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Useful Information and Help for Ebay Users
Useful Information for eBay:

eBay is the largest and most exciting auction
service on the internet. With millions of auctions
running, and many millions of users, if you want it you probably
can find it there. If you want to sell it, you surely can find
buyers. Warning: It can quickly become addicting!
Below you will find official links from eBay,
links that offer help to eBay users,
and general informational links that will assist you both on and
off of eBay.
I have added a second page with articles and advice on using
eBay: Useful Information for
eBay Page 2
Links on the eBay site:
Basic Tutorials:
General:
Links for Sellers:
Links for Bidders & Buyers:
eBay Chat Boards:
These are chat and help boards on eBay that can help you with many subjects. From identifying
items, getting help with buying or selling, or just a place to
chat or talk on many various subjects.
eBay User to User Question & Answer Board
Discussion Boards:
These boards are in a different format than the boards above,
you leave a message, and folks respond in a thread. You may not get as fast an answer as you would on the chat boards, but you
can come back and review the answers later.
Answer Center:
A different type of threaded board where users post the
questions, and then there is a limited number of posts in answer. You can post
your question, and then go back later for the answers and find them easily.
Ebay recently created eBay Groups. They are like clubs
within eBay for people of different interests. They have discussion boards,
e-mail lists, and etc. Groups have been set up as help groups, topical groups,
and some are set up by region. Some groups are public, and open to anyone,
some are private where you have to be invited, or ask, to join. There are over
600 eBay groups, so I will not even attempt to list them. Below is a link to
the groups area:
eBay
Groups
The Chat Boards, eBay Groups, Discussion Boards, and Answer Center are
all part of the community area of eBay. An important resource for eBay users:
eBay Specialty Sites:
eBay Global Sites:
Contacting eBay:
Just Click on the link to contact eBay:
Non-eBay Links:
Not necessarily part of eBay,
but provide helpful information useful to eBay users.
General Links:
Both Buyers and Sellers
| Picshost.com Wanted Board (Created to replace the wanted
board eBay did away with) |
Picshost.com Wanted Board |
| Nehi's Mystery Mail (payment without name, address, etc.) |
Mystery
Mail |
| Blue*eyes' Auction Acronyms abbreviations for eBay |
blue*eyes Auction Acronyms |
| Tips for eBay, some tools, from Marsha Collier |
www.coolebaytools.com |
| WhoWhere (Locate an e-mail address,
phone, address) |
WhoWhere |
| Bigfoot (peoplesearch and more, addresses, e-mail,
etc.) |
Bigfoot |
| Online Traders Web Alliance (Group for auction users) |
OTWA |
| AuctionWatch: Discussions, Boards, Tools, Hosting & More |
AuctionWatch |
| The Auction Guild: Newsletter and Auction news |
TAG |
| U.S. Patent Dating chart. (Design Patents also.) |
Patent
Chart |
| English Registry Marks (Dating Charts) |
English
Registry Marks |
| Collector's Clubs and Organizations |
Collector's
Clubs |
| Geekaw's Information on Pottery and other Collectibles. |
Geekaw's-part2 |
| eAsy eBay (Big Blue Post-Buying and selling tips) |
Big Blue Post |
| Little Yellow Post (Info on Books and eBay ) |
Little Yellow Post |
| Antique Board's Helpful Links (Great info on Antiques) |
Antique
Board's Links |
| Photography Board's Useful Links (advice for eBay Pictures to) |
Photography
Board's Links |
| Auction Insights: Tips and advice for auction users. |
Auction Insights |
| Amherst Robots-Many power tools for eBay users |
http://www.vrane.com/ |
| Trading Assistant Info (Selling Consignments on eBay) |
mollyb!,s Trading Assitant FAQ |
| My Additional Tips, tutorials, and articles helping with eBay. |
Useful Information for
eBay Page 2
|
International Trading:
Seller's Links:
| Pongo's Tutorials: Image & HTML Help
practice Board |
Pongo's |
| 411 For eBay Users (Tutorials and Links) |
411
for eBay |
