Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     xv
Introduction     xvii
Buying the eBay Way!     1
Let's Get Started     3
The eBay Phenomenon     3
Registering on eBay, Step-by-Step     9
User ID and Password Selection Tips     11
Terms of Use and Your Privacy     13
Changing Your Contact Information     17
Changing Your User ID, E-mail Address, or Password     19
Troubleshooting Registration Problems     21
Opening a PayPal Account     22
The eBay Website     29
Navigating the eBay Web Site-a Road Map     29
The eBay Navigation Bar     29
The Sign In Page     36
Navigating the eBay Home Page     38
Navigating the Site Map, Categories, and Item Description Page     40
eBay Categories     41
My eBay     53
Your eBay Account     68
The Feedback Forum     78
Reading Feedback     78
Leaving Feedback     84
Feedback Protocol     85
Shopping on eBay-Find It!     93
What Can I Buy on eBay?     93
Browsing eBay     96
Searching eBay     118
Title Search     120
Search Tips     127
Search Command Chart     129
Advanced Searching Options     134
Shopping on eBay-Buy It!     151
Before You Bid or Buy-a Safe Trading Checklist     160
What Type of Payment Does a Seller Accept?     183
Online Payments-The Safest Way to Buy on eBay     189
We've Found It...We've Checked It Out...Let's Buy It!     190
Bidding     191
Sniping     200
Multiple Item Bidding-How It Works     211
Buy It Now-How It Works     214
Shopping at eBay-Pay for It!     221
Completing the Transaction     222
Contact the Seller     230
Ask the Seller a Question     231
Payment Options     232
Online Payment Services     233
Managing Bids and Purchases with My eBay     237
Leaving Feedback for the Seller     242
Other Bidding and Buying Options and Considerations     243
eBay Express     244
Half.com     247
Buying Big Stuff at eBay     248
eBay Motors-Cars, Trucks, Boats, and So On     249
Real Estate      253
International Buying     256
Searching International eBay Sites     258
More on Currency     260
Buying Locally     264
eBay Guidelines, Rules, and Help for Buyers     267
eBay Buyer Guidelines and Rules     267
A Buyer Trust and Safety Checklist     271
Avoid Questionable or Prohibited Activity     272
eBay Rules for Buyers     272
Special Retraction Rules     274
Shill Bidding     276
Unpaid Items (UPIs)     276
Feedback Offenses     277
Reporting Questionable Activity or Items     278
Dispute Resolution     279
Resolving a Difficult Transaction     280
How to Get Help on eBay     289
eBay Education     291
Selling the eBay Way!     301
Selling Setup, Step-by-step     305
Following the Steps     305
Setting Up an eBay Seller's Account     306
Opening a Premier- or Business-Level PayPal Account     317
Research Your Item     323
Completed Listings Search     323
Creating and Editing Digital Pictures of Your eBay Item     331
What Are Digital Pictures?      331
Do I Need Digital Pictures of My eBay Item?     332
Taking the Picture-Selecting a Method     332
What to Look For in a Digital Camera     334
Taking the Picture-Setting Up the Item     335
Picture-Taking Tips     345
Editing Digital Pictures (Using Software)     355
Griff's Pixel Guidelines     366
Saving and Archiving Your eBay Digital Pictures     368
Writing a Description and Packing the Item     373
A Simple and Thorough Description     374
Packing-Do It Right!     380
The eBay Sell Your Item Form     388
Selecting a Category     390
Setting the Show/Hide Options     395
Describe Your Item     399
Adding Pictures     401
eBay Picture Services     401
Picture Options     413
Writing a Description     415
Cut, Copy, and Paste     416
Formatting Your Description with the Description Editor     423
Selecting a Selling Format     430
Selling Format: Online Auction     431
Reserve Price     433
Buy It Now     433
Quantity and Duration     434
Selling Format: Fixed Price     436
Payment Methods You Accept     440
Shipping Calculator     442
Buyer Requirements     451
Return Policy Considerations     453
Promote and Review Your Listing     454
Recommendations For Your Listings     462
Preview Your Listing     462
Fees     466
Selling Troubleshooting     471
Second Chance Offer     479
After the Sale     481
Invoicing the Buyer     482
Accessing PayPal Payments     492
Leaving Feedback     496
Shipping     498
Crating and Freighting Large Items     509
International Shipping Considerations     512
eBay Business Tips and Tools     515
Business Structures for eBay Sellers     516
The Advantages of Incorporation vs. Sole Proprietorship     517
Costs of Incorporation     518
A Few Words About Taxes     518
eBay Main Street     520
What to Sell?     521
Be Gone, Inefficient Markets...eBay to the Rescue!     526
Finding Product     527
Trading Assistants     533
Your Business Location      535
Selling from Your Home     535
Your Office Equipment     538
Bookkeeping     539
Using Auction Management Tools     546
Keeping Track of Your Listings Using My eBay for Low-Volume Sellers     546
eBay Seller Tools For High-Volume Sellers     547
Turbo Lister     547
Selling Manager (Basic and Pro)     551
Blackthorne Basic and Pro Versions     554
eBay Stores     556
eBay Cross Promotions Tool     560
eBay Sales Reports     563
Promoting Your eBay Business with Your About Me Page     568
Growing Your eBay Business     569
The eBay PowerSeller Program     571
Successful Business Practices     573
Special Selling Considerations     580
Selling to the World     582
HTML for eBay Sellers     587
What Is HTML?     588
What Exactly Are Web Pages?     588
What Is the Web?     589
What Is a Web Browser?     590
Creating an HTML-Formatted eBay Description from Scratch     591
HTML Tags     610
HTML Character Entities     626
Hyperlinks      629
The Image Tag     635
Table Tags     638
Other HTML Tags     643
Advanced Image Hosting Solutions     649
eBay Listings and Digital Pictures-Advanced Solutions     649
Pictures on a Web Page-How Does That Work?     650
Digital Picture Hosting (Image Hosting)     655
eBay's Picture Manager     682
Help!     687
Trust and Safety for Sellers     687
Questionable or Prohibited Practices and Activities     688
Bidding Offenses-Shill Bidding     692
Feedback     692
Unpaid Items     692
Listing Violations     694
eBay and PayPal Buyer Protection     696
Listing Copyrighted or Trademarked Items on eBay     697
The eBay VeRO Program (Verified Rights Owners)     698
Listing Brand-Name and Copyright-Protected Items on eBay     699
Appealing VeRO Actions     700
Dispute Resolution     701
How to Get Assistance at eBay     702
On-site Help     702
My eBay     703
Getting Help from Other eBay Members     704
Live Help     709
Contacting eBay Customer Support      712
eBay Radio     714
Glossary     719
Index     731