I've been a member of eBay, one of the largest online auction-houses / marketplaces / 'car-boot' sales for about three years now. In my time on the website I've bought, sold and participated in active discussion amongst fellow members. It's high time, I think, to impart some of my findings onto everyone here at Ciao!
***The principles of eBay***
eBay, in case you hadn't heard, is an extrememly popular international website, whereby users can purchase or sell a wide variety of goods on-line. To use the site, you are required to create an account, and to be able to sell items, eBay requires you to place credit card details on file, or complete a Direct Debit mandate. I'll go into the reasons for that shortly. Fear not, for all secure information is submitted via 'SSL' (Secure Socket Layer) 128-bit internet encryption. For those who don't speak 'techie' - all information you send when registering is digitally encrypted, meaning that it's impossible for any would-be 'hacker' to steal your details. Purchasing is a whole lot simpler - you simply find the item you're looking for, using either the 'Search' facility, or by searching by category. If you wanted, say, a pair of 'Evisu' Jeans, you could either search for 'Evisu Jeans', or browse the Clothing category, under the appropriate subsections. Items are listed by title, with a small 'thumbnail' picture if the seller has opted for this feature - you then click on the title to bring up the
'Item Description' page.
***The site itself***
The website is extremely colourful and well laid-out, although a new user might well find the amount of information displayed a little confusing. There are helpful tutorials to help an inexperienced member place their first bid, or make their first sale, and there are also some message boards, where ebay members can go to discuss a variety of topics, or ask for help from fellow ebay traders. Fortunately, ebay have made it extremely easy to track your purchasing / selling activity on one page -from this page, a user can access every single detail held on their account, and change it if required. The site layout does take a little getting used to, but help is never far away in the form of prominent 'Help' links, which are usually informative and contain pertinent information.
So now we've created our account, let's look at buying and selling...
Being an auction site, you would typically enter a bid on an item, as opposed to purchasing it outright. I say 'typically' because there is a feature available to traders, allowing prospective customers to purchase the item without making a bid. This is clearly highlighted on the item's 'Description' page which, amongst other things, gives any photographs of the item, its description, its price and any postage costs involved. If you're satisfied with the item, and have digested any 'terms of sale', you place your bid! It's extremely easy to do, and ebay will confirm any transaction you make via email. Most ebay traders selling merchandise are, in fact, simply individuals looking to dispose of unwanted items. There are 'professional' sellers within ebay, who use it as their primary source of income. This is usually, but not always evident on the 'Item Description' page. In any case, it shouldn't, theoretically, have an impact on your decision to place a bid. Ebay has a comprehensive insurance scheme to protect buyers from unscrupulous sellers - that said, in my three or so years as an active aBay trader, I have never had to make any complaints when purchasing. You are permitted to question the seller regarding the item via email - once you're satisifed, you may place your bid! Be careful, though, that you don't get 'sniped' - a term coined by ebay users meaning the placement of a bid within seconds of the auction ending. This is entirely within ebay rules, and can spell disappointment for the unwary! After the auction, ettiquette dictates that you submit payment before you receive the goods - payment can usually be made in a variety of ways, including online payment sites such as PayPal or FastPay. These sites allow you to use your credit/debit card to pay the ebay seller, and offer added protection against any possible fraud. Within a short time, your lovely item should appear on your doorstep!
A personal example - I purchased a brand new computer game, a new release to boot, retailing at £34.99, for £20.99.
***Selling***
One man's junk is another man's treasure, and you may find that the old doodah-wotsit you found in the loft will attract quite a few bidders! Selling an item is extremely easy; the ebay selling process runs in five easy steps, where you are prompted to type a description of your item, add any photographs, specify your postage costs and the price of the item and add any optional features to your item's 'Description' page to increase its profile on the website. Certain items are prohibited for sale on eBay, including firearms, drugs, and any 'fake' designer clothing.
Remember I mentioned the fact that, as a seller, you had to register a credit card or Direct Debit form?
All these option 'features' cost money, I'm afraid. Ranging from bold-type in your title for 75p, to a whopping £49.95 for having a link to your item featured on ebay's home page! Fees are also charged for listing an item - and you are also charged a small percentage fee of the final price of the item.
All in all, it can work out to be a rather expensive business!
Continuing my personal example given above - I then sold on the computer game on for £19.07, after I had played and finished with it.
***Ebay unravelled***
Ebay operates on a principle of trust. The normal procedure is to submit payment to the seller, who will then post your goods to you. Passing of contact details is facilitated at the end of the auction via an 'online invoice' link. After the transaction, both the seller and the buyer are invited to leave 'feedback' - a short, 120-character summary - of their opinion of the transaction. Feedback can be made in three categories - Positive, Neutral or Negative. Think of the system as similar to Ciao's 'coloured dot' - the more positive feedback ratings you receive, so your reputation grows, and you receive a coloured 'Star' icon, reflecting your feedback profile. Too many complaints against you, or too many negative feedback ratings, and eBay will eject you from the site - this helps to create a safe trading environment. It sounds simple - the reality is rather more complex, but to expound any further here would mean a rather longer opinion than perhaps shoud be written here!
***The darker side of ebay***
It's all sounded like sweetness and light so far in my opinion, because that's been my own personal experience of the site.
But there is a dark side...
Tales abound of ebay account 'Hijacking', whereby a reputable trader with a high feedback level will have their account 'hacked'. This hacker will then, using the stolen account, proceed to offer a variety of high-value electrical goods for sale. When the payment arrives, the hacker absconds with the loot - and surprise surprise, no item arrives for the buyer!
Another popular tale is the infamous over-charge for postage - the subject of much heated debate on ebay's own message boards! Instead of charging for their postage and packing at cost, some traders force their poor unsuspecting customer into paying a highly inflated charge. Thus the seller makes even more profit!
Customer support can also be a trifle on the lousy side - poor response times to emailed enquiries, and too many standard responses to emails, mean that if you run into difficulties, it can take a while for them to be resolved.
My personal example was given to prove that ebay can, and really on the whole, does work. So by all means, open your ebay account and clear your loft out - you might even make a bob or two - just don't expect to make a million out of it, because even though there are success stories, for every ebay millionaire, there are hundreds of thousands of ebay paupers. Trust me on that one.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of ebay.co.uk
Sep 7th, 2003
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