I has heard about eBay for many years then in 2002, I decided to check it out. Having being a fan of wrestling collectables, I decided to make a quick search and to my suprise discovered 15 pages full of World Wrestling Entertainment merchandise. From that moment on I took to eBay.
I use eBay almost every day, if not to buy or to sell but to just browse. It's like an online boot sale. One of the best websites ever.
To buy items it's pretty simple. If you see something you like, you place a bid. However, it is possible to get outbid so I try to make all of my bids on items when there are 2-3 hours left on auctions. I believe that is give you a 90% better chance of winning the item. Once you have made your purchase, the rest of the trade will be decided via e-mail. Once you have posted payment off, I usually send cash or postal order, the item you have brought will be sent to you. It's as simple as that.
Often you may see a button "Buy It Now" this means you don't need to bid, I find this very handy if it's an item that i'm after really badly, in that case, I just "Buy It Now".
If you are a wheeler and dealer, so to speak, the selling tools are great. You will however need to sign up to become a seller, but this time you need to insert credit card details, because everytime you list an item, depending on the features, it can cost up to £15.00. But that's only for things liek cars and scooters. For listing small items, such as DVDs and action figures, it will cost around 25p. It's a great way to make money! If you can find the right thing to sell, then you can get a good lot of cash coming through.
The only thing that you need to watch out for are the conmen and women of eBay. They will go to great lengths to rip you off, as I have expirenced before. Before you bid on an item, check the sellers feedback profile, I usually don't bid on an item if their feedback is less then 5, also, try to make sure that it's all posotive.
If somebody rips you off, then you won't get your money back. You have to leave them a Non Paying Bidder form. I have done this, it's simple. When they get three, they will be banned from eBay and will not be allowed to use it.
Also, eBay.com is handy for rarer items. Just ebcause you come form the UK, doesn't mean to say you can't use eBay.com. Just before you buy, check that they accept orders form the UK or Worldwide, as it will probably say. Also, contact the seller about shipping costs, as they may try to take advantage after the auction has ended, so before bidding, always make sure you know the shipping cost. What alot of bidders do is get the e-mail, then you get fed up of waiting for them to reply and will bid and win the auction, then they reply to the e-mail and explain it will cost you $25.00 or something, which is bad.
I rarely buy from eBay.com anyway, eBay.co.uk is good enough for me.
Also, if you have any problems, don't hesitate to e-mail ro phone customer services. They are all very friendly and will introduce themselves and help you in any way possible!
As long as you can find your way around eBay and understand it and it's sellers and buyers, you'll be making easy money in no time, definatly worth a try and you'll became a wheeler and dealer in no time at all!
Just remember, avoid bad feedback and dogy looking auctions, be safe and have fun!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I'm about to start selling so hopefully everything will be OK!! Great op. Marc
Deru 03.05.2004 13:56
Good review. I use eBay a lot too. When you say, Non-Paying Bidder, should it not have been Non-Performing Seller? Non-Paying Bidder is an auction winner who (annoyingly) doesn't pay. Listings can cost a lot more if you pick them. Most expensive feature to use is Home Page Featured costing £49.95. Add the other bits i.e. gallery, insertion fee, highlight, Featured Plus, etc, etc and it'll go over £60 so not really up to £15. Anywho, it's a great website. Very handy to have around
btco 02.05.2004 23:08
im just waiting for a site i can join for ebay-o-holics.. as i need to join as im totally addicted to the site .. great op.
May 2nd, 2004
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