PayPal for receiving the
original payment. You can’t be
refunded a portion of a fee you
didn’t pay, so the Fee Refunded
section will always show $0.00.
Once you’re happy with the refund details, click Submit and the refund will be immediately sent to the
buyer. The payment will come out of your PayPal
balance if you have enough in there. If not, it will
come from your bank account.
The problem with having to use your bank account
is the time it takes to clear. When you send a payment or a refund using your bank account as the
funding source, it actually sends an e-check. These
can take five to seven days to clear. Buyers don’t
want to wait that long to get a refund, and the feedback they leave will reflect that. For this reason I
always keep a little cash in my PayPal account.
You must always go through the Refund Payment process; otherwise, you won’t
get your PayPal fees refunded, and if you are sending to a buyer who has a Premier
account, they would be charged for receiving the amount. The last thing you want to
do is make a buyer pay for the privilege of getting a refund from you!
If you’re interested, you can read my article about PayPal refunds at www.auctionbytes.
com/cab/abu/y206/m11/abu0178/s02. The link is also on the resources page (www.
skipmcgrath.com/cig).
Alternatives to PayPal
Yes, PayPal is the most well-known payment method, but BidPay is a great alternative
that is making a comeback in the auction marketplace. The fees are generally lower,
you get the payment just as fast, and it is really a lot simpler.
BidPay is solely an auction payment processor. The payment goes straight from the
buyer’s credit card (Mastercard or Visa) into your bank account. There is no inter
mediary BidPay account for the money to sit in until you decide what to do with it.
It takes one to three days for a BidPay payment to show up in your account; however,
you can see that the payment has been paid almost immediately by looking in your
BidPay transactions.
The processing time is not set by BidPay—it’s
the time it takes to go through the Automated
Clearing House (ACH) Network that actually moves the money into your bank account.
It takes the same amount of time for a PayPal
payment withdrawn to your bank account to
show up.
Once BidPay shows you that the transaction has
been paid (before you actually get the money),
they assume the risk for the funds. So if for any
reason the funds are not available then or are
charged back, BidPay covers the full cost and
you still get paid.
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Did You Know?
BidPay was bought out by CyberSource in 2006. CyberSource is
a global payments service provider with a huge backend infrastructure for fraud protection, etc.
They have a well-proven track
record in the payment processing
market which makes them stand
apart from all of the other alternatives to PayPal.
So as soon as you see the payment has been made, you can ship the item without
worrying about whether the money will actually make it to your bank account.
The BidPay fee for each domestic transaction is 2.5 percent plus 50 cents (compared
to PayPal at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents).
Figure 11.6
You don’t have to go through
quite as many hoops to
become a BidPay seller, but
you do need to add your bank
account and credit card at the
time of registration.
Tips
By having the payment deposited directly into your bank account (preferably a savings account), you are less likely to use the money to impulse buy on eBay. Many
eBay users sell items specifically to fund their eBay spending sprees. This is fine, but
if you’re trying to make some money to use for other things, having an account balance
in PayPal may be too much temptation.
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As you can see in the following table, the fees are cheaper for PayPal if the item is
under $50, but BidPay is cheaper for anything over that amount.
Domestic Transaction Fees for BidPay vs. PayPal
Selling Price
BidPay
PayPal
$10
$20
$35
$50
$75
$100
$150
$200
$250
$500
$0.75
$1.00
$1.38
$1.75
$2.38
$3.00
$4.25
$5.50
$6.75
$13.00
$0.59
$0.88
$1.32
$1.75
$2.48
$3.20
$4.65
$6.10
$7.55
$14.80
Now look at the same amounts for international transactions. BidPay charges 2.9 percent plus 50 cents and PayPal charges 3.9 percent plus 30 cents. BidPay now becomes
cheaper for transactions over $20.
International Transaction Fees for BidPay vs. PayPal
Selling Price
BidPay
PayPal
$10
$20
$35
$50
$75
$100
$150
$200
$250
$500
$0.79
$1.08
$1.52
$1.95
$2.68
$3.40
$4.85
$6.30
$7.75
$15.00
$0.69
$1.08
$1.67
$2.25
$3.22
$4.20
$6.15
$8.10
$10.05
$19.80
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As you can see, the international transaction fees are a lot cheaper for BidPay than
PayPal, particularly when you get over $100. Remember, these totals include the shipping cost, so you’re very unlikely to have an international transaction under $20.
The features for BidPay and PayPal are about the same, with a few exceptions.
Features of BidPay and PayPal
Feature
BidPay
PayPal
Refunds available?
Seller protection?
Credit cards accepted?
International sellers allowed?
Balance kept in account?
International buyers allowed?
Integrated with eBay?
Yes
Yes
MasterCard and Visa
U.S. bank acct. required
No
Yes
Limited
Yes
Yes
All Types
Yes (38 countries)
Yes
Yes
Yes
EBay doesn’t allow any payment service other
than PayPal to update the icons in the Items
I’ve Sold section of My eBay. So if you get
a payment through BidPay, you will have to
manually mark it as paid in My eBay (if you’re
using that to track your auctions). It’s as simple
as a click on the Mark as Paid button in the
transaction’s drop-down menu. You have to
do the same if you get a money order or check
from a buyer, too.
Did You Know?
According to a 2007 survey of 1,000 BidPay users, sellers who
offered BidPay on their auctions
saw a 15.4 percent average sales
increase. Yes, I know it’s not the
most unbiased survey in the world
since it came from BidPay, but
frankly, if it increases your bids by
even 1 percent, it’s worth offering
as an option!
Another thing to note is PayPal usually sides
with buyers on transaction disputes (because
they can take the money straight from the seller’s account). BidPay assumes the risk
for the funds as soon as the payment is posted as paid, so they tend to be more thorough in the investigation. It’s not that they side with the seller, but they do look into
the transaction further than PayPal usually does (because it’s their money on the line).
Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely have to have PayPal as an option on your auctions,
but I think it is also wise to offer BidPay as an alternative. They have some very competitive features and excellent seller protection, their fees are generally lower, and if
BidPay’s survey is accurate, there are a lot of buyers who prefer BidPay. I personally
think BidPay is the dark horse that is going to steal some of PayPal’s thunder in the
very near future.
eBay Rules for Sellers
EBay has a number of rules for sellers designed to protect all eBay users—buyers,
sellers, and eBay itself. As issues arise, eBay develops a new policy on the subject.
You can find eBay policies in the Help files. I find it easiest to use the links below
the search box, because surprisingly it is often easier to find what you are looking for
there than using the search box.
I’m going to outline the major eBay rules for sellers. But if you want to read about all
of eBay’s policies, go to http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/index.html or click on the
Help navigation tab, then click on the Rule and Policies link on the bottom right.
If you do violate any of eBay’s rules, there are a number of things eBay can do. The
most common is to cancel your auction, but, depending on the offense and how many
warnings you have already had, you could face limits on your account privileges, loss
of PowerSeller status, and even account suspension. EBay looks at each case individually and you can appeal most rulings, so don’t get too worried about it. Having one
listing cancelled isn’t the end of the world, but you don’t want to make a habit of it.
The Short List of Banned Items
Okay, so the list isn’t that short. In fact it’s really quite long, so I will only cover the
major ones here. The following table shows a few of the major types of items that are
banned or have specific restrictions. It would take way too much space to list all of
them, so before you decide what you want to sell, have a browse through the prohibited and banned items list at http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/ia/prohibited_and_
restricted_items.html. There is a link from the Rules and Policies page if you don’t
want to type that out.
Items That Are Banned or Restricted on eBay
Item Category
eBay Policy
academic software
firearms, weapons, and knives
manufacturers’ coupons
restricted
restricted
restricted
Item Category
eBay Policy
political memorabilia
used clothing
lock-picking devices
Nazi or SS memorabilia
alcohol
animals or wildlife products
bootleg recordings
drugs or drug paraphernalia
replica or counterfeit merchandise
(even if identified as a fake)
restricted
restricted
banned
banned
restricted
banned
banned
banned
banned
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In addition, eBay bans any item whose use or ownership would violate local or federal laws. For example, you can’t sell a radar detector to someone who lives in a state
where they are illegal to use.
Shill Bidding
I’m sure you’ve heard about shoddy live auctions where there is a stooge (or “shill”) in
the audience placing false bids to bump up the price of an item for the seller. It’s illegal
there, and it’s illegal on eBay.
It may seem innocent enough—a friend offers to place the first bid on your auction to
get the bidding started, or to increase the final selling price if it’s going for way lower
than you had hoped. But this is the same as having a stooge working for you in a live
auction. It’s not fair to the other bidders, and completely undermines the foundation
of eBay and what it stands for.
The worst shill bidders have multiple eBay accounts and bid on their own auctions
using another eBay account. If they end up winning the item, they offer the item to
the highest legitimate bidder through Second Chance Offer (if the bidding went high
enough for them) or just claim the high bidder decided to withdraw from the transaction and get their Final Value Fees refunded using the Mutual Withdrawal from
Transaction process.
The good news is that these shill bidders don’t last very long on eBay. EBay has
very sophisticated software that looks for patterns common in shill bidding and is
extremely aggressive in locating and dealing with shill bidders, so don’t even think
about trying this.
182
Did You Know?
You may hear comments about how eBay’s User ID shielding (i.e., changing the User ID
to Bidder 1, Bidder 2, etc. after the bidding reaches $200) means that shill bidders can’t
be caught. This is a whole lot of nonsense.
Just because you can’t see the bidder’s name to see if they’ve bid on a number of a
certain seller’s items doesn’t mean eBay isn’t tracking it. In fact, if you go to the Bidding
History and scroll over the bidders’ names, you can see how many (and the percentage
of) auctions this bidder has bid on in the last month that are from this particular seller. So
don’t believe the rumors that User ID shielding makes it easier for shill bidders. It doesn’t.
Fee Avoidance
Fee avoidance is usually excessive shipping and handling (Joe sold a $30 item for $10
and charged $35 in shipping when it only cost him $5 for the postage). EBay charges
sellers the Final Value Fee on the selling price only, not the total price including shipping, so Joe only paid the Final Value Fee on $10, not on the $40 he actually made
(after you deduct the $5 actual shipping cost).
EBay is not very clear about what “excessive” means, but just use your common sense
and you should be fine. It’s okay to charge a little extra to cover your shipping materials or a small handling fee, but just don’t make it a major profit center.
Solicitation of an Off-eBay Sale
If a buyer finds your item on eBay, and you offer to sell it to them off eBay, you are
violating eBay’s terms and conditions. This is also a type of fee avoidance because you
aren’t paying eBay their fees.
Tips
A good rule of thumb is to ask
yourself “Will I pay a Final
Value fee on the total selling
price?” If the answer is yes,
then you’re fine. If the answer is
no, you are likely in violation of
eBay’s policy.
This is a little bit complicated because there are circumstances when you can end a listing early to sell
to one of your bidders.
Here are a few examples of what is not allowed:
uEnding a listing early to sell the item off eBay
to a buyer who found the item on eBay.
uOffering to sell the item to the highest bidder
without sending a Second Chance Offer if an
auction ends with the reserve price not met.
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u Ending a listing early to sell the item to the highest bidder for a price higher
than the current bid. (You can end it early and sell it for the current bid so long
as you go through eBay’s system, but there are very few circumstances when this
is worthwhile for the seller.)
You can find the full policy on eBay at http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/
rfe-spam-non-ebay-sale.html.
Once you sell something to a buyer on eBay, that person is now your customer. In
your end-of-auction e‑mail, or when you follow up to confirm they got the item and
ask them to leave feedback, you can invite them to visit your website if you have one.
Seller Nonperformance
There are three instances when you could be considered a nonperforming seller:
1. You accepted the payment but didn’t deliver the item.
2. The item delivered was significantly different from what was represented in
the original listing (for example, you didn’t mention major flaws that affect the
functionality, value, or appearance of the item).
3. You didn’t place a reserve on your auction, or the reserve was met, but at the
end of the duration you refused to sell to the highest bidder, or you refused to
accept a payment method you originally listed as acceptable in your auction
description.
Having whatever item you are selling in your hand before you list it for sale on eBay
is very important and can prevent many instances of seller nonperformance. Consider
the scenario where a neighbor asks you to sell his power tools on eBay. You list the
auction and get a winning bidder. Then the neighbor changes his mind about selling
it, or decides that the winning bid isn’t high enough. Now you have to explain to your
high bidder why you can’t deliver the item. This can also cause a rift in friendships.
By requiring you take possession of the item, you are making sure your friend is
really prepared to part with it. If they won’t do it, you could offer to show them how
to sell it themselves, but don’t list it under your User ID unless you have the item in
your possession.
A big problem with this type of seller nonperformance happens with preorders around
the holidays. EBay has very strict rules about listing hard-to-find items (like the newest toys or game consoles). These rules include showing a picture of the box and the
184
original sales receipt showing the date of purchase so your buyers know you really do
have the item in hand and ready to ship. The value of a hard-to-find item goes down
significantly if the buyer has to wait until three weeks after Christmas to get it.
Honestly, there’s no reason you should be accused of seller nonperformance if you
stay on top of things and deliver what you promise. It’s important because you need
to build excellent feedback. If you get comments like “shipped two weeks late,” or
“refunded after couldn’t find item,” you are not exactly instilling confidence in other
potential buyers, and you may lose future sales.
u The Auction Tools tab in PayPal links to all of the tools PayPal offers for eBay
sellers.
u Shill bidding is dealt with very strictly by eBay and will likely get you suspended
if you try it.
u EBay restricts or bans the sale of many items, so make sure to check that your
item is allowed before listing it.
u You only have to upgrade your PayPal account to a Premier account when you
hit $500 a month in payments received, or you exceed five credit/debit card payments received per year.
u BidPay is an excellent alternative credit card processing service to offer in addition to PayPal.
12
Chapter
What Can I Sell on eBay and
Where Can I Find It?
In This Chapter
u Is it worth the effort to sell your item on eBay?
u What items sell well on eBay
u Where you can find items to sell
u When is a good time to sell?
u Using closeout stores when your item supply dries up
In Chapter 11, we talked a little bit about what you can’t sell. In this chapter,
we will talk about what you can sell. We will also talk about how to find
those items.
Most new eBay sellers start out selling things they have around the house
and then move on to items they can pick up at garage sales, thrift shops,
flea markets, outlet malls, and even wholesale clubs like Costco and Sam’s
Club, and closeout stores like Big Lots.
Wholesale product sourcing is beyond the scope of this book, but one
of the most reliable sources of real wholesale information is World Wide
Brands. This is the only company providing wholesale and drop-shipper
information that is endorsed by eBay. You can read about a discount Skip has negotiated for you by going to the resources page www.skipmcgrath.com/cig.
Where to Find Items to Sell
I should reiterate, in this book we are not looking at this topic from a business perspective. I am assuming you are a regular person wanting to sell items you have or
can get easily, without a state resale number, on a part-time basis. If you are looking
to start an actual eBay business, first get some experience selling items you do have,
and then look at some eBay business books (see the recommended reading section of
Appendix B) to learn about starting a part-time or full-time eBay business.
Items from Your Home
Is your house completely clutter-free? If so, good for you! What about your storage
locker?
The most likely sources for items to sell are the things in your attic, garage, closets,
or storage locker. Remember that sweater Aunt Gertrude bought you for your birthday two years ago and you’ve never worn, or that bridesmaid’s dress from a wedding
five years ago? It might be just what someone else is looking for. Or maybe your
house is overrun with knick-knacks. Or your wife told you that you had to sell your
old power tools before you could buy new ones. Or maybe, like my parents, you have
a huge attic packed with boxes full of books. Everyone has stuff they no longer want
or need, but your clutter might be exactly what someone else is looking for.
Some people use yard sales to get rid of clutter, but frankly, 6 a.m. never agreed with
me, and it would take as long to inventory, price, and set out all of the items in the
morning (not to mention advertising around the neighborhood) as it would to list the
items on eBay! Wouldn’t you rather be able to lay in on a Saturday morning and list
your items to a worldwide market rather than just your little neighborhood?
At yard sales the temptation is to let items go for very little. Everyone bargains and
no one wants items left at the end of the day. Except for the true junk, you will
almost always get more for an item on eBay than you ever will at a yard sale.
On eBay it is much less frantic and there’s no chance of someone walking off with
one of your expensive items while you’re distracted with another customer. Because
of that you make more money. Yes, you do have to ship the items, but you’ll get into
a routine with that and your mail carrier will even pick up your packages from your
home if you pay for the postage through PayPal.
Chapter 12: What Can I Sell on eBay and Where Can I Find It?
Now, to look for items … Wander around your
house with a notepad and note down items you
would like to sell and what condition they are
in (New, New In Box, Used, Used With Box,
New With Tags clothing, New Without Tags
clothing, Retired collectibles series, etc.). Even
items that are broken can sell for decent money
because people buy them for the parts.
Items you plan to sell should be clean (i.e., no
dirt or dust), washed, or dry cleaned if clothing.
Electronic or electrical items should be tested
to make sure all functions work; be sure to note
down any parts that don’t work.
187
I Remember When …
My husband and I went on a
cruise a few years back and the
baggage handlers broke the LCD
screen of our laptop. It was an
Apple Titanium PowerBook (very
expensive at that time) so it would
have cost a fortune to fix. We
looked on eBay and discovered
we could strip it down and get
over $700 by selling it for parts.
Personal electronics (iPod, CD player, digital camera) and their associated accessories
are very popular on eBay. Baby items are hot, but you have to be careful how you
list them and what you list because the market is quite saturated with junk. Designer
clothing, wedding items, sporting equipment, DVDs, video games and consoles,
small kitchen appliances, computers and their accessories, art, antiques, and collectibles are also all hot items.
Yard Sales
If you happen to be an early bird on the weekends, you might consider a yard-sale
crawl. Go early to get the best items and don’t forget to haggle. Yard-sale sellers are
more interested in shifting items than getting a decent price for them, so use that to
your advantage when you’re haggling.
You’d be amazed at how much stuff I have found at yard sales for a few bucks that
I’ve been able to turn around and sell on eBay for a nice profit. Some eBay sellers get
their entire inventory this way.
At yard sales you’ll find items you can sell individually but also some that you can use
to pad a “lot” of items you are selling. This is particularly true in kids’ clothing, toys,
etc. These “fillers” are very cheap, usually not fancy brands, but are always clean and
free of stains, rips, etc. (Never buy anything that is not in good used condition or
better.)
You may also find accessories that go with items you’re selling (such as a tripod to go
with a digital camera). If you can pick up a tripod for $3.50 and list it as a bonus with
188
the digital camera you are selling, you will increase the value of your auction by far
more than the price you paid for the tripod. It also makes you far more competitive
with other sellers of the same item (“It’s the same camera, but this one has a tripod as
well so I’ll bid on this one.”)
Have an idea of what price certain items go for on eBay before you go, and always
carry small denominations of cash.
Making Sure Your Effort Is Worthwhile
Once you have your list of possible items, mark down how much you would put on a
yard-sale price tag for that item. Now do a Completed Listings search for that item
and look at the average selling price (you can refresh your memory on how to do this
in Chapter 7). You might be surprised at how high or low the average selling price is.
You may have to look at the actual auctions to make sure the ones you are considering
in your average price are in fact the same as your item. There’s no point comparing
an auction for a Playstation 3 games console with five games, two controllers, and
two memory cards to an auction for just the console. Equally, a new-in-box item
almost always sells for more than a used item (particularly in the electronics categories), so you should
Tips
consider that as well when looking at past auctions.
Once you know what is worth
Once you have an idea of the average selling price,
selling on eBay, you can still
hold a yard sale with all the
use the fee calculator on the resources page (www.
other stuff if you want to. You’ve
skipmcgrath.com/cig) to work out your fees if the
got an inventory list with the prices
item sold for the average selling price on eBay. Is it
you would put on them, so if you
higher than your yard-sale price? If so, put a check
want to use it, go ahead. Or you
mark against it and move on to your next item. We’ll
could donate items to charity and
talk about time-saving alternatives to Completed
write off the value on your taxes.
Listings in a moment.
Trading Assistant Consignment Program
You can’t qualify for the Trading Assistant program until you have some experience.
This doesn’t mean you can’t sell items for other people, it just means you can’t call
yourself a Trading Assistant and you can’t get a listing in the Trading Assistant
directory.
Chapter 12: What Can I Sell on eBay and Where Can I Find It? 189
To be an official Trading Assistant you must
have …
u A feedback score of over 100 at 97 percent positive or higher.
u Sold an average of four items per
month for the preceding three months.
Trading Assistants are experienced sellers who sell items on
behalf of other people. It’s a type
of consignment program. The
Trading Assistant charges a fee
(usually a percentage of the final
selling price) to sell the item for
someone else.
Still, as I said, you don’t have to be an
official Trading Assistant to sell for other
people. Let word of mouth work for you.
Mention it at barbecues, ask your friends if they have anything they would like to sell,
put up flyers in your neighborhood, do a mail drop, and put flyers under neighbors’
doors.
A few pieces of advice if you’re selling for someone else:
u Make sure you have a simple agreement that specifies exactly what you are
responsible for doing.
u Find out what price the owner wants to get for the item and set that as the starting price or reserve price.
u Always take possession of the item before you list it. People change their minds,
decide that the highest bid isn’t enough, lose it, break it, etc. You still have a
high bidder to satisfy, and it’s your feedback on the line if you can’t deliver.
Following these pieces of advice will help you preserve friendships and keep your
reputation intact by preempting any issues that could arise.
Closeout Section of Outlet Stores
If you have a local Sam’s Club or Costco, it’s worth the $30 or so a year to be able to
shop there. You can find some great bargains at cash-and-carry stores like these. They
have all kinds of items and, so long as you do your research before you buy, these can
be a great source of extra income once your supply of household items runs dry.
Another great source is local closeout stores such as Big Lots. A friend of mine
bought a really nice high-quality outdoor chaise lounge chair from Big Lots during
one summer. She paid $20 for it. I can’t find one of the same quality selling on eBay
for less than $100.
Another friend of mine bought six pressure washers at Big Lots for $92 each. He sold
them all on eBay at an average price of $170 within a two-week period. Most of them
sold using Buy It Now.
Thrift Stores
Depending on the type of thrift store (or secondhand store), you might find some
high-quality items or you might find junk. You won’t know until you go and check.
I recall one lady who found a very expensive genuine designer bag at a thrift store.
The store obviously didn’t know what it had (probably thought it was a fake). She
bought it for $2.50 and resold it on eBay for nearly $200.
I don’t have a problem with buying from a thrift store and reselling the item for
a higher amount on eBay. If I see an item that is obviously underpriced (like that
designer bag), I usually offer to sell it for them on consignment and charge only a
percentage of the final value. That way the charity makes most of the money (and
usually gets far more than they would have otherwise), and I still make a decent
amount from the commission. It’s entirely up to you if you want to do this or not.
You can find some great bargains at thrift stores. Once you find a good store, get
to know the volunteers who work there. I’ve gotten to the point where they call me
when they get something in that they think I would be interested in. You might not
get that far, but you could probably call them once a week and ask about specific
types of items to save yourself a trip down there.
How Do I Know What Will Sell?
It goes back to what we talked about in Chapter 7—research. You can’t expect to list
an item, place a starting bid of what you think the item should sell for, and expect the
item to sell without researching it.
There are over six million items listed on eBay every day. Not every one of them
sells. Often it is because the listing is written poorly, the photograph is bad, the title
has missing keywords, or something like that. But just as often it is because the seller
didn’t look to see whether that item is actually desirable on eBay, and what amount it
is actually selling for. So how do you do that? The free way is using eBay’s Completed
Listings search as I explained earlier, but what if you don’t have time for that?
191
Third-Party Research Tools
Busy sellers don’t have time to trawl through Completed Listings to determine the
average selling price, best day to list the item, starting price, etc. So they pay a thirdparty company to analyze the data for them.
Personally, I like Hammertap3 (www.hammertap.com/skip), but Terapeak (www.
terapeak.com) is also very good. These are paid services that will make your life easier,
but they are not requirements for selling on eBay. I’m mentioning them because Skip
has arranged a special offer for a two-week free trial of Hammertap3 for readers of
this book. Just go to www.hammertap.com/skip to get your free trial and read more
about the service.
Research programs like Hammertap3 and
Terapeak are very useful to sellers. They show
you not only what items have sold for, but also
the best day and time to list an item, which
special features the most successful sellers used,
whether reserve prices were used, the price
range, average and highest prices, and what
keywords the most successful sellers used to
attract hits to their auctions.
Since I started using Hammertap3, I spend far
less time on research yet I get much more indepth results, which in turn help me make
better decisions about my auctions.
Did You Know?
Using a third-party research tool
is really useful for buyers, too.
Think about it: if you do a search
for an item you want to buy, you
can look at the worst day and
time to list it and know precisely
when you need to be looking for
the item as a buyer.
If you’re clearing out your garage and looking at eBay as an alternative to a yard sale,
it’s probably worth getting Hammertap3 for a month or two and then cancelling it if
you no longer need it (there’s no minimum term). You get a two-week free trial and
then it’s $17.95 a month if you use Skip’s link (regularly $24.95 a month). That may
sound like a lot, but if you think about how much more profit you will make from
your items on eBay, and how much time you will save, it’s not really that much, particularly if you have a full-time job and time is a rare commodity in your house!
I should add that I recommend Hammertap3 because I use it and love it. I do not get
any kickbacks from them.
EBay has its own research service called eBay Marketplace Research, but it is not as
sophisticated as the third-party tools (like Hammertap3 and Terapeak). You choose
the level of subscription you want based on desired features and how long you want it
for. There is an option for just two days for $2.99 if you only need it for one or two
192
items. The Basic monthly subscription is $9.99 with a few limitations, or the Pro subscription is $24.99 a month. You can find out more about eBay Marketplace Research
at http://pages.ebay.com/marketplace_research/.
Most people starting out on eBay find they have a long list of items to sell. If you plan
properly and have your list ready, you can run through all of these using the 2-day
eBay Marketplace Research, or during the 14-day free trial from Hammertap3. So
long as you plan to sell the items within the next couple of weeks, the prices should
hold true (unless you check them before Christmas and then sell them after Christmas).
If you batch your work like this, it will save you a lot of time and money. You might
also want to set up a photo station (see Chapter 14) and take all of your photos at
once. This will also save you a lot of time later on.
Hot List
I could tell you what the top 10 hottest items selling on eBay are right now, but that
would do you no good because the hot items change so frequently. Fads come and go,
so never buy a large quantity of a fad product!
Some of the consistently popular types of items are …
u Computers, laptops, and accessories.
u Personal electronics (iPod, etc.).
u Baby clothing and toys.
u Video games, consoles, and accessories.
u Designer clothing and accessories.
u Antiques and collectibles.
u Photography equipment (digital cameras, tripods, etc.).
Each month eBay comes out with a Hot List for each category, which includes hot
subcategories and hot items. It’s not the most user-friendly of lists, but once you
figure out how to read it, it can really turn you on to some products you hadn’t considered.
At the moment, I primarily sell in the Baby categories. So one day I had a look at the
Baby hot list. To my surprise coupons was the number-one item category. I thought
this was crazy, so I did some research of my own. It was right. Formula coupons and
193
checks were really hot items. The Sell Through Rate was over 80 percent and buyers
were paying ridiculously high amounts for these coupons.
So I did a test and tried it myself. I used
the formula coupons I got in the mail when
my daughter was a newborn so it didn’t cost
me anything but the eBay fees. The total
retail value of the coupons was $40. To
my amazement, I got $30 for them! Sure,
that isn’t going to pay for a vacation in the
Bahamas, but considering that it only took
about 15 minutes of work and incurred no
inventory cost, that’s pretty good (works out
to $120 an hour). It was also a good way to
get prequalified buyers looking at my other
more expensive baby items, too. Most of my
coupon buyers ended up purchasing more
than one item from me.
My point is that I would never have thought
to sell those coupons if I hadn’t checked out
the Hot List.
The easiest way to get to the Hot Lists is
to go to the Site Map and click What’s Hot
under Selling Resources. From the What’s
Hot page (see Figure 12.1), you can search
Hot Items by Category or access eBay Pulse
to see what the hottest items across all cate
gories are.
The Sell Through Rate (STR) is
the percentage of all listed items
that actually sell. You should aim
for your personal STR to reach
about 75 to 80 percent. However, when looking at the STR
for an item selling on eBay, 60
percent is good because you
are looking at all items, including
those listed by people who have
no idea what they are doing.
Shark in the Water
EBay has some strict rules
about coupon sales, so
make sure to read up on those if
you decide to try this. Click on
the Help tab and type Coupon
into the help search box to read
the rules.
One of the newer features of the What’s Hot page is the Merchandising Calendar.
You will have noticed that the center section of the eBay homepage changes quite frequently to feature different items and categories. The Merchandising Calendar tells
you when each item/category will rotate onto the homepage.
This free promotion from eBay will almost certainly get you more bids and higher
final prices for those items if you list them while the promotion is on the homepage.
If you only have one item in each category, this isn’t really worth bothering with, but
if you have a bunch of items (say designer clothing or baby items) it might be worth
waiting until one of the promotions rolls around to list them.
194
Merchandising Calendar
Hot Items by Category
eBay Pulse
eBay Marketplace Research
Figure 12.1
You can access eBay Marketplace Research from this page, too.
Want It Now Postings
Once you have your list of items that you want to sell, you should look at the Want
It Now posts to see if someone is looking for your item. We talked about creating a
Want It Now post in Chapter 5, so now we’ll look at the other perspective.
Go to http://pages.ebay.com/wantitnow/ (or link from the Site Map or My eBay).
This will take you to the main Want It Now page (see Figure 12.2).
I Remember When …
I know one seller who looks for posts on Want It Now, then searches for the same item
on Craig’s List (www.craigslist.com). If he finds a match, he looks at the price difference
between what the seller on Craig’s List is asking and what the eBay buyer is prepared
to pay (and makes sure that the eBay buyer still wants the item). If the price difference is
worth it, he buys the item from the Craig’s List seller and lists it as a Buy It Now auction
for the Want It Now buyer.
When you browse a category, you will see a list of subcategories on the left side bar.
You can search for keywords within the main category or within any of the subcate
gories, or continue to browse.
195
Select Search Within Category
Figure 12.2
You can search using keywords or browse the categories
to find Want It Now posts.
Browse by Category
Search Box
Search Want It Now Button
I like to browse the Baby categories and the subcategories for items I know I have. If
I see a post for something I have, I usually e‑mail the buyer and ask if they already
have found the item they want, and give
them a little information about the item I
Shark in the Water
have for sale.
If you respond to a Want It
To e‑mail the seller, click Ask a question
Now post, don’t try to give
about this post on the Want It Now listing
them your e‑mail address. EBay’s
software recognizes the e‑mail
page (see Figure 12.3).
address in the message and kicks
On the Want It Now listing page you can
it back with a warning that viosee where the buyer is located (important
lating the anonymity of Want It
if it’s a heavy item that would be awkward
Now, or offering to sell off eBay,
could get you suspended.
to ship), as well as the responses that have
already been made.
Read the Description carefully before responding, because buyers are supposed to
report unrelated responses that could cause you to be suspended from Want It Now.
Click Respond if you have an item that matches the buyer’s description. Now you
have a choice of entering an existing item number if the auction is active, or you can
click Sell Your Item and you will be sent to the Sell Your Item form to list the item.
If the item isn’t already listed, I recommend confirming with the buyer that they are
still interested in it, and that your starting price is acceptable to them. You might
even work out a fixed selling price and not have to bother with the actual auction bidding process (but you still have to list it in a Buy It Now auction).
Description
Responses
Date placed
Respond button
Time left
Location
Ask a question about this post
Figure 12.3
Looking at the Date placed and Time left will tell you how long the post has been
active. The longer it has been up, the less likely the buyer is still looking for the item.
When Should I Sell?
This may sound obvious, but many sellers forget that items are often seasonal. A winter coat for sale in May will sell for much less than the same item in October. There
are exceptions, such as selling the winter coat in July to a buyer in Australia or Alaska
where it is likely snowing; or selling swimwear in January to a buyer for their winter
sun getaway. But the point is the majority of buyers look for items appropriate to the
season you are currently in, or approaching. It’s the majority you want to reach because
the more people looking, the more bids and the higher the final price you get.
I know if you have kids, your instinct as soon as spring peeps through the clouds is to
sell all of your kids’ winter clothing that won’t fit them next year and make room for
spring and summer clothing. But if you have space to store the items (Space Bags are
a wonderful invention to help with this) and wait just six months, you’ll find you get
more for the items than you ever would selling them off-season.
If you are selling anything related to a specific day (such as Mother’s Day or Valentine’s
Day) the selling season starts about 30 days before. For example, if you are selling a
Valentine’s Day item you would want to start listing it around January 14. The exception is Christmas. The Christmas selling season starts on eBay at the beginning of
November and runs right up until Christmas Eve.
197
Electronics and other highly desirable gift items sell for a lot more during the run-up
to Christmas than at any other time of the year. I attribute this to experienced buyers
really wanting the item and forgetting everything they know about waiting to buy, or
new buyers who have come to eBay because they are looking for deals on Christmas
presents and don’t know what the item is actually worth.
Of course if you manage to get your hands on
“the toy” or “the gadget” for that season, you’ll
probably make some serious cash.
It’s not just Christmas. Jewelry sells better and
for higher amounts around Valentine’s Day,
patriotic items sell better around Memorial
Day, Independence Day, etc.
And it’s not just holidays, either. A good friend
of mine made a lot of money selling official
licensed Red Sox and White Sox Major League
Baseball jerseys she purchased from an overstock store a couple of months before the 2005
baseball season began. She started selling the
Red Sox jerseys right before the season
started and then both types throughout the
season. The Boston Red Sox were the 2004
winners so their shirts were very popular
right from the beginning of the season and
the Chicago White Sox ended up winning
the 2005 World Series. She made $30 to $50
profit on each of the 120 shirts (she paid $10
per shirt, so that is 200 to 400 percent profit).
I Remember When …
When the XBox 360 came
out, you could not find one in
any major city in America; but
Costco, Sam’s Club, and WalMart in some rural areas had
them in stock. Savvy eBay sellers
in these areas were buying them
at full retail and doubling their
money selling them right before
Christmas on eBay. The same
was true when the PlayStation 3
came out a few years later.
Tips
Items related to a sport in
season will always sell for
more than when they are out
of season.
Statistically, July and August are the slowest months for eBay sales because people
are on, or have just come back from, vacation and they don’t have a lot of disposable
income left. Once the schools go back, sales begin to pick up again, and Christmas
sales start around the end of October and really explode right after Thanksgiving.
So sometimes the best thing you can do is hold on to an item and wait.
198
I Remember When …
My sister tried to sell an antique flute on eBay.co.uk in August, but the bids didn’t reach
her reserve price (or even come close to it). She asked me what I thought and I told her
if she could afford to wait, to hold off until October to relist—she would then catch the
early Christmas shoppers. She did, and the flute sold for £432 (almost $850), which
was well over her reserve price.
u Use What’s Hot to find items that are really in demand.
u Using Hammertap3, Terapeak, or eBay Marketplace Research will make it a lot
easier to find out how much to list your item for (and what day, time, etc., will
maximize your profit).
u You don’t have to be an official Trading Assistant to sell things for your friends.
u Use Want It Now to see ads from buyers for items they want and can’t find.
u Many items are seasonal. Off-season items get lower bids and lower final prices.
13
Chapter
What It Will Cost You
In This Chapter
u How much it costs to sell on eBay.com
u What all of the extras cost
u How much it will cost to sell your car on eBay
u What it would cost to set up and maintain your own store
EBay fees are different in every country. For the purposes of this chapter, I
am assuming you are selling on eBay.com. If you are selling on one of the
other sites, click on the Help tab from the homepage and see if one of the
top links says “How much does it cost to sell on eBay?” or something similar. If it does, that link will take you to the fees for your country. If not,
just search “eBay fees” in the Help search box and it will be one of the top
results.
On the resources page that accompanies this book (www.skipmcgrath.
com/cig), you will find a link to the current fee tables for U.S. sellers in
case they have changed since this book published. Currently it is http://
pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html. You’ll notice if you go there that I am
not covering every type of fee. I’m not covering real estate, ad format, or
business and industrial category fees because they are very specific areas.
No beginner should be selling in those categories straight away. If you are
Shark in the Water
Be careful looking at these
tables. Each type of auction has different fees for the
same thing. So the Insertion fee
for eBay Stores is different from
online auctions, which is different
from eBay Motors. All of the fees
have the same or similar names,
so make sure to look at the heading before finding the fee you are
looking for.
interested in either of those areas, go to the fees page
and you can view all of those fees there.
Some sellers think eBay’s fees are a lot, others (usually those who have sold through other marketplaces)
consider them quite reasonable. They are certainly
competitive with other online selling venues.
Still, fees do add up, so be careful when you’re looking at optional listing upgrades. We’ll talk about feesaving strategies in Chapter 19 and which optional
upgrades you should use in which circumstances in
Chapter 20. For now, though, I want you to have
easy access to all of the fees in one place.
eBay Online Auction Fees
When you first start selling, you will be looking at different fees, which are explained
in this first section.
As I said, I’m not discussing how to minimize your costs here; that will come in later
chapters. Here you will find a general discussion of the different online auction fees.
You’ll probably want to dog-ear this page so you can come back and check these fees
when you start your actual listing.
Insertion and Final Value Fees
The Insertion fee (also commonly called the listing fee) is charged when you list an
item and is determined by the starting price (or reserve price if you set one).
Insertion Fees
Starting or Reserve Price
Insertion Fee
$0.01–$0.99
$1.00–$9.99
$10.00–$24.99
$25.00–$49.99
$50.00–$199.99
$200.00–$499.99
$500.00 or more
$0.20
$0.40
$0.60
$1.20
$2.40
$3.60
$4.80
Chapter 13: What It Will Cost You
So you can see that if you list an item with
a starting price of $9.99 it will cost you 40
cents. An item with a starting price of $199
would cost $2.40.
