Our postman is kept well busy delivering mail to our door. No surprise really as we trade on Ebay and other auction sites and the mail is delivered by the sack full every day.

Before I go into this Opinion please allow me to make it clear that Ciao is my community zone and is personal to me. I do not wish to name the Ebay store that I run with my brother and I do not wish to name the websites we run either. It is for this same reason that I have not linked Ebay to Ciao through the market place option although I was tempted. I hope my fellow Ciao buddies can appreciate my feelings on this.

As well as trading on Ebay, my brother and I trade on other sites such as QXL, OK2Bid, Ebid and through Amazon. We also have 2 websites that we run. One is for smaller, cheaper goods for personal and home use and the other is aimed at professional and business use. We trade everything permitted by the websites and we respect their rules and policies.

For this opinion I have decided to write about Ebay as it is the biggest auction site and the busiest. I have also decided to include a few tips we have learned over the years that you may find useful if you use Ebay.

So what is Ebay?

Ebay is an online auction site which started life in 1995 and they have millions of items on sale on any given day. Ebay makes money by charging buyers and sellers for trading on the site. Ebay is not the cheapest of all the auction sites available but they are by far the biggest so you are more likely to sell through Ebay than anywhere else. Also for that matter you are more likely to find the goods you want compared to anywhere else.

The site is actually very easy to navigate and there is a forum like Ciao where many of the good members will help you with any questions or problems you have. When you first use Ebay it does feel overwhelming and confusing but with a little practise you will soon become an expert and probably at one point become addicted and buy more than you are selling. It has happened to many including me. Lucky me has a brother who helps curb my spending, or so he thinks, ahem…

When you buy and sell an item you can leave feedback and rate the buyer or seller. Again like Ciao, please try and be constructive especially when you feel you have had a bad transaction. The feedback you and others leave can help when deciding if you want to trust a buyer or seller. Again, please remember that everyone has to start somewhere and they will all start with a 0 rating. Remember when you started using Ciao?

How do the auctions work?

To start with Ebay gives you the chance to sell items for a set price. This is called ‘Buy Now’ and means you can purchase items immediately at a set price and do not have to wait for the auction to end and do not have to keep bidding on items. Advantages for sellers are similar, although they need a rating of 10 to use the ‘Buy Now’ option.

The auctions themselves are very different and can be equally exciting and frustrating.
It is quite a good feeling when seeing your bid is winning but at the same time the price rising can be disheartening. When selling an item, it is a good feeling when the price and bids increase but only if you are getting the price you want. Again the use of ‘Buy Now’ can be helpful here.

As you can imagine the auctions start at a price set by the seller. Many start at just 1 penny and at the end the highest bidder wins. You may though as a seller use the reserve price function. This means that you can start an auction at 1 penny and it will not sell unless it reaches a set amount.

Ebay allows you to list items in different categories and they have an easy to use selling wizard type tool to help you get the item listed in the appropriate category. After some practise this becomes quicker to use and you can also add items into a second category to help sell it faster. This is useful where you are selling and are unsure of which category to use. I have used this when selling items in bulk quantities. I will list in the relevant category and then also add the item for sale in the wholesale section.

There are plenty of categories to choose from and I promise that after using a few times this becomes easier.

Selling Items

If you have something for sale then go for it. You might feel that your item is just junk cluttering up your house but, remember the old saying, one persons junk is another persons gold. I have seen many items I consider worthless and junk items on sale and believe me when I tell you that they eventually sell to someone.

I have seen stuff like shoe and bootlaces sold on Ebay to huge items such as houses and entire towns. Graham Norton tried to get his viewers to chip in and buy an entire town in America, but they never raised enough money.

Ebay provides a great number of ‘tools’ to help you sell your items. They are easy to use and they can help you when looking for payment for items sold. I don’t want to list the seller tools here in this opinion or I would never get it finished. There are many of them and I would advise at least trying them out if not wishing to use them all of the time.

There is a lot more to selling on Ebay than I have mentioned but the main thing is to do your homework and I will cover this later in this opinion.

Buying Items

Buying is far easier then selling after all we all love spending money, or is it just me? Be honest ladies. No, I said be HONEST ladies, that’s better. When buying items, try to first do a search for the same items or similar, being sold by other members as you could save a small fortune. Look carefully at the description of the item and look at the reputation built up by the seller through the ratings and feedback.

Again look at the postage price and other conditions attached as this can easily bump up the overall cost. The most to say about buying is to use your common sense. Set yourself a maximum price you are prepared to pay and try to stick to it. Consider the ‘Buy Now’ price carefully, even if the price is currently low as this will disappear and you will have to commence in a bidding battle to get your hands on the item.

If you come across a too good to be true bargain it probably is. There is a lot of con artists at work on Ebay but, equally there is many honest and decent sellers out there too.

Another big must, is to be polite and pay promptly. It is not nice having to wait for weeks on end for some one to cough up money for their purchases. If you cannot pay quickly or within the set time then contact the seller to let them know. I have had many people email to ask if I will wait until they are paid at the end of the month. It can be a pain but, at least they have done the right thing and let me know.

Again I will add more to this opinion later about buying from Ebay.

Help is at hand

Ebay as I have said runs as a community just like Ciao. Should you have any questions or concerns you can look through the very extensive help system or contact them if you cannot find the answer to your question.

Also there to happily help are the members. Visit the members forum and talk to others who will, through experience help guide you through. Just like Ciao.

Ebay offers good services that make trading easier and safer and I would recommend to everyone to use them where possible. Some of the services are free but there are others that you need to pay for. The paid for services are at minimal cost and you can pass on these costs through your sales, a practise many other members have adopted.

Other costs to be considered are Ebay’s costs. Ebay makes money through fees they charge traders. The main costs are listing fees, final value fees and enhancement fees.

