Overview
Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay teaches you how to successfully bid and sell on eBay, the world's largest online auction site. eBay expert Michael Miller walks you through the process of selling any type of item on eBay, from creating your item listing to collecting payment and shipping. You'll learn how to win auctions with last-minute snipes, how to deal with deadbeat bidders and sellers, and how to customize My eBay to track all your auction activity. Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay reveals all the secrets necessary to become a thriving eBay user -- whether you auction one item a month or a thousand!Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewDon't worry: you're not the last person on Earth to do business on eBay. Yet. But if you're thinking about taking the plunge -- as a buyer or a seller -- Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay will be an indispensable companion.
Michael Miller starts with a high-level walk-through of how online auctions work, then helps you find your way around the more than 7 million items listed for auction on eBay. (You'll also find the semi-secret list of email addresses you can use to actually ask a live eBay person a question -- and get an answer.)
Miller offers complete guidance for the beginning bidder: what to consider before you bid; how to keep track of your bids; and the best ways to pay if you win. There's a full chapter on bidding strategies -- from successful sniping to bidding in odd numbers (that $10.03 bid will beat someone else's $10 bid every time).
Then, it's on to "eBay for sellers." What should you sell? How should you describe it? Should you set a reserve price? How do you control your listing fees? Is it worth the cost to use boldface or highlighted listings? How do you create great-looking listings that make bidders salivate? Where can you get free boxes for shipping? Why are Styrofoam "peanuts" so popular?
There's a full chapter on using PayPal, and another on shipping internationally. The book concludes with a guide to turning your casual eBay experience into a serious, profitable business -- not easy, but doable. Bill Camarda
Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.