Final Value fees are charged only when the
item sells. The amount is determined by
the selling price. Even if you list an item
five times and it doesn’t sell, you will not be
charged a Final Value fee. Calculating the
fee is a little complicated, so look for the
explanation and examples after the fee table.
201
Tips
Be aware of where the price
breaks fall, because a starting price of $24.99 costs you
$0.60, but if you go one penny
higher to $25.00 you pay twice
as much for the Insertion fee
($1.20).
Final Value Fees
Closing Price
Final Value Fee
Item did not sell
No fee
$0.01–$25.00
5.25% of the closing value
$25.01–$1,000.005.25% of the initial $25 ($1.31), plus 3.25% of the remaining balance between $25.01 and $1,000.00
$1,000.01 or higher5.25% of the initial $25 ($1.31), plus 3.25% of the portion
from $25.01 to $1,000.00 ($31.69), plus 1.5% of the value
from $1000.01 up
I know I use this phrase a lot, but don’t panic. The Final Value fee table looks confusing, but it’s actually quite simple.
If your item sells for $25 or less, you pay 5.25 percent of that amount. So if it sells for
$17, your Final Value fee would be $0.89.
If your item sells for over $25 but under $1,000, there is a really easy way to calculate
your fee:
1. Subtract $25.00 from the selling price.
2. Multiply the remainder by 3.5 percent.
3. Add $1.31.
4. The answer is your Final Value fee.
Let’s explain it in a real-world example. Your item sells for $55.00. You subtract
$25.00, which leaves you $30.00. 3.5 percent of $30.00 is $1.05. Add $1.31 to $1.05 to
get $2.36. That is your Final Value fee.
Basically the trick is to remember that 5.25 percent of $25 is $1.31, so there’s no point
in calculating it every time if your item sold for over $25.
Now we can apply the same process to the third and final tier. If your item sells for
$1,000.01 or higher:
1. Subtract $1,000.00 from the selling price.
2. Multiply the remainder by 1.5 percent.
3. Add $33.00 ($1.31 from the first tier plus $31.69 from the second tier).
4. The answer is your Final Value fee.
So here’s your real-world example. Let’s say your item sells for $1,450. Subtract
$1,000 to get $450. Now multiply $450 by 1.5 percent to get $6.75. Add $33.00 and
$6.75 to get your Final Value fee of $39.75.
If this is all a bit much for you, you can go to the resources page (www.skipmcgrath.
com/cig) and download a free Fee Calculator, which will do all of the math for you.
Dutch Auctions
Fees for Dutch (multiple-item) auctions are a little different. To calculate the Insertion
fee for a Dutch auction, use the online auction table to find the fee for the starting
price, and then multiply the fee by the number of items you have listed in the auction.
Tips
The maximum Insertion fee for
a Dutch auction is $4.80. So
if you have multiple quantities of the same item, it is often
cheaper to list a Dutch auction
rather than listing separate auctions for each item.
If you have 15 of the same item and you want to set
a starting price of $34.99 per item, you could list 15
auctions with one item in each and pay $18.00 in
Insertion Fees (15 × $1.20). Or, you could run one
auction with all 15 items and pay only $4.80 for the
Insertion fee. That’s a savings of $13.20 for just one
auction!
s a new seller I doubt you have a lot of the same
A
item to sell, but if you decide to stay on eBay you may
want to buy products from wholesale suppliers. If
you do this, you can reduce your eBay fees by using
Dutch auctions instead of single-item auctions.
Chapter 13: What It Will Cost You 203
For the Final Value fee, you need to look at the fee for the lowest successful bid because
that is what all of your buyers will pay, and then multiply the fee for that amount by
the number that sold (not the number you listed).
So if you had 15 items listed but sold only 11, and the lowest successful bid was $42.50,
you would multiply the Final Value fee for each item ($1.92) by 11 (not by 15). So your
Final Value fees for the entire auction would be $21.12.
We’ll talk more about this in Chapter 18.
Listing Upgrades
We’re going to talk about the benefits and strategies of using optional listing upgrades
in Chapter 20, so I’m not going to explain what each of them is here. Some you have
heard me mention these before. If you are confused about a particular term, either
look ahead to Chapter 20 or look in the glossary in Appendix A for a definition.
Listing Upgrades Fees
Upgrade Option
Fee
Upgrade Option
Fee
Gallery
Gallery Plus
Listing Designer
Subtitle
Bold
Scheduled Listing
Gift Services
Border
Highlight
Value Pack (Gallery, Subtitle, Listing Designer)
$0.35
$0.75
$0.10
$0.50
$1.00
$0.10
$0.25
$3.00
$5.00
10-day Listing
Featured Plus!
Gallery Featured
Home Page Featured
(Single Item)
Home Page Featured
(Multiple item Auction) Pro Pack (Bold, Border,
Highlight, Gallery
Featured, Featured Plus!)
$0.40
$19.95
$19.95
$39.95
$79.95
$29.95
$0.65
There is also an option called List in Two Categories. This allows you to choose two
categories for your item. I rarely use this option because you have to pay the Insertion
fee twice, as well as any of the optional listing upgrades (except scheduled listing and
Home Page Featured). If you are considering using this option, make sure to work
out the difference in cost and see if you are really going to make that much or more
by using two categories.
Most of these fees (except the feature fees) seem quite low, but believe me, they do
add up. In Chapter 20, I will explain which fees you need when others are useful but
not essential, and which fees you can avoid completely.
Buy It Now
If you choose to have a Buy It Now option in your auction, eBay charges a small fee
based on the Buy It Now price you set.
Buy It Now Fees
Buy It Now Price
Fee
$0.01–$9.99
$10.00–$24.99
$25.00–$49.99
$50.00 or higher
$0.05
$0.10
$0.20
$0.25
Reserve Price Auction
Reserve Price fees are refunded if the item sells, but not if it doesn’t sell. So make
sure whatever Reserve you set is realistic.
Reserve Price Auction Fee
Reserve Price
Fee
$0.01–$49.99
$50.00–$199.99
$200.00 or higher
$1.00
$2.00
1% of the reserve price (max $50)
You can lower your reserve price after bids have been placed on your auction, provided there are still over 12 hours to go before your auction ends and the reserve has
not already been met.
eBay Stores Fees
If you are planning to be a casual seller, I wouldn’t bother with an eBay store. But
if your casual selling gets you hooked on eBay and you want to build a part-time or
full-time business, you will eventually want to set up an eBay store. EBay stores are
primarily used by sellers that have lots of similar merchandise, or dozens of identical
items to sell, and they want a place to park merchandise between auctions.
Your subscription is on a month-to-month basis, so you can cancel at any time. I’m
not going into great detail about eBay Stores because of the business aspect, but I do
want to show you the fee structure.
Monthly Subscription
There are three levels of subscription and each level gives you different features and
exposure on the eBay site. You can read more about the different levels by going to
http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/Subscriptions.html.
eBay Store Monthly Subscription
Store Level
Monthly Fee
Basic
Featured
Anchor
$15.95
$49.95
$499.95
Insertion and Final Value Fees
EBay store Insertion fees are lower, and the listings have a longer duration than
online auctions. But eBay Store listings do not show up in a regular eBay search
(using the main search box on the homepage). They do display in eBay Express
searches (if the item and seller qualify); if a buyer specifically searches in eBay Stores;
or if the buyer checks the All items including Store Inventory Items box in the Search
Options on the main search results page.
eBay Stores Insertion Fees
Starting Price
Insertion Fee (for a 30-day listing)
$0.01–$24.99
$25.00 or higher
$0.05
$0.10
You can list an item for 30 days or select Good ’Til Canceled for your eBay Store listings. If you select Good ’Til Canceled, you will be charged the Insertion fee every 30
days until all of the items are gone or you cancel the listing.
Just like regular online auctions, Final Value fees are only charged on the items that
sell. The Final Value fee for eBay Stores is much higher than online auctions.
eBay Stores Final Value Fees
Closing Price
Final Value Fee
Item did not sell
No fee
$0.01–$25.00
10% of the closing value
$25.01–$100.0010% of the initial $25.00 ($2.50), plus 7% of the remaining
balance between $25.01 and $100.00
$100.01–$1,000.0010% of the initial $25.00 ($2.50), plus 7% of the portion
from $25.01 to $100.00 ($5.25), plus 5% of the remaining
value from $100.01 to $1,000.00
$1,000.01 or higher10% of the initial $25.00 ($2.50), plus 7% of the portion
from $25.01 to $100.00 ($5.25), plus 5% of the remaining
value from $100.01 to $1,000.00 ($45.00), plus 3% of the
value from $1,000.01 up
Optional Listing Upgrades for eBay Store Inventory
The Gallery and Subtitle options are much cheaper for eBay Store sellers, but the
other listing upgrades are the same as for online auctions.
eBay Stores Listing Upgrades Fees
Upgrade Option
Fee
Gallery
Listing Designer
Subtitle
Bold
Border
Highlight
Featured Plus!
$0.01
$0.10
$0.02
$1.00
$3.00
$5.00
$19.95
You’ve probably noticed that the Final Value fee is significantly higher for eBay Store
sellers than for auction sellers.
Following is an example with an item price of $35.00. We’re assuming that the auction is listed at the same price it sells. Let’s compare the two formats.
Insertion Fees and Final Value Fees for eBay Store vs. Online Auction
Fee Type
Store Fee
Auction Fee
Insertion fee
Final Value fee
Total fees
$0.10
$3.20
$3.30
$1.20
$1.66
$2.86
Remember, an auction usually has a starting price lower than the selling price. So if
we say start the auction at $9.99, the Insertion fee would be much lower ($0.40) and
the total fees would drop to $2.06.
So why would anyone use an eBay Store when it is so much more expensive? Well,
the listing is 30 days rather than the maximum 10 days you get in an online auction,
so it can be exposed to more potential buyers. Also you don’t know what price you
will get in an online auction, but your final selling price is set with a store. So sellers
usually set their store prices at the higher end of the average selling price for that
item. You are paying a little more in eBay fees, but you are also making more profit.
You can also reduce your eBay Store fees using the Referral Fee Credit. This is more
advanced and you need a website or other way to drive traffic to a specific link, but it
saves you 75 percent off your Final Value fee if the buyer enters your store through
one of your custom links and buys something from your store.
I’m not going to go into detail about the Referral Fee Credit, because it is not a beginner tool. You can read more at http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/referral-credit-faq.
html. Just so you have an idea of the savings, if our seller of the $35.00 item had been
eligible for the Referral Fee Credit, the Final Value fee would have been $0.80 instead
of $3.20. So his total fees would have been lower than the auction seller, even with the
lower starting price.
Picture Services
EBay can host your photographs, and even offers basic editing tools through eBay
Picture Services. If you use Picture Services, the first photograph is free and each
additional one is 15 cents.
There are some other options for picture services. Some of the prices, however, are
different for online auctions and eBay Stores, so both are included in the following
table.
eBay Picture Services Fees
Feature
Online Auction Fee
eBay Store Fee
First Picture
Each Additional Picture
Preview Picture
Picture Show
Supersize Picture
Picture Pack (6 pics)
Picture Pack (12 pics)
Free
$0.15
Free
Free
$0.75
$1.00
$1.50
Free
$0.15
n/a
Free
$0.75
n/a
$0.76
The Preview Picture is the image displayed on the top left of most auction listing pages.
Using Picture Show displays a slideshow of all of your pictures where the Preview
Picture would otherwise display.
Tips
If your photos are small enough, you can merge the pictures into one document when
you edit them so they display as one image. You may have four pictures in that one
jpeg file, but eBay will treat it as one; that way, you aren’t paying for the other three
pictures. This is particularly useful when you want to show multiple angles for the same
item but don’t want to sacrifice clarity for the sake of expense.
eBay Motors Fees
Selling on eBay Motors is quite different from selling on the rest of eBay. This is a
very specific niche and not an area for brand-new sellers. The potential for problems
is much greater when you’re selling high-priced used items that the buyer has not
physically examined.
Feedback is incredibly important to your success, so get some experience from selling
other items and then read the information about eBay Motors on the resource page
(www.skipmcgrath.com/cig) before listing a vehicle on eBay.
The following fee structure is very different from the rest of eBay, too, so keep this
in mind when you set your starting and reserve prices.
Insertion and Transaction Fees
Both Insertion and Transaction fees are flat rates based on the type of vehicle being
sold. If your item doesn’t sell, you will not be charged a Transaction fee (think of it
like the Final Value fee).
Insertion and Transaction Fees for eBay Motors
Category
Insertion Fee
Transaction Fee
Passenger vehicles
Motorcycles
Powersports
Powersports (under 50cc)
Other vehicles
$40.00
$30.00
$30.00
$3.00
$40.00
$50.00
$40.00
$40.00
$3.00
$50.00
If you are selling a vehicle I recommend you always have a reserve price. As with any
other type of auction, if the vehicle sells, your reserve fee is refunded.
Reserve Fees for All eBay Motors Categories Except Powersports Vehicles
Under 50cc
Reserve Price
Fee
$0.01–$5,000
$5,000.01–$10,000
$10,000.01 and up
$5.00
0.1% of the reserve price
$10.00
The reserve fee for the Powersports Vehicles Under 50cc category is $2.00.
The listing upgrade fees vary based on the category within eBay Motors, so rather
than listing them all here, you can go straight to them on eBay through this link:
pages.ebay.com/help/sell/motorfees.html.
210
PayPal Seller Fees
PayPal doesn’t charge fees to Personal account holders, but consequently you are
restricted to $500 in payments per month and can only accept five credit card payments per year. So sooner or later you will have to upgrade to a Premier account.
When you do, all transactions will incur a fee from PayPal. This is calculated as a
percentage of the total amount received plus a flat-rate fee.
As a small U.S. seller, you are most likely to pay 2.9 percent of the amount you received
plus 30 cents per transaction. This table shows all of the domestic fees (from buyers
inside the United States paying in U.S. dollars).
PayPal Service Fees to Premier and Business Account Holders
Monthly Payments Received
PayPal Fee
Up to $3,000.00
$3,000.01–$10,000.00
$10,000.01–$100,000.00
$100,000.01 and up
2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction
Did You Know?
If you have a Personal PayPal account, you can accept up to five credit card transactions
per year without having to upgrade to a Premier or Business account. However, instead
of paying 2.9 percent plus 30 cents, you will pay 4.9 percent plus 30 cents. That’s a
huge difference, but could work out cheaper for you in the long run if most of your payments come from bank account transfers (which are fee-free for Personal account holders).
If you are being paid by a buyer in another country, you need to add another 1 percent
to all of the fees in the table. If you are receiving payment in a different currency, go
to http://tinyurl.com/r1y3 to find the correct fees. I have used TinyURL to make the
link much smaller, but if you want to use the full link, it is www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/
webscr.
Use the drop-down menu on the right to select the currency the payment is in to find
the cross-border transaction fee (see Figure 13.1).
Chapter 13: What It Will Cost You
211
If you are not a U.S. seller, you can find the fees for your country by changing the
country in the left box from United States to your own country. It will then display
the cross-border fees for your country for whatever currency you select. If you want
to see what the domestic fees are, just click See Domestic Transaction Fees (the link
is in the same place as it shows in Figure 13.1).
Figure 13.1
PayPal limits the transaction
fee for receiving an eCheck
payment to $5.00.
drop-down menu for
country change
drop-down menu for See Domestic
currency change
Transaction Fees
link
BidPay Fees
Yes, this is a much shorter section. That is because BidPay fees are not as complicated
as PayPal. There are only two fees to worry about, and they are based on where the
payment came from.
BidPay Fees
Payment Type
Per Transaction Fee
Domestic
International
2.5% plus 50¢
2.9% plus 50¢
u Final Value fees are only charged if the item sells.
u Listing Fees are charged based on the starting price so you can save money by
listing at the high end of the lower bracket instead of the low end of the higher
bracket.
212
u Reserve fees are refunded if the item sells.
u PayPal charges fees for all transactions once you upgrade to a Premier account.
u You can have up to five credit card payments into a Personal PayPal account per
year, but you will pay a much higher transaction fee to do it.
u Cross-border PayPal transaction fees are higher, so make sure it is worthwhile
before allowing buyers from other countries.
14
Chapter
Pictures That Sell Products
In This Chapter
u What type of equipment you need to take photographs for your
auction
u Does having a photograph in your auction really matter?
u Three easy steps to taking better auction photos
u When it is okay to use a stock photograph
u Do you have to pay to put photos in your auction?
New sellers often ask me if it really is important to have a picture in their
auction. It doesn’t matter what item you are selling, the answer will always
be yes. Without a picture, you will rarely get bids. It’s as simple as that.
Trying to sell without a photo is a rookie mistake. It’s like waving a sign
saying “I’m a new seller and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Having a good photograph is nearly as important. If you have a photo and
it looks blurry or the color is off, or it’s too low resolution, the buyer isn’t
going to bother reading your description. Poor photographs cost you
nearly as much in low or no bids as no photographs at all.
You don’t have to be a photography genius. In this chapter, we’re going
to cover a few things you can do to vastly improve your photographs with
very little time or effort (and no expense).
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Camera Specifics
When I started writing about eBay, digital cameras were a luxury. Now they are an
everyday item in almost every home. Good digital cameras have dropped in price
from $800 to as low as $80, and even most kids have them. They are far more costeffective than film cameras and certainly the way to go for auction photographs,
because you can see the results immediately and reshoot if necessary.
If you don’t have a digital camera, don’t panic. You can take your film photos to
Wal-Mart or any photo lab and have them put them onto a CD for you. If you’re only
selling a few items this works okay, but if you have a lot to sell it might be worth buying a used digital camera on eBay. You can always resell it on eBay once you’re finished
listing your items if you don’t want to keep it (but
you’ll have to borrow someone else’s camera to take
Tips
the photo for that auction!).
If you have lost your camera
Make sure you have your camera set to the 1 megamanual, try going to the
pixel setting. This may be called “Fine” or may say
manufacturer’s website and
1M or something similar. You should be able to find
see whether you can download
this in your settings, but check your manual if you’re
it. Most manufacturers offer free
manuals via download for camnot sure.
eras built within the last 7 to 10
We’re going to use some camera terms throughout
years.
this chapter. I’ll explain them where possible, but if
you’re unclear, check the glossary in Appendix A for
a full explanation.
How to Set Up Your Shots
I see poor photos from new sellers all the time. They place the object on their dining
room table, open the flash, and take a shot. As you will see, this is the worst thing
you can do. I know you want to take your pictures quickly so you can get the auctions
listed, but taking a few minutes to set up a clean background and simple lighting will
pay dividends in more bids and higher selling prices for your auctions. Once you’ve
got your setup ready, you can photograph all of your items so they’re ready for whenever you want to list them.
The first thing you need to do is create a clean, uncluttered background. You want to
avoid distraction. There are professional studio tools you can buy to help you, but if
you don’t have much to sell, you’ll want a cheap (i.e., free) solution.
Chapter 14: Pictures That Sell Products
215
In all of the photographs shown in this chapter (except the one without a proper
background) I used a piece of white poster board taped to the wall and curved so it
rested on a folding table. It took five minutes to set up and take down. I used another
Tips
folding table to set my mini-tripod on and
If you are selling jewelry, a
took all of the photos from there. That’s
dark background is useful to
about the easiest backdrop you can get.
help contrast the item. I’ve
Another option, if your item is big, is to
seen excellent photos of silver
watches with a midnight blue
drape a sheet over your TV or entertaincorduroy background. The texture
ment system in your living room and then
complements the metallic watch
place the item on the sheet on the floor.
perfectly and really draws your
This gives you a much bigger backdrop.
eye to it in the Gallery thumbnails
The purpose is to take out the harsh line
on the search results page.
between the object the item is sitting on
and the wall behind it.
Lighting
Poor lighting is one of the biggest mistakes sellers make. They turn on the overhead
light and take their photos with flash. Then they wonder why it looks washed out
with too high contrast.
The best lighting is indirect natural outdoor lighting (not direct sunlight). This
would include shooting outdoors on a cloudy day, in the shade, or inside with natural
light coming in through a window. If you happen to have a deck and live somewhere
that is usually nice but cloudy, this is a great place for you to set up your studio. If
not, you can set it up by a well-lit window.
I used to live in Florida and I couldn’t shoot outside because the sun was too bright.
Clouds diffuse the light and help prevent harsh shadows and reflections, but since we
didn’t usually have clouds, I had to shoot indoors.
If you have to shoot indoors, too, you will need two lamps. I use inexpensive student
gooseneck lamps. You can also purchase inexpensive clamp-on lights from any hardware store. Basically any type of lamp that allows you to direct the light will work.
Think of your setup as a triangle. Your item is at the top point and the two lamps are
positioned at the other two corners pointing at the item (see Figure 14.1). This helps
fill shadows and gives you even lighting. Your tripod and camera should be an equal
distance between the two lamps.
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Figure 14.1
Item
Basic lighting setup to fill
shadows.
Camera
I’m sure you’ve seen daylight bulbs in the store, and you may even use them in your
house. I don’t like them for photography because they mess with the color. You’re far
better using regular bulbs in your lamps and adjusting the white balance settings on
your camera.
White Balance
White balance is an adjustment for the type of lighting you are using. Some cameras
have pre-set options on a wheel on top of the camera, others show it in the settings
(on my Sony camera it is in the settings under WB).
Tips
It is very important to use the
correct white balance settings.
This one adjustment will make
your photographs look a hundred
times better.
The following main settings appear on most cameras:
u Candlelight (for low lighting)
u Daylight (for outdoors)
u Fluorescent (for fluorescent bulbs)
uIncandescent or Tungsten (for regular household
bulbs)
You will most likely use Incandescent (usually the icon is a light-bulb shape).
On my Sony camera I have an option to set the white balance based on the current
lighting. I set up my shot and take a picture and it determines what setting it needs
for that lighting. That is the best way I have found to get perfect color, but if you
don’t have that option, don’t worry.
217
If you’re not sure which of the white balance settings is right, just flick through them
all. Whichever one makes the image look closest to the true color is the one to use.
Tripod
I’ve mentioned that tripods are important, but why? Well, the biggest reason is because
they take away the natural shake of a human hand. Some newer camera models have an
anti-shake function. Mine has this but I still get a bit of a shake when I take handheld
pictures. Just the act of pushing the button can make the camera move.
Tripods are also wonderful for keeping
your photo setup constant. Once you have
your lighting and white-balance settings
adjusted, do you really want to put down
the camera to change items and then
possibly have to go through it all again?
Keeping your camera on the tripod leaves
your hands free. Use the timer function so
there is no human interference, and you’re
well on your way to great photos.
Now all you do is switch out the items and
shoot again. This is the quickest way to get
all of your photos taken ready for listing.
Tips
You really need a tripod to get
good photos. If your camera
didn’t come with a mini tabletop tripod, you can pick one of
them (or a floor standing model)
up for under $15. If you don’t
have a tripod, ask your friends
before buying one. Chances are
someone will have one you can
borrow.
Common Photography Errors and How to Fix Them
Everyone makes mistakes. You’re not a professional photographer (or at least I’m
assuming you aren’t), and you’re not expected to be. It can be very frustrating when
your picture doesn’t look right, but you have no idea how to fix it. Now we’re going
to take the guesswork out of it. Here are eight common errors I see frequently in auction photos, what they make the photo look like, and how you can easily fix them.
Figure 14.2 is our good picture. This is how it should look.
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Figure 14.2
Good photograph of camcorder and accessories.
Figure 14.3
Poor lighting.
There was not enough light in this picture. To fix it, simply add two light sources as
explained in the previous subchapter (shown in Figure 14.1), or shoot near a well-lit
window.
Figure 14.4
Incorrect use of flash.
219
Automatic flash washes out pictures and causes harsh glare on shiny objects. Adjust
your lighting so it is not a spotlight on the item and turn off the flash on your camera.
If this doesn’t fix it, tape a piece of thin paper over the lights so you can’t see the
bulbs and use this diffused lighting. You will need to get the lamps much closer and
don’t forget to remove the paper immediately after shooting to prevent a fire hazard.
Figure 14.5
Poor focus.
If you are using autofocus, hold the shutter button down halfway so it can get the
item in focus. Wait for the beep or a nice sharp image before pressing it the final
halfway. If this doesn’t work, use the autotimer and let it do it for you. If you still have
problems, you are probably shooting something close up without using the Macro setting. Turing this setting on will help you stay in focus when shooting items close up.
Figure 14.6
Shaky.
This is caused by hand movement. To prevent it, use a tripod and the autotimer on
your camera.
Figure 14.7
Low-resolution photo.
Your resolution setting should be 1 megapixel (1M, Fine, etc.). If you expect to be
cropping a lot out of the picture, you may need to go as high as 2 megapixels.
Figure 14.8
Distracting background.
There is too much going on in the background. Use a plain backdrop so buyers are
looking at your item, not the rest of your house.
Figure 14.9
Cluttered composition.
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Although the photographer is well-meaning by showing all of the accessories, they
are just thrown together so it looks messy and unappealing. Look back at Figure 14.1
and see how the cables are neatly coiled and tied. All of the same items are shown in
both photos, but the “good” one is much more appealing.
Figure 14.10
Can’t see details of item.
There is too much white space in this picture. Either crop out the excess space that
is not needed when you are editing your pictures, or use the zoom on your camera
to zoom in on the item so you can see the details. If you plan to crop it, make sure
you shoot at a higher resolution so you can crop it down and then enlarge it without
losing clarity. If you use zoom, make sure to turn on the Macro setting to keep the
image in focus.
Photography Tools That Make Your Life Easier
If you’re selling a lot of shiny objects, it may be worth buying a Cloud Dome (www.
clouddome.com) or EZ Cube (www.ezauctiontools.com). Basically, you put your item
inside the dome or box and shoot through
the opening. Your light sources point
Tips
directly at either side of the item through
A Cloud Dome costs $90.00
the plastic, which diffuses it but keeps it
retail, but you can get a similar
bright enough to illuminate the item.
effect by using a large plastic
This is the best way to get a professional
bowl from the dollar store and
photograph.
cutting a hole in it large enough
to fit your camera lens. It won’t
Skip is a distributor for the EZ Cube, and
be as durable as the Cloud
currently offers the 20-inch version at www.
Dome, but it’s a lot cheaper.
ezauctiontools.com for $79.00 (retail is
$119.00).
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This is a great product for all of your small knick-knacks, vases, etc. I’m not going to
go into any more detail here, but you can find out more at www.ezauctiontools.com if
you are interested.
Editing Your Photos
My husband Chris is an Adobe Photoshop wizard. He can take out things that are
there, put in things that aren’t, clean up items, add sparkle, remove shine, etc. In 20
years I’ll be really happy about this, because he’ll be able to keep me looking like I’m
under 30!
But seriously, using modern photo editing programs you can make your items look
better than they really are. You must resist the temptation to do this for your auction
photos because it is misrepresentation.
Here are a few things you can and can’t do to your photos.
Do’s and Don’ts for Auction Photography Editing
Do’s
Don’ts
Crop to show just the item
Take out any flaws in the item
Add minor sparkle to jewelryAdd anything that would increase the value
of the item that is not actually there
Remove glareMake colors that are faded or dull on your
item look brighter and fresher
Adjust the brightness and contrast
Fix the colors if they are not correct
Smooth out the background if
it looks distracting
You don’t have to do any of these editing techniques, but you should avoid the don’ts
list to prevent inadvertently misrepresenting your item.
In addition to changing the actual image, you might consider adding a border. So
long as it is not distracting to the image, this can make your thumbnail image on the
Search Results Page pop. I’ve seen it look really bad (too thick a line) but also very
good. Try it and see what you think.
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Stock Photography, Copyright, and VeRO
First let’s explain what each of these terms means. Stock photography is an image
from the manufacturer of the item. It is what you will find on the manufacturer’s
website and in its catalog.
Copyright tells you who the owner of the image is. In stock photography, it is the
manufacturer. In auction photography, it is usually whoever took the photo.
VeRO stands for Verified Rights Owner and is eBay’s policy on property of other
people. It applies to more than just photographs, but that’s all we’re going to talk
about here.
It’s okay to use a stock photograph in your auctions if you are an authorized distributor for that product with permission from the manufacturer. But the likelihood is you
are not, so you cannot take a stock photograph from the manufacturer’s website and
use it in your auction. Besides, people recognize stock photos and usually prefer to
see a photo of the actual item they are buying.
If you fill out Item Specifics, eBay may offer you a stock photograph. You may use
that because eBay has arranged permission with the owner of the picture.
Copyright belongs to the photographer so it’s okay to take your own photo of the
item, but it’s not okay to take someone else’s (including another eBay member’s). Most
buyers want to see a picture of the actual item they are buying anyway, so you should
always take your own pictures.
VeRO basically protects the copyright of the photographer. Violating the copyright of
the manufacturer or another eBay user violates eBay’s VeRO policy and can get your
auctions shut down and you suspended.
Getting Around the Picture Services Fees
EBay Picture Services charges 15 cents for each photograph (after the first one, which
is free). There are a few ways you can get around this. First, you could take all of your
photos and create another image showing all of the photos in one bigger photo. Now,
when you upload it, as far as eBay is concerned you only have one image. The problem
with this is the size it would need to be. You need to weigh up the loading time for the
image versus the size of the picture so each individual photo can be seen clearly.
224
Alternatively, you can host your own photographs on another site. eBay only charges
to host your pictures, not upload them. There are plenty of free sites for image hosting.
I like Photobucket (www.Photobucket.com) because it tells you which type of coding
you need for eBay listings. www.Inkfrog.com is another favorite of eBay sellers. Ink
Frog costs $5 a month, but is very popular.
You could also look into using an auction-management program. Most of them
charge fees, but there is a popular one called Auctiva (www.auctiva.com) that is free.
If you end up using an auction-management program, you will get image hosting for
free as part of the package.
u Copyright of a photograph belongs to the photographer, whether it is the manufacturer or another eBay Seller.
u You can get around the Picture Services hosting fees by using either a free hosting service or making a photo montage so you only actually upload one image.
u Changing your white balance settings and using correct lighting will really
improve your photos.
u Take a few minutes to set up a clean, uncluttered background.
u Use a tripod and timer function to prevent blurriness and shakiness in your
photos.
u Don’t overedit your photos. If you make the item look better than it actually is,
you are misrepresenting it to your buyers.
15
Chapter
Building Your Seller
Reputation
In This Chapter
u Why you should get ID Verified
u About Me, My World, and other self-promotion pages
u Why you might get negative feedback and how to get it removed
u Third-party trust seals and what they actually get you
Everything in this chapter is optional. I highly recommend you do it, but
you can sell on eBay without doing any of this. The part about negative
feedback and how to get it removed is important, so please make sure
you read that part even if you have no intention of doing any of the selfpromotion techniques.
Self-Promotion Pages
There are currently two pages you can create to tell other eBay users about
who you are. They are the About Me page and the My World page. My
World is a relatively new eBay feature and I personally think it will replace
the About Me page sometime in the near future, but at the moment they
are two separate pages.
226
About Me
If you see the ME icon after the eBay user’s ID, that means they have created an
About Me page.
About Me pages are really useful for new sellers because they give you a chance to tell
potential buyers about you. Simply seeing the About Me icon after a new seller’s User
ID makes the buyer more confident buying from him or her.
You can set up your own About Me page by clicking on Community from the home
page and then clicking the Create an About Me Page link in the More Community
Programs box at the bottom of the page.
It’s quick and easy to set up, and I highly recommend you do it.
1. On the main About Me page, click the Create Your Page button to get started.
2. Unless you are an HTML expert (which most of us aren’t) make sure Use our
easy step-by-step process is selected and click Continue.
3. Add a title for the page. It could be All About Me, the name of your retail business, or really whatever you like.
4. Use the HTML editor to write your text (we’ll talk about all of the functions of
this editor in Chapter 17). You’ll see that it is broken up into separate boxes for
paragraph one and paragraph two. This is to help with the layout design.
5. EBay will host up to two photographs for free. Click Browse to find them on
your computer, and add a caption in the left box if you want. The combined size
of both pictures must be under 2MB.
6. If you want to show any of your recent feedback, use the Show Feedback You’ve
Received drop-down menu to select how many comments to display. Your
options range from none to 100 comments. I find 10 is about right.
7. If you want, you can use the Show Your Current Listings drop-down menu to
select a number of current listings to display. You can select 10, 25, 50, 100, or
200. Here again, I would select 10 or a maximum 25, as people are unlikely to
scroll through all of your products.
8. Now you can add any links you want. This is the only place on eBay where you
can link to your external website if you have one. Or you can just use sites that
interest you, or are related in some way to the items you sell. Click Continue
when you are done.
Chapter 15: Building Your Seller Reputation
227
9. Now that you’re done writing, it’s time to look at the layout. Figure 15.1 shows
the three layout options. Now you see why you had two pictures and two paragraphs of text.
10. After you select your layout, preview what your page will look like and click
Submit when you’re happy with it.
Figure 15.1
The empty box shows where
your feedback comments/
current items will display.
That’s it, now you have an About Me page and you’ll see the icon displaying after
your User ID. You can edit your page at any time by going to your About Me page
(by clicking on the icon after your User ID) and then clicking Edit Your Page. You
can delete it entirely by clicking Delete Your Page, but it is irretrievable if you do
delete it.
My World
I think My World will eventually replace your About Me page, but it is still in its
fledgling stages so I don’t think we’re at that point yet.
My World is essentially your profile page. Whenever someone clicks on View Member’s Profile from your auction listing, or clicks on your actual User ID, they will be
sent to your My World page.
Figure 15.2 shows Skip’s My World page.
As you can see, Skip uses a picture of him and his wife, Karen, at eBay Live for their
profile photograph.
Treat My World like a MySpace page. There are predators who will look at these
pages; it’s wise if you’re a hottie, or could be considered vulnerable, not to put an
actual picture of yourself in the profile. Unlike MySpace, where you would have to
give your contact information to the other person, all a predator has to do is bid on
228
one of your items and they have your address and can easily get your phone number,
too. They don’t even have to pay for the item. Please understand that I’m not trying
to scare you, only raise your awareness to prevent any possible problems.
profile
photograph
recent feedback
comments
blog
listings
Figure 15.2
Your recent feedback shows on this page, too.
You can set up a blog to talk about pretty much anything. I would keep it eBayrelated, or related to the products you sell, but that is another way to get potential
buyers to know you. Remember that people reading your blog are considering entering into a business transaction with you, so your writing should be clear. It can be
informal, but it shouldn’t be constant rants and raves. You need to show your positive
side (at least until you become an established seller).
Reviews and Guides
Reviews and Guides establish the writer as an expert on a subject. Things that are
second nature to you may be completely confusing for someone else.
Your reviews and guides also show your profile and a couple of your items, so you are
getting extra exposure for your items. They can also help build credibility for you.
There is an eBay seller, User ID: BuyTommy, who specializes in Tommy Bahama items.
There are quite a few cheap knock-offs of Tommy Bahama items on eBay, and it can
sometimes be difficult to determine which are real and which are fake. This seller is a
Chapter 15: Building Your Seller Reputation 229
licensed Tommy Bahama distributor and is an expert on their items. He wrote an excellent guide to spotting fake Tommy Bahama items, including very specific information
about labels, colors, etc.
Not only does this really help buyers who are looking for Tommy Bahama items (I’ve
used it!), but it positions him as one of the good guys. After all, if he were selling
fakes, why would he tell you how to identify his items as fakes? He’s now a Platinum
PowerSeller (over $25,000 a month in sales) with a 99.9 percent feedback rating. All
combined, this makes it very easy to see that he is not selling fakes, and that only
serves to increase his sales.
Even if you’re not an expert about a specific topic, you can always write a review.
There are so many products on the market that you’re bound to have one that hasn’t
been written about (or the review was poorly written). Think about items you have
used for a while. Your digital camera, your kid’s
toys, your car, your computer, etc.
Did You Know?
To write a review or guide, click My Reviews &
Guides from the left side bar in My eBay. Scroll
down and click Reviews & Guides homepage in
the Related Links box on the bottom left of the
page. This will take you to the main Reviews &
Guides page (see Figure 15.3).
A review is about a product
(camera, toy, etc.). A guide is
about how to do something (spot
a fake, take good photos, write
a how-to book, etc.).
search box
Figure 15.3
You can manage the reviews
and guides you write in My
eBay.
write a review
write a guide
Use the search box to see whether a review/guide has already been written about the
product/subject. If it has, that’s okay, you have a different opinion so it’s not a big
deal if the subject has already been covered. Just try to look at it from a different
perspective.
To write a review or guide click the corresponding link and follow the instructions.
The basic process is …
1. Choose a title.
2. Enter a rating (for a product review).
3. Write your review or guide.
4. Preview and submit.
You do need to pay a little bit of attention to the style you write in. It should be clear
and concise. If you’re writing a criticism, don’t get hot-headed. Lay out your argument
logically and rationally. Saying “This product stinks” isn’t appropriate. “I was not satisfied with this product because …” is far more acceptable.
You might find it easier to write your review or guide in a word-processing program,
leave it alone for a while, review it later, and then copy and paste it into the review or
guide box. I often do this with my item descriptions as well.
Don’t forget, some of the items you have for sale will show on the Reviews & Guides
page so you need to sound like you know what you’re talking about. Writing reviews
about items you usually have for sale is a great way to boost the visibility of your auctions to pre-qualified buyers. (If a buyer is reading a review, the chances are she is
looking to purchase that item.)
Feedback Profile
We’ve already talked a lot about the Feedback Profile and how to read it in Chapter 9,
so I won’t repeat myself. Here we’re going to talk about the dreaded negative feedback,
how to avoid it, and what to do if you do get one.
Negative Feedback
There are many reasons you might get a negative feedback comment—the buyer left
feedback for the wrong seller, your computer crashed and you couldn’t communicate
with your buyers, you had a family emergency, you took too long to send the item,
231
you sent the wrong item, you made some rookie mistakes on shipping and handling,
or maybe the buyer was just in a bad mood. Don’t laugh at the last one, it happens!
