eBay Buying and Selling

What is eBay?

eBay is an online auction website. It has grown so large that you can find nearly anything there.

Course Objectives

Set up an eBay account for buying and selling.

Place items for sale on eBay

Purchase items on eBay

Course Overview

Day 1:Set up e-mail account if necessary

Access eBay from your computer

Set up eBay account

Set up PayPal account

Basics of buying and selling on eBay

Course Overview

Day 2 (Bring something to sell!!!)Buying on eBay

eBay payment options

Taking pictures of items to sell

Preparing items for sale

Posting a new listing on eBay

Course Overview

Day 3 (Bring several more items to sell!!!)Reinforce listing skills

Place more items for sale

Open discussion

Course Overview

Day 4Finalizing the sale

Shipping to the buyer

Keeping track of auction itemsSpreadsheet

Introduction to Turbolister (Free from eBay)

Getting Started

Before signing up for eBay, you are required to have an e-mail account.

Your ISP

Yahoo!

MSN Live/Hotmail

GMail

If you dont have an e-mail account...

My personal choice is GMail.

Easy to set up

Easy to use

Practically unlimited storage

Extremely flexible

Setting up a Gmail account

Go to http://www.gmail.com

Click Create an Account

Fill out all required information

Accessing eBay

http://www.ebay.com

https://www.ebay.com

Google eBay

AOL Keyword eBay

Bing eBay

Make Sure Youre on the
REAL eBay!!!

eBay is a favorite target of phishers creating fake website to steal information.

Set Up An eBay Account

Enter contact and other personal information

Enter e-mail address

Read and accept User Agreement and Privacy Policy

Choose a user ID, password, and secret question

Set Up A PayPal Account

Go to http://www.paypal.com

Choose Sign Up at the top of the page

Select country

Choose Premier

Enter required information

Maximizing eBay Sales

Sell hot items

Price it right

Bold print

Timing

Keywords in the title

Details

Photo

Three Hottest Categories

Movie and TV MemorabiliaVintage JewelryOld Toys

Price It Right

A lower minimum bid attracts more biddersStart the bidding at 10% below everyone else if possible.

Consider setting a reserve or Buy It Now price if necessary.

Bold Print

If the item will sell for more than $20, consider paying the extra $2 for bold print. Your listing will be more likely to be clicked.

Keywords! Keywords! Keywords!

Ensure your auction reaches as many people as possible by packing your item title with as much of a description as possible.

Details! Details! Details!

List as many details as possible in the item description. Most buyers do not want to take the time to email a question to the seller.

Include a Photo

Many bidders will not even bother looking at an item that does not include a photo.

Timing

Many bidders wait until the last minute to bid on an item. Make sure your auction ends when most people have time and are in a buying position: after 5PM on weekdays. Many buyers shop on the weekends and buy during the week.

Things to Know Before Selling

eBay charges a series of small fees to the seller

You should thoroughly research your item on eBay before posting it for sale

PayPal is required to be an accepted form of payment

Things to Know Before Buying

Take advantage of the proxy-bid feature

You should thoroughly research the item before you buy

Check sellers feedback

Be prepared to pay soon after you win

What is Feedback?

Every eBay user has a Feedback Profile where buyers and sellers can inform the community about how well that person was to work with (i.e. paid promptly, shipped promptly, etc.).

Feedback Stars

eBay uses various colored stars to note how many feedback points a user has.



http://pages.ebay.com/help/feedback/questions/star.html

Searching for Items on eBay

Type two or three keywords that describe what you want in the search bar.

You can further refine your search using the advanced options in the left column.

...but... I WANT IT NOW!

Buyers can post that they are looking for a specific item

Sellers can use the Want It Now section to find what to sell and offer it to interested buyers

Auction Transactions

Require you to be the highest bidder to winAuction-like listings: Reserve-price and private auctions

Second Chance Offer: Under certain circumstances, the seller can offer an item to a bidder other than the winner

Auction Transactions

Multiple-Item Listing: eBay calls these dutch auctions. You can list two or more identical items together.

Specialty Sites such as eBay Motors

Fixed Price Transactions

Buy It Now: Allows buyer to purchase an item without waiting for the auction to end

Best Offer: Allows buyer to suggest the price they would be willing to pay and the seller can accept or deny

Half.com or eBay Stores

Elements of an Auction

Item Name

Item Number

Starting Bid

Current Bid

End Time

Shipping Information

Seller Feedback

Description

Photos

Payment Methods

Assess a Seller Before Bidding

Does the seller have experience selling, or are they new?

Does the seller have negative feedback? If so, why and was the problem fixed?

Assess a Seller Before Bidding

Is the listing detailed? Does it include a good description and photos?

Does the seller respond to questions promptly and clearly?

Is the item really cheap, but the shipping expensive?

How Bidding Works

Bids are SERIOUS

Click on Place a Bid

Pay attention to bidding increments

If you get outbid, you can bid again

Proxy-bidding is VERY useful

Bidding strategies vary

Paying for Your Item

Check payment options before bidding

Dont wait until you win to set up your payment options

The seller will contact you when the auction is over

Dont forget shipping and handling

Feedback

Good buyers and sellers leave feedback

Feedback is permanent

WAIT until you receive your item

Avoid feedback wars

Selling on eBay

Buy first to get acquainted with the system

Necessities:Account

Digital Camera

Photo storage site (i.e. Photobucket)

PayPal Account

Credit card on file

Seller Fees

Insertion Fee: Depends on starting or reserve price

Final Value Fee: Depends on selling price

Optional Feature Fees: Buy It Now, reserve price, listing upgrades, picture services, seller tools

Specialty Services

Being a Good Seller

Complete, detailed, clear listing with photos

Fair shipping prices

Prompt and clear answers to questions

Leave seller feedback for buyers

Resolve disputes through eBays channels