The Official Ebay Guide to Buying, Selling, and Collecting Just about Anything

The official, authorized primer from the red hot Internet site that started it all--an indispensable guide for both online buyers and sellers. Radio drive-time tour.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction by Pierre Omidyar, Founder and Chairman of eBay Inc.

How to Use This Book

Part I

The Thrill of the Hunt

Chapter 1

Welcome to the World's Largest Person-to-Person Online Trading Community

The eBay Revolution: The Mouse That Roared

The Four Pillars of eBay

Who Makes Up the eBay Community?

Before eBay/After eBay

Meet Our Extended Family

Mastering the eBay Way in Five Easy Steps

Why Buying on eBay is Safe

A Nickel Tour of the Site

What Makes eBay Auctions Unique?

Traditional Auction vs. eBay Auction

Chapter 2

The Perfect Setup

You Gotta Be in It to Win It: Technical Stuff

The Need for Speed: Bits and Bandwidth

Registering to Become Part of the eBay Community

What's in a Name?

What eBay Charges Per Item

Going Dutch

Who You Are: Picking a Handle and Password

How eBay Keeps You in the Loop

Community Customs

Why Spam Ain't Kosher

Chapter 3

The Quest for Amazing Stuff

Homing In, Category by Category

The Big List at a Glance

What You Won't Find

Finding What You're Looking For

The No-Frills Search

Follow the Leader: Tracking Like-minded Bidders and Sellers

Personal Shopper

Gallery Hopping and Shopping

Beyond Collectibles: Everyday Wonders

Real Estate Reality Check

The "Great Collections" Connection

Kruse Control

Chapter 4

Let the Bidding Begin

Demystifying the Bidding Process

What It Means to Bid

Retracting a Bid

You Absolutely Positively Have to Have It: Bidding to Win

Capitalism for the Rest of Us

Up and Up: Bidding Increments

Cracking the Bid Code

Understanding Reserves

Dutch Auctions

Do Your Due Diligence

Good Questions to Ask

Part II

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Chapter 5

Putting It on the Block

Details, Please: Listing Your Item for Sale

The Key to Winning Titles

Some Like Plain Vanilla

The Great Listing Checklist

Files with Style: Using HTML

Say It with Pictures

A Host of Options

Off-the-Shelf Software

Chapter 6

Taking Care of Bidness

Name Your Price

Is It Really What You Think It Is?

To Reserve or Not to Reserve?

Establishing Payment Methods and Terms

Perfect Timing

Payments Made Easy

Sorry, You Can't Bid on Your Own Auction

Getting the Shipping Straight

Happy Returns

Final Touches

Forget Something?

Sellers, Please Stand By

Knocking Off Early

Canceling Bids

Your Item Didn't Sell

Building a Business on eBay

Part III

Making Contact

Chapter 7

The Bidding Is Closed -- Now What?

Buyer Meet Seller, Seller Meet Buyer

You've Got Mail

Tracking Down Email Addresses

I Want a Cookie

Temporary Parking: Escrow Services

Shipping News: Getting Out the Goods

Ordering Supplies on the Net

Stamp Me -- I Must Be Dreaming

Closing the Loop: Leaving Feedback

Chapter 8

SafeHarbor and Happy Trading

Heading for SafeHarbor

Suspicious Minds: Identifying and Reporting Bad Behavior

Stake Your Claim: Insurance Against Fraud

Violations eBay Responds to Automatically

It's the Law: Prohibited, Questionable, and Infringing Items

Protecting Your Privacy

eBay's Privacy Policy

Making Your Experience More Positive

When a Deal Goes South

Best Remedy Prevention

Escrow Services

Who Was That Masked Man? Reaching Out to People Beyond Email

Chapter 9

When You Need a Friend

For Do-It-Yourselfers

By the Boards

eBay Customer Service Boards

Peer-to-Peer Support Boards

Talk the Talk

Giving Back

Part IV

You Are What You Collect

Chapter 10

Collecting Your Thoughts

Why Do People Collect?

Collecting vs. Accumulating

When Does a Collection Start? When Does It End?

Kids' Kollections

Getting Picky: Building and Upgrading

Chapter 11

The Mystery of Value

Separated at Birth: No Two Collectibles Are Exactly Alike

Eight Is Enough: The Collectibles Checklist

Mint to Be

Consult Before You Clean

Distinguishing Price from Value

Car Collecting Caveats

Where Passion Meets Price: Collecting as an Investment

Ready, "Set," Go: Collectors' Series

How Limited Is a Limited Edition?

Chapter 12

Becoming an Expert

Mastering the Details

Training Your Eye -- and Ear, Nose, and Fingers

Immersing Yourself in the Market

Research, Research, Research

Chapter 13

Where the Action Is

Making the Rounds

Collector Connections on the Web

Special Sources for Established Dealers

Chapter 14

Out In the Field

Marketplace 101

Dealing with Dealers

Haggling with the Best of Them

Price Check, Aisle Six

Everything's Negotiable

A Tax Break for Dealers

Mood Breakers

Maximizing Your Auction Action

Beyond Negotiating: The Law of Averages

Finders Keepers: Shopping Etiquette

Tricks of Trading

It Happens to Everyone: Buying Mistakes

Part V

Putting It All Together

Chapter 15

My eBay and Other Ways to Keep Track of It All

My eBay

Simple Spreadsheets You Can Create

Chapter 16

Documenting the Goods

Creating an Inventory

Insurance

Appraisals

Questions for the Appraiser

Collector, Appraise Thyself

Coming to Your Town: The Antiques Road Show

You Can't Take It With You

Going Public: Donating to an Institution

Trailblazing a Library

Appendices

eBay Site Map

eBay Category Overview

Index