Whatever the reason, there are things you can do to fix it. But let’s start by looking at
ways you can prevent getting negative feedback in the first place.
1. Always give excellent customer service. Answer e-mails twice a day (minimum)
so your buyers are never left hanging.
2. Never overcharge for shipping (if you’re adding a handling fee, make sure to pay
for your postage through PayPal and don’t check the box to show the buyer the
amount you actually paid).
3. Always deliver what you promise. If you say you will ship within two days, don’t
wait five.
4. Ship items with some form of tracking so your buyer can see where their item
is. This also doubles as proof of delivery, which can prevent problems of buyers
claiming they never received an item.
5. Always describe your items fully, including flaws. You should take photos of any
flaws so the buyer knows exactly what he is actually buying.
That said, there will come a time when you will get a negative feedback. Getting your
first negative feedback feels devastating. You feel like your feedback rating is ruined
and no one will ever buy from you again.
Okay, once you’ve got that out of your system, it’s time to do something about it.
Replying to Feedback Received
The first thing you should do is put a response on the feedback comment as soon as
you have found out from the buyer what was wrong. You should specify the problem
and how you are fixing it. This will reassure other potential buyers while you try to
get it sorted out.
If you do manage to get the feedback removed, the original comment and your
response will remain in your profile, just without the impact on your feedback score.
Once the feedback is removed you can’t add a response, so make sure to do that
before starting the feedback removal process.
To leave a response to feedback you have received, click the Community navigation
tab from the homepage and click Feedback Forum (the top option).
232
Tips
The response you leave for a
buyer who left negative feedback tells potential buyers far
more about you than the other
buyer. Never use terms like
“deadbeat buyer,” because that
just makes you look like you’re
avoiding your responsibility.
In Figure 15.4, you can see the various options for
managing your feedback. Click Reply to feedback
received.
The next page shows your feedback comments and a
Reply link to the right of each link (see Figure 15.5).
You may not be able to look at the closed auction
page, but you can leave a reply to feedback for as far
back as you have been an eBay member.
Now that you’ve got your comment on there, let’s
look at removing the negative feedback rating.
reply to feedback received
feedback disputes
Figure 15.4
You can also learn a bit more
about feedback on this page.
Figure 15.5
On the next page you have
80 characters for your reply.
You can reply to a feedback
comment only once, so make
it count.
Reply
233
Removing Negative Feedback
There was a time when feedback could not be removed under any circumstances.
Even if a bidder stated that they gave negative feedback to the wrong seller, or hit the
wrong button, eBay would not remove the comment.
Thankfully, that has changed. EBay still won’t take the comment out of your profile,
but they will remove the effect of the comment on your feedback score and percentage rating.
There are only certain circumstances when eBay will do this, so you will need to do
some level-headed negotiation with your buyer. You are in a better position to negotiate if you haven’t already given your buyer feedback, but you should never say “I will
leave you negative feedback if you don’t do …” This is called feedback extortion.
The first thing you should do when you get a negative feedback is to contact your
buyer. Be very polite. If you had no indication that she was upset, you should calmly
ask what the problem was. The key to this is calm, professional behavior.
She has to agree to a feedback removal, so you want to be as accommodating as possible. If she left the wrong type of feedback for you by accident, you can skip straight
to the feedback-removal process.
If it was something minor (item was shipped
a little late, there was a piece broken, etc.),
you could offer a refund of part of the price,
or something like that. It’s worth it to get
the feedback removed. Most buyers will
consider a Mutual Feedback Withdrawal if it
means they will get a refund, or something
from you.
Mutual Feedback Withdrawal
is a process for getting negative
feedback removed. It requires
the agreement of both buyer and
seller and the impact of both
comments will be removed at the
same time whether or not they
were both negative.
Filing for Mutual Feedback Withdrawal
From the Feedback Forum, click Feedback disputes. This will take you to the Resolving
Feedback Disputes page where you can read a bit more about eBay polices regarding feed
back withdrawal.
To use the most common process, Mutual Feedback Withdrawal, click Start Mutual
Feedback Withdrawal. Make sure you have the item number that the feedback was
related to and enter it on the next page.
234
EBay will send the other person an e-mail asking her to confirm that she agrees to
the feedback withdrawal. Once she confirms it, you both get your feedback profile
scores adjusted.
Remember, you don’t get the entire comment removed, just the effect it has on your
feedback rating.
There are a few other times you can get a feedback removed, but they are rare and
relate to very specific eBay policies. They include …
u The buyer used profanity in his comment.
u The buyer was suspended indefinitely by eBay within 90 days of initially registering on eBay.
u The buyer doesn’t pay for his item, you file an Unpaid Item dispute, and he
doesn’t respond.
u The buyer put your contact information in the feedback comment.
Third-Party Trust Seals
As good as the feedback system is, there are other, non-eBay services you can pay for
that offer an extra level of trust for the buyer.
SquareTrade (www.squaretrade.com) is a dispute-resolution
company. It helps buyers and sellers sort out issues either
between themselves or using a professional mediator. You don’t
have to be a member of SquareTrade to use its dispute resolution services, but they do cost a little more if you’re not. The
good thing about SquareTrade is you get a trust seal to put in
all of your auctions. This shows all potential buyers that you are committed to working with them if there is a problem. As a new seller, this can be very worthwhile. If
you refuse mediation, you will have your SquareTrade membership revoked.
BuySAFE (www.buysafe.com) is another third-party tool.
BuySAFE bonds you for the full purchase price of each item
you sell (up to $25,000). You pay 1 percent of the final selling
price, which is very minimal considering the increase in sales
you should experience (the fee for a $50 item is only 50 cents).
There is no monthly fee for buySAFE, so if you take a vacation,
you’re not still paying for buySAFE while you have no active
235
listings. You only pay to bond items you actually sell, so if your item doesn’t sell, you
don’t owe anything. Also, you can choose which items you bond (you don’t need to
bond everything), which gives you more flexibility.
Covering buyers for the full price they paid is a big deal and pretty much gives you
instant credibility. BuySAFE’s screening process for sellers is quite extensive, so it
also shows that you adhere to their standards for reliability, trustworthiness, fast shipping, financial stability, etc., which helps build trust in you as a seller.
You will likely not qualify for buySAFE immediately as you need a proven trackrecord, but when you have some selling experience, this is a really good way to
increase buyer confidence and boost sell-through rate.
The third option is ID Verify. In my opinion, all new sellers should be ID Verified.
This just tells the buyer that you have gone one extra step to make them more comfortable buying from you, and it confirms that you are who you say you are.
Becoming ID Verified
ID Verify costs $5.00. Go to the Site Map and click See All Selling Resources (at the
bottom of the Selling Resources section). This will take you to the Resources section
of Seller Central.
Scroll all the way to the bottom and click ID Verify under Third Party Services.
The first thing you do is agree to the $5.00 charge. Then you will have to sign in
again.
On the next page you will be asked for your personal information, including your
address, phone number, date of birth, driver’s license number, and issuing state.
When you click Continue, eBay will do an inquiry on your credit history. Don’t
worry, this doesn’t hit your credit like a credit check. All eBay is looking for are recurring payments you have, and verifying the personal information you just gave them.
On the next page you will be asked to select the correct answer from five options.
Questions include the following:
u Who is the credit provider for your mortgage?
u On which of the following streets have you lived?
u What is your scheduled monthly payment for your mortgage?
u In which of the following cities have you lived?
236
Once you have answered the questions, click Continue to get the answers verified.
ID verification lasts until you move or change phone numbers (whichever comes first).
Once you update those in your eBay account, you will lose your ID Verify status and
will have to complete the process again.
u Creating an About Me page and My World profile tells potential buyers a bit
about you and builds a relationship between you and your future customers.
u You can leave one follow-up comment in reply to a feedback comment you have
received.
u Negative feedback can be removed under certain circumstances.
u If you get a negative feedback, be nice! If you’re aggressive or threatening, you
have very little chance of getting the comment removed.
u ID Verify confirms your identity and is cheaper than other third-party services
like SquareTrade and BuySAFE.
4
Part
Creating Your Auction
In this part, you will learn exactly how to create a listing that will make
buyers want to buy your item. We start at the beginning with the new
eBay Sell Your Item form and work through it showing you what each
choice means and what options you should use. Then we explain the
optional listing upgrades in plain English and show you which you should
always use, which are useful in certain circumstances and which are almost
never worth the cost.
16
Chapter
Describing Your Item
In This Chapter
u Listing options explained
u How to customize the Sell Your Item form
u How to write your auction title
u Uploading your photos quickly and easily
u Using prefilled information when you don’t know anything about
your item
EBay recently introduced a new Sell Your Item form. If you saw the old
one, you know how much of an improvement the new one really is. It took
a year of testing, but it’s finally been rolled out to all sellers. I was part of
the test group, so I’ve been using it for a while, and I do like it.
The biggest difference from the old version, and what makes it so much easier to use, is that it is condensed to far fewer pages. Only the basic options
are displayed on the default page, so it is much clearer and easier to use.
In this chapter, we’re going to start our listing with the Sell Your Item
form. Although we take five chapters to go through the entire process, it
won’t take long for you to actually create your auction. As you get practiced at writing effective titles and descriptions, and become familiar with
the options available, it will take less and less time for you to list items.
240 Part 4: Creating Your Auction
eBay’s Sell Your Item Form
The Sell Your Item form is where most new eBay sellers start. It is the best option if
you only list a few items at a time.
However, if you start listing lots of auctions, you might find Turbo Lister (eBay’s free
auction-management program) is a better option, as it automates some of the repetitive tasks and lets you manage your auctions a little easier.
We will discuss Turbo Lister in Chapter 18 and explain how to list an item using it,
but Turbo Lister isn’t set up for a beginner and is not nearly as user-friendly as the
Sell Your Item form. So you should list your first few auctions with the Sell Your
Item form to get a feel for the process and the options available to you, even if you
eventually journey into the world of Turbo Lister.
We’re going to create an auction for the item we photographed in Chapter 14—a Sony
Handycam DCR-SR100 HDD Camcorder. You should always have your photograph
ready before you start the listing process. Stopping in the middle of creating your listing to go take the photographs will really throw you off and will end up taking much
more time.
I recommend you create a folder on your computer for your auction photos so you
can find them quickly and easily when you get to that step. That said, let’s get started.
Category Selection
Click the Sell navigation tab. The first thing you will be asked to do is type a few
keywords about your item.
For this camcorder we will use Sony Camcorder HDD Handycam DCR-sr100.
Usually the correct category is quite obvious from the selection eBay offers you. In
our case, Cameras and Photos > Camcorders > HDD is the obvious category. However, what if your item type doesn’t have a specific subcategory, or it could easily fit
into two categories? Then you will need to do your own research.
1. Open a new browser window and do a Completed Listings search for your item.
2. Click on the auction title of items with the highest selling prices and the most bids.
3. At the top of the page it will tell you which category the auction was listed in.
(See Figure 16.1.)
4. Repeat this with the highest-priced items until you are comfortable that you know
which category was the most successful for that item.
Chapter 16: Describing Your Item
241
Figure 16.1
Category auction was listed in
This will display on active
or completed auctions, so if
there aren’t many completed
auctions, have a look at the
active ones with the most
bids and highest price so far
as well.
Now let’s go back to the category options (see Figure 16.2).
select category
Save and Continue
percentage of listings with matching keywords in that category
Figure 16.2
If you don’t see the category you want to sell in, click Browse for categories
and you can select from the main categories and subcategories yourself.
You can see that the top category in Figure 16.2 is actually for batteries, so that is not
the right choice. The second option is the HDD category, and that’s where it should
go. By doing your own research you can be more comfortable knowing your item is
listed in the best possible category, especially if the choice isn’t obvious.
Once you have selected your category, click Save and Continue. You may be
prompted to choose a second category for eBay’s List in two categories feature.
List in two categories sounds like a great option. Who wouldn’t like to have twice as
many people see their item? But there is a catch. If you use this option, eBay doubles
all of your listing fees. So double the Insertion fee and double all of the listing
upgrade fees. That’s a lot of money going to fees. I try to keep my listing fees under
242
List in two categories displays
your item in two different cate
gories simultaneously.
10 percent of my item’s expected final selling price.
If you’re using List in two categories, that has to
become 5 percent because of the doubling effect. So
it’s only worth using this option when you have an
expensive item or when you will significantly lose out
by having it in only one category.
Pre-Filled Information
In certain categories, eBay offers Pre-Filled Information. This is product information
(often including a stock photograph) about the item. You’ll know if it is offered for
your item because the Find Your Product box will appear (see Figure 16.3) as soon as
you see the main Sell Your Item page.
search by manufacturer part number
Figure 16.3
If you never want to see this
option, check the box marked
Don’t show again for 30
days.
Don’t show again for 30 days
Continue without
You’ll usually find Pre-Filled Information for items in certain categories that include:
u Books
u Consumer Electronics
u Cameras & Photo
u DVDs & Movies
u Cell Phones & PDAs
u Video Games
u Computers & Networking
I tend to use the manufacturer part number (or ISBN) to locate the item because
it is the most accurate (and quickest) way
of searching. For our camcorder there is
very little information (and no photograph)
because it is a relatively new item. Older
items will have more information.
Click Save Selection once you have found
your item. Or if you don’t want to use
Pre-Filled Information in your listing, click
Continue without.
243
Shark in the Water
Even if you use Pre-Filled
Information, you should
write a full description yourself. If
an item is very new, be particularly careful to check the information is accurate because you are
responsible for it, not eBay.
If I don’t know a lot about an item, I will use Pre-Filled Information to get the
details, but then I write the description myself. I prefer not to repeat myself, and
I find jumping straight to my listing (which I can make look far more appealing)
engages buyers quicker and more effectively than using Pre-Filled Information. It’s
worth searching online for product descriptions, too, but be aware of copyright and
don’t lift someone else’s description about the item.
Customizing the Sell Your Item Form to Show Other Options
Most of the listing will be created here on the main Sell Your Item page. For some
reason eBay doesn’t include international shipping in the Shipping section, but you
can turn that on by customizing the Sell Your Item form. There are many other
options you can turn on there, too.
At the top right of the page, click the Show/Hide Options button.
This will open a pop-up window with all of the customize options available (see Figure 16.4).
Select the tab for the option you wish to add or remove. To display international shipping options, click Shipping. Now within the section, select the options you want to
add or remove by checking or unchecking the corresponding box. To add international shipping, use the drop-down menu to select 3 domestic and 3 international services
(see Figure 16.4).
Click Save and your changes will be immediately reflected on the Sell Your Item
form.
Shipping tab
Show/Hide Options
Figure 16.4
The options with check marks
in the boxes are already displayed on the Sell Your Item
form. To turn them off, just
uncheck the box.
Save
Drop-down menu to select shipping services
Writing Your Auction Title
It doesn’t sound hard, does it? Enter 55 characters about your item and you’re done,
right? You could do that. But there is a lot of competition, and if you want to get a lot
of buyers clicking through to your auction, there are a number of things you need to
consider.
Because almost 80 percent of buyers search for items, you need to include as many
keywords as possible. But at the same time, it has to make sense as a title for those 20
percent who are browsing, and for when the searchers are scanning the auction titles
on the search results page. So just typing a row of disjointed keywords isn’t going to
work.
It’s not just the words, either. Although you can’t use HTML to change the color or
font of the text like you can in the auction description (which we’ll talk about in a
moment), you can use other techniques to make your auction title stand out.
You need to include all of the keywords about the item and then add something the
other auctions don’t have to make the buyer want to read your auction.
So start with the obvious keywords. The following list shows information you should
include about your item. Obviously a pair of jeans doesn’t need the model number,
nor does a camcorder need the size in the title. Look through the list and see which
apply to your item type. Those are the keywords buyers might search for and you
absolutely need to include in your title.
o Product name
o Size
o Brand name
o Color
245
o Style
o Model number
o Condition
You will also want to include anything unique about the item, or things that will
increase its value. Is it a signed rookie baseball card? Is it a first edition out-of-print
book? Does it come with more than just the main item? Is it a collectible in the original box?
There’s not enough space to write “out of print” or “mint condition in original box.”
So over the years, eBay sellers have developed abbreviations that are fairly well understood to communicate extra information in a title. We listed these in Chapter 5, but
here’s a refresher:
BIN
Buy It Now
COA
certificate of authenticity (used mainly for collectibles)
EUC
excellent used condition
GU
gently used
LTD
limited edition
NIB
new in box
NIP
new in packaging
NR
no reserve
NWOT
new without tags
NWT
new with tags
OEM
original equipment manufacturer (you usually see this in
relation to computer software, ink cartridges, etc.)
OOP
out of print
PM
Priority Mail shipping
RET
retired
S/O
sold out
Remember that you only have 55 characters (including spaces) to convince your buyer
that your item is better than all the others, so as well as keywords, you should try
to fit in some “trigger” words (also known as adjectives to those who were good at
grammar in high school):
New
Like New
Brand New
Beautiful
Hot
Hottest
Awesome
Stunning
Vintage
Unusual
Hard to Find
Rare
Unique
Super Deal
Bonus
Designer
Collectible
Antique
Shark in the Water
Be careful with words like
Rare, Antique, Designer,
and Unique. Use them only if it is
actually true. Saying a wooden
bowl is antique and then in the
auction description admitting that
it was made in 1980 will only
prejudice the buyer against you
and make them click away from
your auction.
Around the holidays it’s worth adding Christmas,
Xmas, Mother’s Day, 4th of July, or whatever holiday
it is as well as the word “gift.”
Think about who your buyer is before you decide
which trigger words to use. There’s no point using
“vintage” if your target buyer is looking for something new, or “pretty” for a state-of-the-art technology item.
Make sure you have enough space for your item
keywords before you use a lot of trigger words. Your
item still has to show up in the searches!
I collect watercolor prints by a wonderful English artist, Norma Nelson. They retail
for between $70 and $200, but if I search eBay UK (www.eBay.co.uk) sometimes I
can pick them up for much less. I recently bought three limited-edition prints (retail
at around $180 each) for $30 for all three because the seller forgot to put the words
framed watercolor print in her titles. I have a favorite search set up for the artist’s name,
so I found them, but I doubt anyone else did.
Here are a few examples of bad auction titles I have seen on eBay and how they could
be improved. The first is the actual auction title for one of the Norma Nelson prints
I bought.
TRANQUILITY by Norma Nelson LIMITED EDITION
FRAMED Watercolor Print ~SIGNED BY ARTIST~ Norma Nelson
Playstation 3 in box with games
BRAND NEW NIB Playstation 3 ~~ BONUS! 4 GAMES INCLUDED!
247
DKNY jeans size 8
STUNNING designer * DKNY * blue bootcut jeans 8 PETITE
Nice Wooden Bowl
Beautiful Rustic ** MAPLE WOOD ** large bowl ~ MUST SEE
You get the idea. In each of my improved
examples I used all 55 characters. Even
if you have run out of things to say, use
up the extra with symbols like ** or ~ to
emphasize a particular word or phrase, and
if you still have characters left use extra
spaces between words.
Tips
Using symbols is fine but they
shouldn’t be used within a word
like L@@K. Also, don’t use capitals and lowercase alternatively
in the same word LiKE tHIs. Both
techniques are annoying, cheesy,
and unprofessional. They may get
buyers looking at your auction title,
but they won’t get buyers clicking
into your auction.
However, one word of caution when using
these symbols—if you put a symbol such
as ~ or * right next to a word, the search
engine sees that as a character and will not
bring that word up when it searches. For
example, if you put *SONY* in the title and someone searched SONY, your auction
would not come up in the search. You need to put a space between the symbol and
any words you want found in a search. For example, * SONY * is okay.
In our previous example I used ~signed by artist~, but that’s okay because I don’t
expect those terms to be searched for. I included the phrase to set it apart from the
other items when the buyer is browsing the results. It’s something that intrigues buyers, but is not usually included in search terms.
Have a look at the Completed Listings for your item. Look at the most successful
auctions to get some ideas for trigger words and keywords for your particular item.
For our auction we have a lot of keywords to use because it is a technology item. So
let’s look at the required keywords first:
Model number:
DCR-SR100
Item type:
HDD Camcorder
Brand:
Sony
Condition:
New
Model name:
Handycam
Size:
30GB
So let’s start with that:
New Sony Handycam DCR-SR100 HDD Camcorder 30GB
That’s already 46 characters (including spaces), so there’s not much left to play with.
We have a camera bag and extra cables included. There’s not enough room to list
both of those, so let’s use the word “Bonus” instead and entice the buyer to look at
our auction to find out what the bonuses are. Remember our thumbnail picture shows
the camera bag so someone particularly looking for that will see it in the picture.
Now we have used all 55 characters:
NEW Sony Handycam 30GB HDD Camcorder DCR-SR100 + BONUS!
Incorrect Spellings Can Increase Sales
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but there are some instances when using both the
correct spelling and a common misspelling works to your advantage.
Take the shoe brand—Skechers, or is it Sketchers? If you do a search for Skechers
Sandals, you will find hundreds of items. (I just did a search and got 605 listings.)
Now try Sketchers Sandals. (Note the added “t” in Sketchers.) I still got 110 results.
That’s much less, but enough for a buyer to not realize they’ve made a spelling mistake. Most will just think there are fewer items available. Because of that there will
be more competition driving the price up (particularly when the buyer narrows down
the size).
I found significantly higher-selling prices in the misspelled auctions than in the ones
with correctly spelled keywords.
Think about it: you’re not going to push your maximum bid to get an item if you
know there are hundreds of other listings for the same thing available. But if there
are only 5 or 10 of the item you want, you might be more tempted to bid it up.
This applies to international words and spellings, too. If you’re selling sneakers, consider adding the English version, “trainers,” to your title. If you’re using the word
“jewelry,” consider adding “jewellery” as well. Of course, this is a little pointless if
you’re not offering international shipping, but you get my point.
I suggest you work on your title in a word-processing document where you can
check the character count (in Microsoft Word the option is under the Tools menu).
Remember, you need to look at the total characters including spaces.
Chapter 16: Describing Your Item 249
Tips
If you are using a word processor, be careful of the spell checker. This is a good
feature, but it can be a problem with brand names, so check directly on the brand
website if you’re not absolutely certain of the spelling.
For example, I think many of the incorrectly spelled listing titles with Sketchers instead
of Skechers occur because a word-processing program will say that Skechers is the
incorrect spelling (when it is actually correct) and try to correct it with Sketchers. This
is because it assumes that you meant to use the word to describe a number of people
who like to sketch, not the brand of shoes.
Write a few versions of your title with different trigger words and different orders of
the keywords. Once you find the one you like best, copy-paste (or retype) it into the
Title box in the Sell Your Item form.
When and How to Use a Subtitle
A subtitle is an additional 55 characters that display below the auction title on the
search results page (see Figure 16.5).
The subtitle is used for extra information, not searchable keywords. EBay’s search
engine only searches the main title unless the buyer checks the Search title and
description box (which is rare).
Figure 16.5
Using a subtitle can increase
your bids and final price.
subtitle
The two items with subtitles have more bids and a higher price than the others. Both
gave more information about the item specifications, but you could also mention
special deals like “Free Shipping with Buy It Now” or “Bonus accessories included.”
If I’m selling a gift item around Valentine’s Day, I usually add “Perfect Gift for that
Someone Special” into my subtitle.
So let’s look at our auction. We have a good title, but what else could we say to make
it enticing?
Well, we’ve said it’s an HDD camcorder, but some people might not know what that
means. HDD means the camcorder has a built-in hard drive. So let’s make it really
clear with “No tapes or DVDs needed.”
This is also where you can use trigger words if there was no space in the auction title.
So let’s add, “The hottest new technology.”
Okay, so when we put those together we get:
The HOTTEST new technology -- NO MORE TAPES or DVDs!
Let’s have a look at how that displays with our auction title. The subtitle always displays in italics like we’re showing it here:
NEW Sony Handycam 30GB HDD Camcorder DCR-SR100 + BONUS!
The HOTTEST new technology -- NO MORE TAPES or DVDs!
The subtitle sets it apart from all of the other camcorder auctions because this model
doesn’t need tapes or DVDs, which is one of the major drawbacks of camcorders.
This increases the value of our item and makes it more desirable to buyers.
Again, you should write your subtitle in a word-processing program before transferring
it to the Sell Your Item form. Look at it as we have with your auction title above it so
you can see how it will end up looking and check that you are not repeating yourself.
Uploading Pictures
Figure 16.6 shows our title and subtitle in their respective boxes, and the next section—
Pictures.
Uploading photos is one of the major worries I hear from new sellers. Years ago, when
eBay was starting out, you had to host your own photos and add HTML URLs to the
auction description to have a photograph in it. If the idea of that makes you hyperventilate, don’t worry. EBay is almost a teenager now, and as it has grown, so has its
251
usability. Now uploading photographs is quick and easy using eBay’s Picture Services
as your host.
Auction title
Subtitle
Add Pictures
Gallery Picture
Checkbox
Figure 16.6
EBay will host your photos for you if you don’t have a picture host.
Click on Add Pictures (see Figure 16.6) to get started. Earlier I said to make sure you
had your photographs ready; now is when you need them easily accessible.
The Picture Services window will display in front of the Sell Your Item form (see
Figure 16.7). The first time you use it you may be prompted to download a small file
to use the Enhanced Picture Services option.
If you would rather not download anything,
or you’re on a public computer, you can use
Basic Picture Services. We will discuss this
option in a moment.
Click Add Pictures in the top left box. The
photograph you put here will become your
gallery picture. An Open File box will
appear for you to navigate to your saved
photographs. Having an eBay folder on
your desktop (as I suggested earlier) will
make this part easier. Click Open once you
have selected your photograph and it will
display in the top left box as well as in the
main center box (see Figure 16.8).
Tips
You can edit your photos using
Enhanced Picture Services, but
I have had problems with making my changes stick in the past,
and I find it to be incredibly slow,
so I prefer to do any editing in a
photo-editing program before I get
to this stage. If you must, the most
I would do using Enhanced Picture
Services is rotate and crop.
252
Add Pictures Self-hosting
Figure 16.7
If you already have an external picture host, click the
Self-Hosting tab to select the
Picture URL and add it into
the Gallery.
Basic tab
Rotate Picture Crop Picture
Picture Pack
Supersize Pictures
Picture Show
Upload Pictures
Figure 16.8
The image in the top left box (marked “free”) is your Gallery image. This is what will display in
the Gallery and as a thumbnail in the search results and category results pages.
253
Any pictures you add other than the first one in the top left box will cost you 15 cents
each. If you put a picture in the wrong box, select the picture so it shows in the main
box and then click Remove Pictures.
At the bottom of the box you can select some picture upgrades (see Figure 16.8).
Supersize Pictures shows your photos bigger than the standard size Picture Show
converts the image at the top left of the auction into a slideshow of all of your images.
Picture Show is free so you may as well use that. Supersize is a little pricy at $0.75,
but is worth it if you need to show an enlarged photo.
One other option is the Picture Pack. This gives you the Gallery Picture ($0.35) and
Supersize ($0.75) in addition to up to 6 photographs for $1.00, or 7 to 12 photos for
$1.50.
This is a good deal, but make sure you really want the options before using them. If
all you need is one picture and the Gallery, then you are wasting 65 cents by using the
Picture Pack. Even if you need five pictures and the gallery, it is still cheaper to go à la
carte rather than using the Picture Pack. It really becomes worthwhile when you need
either six or more photos or the Supersize feature (with any number of photos). Make
sure to calculate the actual cost without the Picture Pack before deciding if it’s worth
paying for.
Once you’ve added all of your photos in the order you want them to display and added
any picture options you want to use, click Upload Pictures.
Depending on the size of your photographs, it may take a minute or two to upload.
Once it is finished you will be taken back to the Sell Your Item form and your
uploaded photos will display in the Pictures bar.
Basic Picture Services
If you prefer to use Basic Picture Services, click on the Basic tab (see Figure 16.8).
Now click on Browse to access the open file window and locate your photographs (see
Figure 16.9). The file location will display in the box instead of an image.
Once you have added all of the photos, click Upload Pictures and the images will display in the Picture bar of the Sell Your Item form (see Figure 16.10). Unfortunately,
the basic upload is incredibly slow so you may be waiting for 5 to 10 minutes if you
have a lot of images.
Before you move on, check the Gallery Picture box. This adds your picture into the
Gallery and gives you the thumbnail image on the search results page. We’ll talk
about why that is important in Chapter 19.
254
Browse
Figure 16.9
You cannot edit or preview
your photos using Basic Picture Services, so make sure
they are labeled well so you
know what order you are
placing them in.
Upload Pictures
Remove
Figure 16.10
You can remove a photo
by selecting it and clicking
Remove.
Gallery Picture
255
Item Specifics
This is the last section to complete before you start writing the actual item description. Not every item category has a Product Finder box. So consequently only those
categories that use it will have an Item Specifics section. You absolutely must fill out
this information. If a buyer uses a Product Finder box to narrow down their results
and you didn’t fill out the Item Specifics information, your auction will not show up
even if it actually matches what they are looking for. Use the drop-down menus to
select each option before moving on.
u Customize the Sell Your Item form if options you want are not displaying on
the default page.
u Make sure you have your photographs edited before you upload them using
Picture Services.
u Use keywords and trigger words in your auction title to get buyers to click into
your auction.
u Use a subtitle to add extra noncritical information to entice the buyer to click
through to your auction.
u Always include at least one photograph of your item.
17
Chapter
Writing Your Auction
Description
In This Chapter
u Using the HTML Editor to make your auction appealing
u How to grab your buyer’s attention and keep it
u What exactly should you include in your description?
u How to format your auction so it is easy to read
You’ve got the buyer’s attention with your auction title, and now it’s time
to close the deal. Your auction description will determine if the buyer
clicks Bid or clicks away from your auction.
Think about when you’ve made eBay purchases. Did the first impression
from the auction description (even before you started reading it) make a
difference to you? Of course it did.
If a listing is just a paragraph of unformatted text, you’re going to assume
the seller doesn’t really care about it. If he can’t be bothered to write a
good, appealing description, then he probably can’t be bothered to take
care of the item, ship the item securely, give good customer service, etc.
These are the things buyers look for, and your first impression really
258
counts. So instead of spending 5 minutes writing the description, spend 10 to 15 minutes writing it, make it look appealing, and sit back and watch the bids.
Writing the Description
It’s important that you include all of the relevant information about the item, as well
as why your buyer should want it. But at the same time, if your auction is too long,
the buyer won’t read it.
In time you will develop your own layout preferences for your auction description.
For now, though, let’s use mine. I’ve found this works very well. My order is as follows:
1. Product title
A one-line hook is simply a sentence about a benefit of this item
that “hooks” the buyer and makes
them read on. I use this multiple
times in the description to catch
buyers who just scan the auction.
If they read the hooks, they are
more likely to stop and read the
rest of the auction, and that’s half
the battle won.
2. Retail cost
3. One-line hook about the item
4. Features and benefits of the item
5. Second one-line hook
6. Bulleted list of what is included in the auction
7. One-line special offer or one-line hook
8. Payment options
9. Shipping options
All About the HTML Editor
Think of the HTML editor as a word-processing program. It offers a number of formatting options including color, font, size, alignment, bulleted lists, numbered lists,
indent, Check spelling, and Inserts (see Figure 17.1).
I like to use the font size and color options to make certain parts of my auction stand
out (like the one-line hooks and headings). I use 18pt for my main headings, 14pt for
one-line hooks, and 12pt for the rest of the auction. I don’t like in-your-face colors, so
my color scheme is:
Main titles
Dark red
Retail cost (shown directly
below the product title)
Bright red
Chapter 17: Writing Your Auction Description 259
Accenting text
Dark blue
Rest of the text
Black
bold, italic, and underline alignment options
create numbered list
font
Inserts
font size
check spelling
color
create
bulleted
list
indent
Figure 17.1
If you happen to be fluent with HTML and you feel like showing off, you can click HTML and type the
HTML yourself. But honestly, why do the leg work when there is an HTML editor to do it for you?
It is very easy to go over the top with the options available in the HTML editor. On
the resources page you can see the final auction description with the correct colors.
I suggest you go and look at that before deciding to use color variations in your own
auctions. Try and resist the temptation to add multicolored type in the same word,
strange fonts, changing fonts throughout the description, all caps for anything but
the title, or symbols like “SAVE BIG $$$$.” It may stand out, but it’s not giving the
impression you want to your buyers.
Now, let’s get started writing the auction description for our camcorder.
But I’m No Shakespeare!
You don’t have to be a professional writer to write professionally. Use full sentences
and good grammar, spell check your work, be clear and concise, and think about how
you would persuade someone to buy this item if you were standing in front of them.
Now you’re in the right frame of mind to start.
The first thing a buyer does when they click on an auction is look at the large version
of the galley picture. On the default layout, this is at the bottom of the page. So you
have to stop them scrolling past your description by grabbing their attention immediately. I always start at the top of the page with the title of the item, the retail cost,
and a one-line hook about the item all in dark red, bold, 18pt text.
The first one-line hook has to be the single best thing about your item. This sounds
like it should be obvious, but it depends on your target buyer. For our camcorder
it could be that it is the hottest new top-of-the-line technology, or it could be that
there are no tapes to buy or lose, or it could be that it has a digital camera built in.
It depends on who you are selling to. So now is the time to think about your buyer.
Answer questions like who is he, what would he use this item for, what does he do for
a living, how old is he, etc.
Here are a few profiles for people who might be looking for a camcorder and why:
u A parent wants a durable camcorder to film his kids.
u A journalist wants a discreet camcorder for interviews where there can’t be a full
camera crew but quality is important.
u A schoolteacher wants to document the classroom events and progress of her
students.
u A techie “has” to have the newest gadget.
u A college student needs a camcorder for practicing making speeches and presentations.
The price each is willing to pay will really determine what we are focusing on. Our
item retails at right around $1,000, so the college student is out and so is the teacher.
That leaves the journalist, the parent, and the techie.
We have to try to appeal to all of them without excluding anyone. It shouldn’t be too
hard because all of them are looking for ease of use and good features. Price is an
issue, but more important to these buyers is a quality product.
So now we know who we’re looking for, let’s reel them in. What phrases would entice
these buyers to read more?
The biggest feature that sets this camcorder apart from the others on the market is
its hard drive. This ties into the ease of use because there are no tapes to deal with.
We’ve mentioned the size of the hard drive in the auction title, and the benefit of it in
the subtitle, but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate it here. So our first one-line hook is:
“No more tapes, no more hassle. Just pick it up and go!”
Chapter 17: Writing Your Auction Description
261
Features and Benefits
In this part of the description you really
need to think about your item, so it helps
to have it in front of you. It doesn’t matter
what the item is, there are always features
and benefits.
Quite often you will see auctions that list
only the features. That assumes the buyer
knows that they want the item and needs no
convincing. Your aim is to use the benefits
to persuade the buyer to click Place Bid.
A feature is a physical aspect
of the item. A benefit describes
what that feature does for you.
“Built-in hard drive” is a feature.
“No more tapes to lose” is a
benefit.
In my auctions I put the features in dark blue and bold so someone scanning to look
for the features of the item can see them easily, and then the benefits are next to the
features in black.
Here are the features and benefits for our camcorder auction. In each sentence, the
text in bold before the dash (—) is a feature. Everything after it is the benefit.
30GB Hard Drive—No tapes, DVDs, Mini DVs, etc.
3 megapixel digital still camera built in—Go on vacation with only one electronic
item!
1lb 6oz lightweight design—Goes anywhere you go.
2.7" swivel touch-screen LCD display—Take family photos without dashing back
and forth to the camera (remote control takes the picture for you, too).
One-touch burn to DVD—For when you need to make a copy immediately.
Dolby Digital surround sound recording—The high-quality sound you want to go
with your videos.
10x optical zoom/120x digital zoom—Zoom in to get that real-life video of the
kids without them playing to the camera. Use the optical zoom to take close-up still
photographs with great clarity.
Steadyshot picture stabilizer—Even if your hand is a little shaky, your pictures
won’t be (great for taking video/photos from the car).
USB 2.0 interface—No more hassle with converters, just download the video to
your computer as easily as you do pictures from your digital camera.
262
Congratulations. You’ve now written the bulk of the auction. That wasn’t so painful,
was it? You will need some more one-line hooks for between your sections, but most
of the rest of it doesn’t take much thought.
Before our next section (the bulleted list of included items), we need another one-line
hook. I am using three lines because it breaks up the text and gives a lot of white
space after the long list of features and benefits.
I like to center align them and make them bold:
This is truly the camcorder of the future.
Be the first on the block with this incredible technology.
It’s everything you could need and more.
These hooks appeal directly to the techie who wants the “new thing” but also to the
parent who wants a wise investment that will last a long time.
Okay, now on to the bulleted list. This is very easy because it is simply what is
included in the auction. In our case it is the following items:
u Camcorder
u AC adapter
u Rechargeable battery pack
u Remote control
u USB cable
u Bonus: AV connection cable
u Bonus: Samsonite camera bag
Your list may be longer or shorter depending on your item. I marked the two extra
items as bonuses to identify them as nonstock items that they won’t get from every
seller of this item. Buyers love bonuses, so try to include one if you can.
Next, let’s close the sale. This time we’ll ask for the bid and use a special-offer hook.
You don’t have to do this, but on an expensive item like a camcorder, it’s worth it:
This is an incredible deal on a hard-to-find item. Place your best bid now.
Don’t lose out to a sniper. Use Buy It Now and get free Priority Mail shipping!
The first line again appeals to the techie because he will have something other people
can’t find. The second line offers fast shipping for free if they use Buy It Now. In
both cases we are asking for the bidder to take some action now, and giving him an
incentive to do so. Make sure your Buy It Now price covers the priority shipping as
well as a little extra profit for you to make this worthwhile.
Now on to the final two sections: Payment Terms and Shipping Terms. There are
separate sections for these in the Sell Your Item form, but I like to put them into the
auction description, too. I get fewer questions about payments and shipping by doing
this.
Make sure to spell out your options and requirements very clearly so there is no
ambiguity. I am very strict about sales to international buyers and only accept PayPal
or BidPay from them as the form of payment, but I accept other payment methods
from U.S. buyers. Whatever policy you choose, spell it out clearly.
