ebay.co.uk

"Oh no !", I hear you cry, "Not another eBay review ! What's wrong with the other 384 that are already on this site ?!?"

The answer to that question - absolutely nothing. I have read many of those reviews, and I know that some are better than this one. However, I have been using the site for many years now, and hope that my input will provide further help to potential buyers and sellers on the biggest auction website in the world.......

BACKGROUND:
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EBay was started by Pierre Omidyar in September 1995, in San Jose. The idea of eBay was a site that was connecting people, not selling them stuff. By 1997, the site had 341,000 registered users, which has now grown to an estimated 95,000,000 !!

SITE PRESENTATION:
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The Ebay website's presentation is excellent. Upon logging onto the site, you are presented with the home page. This gives you various options to view different catergories, and also lists some "Featured Items". There is also a basic search engine on the home page, which you can search for any item that you are looking for.
Each site page also has option buttons to take you to different parts of the website, such as "My EBay", where you can look at auctions you are bidding on, watching or selling.
The site is constantly being updated (with prices and new auctions), but this in no way affects the running of the site. In fact, considering the number of users, I have very rarely had any problems connecting to the site.
There is also a very useful online help section, which can aid you in everything from registering to selling items, and reporting abuse.

One critism that eBay has faced over the past few years is lack of human contact - it is not possible to phone and speak to someone. However, when I have needed to contact eBay, there is a useful contact page that allows you to email them, and the response is normally very prompt.

BUYING:
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EBay is a fantastic method of locating hard to find items, unusual gifts or goods at cheaper prices. Browsing is free, and can be done even if you are not registered, however you need to register to place bids on items. Registration, however, is free and both quick and easy to do.

Once registered, the whole world of buying opens up to you. You can track down items of personal interest, such as autographs of celebrities, old films, retro items and so much more. You can also get rare and unusual items, either for yourself or as gifts. Again, framed autographs or signed albums make ideal presents. As I mentioned above, you can also get some bargains on eBay - ranging from top title DVD's at far less than you can buy them for in the shops, to artwork at a fraction of the value.

There are potential pitfalls to watch out for, although fortunately these are fairly rare. You need to be aware of "dodgy dealers" - by this I mean people out there who just want to rip you off. A typical, and much publicised example was when the Playstation 2 was first released and in short supply in the UK. One eBayer listed an item: "PS2 - Original Box and Receipt". The auction went up to around £1000 - and the buyer duely received... a PS2 box and receipt !!
Another danger is scams being advertised - get rich quick schemes or multi-level (a.k.a. pyramid) plans. These do not work, and should not be allowed on eBay, but unfortunately they do slip the moderators eye occasionally ! Also, be careful of counterfeit goods. These should be obvious to spot, for example "Shrek 2 - DVD" on sale before it's even released in cinemas in the UK).
These dangers, however, are very rare when compared against all the genuine and successful trades every day.
When you wish to buy an item, you obviously want to know if you can trust the seller - after all, the item will not be sent out until after they have your money. Fortunately, eBay has a feedback forum, in which both parties (the buyer and seller) are encouraged to leave feedback for each other. This gives every member a score, along with a percentage rating of how much feedback has been Positive or Negative (or neutral). From this, you have a fairly good idea on how reliable and trustworthy a seller is.

Bidding works on what's called a "proxy" system. That is when a bidder bids a maximum amount that they are willing to go up to, and the site bids the minimum amount to make a winning bid. This sounds confusing, but is actually quite simple. To demonstrate, I'll give an example using two bidders (A & B).
An auction opens, with bidding starting at just £0.01. Bidder A decides that they like the item, and would be prepared to bid up to £10.00, so they enter that as their maximum bid. As there are no other bidders at this point, eBay accepts a bid of £0.01 as the highest bid.
Bidder B then sees the same item. He is initially prepared to pay up to £5.00, so enters that as his bid. As this is lower then Bidder A's maximum bid, his bid is now automatically raised to £5.10 - so he is still the winning bidder.
Bidder B decides to increase his bid to £11.00. As this is now higher than Bidder A's maximum, Bidder B becomes the highest bidder, with a bid of £10.50.

