Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay: Fourth Edition By Michael Miller Publisher: Que Pub Date: May 15, 2006 Print ISBN-10: 0-7897-3561-X Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3561-4 Pages: 384 Table of Contents | Index eBay, the world's largest online trading community, has over 125 million registered users According to the New York Times, more than 500,000 people make a full- or part-time living on eBay On any given day there are close to 4 million items listed for auction on the eBay site Want to make your mark on the eBay world? Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay, 4th Edition, is the perfect guide to help you conquer your first auction The first three editions of this book were huge sellers, so it's only natural we would update this great book to reflect eBay's most recent upgrades and enhancements This new edition is completely revamped to cover the way eBay is used today It's more than just online auctions users also buy and sell via fixed-price listings, Buy It Now, eBay Stores, Half.com, Trading Assistants, and more You will find everything they need to know to get started in this book! Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay: Fourth Edition By Michael Miller Publisher: Que Pub Date: May 15, 2006 Print ISBN-10: 0-7897-3561-X Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3561-4 Pages: 384 Table of Contents | Index Copyright About the Author Acknowledgments We Want to Hear from You! Reader Services Introduction Part I: Welcome to eBay Chapter 1 Understanding the eBay Marketplace What eBay IsAnd How It Came To Be Different Ways to Buy and Sell on eBay How eBay Auctions Work What You CanAnd Can'tTrade on eBay What's What (and What's Where) on eBay Chapter 2 Joining Up and Getting Started Everybody Does It: Filling Out eBay's Registration Form The Costs of Using eBay Protecting Yourself from Phishing Scams Getting Started Part II: Using eBay's Essential Tools Chapter 3 Understanding and Using Feedback What Do All Those Stars and Numbers Mean? Reading Feedback CommentsAnd Contacting Other Users How to Leave Feedback Figuring Out What Kind of Feedback to Leave Dealing with Negative Feedback Chapter 4 Researching Products with Reviews and Guides Reading the Reviews and Guides Writing Your Own Reviews and Guides Chapter 5 Managing Your eBay Activity with My eBay Accessing and Using My eBay Managing and Personalizing My eBay Chapter 6 Creating Your Own Personal About Me Page Introducing the About Me Page Creating Your Own About Me Page Publicizing Your eBay Auctions with About Me Part III: Buying Merchandise on eBay Chapter 7 Searching for Items to Buy Browsing or SearchingWhich One Is for You? Browsing: The Easy (?) Way to Find Things Searching: The Powerful Way to Find Things Want It Now? Then Ask for It! Chapter 8 Bidding in Online Auctions Understanding the Bidding Process How to Read an Item Listing Before You Bid Just Do ItPlacing a Bid Bidding in Other Types of Auctions What to Do After You've Bid Five Common Bidding Mistakes You Won! Now What? Chapter 9 Buying Fixed-Price Items Get It Quick with Buy It Now Buy It Easier with eBay Express Do Your Shopping at eBay Stores Just Like Amazon: Half.com Chapter 10 Paying for Your Purchaseand Waiting for It to Arrive Making Contact with the Seller Calculating the Final Price Paying for Your Item Waiting for Your Doorbell to Ring… Receiving the Goods Finishing Things Up and Leaving Feedback Chapter 11 Protecting Yourself from Shady Sellers Protecting Yourself Before You Buy Protecting Yourself After the Auction Reporting Inappropriate Behavior Tips for Protecting Yourself on eBay Chapter 12 Sniping to Win What Sniping Isand How It Works Sniping: Pros and Cons Successful Sniping, Step-by-Step Using Automated Sniping Services and Software Chapter 13 Secrets of Successful Bidders Secrets for Finding What You Want Secrets for Winning the AuctionAt a Reasonable Price Secrets for Safer Bidding Secrets That Any Bidder Can Use Part IV: Selling Merchandise on eBay Chapter 14 Before You Sell: Do Your Homework! Researching the Market Finding Items to Sell Picking the Right Category Setting the Right Price Chapter 15 Selling Items via Online Auction Getting Ready to List Getting Started: Creating an Item Listing Selling Commonly Sold Items with Pre-Filled Item Information Dealing with Different Types of Auctions Managing Your Item Listing Five Common Selling Mistakes The Auction's Over! Now What? Chapter 16 Selling Items at a Fixed Price Add Fixed-Price Selling to Your Auctions with Buy It Now Creating Fixed-Price ListingsNo Bidding Required Fixed-Price Selling with an eBay Store Fixed-Price Selling on Half.com Finding Buyers with Want It Now Chapter 17 Creating More Effective Item Listings Write a Title That SELLS! Write the Right Description Making the Grade Apply Cool Templates with eBay's Listing Designer Create Fancy Listings with Listing-Creation Tools Format Your Listings with HTML Chapter 18 Using Pictures in Your Listings Take a PictureOr Make a Scan Edit the Image File Upload Your Image File to the InternetOr Use eBay Picture Services Chapter 19 Accepting PayPal and Other Methods of Payment Accepting Credit Cardsvia PayPal Accepting Money Orders and Cashier's Checks Accepting Personal Checks Accepting C.O.D Payments Accepting Cash Which Way Is Best? Chapter 20 Automating Your Listings with eBay Turbo Lister Downloading and Configuring the Turbo Lister Software Creating an Item Listing Creating Listings for Commonly Sold Items Uploading Your Listings Chapter 21 After the Sale: Concluding the Transaction The Post-Auction