eBay: The Missing Manual

Description

eBay is a great bazaar for things of all kinds--size 14 purple sneakers, porcelain Donald Duck figurines, cases of D-cell batteries, vintage Edsels. It's a terrific way to shop, but it's enormous, and it's systems for buying and selling things are not straightforward. eBay: The Missing Manual is a friendly guide to getting started with--and then getting more out of--the popular auction site. The book covers both buying and selling, and it's chock full of step-by-step instructions and tips for beginners and experienced traders.

Full Description

It's the undisputed king of Internet auction sites. It's a global bazaar offering a range of goods from Antiques to Zulu Daisies. Cars, clothing, collectibles: you name it, and it's likely that you can find on eBay. But along with the vast selection of goods available, buyers and sellers also encounter all the other elements that markets are known for: tricks and swindlers, overpriced goods, deceptive labeling, small print, recycled items marked as new, and the occasional rare priceless find or undiscovered treasure. Seasoned eBay traders know that to successfully buy and sell within this mega-shopping platform, you need to understand the system. Unfortunately, the secrets of the site are often tightly held by other buyers and sellers seeking a competitive edge. But what if you're a newcomer? Or an experienced trader who wants to make the jump to power buyer or seller? eBay: The Missing Manual gives you the inside information you'll need to become an eBay expert. Buyers will find the most effective ways to find you want and pay prices that are sure to bring a smile to your face. And you'll get authoritative advice on strategic bidding: how to watch for elusive items, time your bids to take the competition by surprise, and--above all--avoid paying more than you ought to. Sellers will get sure-fire tips from eBay veterans who have discovered ways to ramp up their own auctions and sell at the highest possible prices. From the smallest details, such as how to take and post the most effective photos of your goods, to pricing strategies, inventory management, and shipping methods, this user-friendly manual will help you make more money on eBay. Whether you're selling a single item or running fulltime business on the site, you'll find tips to help you do it more effectively. As in any community, problems and disputes arise, and you'll learn how other eBayers resolve such troubles or work around them. eBay: The Missing Manual has gems of wisdom for everyone from total novices to more experienced traders. If you're looking to improve your eBay auction experience, you'll savor the tips and trick revealed in this guided exploration.

Table of Contents

Buying on eBay
1. Chapter 1 Ready, Set, Shop!
  1. Get Registered and Get Going
  2. How to Find What You're Looking For
  3. Deciphering Auction Pages
  4. Auction Types
  5. My eBay—Your Shopping HQ
2. Chapter 2 Bidding, Paying, and Following Up
  1. Is This Seller Trustworthy? How to Read Feedback
  2. Bidding on eBay
  3. After the Auction
  4. Buyers' Woes and What to Do About Them
3. Chapter 3 Finding—and Getting—Bargains
  1. Tips and Tricks for Serious Searchers
  2. What's It Worth?
  3. Bid to Win
  4. More Ways to Get a Good Deal
4. Chapter 4 Power Buying Strategies
  1. Tools for Power Buyers
  2. Hey, Big Spender
  3. Avoid Scams
Selling on eBay
1. Chapter 5 Sell Stuff, Make Money
  1. Get the Lay of the Land
  2. What Should You Sell?
  3. How Much Is It Going to Cost You?
  4. Listing an item
  5. During the Auction
  6. After the Auction
  7. Common Problems
2. Chapter 6 Honing Your Competitive Edge
  1. It's All About You
  2. Build a Better Auction
  3. Auction Tips and Tricks
  4. Big-Time Marketing Strategies
  5. Just Say No
  6. Protecting Your Auctions
  7. Scams to Watch Out For
3. Chapter 7 Going from Hobby to Business
  1. What Should I Sell?
  2. Doing the Paperwork
  3. Setting Up Shop with an eBay Store
  4. Selling Internationally
  5. Sell for Others
  6. Become a PowerSeller
4. Chapter 8 Specialty Selling
  1. Half.com: Mass Media Mania
  2. Selling on eBay Motors
  3. Selling Real Estate Online
  4. Live Auctions
  5. eBay Giving Works
  6. eBay B2B
  7. Sell Your Services on Elance
5. Chapter 9 Cool Tools for Sellers
  1. eBay Tools
  2. Third-Party Software
Finding Other eBayers and Getting Help
1. Chapter 10 Connecting with Other eBayers
  1. Connect with the Community
  2. eBay Affiliates
  3. Other Places to Talk About eBay
  4. eBay Live!
2. Chapter 11 Finding Help
  1. Learning Center
  2. Help Page
  3. Help via Email
  4. Live Help
  5. Site Map
  6. eBay Services
  7. Help from Other eBayers
Appendixes
1. Appendix A Where to Learn More
  1. eBay Updates
  2. Start Spreading the News(letters)
  3. eBay on the Air
  4. The Unofficial Scoop
  5. Further Education
2. Appendix B HTML for eBayers
  1. Getting Started
  2. Adding Colors and Backgrounds
  3. Adding Pictures
  4. Adding Links
  5. Creating Lists and Tables
3. Appendix C Other Auction Sites
  1. Amazon Auctions and Marketplace
  2. AuctionAddict.com
  3. Bid4Assets
  4. Bidera
  5. BidMonkey
  6. Bidville
  7. Bidz
  8. Blujay
  9. iOffer
  10. Overstock Auctions
  11. The Auction Man
  12. uBid
  13. Yahoo! Auctions