Hints and Tips for Buyers:
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1. Bid Late:
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By leaving it as late as possible to bid, you will not be driving up the price, and you stand more chance of winning the item at the lower price. If, say, you saw a teddy bear you wanted, and the current price was £5 with 2 days to go, and you bid £10, chances are that you will be outbid. If you bid £10 with just 1 minute to go, you would stand a very good chance of winning the item.
This practice is called "sniping", but it is perfectly acceptable and legal on the eBay website.
There are actually automated websites that can do this for you - an example of which is "auctionstealer.com". They offer up to three free snipes a week.

2. Bid a bit extra:
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Obviously, the aim of any auction is to outbid the other bidders. A very handy little tip here - most bidders will bid up to a round amount - e.g. £10.00, £104.00 etc. A good way to get an advantage is to bid a few pence higher, eg £10.02, £104.04.... By doing this, if they do stop at the round amount, you will become the winning bidder !

3. Read the Description Fully:
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This may sound obvious, but even if you think you know what you're bidding on, read all the details. As you may recall from earlier, items may not be as they seem - they could be sold as faulty, incomplete or just the packaging !
There will also be sellers who sell items in bulk - and add the phrase "I have not had time to test these, so they are sold as seen". This translates roughly to "I know these don't work, but I'm sure some mug will buy them" !! If a seller really wants to sell something, they will take a few minutes to check if the product is working.

4. Email the Seller with any questions:
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There is an option to email any questions to the seller. You can ask anything that isn't mentioned in the description, or anything you may be worried about - such as postage costs. Sellers will take the time to reply (but if you email with just a few hours until the end of the auction, you may not hear back in time !!).

5. Check the Sellers feedback:
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Beside the seller name will be a number in brackets, e.g. (170). If you click on this, you will see a history of their previous transactions, comments from the other parties involved and a percentage score. A seller could have a score of 2000, but if it is only 50% positive, avoid them. Simarily, do not discount people with a low score - they may be new, and everyone has to start somewhere !

6. Check Surcharges / Shipping Costs:
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The closing price is the auction is the price of the item itself, but not necessarily the price you're going to pay ! You need to consider the postage charges, and any other surcharges listed.
A recent auction had small items for sale at just a couple of pounds each - however the "fixed postage charge" that the seller was charging was £5 even though it would actually only cost the price of a first class stamp !
EBay is cracking down on surcharges, but one "grey area" is adding a percentage if payment is made via Paypal (see below). Paypal do charge a percentage rate to process payments, however some sellers are charging up to 10% more than Paypal's fees !
Many buyers are now refusing to bid on these auctions, and look for other sellers who do not add the surcharge.

7. Use Paypal:
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Paypal is an internet service that processes card payments between two parties. It is free to register and send money - the fees are paid by the reciprient. Paypal has a number of benefits, but include the fact that it is a fast, secure way to send money without the need to divulge card numbers. There is also a Paypal protection scheme, so if a transaction is fraudulent, they will cover your payment.

8. Bid at "Off Peak" times:
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It's a general rule of thumb that the more people who are looking at an auction that's due to finish, the more people will bid on it. You can combat this by looking at auctions at times when there are fewer people on the site. The best times are in the early hours of the morning (2am - 7am), or second to that, during office hours (8.30am - 5pm). The times to avoid are normally 7pm to 11pm each evening.

9. Check the worldwide auctions:
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When you search auctions on ebay.co.uk, it will by default only check the U.K site. You can choose to search on "Items available to the U.K.". This then opens the search worldwide, to sellers that are prepared to send items to the UK. Although postage costs may be higher, the items themselves will often be much cheaper, so it could be a better option !

10. Consider compatabillity issues:
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If you do choose to buy items worldwide, you must consider if the items are compatable.This can range from electrical appliances (check the voltage) to DVD's, Videos and Computer games (remember that the UK uses PAL format).

SELLING:
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Selling items on eBay has two main advantages - firstly, you can clear out some space by getting rid of some items you're unlikey to use again and, two, you can make some good money on the site. The reason for the latter is that eBay is a portal to a worldwide audience (should you choose to sell worldwide !). It's like having a garage sale, and attracting ninety five million people !!
EBay does charge fees to list items (this starts off at just 15p to £2.00, depending on the starting price of the auction), and takes a "final value fee" of up to 5.25%. This is accrued, and a monthly invoice is sent out via email, and deducted from your debit/credit card or bank account.

The possible down sides of selling items on eBay are the fact it does take quite a bit of time and effort if you are selling many items. You also have to be well organised in order to ensure an excellent customer service.

