I am a lifelong devotee of the jumble sale, many a Saturday afternoon has been spent in a shivering queue in wild anticipation of the ultimate bargain. I'm also a librarian with an eye for a good book so when I saw that there were books for sale on ebay a little bell rang in my head. The next Saturday I bought, for the princely sum of £2.00, a box of books that I though might be 'collectable': Enid Blyton, Ladybirds, books on royalty, old maps etc. I made £42.00 that week and I haven't looked back. It is such a simple idea yet so effective. You give your details to ebay when you register and adopt a username. Other members bid for your item using their usernames, ensuring privacy. At the end of the auction the successful bidder is given your email address, nothing else, and you are given theirs. Payment details and addresses are exchanged and the sale is completed. My bidders can pay by various methods: cheque, postal order, credit or debit card. Once I have received the money I send the item. If my bidder doesn't pay or if I provide an unsatisfactory item the dreaded 'feedback' system comes in. Comments on the transaction can be left against your name for the whole world to see. The site is simple and easy to navigate and is constantly improving. Recent additions are a bulk upload system and facilities for credit cardpayments. Ebay take a small percentage from the seller for listing and selling, but it really is reasonable. Besides, where else would you be able to create an online bookshop with customers from all over the world? If you've an eye for a collectable and you need to make some money I'd suggest ebay. My best sale? An Enid Blyton book that would complete someone's collection, bought for 25p and sold for £102.00.Going once, going twice, sold to the lady in Honolulu.
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Advantages: An easy way to sell your unwanted goods from the comfort of your own home and to bag a bargain Disadvantages: Timewasters who win your auctions and dont pay, scammers and high fees
connorsmum 20.05.2006 (20.05.2006)
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