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I had gone to Ebay a while ago, but had trouble signing in so didn't pursue it much. As time went by I began to hear more and more about Ebay, both from my online friends and to my surprise, from my real-world friends.

About a month ago, after my sixteen-year-old daughter's cell phone was stolen from a friend's house, Ebay popped back into my mind. I had contacted Verizon to have them turn off her phone and to ask them where they recommended I purchase a replacement phone. To my surprise, they suggested Ebay.

So off I went. And I paid attention to the Ebay site this time. My first impression was quite positive; Ebay has an excellent interface. I have not experienced any slowdowns or irritating "page not found" errors anytime I have gone to the Ebay site.

And this time I did not experience any problems with registration. You do have to register a credit card when you sign up with Ebay, but that is not something to be concerned about as Ebay has a protected web site. All data is encrypted, so credit card information is completely safe.

The first thing I looked for was a cell phone to replace the one that was stolen. I found one that seemed to meet our needs, and placed a bid on it. The Ebay site is totally user-friendly, and the bidding process is explained in detail. To my dismay, I was immediately out-bid. I quickly clicked on the button that explained how I could be immediately out-bid, and learned that you can set an upper limit as to what you are willing to bid. If you do this, Ebay will bid for you in one dollar increments until your maximum limit is obtained.

I entered in the amount of money I was willing to spend on the phone, and went on my merry way. The next morning I received an "outbid" notice in my inbox. The notice contained a link I could click on to bid again, and so I did. After I was outbid three more times I decided the price had gone higher than I was willing to spend and I stopped bidding.

My next search was for a two-line phone. I had long been wanting to replace my dead one, and I figured Ebay was a good place to look. To my delight I found one very reasonably priced, and placed my bid. Of course I was outbid in a very short amount of time. Determined, I increased my bid. The bidding got hot and furious as time drew to a close, and the excitement was incredible. When I increased my bid for the final time with five seconds remained and received the notification that I had one, I was nearly jumping up and down in excitement. Wow! What a rush. I won!

I arranged for payment and sat back to wait. Would the phone I had purchased be worth the $82.00 I had spent? Would it even show up? I was delighted when the phone not only showed up in the specified amount of time, but it was more than I had hoped for. I saved at least $50 on other phones I had seen with the same features, and was able to do the shopping from the comfort of my own home.

Since then, I have frequented the Ebay site. I have won some items, and lost many more. I am still looking for that cellphone replacement, and actually placed a bid a couple of hours ago on one that should suit our purposes. I am picky, though, and careful about how much money I am willing to spend.


Pros About Using This Site

First of all, it is fun! I was amazed at the level of excitement that surfaces when the auctions are winding down. It is a bummer when you miss out on the product you are bidding on in the last few seconds, but it is also very exciting when you end up being the high bidder. Fun!

Ebay is a secure web site, which means you can feel comfortable in using your credit card for purchases. There are also other purchasing options that vary depending on the seller's requirements. I haven't come across a single product that didn't accept Paypal as a payment option, and most will also accept personal checks and money orders as well as credit cards.

The variety is wonderful on Ebay. Every time I go to the site I end up spending time browsing, but the search function is so efficient you don't have to spend a lot of time looking for a particular product that interests you. It is important to check back every day if you are interested in a specific product because more products are added on a frequent basis.

Ebay maintains a high level of integrity, and the people that buy and sell on the site are held to that level. I have not had any problem receiving a product I have purchased, and the products have always arrived in a timely fashion. If you do have a problem, be sure to report it to Ebay immediately as they will take action to protect the consumer.

Ebay sends you email notification of your bid being accepted and when you are outbid. You can also go to a "watch" page on the site to check on the status of various items you are currently bidding on. It is a very effective and efficient way to see where you stand at any given time.


Negatives

This site could definitely be addicting. It is critical that the user be cautious on the amount of items he or she bids on, because you could end up spending a lot more money than you really want to. Ebay has a process for retracting a bid, but it is much easier to be alert and only bid on products you are truly interested in purchasing. If you end up as high bidder on a product you will be expected to follow through with payment.


Final Thoughts

I have enjoyed my entire experience with Ebay thus far, and I highly recommend the site. Not only is it fun, you can obtain quality products for a reasonable amount of money. Give it a try! Go to www.ebay.com and see everything the site has to offer. Be careful, though!