EBay for Dummies (2 page)
Authors: Marsha Collier
Tags: #Electronic Commerce, #Computers, #General, #E-Commerce, #Internet auctions, #Auctions - Computer network resources, #Internet, #Business & Economics, #EBay (Firm)
Buyers and Sellers: Keep Current, Keep Cool
Chapter 20: Ten (or So) Programs and Services to Ease Your Way on eBay
Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro
Appendix: Finding Stuff to Sell
eBay
®
For Dummies
®
, 6th Edition
by Marsha Collier
eBay
®
For Dummies
®
, 6th Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009928738
ISBN: 978-0-470-49741-8
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Author
Marsha Collier
spends a good deal of time on eBay. She loves buying and selling (she’s a PowerSeller with her own eBay store) as well as meeting eBay users from around the world. As a columnist, an author of three bestselling books on eBay, and an invited lecturer at eBay Live, she shares her knowledge of eBay with millions of online sellers.
eBay For Dummies
is published in special versions for the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Australia. Currently, she has 15 books in print on her favorite subject — eBay.
Before her eBay career took off, Marsha owned and operated her own marketing and advertising firm, a company that won numerous awards and earned her “Small Business of the Year” accolades from several organizations. She got started with eBay during the site’s early years and quickly mastered the art of buying and reselling for profit.
Marsha is one of the foremost eBay experts and educators in the world and the top-selling eBay author. In 1999 Marsha created the first edition of
eBay For Dummies
, the bestselling book for eBay beginners. She followed up the success of the first book with
Starting an eBay Business For Dummies
, a book targeting individuals interested in making e-commerce their full-time profession. That book became an instant nationwide hit, making several notable bestseller lists. These books are updated regularly to keep up with site and market changes.
Marsha’s books have sold over 1,000,000 copies (including the special editions in foreign countries — two in Australia, two in Canada, and two in the United Kingdom — as well as translations in Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese and German).
Along with her writing, Marsha is an experienced e-commerce educator. She was the lead instructor at eBay University (teaching seminars all over the United States), as well as a regular presenter at the eBay Live national convention since its inception. Marsha also hosted “Make Your Fortune Online,” a PBS special on online business that premiered in 2005. The show was the basis for her PBS premium five DVD set, “Your Online Business Plan.” In 2006, she was invited to address the Innovations Conference in Singapore to present the ideas of e-commerce to a new market. In 2008, she was dubbed one of twenty influential iCitizens in Kelly Mooney’s
The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web Made World
, and was invited to speak at a leading e-commerce conference attended by Coca-Cola, Hewlett Packard, Procter & Gamble, Victoria’s Secret, and leading e-commerce leaders.
During the holiday season, she does several national satellite media tours to explain the safety of shopping online. She hosts Computer & Technology Radio on KTRB 860 AM in San Francisco as well as on the Web at
www.computerandtechnologyradio.com
. She also makes regular appearances on television, radio, and in print to discuss customer needs and online commerce.
Marsha currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. She can be reached via her Web site,
www.coolebaytools.com
or her blog at
http://mcollier.blogspot.com
.
Dedication
To all the future eBay buyers and sellers who have purchased this book to get a taste of how much fun online buying and selling can be. I look forward to seeing your auctions and hearing your stories.
I dedicate this book also to all the employees at eBay, who work very hard and don’t always get noticed or appreciated by the community. I want to thank all of you for your endeavors; you make eBay a fun and profitable site to visit for millions of people. Keep on doing what you’re doing.
Author’s Acknowledgments
This book couldn’t have been written without the input from thousands of eBay sellers and buyers that I’ve spoken to from all over the country. You inspire me to work harder and do my best to help all of you.
I’ve made so many friends along my eBay travels: if it wasn’t for them, this book wouldn’t be here. Thanks to the rest of my eBay buddies — who always seem to have a moment when I call.
I particularly want to thank my editors at Wiley Publishing, Inc.: my really fun and smart project editor Susan Pink; my super tech editor Louise (aunt*patti); Ruby (who, by the way, was one of the very first eBay employees) — she’s always there for me!; Steven Hayes, who is always there for supports and ideas; and Andy Cummings, my publisher, who, lucky for me — still takes my calls!
Thank you all!
