eBay For Dummies, 8th Edition

408 Pages·2014·31.45 MB·english

by  Marsha Collier

Internet/Hobbies/Online Shopping and Selling
Making Everything Easier!™ 8th Edition
8th Edition y
a
Get the most out of eBay B
e
Open the book and find:
with this definitive guide
®
to buying and selling • How to set up your My eBay
and Profile page
eBay is one of the largest e-commerce sites on the planet • How to use eBay to buy like
and continues to grow each year. With eBay For Dummies, an expert
e
you can discover everything you need to know to get up
• Details on eBay search tools
and running with eBay. Explore more in-depth topics and tricks B
to become a power user by using social media to sell,
• Information on auction-winning
a
crafting bidding strategies, communicating with customers, strategies
and much more.
• An overview of listing items y
on eBay
• Sign up and go — find out how to sign up and get started with
one of the top e-commerce auction sites in the world • How an eBay store can open ®
new doors
• My eBay — discover how to view and edit your account details
at any time in the centralized My eBay page • Details on using social media
to sell
• Get the deals — find bargains online like never before with
winning bid strategies for a universe of products • Ten golden rules for eBay
buyers and sellers
• Sell like a pro — explore taking and posting photographs,
communicating with bidders, shipping items, collecting
payments, listing multiple items, and much more Cover Image: ©iStockphoto.com/mbortolino
Learn to:
• Go social — take things to the next level by attracting customers
through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter • Use eBay to save money and make money
• Find deals on everyday items and place
Marsha Collier is one of eBay’s original Powersellers and remains winning bids
a Top-Rated seller. Her eBay books have combined to sell over one
million copies. She’s also a social commerce and marketing expert Go to Dummies.com® • Create successful listings and build
your income
and has been named to the “Top 20 Women Social Media Influences” for videos, step-by-step photos,
list at Forbes.com. how-to articles, or to shop!
$24.99 USA / $29.99 CAN / £17.99 UK
ISBN:978-1-118-74886-2
52499
Marsha Collier
Author of Starting an eBay Business
9 781118748862 Collier For Dummies
Get More and Do More at Dummies.com
®
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• Checklists
• Charts
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• And Other Good Stuff!
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eBay
®
8th Edition

eBay
®
8th Edition
by Marsha Collier
eBay ® For Dummies®, 8th Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
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Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and
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used without written permission. eBay is a registered trademark of eBay, Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in this book.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013954171
ISBN: 978-1-118-74886-2 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-74890-9 (ebk);
ISBN 978-1-118-74875-6 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Author
Marsha Collier is the top-selling eBay author. Her name crops up a lot in the
same breath as e-commerce and customer service. No surprise there. She’s the
author of the For Dummies series on eBay (eBay For Dummies, Starting an eBay
Business For Dummies, eBay Business All-In-One For Dummies), plus many other
related, best-selling titles. She is one of the foremost e-commerce experts and
educators in the world. Her books are published worldwide (special editions
for the U.K., Germany, India, France, Canada, Australia, Russia, China — and an
edition in Spanish. As of 2007, there were a million books of her books in print,
her first was published in 1997 and has been on the many top Best Seller lists.
Marsha intermixes her writing about eBay with her role as experienced
spokesperson. While traveling across the United States and around the
world, she makes regular appearances on television, radio, and in print to
discuss online commerce and customer service.
Marsha earned her eBay stripes as a longtime seller on the site. She began
her eBay selling career in 1996 to earn extra money for her daughter’s educa-
tion (and eventually paid for university with her eBay earnings). She grew
her business to a full-time venture and was one of the first eBay PowerSellers.
Nowadays, you can find everything from autographed copies of her books to
photography tools, pet toys, and DVDs in her eBay Store (“Marsha Collier’s
Fabulous Finds” at http://stores.ebay.com/Marsha-Colliers-
Fabulous-Finds) and on her website. (http://www.coolebaytools.
com). Marsha also co-hosts Computer and Technology Radio on WSradio at
http://wsradio.com/wsradio/show_details/52.
In 2004, Marsha began a blog, Marsha Collier’s Musings (http://mcollier.
blogspot.com) to talk about timely topics she thinks her readers will enjoy.
An early innovator in social media, Marsha penned several books, two of her
favorites are The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide and Social Media
Commerce For Dummies. Her online brand has grown as she shares thoughts
on how businesses can make the most of the Internet. She has recently been
awarded several honors:
✓ 2013 Huffington Post #2 of the Top 100 Customer Service Pros
on Twitter
✓ 2013 Forbes Top 20 Women Social Media Influencers
✓ 2013 Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers
✓ Edelman Tweetlevel: Top Media 100 Users by Influence
✓ 2012 Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers
✓ 2012 Small Business Book Awards: Startup Book Category, Starting
an eBay Business For Dummies
✓ 2012 The 100 Most Powerful Women On Twitter
✓ 2011 Forbes Top 10 Women Social Media Influencers
Marsha currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can contact Marsha via her
website, coolebaytools.com.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
Executive Editor: Steven Hayes Project Coordinator: Rebekah Brownson
Senior Project Editor: Nicole Sholly Cover Image: ©iStockphoto.com/mbortolino
Senior Copy Editor: Barry Childs-Helton
Technical Editor: Patti Louise Ruby
Editorial Assistant: Anne Sullivan
Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Part I: Getting a Feel for eBay ...................................... 7
Chapter 1: Why Being on eBay Is So Much Fun .............................................................9
Chapter 2: Ready, Set, Go! Signing Up on eBay ............................................................19
Chapter 3: Finding Your Way Around eBay ..................................................................31
Chapter 4: Your Very Own, Private eBay ......................................................................45
Part II: Buying Like an Expert .................................... 73
Chapter 5: Deal or No Deal? Buying Advice and Searching Tips ...............................75
Chapter 6: Get the Deal: Shopping eBay .......................................................................97
Chapter 7: Winning eBay Strategies ............................................................................121
Chapter 8: Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner? .............................................................133
Part III: Making Money the eBay Way ...................... 147
Chapter 9: Selling in Your Bunny Slippers for Fun and Profit ..................................149
Chapter 10: Make It Sell: Completing the Cyber Paperwork ....................................175
Chapter 11: Shopping or Selling with an eBay Store .................................................203
Chapter 12: Closing the Deal and Shipping It Out .....................................................209
Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Transactions ...............................................................235
Chapter 14: Increase Your Profits with Pictures and Other Strategies ..................255
Part IV: Even More of eBay’s Special Features ........... 277
Chapter 15: Privacy: Protecting Yourself Online .......................................................279
Chapter 16: Staying Safe and Getting Help .................................................................295
Chapter 17: Social Media and the eBay Community .................................................315
Chapter 18: Mobile eBay Apps and Fun Features ......................................................331
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 339
Chapter 19: Ten (Or So) Golden Rules for eBay Buyers and Sellers .......................341
Chapter 20: Ten (Or So) Services to Ease Your Way.................................................349
Appendix: Finding Stuff to Sell ................................. 363
Index ...................................................................... 371