Here is the payment information for our auction. The heading would be in 18pt,
bold, and dark red like the other main titles.
PAYMENT TERMS
I accept PayPal, BidPay money orders, personal checks (held until they clear),
and cashier’s checks.
International buyers must use PayPal or BidPay.
Payment must be received within three days of the auction ending. If sending
a check or money order, you MUST e-mail me within those three days or the
item will be relisted.
Please note: if you send a payment through PayPal and use your bank account as
the funding source, this is actually an e-check payment and can take up to seven
days to clear. I can’t ship your item until it clears.
If you need the item more quickly, please change the funding source to your
credit card or set up PayPal instant transfers, which will send an instant payment.
Tips
I explain how the PayPal e-check payment works because many buyers don’t realize
it. Then they get upset when a week has gone by and they still haven’t received their
item. Putting this in the auction gets me far more credit card payments, but since I
have a Premier account, I pay for every transaction anyway. It’s not costing me any more
but I get the payment quicker and get happier buyers who receive their items quicker.
Next are the shipping terms. I list the actual rates in the Shipping box in the Sell
Your Item form, but I spell out the terms in the auction description.
SHIPPING TERMS
I combine shipping, so please check my other items to save some money on
shipping.
Your item will be shipped within two business days of your payment clearing.
Because of the value of this item, insurance is required.
International buyers are responsible for any customs duty imposed by your
country. I will not mark the customs form as “Gift” or mark the value lower
than you are paying (because of the insurance), so please don’t ask.
Tips
Putting a note about international shipping and customs
will help preempt any problems you might have from a
buyer who “assumed” you would
mark it as a gift or undervalue it.
There are sellers who do this, but
I strongly advise you not to. There
are severe fines imposed for falsifying customs documents that you
really don’t want to be liable for.
In the first line of the shipping terms, the words
“other items” are a link to my other items listed on
eBay. To get this in your auction, go to the Inserts
drop-down menu at the top of the HTML editor
and select Seller’s Other Items. This will insert a
line in your auction that says “Check out my other
items!” All you need to do is delete the words around
the link and add your own text.
I always end my auctions with a line that says “Good
luck and happy bidding!” You can use any sign-off
you like, but it should be something short, polite,
and encouraging.
Well, that’s it! Congratulations, you’ve written your first auction description. Go to
the resources page, www.skipmcgrath.com/cig, to see how it looks formatted and in
color. It does make a big difference.
Listing Designer
For an additional 10 cents, Listing Designer allows you to change the layout of the
text and pictures in the auction. It also allows you to choose a “theme” border for the
auction description. Depending on your choice of theme, this can make your auction
look catchy or cringe-worthy. There are some really gaudy borders, so make sure to
preview your auction with the theme before you list it. (See Figure 17.2.)
Figure 17.2
Select Theme
Select Design
Use the drop-down menus
to change the theme and the
page layout.
Picture Layout
I like to use Photo on the left for the Picture Layout as shown in Figure 17.2. This
allows readers to see your photos and description at the same time, rather than reading the auction and then scrolling to the top or bottom to look at the photos.
Make sure you preview whatever theme you choose because some are a little garish
and can be distracting. I liked to use Tropical (shown in Figure 17.2) because it related
to me (living in Florida) rather than to my item. That meant I could use it for any
item I listed without it looking out of place.
You should stick with whichever layout you choose. We are going to show you how to
upsell and cross-sell in Chapter 22. For this to be successful, you’ll need to have the
same look and feel in your auctions. Otherwise buyers might think they are dealing
with an entirely different seller.
If you do end up using an Auction Management Service, you will usually find a free
listing designer as part of your subscription.
Tracking Your Traffic
It’s really important to know how many people are looking at your auction. If you’re
not getting hits (visits) to your auction, then you know there is something wrong
with your auction title or your starting price. If you’re getting hits but no bids, there’s
something wrong with your description.
The only way you will know how many people visit your auction is by using a visitor
counter. This is a free addition that displays at the very bottom of your auction (right
above the bid information). You can choose the basic style, retro style, or a hidden
counter. The hidden counter is sometimes useful because it means only you can see
the number of visitors; however, I usually find it is more hassle than it’s worth, so I
stick with the basic counter.
u Use full, clear, and concise sentences.
u Check your spelling and grammar.
u Use the HTML editor to make your auction description look appealing but
don’t go over the top and make it look gaudy.
u Spell out your payment and shipping terms very clearly.
u Always link to your other items to help get cross-sales.
u Use a visitor counter to track the number of visits to your auction.
18
Chapter
Choosing Your Auction Type
In This Chapter
u Types of auctions and when to use them
u Minimizing eBay fees using Dutch auctions and Lots
u How to qualify for eBay Express
EBay offers a number of different listing options and styles. We’ve talked
about them from a buyer’s perspective, but each one has different advantages for the seller.
Types of Online Auctions
If you have some idea of what an item is worth, but you don’t want to put a
fixed price on it, you should use a regular online auction.
This is the default when you use the Sell Your Item form and is particularly useful when you’re selling art, antiques, or collectible items. Dealers
and collectors often search eBay for valuable items that are underpriced.
So as long as you set a reserve for what you want to get for it, you might be
surprised at how high the bidding goes.
I Remember When …
I recall one lady who had a piece of art for sale. She didn’t realize it was from a very
famous artist. Her starting price was around $100.00. It sold for over $10,000 because
two collectors got into a bidding war for it. If she had listed it as a fixed-price auction,
or an online auction with Buy It Now, the first of the collectors to see it would have
snapped it up for a fraction of its worth and the seller would have been none the wiser.
Dutch Auction
If you have multiple quantities of the exact same item for sale, you can list a Dutch,
or multiple-quantity, auction. Buyers bid for however many items they want, as well
as how much they are prepared to pay for each item. If you have four items available,
the highest four bidders (by quantity) will get the items for the lowest successful bid.
Dutch auctions can be a little confusing, but taking a look at the table that follows
may help you understand them better.
Bidding Results for a Dutch Auction. Four Items Available. Starting Price $15.00.
Bidder
Quantity Bid
Amount Bid Per Item
A
B
C
D
E
1
2
2
1
1
$22.00
$20.50
$16.50
$15.00
$15.00
As you can see from the table, there were five bidders on the auction. But only the
top three will win the items because bidders B and C both bid for more than one item
each.
The lowest successful bid was made by Bidder C, so all three of the winning bidders
(Bidders A, B, and C) would get their items at the price bid by Bidder C ($16.50).
Since Bidder C can’t have both items he bid on (because three of the items have
already gone to Bidders A and B), he can choose to either take just one or cancel the
sale entirely. If he cancels, you would just offer the item to the next highest bidder
(Bidder D) with a Second Chance Offer for the price he bid.
Chapter 18: Choosing Your Auction Type 269
The insertion fee is calculated by taking
your starting price and multiplying it by
the number of items you have for sale. So
the Insertion fee for the four $15.00 items
would be $2.40 (4 × $0.60). But what if the
starting price were a lot higher? Let’s say
you bought 10 digital cameras at Big Lots
on closeout and want to start the bidding at
$35.00 each.
Tips
utch auctions are really useD
ful when you have expensive
items to sell because the maximum insertion fee is $4.80.
Now, if there weren’t a cap on Dutch auction Insertion fees, your Insertion fee would
be $12.00 (10 × $1.20) because your starting price is in a higher bracket. But because
of the Insertion fee cap, you only pay $4.80. That’s a savings of $7.20.
The Final Value fee is calculated using the price each bidder paid (the lowest successful bid) multiplied by the number of items that sold. So if you listed 20 items and only
sold eight, you would only pay the Final Value fee on those eight items.
Dutch auctions can save you some money in fees, but remember that the items must
be identical. Selling items as a group to one bidder is called a Lot auction which is
quite different from a Dutch auction.
Lot Auction
Selling similar items in a group will often get you a higher average price for the items
than selling them individually. It also means you only pay eBay fees and upgrades on
one item, not on each item in the lot.
I find children’s clothing sells far better in lots than individually. It also gives me the
opportunity to combine items that aren’t quite as desirable in a lot with a really desirable item. Buyers will still pay more for the lot because there are more items, even if
they wouldn’t normally have bid on each item in the lot individually.
Let’s say you have four two-piece baby-girl outfits plus four onesies in the same size.
You might expect to list the outfits for $4.00 each and the onesies for $1.50. If you sold
them individually (and the items sold for your starting bid), your eBay fees would be:
Total selling price
$22.00
Total Insertion fees
$3.20
Total Final-Value fees
$1.16
Gallery Listing option
$2.80
Total fees
$7.16
Profit
$14.84
The eBay fees eat up almost a third of the profit for the items when selling them
individually. Most buyers don’t want to pay another $2 to $3 for shipping on an item
that’s only cost them $1.50 to $4.00.
So let’s look at it again, but this time let’s sell the items as a lot. Statistically, lots get
higher bids, but for the purposes of this example we’re going to assume the lot sells
for the same price as the individual items ($22.00).
Total selling price
$22.00
Total Insertion fees
$0.60
Total Final-Value fees
$1.16
Gallery Listing option
$0.35
Total fees
$2.11
Profit
$19.89
Tips
See all of the eBay fee tables
in Chapter 13 if you need help
calculating your fees.
What a difference! That’s $5 more profit, 25 percent
more than the individual sales with far less effort in
listing and shipping.
Another reason for selling in a lot is the ability to use
multiple keywords. Let’s say the lot of baby clothing
has items made by Oshkosh, Carter’s, Baby Gap, and
Old Navy. Because the auction includes items made by each of these brands, you can
use all of the brand names in your auction title. This means anyone searching for any
of those brands will see your auction. That helps get your auction in front of more
potential buyers.
You can sell pretty much anything in a lot: a set of Starbucks mugs, chinaware, toys,
books, etc. If you don’t have much time to devote to selling on eBay, and individually
your items may not be incredibly desirable, you will do much better by selling in lots,
so long as the items complement each other.
Chapter 18: Choosing Your Auction Type
271
Buy It Now Option
For a small fee, you can add a Buy It Now price to your online auction. This should
be set higher than the starting price; otherwise, there’s not much point listing it as an
auction.
If the first bidder chooses to use the Buy It Now option, the auction ends immediately and that bidder wins the item. If they choose to place the starting bid instead,
the Buy It Now option disappears and no
future bidders will know it was ever there.
Tips
The only time the Buy It Now option
doesn’t disappear upon receiving the first
bid is if you have a reserve price set on the
auction. If so, the Buy It Now option will
remain active until bidding reaches the
reserve price.
Many sellers offer incentives to
buyers who choose to use the
Buy It Now option. That can
be a discount on the shipping, a
free bonus, or something like that.
Fixed Price
Fixed-price auctions aren’t really an auction. They don’t have a starting price; they
only have a fixed selling price. The listing ends when the item sells. Once someone
buys the item, they pay immediately and you can ship the item. This is a good way to
sell items near the holidays when people want to get them quickly. Fixed-price auctions are often called Buy It Now auctions because that is the only option available.
The fees for fixed-price auctions are calculated on the same scale as regular auctions.
Best Offer
This feature has been recently revamped by eBay. Originally, Best Offer allowed the
buyer to make an offer lower than the Buy It Now price and the seller could only
accept or reject it. If the seller rejected it, the buyer couldn’t then make a higher offer.
The new version is much better. Now the seller can counter the original offer, and the
buyer and seller can haggle back and forth until one accepts the other’s offer. If the
seller outright rejects the buyer’s first offer, the buyer can submit a new, higher offer.
Best Offer is a really good way to build a relationship with your buyer and prevent
them forgetting about your auction, or looking elsewhere. It can help get repeat business, too.
272
I Remember When …
I bought a sweater from a seller
who said in her listings that
she really liked to haggle. So I
decided to give it a try. We went
back and forth and settled on a
price. It was a lot of fun, even
though we were only bartering
50 cents up or down. I had so
much fun that I added her to my
favorite sellers immediately after
the auction.
If you are going to use Best Offer, there are a few
things you must be prepared to do to be successful:
uBe near your computer and check your e-mail
at least twice a day to see whether an offer has
been placed on one of your items.
uOnce you get an offer, expect to be at your
computer until the haggling is done. There is
nothing worse than making a counteroffer and
having to wait until the following day to get a
response from the seller.
uMake it fun! The more fun the buyer has, the
more likely they will buy from you again.
You can set your preferences to auto-reject any offer below a certain amount so you
don’t have to waste time with ridiculously low offers.
The auction page shows how many offers have been made on the item. This tells
other potential buyers that if they want it, they better use Buy It Now quickly or the
item will be gone.
If you’re using Best Offer, you should set your Buy It Now price a bit higher than you
expect to get for the item so you can plan for haggling down a bit.
Multiple-Quantity Fixed-Price Auction
We talked about multiple-quantity (Dutch) online auctions, but you can also have
multiple-quantity fixed-price auctions (yes, I know that’s a mouthful). The logistics
are a little different for the fixed-price version, though.
Since there is no starting price (only the Buy It Now price), you don’t have to wait
until the auction ends to determine the winners and the price they will pay.
You can also list multiple quantities in a fixed-price listing. Let’s say you have five
digital cameras to sell and you want to get $49 for each of them. You could list them
in one multiple-quantity fixed-price auction. When a buyer purchases from a multiplequantity fixed-price auction, he is prompted to specify how many of the item he
wants. If it is more than one, he would pay $49 per item. The auction ends when all
five units are gone, or the auction duration expires, whichever comes first.
Chapter 18: Choosing Your Auction Type
273
You only pay Final Value fees on the items that sell, so it’s in your best interest to list
as many as you have so the auction stays active for as long as possible. Your Insertion
fee caps at $4.80, so it won’t cost you any more than that.
eBay Express
When you first start out on eBay you won’t qualify to have your listings on eBay
Express, but as you get some experience, you’d be amazed at how quickly you can
qualify.
EBay automatically displays eligible items on eBay Express so you don’t need to do
anything once you and your items qualify. It just means you will get better exposure
to more potential buyers.
To qualify you must …
u Be registered as a U.S. seller or a Canadian seller listing items on eBay.com.
(Only listings on eBay.com can qualify).
u Have a feedback score of 100 or more at 98 percent positive.
u Offer PayPal as an accepted payment method, and upgrade your PayPal account
to a Premier or Business account.
u Sell at a fixed price or have a Buy It Now option in your listing.
u Include a picture of the item.
u Complete the Item Condition part of Item Specifics.
u Specify the shipping cost within the Shipping section of your listing.
u Use Pre-Filled Information for listings of books, video games, DVDs, or music.
u Use eBay Checkout.
It sounds like a lot of rules, but eBay Express introduces to eBay buyers who are not
yet comfortable with the idea of auctions, so this is a whole new group of potential
buyers. Eventually they usually cross over to eBay.com, but until then it’s worth
jumping through the hoops to get the extra exposure.
If a buyer purchases something on eBay Express, it goes into their shopping cart.
They can add items from multiple sellers (up to five merchants) into their cart before
checking out. When they check out, they send one PayPal payment to eBay and eBay
sends each of the sellers their portion of the payment along with the buyer’s purchase
and contact information.
274
u Selling items in lots can save you a significant amount of money in eBay fees.
u Best Offer is a fun way to build a relationship with your buyer and get them to
add you to their favorite sellers.
u Dutch auctions have a maximum Insertion fee of $4.80 no matter how many
items you have listed. The Final Value fee is only charged on items that actually
sell.
u Items in a Dutch online auction (not Buy It Now) sell to all of the successful
bidders for the lowest successful bid.
u Items in a multiple-quantity fixed-price auction sell for a fixed amount to all
buyers. The auction ends when there are no more items for sale.
u To have your items display on eBay Express there are seller, item, and listing
requirements that must be met.
19
Chapter
The Fine Details
In This Chapter
u Flat-rate shipping versus calculated shipping
u Taking the pain out of international shipping
u Setting a starting price, reserve price, and Buy It Now price
u What are the best (and worst) days and times to list your auction?
These little details can make or break your listing. You can write the best
description in the world, but if the starting price is too high or you list it
on a bad day, who’s going to look at it? You must also learn how to balance
your shipping fee so you won’t lose money, but at the same time, make the
buyer feel they aren’t being gouged. In this chapter, we will walk through
how to make good choices for each of these options.
Selling Format
In Chapter 18, we talked about the different types of auction formats. Here
is where you select that format. The default shows the Online Auction
format (see Figure 19.1). There are three different price options: starting
price, reserve price, and Buy It Now price. The only required field is the
starting price. The other two options do incur fees, but are often worth it.
276
Fixed Price tab
Average
selling price
Average
starting price
Link to search
Completed Listings
Starting price
click to add a
Reserve price
Giving Works to donate
a portion of sales to a
charity
Duration
Quantity
Buy It Now price
Figure 19.1
The only options that are compulsory are the starting price and the quantity.
First let’s look at the starting price. At the top of the How you’re selling section,
eBay tells you the average starting price and average selling price for items like yours
that sold successfully. This is quite useful, but you shouldn’t consider it to be exactly
right. For our camcorder the average starting price was $456.00 and selling price was
$719.00. Although we can assume this information would be the same if we used eBay
Marketplace research, it is often worth searching the Completed Listings yourself
to make sure the auctions really are comparable.
I expect eBay agrees because it provides a link to
Did You Know?
search the Completed Listings in the same section.
One of the things that can skew
This is where a service like Hammertap3 comes in
a result is an accessory that was
listed with the brand name of the
handy. Rather than searching through all of the aucproduct. For example, if someone
tions and writing down the prices from comparable
sold a SONY HDD Handycam
auctions, Hammertap3 lets you filter the results by
DCR-SR100 light for $50, that
excluding any individual auction you want (see Figwould be figured into the average
ure 19.2). I just uncheck the box next to any auction
price because eBay’s search
that doesn’t match your own item because of the
engine just looks for results in that
condition, options, etc. Then click Filter Results and
category with the same keywords.
you can look at the reports based on only the auctions you want.
Chapter 19: The Fine Details
277
You can also prevent lower-priced items from skewing the results by only looking for
items within a certain price range. For example, if you set your price range at $300 to
$1,000 you would get a better idea of what the camera you are selling actually sold for.
Auction title and link to closed auction page
Filter This Report
Uncheck box to remove
from data analysis
Summary
Figure 19.2
You can get over 25 percent off your monthly subscription ($17.95 instead of $24.95) and a two-week
free trial by going to www.hammertap.com/skip.
Now again, you can find all of this information by looking at the successful auctions
in Completed Listings if you don’t want to spend the money for Hammertap3, but if
you do have a number of items to list, this will save you hours of boring work. After
excluding the irrelevant auctions, I clicked on Summary and determined the following about our camcorder auction:
Average selling price
$807.70
Best starting price
Irrelevant—starting price didn’t affect final
selling price.
Best start day
Tuesday
278
Best end day
Tuesday
Best duration
7 days
Features that increased
the price
Bold, Gallery
That’s a lot of information for only five minutes’ work! The reason the starting price
is irrelevant is because it is such a popular item and it is hard to find. In the last 30
days there were only 17 auctions for this item. This is good news because it means I
don’t have to worry about a high starting price. I will still set a reserve price, but that
is refunded if the item sells.
Tips
I know $17.95 seems like a lot of money for one month, but think about it this way—
how much is your time worth? $15 an hour, $25, more? To get the information I got
in five minutes you would have to spend at least 30 minutes trawling through Completed Listings, and you’d only have seen two weeks’ worth of results. At $15 an hour
that costs you $7.50 in time spent for every auction. If you list more than three auctions a
month, you’ve more than broken even. And don’t forget you can use Hammertap3 as a
buyer to see when the worst selling times are (i.e., the best times to buy!).
The best start and end day is interesting, and I’ll explain why in a little bit.
We know that the starting price doesn’t really matter for our item, so I want to keep
the price as low as I can to save money on the Insertion fee. Look back at Chapter 13
for the fee tables.
I’m going to list the auction at $9.99 so I only pay 40 cents for my Insertion fee. If
I wanted to list it for the average listing price suggested by eBay, I would pay $4.80.
That’s a huge difference.
Reserve Price
There is one established fact on eBay: lower starting prices attract more—and earlier—
bids. In general, a low starting bid will increase your chances of success. Because I
am using a low starting price, I want to protect myself with a reserve. If the bidding
doesn’t reach the price I set, then I am not under any obligation to sell the item to the
highest bidder. I can offer it to him or her if I want to (using a Second Chance Offer),
but I don’t have to.
Chapter 19: The Fine Details 279
If you use a Buy It Now price in an online
auction, it usually disappears after the first
bid. However, if you use a reserve price, the
Buy It Now option remains active until the
reserve price is met. This means more buyers are likely to see it and you have a higher
chance of getting a bidder to use Buy It
Now. An additional advantage of listing
this way is that the Buy It Now price has
the psychological effect of telling prospective buyers what the value of the item really
is. This can help generate more and higher
bids.
Tips
If you’re selling a fairly cheap
item, it’s not worth paying the
fees for a reserve price. But
when it’s an expensive item, like
our camcorder, it is very important. Having a reserve price has
the added bonus of keeping the
Buy It Now price available for
longer.
When setting your reserve price, consider both the average selling price as well as
what you want to get for the item. Be realistic, though. At the end of the day, your
objective is to sell the item—so don’t list a ridiculously high reserve price. You won’t
end up with a bidding war at the end of your auction if the reserve has still not been
met. Remember, your reserve fees are only refunded if the item sells.
Buyers expect to see reserve prices on
expensive items, but not on cheap ones.
Most buyers prefer no reserve auctions, but
that is more risky for you. On expensive
items, I suggest you always use a reserve.
On less expensive items, use your discretion to weigh the risk versus your expected
selling price. The more popular an item is,
the less risk you take by not using a reserve.
Hot-selling items usually get enough
bids to end up selling at their true value.
Slower-selling items or obscure goods that
have a limited market can be very risky to
start at a low price without a reserve.
Tips
When setting your reserve
price, you need to take into
account how much you paid for
the item. This isn’t so critical when
it is a used item that you’ve owned
for a while, but if you picked
something up at Costco or Big Lots
to resell, you need to make sure
your reserve is at or above the
price you paid for the item.
Chapter 13 shows the full fee table, but since we need our reserve price to be over
$200, the reserve fee will be 1 percent of the reserve amount.
Most buyers bid in whole increments ($15, $50, $425, etc.), so it’s wise to list your
reserve price just below one of those increments. So if you want to set your reserve at
$700, instead set it at $689; instead of $75, use $68. Once someone meets the reserve,
the real bidding begins. For our auction we know the average selling price is $807, so
let’s list our reserve at $743 (that way we catch the $750 bidders as well).
If you want to use a reserve, click Change under No reserve price set for this item on the
Sell Your Item form and enter your reserve price.
Buy It Now Price
You don’t have to set a Buy It Now price. If you choose to, it will cost you between 5
and 25 cents depending on the price you set (see Chapter 13 for exact amounts). This
fee is nonrefundable whether or not the buyer actually uses the Buy It Now option.
If the first bidder chooses to place the starting bid instead of using the Buy It Now
option, the auction then reverts to a standard online auction and the Buy It Now price
disappears. The only exception is if there is a reserve on the auction as noted earlier.
When you are setting your Buy It Now price, you should always set it significantly
higher than the starting price; otherwise, there is really no point. I would suggest you
list it around the average selling price, or possibly a fraction higher. Our average selling price is $807, but I saw auctions going for over $860, so I will set the Buy It Now
price at $847.00. It’s reasonable, but high enough to give me a decent profit. It’s also
low enough away from the retail price ($999) that the buyer still considers it a deal.
One tactic that can really attract sellers to use the Buy It Now price is offering free
shipping. I simply add the shipping cost to my desired Buy It Now price and I add
another 50 cents to pay for the subtitle. Then I say “Free U.S. shipping with Buy It
Now” in the subtitle. I started doing this about two years ago and saw a 20 percent
increase in my Buy It Now sales.
Fixed-Price Auction
If you want to sell in a fixed-price format, click the Fixed Price tab (see Figure 19.3).
The only amount you need to enter here is the Buy It Now price. Use the same
reasoning as you do for a Buy It Now option in an online auction to determine the
price you set. You can also use the free shipping tactic to increase your fixed-price
sales.
If you have easy access to your computer, you should consider using Best Offer. If you
want to use this option, set your Buy It Now price a little higher to allow for haggling
down with your buyer. That way she feels like she got a deal, and you don’t actually
lose any money.
Fixed Price tab
Buy It Now price
281
Figure 19.3
Giving your buyer the
option of Best Offer can
get your item sold quicker.
Allow Best Offer
More Selling Specifics
Whichever format you use, Online Auction or Fixed Price, the next options are the
same. First up is the quantity. If you are selling multiple quantities of the same item,
this is where you enter the number you have available for sale. Remember, these must
be identical items. The starting price or Buy It Now price you set is per item.
eBay Giving Works
Giving Works is an eBay program that allows you to donate all (or a portion of) the
auction proceeds to a recognized charity. You can select any nonprofit from within
eBay’s system (there are hundreds) and
choose to donate anywhere from 10 to 100
Tips
percent of the proceeds to that charity ($5
You have to sign up for
minimum if the item sells). EBay will credit
MissionFish, the Giving Works
back a portion of your eBay fees equal
provider, the first time you use
to the percentage you donated. So if you
the program. It’s quick and easy
donate 30 percent to Breast Cancer Awareto do; when you first select a
ness, you will receive 30 percent of the
nonprofit, it will prompt you to
sign up for MissionFish.
Insertion and Final Value fees back on your
next statement.
There are two reasons for using Giving Works. One is the satisfaction you get from
helping others and supporting your favorite charity. The other is that it can sometimes increase your sales. Statistically, Giving Works listings appeal slightly more to
282
women than men and to people over the age of 50. So if you are targeting this segment,
it may actually help your auction. And remember, the portion that goes to charity is
tax-deductible.
This is really helpful when you are selling a used item. Let’s say you have an old pasta
machine gathering dust in your garage. If you sell it at a garage sale you might get
$10 for it. You list it on eBay with a 50 percent donation to your favorite charity and
it sells for $40. You end up netting $20 (before fees) and you get to take a $20 deduction on your taxes at the end of the year.
Duration
Your options are 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days. I usually stick to the five- or seven-day auctions.
One-day auctions are too short unless it is time-critical, such as tickets for an upcoming event, or a gift item in the last 10 days before Christmas. Three-day auctions
are okay but they don’t always catch as many bidders. If you’re selling a lot of items,
three-day auctions will help you turn your inventory much quicker. But if you’re not
running a business, the five- or seven-day auctions work best. Ten days is usually too
long unless you are paying for any of the feature fees, in which case it is a necessity to
get your money’s worth.
We know from our research that the highest prices were realized by seven-day auctions,
so that’s the option we will opt for.
Scheduled Start
This is one of those options that costs, but so little that it’s worth it almost every time.
It’s only 10 cents and it will list your auction for you at the optimal time that you set.
Think about it—your research shows that Thursday afternoon between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
is the best time to launch your auction. But then you get stuck in rush-hour traffic and
don’t get back home until after 8:30 p.m. Do you list it anyway at a non-optimal time, or
wait another week? Unless you are sitting at your computer all day every day and never
forget any appointments, I strongly recommend you use this option.
We know from our research that Friday between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. is the best time to
end the auction. So we can schedule our auction for the next Friday at this time. Don’t
forget that the times are all “eBay time” which is Pacific time, not your local time.
Your end day is more critical than your start day. It’s really easy to work out your
start day if you’re using a seven-day auction, but if it’s a three- or five-day auction,
sometimes it can get confusing. Does it include the day you list, or is the following
day the first day of the duration?
Here is a table to show you exactly which day your auction will end for each start day
of the week.
Day of the Week Your Auction Will End Based on Start Day and Duration
AUCTION DURATION (IN DAYS)
LIST DAY
1
3
5
7
10
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Tues.
Wed.
Thurs.
Fri.
Sat.
Sun.
Mon.
Thurs.
Fri.
Sat.
Sun.
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Sat.
Sun.
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Thurs.
Fri.
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Thurs.
Fri.
Sat.
Sun.
Thurs.
Fri.
Sat.
Sun.
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Best and Worst Days to End Your Auction
I mentioned that it was interesting that Tuesday was considered the best day for ending our camcorder auction. This is because Tuesday isn’t generally considered one of
the best days to end an auction. Traditionally, here are the best and worst days to end
an auction:
Monday
Excellent
Tuesday
Good
Wednesday
Fair
Thursday
Good
Friday
Poor
Saturday
Fair
Sunday
Excellent
Sunday and Monday evening between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. (again these are
Pacific time) are statistically the highest periods of activity on eBay and have the
highest sell-through rate. Monday during the lunch hour is also excellent.
These are general statistics, and all products are different, which is why I wouldn’t
argue with Hammertap3’s results for our camcorder. But in general I seem to do best
ending my listings on Mondays. Buyers who were searching over the weekend don’t
forget about the auction by Monday. It also catches all the people who are surfing
from work, and even business owners depending on my item.
Savvy buyers avoid the high-traffic times like Sunday and Monday evenings. There
are more and more buyers now, so it’s not just weekend surfers. It’s important to consider your buyer profile to determine when he or she will likely be on the computer.
Think back to when you wrote your item description and the buyers it was targeted
at. Our parent looking for a camcorder will most likely be searching during the evening after 7 p.m. (after the kids are in bed) or during the day at work. The techie is
likely to be searching late at night.
This item could also appeal to business owners, so a midweek end day could be a bene
fit. We’re going to stick with our Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. auction listing time, so we put
that into the Scheduled start time box and move on.
Skype
Skype is an international Internet-communications company that eBay purchased a
couple of years ago. If you want, you can add your Skype information so buyers can
contact you via Voice or Internet Chat as well as the default, e-mail.
I personally don’t want buyers to be able to call me at any hour (think international
buyer who doesn’t understand time-zone changes) or try to start an online chat with
me. I would much rather require buyers e-mail me so I can respond at my leisure.
If you do select Chat or Voice, you will be prompted to set up a Skype Name (account)
after you finish your listing.
Payment Methods
In Chapter 11, we showed you how to set up your PayPal account for selling, so PayPal will automatically show up as your preferred payment option like in Figure 19.4.
You may see the same text that is showing in Figure 19.4 above the e-mail address
that says you are not a Premier account holder. You can happily ignore that. It’s just a
ploy for PayPal to try to get you to upgrade. Eventually you will have to, but for now
you can just ignore it.
PayPal already included
upgrade account request from PayPal
PayPal e-mail address
Immediate payment required
Additional payment methods
Promotional financing options
Figure 19.4
Accept as many forms of payment as you can. If you want to accept BidPay or other approved payment methods that are not listed here, make sure it is in your auction description. (You can get a BidPay insert like
PayPal’s automatically added into your auctions from your account on their site, too.)
If you check the box below the e-mail address marked Require immediate payment
when buyer uses Buy It Now, the buyer has to send a PayPal payment to you immediately after winning an auction.
My policy is to accept all forms of payment, so I check both boxes in the Additional
payment methods section. (Why exclude anyone if you don’t have to?) I ship items on
receipt of a money order or cashier’s check. With personal checks, if it is under $30 I
ship the item straight away. If it’s over that, I wait for it to clear my bank.
The reason for the $30 cutoff is that most banks charge between $25 and $30 for a
bounced check, so it is unlikely that someone paying for an item under $30 will write
a bad check knowing how much they will be charged for it.
You can also select to offer financing. This is for items over $50 only. You pay an
additional PayPal fee if the buyer actually uses the financing service. It costs you 0.5
to 1.5 percent of the amount financed depending on the length of term the buyer
selects. You get the full payment immediately, so PayPal assumes the loan, not you.
This is a good option for expensive items (laptops, etc.), but I wouldn’t bother with it
for cheaper items.
Shipping Information
EBay makes it very easy for you to calculate your shipping costs and add a handling
fee if you want.
The default page only shows Domestic shipping. You have to use Show/Hide Options
at the top of the Sell Your Item form (as explained earlier) to get the International
shipping options to display.
Make sure you are not undercharging if you use flat-rate shipping for all buyers. Use
Research rates (see Figure 19.5) to decide what rates and services you want to offer.
Did You Know?
You can have up to three shipping options for domestic and
three for international, but you
don’t have to use all three.
Research Rates
If you don’t want to offer International shipping,
don’t check any of the boxes in the Ship-to locations
section. My advice is to start with North and South
America and Canada. Then when you’re a bit more
comfortable with selling, add the United Kingdom.
Add the rest of Europe and Asia last.
Shipping Wizard
Free Shipping
Select Flat-rate or
Calculated shipping
Change Domestic
options
Ship-to locations
Figure 19.5
You can click on Shipping Wizard to get help with selecting prices if you wish.
287
Fixed vs. Calculated Shipping
A flat-rate cost makes it easier for your buyers because they don’t have to calculate
anything. But calculated shipping is more accurate for you.
If the buyer is not signed in when they are looking at your auction, the calculated
shipping to their zip code won’t automatically display (on the search results page or in
the auction listing). This can lose you a sale because there are plenty of other items
with shipping costs that will display. Fixed shipping rates display on the search results
page right next to the current bid. I have tried it both ways and I find I get more hits
to my auction when I have a fixed shipping price displayed.
To calculate the flat-rate cost, I like to find a happy medium. About 60 percent of the
U.S. population is east of the Mississippi and the rest is in the west. So based on where
you live, you could precalculate shipping to a location about halfway across the country.
For example, let’s say you live in Virginia and you calculate the shipping to Oklahoma.
If you sell something to someone in California you may lose a little on the shipping,
but when you sell to someone in New York, Chicago, or Florida you will make a little.
Over time this averages out and you don’t lose bids because buyers weren’t able to
determine the shipping. Obviously, this only works for lightweight goods. You wouldn’t
want to use this method if you were selling a drill press or a piano.
Calculated Shipping
Calculated shipping requires the buyer to enter his zip code in the box provided in
the Shipping section. It then calculates the exact shipping cost to his location.
To use calculated shipping, use the drop-down menu to select Calculated: Cost varies
by buyer location. This will change the shipping section options (see Figure 19.6).
Select the package size and weight range,
and then use the drop-down menus to select
shipping services. You can use the Research
rates link to see what approximate costs will
be. The United Parcel Service (UPS) is
almost always more expensive than Priority
Mail on small items (up to six or seven
pounds), but becomes more cost-effective
on larger items.
Tips
You don’t have to use the same
option for both domestic and
international shipping. You can
choose to use flat-rate shipping on
one and calculated shipping
on the other if you prefer.
Weight range
Package size
Research rates
Select shipping
services
Change domestic options
Shows cheapest option in top box
Figure 19.6
Click Change to add a handling fee or any other options.
Whatever options you choose, make sure you put the cheapest option in the top box.
This is where eBay pulls its information for the search results page. So if you list
Express Mail first, a buyer scanning the search results page may think your shipping
is way overcharged without realizing that you have cheaper options available.
Click Change under Domestic options to specify Insurance, Handling time, and
Handling cost options. I usually add a little extra for the Handling cost, but don’t
make it a major profit center.
Flat-Rate Shipping
The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers a flat-rate shipping option for Priority
Mail. If you have an item that will fit in a flat-rate box, USPS will ship it for $8.80.
So you simply select USPS Priority Mail, add the flat-rate cost plus your handling
cost, and move on to the Insurance and Handling time options.
If you’re not using a flat-rate box, you will need to calculate the highest postage cost
you are likely to be charged for a buyer purchasing this item.
1. Click Research rates.
2. Select your Estimated Weight and Package Size and click Continue.
3. Either add a destination zip code or use the Sample Rates drop-down menu
to select a major city. You can choose a location within the States that is as far
away from you as you can get. If you live in Florida, look at Seattle. Or you can
use the method we described and select a midpoint zip code. Click Show Rates
when you’ve made your selection. This will take you to the rates page for both
USPS and UPS (see Figure 19.7).
Change destination zip code
for shipping cost calculation
Seller’s Zip Code
Packaging and
Handling Fee
Offer Services
Select service
check box
Shipping cost to specified zip code including your handling fee
Figure 19.7
Both USPS and UPS display, but you don’t have to offer both.
Make sure your zip code is correct. If not, click Change by Seller’s Zip Code and
change it.
You can add a handling fee by clicking Change beneath Packaging and Handling Fee.
As I’ve said, add a small amount, but don’t make it too obvious.
Click Show Rates again after adding your handling fee and the prices that display
next to the service options will update to include your fee. Your buyers will not see
the portion that is a handling fee, only the total cost.
Make your selections from UPS or USPS or both, and click Offer Services when you
are done. Remember, you can have only three selections total, so once you hit that
maximum, all of the other options will gray out.
Tips
If I particularly need to track
the progress of an item, I use
UPS. Likewise, if it is fragile
and needs special care I use
UPS (also because it offers free
insurance up to $100 and its
claim process is much easier and
quicker than USPS).
I like to select a variety of options. I always select the
fastest shipping (usually USPS Express Mail or UPS
Next Day Air) and then the cheapest option (USPS
First Class or Parcel Post) and one other (Usually
USPS Priority Mail).
This way you are catering to buyers who want the
item tomorrow and are willing to pay the shipping
for that, but you are not excluding the buyer who
wants the cheapest shipping, and doesn’t mind if it
takes a week or so to arrive.
Sometimes the Sell Your Item form doesn’t update with your selections. If that happens, the easy fix is to note down the service you want to use and the total cost
including your handling fee and enter it yourself using the drop-down menus.
Just remember to always put the cheapest option at the top.
There are two other Domestic options I should quickly mention. First is No Shipping:
Local Pickup Only, which you can select using the Domestic Shipping drop-down
menu. I would use this for items of bulky furniture or for items that you are not
allowed to ship.
The other option is Free Shipping. If you plan to offer free shipping, you should always
check this box. This will ensure that it shows up if a buyer searches for auctions with
free shipping (by checking the Free Shipping box in the Search Options on the search
results page). If you’re offering free shipping, make sure to include the cost in your
starting or Buy It Now price. Offering free shipping is a marketing technique—you
should not lose any money because of it.