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at
www.dummies.com/register/
.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions and Editorial
Project Editor:
Susan Pink
(Previous Edition: Nicole Haims)
Acquisitions Editor:
Steve Hayes
Copy Editor:
Susan Pink
Technical Editor:
Patti Louise Ruby
Editorial Manager:
Jodi Jensen
Editorial Assistant:
Amanda Foxworth
Sr. Editorial Assistant:
Cherie Case
Cartoons:
Rich Tennant (
www.the5thwave.com
)
Composition Services
Project Coordinator:
Lynsey Stanford
Layout and Graphics:
Reuben W. Davis, Andrea Hornberger, Christine Williams
Proofreader:
Cynthia Fields, Amanda Graham
Indexer:
Glassman Indexing Services
Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies
Richard Swadley
, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher
Andy Cummings
, Vice President and Publisher
Mary Bednarek
, Executive Acquisitions Director
Mary C. Corder
, Editorial Director
Publishing for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele
, Vice President and Publisher
Composition Services
Debbie Stailey
, Director of Composition Services
Introduction
Welcome to
eBay For Dummies,
6th Edition! Thanks for opening up this book. This is the newly updated version of the original best-selling eBay how-to guide, first published in 1999. Heed my words and you may soon be joining the millions of people interested in learning the no-nonsense facts about eBay from an active user. I’m a longtime eBay shopper and PowerSeller. My original career was in retail marketing and for over 10 years I’ve been making money on the site. (I even put my daughter through college on my profits!) I work from home and apply my background successfully to all facets of the site.
I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am that my enthusiasm and excitement for shopping and selling on eBay has spread to so many corners of the world. eBay users (like you and I) total close to 200 million — that’s quite a community. It’s a community of buyers who don’t feel the need to scour the streets for items to buy and of sellers who forage wholesale items to sell online and make a few dollars (or a full-time living). This makes eBay the new international marketplace, and the best part is that eBay is available to anyone who wants to take the time to figure out how it works.
My books are written sequentially, and this is the one to start with if you’re a beginner.
eBay For Dummies
will give you the solid foundation you need to go on to my other, more advanced books on eBay selling.
eBay is a constantly evolving Web site. It isn’t too hard to master, but just as with any tool, when you know the ins and outs, you’re ahead of the game. You can get the deals when you shop, and you can make the most money when you sell. You’ve come to the right place to find out all about eBay. This book is designed to help you understand the basics about buying and selling on eBay, the most successful person-to-person trading community. Without the basics, you can’t be successful in any endeavor. You get all the tools you need to get moving on eBay, whether you’re new to the Internet or a Webaholic. You see how to turn your everyday household clutter into cold, hard cash — and how to look for items that you can sell on eBay. If you’re an online shopper (or you’d like to be), I show you how to figure out how much you should spend, how to make smart bids, and how to win the auctions. How much money you earn (or spend) depends entirely on how
often
and how
smartly
you conduct your eBay transactions.
You
decide how often you want to run auctions and place bids; I’m here to help with the
smart
part by sharing tips I’ve learned over my past ten years on eBay.
A Web site as complex as eBay has many nooks and crannies that may confuse users. Think of this book as a detailed road map that can help you navigate eBay, getting just as much or as little as you want from it. Unlike an actual road map, however, you won’t get frustrated folding it back to its original shape. Just close the book and come back anytime you need a question answered.
After you figure out the nuts and bolts of eBay, you can start buying and selling stuff. I have a ton of terrific buying and selling strategies that help you get the most out of your auctions. With this book and a little elbow grease, you can join the ranks of the millions of people who use their home computers to make friends, find great deals, have a lot of fun, and make a profit. When you’ve got the hang of eBay and feel that it’s time to graduate from this book, look for my
Starting an eBay Business For Dummies,
3rd Edition (Wiley) — it’ll take you to the next plateau.
About This Book
Remember those open-book tests that teachers sprang on you in high school? Well, sometimes you may feel like eBay pop-quizzes you while you’re online. Think of
eBay For Dummies,
6th Edition, as your open-book-test cheat sheet with all the answers. You don’t have to memorize anything; just keep this book handy to help you get over the confusing parts of eBay. Over the years, some of the top sellers and buyers on the eBay site have visited with me when I’m at a book signing or teaching at eBay University just to show me their dog-eared, highlighted, marred copy of an earlier edition of
eBay
For Dummies
that got them started. This book will do the same for you.
With all that in mind, I’ve divided this book into pertinent sections to help you find your answers fast. I’ll show you how to
Get online and register on eBay.
Navigate eBay to do just about anything you can think of — search for items for sale, set up auctions, monitor your transactions, and join the community circuit.
Bid on and
win
eBay auctions.
