How to Be a Successful Ebay-er! 

Overview: This guide is aimed at users of eBay that want to know how to more effectively use the site for online purchasing. By the end of this reading, you will have gained knowledge on how to begin your Ebay journey and ensure that your transaction goes smoothly. You will learn how to find the items you are looking for and how to decide on which buyers to buy from. For your ease, it is in a checklist form so that you can print it out and check off items as you go from registering to completing a transaction!  

First Steps

___Register for an eBay account - You can do this by going to: www.ebay.com. At the top center, there is a row of links. Click on the one that reads, Register.

___Login to your eBay account - You can do this by going to: www.ebay.com. At the top center, there is a row of links. Under those, you will see another link that reads, Sign In. Click on that and enter your login criteria.

   Warning: If you receive an email from someone telling you that you need to re-enter your eBay or Paypal information, do not click on it! If it is a true message from eBay or Paypal, it will also appear in the My eBay section under My Messages. Always go directly to www.ebay.com and login to check your message areas instead of following a link in an email!

     Tools: A great tool to use that will tell you if you are on a real eBay site is the eBay toolbar! You can download this by going to www.ebay.com and scrolling to the bottom. There is a row of links. Click on the one for the eBay Toolbar and you'll be taken to a page where you can download it from.

Start Browsing!

___Go to www.ebay.com. At the top center, there is a row of links. Click on the one that reads, Buy.

___In the Search box, enter your keywords (any words that could be used to describe the item). For example, if you are looking for a certain CD, enter the name of the artist or album title.

     Tip: Some people might be selling an entire lot of items, and the particular item you are looking for may not appear in just the Item Title, but it may be in the Description. Under the Search box, there is a small box that you can click to place a check in. With that in place, when you hit enter, a search is performed on the word(s) you entered, and it'll look in not only the Item Titles, but it'll also find the word(s) in the description. The result is a LOT more auctions to choose from! Try It: Enter the name Whitney Houston in the Search box without checking the small box below to Search Title and Description. Write down the number of items found. Now go back up and check that little box to Search Title and Description and hit the Search button again. Write down the number of items found again and compare with your first number. There is most likely more results when you checked that little box.

     Tip: If you know the exact phrase that you want to search, and not get so many results that really aren't EXACTLY what you are looking for, you can put double quotes around the word(s). Try It: Enter the words Gone Country in the Search box. Now type this, "Gone Country". By putting the double quotes, you are refining your search to return LESS items. The benefit of doing this is that you get BETTER, more accurate results and have more of a chance at finding your item!

___At this point you have a list of items that eBay found based on your search criteria. Now you can sift through and find your item! Once you see an item you are interested in reading more about, click on its Item Title. At this point, you need to start doing your research! Go ahead down to the next section of this guide labeled Research.

Research!

___Read the Description CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY. This section is all about the item and it's VERY important to know what you may be bidding on! Check this off once you have done this and still are interested in the item!

    Tip: If you would like some clarification on a certain item, or just have questions about shipping, you can contact the seller about the item using the link, Ask Seller a Question, on the right side menu of the auction. The Seller will email you back and you will have the chance to respond to them.

___Check the Seller's feedback! In the auction, in the upper right area near the top of the auction, you'll find the Seller's eBay ID and a number. Click on this number to read all feedback comments to find out what kind of person/business you may be dealing with.

   Tip: If someone has PowerSeller next to their name, they are usually very reliable and have few problems.

   Tip: If a Seller has negative feedback, try to find it to read what the problem was. If this person is a PowerSeller, and they have a lot of positive feedback with maybe 2 or 3 negative feedback, this is actually pretty normal. Now if someone has little positive feedback and 1 or 2 negative feedback, you should be cautious and maybe see if another Seller has a similar item rather than taking a chance.

   Tip: Reading through feedback comments will reveal a Seller's selling habits. Previous Buyer feedback is invaluable! If someone has constant feedback about fast shipping and/or friendly service, you will feel MUCH more comfortable dealing with that person throughout the transaction. 

Bidding/Winning!

___Once you are comfortable with your Seller, you will want to either place a bid or, if available, use the Buy It Now or Submit Best Offer options. If you place a bid, you'll set the max amount you are willing to pay. If someone outbids you, you can certainly go back and enter a new max amount. If you use Buy It Now, the item is yours and you can pay right away by any of the payment methods that Seller accepts. If you use Submit Best Offer, you can offer less than what the Seller currently has listed. If they accept your offer, they will send you an invoice for the amount you offered.

   Tip: When making a payment, try to pay through Paypal as often as possible. As a Buyer, you are protected in the case that you don't receive an item as described in the auction, or never received the item. eBay also has a Dispute Resolution center that is helpful in the case you have a problem with something you've purchased from a Seller.         

Good luck with your bids and happy buying!