International Shipping and Customs
Filling out the International shipping rates is the same as the Domestic rates except
you have to specify a country as well as the service and cost. Make sure you research
the rates for each country you ship to because they are often wildly different.
Don’t forget to use the Additional ship-to locations check boxes to specify which
countries you are willing to ship to.
291
Did You Know?
In May 2007, the USPS radically changed their international shipping services. The fees
jumped by 13 percent in many areas. But one of the good changes is flat-rate Priority
Mail International boxes. This is really useful if you’re offering combined shipping. You
can tell international buyers that they can buy more items from you and, so long as they
all fit in the box, the cost will not go up. This is a huge incentive for international buyers
to buy more from you.
Each country has a different price, but the flat-rate price to Canada or Mexico is the
lowest at $23; the United Kingdom is $37.
The last part of the shipping section is your Item location. The default will show your
city, state, and zip code. You can change this to say something like “PowerSeller for
seven years” but then your auction won’t show up in a distance search. If you live in
a small town, it’s probably worth changing the location to the nearest large city. But
if you’re offering an item for Pick Up only, make sure your item location is exact so
buyers know where they will have to drive to.
Return Policy and Other Additional Information
The last section on this page is your Additional Information.
First is your Buyer requirements. As you can see in Figure 19.8, I block buyers who
have received 2 Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days or are registered in countries
I don’t ship to. You don’t have to specify any buyer requirements, but I find it saves
headaches having these two options on there.
The Unpaid Item strikes limitation prevents you from getting a buyer who has a bad
recent payment record.
Restricting the countries is a good idea because there’s nothing worse than watching
a bidding war between two buyers and then after the auction ends discovering that
both live in countries you don’t ship to. Now you have to make a decision to ship to
that country, or sell for the highest bid from a buyer within your ship-to countries (or
relist the item).
Click Change buyer requirements to select any requirements you want to use.
Next you need to specify your return policy if you offer one.
Offering a return policy shows you have not intentionally misrepresented your item.
You do have to be careful, though, because you can’t guarantee the condition you will
receive the returned item in.
292
How refund will be given
Change buyer
requirements
How long buyer has
to return item
Return Policy Details
Save and Continue
Figure 19.8
You don’t have to offer a return policy, but it helps increase your seller integrity if you do.
It’s up to you to decide who pays for the shipping costs. My opinion is, if you sent the
wrong item, or the auction did misrepresent the item (accidentally or intentionally),
you should pay the shipping both ways. If, however, the buyer just didn’t read the
description, then he or she should pay the shipping.
Specify that the item must be received in the condition it was sent for a refund to be
issued. That usually makes buyers pack it up properly.
That’s it. You’ve finished completing the Sell Your Item form. So click Save and Continue to look at the Optional Listing Upgrades and preview how your auction looks.
u Look at Completed Listings or a third-party research tool like Hammertap3 to
determine an accurate average selling price and average starting price for your
item.
u Choose your ending day and time wisely. Sunday and Monday are good all-around
ending days.
u Flat-rate shipping usually increases your bids.
u Donate a portion of your sales to your favorite charity through eBay Giving
Works. It helps increase bids and final selling prices, and it’s tax-deductible.
20
Chapter
Optional Listing Upgrades
In This Chapter
u To feature or not to feature? That is the question
u Optional upgrades that you should always use
u Upgrades you can usually ignore
u Free alternatives to the Sell Your Item form
u Cross-promoting items with a slideshow in your auction
EBay has to make its money somewhere. Optional Listing Upgrades are
one of its major profit centers. So when you come to this section, eBay will
do everything it can to get you to upgrade your listing.
Stop. Honestly, there are very few options that are critical to the success
of your listing. A few others are useful in certain circumstances, but most
of them you will never need. We’ll show you how to determine whether
an option is actually cost-effective or not. This is important. If you’re not
careful, you’ll have the most promoted listing on eBay, but no profit at the
end. We’ll show you how to avoid that.
This is the last page in the Sell Your Item form, so I think it is appropriate
that we talk a little bit about some alternatives to eBay’s selling form. The
two we will cover are eBay’s Turbo Lister and Auctiva. I have used both
many times and both have good and bad points. But we’re jumping ahead. For now,
let’s look at the title upgrades.
Title Upgrades
When we talk about Optional Listing Upgrades, we are talking about how your auction displays on the category page and search result’s page. Optional features don’t
change anything on the auction page itself. Throughout this chapter I will refer to
how it displays on the search results page. It is the same for the category results page.
We are covering these options in the same order that eBay offers them to you. I am
mentioning the fee each time, but for quick reference there is a table of just the name
of the upgrade and the fee in Chapter 13.
Subtitle ($0.50)
A subtitle is an additional 55 characters that displays below the auction title on the
search results page (see Figure 20.1). This is a way to call attention to extra information, like Free Shipping or Best valentine’s gift.
Figure 20.1
Subtitle on search results
page.
Subtitle
Number of bids
You can see that the item with the subtitle in Figure 20.1 is the only one with multiple bids.
The eBay search engine only looks at keywords in the main auction title. It does not
look at the subtitle, so it is important for your searchable keywords to be in the main
title. The subtitle is for extra, noncritical information that will entice the buyer to
look at your auction.
Chapter 20: Optional Listing Upgrades 295
Gallery ($0.35)
The gallery picture is one of those critical options I mentioned earlier. Everyone
should use it, no matter what the item. Let me show you why.
Look at Figure 20.2. The item without the gallery picture has no bids, while the
others have 12 or more. I looked at the hit counter for each auction to see how many
visits they had received. The one with no picture had five hits. All of the others had
between 150 and 350 hits. That’s a huge difference for the sake of 35 cents.
Number of bids
Figure 20.2
The reason to use a gallery
picture.
No gallery
picture
If the buyer chooses to view their search results
using the Gallery View and you don’t have a
gallery picture, your auction will display at the
very end of all of the auctions—no matter when
it ends. The likelihood of you getting any bids
in that situation is very minimal.
Even if you’re selling an item that you don’t
expect to sell for very much, it’s still worth paying the 35 cents for the gallery picture. I believe
one of the reasons my coupon auctions sold
at the top end of the average selling price was
Did You Know?
Most buyers don’t realize that the
green camera icon that displays
instead of a thumbnail image on
the search results page means
that there is a picture in the auction, but the seller didn’t pay to
have it put into the gallery. They
think it means there is no picture
in the auction, so they don’t
bother clicking on it.
because I had a gallery picture when most of the other auctions didn’t. That made
my auction stand out, and I got hits and bids because of it (and don’t forget the crossselling to my other auctions).
Gallery Plus ($0.75)
Gallery Plus is a relatively new feature on eBay. It enlarges the thumbnail picture
on the search results page so the buyer can see more detail before clicking on your
auction. This is really useful if you are selling something with very fine detail (like
jewelry).
The thumbnail in Figure 20.3 doesn’t look anything special, but when it is enlarged
using the Gallery Plus (see Figure 20.4), you can actually see the detail (hence the
number of bids).
Gallery Plus is a little more expensive, so you should only use it when your picture
will really sell your item. You must make sure that your enlarged photograph is very
sharp. If your picture looks fuzzy enlarged, you need to reshoot it at a higher resolution. If it is a small item requiring you to use the zoom feature on your camera, make
sure you also turn on the macro feature. That changes the focal length to close focus
and should help get your picture sharp (also always use a tripod and the timer when
shooting zoomed in).
Regular thumbnail size
Figure 20.3
Gallery thumbnail before
enlargement.
Thumbnail using Gallery Plus option
Figure 20.4
Enlarged thumbnail using
Gallery Plus option.
Bold ($1.00)
Bold is the most popular option after the Gallery picture. $1 isn’t as much as some of
the other listing upgrades and it can really make your auction title pop (see Figure 20.5).
Figure 20.5
EBay’s research shows that
auctions using bold get 17
percent more hits and 11 percent higher final prices. So
if your expected selling price
is at least $15 or more, the
bold feature is a pretty good
investment.
Bold title
There are some situations where not using bold can be to your advantage. Before you
decide on your options, take a look at the category where your item will be listed. If
the majority of listings are using bold, paying for this feature is not going to make
your auction stand out. In this case, not using bold will make the buyer look at it
because it looks out of place. So long as your gallery picture makes your item look as
good as or better than the other items, you will likely get the hits (and therefore bids).
Highlight ($5.00)
The fourth auction in Figure 20.6 used the Highlight option. The background of the
title and the space around the gallery image are highlighted with a light purple color.
It does make your title and thumbnail photo stand out more, but highlight is really
only effective when used in combination with the border option (covered next). That
makes it less cost-effective since Highlight alone costs $5.00. I personally think Highlight is too expensive for most items. However, if you are selling a fairly pricy item
that has lots of competition, you might want to consider it.
Highlighted auction
Figure 20.6
Remember, you don’t get
your optional listing fees back
if the item doesn’t sell, so you
could lose more money by
choosing expensive upgrades
like Highlight.
Border ($3.00)
The border upgrade puts a dark purple line border around the text and gallery image.
Used in conjunction with Bold (as shown in Figure 20.7), it can be a good way to draw
attention to your listing.
Bold
Figure 20.7
Listing combining both
Border and Bold options.
Border
I think this is a better option than using Highlight, and the combined cost is $1 less.
Still, you should be aware of your item cost before deciding to use a border. You don’t
want to use up all of your profits on listing upgrades.
Gift Icon ($0.25)
The items in Figure 20.8 are all Gift Items. This simply means the seller thinks each
would make a good gift. EBay doesn’t regulate the use of this option, so you could use
it on a battered old toaster if you wanted, but I doubt it would get you any more bids.
Gift icon
Figure 20.8
Using the Gift icon.
I tend to use this option around the holidays, particularly Mother’s Day, Father’s
Day, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day, when buyers might use the Gift Items option in
Search Options to narrow down results.
Scheduled Listing ($0.10)
Scheduled Listing is an option that allows you to start your listing at a specific time
and day. This is very helpful if you are a night owl but don’t want to start your listings at two o’clock in the morning. We talked about this in Chapter 19, so I won’t go
into too much detail here.
I use Scheduled Listing for virtually all of my items. I have a toddler, so I never know
when I am going to get a chance to work on my auctions. I prepare them when I have
a chance and schedule them to list at the optimal time.
I could be in the middle of shopping for groceries, changing a diaper, or (if I’m lucky)
catching a nap. It doesn’t matter. My auction will list automatically even if my computer is turned off. That’s worth 10 cents to me. If you can guarantee that you will
be on your computer and remember to list the auction at the correct day and time,
then you don’t need to use this option. If you’re human like the rest of us, 10 cents is
a small price to pay.
Feature Listing Upgrades
Now that we’ve looked at the individual listing upgrades, it’s time to look at the featuring options. These are expensive, so don’t even consider using one of these options
if your item won’t sell for over $200.
Gallery Featured ($19.95)
In the Picture Gallery, items are shown with the pictures as the main focus. A Gallery
Featured item will display at the top of the page above the nonfeatured items and show
the picture twice as big as the others (see Figure 20.9).
Gallery Featured listing
Figure 20.9
Items rotate into and out of
the Gallery Featured section, so you cannot guarantee
when yours will be up there.
Nonfeatured listing
Chapter 20: Optional Listing Upgrades
301
This is a useful option when your picture sells your product and a bigger picture
would be to your advantage. But honestly, I don’t think $19.95 is worth it unless
you’re selling a high-priced item that buyers would likely use the gallery view to find
(such as expensive art, antiques, or jewelry).
Featured Plus! ($20.95)
The second featuring option, Featured Plus!
is similar to Gallery Featured, but shows
the item at the top of the List View page
instead of the Picture Gallery page.
Featured Plus! items display in a section
above all of the nonfeatured items in both
the category results and search results pages.
This is the most worthwhile of the featured
options because it makes your auction more
visible to the majority of buyers. Sometimes
you have no choice but to use this option,
though.
Shark in the Water
You must have a feedback
score of 10 or more to use
Featured Plus! But you really
shouldn’t be selling items that
are expensive enough to make
Featured Plus! worthwhile until
you’ve got a feedback score
over 10 anyway, so this shouldn’t
be an issue for you.
Featured Plus! items display at the top of the search results page that they would normally display on. So you will find featured items on page 3, 9, 42, etc.
Now, here’s where it gets a little confusing. In the category results page (i.e., no
searching involved), featured items display before all of the other items. There are 50
items on each page, so if there are 200 featured items in that category, the first four
pages of the category results will all be featured items.
Figure 20.10 shows the tenth page in the category Jewelry and Watches > Rings >
Diamond Engagement/Anniversary > Diamond Solitaire with Accents. When I took
this screenshot there were 4,047 items listed in this category. As you can see, the
nonfeatured items start displaying this page (page 10). You can see the cutoff between
featured items and nonfeatured items by the horizontal line across the page and the
text “Optimize your selling success! Find out how to promote your items.” Anything
above that line is a featured item.
So what if you didn’t use Featured Plus! for your listing? Well, the likelihood is buyers
browsing the category would never get as far back as your listing. Your item would
never get farther up than page 10, even during the last few minutes of your auction
(as you can see in Figure 20.10). This means you are reliant on buyers searching for
your item.
Time remaining
Featured
listing
End of featured
listings
Nonfeatured
listing
Figure 20.10
You can see where the featured items end by looking at the time remaining, too.
If there are a lot of featured items (like in Figure 20.10), then you really have no
choice other than to use the Featured Plus! option. Not doing so will cost you far
more than $19.95 in lost bids.
But don’t worry just yet. You tend to see lots of Featured Plus! listings in expensive
electronics categories, jewelry categories, etc., where the price of the upgrade to Featured Plus! is not a big deal.
In most categories you’ll be starting out in, you’ll only find a few featured items, so
you won’t be forced to use Featured Plus! My point is to make sure you look at your
category before making a decision either way.
Homepage Featured ($39.95–$79.95)
The Homepage Featured service is mostly used by large professional sellers with
dozens or even hundreds of listings. This gives your listing a chance to be rotated
onto the eBay homepage in a special Featured Items box at some point during your
auction duration. EBay charges $39.95 if your auction is for one item, or $79.95 if it
is a multiple-quantity auction.
That is a whole lot of money considering you only have a “chance” at rotating onto
the homepage and if you do, you have no idea what day or time it will happen. If you
get lucky and your auction lists at 6 p.m. on a Sunday evening, you will get tons of
traffic to your listing during the period your item is up. But if it hits at 3 a.m., you
will not get much for your money.
The other drawback is location. When eBay started this option, the Featured Items
box on the homepage was quite prominent. Now you have to scroll all the way to the
bottom of the page to find it.
EBay also rotates your listing into the Featured Items box on the main Buy page, but
unfortunately, very few people actually click that page. They either click a category
on the left side bar or they enter a search term into the search box. You also get the
same promotion as Featured Plus!, but for twice the cost.
The only time I think it is worth using Homepage Featured is when you have many
identical expensive items for sale. The best strategy is to have an eBay Store with a
single listing for all but one of the items you have available. Then you list a 10-day
single-item auction for the remaining item and upgrade to Homepage Featured (for
$39.95). In your auction description, you repeatedly state that you have the same item
in your eBay Store available for Buy It Now (and give a link through to that page).
You will probably lose money on the single-item auction, but if you hit the right time
for your rotation onto the homepage, you should get a lot of purchases from your
eBay Store.
This whole strategy revolves around you having an eBay Store and multiple quantities
of the same item. As a new seller, you have neither. As such, I can’t think of any time
when a new seller should be using Homepage Featured.
One thing to consider if you do use either Featured Plus! or Homepage Featured—
you are paying quite a bit of money for the upgrade, so you might want to think
about spending an extra 40 cents to run a 10-day auction. This will give you more
exposure for the money spent and in the case of Homepage Featured it will increase
your chances of being rotated onto eBay’s homepage.
Upgrade Packages
Quite often the smartest move you can make is to combine the listing upgrades.
Of course eBay wants you to do that, too, so it’s set up a couple of packages for you.
Unfortunately, neither includes what I consider to be the best package.
In my opinion, if you want to spend a bit of money on listing upgrades, the best
options are, in order of importance:
1. Gallery
$0.35
2. Subtitle
$0.50
3. Scheduled Listing
$0.10
3. Bold
$1.00
4. Border
$3.00
5. Highlight
$5.00
Total cost: $9.95
Figure 20.11 shows an auction with all of these options.
Figure 20.11
Combined optional listing
upgrades using Gallery,
Bold, Border, and Highlight.
I like to keep my listing upgrade fees under 10 percent of what I expect for my final
selling price, so to use all of these options you should be looking at a final value of
$100 or more. If it is less, you should start at the top of my features list and work your
way down using as many options as you can afford while keeping the fees below 10
percent.
Value Pack ($0.65)
EBay offers a minor package deal that is worthwhile if you plan to use Subtitle as well
as Gallery. It offers both of these options as well as Listing Designer for $0.65. Gallery
and Subtitle alone are $0.85 usually, so this would save you some money even if you
don’t use Listing Designer.
I used to wonder why eBay didn’t offer a package including Gallery, Subtitle, and
Bold, but I realized that most people will add Bold as well as the Value Pack so eBay
doesn’t have to discount it.
Pro Pack ($29.95)
If you’re selling a really expensive item, this is a package of major features that could
save you a bit. With the 10 percent rule your item should be selling for over $300 for
this to be worthwhile.
The options included in the Pro Pack are Bold, Highlight, Featured Plus!, and Gallery
Featured. The cost is $29.95, which is $10.00 cheaper than the single-item Homepage
Featured option. If you were to use each of the options in the Pro Pack individually,
you would pay $18.95 more. But there’s the kicker. Most people don’t bother with
both Gallery Featured and Featured Plus! So if that’s the case for you, eBay is actually
making $1.00 from you. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it can add up.
If you’re using expensive options, you need to spend extra time refining your auction
title, description, and photographs. Also, as I said, you may want to consider listing
your auctions for 10 days to get the most exposure for your money. Remember, the
listing upgrades may get potential buyers to click on your auction, but it’s your photo
graph and description that will keep them there.
Free Alternatives to the Sell Your Item Form
The Sell Your Item form is great if you’re just selling a few items, but it’s not really
designed for more than that. EBay offers a bulk-listing service called Turbo Lister.
This is a little bit less user-friendly than the Sell Your Item form, but much easier to
manage with multiple items.
I have used Turbo Lister for a while and I find it works fine, but it really isn’t laid out
for a beginner who might need prompting about options (see Figure 20.12). It assumes
you know what you want. So get some experience with the Sell Your Item form first
and then move on to Turbo Lister after you know which options you will need.
Still, I like Turbo Lister. It integrates well with eBay and I don’t have to be connected
to the Internet to use it. That’s great if I am on the road and in a hotel that doesn’t
have Internet in the rooms. I can work on my listings on my laptop in my room and
then just head down to the lobby to upload them. You can’t do that with other auctionmanagement programs. And of course it’s free, which is always a plus.
Figure 20.12
You will not get as much
prompting as you get with
the Sell Your Item form.
Each auction-management program has its own niche of people who swear by it. If you
find Turbo Lister just isn’t for you, there are other options. Most third-party (i.e. noneBay) auction-management programs are fee-based. Auctiva (www.auctiva.com) is an
exception.
Did You Know?
EBay doesn’t offer a feature like
the Auctiva Store Window to
non-store sellers. You will see
some auctions with a static block
or slideshow of the sellers’ other
items, but that option is only available to sellers who also have an
eBay Store.
Figure 20.13
This one feature alone has
really helped increase my
cross-sales.
I have been using the Auctiva Store Window feature
for years (see Figure 20.13).
The Auctiva Store Window is an interactive slideshow of all your active items. If a buyer is interested
in one of your other items, she can just click the picture to go see the full auction. The images scroll so
you can see seven items at once.
Just recently, I “crossed over to the dark side” and
started using Auctiva’s listing tool as well (see Figure
20.14).
Figure 20.14
One thing I particularly
like about Auctiva’s create a
listing page is that you just
start at the top and work
your way down. If you look at
every option, you can’t miss
anything as you go down the
page. On Turbo Lister it is a
lot easier to miss options.
Skip has used many different auction-management programs (Vendio, Mpire,
Marketworks, etc.) over the last few years, but I have always been a little wary of
third-party listing tools. I’ve always worried that it wouldn’t integrate properly with
eBay and my auction would end up looking strange, or I wouldn’t be able to track my
auctions in My eBay. Also, I didn’t like the idea of paying over $20 a month for it!
So I have stuck with Turbo Lister. Skip finally convinced me to try Auctiva (I think
the word “free” helped) and I was amazed. It is very similar to the Sell Your Item
form but with the extra functionality of a bulk-lister, and it integrates seamlessly
with eBay. All of my auctions show up on My eBay so I can track them there or in my
Auctiva account. The really cool part is the free listing tools. These are just some of
the items Auctiva users get free (that eBay charges for):
Listing Upgrade
eBay fee
Auctiva fee
Image Hosting
$0.15 each
Free
Supersize Picture
$0.75
Free
Scheduled Listing
$0.10
Free
Among the major differences between Auctiva and Turbo Lister are the types of programming. Auctiva is a web-based program (i.e., you log in to the site via the Internet
and make changes to your listings there), whereas Turbo Lister is a program physically loaded onto your computer.
It’s easy to make a web-based program look appealing and easy to use. It’s much
harder to make a program that will be installed on various machines look like that.
It’s all to do with the different type of coding (DOS, Windows, etc.).
Updating a website program is like changing a couple of words here and there in
a document typed in Microsoft Word (well, it’s not quite that easy, but you get my
point). It doesn’t take too much effort and no one knows the changes were made
after you click Save. Making a change to a program like Turbo Lister is like trying
to make those word changes by hand on a paper document. It’s possible, but you lose
some of the clarity and “cleanliness” of the page.
It’s entirely up to you which type of program you prefer. To help you decide, consider
these questions:
u Will you want to track and change your auctions on computers other than your
own (work, library, etc.)? If so, Auctiva is probably a better option.
u Do you have a slow Internet connection? If so, Turbo Lister is a better option.
u Do you know what options you want and have no problem looking for them if
they are not right in front of you? If so, Turbo Lister will work fine for you, but
if not, you might be happier with Auctiva.
At the end of the day, both programs are free, so you can try both of them out and
see which you prefer without them costing you a penny.
Using the Free Auctiva Store Window to Increase Multiple Sales
Even if you choose not to use the management program part, I highly recommend
you get the Store Window. When you sign up with Auctiva, you will have access to
all of the listing options if you want them, but you can just ignore that if you want
and never return to Auctiva again and still benefit from the cross-sales coming from
the Store Window.
1. Start at www.auctiva.com and click Register in the sign-in section on the top
left (see Figure 20.15).
2. Fill out the registration form (it only needs a username, password, and e-mail
address). This is not your eBay registration information, so make sure to use a
different username and password.
Register
Figure 20.15
It only takes a couple of minutes to sign up for Auctiva,
and it’s definitely worth it,
even just for the Store
Window.
3. Click Generate an eBay Token on the next page. This will give Auctiva permission to add the Store Window into your auctions without knowing your actual
eBay User ID and password.
4. Log in with your eBay User ID and password to generate the eBay token for
Auctiva (see Figure 20.16).
Figure 20.16
Generating an eBay Token
for Auctiva.
5. Confirm that you want to set up an eBay token for Auctiva by clicking Agree
and Continue and you will be transferred back to Auctiva.
6. Now the default Store Window will show in your auctions. If you want to customize the look of it (color, shape, style, text, etc.), click Edit Store Window to
make your changes.
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7. If you are only using Auctiva for the store window, you need to turn off the
other features. Click on the My Account tab and then click Account Settings.
8. Scroll down through the Account Preferences section and change the selection
for Use Auctiva Secure Checkout from Yes to No (see Figure 20.17). Make sure
Use Auctiva Store Window is still set to Yes, though.
Figure 20.17
You can ignore all of the
other options unless you plan
to use Auctiva’s listing tools.
That’s it. Now all of your auctions will display your customized Auctiva store window
at the bottom.
u Text in the subtitle is only searchable when the buyer checks the Search Title
and Description box.
u Keep your optional upgrade fees below 10 percent of your expected selling
price.
u Use scheduled listing to launch auctions when you can’t be at your computer.
u New sellers should rarely use expensive features such as Gallery Featured,
Featured Plus!, and Homepage Featured, but you should always use Gallery
Picture for any item you are selling.
u Use the free Auctiva Store Window to display all of your auctions in a slideshow
at the bottom of all of your listings.
u Both Turbo Lister and Auctiva are free auction-management programs, so try
them both and see which you prefer.
5
Part
During and After the Auction
In this final part, you will learn what to do once your auction is listed and
how to revise your auction, fix mistakes, add more information, or change
the starting price if you need to. We will show you how to manage your
auctions in My eBay both while they are active and after they end. We will
also cover the postauction process including using secure packaging techniques, using the Shipping Center to print your label from home, leaving
feedback, and tracking your sold items. We’ll even show you how to entice
buyers to purchase more from you.
The final chapter of the book will answer some of the common “what if”
questions I hear on a regular basis from new sellers.
21
Chapter
Tracking and Revising Your Item
In This Chapter
u Tracking your items in My eBay
u Fixing mistakes in your auction
u Changing your starting or Buy It Now price
u When you can and cannot revise your description
Congratulations, you have listed your first auction. But it’s not over yet.
You have two choices: ignore your auction until it ends or track it through
its duration. The second is far more fun, and could help you increase your
bids if you notice something that has to be changed, or you get questions
from bidders. This is very easy to do in My eBay.
My eBay for Sellers
When you click on My eBay, your My Summary page will now show the
selling sections where you have activity (such as Scheduled Items, Items
I’m Selling, etc.). You can also view all of your selling activity by clicking
All Selling on the left side bar.
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Items I’m Selling
At the top of the page you will see your selling reminders, just like you saw buying
reminders previously. This will tell you if you have e-mails from bidders, items that
need attention, ended items that are eligible for Second Chance Offers, etc. Below that
is the Scheduled items section, which shows all listings you have created but are not
yet active because you used Scheduled Listing to launch them at a later time. You can
access the auction and make changes before it launches by clicking on the auction title.
Next are the Selling Totals followed by Items I’m Selling sections (see Figure 21.1).
Scheduled items
Selling totals
Item’s I’m selling
Number of bids Number of watchers
Figure 21.1
Even if you didn’t list your auction using the Sell Your Item form, your active auctions will
show in this section.
Selling Totals gives you a snapshot of your selling activity from the last 60 days (you
can customize this to change the time period). It also shows you how many items you
have listed, how many of those are guaranteed to sell, how many you have sold, and
your gross sales.
Chapter 21: Tracking and Revising Your Item
315
The Items I’m Selling section should look quite familiar to you. It looks very similar
to the Items I’m Bidding On section we talked about in Chapter 4. From left to right
the information shown is Current Bid, Item Number, Number of Bids, Number of
Unique Bidders, Number of Watchers, High Bidder ID, Format, and Time Left.
This is where you can track your active auctions. I like to keep an eye on the Current
Bid, the Number of Unique Bidders, and the Number of Watchers.
If your item doesn’t have a lot of bids, but has a lot of watchers, you might anticipate
a bidding war near the end when buyers try to snipe each other. But it could just as
easily mean that your auction description isn’t closing the sale. You got the buyer
interested, but didn’t make them decide to bid.
As a buyer, how many times have you clicked Watch This Item and then forgotten
about the auction until after it ended? A few changes in your auction description
could make all the difference. You can still do that while the auction is active until
you get your first bid (we’ll explain how in a moment).
What you are hoping to see is a high number of bids and a high number of unique
bidders. That means that there are many buyers interested in your item.
Seeing a high number of bids but only a few unique bidders is still okay because that
means the buyers are bidding against each other, and you’re looking at a bidding war
(always a good thing!).
The time to worry is when you don’t have watchers or bids. Then you should really
consider revising your item (we’ll explain how once we’ve finished looking at the My
Summary page).
Items I’ve Sold
Figure 21.2 shows the Items I’ve Sold section. This is most comparable to the buyer’s
Items I’ve Won section.
Once your item sells, this is where you can keep track of your postauction activity. In
Items I’ve Sold you will find the buyer’s User ID, the quantity he bid (if it’s a multiplequantity auction), the sale price (per item), the total price (including all items and
shipping), and the sale date.
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Sale price
Total price
including shipping
Status of payment and shipping
Figure 21.2
User IDs of buyers have been
blurred in this screenshot to
protect their identity.
There are also five icons that start out grayed out and become bold once each activity is completed. Figure 21.3 shows the icons and what they mean. You’ve seen the
Paid, Feedback Left, and Feedback Received icons before when we looked at My eBay
from a buyer’s perspective. Now we’re adding a couple more: Checkout Complete and
Shipped.
Figure 21.3
EBay uses icons to help you track the status of payments. Remember that if you use BidPay you will have to
mark the payment as paid manually.
Checkout Complete simply means the buyer has followed the eBay-checkout procedure and specified what payment method he intends to use. You will usually see
the Checkout Complete and Paid icons illuminate at the same time. If you see an
hourglass icon where the dollar sign Paid icon should be, that means the buyer has
marked the item as Payment Sent in his My eBay. That usually means there is a check
or money order on the way. You can hover your mouse over the hourglass icon to
see what date the buyer marked the payment as sent. This will help you determine
whether and when you need to follow up with him. Use the drop-down menu to
select Mark as Paid once the payment arrives.
If you create your shipping label through PayPal (see Chapter 22), the Shipped icon
will automatically illuminate once you print the label. Your buyer will also be sent an
automatic e-mail telling him that you have printed the label for his item shipment.
Because of this, it’s important to print your label only when you are ready to mail it.
Printing it immediately but then mailing the item three days later will only infuriate
your buyer.
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Unsold Items
The Unsold Items section shows you any items that didn’t sell. You can see the same
tracking information as in Items I’m Selling so you can see what went wrong. If you
had bids but the reserve was not met, you have the option to send a Second Chance
Offer to the highest bidder by clicking the link in the drop-down menu to the right.
To relist the item, use the Relist Item link in the drop-down menu. You must use this
link to qualify for the Insertion Fee Credit (we’ll talk about that more in Chapter 23).
Fixing Mistakes During the Auction
You should always preview your item before you list it, but if you notice a mistake
after the auction has been launched, or another eBay member e-mails you pointing
out a mistake you made, you can still make changes to certain sections.
Before the First Bid
If there are no bids on the auction (and there are still 12 hours remaining before
the auction ends), you can change any of the auction details including the title, start
price, reserve price, auction description, listing upgrades, photographs, etc.
To revise an aspect of your auction, go to the active auction listing page and click
Revise your item (see Figure 21.4).
Figure 21.4
You can access the Revise
your item page from either
the auction listing page or
from the drop-down menu to
the right of the auction in the
Items I’m Selling section of
My eBay.
Revise your item
Number of bids
Time remaining
318
After you click Revise your item, you will be taken to another page showing each
section of your auction and an Edit option to the far right (see Figure 21.5). Click on
Edit Description to access your description to make changes.
Figure 21.5
Revising your title or
description.
Edit
Edit
description title
There are other options you can change, which we will talk about in a moment.
Revising Your Item After the First Bid or Within 12 Hours of Auction End
If your item has no bids, but is ending within 12 hours, or your auction has any bids,
you cannot revise certain aspects of the listing. These include the title, subtitle, and
price. You can add to your description, but you cannot change or delete anything in
it. Any additions you make will show in a section below the original description box.
Raising or Lowering the Starting Price
If your item has no bids and isn’t getting hits, look at your item title and your starting
price. First, check that you haven’t misspelled a critical keyword in your title and that
your Gallery Picture is displaying correctly. If it’s a spelling issue, just revise the title.
If it’s the picture, go to the Picture and Details section and upload the photograph
again.
If it’s not a keyword or photograph issue, you need to look at your auction in context.
Look at your auction placement in both the category and search results. Do other
items around yours have bids? Do they have more hits than your auction? Is their
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starting price lower than yours? Do they offer extra accessories or bonus items for
the same or a lower price? If you are seeing Buy It Now prices lower than your starting price, you definitely need to adjust your pricing.
Start the Revise your item process like you would for the title or description and
scroll down to the Pictures and Details section (see Figure 21.6).
Edit title & description
Figure 21.6
Lowering the start price
after the auction is active.
Price
Buy It Now
Edit pictures & details
Click Edit Pictures and Details and modify the pricing to make it more competitive.
Follow the same process to raise your starting price if you notice you have underpriced your item or accidentally started it at the wrong price ($10 instead of $100).
Remember, you can’t change any of the prices after the first bid is placed.
If you do accidentally list your starting bid way lower than you intended (or make a
mistake in your reserve price) and someone gets the first bid in at that level, you can
cancel the auction and relist it, but you don’t get any of your listing fees refunded, so
don’t do it unless you have to. You can’t just cancel the buyer’s bid simply because you
made an error in the starting price.
You can try contacting the bidder and explaining your mistake. You can ask whether
she will allow you to cancel her bid so you can adjust the starting/reserve price rather
than cancel the entire auction. Sometimes a buyer will be okay with that. At the end
of the day, if you cancel the auction, her bid will be cancelled anyway.
320 Part 5: During and After the Auction
Cancelling a Bid
You cannot cancel a bid without a good reason. But there are circumstances when it is
appropriate:
u The bidder has purchased from you in the past and has not paid.
u The bidder resides in a country you don’t ship to.
u The bidder asks you to cancel her bid.
u You cannot verify the bidder’s identity (i.e., the e-mail address and phone number on file are incorrect).
Cancelling a bid is a very simple process. Figure 21.7 shows the Cancel a Bid page
which can be found at http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CancelBidShow.
There is a way to navigate to this page through the Help files, but it’s very convoluted
so I’ve used TinyURL to make a small link for you. Just type http://tinyurl.com/2ff3v
into your browser’s navigation bar and it will take you to the same place as the long
link above. Alternatively, you can click through from the resources page (www.
skipmcgrath.com/cig) where we have listed commonly accessed pages you should add
to a special favorites (bookmarks) file.
Item number
bidder’s User ID
Reason for bid cancellation
cancel bid
Figure 21.7
If you are cancelling your entire auction you don’t have to cancel the bids before starting the
end my listing process. One of the first options will take care of it for you if it is necessary.
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Enter the item number, the bidder’s User ID, and the reason you are cancelling the
bid and click Cancel bid. It’s just that easy.
Cancelling an Auction
If you have to cancel your entire auction, you won’t be charged a Final Value fee, but
you won’t get a refund on any of the listing or optional upgrade fees you paid, and you
are not eligible for the Insertion Fee Credit (we’ll talk about this in Chapter 23).
You still have to have a valid reason, too.
If a buyer e-mails you and asks whether you will sell the item for his current high bid,
it’s completely up to you to decide yes or no. If you expect the item to go for a higher
amount, I would generally say no (depending on the buyer’s reason for the request).
You will be charged the Final Value fee if you end a listing to sell to the current high
bidder.
Whichever reason you have for cancelling the auction, the beginning of the process
is the same. Go to the Items I’m Selling section in My eBay and select End Item in
the drop-down menu next to the auction you need to cancel (see Figure 21.8).
Figure 21.8
This should be your last
resort if you can’t fix the
auction by revising it.
Check box to select auction
End Item
If there are bids on your auction, you will be presented with two choices:
u Cancel bids and end listing early.
u Sell item to high bidder(s) and end listing early.
322
If you are selling to the high bidder, you should select the second option. The auction
will be canceled and will show up in your Items I’ve Sold section.
If you’re cancelling for any other reason, select the first option.
Now you will be presented with the four acceptable reasons for why you are ending
your auction. Your bidders will be e-mailed and this reason will be given for the auction being cancelled. This will also display on the auction page.
Did You Know?
EBay investigates cancelled auctions to prevent sellers from just
cancelling auctions that don’t
reach the price they want.
The options are …
u The item is no longer available for sale.
uThere was an error in the starting price or
reserve amount.
u There was an error in the listing.
u The item was lost or broken.
Select the option that applies to your situation and click End my Listing.
So that’s it. One way or another, your auction has ended. I hope it sold! If it didn’t
you may be eligible for the Insertion Fee Credit if you relist it. We’ll talk about that
more in Chapter 23.
u You can completely revise your listing until you get the first bid or there are
only 12 hours left until the auction ends.
u You can add to the description after your first bid or during the last 12 hours
of the auction, but you cannot delete anything.
u You can cancel a bid, or even your entire auction, but you must have a valid
reason.
u If you end your auction early, you do not get any of the listing fees refunded,
but you don’t pay a Final Value fee unless you ended the auction to sell the item
to your current high bidder.
22
Chapter
Final Steps
In This Chapter
u How to increase multiple sales and repeat sales
u Why customer service is so important
u How to get free shipping boxes and get packing supplies tax-free
u How to create a shipping label and pay for postage through PayPal
u What you need to do differently for International shipments
Making the sale is the first challenge you face on eBay, but what you do
after the sale will determine your future as a seller. As you know by now,
buyers depend on seeing a good feedback reputation before they will risk
their hard-earned money. So building a good feedback reputation is essential to your future success as a seller. Most negative feedback results from
poor service or communications after the sale. The best way to grow your
feedback and ensure a high rating is to communicate with the customer
and pay attention to the important details. This process has an additional
advantage in that if you do it correctly you will have the ability to upsell
your customers or bring them back for more.
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Customer Service
Treat your buyers as you would want to be treated and you can’t really go far wrong.
This starts with communication. Be nice. Write in complete sentences and if you
encounter any problems or make a mistake, be honest and ’fess up early. Most people
will be very understanding if you are up front with them.
If you’re abrupt, or worse, don’t respond to questions, you are not going to get repeat
sales from this buyer, and the feedback comment you’ll receive is not going to inspire
others to do business with you (and your Detailed Seller Rating for Communication
will tank).
