|
|
|
Step Four:
Check out the seller! After you have found an item you are interested
in, it's usually a good idea to check out the seller. After all, you are
not buying this item from eBay, simply through eBay. You and the seller
will have to make payment and shipping arrangements.
You can check out a seller by looking at
the feedback that has been provided by other buyers about the history
of the seller's communication, speed, and quality of the products they
offer. Next to the seller's name; you will see a number in parentheses,
click on this number and you can see the list of feedback. A high number
of positive feedback is a good sign that this is a reputable seller. A
high number of negative feedback is a warning sign! It's also important
to make certain you know what the shipping costs will be and what form
of payment the seller will accept.
Step Five: Bid! After you have selected
an item and decided that you feel you can trust the seller, it's time
to place a bid! Remember, this is a competition for the item that is listed
with a set deadline. Whoever has the highest bid at the end of the auction
gets the item - and it's a contract! So only bid if you're certain you
want the item! Bidding is simple and pretty self-explanatory. Each item
has a bid increment and a minimum bid. You may also elect to have eBay
"proxy bid" for you, which means that you tell eBay how much you're willing
to pay for the item, and eBay will place the necessary bids, at the minimum
increment, to keep you winning the auction up to your stated maximum without
spending any more money than is necessary to keep you ahead.
Step Six: Pay for your item. At the
close of the auction, you will be notified as to whether you have won
or not. If you win, you and the seller are obligated to contact each other
within three business days to arrange payment and shipping. I, personally,
prefer Billpoint or PayPal for payment. These are online services, in
which I feel confident (check them out for yourself before registering
with either service). They allow me to pay a seller with my credit card
or an electronic check without actually giving my credit card information
to the seller. And, as a buyer, it's totally free!
I've stuck up some interesting e-mail relationships
with some interesting sellers, found some incredible new artists from
across the country and gotten many cool items all at a fraction of what
I would have had to pay at a retail store - if I could even find these
items at a store at all! There are other online auctions, which I'm certain
work in a similar fashion - but eBay's the only one I've used enough to
feel confident in recommending. If nothing else, it's a great way to "window
shop!"
|
|
|
Hi, I'm Lorraine and
I'm a bid-aholic.
Yup, I'm addicted. Perhaps it's more appropriate
to say that I'm unable to break the habit of logging onto eBay and bidding
to my heart's content. It satisfies so many of my basic desires -shopping,
competition, Web surfing, and art. Yes, I've become quite the consummate
"Outsider Art" collector, thanks to eBay. I regularly win auctions on
great pieces of original art for less than $10! Art, by far, isn't the
only thing you can purchase at eBay. My husband has expanded his Pez collection,
I bought a piggie bank and I've been watching some ranch land in Montana.
If it's legal and can be bought (other than firearms, drugs, tobacco and
alcohol), it can be found on eBay.
After speaking with several friends, I discovered
that nearly everyone has heard of eBay, but many folks simply don't know
how it works, or if it's safe. So, here's my offering this month - Online
Auctions 101. (You must be at least 18 years old to register and purchase
or sell on eBay.)
Step One: Log onto www.eBay.com. Towards
the top, there is a blue button that reads, "Learn More." Press that,
and you'll be able to read all about eBay. At any time during this reading,
you can select the "Register now" button and proceed to become a registered
buyer and/or seller.
Step Two: Register. Go through the
easy-to-follow instructions to register. (I recommend checking the box
"I prefer to register using a secure transfer with SSL.") You'll have
to provide personal information including an e-mail address, a physical
address and a phone number. Don't panic about giving this information
out on the Internet. eBay is a TrustE site offering secure encryption
for transactions and in their privacy statement, they promise not to sell
or rent your information to third parties, not to give personally identifiable
information to advertisers, and to allow you to select how you will be
contacted by eBay.
Step Three: Shop! Use the search feature
to type in the name of an item you'd like to see, (e.g. "radio"). You
will then see a list of every item listed on eBay that has the word "radio"
in its description. If you click on the item listing, you will see a full-page
description and often a picture of the item for auction.
|
|
|
|