| Advice, newsletter with tips, tutorial you
can purchase |
www.ukauctionline.co.uk |
| e-Pixs: Html tutorial and practice board |
http://www.e-pixs.com/quick.html |
| Millennium Tutorial for AOL Users Images for eBay |
Millennium
Image Tutorial |
| Step by step Tutorial for AOL Users to add Images |
http://www.twaze.com/aolpix/ |
| Ron's 17 Step AOL Image Tutorial |
Ron's AOL
Tutorial |
| Geekaw's Help With eBay Picture Services |
Help
with eBay Picture Services |
| Bob's Tips: Image help, IPIX, advice, and much more. |
Bob's Tips |
| Willy's tutorial multiple images in auctions. |
WCDC's
Tutorial Multiple Images |
| Ed O'Brien's HTML Tutorial for eBay |
www.eobcards.com/tutorial3.htm |
| Assure buyers of your credibility, insure shipping |
www.webtradeinsure.com |
| Power tools for eBay users Very useful to automate tasks |
http://www.vrane.com/ |
| Auction Analysis, feedback
checker, and other auction tools |
http://www.hammertap.com |
| Reports on hot items, best keywords, profit analysis
(monthly fee)
|
ProfitFacts for eBay
Online Auctions |
| Nucite has auction profit
calculators, and other tools for eBay (free) |
nucite.com
|
| Linda's State Sales Tax Requirements for
eBay |
State tax
requirements |
| Linda's Bookkeeping for eBay |
Basic
Bookkeeping Information |
| Trans Row Inc. Bidder Verification Services |
http://www.TransRow.com |
| HTML tips, editor, hosting, backgrounds, and
etc. |
Auctionresources
volcanicsoft.com |
| Very Good Article on Selling on eBay. Tips & Advice |
Priceclubdirect |
Bidder's Links:
Safety In Trading:
Tips for handling trading problem, what to do
if you think fraud has been committed, additional tips under the eBay Links
above.
A Word About eBay & Paypal Spoofs:
Scammers are sending fake e-mails that look like eBay or
Paypal e-mails to steal private information. They are also creating fake
websites that imitate the real eBay and Paypal websites. Other websites have
been copied as well. These scams are called spoofing, or phishing. eBay has
created the following webpage to help identify and report eBay related spoofs:
Spoof Email
Protection Tutorial
What to do if an item was not received, was received
damaged, or was misdescribed :
The first step is to communicate with the seller, do so
cordially, because 90% of the time it will be just a simple mistake and the
seller will make things right. Either e-mail the seller or request his contact
information from eBay and give him a call. The item may have been insured
if damaged or lost, or seller may be willing for you to return it, and he will
issue a refund.
Another avenue to explore if the seller and you cannot reach
an agreement is using a mediation service such as Squaretrade.
They may be able to help you reach an agreement with the seller. Cost is $20
if a mediator becomes involved.
If you are not able to contact the seller, seller is not
helpful, or you cannot reach an agreement, you have several avenues
for help. First is the eBay Fraud
Protection Program, which will cover
you up to $200, with a $25 deductible. You can file the fraud report even if
the item was under $25. You also may have other ways to recover your money
depending on how you paid. If you paid with a credit card, contact your credit
card company, if you paid through Paypal or Billpoint both have a fraud
protection programs. You have to file the eBay fraud report within 60 days of
the end of the auction and you must file the Paypal fraud form within 30 days
of making payment. If you paid
with a check or money order, you may be able to trace and see if they
were cashed. If you were defrauded, you should also consider filing a mail
fraud report, a report with the FBI, and possibly a complaint with the FTC.
You might also contact local law enforcement and have them contact law enforcement in the seller's
location.
See the Safety In Trading
table above for more tips and information on how to handle these
problems.
Shipping & Shipping Supplies
Below are some links to shippers and to some shipping supply
dealers on eBay. If you sell shipping supplies on eBay and would like me to
include a link to your me page, please contact me.