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Product Details

Title:

eBay: The Missing Manual

By:

Nancy Conner

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media / Pogue Press

Formats:

Print
Ebook
Safari Books Online

Print Release:

August 2005

Ebook Release:

February 2009

Pages:

464

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-00644-0

| ISBN 10:

0-596-00644-6

Ebook ISBN:

978-0-596-10426-9

| ISBN 10:

0-596-10426-X

Customer Reviews

About the Author

Nancy Conner

Nancy Conner is an award-winning writer and freelance editor who specializes in tech topics. She has a PhD in English from Brown University and has taught writing, including technical writing, to college students for more than a dozen years. She is currently a freelance copyeditor, specializing in technical books covering topics ranging from the MS Office suite to programming languages to advanced network security. Nancy joined eBay in 1998 to hunt for additions to her collection of medieval jewelry and immediately became an enthusiastic eBayer. During her years on eBay, she s learned about the eBay culture and community--how to find bargains, make money, avoid scams, and have fun.

View Nancy Conner's full profile page.

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Sanders Kleinfeld was the production editor and the proofreader for eBay: The Missing Manual. Marlowe Shaeffer and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. John Bickelhaupt wrote the index.

The cover of this book is based on a series design by David Freedman. Karen Montgomery produced the cover layout with Adobe InDesign CS using Adobe's Minion and Gill Sans fonts.

David Futato designed the interior layout, based on a series design by Phil Simpson. This book was converted by Keith Fahlgren from Microsoft Word to Adobe FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Adobe Minion; the heading font is Adobe Formata Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano, Jessamyn Read, and Lesley Borash using Macromedia FreeHand MX and Adobe Photoshop CS.

O'Reilly Books & Videos

Buying on eBay

Chapter 1 Ready, Set, Shop!

Chapter 2 Bidding, Paying, and Following Up

Chapter 3 Finding—and Getting—Bargains

Chapter 4 Power Buying Strategies

Selling on eBay

Chapter 5 Sell Stuff, Make Money

Chapter 6 Honing Your Competitive Edge

Chapter 7 Going from Hobby to Business

Chapter 8 Specialty Selling

Chapter 9 Cool Tools for Sellers

Finding Other eBayers and Getting Help

Chapter 10 Connecting with Other eBayers

Chapter 11 Finding Help

Appendixes

Appendix A Where to Learn More

Appendix B HTML for eBayers

Appendix C Other Auction Sites

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Nancy Conner