Transcript intro to ebay

Introduction to
Buying and Selling on eBay
~ Dr. Jan G. Hogle ~
™
The World’s Marketplace™
1
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
What is an online auction?
A typical auction-style listing works this way:
1. The seller offers an item and sets a starting price.
2. Buyers visit the listing and bid on the item.
3. When the listing ends, the high bidder or bidders
buy the item from the seller for the highest bid.
2
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Reasons to Buy Online
Bargains
Selection
Worldwide customer base
Easy Payment options
3
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
eBay Auction Types
Length: 3, 5, 7, or 10-day
7-day auction is common
Shorter length for “Hot” items
Longer for better exposure
Fixed Price and Real Estate Ads
No bidding, set price
4
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Auction Options
“Buy it Now”
Disappears after first bid or reserve is met
Buyers must qualify
Reserve Price
Seller sets a hidden minimum-selling price
Reserve price not shown, only whether it’s been met
Winning bid must meet or exceed the reserve price
No sale if reserve price is not met
Private Auction
Bidder Ids are not revealed
5
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Fixed Price Auctions
Works like “Buy it Now”
No bidding
Set Price
Sellers must qualify
ID verified or minimum Feedback rating
Real Estate Ads are usually Fixed Price
6
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Real Estate Ads
Asking price is listed
No bidding takes place
Interested buyers fill out a contact form
Property lists for 30 or 90 days
Revise your item any time
No feedback on Real Estate Ads
Aim is to generate leads rather than a single high bidder
7
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Dutch Auctions
Sell multiple, identical items
All winning bidders pay lowest successful bid
For a listing with 10 available items and 2 bidders:
•Bidder A bid for 3 items at $5 each.
•Bidder B bid for 8 items at $6 each.
In this case, the lowest successful bid is $5.
So the outcome of this listing is:
•Bidder B wins 8 items at $5 each.
•Bidder A wins 2 items at $5 each.
8
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
What eBay Costs
Buyer
Pays for the item
Pays shipping
Seller
Pays insertion fee when item is listed
Pays listing fees when item is listed
Pays final value fee to eBay when item sells
Pays fee to Payment service, if used
9
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
What You Can Sell?
Personal Items
Spring Cleaning
Purchases you can’t return
Vehicles
Real Estate
eBay Stores
Almost anything not illegal or dangerous
10
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Is My Item Allowed?
Handout
Prohibited
Not allowed, Period.
Questionable
May be listed under certain conditions
Potentially infringing
May violate copyrights, trademarks, licenses
11
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
How to Buy on eBay
Register
Find the item you want
Bid or “Buy it Now”
Pay for the item
Leave Feedback
12
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Getting Started: Registration
Enter personal information
Name, address, phone
Birthdate (you must be 18+)
Create ID & password
Agree to terms
Confirm email
13
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Buying on eBay: Finding Items
Browse by category
Search by key word
Power Search using filters
Save favorite searches
Email results: Let eBay search for you
Save items of interest to “My eBay”
14
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Viewing Search Results
15
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Terms You May Encounter
B&W
BBC, BC, NC
CC
CONUS
FB
FVF
LTD
MIB, MIMP, MIP, MNB,
MOC, MOMC, MONMC,
MWBT, NM
16
Website
MIJ, MIC
NBW, NIB, LNIB, BNIB,
NOS, NRFB
OEM
OOP
PM, USPS
S/O
TM
VHTF
WYSIWYG
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Bidding Process
How much to bid
Research the item’s value
Decide on your maximum bid
Don’t bid early
Use odd bid increments
Proxy bidding
Let eBay bid automatically, up to your maximum
Sniping
Bid in the last few seconds
17
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Completing the Sale
Contact the seller
“Ask the Seller a Question”
Contact Prior to bidding
Checking out
Contact Seller promptly
Pay promptly
18
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Paying for the Item
Website
PayPal
Online Payment service
Part of eBay
Credit Card or Bank Withdrawal
Money Order or Cashier's check (by mail)
Cash or Personal Check (local sales)
Other online payment services
19
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
PayPal: eBay’s Payment Service
Easiest & safest way to pay on eBay
Can pay with credit cards or check
Anyone with an email account can send or
receive PayPal payments
No fee to send money (Buyers)
Small fee to receive money (Sellers)
Simplifies International sales
20
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Leaving Feedback
21
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Software Tools
Website
My eBay
eBay Toolbar (for Windows PCs)
Internet Explorer “Auction Manager” (for
Macs, too)
Management software:Many available
Sniping software: Many available
Website
22
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Safe Buying Tips
Handout
Before bidding:
Ask Seller questions before you bid
Check refund/return policies & shipping costs
Confirm authenticity & value of item
Avoid cash-only deals
After winning:
Use payment method with buyer protection
Verify Seller contact info
Keep careful records
23
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Create a Seller’s Account
Verify buyer registration info
Establish Proof of Identity
Need Credit/Debit card & Bank Account
or
Get ID Verified ($5 fee)
• eBay checks personal info against credit accounts
• Need ID Verify for BIN, large bids, mature area
• Can’t change contact info for 30 days
Select how to pay seller’s fees
Deduct from bank account (US banks only)
Charge to Credit Card
24
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Seller’s Checklist
Get ready to sell
Create a listing
Get the details
Payment and shipping info
25
Handout
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Sources of Items to Sell
Spring cleaning
Friends & family
Garage & yard sales
Flea markets
Estate sales
Thrift stores
26
Discount & dollar stores
Clearance sales
Going out of business
sales
Classified ads
eBay
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Setting a Price
Research the item’s value
Recover your costs
Listing fees
Shipping fees
Payment service fees
Packing materials
Make sure you can live with a single bid
27
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Listing Options
The auction length
The start time
Setting a reserve ... or not
Buy it now ... or not
Public or private
Keeping it local
Include a picture
28
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Listing Upgrades
Gallery pictures
Bold
Highlight
Featured
Great gift
29
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Writing a Good Description
Be Honest
Be accurate
List everything that’s included
List everything that’s missing
Include links to manufacturers site, if useful
For manuals or specs
“Exactly which car models do these roof rack adapters
fit, anyway?”