The current fees are: 10 January 2004

Opening Value or Reserve Price

£ 0.01 to £ 0.99 List Price = £ 0.15
£ 1.00 to £ 4.99 List Price = £ 0.20
£ 5.00 to £ 14.99 List Price = £ 0.35
£ 15.00 to £ 29.99 List Price = £ 0.75
£ 30.00 to £ 99.99 List Price = £ 1.50
£100.00 and up List Price = £ 2.00

Where there is a reserve on the item the fee applied is the fee of the reserve price and not the opening price.

Vehicles and Real Estate are charged at a fixed amount no matter the opening price or reserve price. The fees are: Vehicles: £6.00 per item Real Estate: £35.00 per item

Also there is an additional reserve price fee applied. This is refunded only if the item sells

Reserve Price

£ 0.01 to £ 14.99 Fee = £ 0.40
£ 15.00 to £ 99.99 Fee = £ 0.75
£100.00 and up Fee = 1%

Vehicles and Real Estate with reserve of £100.00 and up £2.00

After you have sold an item you have to pay the final value fee. Again this varies as set out below.

Final Price Range

£ 0.00 to £ 29.99 = 5.25% of the selling price
£ 30.00 to £599.99 = 3.25% for the part between £30.00 and £599.99
£600.00 and over = 1.75% for the balance of the end price over £600.00

So if you sell an item for £1,000.00 you pay final value fee of:

5.25% of part between £0 and £29.99 plus
3.25% of part between £30.00 and £599.99 plus
1.75% on remainder of amount to £1,000.00

Final Value fee for vehicles is fixed at £18.00 and no charge for real estate.

As I said Ebay is not the cheapest auction site but, they are the biggest and you have more chance of selling or finding a decent bargain through Ebay.

There are other fees to be considered and these are known as enhancement fees. They are premiums charged for selling items. The fees vary depending on how much you wish to promote your sales.

If you are selling it is important for buyers to be able to see your item and you can get Ebay to help you attract more buyers and bidders. The following options are available:

Home Page Featured:
Your item is added to the home page on Ebay £ 49.95

Featured Plus
Item features on Category Page and search pages £ 9.95

Gallery
Small picture shows on gallery page £ 0.15

Feature Gallery
Larger sized picture on gallery page £ 15.95

Highlight
Colour band covers your listing £ 1.50

Item Subtitle
Can add a subtitle with extra info £ 0.50

Bold
Adds Bold Writing to title £ 0.75

Buy Now
Add option for instant purchases £ 0.06

Scheduled Listing
Start listings at a time to suit you £ 0.12

Where listing in 2 categories all fees are doubled excluding scheduled and home page featured items.

Again other auction sites offer similar services and options and they vary in price for these services but, again Ebay does have the biggest amount of users.

Photos of items you sell can be added to the site too and again there are various packages available at different prices. The first picture is free but the after that each pic costs around 12 pence to add.

Do your Homework!

To end this opinion I will cover a few other basics you should know and give a few tips on being a successful Ebay trader.

Common sense will tell you best how to be successful on Ebay whether you are buying, selling or both. Be prepared to search through the different categories for items you are looking to buy and sell to see how others are doing it.

Use the help sections and ask other members for advice when you need it.

Contact the buyer before bidding or buying with any questions. You are entering into a legally binding contract. It is no use trying to back out if you make a mistake.

When buying send your payment promptly and securely and always send your details with the payment so the seller knows who you are and what you are buying. The best thing to do is print out or copy the details from the invoice page Ebay supplies.

Contact the seller to confirm that payment is sent and use this opportunity to ask any final questions.

Wait for your payment to clear and for the item to be delivered. Usually 2 weeks is sufficient but any decent seller should let you know if there are any problems immediately.

Leave feedback after you receive your item and be constructive even if you are unhappy about the transaction. If you are unhappy about any transaction then contact the seller and tell them and ask if they are prepared to help you buy offering an exchange or refund or other option suitable to you both.

Should you still be unhappy use the services available such as Square Trade, the Ebay dispute resolution service. They may charge for this service but it is a good idea to use them.

When selling, again make sure you are prepared. Check out the same or similar items other are selling. There is no point selling an item at £5.00 if it is going to cost you £6.00 to post to the buyer.

Check Ebay fees and postage costs. Take into consideration posting valuable items by a signed for service and consider the packaging costs too.

When listing your items for sale be honest about what people are buying. Give a detailed description, consider the age and any wear or tear and condition of the item you are selling. No one wants a book with the last page missing.

When you receive payment, be nice enough to inform the buyer and tell them. Give a realistic timescale for payment clearance and delivery. Any problems then let the buyer know immediately.

I could go on and on about buying and selling but I would be all day. Just be sensible and careful.

The only thing left to cover is the policies, rules and regulations. All sites have them and they should be followed fully. No auction site will let you buy or sell offensive or abusive items. You cannot sell things like body parts for obvious reasons though this has been tried.

The rules are there to protect you and every other member. You are free to list your own policies as long as they are reasonable. For example, we will not post out any item until payment has been received and fully cleared in out bank account. We do though, inform people of this. Also never pass out peoples personal details to any third parties.

There is nothing worse than getting piles of junk mail or email. We also do not sell outside of Ebay although we do have 2 websites. We only sell items listed on Ebay through Ebay. Likewise we only sell direct on the website to visitors of the websites we have.

There is a lot more to Ebay than I could possibly write here so please don’t be afraid, go visit and register. Like I always say, a community is only as good as its members.

Please respect my wishes not to divulge information about the websites or our Ebay details. I wish to have Ciao as part of my private community. I could easily use Ciao to plug the websites and my Ebay lists but I choose not to.

Regards,

Jacqui