eBay is the largest eCommerce site in the world. You can use this site to sell and buy anything from old records to sporting event tickets. Here are some tips on how to get started with eBay.
Steps
Step 1. Register on eBay
You will need to provide your name, email address and other information about your identity. You will also need to create a username and password.
Step 2. Search the site
Get ready to spend! In the search bar at the top, type the name of the object you are looking for (for example: Beatles record, or simply Beatles). Do a general search or search by categories, such as Music, Sports or Books.
Step 3. Sort the results
Many searches, especially those for particular objects, show several pages of results. To quickly find what you want, you can list the items in order of price, time left to make an offer, date of creation of the ad or payment options.
Step 4. Find out more
By clicking on an item in the list, you can find out more details such as place of origin, seller feedback left by other customers and product photos and description.
Step 5. Make an offer
If you have decided to buy the object at auction, make an offer by clicking on "Place bid". Most auctions require a minimum bid of 50 cents (for example, if the most recent bid is € 7, your bid must be at least € 7.50). You can also enter a maximum bid, eBay will continue bidding for you until the amount entered is reached. This function is especially useful if you don't have time to follow the auction. You will need to enter your payment information.
Step 6. Follow the auction
Once in a while, check back to see how the auction is proceeding and the bids made up to that moment. If your bid is not the highest, you can raise the bid until the end of the auction to try to win the item.
Step 7. Pay for the item
If you win an item, you will receive an email informing you of the sale. At this point, you should either contact the seller to discuss payment and shipping details, or wait for him to contact you. It is considered polite to complete this stage as soon as possible. PayPal is the most used payment method on eBay, and many sellers want to be paid only with PayPal. Create a PayPal account at:
Advice
- If you do not win an item, the seller will often show you another similar item in their catalog, or, otherwise, you can do another search. There are thousands of items on eBay, so don't be discouraged and look for the item that's right for you.
- In addition to the auction, there are the "Buy It Now" ads. This means that you can buy the item at a fixed price, without participating in the auction. Pay attention: This price is often higher than the price you would have paid at the auction.
- Some auctions have a minimum price, which means that the seller will not sell the item unless the bids have reached a certain level.
Warnings
- Always search for the most convenient item and immediately set the maximum price you want to spend, reach this price about 2 minutes before the end of the auction and if you have reached the maximum price, stop following the auction until it is over.
- Always check the shipping costs. If you pay 100 € for a product and the shipping costs 300 €, in the end you will pay 400 €. If you set a maximum price, include shipping costs in the price.
- Watch out for snipers. Many users wait for the last few seconds to make an offer, often using a "sniper" program to place the offer at the last second.
- Don't make offers you can't afford. Any bid you make on eBay is considered a contract, and if you don't pay you will be given negative feedback or worse.
- If you wait for the last few seconds to place the offer, you may end up paying more than you had in mind or risk not winning the offer.