So how do you give great customer service? It could be as simple as sending the buyer
an e‑mail to let him know his item has shipped and to give him the delivery confirmation number. But if you take a moment to congratulate him on getting a good
deal and thank him for his business, he will know you really care about him and he’ll
be more likely to leave you glowing feedback. If you were about to buy from a seller,
which feedback comment would impress you the most?
Thanks. Nice item.
or
Fantastic seller, Great item, good communications, Five *****
The key to getting feedback comments like the second example is to communicate
with the customer and pack and ship your goods quickly and carefully.
The three most commonly asked questions by buyers after an auction has ended are …
u Did you receive my payment?
u When did my item ship?
u How long does shipping take?
I use form letters that I customize for each buyer at each of these stages. I send the
first one when they win the auction (thanking them and reiterating the payment
options); the second, after the payment arrives (to confirm the payment and explain
about the shipping); and the third, when the item has shipped (with the shipping time
and the tracking number). If a buyer paid with PayPal, I skip the last one because I
have my PayPal account set to automatically deliver that e‑mail for me.
Chapter 22: Final Steps
325
This preempts the three major questions so my buyers never wonder what is going
on. It shows you are ahead of the game and anticipating your buyer’s needs. Getting
information from some sellers is like pulling teeth, so it is refreshing for a buyer to
see a seller who is organized and considers her needs.
We showed you how to customize the end-of-auction e‑mail already, so here are a
couple of examples for the other two e‑mails.
E‑mail Example for Non-PayPal Payment
Dear <Buyer Name>,
Thank you for your eCheck payment of <$XX.XX> for <Item Name>! PayPal will
e‑mail both of us when it clears (usually 4–6 days); in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Once your payment clears I will be sending your item via USPS Priority Mail and I’ll
e‑mail you the delivery confirmation number so you can track it. It usually takes 2–3
business days to get to you from then.
Your complete satisfaction is my first priority. Please contact me if you have any
questions.
Thanks again,
Lissa McGrath
E‑mail Example for When Payment Clears and Item Ships
Dear <Buyer Name>,
Your eCheck payment of <$XX.XX> for <Item Name> has cleared!
Your item will ship via USPS Priority Mail tomorrow morning. The delivery confirmation number is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. It should take 2–3 business days for
you to receive your item in <buyer’s City and State>.
Thank you for a very pleasant transaction. I have left positive feedback for you, and I
hope you will do the same once you receive your item. To leave feedback go to http://
feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?LeaveFeedbackShow.
If for any reason you are not 100 percent satisfied, please let me know as soon as possible so I can work to rectify the situation.
326
Thank you again and happy bidding!
Lissa McGrath
Make It Personal
The e‑mail examples I used left areas where you can put personal information so
it doesn’t look like a form e‑mail. I keep a copy saved in my e‑mail drafts folder in
Outlook Express and I just copy and paste the text when I need it. That saves a lot of
typing!
Karen, Skip’s wife, does most of their shipping (which has earned her the nickname
“The Shipping Goddess”). She makes a point to set up a rapport with buyers who
contact them. It could be as simple as commenting on the weather in a particular
area, or mentioning that she has visited or lived nearby to where they are located.
Each time she does this she sets up a connection between her and the buyer. Now the
buyer can see a real person behind the sale. This helps get repeat business as well as
really good, specific, feedback.
Once a buyer trusts you and knows you will send what you promised, when you
promised it, and in the condition you promised it, you are far more likely to get
repeat sales.
Packing Your Item
Once you know that your item is going to sell, it’s worth getting it packed up. You
should always include a personal note and the invoice showing how much they paid,
so you can’t seal the box yet. Still, having it almost ready to go means you can get it
to the post office or UPS store much quicker. It also means you don’t have it cluttering up your home. If you have multiple items, you can stack up the boxes ready to be
mailed and just finish them up when the buyers pay.
People do not want to receive their “treasure” in an old shoebox. Be careful with your
packing materials. It is okay to reuse materials like bubble wrap and Styrofoam peanuts if they are clean and in good condition. The same goes for boxes. I often reuse a
box I received something in if it is in good condition. If not, it goes into my recycling
bin. A word of warning about packing materials: studies have shown that people do not
like to receive things wrapped in newspaper because the ink gets all over their hands.
If you need something like this, you can buy plain newsprint very inexpensively.
327
Shipping Supplies
The United States Postal Service (USPS)
offers co-branded Priority Mail boxes for
sellers who have sold at least one item in the
last 30 days. Go to http://ebaysupplies.usps.
com to place your order (see Figure 22.1).
Shark in the Water
Never seal a box until you
have a shipping label to
attach to it. You risk sending the
wrong item to the buyer and
that’s an expensive mistake to
make. It’s much better to wait
and seal the box at the same
time as you attach the label.
There are flat-rate boxes that cost the same
no matter what the weight or destination
within the United States, but they are not
always more cost-effective. Always calculate
the shipping for regular Priority Mail by
weight before deciding if it is worth using the flat-rate option. Quite often the byweight version is cheaper (particularly if the item isn’t too heavy).
Figure 22.1
You will have to sign in so
eBay can confirm that you
have sold one item in the last
month before you will get to
this page.
Safe Shipments
You have to understand that your item is not your treasure anymore. It now belongs
to your buyer. So it’s incredibly important to pack it properly so it doesn’t get damaged in transit.
328
Here are a few extra shipping tips:
u If you’re sending a mug, wrap a strip of bubble wrap around the handle so it is
completely covered before you wrap the rest of the mug. This will help prevent
chips and handle breakage.
u Use packing peanuts or something similar to fill up any extra space in the box.
u Remember, the last impression the buyer has of you before leaving feedback is
how their item arrives. Make it count.
Tips
You can buy shipping supplies on eBay far cheaper than in the stores. There are sellers who specialize in selling packing materials to other eBay sellers. Find one who
offers all of the supplies you need at a good price and combine the shipping. The
category to look in is Business and Industrial > Office, Printing and Shipping > Shipping
and Packing Supplies.
Extras to Include in the Package
You should always put a copy of the invoice with both your address and the buyer’s
address on it inside the box just in case something happens to the outside label.
You should also add a thank-you note to your buyer. This is approximately what I
send, but I tailor it for each buyer so each one is a little different:
Dear <Buyer’s Name>,
Thank you for your purchase of <item name>!
I hope you have found this a pleasant buying experience. If so, I would appreciate you leaving me positive feedback. I have already left positive feedback for
you. If you’re not satisfied for any reason, please e‑mail me as soon as possible so
I can try to rectify that.
I am listing a lot of new items over the next few weeks so please come back and
look at my auctions.
I offer a 25 percent shipping discount for all repeat buyers!
Just remind me when you check out and I’ll send you an adjusted invoice.
Thank you again,
Lissa McGrath
Chapter 22: Final Steps 329
A little note like this reminds your buyer to leave feedback and acknowledges that you
want them to contact you if there is a problem. That alone can save you from negative
feedback if there is an issue.
You are also asking for repeat sales and giving the buyer a reason to look at your
auctions again. You don’t have to use the special offers I use, but if you can offer an
incentive that always helps.
Create a Shipping Label Through PayPal
You can create a shipping label by clicking Create Shipping Label on the drop-down
menu next to the item in Items I’ve Sold, or through PayPal directly. If you go
through My eBay, you will be prompted to sign in to PayPal and then taken straight
to the shipment page.
If you go through PayPal, you need to sign in directly to your PayPal account and
then click Print Shipping Label on the correct transaction (see Figure 22.2). If the
transaction doesn’t display, click All activity to see more payments. If you’re not
sure that it is the correct payment, click on Details to see the full transaction details
(including the auction information).
Print shipping label
Figure 22.2
If you’re not sure that it is
the correct payment, click on
Details to see the full transaction details (including the
auction information).
All activity
Details
Whichever method you used to get here, the next step is to select USPS or UPS.
These are currently the only two shipping carriers supported by PayPal. Figure 22.3
shows the shipment creation page for a USPS shipment.
Buyer’s address
Your address
Service Type
Package Size
Weight
Mailing Date
Display Postage Value on Label
Continue
Figure 22.3
Create a shipping label through PayPal to save time and money.
One of the advantages to creating your shipment online is you get delivery confirmation for free if it’s a Priority Mail parcel (65 cents if you pay at the post office) and 18
cents if it’s a First Class package (75 cents in store).
Tips
Hiding the price of postage
can be important because if
the buyer sees a price higher
than they paid (even if it was justified for packing materials) you
will not receive a five-star rating in
the Shipping and Handling Cost
part of Detailed Seller Ratings.
You can also choose whether you want to display the
postage cost on the package or hide it. Hiding it is a
really good feature if you are adding a handling fee. It
doesn’t make a buyer feel good when she sees a package arrive with $4.05 worth of postage when she paid
$8.95. Remember, and I can’t reiterate this enough,
this is the last impression you make on the buyer.
It does work the other way, though. If you are
offering free shipping, it’s often worth putting the
shipping cost on the label. That way the buyer can
see just how much he saved. Of course “saved” is a
relative term because you should include your shipping cost in your starting price so
you don’t lose out. But the buyer has forgotten about that. He just knows he got his
item well packaged and a postage frank for $8.80 on it when he didn’t pay a penny for
shipping. That leaves a very positive feeling with the buyer.
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Insurance
Insurance is a difficult topic. I always offer it as an option. It’s slightly more paperwork for me, but if it gives my buyer piece of mind, then I’m all for it. If I have a
fragile item to send, I usually use UPS because it covers packages up to $100 for free.
Its claim process is much easier and quicker than the USPS, too.
If I am sending a particularly valuable or fragile item, I always require insurance.
Sometimes I will use that as an incentive. I make a point of telling potential bidders
that I care about their treasure once they win it and I cover the insurance cost to make
sure it gets to them in the condition I send it. Again, the buyer thinks he is getting
something for nothing. We’re usually talking a couple of dollars for the insurance cost,
so if the item is expensive it’s not that much to absorb or work into the starting or
reserve price.
There are some companies that offer discounted insurance. If you use Auctiva to
manage your auctions, you can buy insurance from them at lower rates than UPS or
the USPS. There is another large company used by many eBay sellers called Discount
Shipping Insurance at www.dsiinsurance.com. Its rates are less than half of what the
USPS or UPS charges.
Shipping to International Destinations
There are some specific rules about shipping to international addresses. You can create
a shipping label for an International destination through PayPal. The options will
appear when you have an international ship-to address.
You must fill out a customs form for every overseas shipment (including those going
to Canada or Mexico).
The customs form is easy. It asks for the names of the items included in the parcel,
the quantity, and per-item value (what the buyer paid for it excluding shipping). Then
you just sign it and you’re done. If you’re worried about it, take your package to the
post office and ask one of the clerks to check your form for you.
The buyer might be charged customs duty on the import, which is why I put a line in
the shipping section of my item description saying …
“You are responsible for any customs brokerage fees or customs duty imposed by your
country. I will not mark the customs form as ‘Gift’ or mark the value lower than you
are paying, so please don’t ask.”
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This helps stop people asking and putting me in a difficult position to have to say no
and risk bad feedback. So long as they read the auction description there is no problem. If they still ask, I can politely say no and remind them that it was in the Shipping Terms on the auction page, which they saw before they bid.
Shark in the Water
You might be tempted (or outright asked by the buyer) to mark your shipment as
a gift instead of commercial goods. Don’t do it. In years past Customs officials
haven’t looked at parcels under a certain price/size, but they are getting more proactive
about it now. If you don’t declare that it is commercial goods and list the exact amount
the buyer paid for the item, you are liable for some serious fines (and possibly worse).
It’s just not worth it.
You must also put a copy of the invoice inside the package showing the amount paid.
You can print the transaction details from PayPal for this.
USPS International Services
In May 2007, the USPS overhauled their international services (and upped the fees
considerably). One of the features is a merge of Global Priority Mail and Airmail Parcel Post. It is now called Priority Mail International and it uses the same materials as
the domestic Priority Mail service (so you can use the eBay co-branded boxes). The
downside to this is there is no more Airmail for parcels, so Priority Mail shipping is
the lowest-cost option available.
The USPS also added First-Class International, which combines Airmail Letter Post
and First-Class Letter Post. But as the name suggests, it’s only for letters, not parcels.
The Priority Mail International option doesn’t have the four-pound weight limit
Global Priority Mail had, which is a nice feature. Really, this is a good change
because it means your buyers get their items quicker. Yes, they are more expensive,
but so long as you are completely up front about the cost, most international buyers
will know what to expect.
One thing I like to do is offer free combined shipping for any other items the buyer
purchases that I can fit into the same flat-rate box. It costs me nothing more to offer
this (and actually saves me some time), plus it increases the number of cross-sales to
international buyers.
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Leave Feedback
Some sellers choose to wait to leave feedback until the buyer does. If I have a difficult
buyer, I tend to agree with that policy. But if everything went smoothly, I post feedback as soon as I ship the item. This has become part of my shipping routine so I don’t
forget it.
You can’t really ask for feedback unless you give it. When you go to leave the comments, you can display all your items that need feedback at the same time so it doesn’t
take much to do it. You can copy and paste the response if you want to.
When we talked about feedback from a buyer’s perspective, I explained why it is
important to be specific. The same is true from a seller’s perspective. As a seller it is
your responsibility to show other sellers what they can expect from a transaction with
this particular buyer. It’s not fair to say “fast payment” if it took two weeks and four
follow-up e‑mails! So even if you have a standard feedback comment, make sure to
tailor it when necessary.
Stick with the positives. Don’t bother leaving a negative unless you know there is no
way the buyer can retaliate (i.e., they already left feedback). It hurts you a lot more to
have a negative feedback than it does the buyer.
Good seller feedback comments are …
u Fast payment, great buyer, always welcome here!
u Very smooth transaction, great eBayer, thank you!
u Thank you for a super-fast payment and a great transaction!
Paying Taxes
If you sell to anyone within your state, you have to charge them sales tax at your local
rate. If your state doesn’t have sales tax, you can skip this section.
EBay doesn’t make you specify a sales-tax rate, but you are still required to charge
(and pay) it for all in-state sales. You can have it automatically calculated as part of
eBay Checkout if you want. To do this, you need to specify that option on the Sell
Your Item form. Click Show/Hide Options at the top of the page. Under the Additional tab, check the Sales Tax box and click Save.
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Now at the bottom of the Sell Your Item form in the Additional Requirements section you will see a check box for Charge sales tax according to the sales-tax table (see
Figure 22.4) and a link to view the sales-tax table.
Charge sales tax on all in-state sales automatically
Figure 22.4
If you don’t do this and get
an in-state sale, you still
have to pay the sales tax even
though you didn’t charge it to
the buyer.
View sales tax table link
Check the Sales tax box and then click View the sales tax table. On the next page you
can input the sales-tax rate for whichever state you are in (see Figure 22.5). If you happen to be a big company with locations in more than one state, you have to charge
sales tax on all sales in any of those states. Remember, it is your local sales tax rate, not
the buyer’s, that you are charging. So if your sales tax rate is 7.8 percent and the buyer’s
is 6 percent, she still has to pay 7.8 percent. But that works the other way, too. If her
rate is usually 7.8 percent but yours is only 6 percent, then she only pays 6 percent.
You have the option to charge sales tax on the shipping and handling as well as the
purchase price. Personally, I don’t like to do this. I buy my shipping supplies from
out-of-state eBay sellers, so I don’t pay sales tax on those. And even if I did, it would
be a tax-deductible expense so I don’t think it is fair to the buyer to charge sales tax
on more than just the purchase price. This is entirely up to you, though.
Click Save once you’ve finished adding the sales-tax rates. Now all of your listings
will specify that sales tax is charged on purchases in the states you listed and the rate
it is charged at for each state.
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Sales tax rate
Figure 22.5
If your sales tax goes up,
just come back to this page
and update the amount for
all future listings.
Check box to charge sales tax on shipping and handling as well as purchase price
At the end of each month/quarter, you cut the state a check for the total sales tax
amount you collected. Any tax professional (H&R Block, etc.) can show you how to
do this for your state. You can often file it online and then mail the check. I know
Florida is very easy because I’ve done it! There is more about sales tax in Chapter 24
if you need more information.
You can choose not to charge sales tax, but I don’t recommend it. If you get caught,
you could end up in a lot of trouble.
Enticing Buyers to Purchase More
One sale is good, two (or more) sales are better. In this section, we’re going to look at
a few simple ways to entice your buyer to click Place Bid on another one of your items.
Combined/Free Shipping
Even before the buyer receives his first item, you may be able to get a repeat sale if
you offer shipping incentives for multiple purchases. There are so many ways you can
do this. Here are a few examples:
u Fifty-percent-off shipping cost for second item
u Second item ships for 25 percent off, third item ships for 50 percent off
u Free shipping on any Buy It Now purchases
u Free shipping for any additional items that will fit in the same flat-rate Priority
Mail box
You shouldn’t have to absorb any of the shipping cost. The amount the buyer is paying for the second item should still cover the increase in cost of shipping the package
with the weight/size increase. If you have added a handling fee you may be able to
cover the cost of shipping the second item free.
It’s a lot less hassle for you, too. Think about it—you only have to ship one package,
create one shipping label, etc., so it’s a lot easier and less time-consuming.
Upselling Strategies
In Chapter 20, I showed you how to get the Auctiva Store Window (slideshow) of
your other items to display at the bottom of your auctions. It’s free, so you really
should have this on all of your auctions.
If you sell a certain type of items (like I sell baby items) you will often find buyers
of one of your items are prequalified for another type. If you show them all of your
other items at the bottom of your auction, they may well notice something they are
interested in and click through. This technique costs you nothing, and is one of the
easiest ways to increase your sales.
I Remember When …
I’ve mentioned this before, but when I sell baby-formula coupons, my sales of baby toys
and clothing jump. This is simply because a buyer of a formula coupon has to have a
baby under 12 months, so there is a good chance her child would fit into the clothing
I have for sale, or would enjoy the toys I am offering. Quite often I get bidders on my
clothing and toys auctions who didn’t end up bidding on the formula coupons (or who
didn’t win), so I end up with new customers this way, too.
Offers for Repeat Buyers
I sell enough items that it is worth giving special offers to repeat buyers. In my
thank-you note to my buyer, I usually offer 50 percent off the shipping of his or her
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next item. I usually have to assume a bit of the cost of the shipping for doing this, but
it usually pays off because the buyer adds me to his Favorite Sellers. He only gets the
50 percent off once, so if he comes back again, I don’t have to absorb any of the cost.
But that means I got two new sales without worrying about promotion on eBay, etc.
If you have a website, this is where you can really make some money. In your thankyou letter, offer the buyer a discount on the shipping from your website. This will get
her looking at your site. Your prices have to be higher on your website than on eBay,
but that’s okay because now she is getting something from you for free. You should
have additional items she won’t have seen on eBay as well. The best part of this is you
don’t pay any listing or selling fees to eBay for any purchase the buyer makes on your
website. If you can get her to repeat-buy on your website, you stand to make a lot
more money.
Information Products
If you don’t have items that complement each other, what about creating one? Information products are really hot sellers on eBay. The book you are holding is an information
product—a how-to manual. But it could be anything. Remember when we talked about
Reviews and Guides in Chapter 15? Well, any guide you write could be a standalone
information product. It could be how to make wooden bird tables, how to choose a
digital camera, a price guide for collectibles, a directory of where to find certain products, etc. It doesn’t matter what it is, it will interest someone. For example, Skip sells
Starbucks collectibles on eBay and he sells an e-book called Price Guide to Starbucks
Collectibles. Almost anyone who buys a Starbucks mug or Bearista bear is a potential
customer for the e-book.
The trick is to make it affordable. Write it in Microsoft Word and use a free PDF
creator (like www.primopdf.com) to turn it into a PDF document. Now you have an
e-book. It only has to be a few pages long. If it is longer, charge more.
In your end-of-auction e‑mail, mention that you sell whatever product it is and as
a special offer for your buyers, you are offering it for $4.95 (or whatever price you
want to set). If it’s only a few pages, you might charge $3.95; if it’s 15 pages, you could
probably get $8.95 for it. It depends on the price of the item you just sold as well. If
the item was $65.00, then $8.95 isn’t much. However, if your average item sells for
$12.95, then $8.95 is a lot. You are appealing to the impulse buy, the “why not?” So
keep that in mind when you price the e-book.
You might ask, why bother for $3.95? Well, if you list 16 auctions a month and 50 percent of them buy your information product, you just made an additional $31.60 without doing any real work.
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If you sell it for $8.95 and the same number of buyers purchase it, you made $71.60.
After the buyer purchases the product, e‑mail him with the PDF file and you’re done.
It’s that easy. If you start using an auction-management service, they may have a
feature that will deliver it automatically upon payment for you.
u Negative feedback hurts the seller far more than the buyer, so don’t leave negative feedback unless you know the buyer can’t retaliate (i.e., he has already left
feedback).
u Upsell your buyers with shipping incentives, other related products, and special
offers to get repeat sales.
u You must pay sales tax on sales within your state, but you are not required to
charge sales tax on any other sales.
u Don’t list an eBay purchase as a “Gift” on a customs form or undervalue the
actual cost the buyer paid.
u Be careful packaging your item. The last impression the buyer has of you before
leaving feedback is how her item arrives.
23
Chapter
The What-Ifs
In This Chapter
u What to do if your item doesn’t sell
u What to do if the buyer doesn’t pay
u How to sell another similar (or identical) item
u How to get the Listing Fee Credit and the Final Value Fee Credit
u When you can (and should) use Second Chance Offer
All wannabe eBay sellers have “what if” scenarios that prevent them from
getting started on eBay. I was lucky that when I started selling I had Skip
around to reassure me that I really could do this and the “what if” scenarios weren’t so scary after all. Now I’m doing the same for you with a few of
the most common concerns I hear from eBay seller wannabes.
What If My Item Doesn’t Sell?
There are many reasons why your item might not sell. Some of them have
nothing to do with your auction. Was there a major sporting event that
weekend that you forgot about? Did your auction end during the finals of
American Idol? Was a major chain offering a sale on that item this week?
Was half the country snowed in or under tornado watches?
Tips
Remember, eBay pulls the first
listed shipping cost to display
on the search results page, so
if you listed the fastest option first
(usually the most expensive) you
will likely be losing hits and bids.
Buyers will assume that this is the
lowest cost available and skip
over your auction thinking the
shipping is overpriced.
Other times it is simply errors in your listing that
can be fine-tuned before relisting.
You could make guesses all day at why it didn’t sell, or
you can look at the facts. First, look at the Completed
Listings for your item. Did other auctions get bids
when yours didn’t? If not, it was likely an outside
influence and relisting the auction as-is should be fine.
If other auctions got bids, look at their visitor counters
and note how many hits they got. Now go to the ended
auction page for your item. How many hits did you
get? If yours are much lower than the other sellers’,
you need to adjust your title, category selection, or
starting price.
Have a look at the other auctions that did get bids and see what they did differently.
Were their prices lower, were there more photographs, did they end on a different
day or time?
Professional sellers expect to go through this process a couple of times before finding the best selling strategy, so this minor fine-tuning isn’t a big deal. Of course, you
don’t have multiple quantities of the same item so you’re looking to get it right within
two tries.
If you were getting the visits to your auction but no bids, the problem is somewhere
in your listing. Again, check that it’s not just you by using the Completed Items.
Look at the successful auctions and see what their descriptions did differently from
yours. Were they clearer? Did they have better shipping or return policies? Did they
look less cluttered? Did the listings look more professional? Do the sellers have a lot
more feedback than you?
If everything looks similar except your feedback rating is lower, you might want to
wait and sell some other items to build up your feedback rating a bit higher before
relisting the item. This is particularly true for items over $50.
Relisting Options
EBay gives you one opportunity to relist the item and get a credit for the Insertion
fee, but you should never relist your item until you know why it didn’t sell. It may be
a combination of things, so don’t assume you have figured it out if you spot one obvious error (like a Gallery Picture not displaying properly).
Chapter 23: The What-Ifs
341
The good news is you haven’t lost everything if your item didn’t sell on the first try.
Remember, you’re a new seller and you’re learning. This is why I always suggest you
start with cheaper items first.
Insertion Fee Credit
EBay will credit you one Insertion fee if your item doesn’t sell the first time but sells
after you relist it a second time. You are only eligible for the Insertion Fee Credit
once (i.e., if your item doesn’t sell the second time you can’t qualify for it again). The
Insertion Fee Credit is applied when your relisted item sells, so you pay the initial fee
either way. If your item sells the second time, you should get the Insertion Fee Credit
for that listing.
There are some restrictions for your relisted item to be eligible for the Insertion Fee
Credit:
u You have 90 days to relist the item. If you go outside this time window, you will
not get the credit.
u You must use the Relist link from the item’s menu options in My eBay (see Figure 23.1) or from the ended auction page.
u You are only eligible for the credit once. If your item doesn’t sell the second time,
you will not receive a credit for either the first auction or the relisted auction.
u You cannot raise the starting price.
u If your first auction used a reserve price, your relisted auction cannot have a
higher reserve amount.
u If your first auction didn’t have a reserve price, your relisted auction cannot
have a reserve.
u The auction must be in Online-Auction or Fixed-Price format.
u The auction must be a single-item auction (only one item for sale).
Figure 23.1
The options in the drop-down
menu change depending on
the status of the transaction
and which section of My eBay
you are in.
Relist
342
If your item is eligible, you will automatically get the Insertion Fee Credit on your
next eBay bill so you don’t have to do anything else to get it.
What If the Buyer Doesn’t Respond to My End of
Auction E-mail?
The first step is to send a polite e-mail with an invoice. It’s possible the buyer has forgotten about it, or has already mailed payment. Sending the invoice with the e-mail
acts as a friendly reminder without being too forceful.
Sending an Invoice
I usually wait 48 hours before sending an invoice.
Click Send Invoice from the drop-down menu for the item in the Items I’ve Sold section of My eBay (see Figure 23.2).
Figure 23.2
If the transaction is over
a month old, you won’t see
the Send Invoice option.
Use the Contact Buyer
option instead and just send
an e-mail reminder with
the total.
Send Invoice
Contact Buyer
Always look over the invoice before you send it. If the buyer asks about a shipping
option not originally available on the auction, you can click Add Another to add that
shipping option to the invoice in addition to the other options (see Figure 23.3).
If your auction was not set to automatically add sales tax and your buyer is within
your state, you can add the sales tax onto the invoice.
If you offered a special discount to your buyer (such as the 50-percent-off shipping
option we mentioned in Chapter 22), you can use the Seller Discounts or Charges box
to automatically deduct a specific amount. This is better than changing the shipping
cost, because then the buyer specifically sees the discount (it’s a psychological thing).
Chapter 23: The What-Ifs 343
Add Another
Sales Tax
Insurance
Seller Discounts or Charges
Figure 23.3
If you have sold multiple items to this buyer, they will all display on the invoice.
There is a Payment Instructions and a Personal Message box near the bottom of the
invoice. This is where you need to be very specific about the payment options (particularly if you’re sending the invoice as a reminder). If it is being sent to show the discount
on shipping, you should call attention to that with a personal message to the buyer
here. Whatever you write, be very polite and friendly, never confrontational (even if
they haven’t paid within the time required).
Click Send Invoice once you are done. If you checked the box for Copy me on this
invoice, you will receive a copy of the invoice in My Messages shortly.
Follow-up E-mails
If the invoice doesn’t work, send a follow-up e-mail. You should still be very polite.
Your buyer can leave feedback for you whether or not they paid, so if you are not
polite you risk negative feedback.
I know you are busy, but I wanted to check whether you have already mailed
payment for your purchase of <item name> on <auction ending date>? Could
you go through eBay Checkout so I can see what type of payment to expect and
which shipping option you want so I can get your package ready to go?
You can access eBay Checkout by going to the ended auction page and clicking
Pay Now. You can get to the ended auction page by clicking on the auction title
in your My eBay page under Items I’ve Won. The direct link is
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=009&sspagename=STRK%
3AMESO%3AIT&viewitem=&item=190062774706&rd=1&rd=1
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Lissa McGrath
You should always show the buyer how to access the page without clicking a link in
the e-mail; otherwise, you risk the buyer thinking this is a phishing e-mail. That is
another reason why it is important to give specifics like the auction title and ending
date in the e-mail.
If that one doesn’t work, it’s time to look at other options.
Find the Buyer’s Telephone Number
Your next step is to get the buyer’s telephone number. Surprisingly, many sellers don’t
realize they can get this very easily.
1. Click Advanced Search (located to the right of the search box at the top of
almost all eBay pages; see Figure 23.4).
Figure 23.4
There’s much more inside
Advanced Search than just
the search feature.
Advanced Search
Did You Know?
When you request a buyer’s contact information, the buyer will be
sent your contact information at
the same time.
2.Click Find Contact Information under the
Member section on the left side bar (see Figure
23.5). Make sure you have the item number
for your transaction and the buyer’s User ID,
because you will need them now.
Complete the fields for the buyer’s User ID and the
item number and click Search. EBay will now e-mail
you the buyer’s contact information.
Enter Buyer’s User ID
Search
Figure 23.5
The process to get the other
person’s contact information
is the same whether you are a
buyer or seller.
Find Contact
Information
Enter Transaction
Item Number
Part of the contact information shows the telephone number. If it’s obvious that the
number is fake, such as (123) 456-7890, or if you call it and it is a disconnected number, you should report it to eBay, because that violates one of eBay’s major policies.
If this happens, or you call and leave messages that don’t get returned, you should
send one more e-mail before filing a claim with eBay:
I have tried contacting you via both e-mail and telephone regarding your purchase of <item> on <date> but I haven’t been able to reach you.
The original terms of the auction were for payment within 3 days. It has now
been 10 days and I haven’t heard from you. If you have recently mailed your
payment, please let me know ASAP so I don’t relist the auction.
If you no longer want the item, that is fine, but please let me know within 3
days and I will file for a mutual withdrawal from the transaction so I can get my
eBay fees refunded and you will not be given an Unpaid Item strike.
Unfortunately, if I don’t hear from you within that time, I will have to file a
Non-Paying Bidder claim which could result in an Unpaid Item strike for you.
This is not my intention, but I will have no other choice to get my eBay fees
refunded.
You can reach me via e-mail or at 850-123-4567.
Thank you,
Lissa McGrath
You have to get the buyer’s permission to do a mutual withdrawal from transaction
claim because she will be asked by eBay if this has been agreed upon. If she says no,
you cannot then file an Unpaid Item claim, which
means you cannot get the Final Value Fee Credit or
the Insertion fee credit.
The Final Value Fee Credit refunds
the fee you paid when the item
In the last e-mail, I call the Unpaid Item claim a
sold. You are only eligible for
Non-Paying Bidder claim. That is the old name for
this credit if the buyer didn’t end
it, and it evokes more of a personal emotion and
up buying the item from you or
explains exactly what you will be filing for. If the
returned the item for a refund. You
buyer is established on eBay they would understand
must file for it through the Unpaid
either term, but if it is a new buyer, using Non-Paying
Item process either way.
Bidder usually has a better impact than Unpaid Item.
What If the Buyer Still Doesn’t Pay?
Well, you’ve given the buyer every possible chance. If she still doesn’t pay or contact
you, it’s time to get eBay involved. There are very few buyers who would ignore all
of your e-mails and calls, but unfortunately some do. If you’re unlucky enough to get
one of those, you can often get the Final Value Fee Credit and also be eligible for the
Insertion Fee Credit.
Report Unpaid Item
The Unpaid Item process begins the same way whether you are doing a mutual withdrawal from the transaction or filing a full Unpaid Item dispute. If you are doing a
mutual withdrawal, you can do it immediately after the auction ends. However, if you
are filing for an Unpaid Item, you have to wait seven days to give the buyer a chance
to pay or respond to your e-mails.
There are multiple ways to start the process, but the easiest is to go to My eBay and
find the transaction in the Unsold Items section. Select Report an Unpaid Item from
the drop-down menu (see Figure 23.6).
Figure 23.6
This transaction is over a
month old, so you can see that
there is no option for Send
Invoice.
Report an Unpaid Item
347
Using the link in My eBay is easier than the other options, because it automatically
puts the item number in on the next page so you don’t have to find and type it yourself. So all you need to do is click Continue and move on to the Report an Unpaid
Item Dispute page (see Figure 23.7).
Select your reason for filing the dispute
Figure 23.7
You will not be able to get to
this page until the waiting
period for filing an Unpaid
Item dispute is over.
Continue
Select the current status
First, select the reason you are reporting the unpaid item. Your options are …
u The buyer has not paid for the item.
u We have both agreed not to complete the transaction.
The options in the second drop-down menu will change depending on which of the
reasons you selected. Look through them and select the closest to your situation.
In Figure 23.7, we showed what to select if your buyer has not sent the payment.
Once you have made both selections, click Continue. The rest of the process differs
depending on the reason you selected. We’re going to look at both of them separately.
Mutual Withdrawal from Transaction
If you filed for a mutual withdrawal from transaction, the next page will explain a bit
more about this policy and the confirmation button will say Send Mutual Agreement
Message. Click that button and eBay will send the buyer an Alert message asking him
if he agreed to this.
It is critical that you explain the mutual withdrawal from transaction process to the
buyer in advance. The next time the buyer logs in to eBay, he will get a full-page
alert from eBay asking if the mutual withdrawal was agreed to. If you didn’t tell the
buyer that this would happen, he might get a little worried that he is going to get an
Unpaid Item Strike. The instinct in that situation is to say no to anything. But in fact
he has to acknowledge the agreement or you cannot get your fees refunded.
Shark in the Water
If a buyer really wants to mess you over, he could tell you he agrees to the mutual
withdrawal from transaction and then tell eBay no, he didn’t agree when eBay
confirms it with him. That way you can’t file an Unpaid Item dispute to get your fees
refunded and the buyer can’t be charged with an Unpaid Item Strike even if he never
pays. Most buyers would never do this, because it really doesn’t get them anything other
than making you lose money. Still, make sure you are comfortable that the buyer will
acknowledge the mutual withdrawal from transaction before you file for it.
Once the buyer acknowledges the mutual withdrawal from transaction, you will
automatically get the Final Value Fee Credit. Until then, it will show in your Dispute
Console (accessed through My eBay) as an open dispute. You can close the dispute if
the buyer doesn’t respond one way or another within seven days.
Filing an Unpaid Item Dispute
If you selected that the buyer has not paid for the item earlier in the dispute, the
information you will see on the confirmation page will be about eBay’s Unpaid Item
policies. The confirmation button will say Send the Unpaid Item Reminder. This will
send an alert to the buyer that you have started the Unpaid Item dispute process.
Your dispute will show in your Dispute Console as open until you close it or it expires.
You have 60 days from when the auction ended (not from when you filed the dispute)
to close the dispute or it will automatically be closed, you won’t be eligible for the Final
Value Fee Credit or the Insertion Fee Credit, and the buyer won’t get an Unpaid Item
Strike. So keep an eye on the clock and make sure you close it out before it expires.
You have three options for closing the dispute, and the consequences are different for
each of them.
Options for Closing Unpaid Item Dispute
Reason to Close Dispute
Seller Gets Fee Credits?
Buyer Gets
Unpaid Item Strike?
We’ve completed the transaction
and we’re both satisfied.
We’ve agreed not to complete
the transaction.
I no longer wish to communicate
with or wait for the buyer.
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
If you are choosing one of the first two options, you can close out the dispute at any
time. If you want to use the third option, you have to wait seven days after you initially filed the claim before you can close it.
If you are eligible for the Final Value Fee Credit, it will automatically be posted to
your account once your dispute is closed. Allow 7 to 10 days for the credit to show up
on your account, but you can see in the Dispute Console when it has been approved
because of the green checkmark next to the dispute (see Figure 23.8).
Final Value Fee Credit granted
Figure 23.8
The checkmark will show
in grey if your item is eligible for the Final Value Fee
Credit but it has not yet been
granted.
Now, if there were no other bids on the auction, or the highest bid is lower than you
really want to sell the item for, you can relist the item and be eligible for the Insertion Fee Credit if it sells the second time.
If you had other bids, and you are happy to sell it for the second highest bid, you can
send that buyer a Second Chance Offer.
Second Chance Offer
There are two situations when you can send a Second Chance Offer to a nonwinning
bidder:
u Your high bidder didn’t complete the transaction
u You have multiple items to sell but only listed a single-item auction
If you are sending it because the high bidder backed out, make sure the Unpaid Item
dispute is closed before you offer a Second Chance Offer to someone else. Otherwise,
you could end up getting the payment from the original high bidder after you
shipped the item to someone else. This isn’t a problem if you had multiple quantities
of the same item not yet listed, but if you only had that one item, you’d now be in a
sticky situation.
If you have an auction where the bids did not reach the reserve price, you can send a
Second Chance Offer for the last showing price. If the high bidder’s last showing bid
was $47.50 and your reserve was $54.00, you can only send a Second Chance Offer
for $47.50.
Did You Know?
There is no fee for sending a
Second Chance Offer, and you
only pay the Final Value fee if the
buyer accepts the offer.
You cannot send a Second Chance Offer to non
winning bidders in a multiple-quantity auction under
any circumstances.
As with most of these options, there are several
places you can start the process from. Figure 23.9
shows the location from My eBay.
Figure 23.9
The Second Chance Offer
will only display if there were
multiple bidders in the auction.
Second Chance Offer
This will automatically put the item number in on the next page so all you need to do
is click Continue.
Now you need to select the bidders you want to send the Second Chance Offer to (see
Figure 23.10).
Use the check boxes to select the bidders and then the drop-down menu to select the
duration that the Second Chance Offer will be good for. Your options are 1, 3, 5, or
7 days. I recommend three days because most people check their e-mail within three
days. Click Continue when you are done.
If the bidder accepts the item, it will show up in your Items I’ve Sold section. If he
doesn’t, it will just expire at the end of the duration.
If two buyers go head to head in a bidding war for a single item you have listed, at
the end of the auction, only one bidder can win. But the other bidder was all fired up
about it and is now feeling frustrated about losing the item.
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Figure 23.10
Buyers can set their preferences to never receive Second
Chance Offers, so if you see
fewer bidders than you were
expecting, this is why.