Choose an item to sell, pick the right time for your listing, market it so that a bunch of bidders see it, and make a nice profit.
Communicate well and close deals without problems, whether you’re a buyer or a seller.
Handle problems with finesse, should they crop up.
Become a part of a unique community of people who like to collect, buy, and sell items of just about every type!
Do not adjust your eyes. To protect the privacy of eBay users, screen images (commonly called
screen shots
) in this book blur user IDs to protect the innocent (or not so . . .).
Foolish Assumptions
You may have picked up this book because you heard that people are making huge money selling on eBay and you want to find out what’s going on. Or you heard about the bargains and wacky stuff you can find in the world’s largest shopping emporium. If either of these assumptions is true, this is the right book for you.
Here are some other foolish assumptions I’ve made about you:
You have, or would like to have, access to a computer, a modem, and the Internet so that you can do business on eBay.
You have an interest in collecting stuff, selling stuff, or buying stuff, and you want to find out more about doing that stuff online.
You want tips and strategies that can save you money when you bid or buy and make you money when you sell. (You too? I can relate. We already have a lot in common.)
You’re concerned about maintaining your privacy and staying away from people who try to ruin everyone’s good time with negligent (and sometimes illegal) activity.
How This Book Is Organized
This book has five parts. The chapters stand on their own, which means that you can read Chapter 5 after you read Chapter 10 or skip Chapter 3 altogether. It’s all up to you. I do think that you should at least dip into Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 to get an overview on what eBay is all about and find out how to become a registered user.
If you’re already conducting transactions on eBay, you certainly can jump ahead to get good tips on advanced strategies to enhance your sales. Don’t wait for permission from me — just go for it. I won’t argue with you that well-written listings equal higher profits!
Part I: Getting a Feel for eBay
In Part I, I tell you what eBay is and how you use it. I take you through the registration process, help you organize your eBay transactions and interactions using the My eBay page, and get you comfortable navigating the site from the home page.
Part II: Buying Like an Expert
If you’re pretty sure you want to start making bids on items, check out Part II, which gives you the lowdown on searching, grading a collectible item’s value, researching, bidding, and winning auctions.
That old cliché, “Let the buyer beware,” (
caveat emptor
for the literati in the audience) became a cliché because even today (maybe especially today) it’s sound advice. Use my friendly, sugar-free tips to help you decide when to bid and when to take a pass.
Part III: Making Money the eBay Way
Part III gets you up-to-speed on how to sell your items on eBay. Think of it as an eBay course in marketing. Here you find important information on how to conduct your auctions, what to do after you sell an item, how to ship the item, and how to keep track of all the money you make. Even Uncle Sam gets to chime in on his favorite topic: taxes. Know the rules so your friendly local tax office doesn’t invite you over for a cup of coffee and a little audit.
I also show you how to gussy up your auctions by adding pictures and how to use basic HTML to add a little extra “sell” like they do in infomercials. You can make your digital images look like high art with my tips, hints, and strategies.
Part IV: Even More of eBay’s Special Features
Check out Part IV to discover how to handle privacy concerns relating to eBay and how you can resolve buying and selling issues with the help of Trust & Safety, eBay’s problem-solving clearinghouse. Also included are ways to have fun with the eBay community and using charity auctions to bid on great items for a good cause.
Part V: The Part of Tens
In keeping with a long
For Dummies
tradition, Part V is a compendium of short chapters that give you ready references and useful facts. I share more terrific tips for buying and selling items, as well as descriptions of my favorite software programs that can help lighten your auction load.
In addition to all these parts, you also get an appendix. It gives some insider information on how to spot a trend before the rest of the world catches on and how to acquire items cheaply that others may spend a bundle on. After you’ve read this book and you’re ready to go to the next level, take a look at my other book,
Starting an eBay Business For Dummies.
It takes off where this book ends.
Icons Used in This Book
These are facts that you just
have
to know! Time is money on eBay. When you see this shortcut or time-saver come your way, read the information and think about all the greenbacks you just saved.
Think of this icon as a sticky note for your brain. If you forget one of the pearls of wisdom revealed to you, you can go back and reread it. If you
still
can’t remember something here, go ahead, dog-ear the page — I won’t tell. Even better: Use a yellow highlighter.
Don’t feel my pain. I’ve done plenty of things wrong on eBay before and really want to save you from my mistakes. I put these warnings out there bright and bold so that you don’t have a bad experience. Don’t skip these warnings unless you’re enthusiastic about masochism.