As a new eBayer, I found that it is important to keep records of every single buy and sell transaction on eBay (I call it the "eBay Online Filing System"). Why? Here are just a few examples:

• Sellers can easily delete photos or change text in their listing descriptions. If you do not "save" your winning auction listing, you may not always be able to view the photos or description of your widget that you saw before. This can be helpful if a dispute arises regarding your widget and you need to show evidence of what was listed in the auction before it ended.
  

• eBay only keeps listings online for 90 days. As a seller, it's important to keep records of not only the completed auction listings with the date the buyer paid, but also the delivery confirmation showing when the widget was delivered to the buyer. Should a buyer file a SNAD (Item Significantly Not As Described) due to your description or refund policy or photos, you can always refer to your auction listing record.

• If you ever need specific information on your widget (e.g. manufacturer, model number, specs, etc.) you can always refer back to the auction listing if it included this information. Also, if and when the time comes to sell your widget, having the information handy will save you time when you are creating a new listing.

If you agree that "saving" your eBay auction listings is important to you, here are step-by-step directions on how to set up your own eBay Online Filing System:

1. Install PDF software on your computer (Adobe Acrobat or freeware like PDF995.com). If you'd rather store paper ONLY, you may skip this step, but I chose to have both electronic and paper files!
2. In your computer's "My Documents" folder, create a new folder called "eBay".
3. Go to your eBay Summary page and click on your first (or oldest) purchase. Select "File" then "Print" from your dropdown menu bar and then select your PDF printer (either Adobe Acrobat or PDF995) and click "OK" to print.
4. This will bring up a "Save As" window, so select your "My Documents" folder, then your "eBay" folder, then type in the file name: B0001_My_Widget_Description.pdf and click "OK". (The "B" stands for "Buy" and the following three numbers are sequential for your purchases.) Your first purchase listing is now stored in your eBay Online Filing System!
5. Now repeat steps 3 and 4 above with your subsequent eBay purchases. When you're done, you're ready to begin saving your eBay sales!
   
6. Go to your eBay Summary page and click on your first (or oldest) sale. Select "File" then "Print" from your dropdown menu bar and then select your PDF printer (either Adobe Acrobat or PDF995) and click "OK" to print.
7. This will bring up a "Save As" window, so select your "My Documents" folder, then your "eBay" folder, then type in the file name: S0001_My_Widget_Description.pdf and click "OK". (The "S" stands for "Sell" and the following three numbers are sequential for your sales.) Your first sale listing is now stored in your eBay Online Filing System!
8. Congratulations! Your eBay Online Filing System is now complete and you are able to quickly view and access your eBay transactions by going to your "eBay" folder located in your "My Documents" folder. Just don't forget to "save" all your new purchases and sales as they happen and before you know it, you will develop a habit of doing this procedure.

Other important things to save to your "eBay" folder (these are especially important to have if you need to supply proof of delivery or payment in case of a dispute):

• Delivery Confirmation pages - You can "Save As": S0001_My_Widget_Description_Delivery.pdf
• PayPal Payment pages - You can "Save As": B0001_My_Widget_Description_PayPal.pdf
• Scan any checks or money orders - You can "Save As": S0001_My_Widget_Description_Check.pdf

Another tip for eBay sellers:

• Create sub-folders in your "eBay" folder to store photos of your widgets. This is especially helpful when you take multiple photos of multiple widgets, which can sometimes cause confusion if the widgets are similar! I name the folders "S0001_My_Widget_Description" so I can easily match them to the auction listing record.