Books On Selling on the
Internet, and Internet Auctions:
Image Hosts:
Places on the net to store
pictures for eBay, some free, some you have to pay for. While
free sites may work fine, some of the pay sites may offer better
reliability or additional services.
FTP Programs:
To put images on the internet, you
may need an FTP (File transfer protocol) program to actually post the files on the internet. Below are some programs that are
fairly easy to use. Most are shareware, if you try them, and like
them, a nominal fee will need to be paid to the program author.
Image Editors and Etc.:
| If you don't have a decent image editor on your computer,
click on the link below for a good free image editing program you can
download: |
http://www.irfanview.com |
| Ulead Phhoto Explorer a free
Image Editing and management suite. I haven't used this program so can't
evaluate it. |
http://www.ulead.com/pex/freeware.htm |
| Image Optimizer is a program will really help you speed up the loading of your pictures, it
allows you to compress them, if done in moderation you can cut in half the
load time, and still have a quality picture. |
http://www.xat.com/ |
| Paint Shop Pro is probably my favorite editor. Much more
powerful than the free ones above, but frankly the free ones may be all
you would really need. |
http://www.jasc.com/ |
| Image Optimizing. Free online service, or you can also buy
their software. The online version works very well. Really lets you reduce
the file size, and speed loading. |
http://www.spinwave.com/ |
| Want a website to go with your eBay
sales, or for personal use? Paid hosting is full featured. Can also be used for image
hosting. |
www.HostElf.com |
Auction Counters:
To install free counters to see how many folks view your
auction.
Auction Management Software & Services:
Makes managing or listing your auctions much
easier for sellers.
*Notice: eBay often makes
changes that will affect third party software providers. make sure that any
program or service you select keeps up to date.
| Turbo Lister (eBay's new bulk listing
program. Free) |
Turbo
Lister |
| Selling Manager (Auction management, web based, by eBay) |
Selling
Manager |
| Auctionsage (Complete auction management software from
the maker of eBud) |
|
| Channeladvisor Complete Auction management, online
commerce |
www.channeladvisor.com |
| Inkfrog Management, Image Hosting,
Counters |
Inkfrog Auction
Management
|
| Template creator, eBay research, images slideshows,
feedback review.. |
http://www.gemdev.com
|
| Seller Sourcebook - Templates, Listing Program, Image
Hosting |
http://www.sellersourcebook.com
|
| Poster Toaster Bulk listing tool for eBay |
www.ThePosterToaster.com
|
| Shooting Star Auction Management Software |
http://FooDogSoftware.com/
|
| Auctiva Auction management software, Mr. Poster Bulk
Listing tool, more. |
http://www.auctiva.com
|
| Auction Management, Analysis, auction e-mails, and much
more. |
http://www.hammertap.com
|
| Auction Templates, calculators, ME page generator, and
more |
http://nucite.com
|
| AuctionSupplies.com Templates, shipping calculators,
practice board |
AuctionSupplies.com
|
| Auction Hawk - Templates, management, e-mail, image
hosting. |
www.auctionhawk.com
|
| auctionessentials4u.com (Auction management, hosting & etc.) |
www.auctionessentials4u.com
|
| DeSa C.S. Auction templates and more. |
www.desacs.com
|
| Sparedollar.com: Listing, management, image hosting |
http://www.sparedollar.com |
| Auction Commander Pro (Auction Management) |
http://www.qwe.net/auctions/
|
| Auction Submit (Multiple site listing, management. Free) |
http://www.auctionsubmit.com
|
| kAuction Software (Full auction management) |
http://www.kinem.com/
|
| Marketplace Manager (Multiple site submission,
e-commerce) |
Marketplace Manager
|