Process Communicating with the Winning Bidder Accepting Payment Packing and Shipping Finishing Things Up and Leaving Feedback Handling Buyer Complaints and Problems What If You Don't Sell Your Item? What If the Buyer Doesn't Pay? Chapter 22 Managing Your Sales with eBay Selling Manager Introducing eBay Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro Sending Buyer Emails Receiving Payment Printing Invoices and Shipping Labels After the Item Is Shipped Chapter 23 Packing and Shipping Your ItemsCheaply and Safely Packing 101 Labeling 101 Shipping 101 Chapter 24 Dealing with Non-Paying Buyers How to Handle Bum Buyers Contacting an Unresponsive Bidder Filing an Unpaid Item Dispute Asking eBay to Refund Your Fees Leaving Negative Feedback Giving Other Bidders a Second Chance Relisting Your Item Chapter 25 Letting a Trading Assistant Sell Your Items for You Finding a Trading Assistant What to Expect from a Consignment Sale Chapter 26 Secrets of Successful Sellers Secrets for Selling and Promoting Your Items Secrets for Creating More Effective Item Listings Secrets for Managing Your Auctions Secrets for After the Auction Secrets for Any eBay Seller Part V: Becoming a Power Seller Chapter 27 Using Selling Management Software and Services Selling Management Software Selling Management Services Chapter 28 Selling Internationally Pros and Cons of Selling Internationally Selling Outside the U.S eBay's International Marketplaces Chapter 29 Opening a Trading Assistant Business How to Become an eBay Trading Assistant Setting Up Shopand Setting Prices Running Your Trading Assistant Business Chapter 30 Making a Living from eBay Becoming an eBay PowerSeller Turning Your Online Auctions into a Real Business Maintaining Your Sales Inventory Automating Your Auction Activities Tracking Revenues and Costs Promoting Your Online Auctions Index Copyright Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBayđ4th Edition Copyright â2006 by Que Publishing All rights reserved No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006922244 Printed in the United States of America First Printing: April 2006 09 08 07 06 4 Trademarks All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized Que Publishing cannot attest to the accuracy of this information Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark eBay is a registered trademark of eBay, Inc Warning and Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied The information provided is on an "as is" basis The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book Bulk Sales Que Publishing offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales For more information, please contact U.S Corporate and Government Sales 1-800-382-3419 corpsales@pearsontechgroup.com For sales outside of the U.S., please contact: International Sales international@pearsoned.com Associate Publisher Greg Wiegand Acquisitions Editor Michelle Newcomb Development Editors Sean Dixon Rick Kughen Managing Editor Charlotte Clapp Project Editor Mandie Frank Indexer Ken Johnson Proofreader Paula Lowell Technical Editor Jenna Lloyd Publishing Coordinator Sharry Lee Gregory Book Designer Anne Jones Page Layout Julie Parks Dedication To Sherry Finally About the Author Michael Miller is a a successful and prolific author, and a top eBay seller He has a reputation for practical, real-world advice and an unerring empathy for the needs of his readers Mr Miller has written more than 75 nonfiction books over the past 17 years, for Que and other major publishers His books for Que include Easy eBay, eBay Auction Templates Starter Kit, Tricks of the eBay Masters, Making a Living from Your eBay Business, and Absolute Beginner's Guide to Computer Basics He is known for his casual, easy-to-read writing style and his ability to explain a wide variety of complex topics to an everyday audience You can e-mail Mr Miller directly at abgebay@molehillgroup.com His website is located at www.molehillgroup.com, and his eBay user ID is trapperjohn2000 winning bidder notifications ZIP codes Shipping and Payment Details section (item listings) Shipping Calculator 2nd 3rd 4th Shipping Discount box (Shipping section) Shipping section (Describe Your Item page) Cost list Domestic Shipping Services list Estimated Weight list International Shipping Services list Package & Handling box Package Size list Shipping Discount box Shooting Star auction management software short-term durations (auction strategies) Show Your eBay Activity section (Enter Page Content page) signature confirmations (shipping & handling) single bids (pricing auctions) Site Map page 2nd slideshows snail mail contact address Snappy Auctions website sniping 2nd early bids last-minute bids software All My Auctions auction management software Andale website Auction Hawk website Auction Lizard auction management software Auction Wizard 2000 auction management software AuctionSage auction management software AuctionTamer auction management software Auctiva website ChannelAdvisor website eBay Blackthorne website eBay proxy software graphics editing software HammerTap auction management software inkFrog website listing websites ManageAuctions website Marketworks website proxy bidding Selling Manager (Pro) archiving completed auctions auction strategies buyer notifications buyer sales records customizing email templates Edit Email Templates page editing invoices Email Buyer page Fill in Buyer's Name and Address dialog Leave Feedback page leaving feedback Print page printing invoices printing shipping labels Sales Record page Sold Listings page subscription fees Summary Page viewing specific