I never thought I would ever use an auction site but my partner tried Ebay and won her first auction which got me interested. I went on there and was hooked. Here's why...
The site looks superb. It's clear and neat with a good use of colour to highlight the focal points. The headings are well organised and clicking them will take you to everything you can imagine under that heading, just as you would hope. The inclusion of a full A-Z index is also very welcome.
Like most auction sites, you bid on an item by entering the maximum amount you are willing to pay for that item. Ebay automatically increases your bid up to the max amount you entered in an attempt to keep you in a winning position. This allows you to enter a high amount and then go and do something else while the auction takes care of itself.
Unlike many auction sites, you can choose to watch an item. This means that it gets logged in your "My Ebay" page but you don't make a bid on it
at that moment in time. This is great for waiting until the last minute to put in a winning bid.
A very useful feature is present in the form of the "My Ebay" page. Clicking this link will bring you to your own page where information regarding all of your auctions is gathered together. This is great as it allows you to see at a glance the current state of items you are selling, buying or watching.
The process for selling an item is well designed. Write an item title and a description and choose a category for it to be listed under. You can have up to 2 photo's included with your description for free so digicams at the ready! You can then choose to pay a small amount to have a number of extra photo's included. For each item you put up for auction there is a small charge from Ebay but this is very reasonable. If you have a lot to sell then you can add a link on your Ebay profile to your own home/business website.
You can put in a Reserve price meaning that if the bidding doesn't reach the reserve price then there is no sale. Just recently Ebay added a "Buy It Now" feature as well whereby you put in the amoutn you would be willing to sell outright for. A buyer can use this to avoid the auction side but as soon as a bid is made this feature disappears and it's auctioned as usual.
The biggest question I had was "How do I know who to trust?". Well Ebay has a great way of solving this problem. It's called feedback. Everytime you buy an item or make a sale you get the option to leave feedback about the other person. There are 3 types of feedback; positive, neutral and negative. If you are buying from or selling to someone you have never done business with before then click their feedback icon to see all the feedback they have received. Thus if a person has a lot of negative feedback, don't deal with them. If they have a lot of positive feedback you can feel assured that the transaction is safe. Its simple but very effective and really works.
All your personal details remain secure within the site and are not made public. When an auction ends, the seller and the winning bidder both receive an email informing them of this and giving the others email address. Contact is then made directly between the two and payment/delivery worked out privately. If you still feel unsure about sending a cheque to someone then rest assured that Ebay supports Paypal which is a 3rd party transaction service, well known and well respected.
I have a lot of experience in both buying and selling on Ebay. I have purchased bikes, computers, books and many other items some of which cost in the hundreds of pounds and I've never had a problem. Likewise I've sold bikes and other equipment again without a hitch.
Those who have read my other Ops know that I always include the down side of services and products I rate. I try to be critical. In this instance I really can't be. There is nothing bad to say about Ebay in my opinion or my experience. Or maybe there is...winning a hard fought auction in the dying seconds is such an exhilirating experience that you can become hooked as a kind of auction adrenaline junkie. I overspent big time when I first got into the site. Always be careful with your finances!
This is simply the best auction site on the net. Go on, take advantage!
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I started as Auburnsue selling stuff before we moved house and I still use this name for bits and pieces, but I have now opened a shop called Braemargifts and it's doing quite well! So I guess I'm addicted too! Susan
fairy_kitty 17.06.2002 16:26
Hi :-)
Totally agree - Ebay are definately the best!
Oct 22nd, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