You need to also be aware of items that are forbidden to be sold on the site. Most of this comes down to common sense (such as body parts (!), illegal items etc).

I have written some useful information for people considering selling items on eBay (please note that many sellers would actually charge a fee for this information !!!)...

Hints and Tips For Sellers:
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1. List items at peak times:
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As mentioned above, there are peak and off peak times for eBay usage. Whereas for buying, it is best to use eBay at off-peak times, when selling, it is always best to start and end your auctions between 7pm and 11pm wherever possible. This results in more people viewing your auction and, hopefully, a higher closing price.

2. Set Opening Price Low:
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It is best to start auctions at a low price. Items with a starting price of 99p or less have a lower listing fee, and are more likely to attract the attention of possible buyers. Even for higher value goods, start off low ! You can always set a reserve price that protects you should the item not reach your desired amount, and the fee for this is refunded when the item reaches the reserve price.

3. Provide a Full Description:
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Write as much detail as you can regarding the item that you are selling. People like to know what they are buying, and one of the key points to remember to describe is the condition of the item. If something is "Brand New and Sealed", let them know - and if something has "Damaged Cover", again put this in the description. You will quite often find that, even if something is damaged, people will still bid on it and be happy with their purchase... so long as you have told them ! In conjunction with this...

4. Include a Photo:
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Always provide a photo of the item. You can describe an item down to the smallest detail, but many buyers won't bid unless you provide a picture of the item. It assures the buyers mind that you have this item, and they like to see what they are bidding for. Again, if an item is damaged, try and photograph that too. All this helps the buyer make an informed decision, (and also covers you for reprisal should the buyer then come back and complain !).

5. Research Your Item:
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Whilst this mainly applies to people who buy and sell frequently, it can also save you money on listing fees. By "Research your item", I actually mean do a search on eBay to see how many people are selling a similar item and how much they are going for. A typical example would be a video - for arguments sake we'll say "Dogma". If there are currently forty copies for sale, all around £1.00 - £4.00, but not many are selling, it may not be worth listing it. If you do, start bidding at 75p - hence making yours the most attractive option !!

6. Sign Up To Paypal & Nochex:
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Again, this was listed in the Buyers tips, but a good seller will make it as easy as possible to accept payment. Both of the above services allow fast, safe and secure payment easy, and are relatively cheap to use. They are free to register with, and take a commision charge on payments processed.

7. Use HTML:
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Don't let this scare you off - it is possible to avoid this altogether if you choose, but by using very basic commands, you can improve the layout of your listing, and make it more attractive to potential buyers. eBay provides an online tutorial, but as a very simple example, just by using the command "" at the start of your text, it formats the text in bold !

8. Use eBay's tools:
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Ebay really does look after it's users to make selling items as easy as possible. An excellent example of this is the "Turbo Lister" program. This is a file download that makes listing items as easy as 1-2-3. This even eliminates the need for HTML programming, as you simply use the program like a word processor to design your layout, then upload it to eBay !
Ebay also provides online tools, such as the "Seller Manager". This provides details of all your current and past auctions, and allows you to manage the sales in a number of ways, from sending emails requesting payment, to leaving feedback and printing address labels for the packaging !! Also online is the "Currency Converter". This is essential if you are trading with different countries and wish to accept other currency as payment.

9. List Items for 10 Days:
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This may sound obvious, but list the items for 10 days, as this gives more people the chance to view your item. It doesn't cost any more to list it longer, and should result in a higher price !

10. List Items Worldwide:
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Again, as obvious as it sounds - by listing worldwide, you literally do have the world at your fingertips ! Peoples main concern is the hassle of sending items abroad - but believe me, providing the item is not excessively large, posting is just as easy as sending the item a few miles away ! (And remember, the buyer pays the postage !!)

11. Package the item securely:
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When you come to send the item, ensure that it is packaged really well. If the item is fragile, ensure that lots of bubble wrap is used, and mark the package as fragile. Should the item be valuable, send it via Registered Post.

12. Enhance Your Listing:
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If the item to be sold is going to raise a good price, it may be worth considering using the enhanced listing features. These range from a gallery image of the item, where a picture is shown from the search page, to a "Featured Listing". This is where the item is listed either on the home page, or at the start of the listings pages. You can also make your listing bold or highlighted to attract peoples attention.
These features do cost money, but can add to the final value of your product !

