I joined ebay back in 2002 attempting to get some rare to find items at a very low price, as soon as i had won my first item i realised the capabilities of ebay.
Navigation is very simple, from the main hompage you are given options to browse categorys, go to members area, contact ebay, search for items which is excellent for new inexperienced ebay members.
One key element to get bargains on ebay is to try a wide range of search terms, usually the items that go for the least amount of money are hidden. The can have spelling errors in the phrases or be listed in the wrong section.
For sellers you have the option to list your item in 2 ways, 1 of them being "buy it now" which means you set a price possible buyers can purchase your item at or there is standard listing option which is where you set a start price and people bid on your item until the auction closes. You can set reserve prices on items listed as standard auction which is good if you want to attract many possible buyers to your item by having a low starting price but not risk it going for less than you want for the item.
Ebay also have an shop building option for people with multiple items for sale. Prices start at around £6 a month and give you detailed stats on how much you have earnt a month, options to customise the layout of your shop and cheaper listing fees (usually 10p per item listed, but they are only listed in your ebay shop).
With ebay i have experienced that many users bid on an item then decided not to pay. If this happens your listing fee is still given to ebay. A problem for buyers on ebay is the large amount of people using ebay sniping tools which automatically puts bids on an item in the last few seconds of the auction so even if you are a high bidder all the way through the auction you can still lose the item. However you get email alerts when you bid on an item and if you are outbid.
Overall ebay is recomended to anyone who wants to buy or sell a wide range of items, both giving buyers cheap prices and helps sellers get a little bit of extra income for their unwanted things. Ebay is also great for businesses with bulk new stock and wanting to get rid of it.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Mar 28th, 2006
very helpful by (9%):
helpful by (86%):
somewhat helpful by (5%):