| Easy Auction (Auction Management including reporting, also bid
management |
Easy
Auction |
| Auctionworks (Auction & item management) |
http://www.auctionworks.com/ |
| Andale (Auction management) |
|
| AuctionFlow (Auction
management, multiple sites) |
|
| Auctionessentials4u management, ad creation |
http://www.auctionessentials4u.com
|
| ePoster2000 |
http://www.auctionposter.com/ |
| Channelfusion Auction Management E-Commerce |
Goto Channelfusion |
| Zoovy: Auction management & Webstores |
Zoovy.com |
| Auctionreminders.com (Auction Calendar) |
www.auctionreminders.com |
| Auctionmate (Software, full service) |
www.myauctionmate.com |
| EBASICS Auction Management System |
http://www.nkmarketing.com |
| Auction Messenger (Tracking, useful both buyers & sellers) |
http://www.auctionmessenger.net/ |
| Pre Lister3 (Auction software for Macintosh users) |
http://www.blackmagik.com/gavelware.html |
| AuctionDesk |
http://www.auctiondesk.net/ |
| Pics-Plus (Auction editor, image upload, and hosting) |
http://www.pics-plus.com/ |
| AuctionPro2000 (Ad Generator. Free) |
Auctionpro2000 |
| Auction Wizard (Ad Creator, auction management) |
http://www.auctionwizard2000.com/ |
| The eBay Assistant (Auction management software) |
The eBay Assistant |
| ManageAuctions.com (web based auction management) |
ManageAuctions.com |
| VirtualAuctionAdPro (Ad Creator and auction
management) |
Virtual
Auction Ad Pro |
| AuctionRover AuctionManager |
AuctionManager |
| AuctionTamer (Bidding and Selling) |
Auction Tamer |
| ImpoveYourAuctions.com (management & more) |
www.ImproveYourAuctions.com |
| Baypal (management, hosting, counters) |
http://www.baypal.com |
| Auction Helper (web based auction management) |
www.auctionhelper.com |
| Power Relister, Power mailer, Easy Lister, Auction manage. |
http://www.vrane.com/ |
| Trans Row: Bidder
Verification Services |
http://www.TransRow.com |
| Html editor, built in FTP, templates, spell check, and
more. |
www.pixmatrix.com |
Bidder's Auction
Software:
Will help you keep track of your
bidding, and some even bids for you.
*Notice: eBay often makes
changes that will affect third party software providers. make sure that any
program or service you select keeps up to date.
| Auction filtering and search tool for eBay. Auction
Sieve |
http://www.auctionsieve.com |
| Easy Auction (Database and bid management for
buyers, auction management for sellers) |
Easy
Auction |
| AuctionStealer Snipe bidding service, free. |
www.auctionstealer.com |
| Sniping program, feedback reviewer, and
more. |
http://www.gemdev.com |
| Powersnipe snipe bidding service. |
www.powersnipe.com |
| timeBlaster (Search software, with pictures) |
www.timeblaster.com |
| JustSnipe, web based auction bidding site. Free and Paid
services. |
www.justsnipe.com |
| Cricketsniper (bidding Software) |
Cricketsniper.com |
| Snipe-Swipe (Online Snipe Bidding Service) |
www.snipeswipe.com |
| Sniping, feedback checker, other tools for bidders &
sellers |
http://www.hammertap.com |
| Auction Messenger (Tracking, useful both buyers & sellers) |
http://www.auctionmessenger.net/ |
| Auctionreminders.com
(Calendar style auction reminders) |
www.auctionreminders.com |
| Phantom
Bidder (Sniping, and group bids) |
www.PhantomBidder.com |
| esnipe (Server based bidding/sniping program) |
eSnipe |
| AuctionTamer (Bidding and Selling) |
AuctionTamer |
| Power Snipe (bidding) and much more |
http://www.vrane.com/ |
| eSearch: Search utility for eBay,
automate searches |
Mazepath eSearch |
| Program To download and sort a user's feedback |
Gutcheck |
Auction Payment Services:
The following services will help you pay for auction
purchases, or if you are a seller, may be something you would like to look into
for accepting payment. Many will allow the use of a credit card for payment.
