eBay: The Missing Manual

After the Auction

You've bid on a collection of rare Godzilla action figures or a musical cake plate and won your first auction. What happens now? When do you get your stuff? The first step, of course, is paying for it. And the sooner you pay, the sooner your prize will show up on your doorstep.

Note

Most sellers expect payment within three to seven days of the auction's end—this should be spelled out on the auction page. Before you place a bid, always check the seller's terms to find out how long you have to pay.

Paying the Price

When you've won an auction, eBay sends you an email to notify you of your triumph. This email gives you the seller's email address and provides a payment link. You can click the link to go to the checkout, or you can get there by logging in to eBay, going to your My eBay page's Items I've Won section, and clicking the Pay Now button.

Note

If you were watching the item before you won the auction (Section 1.5.1), it appears in two places on your My eBay page: Items I'm Watching and Items I've Won.

If you're signed in, a Pay Now button also appears on the auction page, as shown in Figure 2-7. (To sign in, go to the top of the eBay home page and click the Sign In link).

Figure 2-7. This box appears on the auction page after you've won. Approved payment methods appear on the left; frequently asked questions are on the right. When you're ready to pay, click the Pay Now ...