Duration of Second Chance Offer
Amount bidder would pay
If you immediately send him a Second
Chance Offer, he is likely to accept it without looking at other active auctions that
might end up being cheaper.
If you had used a multiple-item auction, the
bidders wouldn’t have gone head to head,
the price wouldn’t have escalated, and you
wouldn’t have made as much money.
Tips
The Second Chance Offer
feature is a great way to sell
multiple items without paying
the fees for additional items. It
can often get you higher prices,
too.
What If I Have Another Similar Item to Sell?
EBay makes it really easy for you to sell another item like one you have already listed.
If you want to repeat the exact same auction, from the ended auction page (see Figure
23.11) click Relist. If you want to sell a similar item, click Sell Similar.
You will be sent to the Sell Your Item form, but all of the information from your
prior auction will already be completed in the form. So all you need to do is change
the information you want and finish the listing as if it were the first time you listed it.
Shark in the Water
If your item didn’t sell the first time, you must use the Relist link to get to the Sell
Your Item form and relist it. If you use the Sell Similar link, you will not be eligible
for the Insertion Fee Credit if the item sells the second time.
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Figure 23.11
Ended auction pages are
viewable for 60 days.
Sell Similar
Relist
u If the item doesn’t sell the first time, you may be eligible for the Insertion Fee
Credit if it sells the second time.
u If you’re relisting an item, make sure to use the relist link. Don’t start a new
listing (or use Sell Similar), because you won’t be eligible for the Insertion Fee
Credit if it does sell the second time.
u The Insertion Fee Credit doesn’t include optional listing fees (Bold, Highlight,
Listing Designer, Scheduled Listing, etc.).
u If your buyer doesn’t pay, you may be eligible for the Final Value Fee Credit and
(if you choose to relist the item and it sells again) the Insertion Fee Credit as well.
u You can send a Second Chance Offer to nonwinning bidders if your high bidder
backs out of the transaction, or you have multiple identical items available for
sale (but not listed in the auction).
u You don’t have to offer a Second Chance Offer if the high bidder backs out of
the transaction, nor does the nonwinning bidder have to accept it, but it is an
option.
24
Chapter
Taking the Next Step
In This Chapter
u Can I really make a steady income from eBay?
u What to sell
u Organizing your business
u Automating your auctions
u Wholesale product sourcing
u Consignment selling for others
u Beyond eBay—getting your own website
By now you should have some experience with the basics of selling and
will have found that not only is this fun, but it should have made you some
money, too. This is the point where people often wonder: “Could I make a
steady income doing this?” The answer is probably yes.
In this chapter, we will discuss how you can take your eBay hobby to the
next level. We cannot possibly cover everything you need to know about
setting up an eBay business (look in Appendix B for suggestions of books
that can help you with that) but we will show you the basics to help you
decide whether you do want to go that route.
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I should stress that many eBay sellers are content just selling odd things from their
home or that they come across in closeout stores. You do not have to go any further.
But if you are thirsting for more, read on.
Can I Really Make a Steady Income from eBay?
The majority of sellers on eBay are part-time sellers who sell on a regular basis. However, about 600,000 sellers (like Skip) make their full-time living selling on eBay.
Before you decide to take the leap to a part-time or full-time eBay business, there are
a few things you should consider. I’ll put these to you as questions with a little explanation attached:
u Do you have enough time? If you are a stay-at-home parent around the house
most of the day, you can probably find time to list auctions, answer e-mails, and
ship products when the kids are napping or otherwise occupied. But if you work
a full-time job, you will have to find time in the evenings and on weekends to
work on your business.
u Is there something you are passionate about, or do you have a hobby or interest
in a certain type of product you want to sell? Trying to compete with full-time
eBay sellers in the hot consumer goods area takes lots of time, money, and
resources. The easiest path for the little guy is to start selling something you
know about and can access a supply to sell.
u Are you patient and willing to work at this and stick to it? Not all ventures start
out great. We all make mistakes and have setbacks. If selling on eBay was something everyone could do with very little work, there would be six million fulltime sellers instead of 600,000. So this is something you have to work at, and be
prepared to overcome your mistakes by learning from them and moving on.
What to Sell
A lot of buyers use eBay to get a bargain on the latest, hottest consumer product,
whether it is a really hot toy, the coolest electronic gadget, or a name-brand pair of
sneakers. They see thousands of these products sold every day and think to themselves, “I can do that.”
Well, I am sure there are a few people out there who could—after all, many of them
have. But selling the latest and greatest gadget is a highly competitive arena. Product
Chapter 24: Taking the Next Step
355
categories like digital cameras, MP3 players, GPS devices, and hot consumer clothing
brands are highly competitive, crowded with big-time sellers with very deep pockets.
The large dealers on eBay are companies with warehouses, employees, sophisticated
inventory control, and automatic auction-launching software. Unless you have a lot of
money to invest, your chances of success are pretty slim. But that doesn’t mean you
can’t succeed somewhere else.
So how does the little guy or gal make money on eBay? The secret is niche marketing.
The dictionary definition of a niche is “a specialized but profitable corner of the market.” The key word in that definition is “specialized.” The secret to niche marketing is
to find a product that has enough demand to support a business, but not so much that
it attracts lots of competitors. It would be very difficult to find a niche on eBay where
there was no competition at all, but as long as the field is not too crowded, there is
usually room for another seller.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of small interesting and profitable niches on
eBay. It would take too much room to list them here, but they include people who
sell their own handmade arts and crafts, sellers who specialize in old fountain pens
or vintage fishing lures, people who sell coupons, specialized tour and travel operators, and people who sell information (such as
how to build an espresso stand or start a knifeI Remember When …
sharpening business).
One fellow made thousands of
Virtually any type of hobby, special interest,
dollars last year selling plans and
or collectible area is ripe for developing a niche
kits for the annual Cub Scout
Pinewood Derby car races.
market.
Another seller collects and sells
The only limit to finding a niche is your imagivintage Hollywood photographs.
nation. If you can think it up, you can try it out.
He sells thousands of dollars
If there is a market for what you are selling,
worth each month.
people will find it. If not, you will know pretty
soon, and you can just move on to something else.
Organizing Your Business
Once you make the decision to start an eBay business, you will need to treat it like a
business if you want to succeed. This means you need to have enough time to devote
to it. You will want to set up a regular schedule and make time to find products, take
photographs, list auctions, ship sold products, and answer questions and e-mails from
bidders and buyers.
You may want to give some thought to your User ID and the name of your business.
If your User ID is already related to what you are going to sell, such as Pencollector
or Doll_miniatures, it already reflects your interest. But if you originally set up a
User ID such as Suzy888 or Ibidoften, you may want to think about changing it to
a User ID that reflects your interest, specialty, or business.
Tips
If you are going to be purchasing a product from wholesale
companies for resale, you may
want to come up with a business
name, create a letterhead and
even business cards. These will
make you look more professional
when dealing with businesses.
There is also the issue of a business address. Most
people who are buying and selling occasionally on
eBay tend to just use their home address. However,
once you start listing a lot of auctions you might
consider getting a post office box or renting space
in a mailbox-service place such as the UPS Store.
This way you are not giving your home address out
to everyone and you have a place to receive packages
for you if you are not at home. A mailbox service
can often pay for itself simply because it is a business
address.
If you are buying merchandise for resale, you will be paying for those items to be
shipped to you. You will also pay for the mailing supplies (boxes and packing materials)
that you buy to be shipped to you. Most suppliers ship via a service like UPS or
FedEx Ground that charges less for shipping to a commercial address than to a residence. The difference can be as much as 20 percent. So depending on how much you
receive, the savings could offset the cost of renting a box.
Tips
FedEx and UPS cannot ship to a post office box (rented from the U.S. Postal Service),
so if you are doing business with companies who ship using these commercial services, it is probably worth looking into a box at the UPS Store or a similar company.
These places can receive USPS mail as well as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc., so you get the
best of both worlds.
Business Licensing, Taxes, and Insurance
There are several types of business licenses and two types of taxes you need to concern yourself with. Most cities and towns in the United States have some type of
licensing requirement for businesses. However, these are rarely required for a business that you run out of your home, unless you have customers actually coming to
your premises. Since this is rare in an eBay business, you more than likely do not
need a local business license unless you decide to rent commercial space.
357
The other type of license is not really a license in the technical sense, although some
states call it that. With the exception of Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire,
and Oregon, all states in the United States have some type of sales tax. These states
require you to collect sales tax on sales made to people in your same state. For example,
if you live in California and sell on eBay, you will be selling to people all over the
United States. Whenever you sell something to someone else in California, the
State of California requires you to collect sales tax from that person and remit it to
the state. But when you sell to someone outside the state of California, you are not
required to do this unless your business takes in more than $4 million a year. (If you
fall in this latter category, you won’t need this chapter, you can hire a tax expert to
advise you.)
Registering for a sales tax certificate (or getting a sales tax license as some states call
it) is fairly simple. It is usually a matter of filling out a form and paying a small fee.
Some states also let you register a business name at the same time. If you go to the
website for the state you live in, you can usually find the forms and instructions.
Most states in the United States have a website address that consists of www.XX.gov.
Just replace the XX with the abbreviation of your state such as www.NY.gov or www.
MI.gov. If this doesn’t work, simply Google a term such as “Florida Sales Tax” and
you will probably find the correct page. (Florida’s is www.myflorida.com.)
As you saw in Chapter 22, eBay and PayPal will automatically calculate and collect
sales tax as part of the payment process. However, you will need to keep a record of
the taxes you collect so you can pay them to your state. Most states allow very small
businesses to pay their sales taxes quarterly, although a few states require you to file
a statement and remit the taxes monthly. Don’t stress out over this. It is very easy,
usually a one-page form where you list the amount of taxable sales, and how much tax
you collected. You just write out a check and mail it with the form.
The other advantage to having a sales tax number is that companies that sell goods to
you for resale will not charge you sales tax when you purchase the goods. When you
are buying goods for resale, simply fax the company a copy of your sales tax certificate
and the company will sell to you without charging sales tax. This also works when
you’re buying at Sam’s Club or Costco if you change your membership to a business
account and give them a copy of your sales-tax certificate.
The other tax you need to be aware of is federal income tax. If you make more than
$600 in one year, you are required to declare your income and pay taxes on it.
You are only required to pay taxes on your profits. So figure out what you made in
sales and then subtract all of your costs, including what you paid for the goods, shipping, packing materials, eBay fees, and PayPal fees. This is your gross profit. Now
358
the fun starts. Since you are now a business, you can also claim other expenses such
as the cost of your computers, digital cameras, Internet connection, paper, postage,
telephone, and office supplies; the IRS even allows you to deduct some costs for an
office in the home. Once you subtract these additional expenses from your sales, the
remainder is your net profit. This is the amount you will pay taxes on.
Did You Know?
Technically you are required to
pay tax on any income, but for
years the IRS has used $600 as
an unenforceable threshold.
I am not a tax expert and this sort of tax advice is
outside the scope of this book, so you may want to
get some help from a local Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or a tax service such as H&R Block.
There are also a number of good books on the topic
of eBay sellers and taxes. We have listed a couple of
them in Appendix B.
If you want to take advantage of all the tax breaks available to the small eBay seller
working from home, you must keep good records. When tax time arrives, you can’t
guess at your expenses—you have to keep records so you will know how much you
earned and how much you can deduct as expenses. You also need records just in case
you get audited.
Insurance
Once you are running a business, you will want to give some thought to insurance.
Most people working out of their home don’t realize that their standard homeowner’s
insurance doesn’t cover their business equipment, inventory, and materials. The
answer to this is actually quite simple. Most homeowner insurance companies offer
a business-in-the-home rider. These are typically sold in increments of $5,000. Insurance agents do charge an extra fee for this, but it is actually fairly low. In my area the
cost is about $30 per year.
Equipment and Software
If you are going to run an actual business, you will soon discover that the old saying
“Time is money” is true. It is especially true if you also work a regular job and only
have a few hours to work on your eBay business. This doesn’t mean you have to rush
out and buy the latest, fastest computer on the market, but you may want to give
some thought to equipment, services, and software that can save you time and help
you keep better records.
Chapter 24: Taking the Next Step 359
The first thing you will absolutely need is a high-speed Internet connection such as
cable or DSL. You are going to be spending a fair amount of time online, and you
don’t want to spend a lot of it waiting for a slow Internet connection.
If you are shipping lots of products, you will have to spend time packing your goods,
creating shipping labels, and standing in line at the post office. There are some ways
to save time and reduce or eliminate some of these tasks.
If you are going to ship more than 10 or 12 items a week, you may want to set up a
small area in your home or garage as a shipping station. You will need a postage scale,
a tape gun, and an area to store your shipping and packing supplies. Having everything organized and handy will save you time and allow you to do a better job.
If you ship via the post office, UPS, or a similar service, you can pay for and print
your postage or create your shipping labels online and print them out on your computer. We talked about creating a shipping label for either the USPS or UPS through
PayPal in Chapter 22.
If you open an account with UPS, a delivery driver will come to your home and pick
up your packages. If you use USPS, you can either arrange to have your packages
picked up or you can take your packages to the back door of the post office and drop
them off without having to stand in line.
For small items under seven pounds, I prefer USPS Priority Mail. I pay for the postage online and print out the labels. Priority Mail is slightly cheaper and faster than
UPS for small packages and USPS provides free boxes.
Just go online to www.usps.com. In the upper-right corner there is a link that says
sign in. Click on this link and it will take you to a page where you can create an
account (see Figure 24.1). Once you have signed up, you can order regular boxes and
other supplies. So long as you have sold something on eBay within the last 30 days,
you can order eBay-branded Priority Mail boxes. We showed you how to do this in
Chapter 22, but the direct link is http://ebaysupplies.usps.com if you need it again.
The other time-consuming process is taking photographs. Here again, it can take a lot
of time to set up and take down your photo setup. So if you have the space, you should
create a sort of permanent small photo studio. This would consist of a background and
a couple of lights. If you start taking a lot of photos, you may even want to invest in an
EZ Cube photo system. Skip sells them below retail at www.ezauctiontools.com. An
investment of a couple of hundred dollars can result in huge time savings coupled with
higher-quality photographs that will help you realize greater sales and profits.
Figure 24.1
Signing up for a USPS
account means you can print
postage for items not paid for
through PayPal.
New Users Sign Up
Automating Your Auctions
Anything you can do to save time will allow you to launch more auctions and therefore sell more goods in the time you have.
In Chapter 20, we introduced you to Turbo Lister. This is a way to save time listing
your auctions. EBay has another service called eBay Seller Manager that works with
Turbo Lister and can automate some additional services including sending end-ofauction e-mail, posting feedback automatically, and allowing you to print shipping
labels in bulk. Selling Manager only works with Turbo Lister. It comes with a free
30-day trial and costs $4.99 a month after that.
If you want more services, eBay offers a more advanced solution called Selling Manager
Pro, which includes these features:
u Manage your inventory
u Automatically list and relist items
u Automatically send feedback
u Monthly profit-and-loss reporting
u Free listing designer
Selling Manager Pro also comes with a 30-day free trial and costs $15.95 a month
after that.
361
There are also several third-party tools on the market that can do everything that
Turbo Lister and eBay’s tools do, plus a lot more. Some of the more popular ones are
Vendio at www.vendio.com, Auctiva at www.auctiva.com, and Marketworks at www.
marketworks.com. These sites also offer integrated image hosting and scheduling
without the extra fees eBay charges (even if you use Turbo Lister). We talked a bit
about Auctiva in Chapter 20. Vendio and Marketworks are a couple of alternatives,
but they charge you a monthly fee based on your usage. These fees are often offset
by the savings in eBay photo and scheduling fees depending on your monthly volume
of listings.
Wholesale Product Sourcing
If you are selling used products, art, antiques, or collectibles, you probably already
know something about your market and where to source products. They can (and do)
come from a variety of sources including yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and
small-town auctions. If you are selling your own handcrafted products, you are the
wholesale source. However, if your product niche is some type of new product, you
will need to find suppliers who will sell goods and merchandise to you at prices that
allow you to resell them at a profit on eBay. This is not as hard as it sounds, and the
growth of the Internet has made this easier.
One word of caution—not every website that calls itself a wholesaler really is. Plenty
of websites claim to have wholesale prices when in reality they are just retailers who
sell at a discount. It is not impossible, but it is very difficult to buy from those sources
at a low enough cost to make money on eBay. Remember, most eBay sellers are looking for a bargain. So unless you can sell for less than retail, you won’t make that
many sales. This means you would have to purchase something at 40 to 50 percent
below retail to sell it on eBay at 20 percent lower than retail to make a profit.
This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but in general you want to try and make enough to
make a profit while still offering a bargain. The advantage you have over the retail
store when doing this is that you do not have rent, employees, advertising, and other
expenses that a retail store must pay to cover its costs.
Drop-Shipping on eBay
A very popular eBay business model involves a practice called drop-shipping. There
are product manufacturers and distributors who will ship products direct to your
customers for you. This way you can sell products without paying for them first and
stocking them until they sell.
362
This is potentially highly profitable. There is no monetary risk, because you do not
order the product until it sells, and you receive payment from the customer. You
launch the auctions and sell the product for more than the drop-shipper charges you.
When your customer pays, you then turn around and pay the drop-shipper the lower
(wholesale) cost and he ships it direct to your customer for you.
Drop-shipping is not only a potential profit maker for eBay sellers, the practice has
attracted a lot of scam artists and other services that, although not an out-and-out
scam, offer drop-shipping services that simply don’t work. These companies are not
real distributors—they are simply middlemen who create virtual warehouses with listings of products for sale and photos you can copy to create your eBay listings. Some
of them also offer premade websites loaded with these products. The problem is that
their pricing is rarely low enough to actually sell the products on eBay. They suck you
in with a monthly or annual membership fee, which is the real source of their income.
One of the tip-offs to this sort of site is that they will make claims that you can purchase famous name brands such as Gucci, Panasonic, Rolex, Armani, Apple iPods,
and so on. In reality, the real distributors of those products will rarely work with
small eBay sellers. In addition, many of the suppliers who list those products on these
so-called drop-ship wholesale sites traffic in fake or counterfeit merchandise, which
can get you kicked off of eBay.
There are some large authentic distributors who drop-ship. They do not charge fees
and they will usually insist on seeing your business letterhead and your sales tax certif
icate. If they don’t, you may want to be wary of them.
There are lots of ways to find companies who will drop-ship their products, but it
can be a very time-consuming process. You have to research the products to find the
manufacturers and then contact each one to see if they will drop-ship.
There is one legitimate service that will do this for you. The name of the company is
WorldWide Brands, and it is the only product-sourcing company endorsed by eBay.
Chris Malta, the founder of the company, is the Product Sourcing editor for eBay
Radio and a frequent exhibitor at eBay Live.
WorldWide Brands offers a service called OneSource. This product helps you locate
light bulk wholesalers (those who sell in low quantities), regular wholesale distributors, and manufacturers and distributors who will drop-ship. It is more than a simple
online directory. All of the companies have been contacted in advance to ensure they
will agree to work with small eBay sellers.
OneSource includes a free research tool that shows you how much competition a
product has and the average prices that a product will sell for on eBay. The thing
I like best about OneSource is that you only pay a one-time fee for lifetime access.
There are no ongoing membership fees or other expenses.
Chris Malta has very kindly given all of our readers a $20 discount off OneSource.
He has set up a special link where you can get a free video tour of OneSource and an
order form with the $20-off coupon already filled in at www.worldwidebrands.com/
skipmcgrath.
Wholesale Trade Shows and Gift/Merchandise Marts
Almost every industry has at least one trade show. These are annual events held in
major cities around the United States where manufacturers and wholesale distributors show off their goods to retail stores and online store owners. Until recently these
companies shunned eBay sellers. But this changed after eBay really took off and they
learned that over $52 billion worth of merchandise is sold on eBay each year. In my
last few visits to trade shows, I have found many more suppliers willing to work with
eBay sellers.
The other source for wholesale-priced items is gift and merchandise marts. These are
huge buildings that contain shops where manufacturers and distributors display their
products for sale year-round.
The general public is not admitted, so to get in you will have to show your letterhead,
business card, and a copy of your sales tax license or certificate. Once inside, you just
go shopping.
Unless they are having a sample sale, which they sometimes do to clear out floor
samples, you don’t actually buy merchandise to carry out. Instead you place an order,
pay for the items, and they are shipped to you.
Some merchandise marts are fairly small.
You might only find about 50 to 60 dealers,
whereas others like the AmericasMart in
Atlanta have over 500 dealers. It can take
several days to go through one that size.
Fortunately, they all offer catalogs and
guides so you can go straight to the stores
you are interested in.
Tips
Once you’re inside the gift
mart, you don’t have to shop
only for your business. Take
advantage of the low prices and
do your Christmas and birthday
shopping!
Consignment Selling for Others
If you are struggling to find something to sell, or can’t afford to buy inventory at the
moment, you may want to look into consignment selling. We mentioned this briefly
in Chapter 12. Consignment selling is where you sell goods for other people and take
a percentage of the sale as a commission. This is done by thousands of eBay sellers
and eBay even has a formal program called eBay Trading Assistant to help you market your services.
Most consignment sellers charge a commission of between 20 and 40 percent based
on the final price of the auction. So for example, if you sold something for someone
for $75.00 and took a 30 percent commission, you would earn $22.50 before paying
your eBay and PayPal fees.
If you want to be successful selling goods on consignment for others, there are three
things you should remember:
u Learn how to say “no.”
u Don’t accept low-value items.
u Always take possession of the item before you list it.
The first rule, learn how to say “no,” is very important. You don’t want to waste your
time selling goods that won’t sell, that are heavy and difficult to ship, that are broken
or damaged, or that have suspicious ownership.
Shark in the Water
Once word gets around that you sell merchandise for others, you may be
approached by someone trying to sell misappropriated or even stolen merchandise. If a stranger approaches me to sell something that I think is suspicious, I tell them
that I will take a photocopy of their driver’s license and only mail a check to the address
on the license. If someone is legitimate they will not mind this. But if someone is being
dishonest, they will usually refuse for obvious reasons.
The second rule, only accept high-value items, prevents you from wasting time doing
a lot of work and only making a few dollars. Personally, I only accept items that I think
will sell for over $50, and many consignment sellers have higher limits. Remember the
work involved. You have to collect and inspect the item, photograph it, write a description, and list the auction, and then ship the item if it sells. You don’t want to do all this
work and only earn $5 or $10 before eBay and PayPal fees.
The third rule, always take possession of the item before you list it, is critical. Even if
you are selling an item for a good friend, you must always insist on this policy. What
if the item got lost or broken? Or if the owner decided after the auction that they
didn’t really want to sell it, or that the highest bid wasn’t high enough? Often people
who have others sell on eBay for them have no idea about how it works. Remember,
it’s your feedback on the line.
We explained the requirements for the Trading Assistant program in Chapter 12, but
you can still sell on consignment even if you are not part of that program.
Once you do qualify as a Trading Assistant, you can list your name in eBay’s online
TA directory (see Figure 24.2) and you can download flyers, advertisements, and
business cards with the Trading Assistant logo.
Figure 24.2
Buyers search by their location, and the closest Trading
Assistants will display first.
EBay also offers educational materials, online seminars, and live seminars at eBay
Live. You can also download complete press kits and other publicity materials once
you qualify for and join the Trading Assistant program.
To learn more about the Trading Assistant program, just go to http://pages.ebay.com/
tahub/index.html or select Trading Assistant Program from the eBay Site Map under
Selling Resources.
Beyond eBay—Getting Your Own Website
I have always felt very strongly that eBay offers the lowest barrier of entry to an
individual wanting to make money selling online. But once you master eBay you will
want to expand your business. In the beginning of this chapter we talked about niche
marketing. One benefit of niche marketing is that you can build a customer list of
people who are likely to buy additional products from you.
Once you have a website where you list other products, you can direct your previous
eBay buyers there for future purchases. This means you won’t pay eBay fees on their
subsequent purchases from you. You can’t send new bidders to your website. This is
against eBay rules. But once they buy from you on eBay, they become your customer
and you are free to market to them directly.
It used to be that setting up a website was very difficult and expensive, but today
there are dozens of services that offer premade, template-based websites. If you can
type, point, and click, you can set up a website with just a few hours’ work.
EBay offers this service through a service called Pro Stores at www.prostores.com. Skip
has also set up a simple website builder in conjunction with BrightBuilders, the company that runs HammerTap3. You can read about it at www.skips-website-builder.com.
u Thousands of people make extra money or even a full-time living on eBay, but
it is a business and you have to treat it like one.
u It is much easier for a small individual seller to make money in a specialized
niche market rather than trying to compete against large sellers with popular
consumer products.
u If you are going to run even a part-time eBay business, it pays to automate your
processes and invest in auction management tools to save you time and money.
u When looking for wholesale products, get a sales tax number and be wary of
companies that charge a monthly membership fee to access their sources.
u If you want to sell on consignment, take the time to qualify for the eBay Trading
Assistant program and access the training and promotional resources.
u Once you master your eBay business, you can expand to include your own
website. Then you can market to your previous buyers directly and save some
eBay fees.
A
Appendix
Glossary
About Me page Page where you can write information about yourself to
share with other eBay users. This is the only place on eBay that you can
put a link to your website.
Auction management program Program for automating and managing
auction listings. Usually fee-based and utilized mainly by professional sellers.
AuctionBytes (www.AuctionBytes.com) The leading source for
online-auction industry information and news.
Auctiva Store Window A free feature available at www.auctiva.com that
automatically inserts a slideshow of your current auctions into each of your
current listings.
bidder An eBay user who places a bid on an auction. See also buyer.
BidPay An alternative auction payment processing company that deals
with Visa and MasterCard processing only. BidPay was purchased by
CyberSource in 2006 and is very different from the old version many eBay
users remember.
Buy It Now An instant purchase option. Auctions can be fixed price
only (also known as Buy It Now auctions) or can be regular online auctions
with a Buy It Now option.
buyer User who purchases an item on eBay. See also bidder.
368 Appendix A
Cloud Dome A professional photography tool that looks like a dome on a table to
help get even lighting for smaller items.
Completed Listings A page of search results that display only auctions that have
ended (usually within the last two weeks).
Condition Guarantee by Seller Fraud protection for eBay Motors buyers. This
covers minor discrepancies. See also Vehicle Protection Program and Vehicle Purchase
Protection.
copyright Protects the ownership of photographs and text for the creator or legal
owner.
crop (photograph) Remove extra white space around the item, which is not needed
for the photograph.
Dispute Console Place where you can report an unpaid item, an item not as
described or not received. Accessed through My eBay.
drop-shipper Supplier who ships items directly to your customers after they purchase from you.
Dutch auction Auction selling more than one identical item.
eBay Express EBay’s sister site for experienced eBay sellers. There are many
restrictions for sellers and items.
eBay Live Yearly convention of eBay users and eBay and third-party company staff.
Locations have included Orlando, New Orleans, San Jose, Las Vegas, and Boston.
eBay Marketplace Research EBay’s item-research program. It analyzes sales data
based on keywords you enter. It can tell you the best day and time to list an item as
well as the true average selling price.
eBay Motors Part of eBay devoted to vehicles and vehicle accessories.
eBay Standard Protection Plan The fraud protection plan for items under $200
that eBay used to offer. This was discontinued in January 2007 and the features were
rolled into PayPal Buyer Protection as the Basic Tier. See also PayPal Buyer Protection
Policy.
eBay Stores Web page within eBay’s site where eBay Store owners can list items for
longer durations and lower insertion fees.
eBay Toolbar Toolbar for web browser with shortcuts to various places on eBay.
Also has account-guard feature to help protect you from fake websites.
eBayer A person who buys or sells on eBay.
Glossary 369
Expanded Use Program One of the options to get your PayPal withdrawal limit
removed. It involves a $1.95 charge to your credit card, which is then refunded after
your next PayPal purchase. It is most commonly used to avoid having to give your
Social Security number to PayPal.
EZ Cube A professional photography tool used to filter lighting and provide a
blank background for items. This product comes in various sizes to accommodate different sized items.
Detailed Seller Ratings A section of the Feedback Profile that shows the average
rating of the seller from previous buyers in four key areas (shipping time, communication, item as described, and shipping cost).
Featured Items Listings that display at the top of the search results or category
page. Sellers pay between $19.95 and $79.95 for this option.
Featured Plus! Feature option that costs $19.95. It displays the listing at the top of
the category or search results page.
feedback EBay’s system of checks and balances. All users can leave positive, neutral, or negative feedback for other users they are involved in a transaction with.
Feedback Profile The page that shows a particular eBay user’s feedback information.
Feedback 2.0 EBay’s new features added to the Feedback Profile. These include
Detailed Seller Ratings as well as a number of other features on the page.
Final Value fee A fee charged by eBay based on the selling price of your item.
Sometimes called a selling fee.
fixed-price auction A listing that doesn’t have a starting bid. Each “bid” is a purchase for the item at the price specified.
Gallery Section of eBay that displays the search results with larger pictures and in a
different layout view. Placing an item into the Gallery costs 35 cents but is well worth
it for the thumbnail image you get to the left of your auction title in the category or
search results page.
Gallery Featured Displays the item above all other items in the gallery.
Gallery Plus Puts an Enlarge link below the gallery thumbnail and enlarges the
picture when the link is activated.
Gallery view Shows the results with a larger picture and with the thumbnail gallery
images as the focus of the search results rather than the focus being on the auction
title.
370 Appendix A
Hammertap3 A third-party data-analysis program to help you choose day, time,
keywords, and starting price for your items.
Homepage Featured Featuring option costs $39.95 ($79.95 if a multiple-quantity
auction). There is no guarantee that your item will rotate onto the homepage.
Hot list A list of the most popular items compiled monthly by eBay. They are available for all major categories.
HTML editor Feature of Sell Your Item form to convert the text and formatting
you type into HTML.
Insertion Fee Fee charged by eBay to list an item on eBay. The fee is based on the
starting price you select.
Insertion Fee Credit If your item does not sell the first time, you can relist it and
if it sells the second time, eBay will credit you one of the listing fees.
Item Specifics A list of questions about the item that eBay asks sellers when they
list an item using the Sell Your Item form. The Finder box on the category results
page or search results page uses this information to narrow down the results based on
the buyer’s selections.
List view Shows results on the search results page as a list.
listing Another word for auction. Often used when talking about fixed-price auctions.
Listing Designer An option in the Sell Your Item form to add a theme or border
and change the layout of the auction page.
lot auction An auction of multiple items that will all be sold to the same person.
Matching Categories A box on the search results page that shows (and offers links
to) the most popular categories/subcategories the items are listed in.
megapixel Setting for your camera. The higher the megapixel the higher quality
the printed images.
multiple-quantity auction See Buy It Now and fixed-price auction.
Mutual Feedback Withdrawal A process on eBay to get the effect of a negative
feedback removed from your feedback rating. Both parties must agree to this though.
My eBay The hub of all of your eBay activity. It shows all the items you have bid
on, bought, listed, sold, etc.
My Messages EBay’s e‑mail system to keep e‑mail addresses secure. It is accessed
through My eBay.
Glossary
371
My World A page like MySpace where you can put pictures, text, etc. about you.
negative feedback A type of feedback comment used when the buyer or seller was
dissatisfied with your transaction. It removes one point from your feedback score and
also affects your feedback rating percentage.
newbie New eBay buyer or seller.
Non-Paying Bidder A bidder who wins an item (or clicks Buy It Now) and then
does not pay for it.
online auction Regular eBay auction than runs for a fixed duration specified by the
seller.
optional listing upgrades Options that can be added to your listing for a fee.
PayPal The preferred payment processing system on eBay.
PayPal Buyer Protection Policy Protects the buyer from seller fraud up to $200
with no processing fee, and from $200 up to $2,000 with a processing fee.
PayPal Confirmed Address The address most sellers require you give as your
shipping address. This is the billing address attached to the credit card you registered
with PayPal.
PayPal Expanded Use Program An option for PayPal users to remove the withdrawal limit on their account. PayPal charges $1.95 to your credit card with a fourdigit code attached. You enter the code into PayPal to complete the process. You are
refunded the $1.95 fee within 24 hours of making your next PayPal payment.
PayPal Seller Protection Policy Protects the seller in the same way as the buyer.
See PayPal Buyer Protection Policy.
PayPal Verified Confirms your identity through your bank account details. PayPal
deposits two small amounts into your bank account, which you locate on your statement and then enter into the boxes provided in PayPal. Once you have done this you
are PayPal Verified.
phishing e‑mail E‑mail that appears to come from eBay but is actually a fake.
Picture Services EBay’s image hosting uploader tool.
PowerSeller Seller who has achieved $1,000 in sales for three consecutive months
and maintains a 99 percent positive feedback rating.
proxy bid Placing your maximum bid rather than the next bidding increment.
372
Appendix A
Reserve-Price Auction (RPA) Minimal price the seller is willing to sell the item
for. If the bidding doesn’t reach this amount, the seller doesn’t have to sell the item.
Reviews & Guides Place where eBayers can read or write about a product (review)
or specific technique (guide).
Second Chance Offer Option for seller to offer an identical item to bidders in his
auction other than the Highbidder. This is also used when the High bidder doesn’t
complete the transaction.
Sell Through Rate (STR) The percentage of listed items that actually sell.
Sell Your Item form The form eBay devised to create your eBay auction listing.
sniping Waiting until the last few seconds of an auction to place your bid so that no
other buyers have time to bid (and outbid you) before the auction ends.
spoof site A fake eBay or PayPal website that is trying to get your User ID and
password. See also phishing e‑mail.
stock photography Photograph from the catalog or website
Terapeak Another third-party research tool.
third-party tool/program Not managed or owned by eBay.
Trading Assistant Seller who sells items for other people on a commission basis.
User ID The name all other eBay users will know you by.
username See User ID.
Vehicle Protection Program The fraud program for eBay Motors. It includes
Condition Guarantee by Seller and Vehicle Purchase Protection and offers different levels
of fraud protection for different vehicles.
Vehicle Purchase Protection The portion of fraud protection on eBay Motors
that deals with major fraud and misrepresentation. See also Condition Guarantee by
Seller and Vehicle Protection Program.
VeRO (Verified Rights Owner) Copyright program to assure the ownership of
text and photographs is not exploited.
Want It Now An area of eBay where buyers can post “wanted” ads for items they
cannot find on eBay. Sellers search the Want It Now posts and respond with matching auctions they have listed.
Watch This Item A button on the auction listing page that will add that particular
listing to your Items I’m Watching section of My eBay.
white balance A camera adjustment to make the image colors more true to life.
B
Appendix
Where Do I Go from Here?
That all depends. If you just want to buy and sell a few things on eBay, you
probably have everything you need in this book. But if you want to expand
your eBay adventure, there is always more to learn. EBay and the wider
Internet are always changing and evolving, so it helps to have additional
resources. Here are some additional resources in the form of books and
websites that will help you take your eBaying up a notch.
Resources Website
Skip and I have created a resources page on his website specifically for
you, our readers. On this page you will find links to important eBay pages,
links to other important resources mentioned in this book, a link to Skip’s
99 Tips for eBay Buyers and Sellers, and much more. I can’t list everything here because it evolves as eBay makes changes and as we find new
resources that may be of interest to you. Skip tries to update the page frequently as things change.
The website is www.skipmcgrath.com/cig. Make sure you add the /cig or it
won’t take you to the right page. (CIG stands for Complete Idiot’s Guide, if
you were wondering.)
If you decide to learn to sell on eBay, Skip’s website contains tons of free
articles and information for sellers. You can also subscribe to his monthly
newsletter for professional eBay sellers, Skip’s eBay Seller’s News.
374
Appendix B
AuctionBytes
AuctionBytes (www.auctionbytes.com) is the leading news and information site for
the online auction industry.
Okay, I have to mention here that I am a columnist for AuctionBytes, but I recommended it well before I started writing for the site.
AuctionBytes is a fantastic resource for any auction buyer or seller. Ina Steiner, the
editor, is very sharp and very little happens in the auction world that she doesn’t
catch and report. AuctionBytes TV is a series of streaming video interviews and short
information programs that Ina and her husband David (who used to be a TV producer) create. If you want to know what is going on in the Auction community, go to
AuctionBytes for completely impartial coverage (and sign up for their free newsletter
to keep up on everything right from your e-mail).
eBay Live
EBay Live is eBay’s annual convention and the ultimate eBay geek experience. EBay
Live is always held in the month of June but moves around the country. You can
typically register anytime after March 30 (there’s a link on the homepage once registration opens). The convention consists of seminars, panel discussions, over 100
exhibitors who offer goods and services to eBay members, and several social events
including a gala party with live entertainment. EBay Live sells out very quickly, so
make sure you get your tickets early if you want to attend (you’ll also get them at a
discounted price).
Recommended Reading
Here are some books I recommend. Bear in mind that new ones may have published
since this one, so you should check the resources page (www.skipmcgrath.com/cig)
where I will let you know about any new books I think are really worth a read.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting an eBay Business by Barbara Weltman (Alpha,
2005; ISBN: 1-59257-333-9). Barbara Weltman is a business and tax expert, and her
husband is an eBay fanatic. Although her book published before mine, mine is somewhat of a prequel to hers. When I wrote this book, I made sure not to cover the same
things Barbara had already written (unless it was absolutely necessary) so you won’t
find the same material in both books. As an eBay professional, I found her book
informative and very easy to use. If you liked this book, you will like hers.
Where Do I Go from Here?
375
Titanium eBay: A Tactical Guide to Becoming a Millionaire PowerSeller by Skip McGrath
(Alpha, 2006; ISBN: 1-59257-433-5). If you are really looking to kick up your existing
eBay business, Titanium eBay is for you. It is written by our very own Skip McGrath
and is considered the most advanced of the three eBay books published by Alpha.
Beginners should start with The Complete Idiot’s Guide to eBay, then read The Complete
Idiot’s Guide to Starting an eBay Business, and then if they still want to go further, read
Titanium eBay. You won’t find any basic information in Titanium eBay. It is advanced
material written for the pros who want to kick up their sales.
