I have been a user on Ebay for a number of years, usually as a buyer. Over time, I have dealt with some very good people, and some bad apples. I like Ebay because if I am in the market for something, it is very likely that someone, somewhere, will be offering what I want. On the negative side, some of the users are their own worst enemy. For example, when you are selling, it's much better to provide a picture if you can, and supply as much information about the item you are selling as you possibly can. The more information you supply, the more chance someone using the Ebay search engine can zero in on your item. Think about it, at any given time, there are millions of items listed on Ebay, and the chances of finding your item is slim unless you provide a description someone can search for and find. If I was selling a pager, would I list it as "FOR SALE: PAGER" ? No, I would perhaps list it like this: "Motorola (Pagemart) Model LS550 919.7125 MHZ Flex Pager" then go on to list it's condition, that is was formerly on the Pagemart network etc etc. Always consider that a person looking for your item might just enter one or two words to search, like "pager" and "LS550". Searches on ebay are not case sensitive, so "ls550" and "LS550" produce the same results. Another problem, and it is a growing problem, of Ebay sellers gouging on the shipping costs of whatever they are selling. I just noticed a seller charging $9.50 to mail 1 PC100 type memory chip and about $20 for a CDRW drive. Another seller, unnamed, has a gross of Keychain flashlights, the minimum bid is 1 cent, but the shipping and handling charge is $252.64. I believe the entire shipment could be sent for about $10 via UPS Ground or USPS. Obviously this is abusive and also attempts to cheat ebay of their rightful fees for the transaction. Some sellers insist on sending things to you via Federal Express (a fine service, don't get me wrong), but a very premium way to ship something. I try to mention fair shipping costs as a part of my feedback to the seller. I want them and others to know of positive shipping practices. Ebay has a system to report users who employ abusive or deceptive practices, don't be shy about using the reporting system. Unfortunately, Ebay themselves are helping sellers gouge on shipping by providing a shipping "calculator". The implementation ebay uses allows sellers to embed shipping fees without disclosure. A seller can add an $8.00 fee, then when you enter your zip code for a shipping costs, the $8 fee is added to the cost, for a total of say $13. You think the shipping from UPS or USPS is $13, and the seller walks off with a quick $8.00 extra profit. Sleazy. If Ebay disclosed how much of the shipping cost is a fee, it would fair. Hiding the fee is deceptive to the buyers. If you are selling, I recommend sending items via US Priority Mail, and taking full advantage of the free envelopes and boxes the post office provides for your use. An item weighing up to 2 lbs can be sent for about $4 - $5 dollars, and for a small extra fee, you can get a delivery confirmation. Not a bad deal at all, and easier than UPS, in my opinion. I usually go to the post office and grab 10-20 boxes at a time, they are flat when you get them, then you fold them into a box when you need them. They have a self adhesive flap, so you don't even need to buy packaging tape to close the box, another savings to you. Parcel post is an option, but it is so SLOW - I waited almost 2 weeks recently for an item, and the difference in cost between parcel post and priority mail is very small, usually less than $1 more. A very low cost option is USPS MEDIA mail, usually 7 day delivery, specifically for "books, film, manuscripts, printed music, printed test materials, sound recordings, play scripts, printed educational charts, loose-leaf pages and binders consisting of medical information, videotapes, and computer recorded media such as CD-ROMs and diskettes. Media Mail cannot contain advertising." The cost is less than $2.00 to ship 2 lbs, about $3 for 5 lbs ! If you want an item, and are considering bidding, make SURE you know what the shipping and sometimes handling costs are. They can sometime exceed the cost of the item by a great deal. Sending a CD (for example) should and does cost about $1 - $4 range, beware of and avoid bidding on a CD that has a shipping cost above that. On the subject of bidding, be absolutely sure you know what the current selling price is at a local store. I have seen many instances of bidders paying more than the item sells for at my local Wal-mart or Compusa store and then paying for shipping to boot. Many ebay buyers have not a clue to a Dutch auction, or how to bid in a Dutch auction. Because of their ignorance of this type of auction, they overbid and raise the price excessively. Here is an example of a actual ebay Dutch auction. A seller has 3 Beanie Babies for sale in a Dutch auction. Starting price is $2.50 each, with a shipping cost of $4.50 (Shipping a bit high in my opinion), with an additional .50 per item, so if you purchased all 3, the shipping would be $6.00 Lets say I want one, I bid $2.50. The next person to bid also only has to bid $2.50 and we would both buy our item for $2.50 each. If another person bids, they really should not bid more than $2.50 either. Once 3 bidders have bid $2.50, the next bidder should bid slightly over the other bids, like $2.60, not $5.00 or $10, because high bids in a Dutch auction cause a bidding war that only the seller benefits from. If there are 3 bids for these beanies, $2.50, $5.00 and $10, how much should you bid if you want 1 ? If you bid $11, or $6 you are WRONG. In this situation, the best bid would be $2.51 or $2.60. You do not have to be the highest bidder to "win" a Dutch auction, you only have to be one of the 3 highest bids (assuming 3 items for sale). Bid equal to the current bidders, or as close a possible to the current bid - Ebay also has examples of how Dutch auctions work, be sure to read before bidding ! As for paying for your purchase, I use the Paypal system if I can. Read about my poor experience with the now defunct c2it elsewhere on this website. I hope this is of some assistance and happy bidding. Charles G.
This information is shared as a public service, as an accurate account of my experience and my suggestions for using the Ebay Online Auction system. Use this information as you see fit. As always, caveat emptor - Buyer beware !