Just to review, eBay is:
- easy to join
- FREE to join
- easy to use
- has the location
- has the traffic
- sell almost anything
- items are viewed 24 hours a day
- has an international customer pool
You can register for eBay by clicking here: eBay registration.
Get Started
Now that you have your eBay account established it time to become familiar eBay and how it works. First, spend some time at eBay's Learning Center at
http://pages.ebay.com/education/index.html.
At the learning center, you will find lesson on how eBay works in text and audio format. You'll also find lessons on buying on eBay and selling on eBay. Becoming familiar with eBay can be a daunting task that can take hours and hours, that's why I recommend the DVD video by John Reese Internet Auction Secrets.
After you are familiar with the workings of eBay, the step is to start looking around eBay. Start with your "My eBay" and on the left side is a menu called "My Summary". Become familiar with the options available to you and where they are located.
Now you are ready to start looking at the auctions. Do a search for an item, any item. The search box is located in the upper right hand corner or just about all eBay pages. The results will be displayed on the page. You have picked an item that returned hundreds or even thousands of returns. You can narrow the search by choosing a category on the left hand side to the results page. Another way to reduce the amount of unwanted returns is to type in more or better search terms. Do plenty of searches and learn about the different categories of items on eBay.
This is a good time to make a bid on an item. Find an item you would like to have (only bid on items that you want and will pay for), I recommend a small inexpensive item. This hands-on experience will give you a real feel for eBay. A word of caution: Do not get caught up in an emotional bidding war. The excitement of an auction can cause bidders to bring auction bids to a level higher than the item may be worth.
Make sure you have read the seller's terms before bidding on any item. Make sure you read the seller's terms before bidding. This advice is so important that it needs to be said more than once. After the auction is over is the wrong time to find that you have agreed to the terms of the seller (you agree to the terms when you place a bid) that you were unaware of. For example, a seller might have a handling fee or shipping charges that are higher than normal. Read the auction carefully before bidding and do not hesitate to send a message to a seller to clarify any questions you may have.