13. Provide Excellent Service !:
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None of the above will work if you do not provide an excellent customer service. Feedback is like an advert of your service, and if you start getting bad feedback, your auction prices will reduce ! This ranges from answering questions promptly to sending out the item as soon as payment has been received / cleared.

14. Set Up A Seperate Account:
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Many sellers set up a seperate bank account. This is very easy to do with your existing bank - simply pop in and ask for a "Number 2 account" - and can often be done in a matter of minutes. There are two advantages to doing this. Firstly, you can keep a seperate record of your income from eBay - very handy of you have to fill in tax returns. Secondly, you can add "Direct Bank Payment" as a payment option to your listing. This enables buyers to pay the money straight into your account, without having to divulge your main account details.

At the end of an auction, both the buyer and seller receive emails notifying them of the outcome. It is then down to each of them to make contact and complete the transaction.

SECURITY:
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eBay takes security very seriously. All transactions require you to be logged on (except general browsing), and this is done via a secure server. However, as is normally the case, the user must also take responsibility for their own security - for example use a password that would be difficult to guess, and do not divulge the password to third parties.
However, due to the massive opportunites on eBay, there are some people out there who will try and abuse the system. This can be in a number of ways, but one of the most common (at present) is the sending of spoof emails.
These appear as though they are genuine emails from eBay, and can take any number of forms. A typical example would be "We are conducting a review of our users, and would be grateful if you could log on using the link below. Failiure to do so will result in the suspension of your account". The link actually takes you to a "replica" site, that may look genuine, but is in fact fraudulent. By logging on, you will inadvertantly give your username and password to a person who will use it for their own gain.
A similar ploy was another email from "eBay", with a competition to win a brand new car. All you had to do was email your username and password, and you'll be entered into the draw. Of course, this was another scam.
Remember that eBay, or any other reputable site, will ever ask for personal information. eBay are fighting this growing problem in a number of ways, but one of their most effective is the "eBay toolbar"...

THE EBAY TOOLBAR:
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The eBay toolbar is relatively new, but has proved very popular. A small download allows an extra toolbar on your internet explorer window. From this, you can search for items easily, check on items you are watching, selling or bidding on, or get quick access to your favourites.
Another major advantage with this is that it also acts as a security device - warning you if you are looking at a "spoof site" (see above). You can also report suspicious sites at the click of your mousebutton.

EBAY TRIVIA:
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Here is some interesting facts I found out whilst researching information for this review...

1. The five most expensive items ever sold on eBay are:
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1. A Gulfstream II Jet - US$4.9 Million
2. 1909 Honus Wagner Baseball Card - US$1.65 Million
3. Diamond Lake Resort, Western Kentucky - US$1.2 Million
4. Joe Jackson Baseball Bat - US$577,160
5. A Round Of Golf With Tiger Woods (for charity) - US$425,000

2. Some rather unusual auctions:
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1. In Aug 1999, a Human Kidney is listed for auction. Bids reached in excess of US$5.7 Million, but eBay cancel the auction, as the sale of body parts is forbidden.
2. In 2001, Jeans manufacturers "Levi" bid $46,532 for a pair of their own jeans from 1880 !
3. One seller listed his soul for sale, and successfully sold it for $400. EBay's moduraters missed the auction, and the trade was completed ! The seller has since been suspended from the eBay site (and his whereabouts are a mystery !!).

OVERALL OPINION:
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If you have not already gathered by now, I think that eBay is fantastic. It has acheived what it set out to do - put buyers and sellers in direct contact with each other !
It is easy to use, and very good fun too. The feeling when you see that you have 20 items listed, and the amount of money that is coming your way is fantastic.
The only possible downside is the amount of time it can take up in your already hectic life. You'll simply be getting ready to go out, and "just need to check your listings".
Fortunately, the other great website in my life, "Ciao", has made my life a little easier by including the "My Auctions" tab - so I can see in an instant what my items are going for !!
EBay can also become addictive. As my fiance says, "You're Obsessed" !! I wouldn't go quite that far, but close !!

Thank you for reading this review.... Scott

• Updated 22/06/04 - Added paragraph on "Proxy Bidding" & added new buying tip #2.
• *Updated 21/11/04 - Added Sellers tip #14, Security and EBay Toolbar.