I have a slight prob with my spacebar, where I have to smack it to get a space, any linkedup words i...
I have a slight prob with my spacebar, where I have to smack it to get a space, any linkedup words in reviews is due to that, not drunkeness or stupidity! :-) Lou x
Member since:30.06.2002
Reviews:22
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Ebay.co.uk is probably one of THE most popular online auction sites on the web and I understand why. I have tried many other auction sites and none of them truly compare (apart from the late Yahoo Auctions) to Ebay. Below is a review of several of the main aspects of Ebay. I have obviously based my review upon the British Ebay (www.ebay.co.uk) but I assume that most of what is written is true for Ebay internationally.
REGISTERING Registering is fairly simple. If you have an email address from online websites such as Yahoo or Hotmail, they will ask you to provide a credit card number. However if you have an email from a company like freeserve, giving your card number wont be necessary. This is good, especially for people like myself who loathe giving their credit details over the Internet unless they have to. They ask you the basic information that most sites ask you when you sign up. Oh, you have to be over 18 to use Ebay. Which is good because after the Ribena incident I believe kids should NOT be allowed near PCs. (joke)
LAYOUT The layout of the website
is fairly simple to use. What I like is that you can browse without actually having to sign up. It’s only once you want to bid that you need to be a member. The layout of the auctions is fairly simple. They list the auction titles alongside symbols to let you know whether there are pictures, a buy price
The symbols are user friendly as if you do not understand what one of them means, just click the symbol and it will take you directly to the relevant help page explaining it.
BUYING You have to be a registered member of Ebay to bid for any auction you see. Ebay works on a “proxy” bidding scheme. Which is actually quite cool. You decide what is the most amount you want to spend on the auction, (Called your maximum bid) and Ebay will bid on your behalf to ensure you are the highest bidder, UP TO YOUR MAXIMUM BID. So if you are very busy during an auction (like myself) you do not have to worry about checking to see whether or not you are in the lead.
Only problem that I find with the “proxy” scheme is that it is very easy for people to outbid you by a tiny amount. For example. I set a maximum bid of £50 for a certain item. On the last day of the auction at 9am I was winning at £46. When I got home after the auction had ended someone else had won BY TWENTY FIVE PENCE. The person had obviously set a higher maximum bid than me, and I could not do anything about it. :-(
Once you have bid EBay will send you emails to update you on the progress of the auction. This is ideal for people who cannot be bothered to actually go to the site then to the auction. It alerts you when you have been outbid and when the auction is finished, as well as a daily update.
Ensure you have cleared any questions you may have BEFORE YOU BID. If you have any doubts about the seller or the product use the “ask the seller” function on the item page to email them with your query. This function is very useful and usually the seller will get back to you that day or very soon after. If you bid before asking a question you may get a nasty shock like I did. I bid for an item where the location of the seller was Canada, but his country was the UK, I was concerned, but assumed that he lived in a town called Canada in England (Yes I am THAT stupid) but bid anyway, then I find out he actually IS from Canada. Oops.
The ask the seller function is very common on all online auctions, but I find it one of the most useful features of the site. It is especially useful for newbie buyers as they can communicate with the seller
One important thing: Be safe and never send cash through the post. Because if your seller does not deliver then you have not got a legal leg to stand on. A cheque is very easy to trace and stop, cash isn’t. You can find out what methods of payment the seller accepts in a box on the item page. The most common accepted forms of payment on Ebay are; Cash, Cheque, Postal Order, Paypal and Credit Card. Cheque I think is the best method, but if you want an item to be delivered ASAP, then get a postal order as they only cost about 80p and do not need 3 working days to clear.
Ebay has a rating scheme so you can see who is a good seller or a bad seller. You can leave feedback after completing your transaction with them. If they have a lot of negative feedback then steer clear. On all item pages you will notice that there is a number next to the ID of the seller, the higher the number, the more experienced the seller. If you click that number you can access their feedback. This is a very important aspect of Ebay. It allows you as a buyer to see how reliable the seller is. Without it you could unwittingly be sending your money off to someone who has ripped off many before you.
SELLING In order to sell an item on ebay you must give them credit card details. This isn’t so they can steal all your money, but just so they can verify who you are in case you do anything naughty. I completely agree with this as it protects the consumer.
You can sell whatever you want on Ebay, barring illegal stuff. In case you are not sure of the legality f your item there is a list on the site of what you cannot sell on EBAY. Obviously you cannot fraudulently advertise products either.
In case you are worried about not getting enough money for your product you can set a reserve price which means if the bidding ends and the highest bid is below said reserve price, you don’t have to sell to the winner. As I said above you can use the feedback system to check that a high bidder for your auction is reliable.
Ebay is a free service IF YOU ARE A BUYER. However as a seller you have to pay certain fees to Ebay in order to get your item listed, which is obviously how the website makes money. There are several different types of fees on the site. I dislike having to pay the fees as with everything in life I wish it was free!! But I understand that to be a viable company they have to make money somehow. You pay to list an item and you also pay if you wish to have a reserve price, a fancy schmanzy ad for your product. The price for these varies on how much you are selling your product for.
You also pay Ebay when someone wins your auction. This is the evil part of ebay. When your auction ends successfully you are very happy until you realise you have to pay Ebay between 1.5 and 5.25% of the end price. However this is a small price to pay especially as you should be making a profit on your items.
MY OPINION ON EBAY I have used both Yahoo Auctions and Ebay.co.uk for about a year. Although I used Yahoo more at first it has now closed down so I am using Ebay properly. The site itself is very easy to use and the layout is professional but simple. The Help section is also very informative, especially for New Users. I suggest when you first sign up at Ebay you read it as it has a step by step explanation of how things work there. The only negative aspect of Ebay is, for sellers, the fees. They are not too bad in the scheme of things, but still they are a pain. The variety of products available on Ebay still astounds me and there are some good bargains out there, for all you bargain hunters, so take my advice GET SHOPPING!!
Your opinion is really helpful. Im hoping to start selling stuff on ebay once my credit card has arrived. This has helped alot.
Thanks
SusanLesley 12.02.2003 08:21
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! Susan
Baywatch_Fan2002 20.09.2002 22:33
Great opinion! I am addicted to ebay and have been ever since i started earlier this year :)
Advantages: Wide range of items, cheap, easy to use, saves you a lot of money Disadvantages: I think I might be addicted.....non-paying bidders.....fees
silver_tiger 09.08.2004 (09.08.2004)
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Sep 3rd, 2002
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