buyer emails Shooting Star auction management software sniping tools SpareDollar website Turbo Lister 2nd 3rd Add More Items button Add to Upload dialog Calculate Fees button configuring creating item listings downloading Edit button Enter Multiple Items screen Save button Schedule Listing Start dialog Search By lists Select Selling Format lists Upload All button uploading item listings Waiting to Upload screen You're Almost Done! screen Vendio Sales Manager website Sold Listings page (Selling Manager) Sold section (Selling Manager) sorting information in My eBay product guides spacing item listing descriptions specific buyer emails viewing in Selling Manager spell-checking item listing descriptions spelling errors (bidding tips) spoof emails SquareTrade Standard option (Add Pictures window) stars (feedback rating system) Start Selling link (Congratulations screen) starting auctions (auction strategies) Starting Price box (Describe Your Item page) sticky notes (My eBay) Store Inventory option (Describe Your Item page) storefronts (Trading Assistants) subcategories, browsing Submit Your Bid page submitting item listings Subtitle enhancement (item listings) 2nd suggested category searches (item listings) Summary page (Selling Manager) Sundays (auction strategies) Supersize Pictures option (Add Pictures window) support Contact Customer Support page mail address phone numbers symbols, item listing titles synchronizing bids (bidding tips) Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z] tags (product guides) 2nd templates (Listing Designer) text (HTML) color codes font codes line break codes paragraph codes rule codes third-party Web hosts, loading image files to timing auctions (auction strategies) bids (bidding tips) titles (item listings), Describe Your Item page tracking auctions bids shipments Trading Assistants auctions, managing business requirements clients, finding consignment contracts contacting drop-off locations fees 2nd finding franchising merchandise, taking possession of packing payments, handling profiles, viewing sales contracts selling process overview shipping/handling storefront locations Trading Assistant Directory 2nd Trading Assistants hub Become a Trading Assistant link Find a Seller button Find a Trading Assistant link Trading Posts websites Trading Posts (Trading Assistants) "traditional" auctions tripods (digital cameras) trucking services (shipping & handling) "try again tomorrow" (bidding tips) Turbo Lister auction management software 2nd 3rd Add More Items button Add to Upload dialog Calculate Fees button configuring Create New Item window downloading Edit button Enter Multiple Items screen item listings creating multiple listings, creating uploading Save button Schedule Listing Start dialog Search By lists Select Selling Format lists Upload All button Waiting to Upload screen You're Almost Done! screen Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z] Universal Currency Converter UPC bar codes Find Your Product window pre-filled item information updating credit card information Upload All button (Turbo Lister) Upload Pictures button (Picture Services) uploading item listings via Turbo Lister UPS (United Parcel Service) 2nd URL (uniform resource locators), About Me pages Use Custom Comment option (Leave Feedback page) Use Stored Comments option (Leave Feedback page) user agreements (account registration) user IDs account information, changing creating passwords USPS (U.S Postal Service) claim forms Express Mail First Class Mail fraud protection Global Priority Mail insurance fees Media Mail 2nd Parcel Post postage calculators Priority Mail 2nd PS 1000 claim forms signature confirmations Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z] variable fees (shipping & handling) varying search word vocabulary/spelling (bidding tips) Vendio Image Hosting website view seller's other items link (seller information box) viewing specific buyer emails in Selling Manager Visitor Counter option (Describe Your Item page) Vrane Sniper website Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z] Waiting to Upload screen (Turbo Lister) Want It Now feature 2nd 3rd Web hosts, loading image files to web pages, link codes (HTML) websites auction management Andale Auction Hawk Auctiva ChannelAdvisor eBay Blackthorne inkFrog ManagerAuctions Marketworks Selling Manager Selling Manager Pro SpareDollar Vendio Sales Manager sniping tools Welcome to eBay page, registration What's Hot marketing research service (Andale) wildcard searches (bidding tips) Windows clock, sniping winning bids 2nd withdrawing PayPal funds word selection (searches) Worldwide Express service (UPS) Write a Guide page (Reviews & Guides page) Write a Review page (Reviews & Guides page) writing product guides product reviews Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z] You're Almost Done! screen (Turbo Lister) Your Maximum Bid box (item listings) Index [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] [Z] ZIP codes .. .Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay: Fourth Edition By Michael Miller Publisher: Que Pub Date: May 15, 2006 Print ISBN- 10: 0-7897-3561-X Print ISBN- 13: 978-0-7897-3561-4... Promoting Your Online Auctions Index Copyright Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay 4th Edition Copyright 2006 by Que Publishing All rights reserved No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means,... We Want to Hear from You! Reader Services Introduction Part I: Welcome to eBay Chapter 1 Understanding the eBay Marketplace What eBay IsAnd How It Came To Be Different Ways to Buy and Sell on eBay