Please check these out before using, some do offer some extra trading
safety. Many also will work for websites and other uses. Some are USA only,
some USA and International.
Help With Computers & Antivirus Software
Some of the links below will help you deal with computer
problems you may experience, and the others will help you with antivirus and
security issues.
E-mailing many different people like you have to do on eBay, it is crucial that you have good antivirus software on your
computer. Sooner or later you will get sent a computer virus. Most of the folks
who send it to you will not know they are infected. I use, and recommend Norton's Antivirus. The sites below will help,
including a free antivirus scanning tool.
| Help with computer errors, crashes, viruses, and much
more. One of the easiest to understand and most helpful computer sites
on the internet. |
www.pchell.com |
| Trend Mico Free online virus scan, plus PC-cillin
antivirus software |
www.antivirus.com |
| Norton Antivirus: This is the program I use, offers full
protection. Also many articles and fixes for viruses. Free online
scanner. |
www.symantec.com |
| McAffee Antivirus Software |
www.mcafee-at-home.com |
| AVG Antivirus Free antivirus software |
AVG Antivirus |
| Bitdefender: Free online virus scan |
www.bitdefender.com |
How To:
Images & Graphics:
| Add an image to your auction, or how to
do multiple images do so put the following html in your
description: |
<img src=http://Your images URL> |
| Add a link to your auction or post one on
the eBay boards. Use the following html: |
<a href=http://URL of what you want to
link to>Words for the link</a> |
| Change font colors or sizes. (Be sure and
close the font after you type the words you want to
change the font or color for with: </font>) |
<font color=red><font size=4>Words
you want changed</font></font> |
| Ed's tutorial, and copy and paste HTML |
Ed's
copy and paste HTML page for eBay |
I moved some of my advice articles and other things to a
second page, the advice had just outgrown the ability to show everything on
one page. On the following page you will find advice on writing auction
descriptions, listing items, and much more. As time goes on I will be adding
to that page.
Workshops:
Below are links to two workshops .
eBay
Expert Member Workshop: Creating Customer Friendly Listings
eBay
Expert Member Workshop: Handling Problems in the eBay setting
Feedback Tool:
A very useful tool to see someone's feedback, or feedback left.
Courtesy of Willy, wcdc on eBay.
Feedback Tool !!
Sent or
Received !!
|
Willy offers many helpful HTML hints Click the
following link:
wcdc
Still having problems?
Visit the User to User Question & Answer board on eBay. Nice, friendly, and very
knowledgeable users available there at all hours to help. The
folks there are volunteers, and do this for fun, and out of the
spirit of community that has kept eBay the #1 auction service.
There is a very wide range of experience with shipping, HTML,
selling, buying and identification of items. Few other places you
can go and get such comprehensive advice. I can often be found there in the
evenings, and would be happy to chat with you to discuss problems you are having
and help any way I can, To visit, click on the
link below:
eBay User to User Q & A Board
Antiques & Collectibles Resources On This Site
I hope you have found the above information helpful. Feel free to share this link with
anyone, and feel free to link to this page. If you have any links
to suggest, please e-mail me using the e-mail address below. Please help me by
reporting any dead links. I hope you will bookmark this
page, and that you will find it helpful in the future.
I am not an eBay employee, I just use their service to sell and
buy items. cpswi
,. If you have any questions,
or if I can help in any way, feel free to e-mail me using the
link below:
[email protected]
Alternate e-mail address if the above should be out of
service:
Alternate e-mail
My userid on eBay is: bahmed1
For a preview of my auctions on eBay, and a link to them,
click on the link below:
cpswi
Click Here
for my
page on eBay, more information about me, and my eBay sales.
CPSWI is not responsible for any use,
or misuse, of this information. We make no claims as to the usability of any of the
advice, software
programs, links, or services linked to on this page, nor are we responsible for any
damages that may occur due to its use. I do hope you find the information useful.
Useful Information for
eBay
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