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Pros: sell anything, buy things for cheap
Cons: the dead beats who ruin it for the rest of us
The bottom line: eBay is a wonderful place to buy and sell, check it out if you haven't already!
Having been "online" for a few years now, I've long heard from friends about their eBay addictions. I've heard how wonderful it is to sell things and how fun it is to shop and buy on eBay.

I signed up for an account at eBay years ago, but it wasn't until 7 months or so ago, that I really started using the site.

What is it? Where is it? Who can use it?

eBay is the world's online auction. Think of it as a huge, enormous yard sale. When folks say that you can and will find any and everything on eBay they're not kidding in the least. You can find cosmetics, toys, clothing, home accessories, cars, houses and whatever else your heart desires - well, expect for Russell Crowe.

eBay can be found at www.ebay.com

Nearly anyone can use eBay. To place a bid on an auction, or to sell an item, you must have an eBay account. In order to get an account, you must provide them with your personal information (name, address, phone number) as well as a valid credit card number for them to verify that you are who you say you are. I can understand that many wouldn't like to have to give out this information, however, I really like that eBay requires this of it's users. It gives me confidence in who I sell to and buy from.

Buying

Buying on eBay is very easy to do. There are a few ways to find what you're looking for. You can browse through the categories until you find one that may fit what you're looking for, or you can simply type into the search box what you want. For instance, say you're looking for some Capri pants, in the size 10. You would just type in Capri 10. Some of the results may not be what you're looking for, but most probably will.

Once you find something that you wish to bid on, you simply place your bid. You can place the minimum, or you can put in a proxy bid. A proxy bid is the highest amount you're willing to pay for the auction. If you place a proxy bid, your bid amount will only go up as others try to outbid you. For instance, say you place a proxy bid of $12.00, but the minimum bid is only $5.00. Your bid will be for $5.00 until someone else comes along and places a bid. You will still be the highest bidder, until they place a bid higher than your $12.00.

eBay is really good about sending alerts. If you place a bid, you'll receive a message telling you that you did so. If you get outbid on an auction, eBay will send you a message telling you. Once an auction ends, if you're the winner, you will again get a message from eBay telling you this.

Shortly after winning an auction, the seller will usually contact you. I've only had a seller not contact me once, in that case I waited a couple of days and then send them a message.

TIPS on buying

- Be sure to read everything about the auction before placing a bid.
- Be sure you know what the shipping costs will be.
- Be sure you can pay using one of the methods that the seller will accept.
- Be sure that you can pay within the required amount of time.
- Leave feedback once you receive your auction goods.
- Place auctions you're interested in on your watch list.
- Check out the feedback of the seller to see if they have done good business in the past.
- Read the "About Me" page of the seller, if they have one available.
- Wait until the last few minutes of the auction to get in there and place your highest bid - this usually insures that you will be the winning bidder.

Selling

You can sell nearly anything on eBay. eBay does have some guidelines that, should you wish to sell on their site, you need to read and adhere to.

There is a fee for listing your items. The fee per listing is currently $.30. Along with the listing fee, eBay will take a percentage of the auctions ending bid. This
percentage varies depending upon how high the auction goes.

To place an item up for auction, all you need to do is fill out the form on eBay's site. This is very simple to do. Here is where you place what the minimum bid must be, the payment methods you accept, how long you wish for the auction to go for, where you're willing to ship the items, etc.

Once or twice a month, eBay will automatically take the fees you owe them from your account. They send you an invoice before doing this, and thus far they have been 100% accurate for me.

TIPS for selling

- Clearly state what the auction is for.
- Clearly state the methods of payment you accept.
- Clearly state the shipping costs.
- Let the winning bidder know how often you ship items.
- Clearly state how long the winning bidder has to get their payment to you.
- Leave feedback for each and every transaction.
- Send a message to your winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. In this message put all information pertaining to the auction.
- When possible, send your winning bidder a message after you mail them their item(s) letting them know it's been shipped.
- Check the feedback of bidders as soon as possible after they first place a bid on your auction(s).
- Make an "About Me" page, and on there list any and all "rules" for your auctions.

More to know

Anyone with an eBay account can make an "About Me" page. An "About Me" page is like an eBay profile page. You can list any rules to your auctions, things you enjoy, a little about yourself as well as your feedback and current auctions. eBay has it set up to where it's very easy to set up your own "About Me" page. Those members who have an "About Me" me page, will have a little red and blue "me" next to their member name. Click on it, and you'll be taken to their profile.

Favorites - say there are some items that you will continue to look for, things you collect, or things that you have yet to find. After typing in your search, look toward the bottom of the page. There you will see a link that says, "Save this search". Doing so will place the search in your Favorites. You also have the option of getting daily alerts when items matching your favorites are available.

Watching - Items you're watching. This is for an auction that you're interested in. Perhaps you placed a bid, and perhaps you're still considering placing a bid. I put any auction that I'm interested in on my watch list. To add an item to your watch list, simply look on the auction's page - up toward the top, right across from the sellers name and you will see the link that says, "Watch This Item".

And Finally

Take what you buy and sell seriously. If you don't you can easily end up with negative feedback from folks who weren't happy with their transaction with you. Many people will neither buy nor sell to someone with several negative feedback messages. Please, don't ruin it for the rest of us. Only bid when you will pay, only sell when you will ship the items.

If you have yet to take a peek at eBay, do so! But just a warning, you may become addicted like I am. I search daily for several things and love being able to find such great deals on brand new items!

Have fun and Happy Bidding!