Any good tips for an EBAY first timer?

[Osem]

Hi guys - there's so much knowledge here i thought I'd ask if anyone had any good tips for someone who wants to start using EBAY to buy/sell items. The wife has decided she wants to give it a try but paranoid old me hears alarm bells ringing having heard stories about dodgy dealers, people who don't pay up, faulty goods, fraud, payment problems and even security issues.

We'd really appreciate any tips on how to go about setting an account up in the most secure manner and how to avoid the various pitfalls.

Cheers as always

By the way - this could earn me huge brownie points so please donate your thoughts generously

[Graham M]

Originally Posted by Osem

hears alarm bells ringing having heard stories about dodgy dealers, people who don't pay up, faulty goods, fraud, payment problems and even security issues.

Dodgy dealers, well there's a difficult one, but usually easy to detect, check their feedback rating and you won't go too far wrong, always try and pay with PayPal, you then have some comeback if they do turn out to be dodgy.

People who don't pay up... well that's easy, don't send the item until payment has cleared - set up a PayPal account as I said in the last bit and that could be instant.

Faulty Goods - Difficult this one, goods can get damaged in transit, if you're going for something electrical, I, unless it's very cheap recommend buying from an eBay shop.

Payment problems - Not sure how that's different from People who don't pay up!?

Security Issues - well as long as you don't fall into any of the email phishing scams and make sure your HTTP address is pointing to eBay when you go to sign in etc then you'll be safe as all the transactions are done over SSL HTTP

[AndyCambs]

My tip - never pay more for anything than you could afford to lose.
If you order something and don't get it, that's the basis I tend to work on. To be fair, I've never been disappointed and always got exactly what I expected though.

[Osem]

Blimey - that was quick! A good start though so TVM

By payment problems I meant payment method really - obviously COD or COC is best but what other options are there. What exactly is Paypal and how do you set it up?

Sorry, don't really understand the bit about ensuring our HTTP address is pointing to Ebay.

Neither of us has ever used Ebay so this whole thing is entirely new.

[Halcyon]

Have a read of my Ebay guide I wrote. It gives you the basics and a few tips on using Ebay for bidding and selling:

[Osem]

TVM Halcyon - are you selling this on Ebay BTW???

[AndyCambs]

I'd probably say Paypal is best, as it's the easiest way.
If you are selling and the purchaser uses a credit card to fund his Paypal account, then you'll lose a percentage in fees.

If you are selling items, you've got to balance the minimum bid with the costs involved in selling (E-Bay fees, postage, Paypal fees), against making the minimum cost too high to be attractive.

Paypal can be set up on www.paypal.co.uk
Be warned there are a tremendous amount of phishing emails for Paypal, so be very wary of emails warning you that your security has allegedly been compromised.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by Osem

TVM Halcyon - are you selling this on Ebay BTW???

LOL. No.

I didnt write this guide recently but most of it still applies.
I was asked to come and teach some people Ebay skills ages ago at a college for people learning I.T. so thought why not write up a quick guide.
There are no doubt more things to learn, but you pick those up as you go.
Hope it helps.

[Chrysalis]

only buy cheap items under £100 if buying something more expensive do a pickup rather then having it delivered.

Dont bother with anyone who hasnt got a 100% rating, I dont reccomend buying of first time sellers.

If selling ensure fast dispatch and dont lie in your advert.

Paypal should be used if possible.

[Russ]

Best tips I can give you for ebay - be mates with Pia. There's nothing that bird doesn't know about it

[icestar2]

Watch out for dodgy emails. Remember you will never get an email asking for you login with a link to a page. These are common. Ebay and paypal customers get them all the time. If your suspisious go to the website direct and not through any links givin in an email.

[lauzjp]

a few ebay tippies -

I would say that it is nice to still find sellers that take cheques and postal orders. - I feel like I'm having more of an interaction between seller and buyer; I can write them a little note saying either 'thank you for your purchase' or how much I'm looking forward to getting their item!

Try to answer any questions as soon as possible - you can just reply through your email, you don't have to log in (I only just noticed that the other day, despite having been on ebay a few years on & off ) !

Don't list things on the assumption that you will get your money immediately - hoping to make a quick few quid.

Some people genuinely forget that they have bid on something or just haven't got round to getting a postal order yet, or it might have got lost in the post - and just need a little , not a 'give me my money nooooooooow, you g*t' email. Communication is key.

Try not to write lots of threatening rubbish in your listings like 'if you don't pay up within 48.3 hrs then I will report you to ebay & tell everyone on the internet what a bad person you are!' etc. Try to make all your listings look kind of similar - same font / colour / layout.

Don't stress about writing a lot / too little - if people have questions about any info that is missing about the item, they will contact you. Look at examples of what you are listing first - to get an idea of prices (especially for postage), and descriptions.

Don't list cheap stuff (e.g. stuff you'd be lucky to get a fiver for at a carboot) to start at what may be the minimum price you want for an item. You will be lucky to get any bids. Say you have a piece of exercise equipment, or a bike - start the bidding at say a tenner, or even a fiver - you will get more people look at (and therefore fingers crossed - bid on) your item than if you listed it at £30 starting price. Also, if you are listing such a large item that is probably going to be 'collection / pick up only' make sure you state that in your item details, and roughly whereabouts you are - i.e. I'd put 'Farley Hill, Luton, near town centre' as people will search for random items near to where they live

hope this helps, I should get back in to ebay stuff soon - when we get some batteries for our camera! (my ebay id is lauzjp btw)

[Pia]

Originally Posted by Russ B

Best tips I can give you for ebay - be mates with Pia. There's nothing that bird doesn't know about it

Oh yes... i saved my newbie friend from paying £20 out for a "bargain laptop" that was in fact an ebook

She is now under strict orders to send the link to every auction she is interested in to me first so i can vet it

Lots of good advice so far, not much more to add really, except always read the description carefully, it's amazing how many people get away with selling items not as described because they wrote in tiny letters "this is an auction for an ebook" or something.

I must admit i do love it how everyone i know comes to me for their ebay advice, i love picking out the faults with the stuff they were about to part money for