Don't steal descriptions or pictures
30
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Writing Your Listing
Use key words in the title
A good description
Include features and benefits
Be concise but…
Use all the space you need
Include sales, refund & return policies
Include shipping info
Policies shouldn’t be longer than description
31
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Really Basic HTML
<b> bold </b>
<i> italic </i>
Line Break: <br>
Displaying URLs
http://www.domain.com/folder
Displaying images
<img src="http://www.domain.com/images/cat.jpg">
32
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Using Pictures
Take a picture of everything that’s included
Scan an image from a manual or package
Borrow if you can but don't steal
Keep it simple & clean
Show any flaws
Fill the frame
33
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Uploading Pictures
Upload your image(s) to eBay
Use another Web host to include photo(s)
within your description
Format pictures for eBay’s standards
Save as jpg
400 by 300 pixels (w x h)
34
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Managing Your Auctions
Using “My eBay”
Website
Monitor your current auctions
Daily updates from eBay
Using other software
Many available for tracking sales, writing ads,
bulk listings
35
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Updating Your Listing
Can change most info if no bids and
12 hrs or more left
Can add info if you do have bids and
12 hrs or more left
Limited revision if less than 12 hrs
See eBay “help” for full details
36
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Canceling an Auction
Reasons for ending listings early include:
Item is no longer available
Error in the starting price or reserve
Error in the listing description
Item was lost or broken
If there are bids, you can:
Cancel bids and end the listing early
Sell item to high bidder(s) and end listing early
37
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Completing Your Sale
Contact the winning bidder
Send an Invoice through eBay checkout
Ship only after receiving payment
Packing and shipping
Leave feedback
Handling complaints and problems
38
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Packing Supplies
What you need
Boxes, tape, labels, packing peanuts/excelsior
Scale for weighing package
Include invoice/receipt in package
Free materials
Free Boxes, tape at USPS
Free labels at USPS, UPS, FedEx with accounts
Recycle & garbage bins (Ask!)
Office supply stores
USPS, WalMart, OfficeMax, Target, The UPS Store, etc.
39
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
International Customers
PayPal can convert to US $ for a small fee
In shipping policy, request that buyer
contact prior to sale for shipping costs
Visit wcoomd.org for world customs info
Comply with export laws
Don’t sell to buyers in banned countries
Avoid duty: select “gift” on customs form
40
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Shipping
Determine shipping costs before listing
Choose a primary shipper before listing
Ship large and heavy items by FedEx (usually)
Electronic postage
Prepay shipment & print labels with accounts
USPS offers free delivery confirmation online
Track your shipment
Insure most items
41
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
When the Item Doesn’t Sell
Re-list a second time
If it sells on second listing, insertion fee is
refunded (not if eBay store or Real Estate)
No refund for subsequent re-listings
If you choose to re-list:
Use a different title
Lower the starting price
Add a more detailed description
42
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Bidders Who Don’t Pay
Contact the unresponsive buyer
File a nonpaying bidder alert
Request fee refund
Leave negative feedback
Give other bidders a second chance
Re-list your item
43
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Safe Selling Tips
Accurately represent your items
Respond promptly to questions
Clearly state return and shipping policies
Ship with tracking numbers & insurance
Document everything
Don’t ship until payment is complete
44
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle
Rules to Remember:
Be Nice
Be Honest
Communicate!
Consult eBay Help
Document Everything
45
Intro to Buying & Selling on eBay ©2004, Jan G. Hogle