20 Questions to Ask Before Selling on eBay by Lissa McGrath (Career Press, 2006;
ISBN: 1-56414-854-8). In 2006, I wrote a small book for new eBay sellers. If you need
a quick reference book, this is a good one to have in addition to this Complete Idiot’s
Guide (and I’m not just saying that because I wrote them!). It’s a small notepad-size
book, so it’s perfect for keeping within reach when you just want to check something.
Turn eBay Data into Dollars by Ina Steiner (McGraw-Hill, 2005; ISBN: 0-07226-236‑2).
Ina Steiner, editor of AuctionBytes (mentioned earlier), wrote Turn eBay Data into
Dollars to show eBay sellers how to use eBay and third-party research tools to analyze
their current sales and change their strategy to get better sales. It’s a great book, and
certainly a must-read for all sellers.
C
Appendix
Buyer’s Tips—Quick Reference
These are my most important tips. You have seen these throughout the
book, so this appendix provides you with a quick and handy summary.
Don’t forget Skip’s 99 tips for eBay buyers and sellers. You can access this
free bonus from the resources page at www.skipmcgrath.com/cig. It’s well
worth a read.
1. Always read the auction carefully so you know what you are bidding
on. Look for what is not said as well as what is. If there is an important
accessory, cable, or piece that is not mentioned in the auction that you
need, check with the seller to see if it is included before bidding.
2. Use Search Options, Item Finder, and Matching Categories to narrow
down search results to a manageable size. Why waste your time sorting
through irrelevant listings when you can make your results far more
specific?
3. Use Completed Listings to see what similar items have been selling
for on eBay during the previous two weeks. Remember that items are
seasonal, so you may need to redo your search based on the time of
year relative to the item.
4. Check local prices and other major online retailers’ prices before
deciding on your maximum bid. Remember to include the shipping
cost for each item you are bidding on when you calculate what your
actual maximum bid should be.
378
Appendix C
5. Bid within the last few minutes to get a better deal, or use sniping software to
do it for you. Make sure you know how long it takes for your page to load before
sniping so you don’t cut it too close and miss the end of the auction!
6. On the search results page, look past the Featured Items to find the bargains hidden within the nonfeatured listings.
7. Use My eBay to track everything you are bidding on, have bought, are watching,
made an offer on, didn’t win, and more. Don’t forget that your My Messages box
is in there, too!
8. Be aware of fraud and protect yourself by using the eBay Toolbar, checking that
e-mails are really from eBay, using fraud-protected payment methods, and using
your general common sense. Never send a payment via Western Union, MoneyGram, or other similar services.
9. Try to work out any issues with your seller directly before using the Dispute
Console. Negative feedback is your last resort, not your first step in a dispute.
10. If you get lost, use the Site Map, which is far easier than the Help files. If you get
really stuck, click on Live Help on the homepage to be connected to a real person.
11. Check for hidden bargains lurking behind misspellings and alternative spellings
in auction titles.
12. Scroll down on the auction page to see the shipping options. Often there is a
cheaper shipping option than the one eBay shows at the top of the page and on
the search results page.
13. Always read a seller’s feedback; look at the Detailed Seller Ratings as well as the
Feedback Score and positive percentage rating. Be a little more wary of sellers
who are new to eBay, or who are overseas (or both).
14. Use eBay Express if you are looking for a buying experience less like an auction
and more like a regular website. Remember, however, that only sellers who qualify
can list items there, so you might not find as many bargains.
15. You can get the seller’s phone number through Advanced Search if you are having
trouble locating him or her.
16. When leaving feedback, be as specific as you can. This will likely get you more
positive feedback in return. It also helps other potential buyers decide whether
they want to do business with this particular seller. Remember, what you write
reflects as much on you as it does on the seller.
17. For an extra level of fraud protection, change the funding source for your PayPal
account to your credit card if you are buying an expensive item. That way, you
can file a claim through your credit card company if you encounter any problems.
D
Appendix
Seller’s Checklist
When you first start selling on eBay, there can be a lot to remember. Follow
ing is a helpful checklist of things to remember. When you finish creating
your listing, you will end up on a Review Your Listing page. Before you hit
Submit Your Listing, review your auction with this checklist to make sure
your auction will succeed.
o Do a Completed Listings search to see what comparable items are selling for on eBay to help determine your starting price. Also, make sure
no major retailers are offering a sale on that product when your auction
will be active.
o Make sure your auction title contains the keywords buyers actually
search for. Be sure to include any brand names, important model names
or numbers, and any sizes or colors.
o Check the price breaks on insertion fees and try to be at the top of the
lower band instead of at the bottom of the higher one (i.e., $24.99 instead
of $25.00).
o Know your buyer. Make sure you have an idea of who would want your
item. Writing your auction title and description will be much easier if
you have a target person in mind.
o Know your item. Research it online if you don’t know much about it.
Seeing what others say about an item can help you cover all the important information in your own auction description. Remember, the
buyers have probably done their research—you should always know
more about your items than your potential buyers.
380 Appendix D
o Remember, you are trying to sell something. Write persuasively. List the features
but explain how the product and the features will benefit them. Don’t be afraid
to get personal. Tell them how you use the product and how it has benefited you.
Once you make it personal, you usually have them hooked.
o Always identify any flaws. The easiest way to get negative feedback, low Item
As Described star ratings, and eBay or PayPal disputes is to “forget” to mention
dings, chips, scratches, etc.
o Use the HTML editor features (bold, italic, underline, color, size, and font
changes) to make your auction description stand out.
o Check misspellings for your item keywords. Sometimes the misspelling is so
common buyers don’t realize they misspelled the word and pay more because
there are fewer items showing in the results. If this is the case, use both the
correct spelling and the misspelling for that keyword.
o Review your photos. Are they sharp? Did you show the product from all angles?
Are there enough photos to fully represent what you are selling? If your pictures
don’t grab them, bidders will often click away without ever reading your auction
description.
o Look at your photos at thumbnail size, because this is what a buyer will see on
the search results page. If it doesn’t look good in thumbnail size as well as regular size, you may want to rethink your photograph composition, background, or
whatever else is distracting in the picture.
o Don’t just use stock photographs (and certainly not for your Gallery picture).
Buyers want to see the actual item they are buying, and many stock photos (such
as those on the manufacturer’s website) are protected by copyright so your auction could be cancelled if you are caught.
o Choose the best day and time to list your specific item. Make sure you aren’t
going away for the weekend, or if you are, that you have access to your e-mail
to answer questions. Be careful of listing items that end on holiday weekends or
during important events like the Super Bowl, World Series, or election night.
o Don’t forget to select what regions of the world you are willing to ship the item
to. You will probably change this for different items based on weight and size.
o Don’t use more listing upgrades than you need. Gallery is a must (35 cents) but
most others are optional. Bold and Subtitle are useful, but rarely profitable on
cheaper items (under $15).
Seller’s Checklist
381
o Spell out your shipping policies very clearly and, if possible, ship within one to
two business days from payment. Always list your cheapest shipping option first,
because that is the one eBay displays on the search results page.
o Accept PayPal and make sure your account is verified. To qualify for Seller Fraud
Protection through PayPal, the buyer must also be verified. For pricier items you
might want to specify shipping must be to a PayPal-confirmed address.
o Accept other forms of payment as well as PayPal for those who don’t have (or
don’t want to use) PayPal or a credit card. Money orders and checks are the
usual alternatives.
o Preview your auction carefully before clicking Submit so you can see exactly
what your auction will look like to buyers.
Index
A
either/or words, 77‑78
exact phrases, 77
excluding words, 78
abbreviations, 74
Free Shipping, 81
About Me page, 114‑115,
Get It Fast items, 81
226‑227
Items priced, 82
Account Guard, 19‑20
alerts, 18
accounts
All items including Store
My Account
inventory items, search
addresses, 67
options, 81‑82
Dispute Console, 68
Announcements, 40
Half.com Account, 68
Answer Center, 39
preferences, 67
apartments on Rent.com, 35
Reviews and Guides, 68
approved payment methods,
Seller Account and
28‑29
Subscriptions, 68
Ask Seller A Question option,
viewing personal
113‑114
information, 65‑67
auction‑management
Personal PayPal account,
programs
28
Auctiva Store Window,
Premier PayPal account, 28
306‑310
set‑up
Turbo Lister, 305
business registration,
auctions, 267
12‑14
auction listing pages, 95‑97
buyer registration, 8‑10
automating, 360‑361
forgotten passwords/
Best Offer option, 84‑85
User ID, 14‑15
browsing categories, 47‑49
password security, 10‑12
Buy It Now option, 85‑86,
PayPal, 22‑27
271
User IDs, 6‑8
descriptions, 258‑265
takeover frauds, 153‑154
duration, 282
acronyms, 74
Dutch auctions, 87‑88,
Add Note button, 53‑55
268‑269
addresses, modifying, 67
End of Auction Email,
advanced searches
173‑175
All items including Store
ending, 283‑284
inventory items, 81‑82
fixed‑price auctions
Buy It Now items, 80‑81
Best Offer option,
Completed Listings, 81
271‑272
eBay keywords, 79
eBay Express, 273
multiple‑quantity,
272‑273
fixed‑price Buy It Now
listings, 86‑87
listing guidelines, 169‑170
listing upgrades, 294-305
live auctions, 89
lot auctions, 269‑270
multiple-quantity, 87‑88
online auction fees,
200‑204
private auctions, 88‑89
reserve‑price auctions,
127‑128
restricted access, 89
scheduled start times,
282‑283
Store Inventory Items, 87
titles, 244‑249
tracking, visitor counters,
265
troubleshooting
auction cancellations,
321‑322
bid cancellations,
320‑321
price adjustments,
318‑319
revisions, 317‑318
Auctiva Store Window
overview, 306‑310
upselling strategies, 336
Automatic Logo Insertion
(PayPal), 173
automating auctions, 360‑361
automobiles (eBay Motors),
fees, 208‑209
384 The Complete Idiot’s Guide to eBay
B
banned items, 180‑181
Basic Picture Services, 253
Basic Tier coverage (PayPal
Buyer Protection), 159‑160
benefits (auction descriptions),
261‑265
Best Offer option, 84‑85,
271‑272
bidding
cancellations, 320‑321
confirming, 94
section (My Summary
page), 55‑56
placing bids, 93‑94, 129‑133
identifying international
sellers, 130
requesting Buy It Now
option, 130‑131
sniping techniques,
131‑133
127‑128
retracting bids, 95, 133‑135
shill bidding, 181‑182
violations
invalid bid retractions,
97
shill bidding, 97
transaction interference,
97
unpaid items, 97
when and how much,
125‑126
winning bids
checkout process,
142‑145
contacting sellers,
139‑142
BidPay, 30‑31
features, 179
seller fees, 211
seller’s tools, 176‑180
transaction fees, 178
blogs, 39
Bold feature (listing upgrade),
fees, 297‑299
browsing categories
(navigation tips), 43‑49
auctions, 47‑49
featured items, 46
results page, 45‑46
search within category
options, 45
bulleted lists (auction
descriptions), 262
business opportunities
consignment selling,
364‑365
creating own website,
365‑366
determining what to sell,
354‑355
income concerns, 354
organization, 355‑359
equipment and software
needs, 358‑359
federal income tax
concerns, 357‑358
insurance concerns, 358
licensing, 356‑357
sales tax issues, 357
registration, 12‑14
wholesale product sourcing
drop‑shipping services,
361‑363
trade shows, 363
Buy It Now option, 85‑86
fees, 204
online auctions, 271
requesting, 130‑131
setting prices, 280
Buy It Now price, 6, 48
Buy tab, 36‑38
Buyer Protection program
(PayPal), 158‑160
Basic Tier coverage,
159‑160
Top Tier coverage, 160
buyers
giving and receiving
feedback
deciding what to write,
145‑146
Detailed Seller Ratings,
146
Feedback Forum,
147‑148
follow-up comments, 149
removing feedback, 148
replies, 149
incentives (upselling
strategies)
336
information products,
337‑338
registration, 8‑10
repeat buyer offers,
336‑337
shipping, 335‑336
buying
bidding guidelines
confirming bids, 94
placing bids, 93‑94,
129‑133
127‑128
retracting bids, 95,
133‑135
when and how much,
125‑126
from eBay Express, 135‑138
from sellers off eBay,
149‑150
rules
bidding violations, 97
general violations, 98
understanding of auction
listing page, 95‑97
Buying Reminders section, 52
Buying Totals, 55
buySAFE program, 161‑162,
234‑235
Index 385
C
costs. See also fees
BidPay fees, 211
eBay Motors fees, 208‑209
calculated shipping, 287‑288
Insertion fees, 209
Calendar Events, 40
Transaction fees, 209
camera specifics, 214
eBay Stores fees, 204‑208
cancellations
Final Value fees, 206
auctions, 321‑322
Insertion fees, 205‑206
bids, 320‑321
listing upgrades, 206‑207
cashier’s checks, 29‑30
monthly subscriptions,
categories
205
category selections (Sell
Picture Services, 207‑208
Your Item forms), 240‑242
Feature Listing Upgrades
My Favorite Categories
Featured Plus!, 301‑302
lists, 65
Gallery Featured items,
chargeback requests, 161
300‑301
chat rooms, 40
Homepage Featured
Chatter, The, 40
service, 302‑303
checkout process, 142‑145
international transactions,
online auction fees
145
Buy It Now options, 204
PayPal transactions,
Dutch auctions, 202‑203
143‑144
Final Value fees,
checks
201‑202
personal checks, 29‑30
closeout stores, finding items
Reserve Price fees, 204
to sell, 189‑190
Optional Listing upgrades
Cloud Dome, 221
Bold feature, 297‑299
Community page, 38‑41
Gallery picture, 295‑296
comparisons
Gallery Plus, 296
items, 106‑108
Gift icons, 299
sell prices (Completed
Highlight feature, 298
Listings), 104‑106
Scheduled Listings,
Completed Listings
299‑300
search options, 81
subtitles, 294
sell price comparisons,
PayPal fees, 210‑211
104‑106
sales‑tax rates, 333‑335
confirming bids, 94
shipping
consignment selling, 364‑365
calculated shipping,
contacting sellers, 139‑142
287‑288
invoice requests, 140‑141
flat‑rate shipping,
no-response situations,
287‑290
141‑142
overcharging, 108‑110
copyrights, photographs, 223
upgrade packages, 303‑305
Pro Pack, 305
Value Pack, 304‑305
counterfeit merchandise
fraud, 155
counters (visitors), 265
credit cards
as payment method, 30
chargeback requests, 161
customer service
considerations
e‑mailing customers,
324‑326
personalizing, 326
sample e‑mails, 325‑326
feedback, 333
packaging items, 326‑329
including thank‑you
notes, 328‑329
safe shipments, 327‑328
shipping supplies, 327
customizing
My Summary page, 58‑59
PayPal accounts, 172
Sell Your Item forms, 243
D
descriptions
auctions
bulleted lists, 262
features and benefits,
261‑265
Listing Designer option,
264‑265
one‑line hooks, 258, 262
payment methods, 263
shipping terms, 264
writing guidelines,
258‑260
fraudulent activities, 154
items
auction titles, 244‑249
Item Specifics
information, 255
Sell Your Item forms,
240‑243
subtitles, 249‑252
uploading photographs,
250‑253
121‑122, 146
Discussion Boards, 39
Dispute Console, 68, 99‑100,
348
Dispute Resolution process,
157
disputes (payment)
contacting buyer by phone,
344‑346
filing dispute, 348‑349
follow‑up e‑mails, 343‑344
mutual withdrawal from
transactions, 346‑348
reporting unpaid items,
346‑347
sending an invoice, 342‑343
donations, Giving Works,
281‑282
361‑363
duration of auctions, 282
fees, 202‑203
fixed‑price auctions,
272‑273
overview, 268‑269
E
e‑mails
customer service
considerations, 324‑326
personalizing, 326
sample e‑mails, 325‑326
173‑175
payment follow‑ups,
343‑344
phishing, 16‑19
eBay
features (auction descriptions),
defining characteristics, 3‑5 261‑265
keywords, 79
federal income tax, 357‑358
security concerns, 15‑16
feedback, 117
terms, 5‑6
customer service
eBay Business, 35
considerations, 333
eBay Express, 35, 135‑138, 273
deciding what to write,
eBay Motors, 35, 208‑209
145‑146
eBay Stores, 35
fees, 204‑208
121‑122, 146
icon, 112
extortion, 98
editing photographs, 222
farming, 122
either/or word searches, 77‑78
Feedback Forum, 147‑148
Email To A Friend section, 54
Feedback Profiles, 122‑123
Feedback Recency, 118
Feedback Score icon, 111
173‑175
ending auctions, 283‑284
Feedback Star icon, 111
follow-up comments, 149
Enhanced Picture Services,
malicious, 98
251
negative feedback, 146
equipment needs, 358‑359
Mutual Feedback
escrow fraud, 156‑157
Withdrawals, 233‑234
escrow services, 156
exact phrase searches, 77
prevention of, 230‑231
excluding words (advanced
removing, 233
searches), 78
reply to, 231‑232
EZ Cube, 221
positive feedback, 145
Recent Feedback Ratings,
119‑120
removing, 148
replies, 149
fake merchandise fraud, 155
sellers, 112‑113
Favorite Search, 62‑65
Favorite Sellers list, 64‑65 fees. See also costs
avoidance violations, 182
My Favorite Categories, 65
BidPay, 211
Feature Listing Upgrades,
credits
300‑303
Final Value fee, 346
eBay
Motors, 208‑209
300‑301
Insertion
fees, 209
Homepage Featured
Transaction
fees, 209
service, 302‑303
eBay
Stores,
204‑208
featured items, browsing
Final Value fees, 206
categories, 46
Featured Items box, 37
listing
upgrades, 206‑207
Featured Plus! upgrade,
F
301‑302
Index 387
monthly subscriptions,
205
Picture Services, 207‑208
online auction fees
Buy It Now options, 204
Final Value fees, 201‑202
PayPal, 210‑211
Picture Service fees,
223‑224
filing disputes, 348‑349
credits, 346
eBay Store, 206
Find A Member, 39, 117
finding items to sell
average selling price
calculations, 188
closeout stores, 189‑190
home, 186‑187
outlet stores, 189‑190
thrift stores, 190
Trading Assistant program,
188‑189
yard sales, 187‑188
eBay Express, 273
multiple‑quantity, 272‑273
price options, 280
listings, 86‑87
flat‑rate shipping, 287‑290
follow‑ups
e‑mails, 343‑344
feedback comments, 149
forgotten password/User ID,
14‑15
forms (Sell Your Item forms)
category selections,
240‑242
customizing, 243
Pre‑Filled Information,
242‑243
fraud, 152‑162
account takeover, 153‑154
counterfeit merchandise,
155
fraud‑protection services
Buyer Protection
program, 158‑160
buySAFE, 161‑162
credit card chargeback
requests, 161
SquareTrade, 162‑164
inaccurate descriptions and
photos, 154
nonexistent products,
155‑156
seller impersonation, 153
Free Shipping, 81, 290
G
Gallery Featured upgrades,
300‑301
Gallery Plus feature, 71‑72,
296
General Announcements, 40
Gift icons (listing upgrade),
fees, 299
Giving Works, 281‑282
Groups, 39
H
Half.com Account, 35, 68
Hammertap3, 191
Help pages, 42
Highlight feature (listing
upgrade), 298
homepage, 33‑36
Live Help, 36
signing in, 34
Specialty Sites boxes, 35‑36
Homepage Featured upgrade,
302‑303
hooks, 258‑262
Hot Lists, 192‑193
HTML editor program,
writing auction descriptions,
258‑259
I–J
icon representations (seller’s
username), 111‑112
ID Verified logos, 111
ID Verified sellers, 235‑236
sellers, 130
impersonation fraud (sellers),
153
strategies)
Auctiva Store Window, 336
337‑338
repeat buyer offers, 336‑337
shipping, 335‑336
increasing sales
337‑338
shipping incentives,
335‑336
information products (upsell
ing strategies), 337‑338
credits, 341‑342
eBay Motors, 209
eBay Stores, 205‑206
insurance
businesses, 358
shipping, 143, 331
international sellers, 115‑117,
troubleshooting, 89‑90
130
using keywords, 72‑75
international transactions
common acronyms and
checkout process, 145
abbreviations, 74
shipping
Matching Categories
guidelines, 331‑332
feature, 73‑74
rates, 290‑291
spell checks, 75
USPS, 332
Item Specifics feature, 76
invalid bid retractions, 97
Item Specifics information, 255
invoices, requesting from
items
seller, 140‑141
banned, 180‑181
invoices, sending, 342‑343
comparisons, 106‑108
item searches
advanced searches
All items including
calculations, 188
Store inventory items,
81‑82
home, 186‑187
thrift stores, 190
eBay keywords, 79
Trading Assistant
program, 188‑189
exact phrases, 77
excluding words, 78
listings
Free Shipping, 81
Item Specifics
Items priced, 82
information, 255
auctions
Sell Your Item form,
240‑243
Buy It Now listing,
85‑86
upgrades, 294‑305
250‑253
listings, 86‑87
packaging, 326‑329
live auctions, 89
notes, 328‑329
reporting listing violations,
100‑102
Picture Gallery, 82‑83
researching desirable items,
search results page, 70‑72
190
changing display order,
third‑party research
71
Gallery Plus feature,
tools, 191‑192
71‑72
Want It Now postings,
194‑196
Sell Similar option, 351
timing sales, 196‑198
tracking (My eBay),
313‑317
Items I’m Selling
section, 314‑315
Items I’ve Sold section,
315‑316
Unsold Items section, 317
unsold items
Insertion Fee Credit,
341‑342
relisting options, 340‑341
Items I Didn’t Win section,
57‑58
Items I’m Bidding On section,
55‑56
Items I’m Watching section,
52‑53
Items I’ve Won section, 56‑57
K–L
keyword searches, 72
common acronyms and
abbreviations, 74
eBay keywords, 79
Matching Categories
feature, 73‑74
spell checks, 75
labels, creating shipping
labels, 329‑330
licensing businesses, 356‑357
links, 59‑62
Listing Designer option (auction descriptions), 264‑265
listings
auctions
auction‑management
programs, 305‑310
listing page, 95‑97
titles, 244‑249
Index 389
cancellations, 321‑322
fees, 200‑201
Item Specifics information,
255
relisting option, 340‑341
reporting violations,
100‑102
Sell Your Item forms
category selections,
240‑242
customizing, 243
242‑243
spelling concerns, 248‑249
upgrades, 48
eBay Store fees, 206‑207
fees, 203‑204
300‑301
Homepage Featured
service, 302‑303
Pro Pack, 305
Scheduled Listings,
299‑300
titles, 294‑299
250‑253
Basic Picture Services,
253
Enhanced Picture
Services, 251
Picture Pack, 253
Supersize Pictures, 253
live auctions, 89
Live Help, 36
lot auctions, 269‑270
M
malicious feedback, 98
maps (Site Map), 42‑43
Marketplace Research, 191
Matching Categories feature,
73‑74
Meet the Seller page, 110‑111
members, finding, 117
messages
My Messages, 6
My Messages inbox, 61‑62
misspellings, 248‑249
money orders, 29‑30
monthly subscriptions, eBay
Store fees, 205
multiple‑quantity auctions,
87‑88
fees, 202‑203
272‑273
overview, 268‑269
Mutual Feedback
Withdrawals, 148, 233‑234
My Account
addresses, 67
Dispute Console, 68
Half.com Account, 68
preferences, 67
Reviews and Guides, 68
Seller Account and
Subscriptions, 68
viewing personal
information, 65‑67
My eBay, 6, 38
Buying Reminders
section, 52
Buying Totals, 55
customizing, 58‑59
section, 55‑56
section, 52‑53
Items I’ve Won section,
56‑57
Second Chance Offer, 52
tracking items, 313‑317
Items I’m Selling
section, 314‑315
315‑316
My Messages, 6
Buying Reminders section,
52
Buying Totals, 55
customizing, 58‑59
Items I Didn’t Win section,
57‑58
section, 55‑56
section, 52‑53
Items I’ve Won section,
56‑57
Second Chance Offer, 52,
57‑58
My World page, 61, 227‑228
N
navigation
browsing categories, 43‑49
auctions, 47‑49
featured items, 46
option, 45
homepage, 33‑36
Live Help, 36
signing in, 34
Specialty Sites boxes,
35‑36
Site Map, 42‑43
tabs
Buy, 36‑38
Help pages, 42
My eBay, 38
Sell tab, 38
negative feedback, 146
Mutual Feedback
Withdrawals, 233‑234
prevention of, 230‑231
removing, 233
reply to, 231‑232
New Member icon, 112
No Shipping option, 290
nonapproved payment
methods, 29
nonexistent product fraud,
155‑156
nonfeatured items, 46
nonpayment issues,
troubleshooting
344‑346
346‑347
nonperformance violations
(sellers), 183‑184
nonwinning bidders, sending
Second Chance Offers to,
349‑351
notes, Add Note button, 53‑55
O
off‑eBay sales, seller
violations, 182‑183
one‑line hooks (auction
descriptions), 258, 262
online auction fees
Buy It Now option, 204
Insertion fee, 200‑201
Optional Listing Upgrades
Scheduled Listings,
credit cards, 30
299‑300
money orders, 29‑30
titles
nonapproved methods, 29
overview, 284‑285
Gallery picture, 295‑296 PayPal accounts, 6, 284‑285
Gallery Plus, 296
account set‑up, 22‑25
Gift icons, 299
Buyer Protection program,
150, 158
subtitles, 294
Basic Tier coverage,
organization of business,
159‑160
355‑359
Top Tier coverage, 160
outlet stores, finding items to
sell, 189‑190
creating shipping labels,
overcharging shipping costs,
329‑330
108‑110
features, 179
overview, 22
Personal accounts, 28
Premier accounts, 28
seller fees, 210‑211
seller
tools, 170‑176
including thank‑you notes,
Automatic
Logo
328‑329
Insertion,
173
customizing,
172
End
of
Auction
Email,
passwords
173‑175
forgotten password/User
refund process, 175‑176
ID, 14‑15
upgraded
accounts, 171
security, 10‑12
transaction
fees,
178
payment disputes process
verification
process,
25‑27
personal checks, 29‑30
344‑346
personal information (My
filing disputes, 348‑349
Account), 65‑67
Personal
PayPal accounts, 28
personalizing
e‑mails, 326
phishing
e‑mails,
16‑19
photographs
346‑347
camera specifics, 214
copyrights, 223
payment methods
editing, 222
approved methods, 28‑29
fraudulent activities, 154
auction descriptions, 263
listing upgrades
BidPay, 30‑31
features, 179
Gallery
Plus, 296
seller’s tools, 176‑180
photography
tools, 221‑222
P
Index 391
Picture Service fees,
223‑224
shooting tips, 214‑217
lighting, 215‑216
using tripods, 217
white balance
adjustments, 216‑217
stock photography, 223
troubleshooting
photography errors,
217‑221
uploading, 250‑253
Basic Picture Services,
253
Enhanced Picture
Services, 251
Picture Pack, 253
Verified Rights Owner, 223
Picture Pack, 253
Picture Services fees,
207‑208, 223‑224
placing bids, 93‑94, 129
asking for Buy It Now
option, 130‑131
sellers, 130
retracting bids, 133‑135
sniping techniques, 131‑133
positive feedback, 145
PowerSeller icon, 112
PowerSellers, 6
Pre‑Filled Information (Sell
Your Item forms), 242‑243
preferences (My Account), 67
Premier PayPal accounts, 28
pricing, 275
adjusting, 318‑319
calculations, 188
Buy It Now price, 6, 48, 280
fixed‑price sales, 280
reserve prices, 86, 278‑280
starting prices, 276‑278
Pro Pack (upgrade package),
305
Pro Stores website, 366
profiles (Feedback Profiles),
122‑123
Q–R
questions, Ask Seller A
Question option, 113‑114
reserve‑price auctions, 86
fees, 204
Second Chance Offer,
127‑128
setting price, 278‑280
restricted access auctions, 89
retracting bids, 95, 133‑135
return policies, 157, 291‑292
Reviewer icon, 112
reviews
Reviews and Guides
section (My Account), 68
self‑promotion pages,
228‑230
revising auctions, 317‑318
rules
buying
bidding violations, 97
reporting violations, 98‑102
Dispute Console, 99‑100
listing violations,
100‑102
sellers
fee avoidance violations,
182
nonperformance
off‑eBay sales, 182‑183
ratings
121‑122, 146
Recent Feedback Ratings,
119‑120
refund process (PayPal),
175‑176
registration process
businesses, 12‑14
buyers, 8‑10
sellers, 168
removing feedback, 148, 233
replying to feedback, 149,
231‑232
346‑347
reporting violations, 98‑102
Dispute Console, 99‑100
listing violations, 100‑102
reputation builders (sellers),
225‑230
About Me page, 226‑227
My World page, 227‑228
reviews and guides, 228‑230 sales, increasing
research
desirable items, 190‑196
337‑338
tools, 191‑192
shipping incentives, 335‑336
Want It Now postings, sales tax concerns
194‑196
business organization, 357
rates, 333‑335
Marketplace Research, 191
S
Scheduled Listings, fees,
299‑300
scheduled start auctions,
282‑283
seals (third‑party trust seals)
buySAFE, 234‑235
ID Verified, 235‑236
SquareTrade, 234
options, 45
searching for items
advanced searches
All items including
Store inventory items,
81‑82
eBay keywords, 79
exact phrases, 77
excluding words, 78
Free Shipping, 81
Items priced, 82
auctions
Buy It Now listing, 85‑86
listings, 86‑87
live auctions, 89
private auction, 88‑89
search results page, 70‑72
changing display order,
71
Gallery Plus feature,
71‑72
using keywords, 72‑75
common acronyms and
abbreviations, 74
Matching Categories
feature, 73‑74
spell checks, 75
Second Chance Offer, 52,
57‑58
reserve‑price auctions, 128
sending to nonwinning
bidders, 349‑351
Security and Resolution
Center, 41
security concerns
Account Guard, 19‑20
eBay, 15‑16
passwords, 10‑12
phishing e‑mails, 16‑19
self‑promotion pages, 225‑230
reviews and guides, 228‑230
Sell Similar option, 351
Sell tab, 38
Sell Through Rate. See STR
Sell Your Item forms
category selections, 240‑242
customizing, 243
242‑243
Seller Account and
Subscriptions, 68
sellers
Ask Seller A Question
option, 113‑114
BidPay accounts, 176‑180
business opportunities
consignment selling,
364‑365
determining what to
sell, 354‑355
income concerns, 354
organization, 355‑359
wholesale product
sourcing, 361‑363
buySAFE Bonded Seller
Seal, 161‑162
contacting, 139‑142
no-response situations,
141‑142
customer service
considerations
e‑mailing customers,
324‑326
feedback, 333
122, 146
Favorite Sellers list, 64‑65
feedback, 117‑123, 230‑234
121‑122
farming, 122
Feedback Profiles,
122‑123
Feedback Recency, 118
negative feedback,
230‑234
percentages, 112‑113
Recent Feedback
Ratings, 119‑120
fees
BidPay, 211
eBay Motors, 208‑209
eBay Stores, 204‑208
online auction fees,
200‑204
PayPal, 210‑211
calculations, 188
home, 186‑187
thrift stores, 190
Trading Assistant
program, 188‑189
impersonation fraud, 153
international sellers,
115‑117, 130
Index 393
listing auctions, 169‑170
listing items
self‑promotion pages,
Item Specifics
225‑230
information, 255
Sell Your Item forms,
240‑243
reviews and guides,
228‑230
shipping considerations,
250‑253
286‑290
Meet the Seller page,
110‑111
287‑288
payment methods, 284‑285
flat‑rate shipping,
PayPal accounts, 170‑176
287‑290
Automatic Logo
Free Shipping, 290
Insertion, 173
international shipping
customizing, 172
rates, 290‑291
173‑175
SquareTrade Trust Seal,
refund process, 175‑176
162
upgraded accounts, 171
timing sales, 196‑198
PowerSellers, 6
tracking items (My eBay),
313‑317
price options, 275‑280
Buy It Now option, 280
Items I’m Selling
fixed‑price sales, 280
section, 314‑315
reserve prices, 278‑280
starting prices, 276‑278
315‑316
purchasing from off eBay,
149‑150
upselling strategies
registration process, 168
requesting Buy It Now
336
option, 130‑131
337‑338
researching desirable items,
190‑196
repeat buyer offers,
336‑337
shipping incentives,
tools, 191‑192
335‑336
Want It Now postings,
username and icon
194‑196
representations, 111‑112
return policies, 291‑292
set‑ups
rules
accounts
business registration,
fee avoidance violations,
12‑14
182
buyer registration, 8‑10
nonperformance
ID, 14‑15
password security, 10‑12
PayPal, 22‑25
User IDs, 6‑8
Favorite Search, 63‑65
Favorite Sellers list,
64‑65
My Favorite Categories,
65
shill bidding, 97, 181‑182
shipping, 286
287‑288
creating labels, 329‑330
361‑363
flat‑rate shipping, 287‑290
Free Shipping, 290
strategies), 335‑336
insurance, 143, 331
international shipping,
290‑291
USPS, 332
overcharging, 108‑110
packaging items
notes, 328‑329
terms, 264
Shooting Star icon, 111
shooting tips (photographs),
214‑217
lighting, 215‑216
using tripods, 217
white balance adjustments,
216‑217
signing in, 34
similar item sales (Sell Similar
option), 351
Site Map, 42‑43
Skype, 284
sniping techniques (bidding),
131‑133
software needs, 358‑359
Specialty Sites boxes, 35‑36
spelling concerns, 75, 248‑249
SquareTrade, 234
fraud protection, 162
warranty services, 163‑164
website, 162
starting prices, 276‑278,
318‑319
stock photography, 223
stores (eBay Stores), fees,
204‑208
STR (Sell Through Rate), 193
StubHub Tickets, 36
subtitles, 249‑252, 294
supplies, shipping, 327
System Announcements, 40
thank‑you notes, sending to
buyers, 328‑329
third‑party research tools,
191‑192
Hammertap3, 191
Terapeak, 191
third‑party trust seals
buySAFE, 234‑235
SquareTrade, 234
thrift stores, finding items to
sell, 190
timing
sales, 196‑198
scheduled start auctions,
282‑283
titles
auctions, 244‑249
upgrades, 294
Gallery Plus, 296
Gift icons, 299
tabs (navigation)
Buy tab, 36‑38
subtitles, 294
toolbars
(Account Guard),
Help pages, 42
19‑20
My eBay, 38
Top Reviewer icon, 112
Sell tab, 38
Top Tier coverage (PayPal
tax concerns
Buyer Protection), 160
federal income tax, 357‑358
tracking auctions (visitor
sales tax
counters), 265
business organization,
tracking
items (My eBay),
357
313‑317
rates, 333‑335
Items I’m Selling section,
telephone contact (payment
314‑315
resolution), 344‑346
Items
I’ve Sold section,
Terapeak, 191
315‑316
terms, 5‑6
Buy It Now price, 6
trade
shows, wholesale
Feedback Profiles, 6
product
sourcing, 363
My eBay, 6
Trading Assistant program,
My Messages, 6
188‑189, 365
PayPal, 6
Transaction
fees
PowerSellers, 6
eBay Motors, 209
T
transaction interference, 97
tripods, shooting
photographs, 217
troubleshooting
fraud, 152‑157
account takeover, 153‑154
counterfeit merchandise,
155
inaccurate descriptions
and photos, 154
nonexistent products,
155‑156
seller impersonation, 153
item searches, 89‑90
payment disputes
contacting buyer by
phone, 344‑346
follow‑up e‑mails,
343‑344
transaction, 346‑348
346‑347
sending an invoice,
342‑343
photography errors, 217‑221
unsold items, 339‑342
Insertion Fee Credits,
341‑342
trust seals (third‑party trust
seals)
buySAFE, 234‑235
SquareTrade, 234
Turbo Lister, 305
U
Unpaid Item process, 346‑347
unpaid items (bidding
violations), 97
Index 395
unsold items
relisting options, 340
Insertion Fee Credits,
341‑342
Unsold Items section (My
eBay), 317
upgrades
listings, 48
eBay Store fees, 206‑207
fees, 203‑204
300‑301
Homepage Featured
service, 302‑303
Pro Pack, 305
Scheduled Listings,
299‑300
titles, 294‑299
PayPal accounts, 171
upselling strategies
337‑338
shipping incentives, 335‑336
User IDs
account set‑up, 6‑8
ID, 14‑15
usernames, sellers icon
representations, 111‑112
USPS international services,
332
Verified Rights Owner
winning bids
(photographs), 223
views, 59‑62
international
transactions, 145
PayPal transactions,
My World page, 61
143‑144
Want It Now, 60‑61
violations
contacting sellers, 139‑142
bidding, 97
no response situations,
141‑142
reporting, 98‑102
Dispute Console, 99‑100 Workshops, 40
listing violations,
writing guidelines (auction
100‑102
descriptions)
sellers
bulleted lists, 262
features and benefits,
fee avoidance, 182
261‑265
nonperformance
Listing Designer option,
264‑265
one‑line hooks, 258, 262
payment methods, 263
professionalism, 259‑260
visitor counters, 265
shipping terms, 264
using HTML editor,
258‑259
W–X
Want It Now listing, 60‑61,
194‑196
warranty services
(SquareTrade), 163‑164
websites
buySAFE, 161
creating, 365‑366
eBay Express, 135
Hammertap3, 191
Pro Stores, 366
SquareTrade, 162
Terapeak, 191
when to bid, 125‑126
white balance adjustments
(shooting photographs),
216‑217
Value Pack (upgrade package), wholesale product sourcing
304‑305
verification process
361‑363
ID Verified status, 235‑236
trade shows, 363
PayPal, 25‑27
V
Y–Z
yard sales, finding items to
sell, 187‑188

The Complete Idiot 039 s Guide to eBay Complete

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