With coverage of eBay's eBay Selling Manager auction management service, this text also covers the Turbo Lister listing creation software.

On any given day there are more than 12 million items listed for auction at eBay, the world's largest online trading community. Almost $15 billion worth of merchandise, in more than 638 million individual auctions, was traded over eBay during the year 2002; that's $50 million a day, or $579 every second. At the end of 2002, eBay had more than 62 million registered users - almost triple the number of users just two years prior.The first edition of this book is a runaway best-seller, and we have updated to reflect some of eBay's most recent upgrades including: Selling Manager (eBay's new auction management service), Turbo Lister (new listing creation software), and eBay's new listing design features. This ABG will explain eBay to new users in a way that will have them using eBay like experienced veterans.

• Introduction. I. ESSENTIAL EBAY. 1. Introducing eBay, the World's Largest Online Auction. What Is eBay-and How Did It Come to Be? How Does an eBay Auction Work? What You Can-and What You Can't-Trade on eBay. What's What (and What's Where) on eBay. 2. Joining Up and Getting Started. Everybody Does It: Filling Out eBay's Registration Form. Setting Up Your Payment Options. The Costs of Using eBay. Getting Started. 3. Creating a Home Base with My eBay. Accessing and Using My eBay. Managing and Personalizing My eBay. II. EBAY FOR BIDDERS. 4. Bidding 101: A Tutorial for Beginning Bidders. Understanding the. Bidding Process. How to Read an Item Listing. Before You Bid. Just Do It-Placing a Bid. Bidding in Other Types of Auctions. What to Do After You've Bid. Five Common Bidding Mistakes. You Won!Now What? 5. Searching for Items and People). Browsing or Searching-Which One Is for You? Browsing: The Easy Way to Find Things. Searching: The Powerful Way to Find Things. 6. The Best Ways to Pay. Different Ways to Pay. Evaluating Different Methods of Payments. 7. After the Auction: Taking Care of Business. Using the Post-Auction Checklist. Making Contact. Checking Out. Arranging Payment. Waiting for Your Doorbell to Ring. Receiving the Goods. Finishing Things Up and Leaving Feedback. 8. Dealing with Fraudulent Sellers. Protecting Yourself Before You Buy. Protecting Yourself After the Auction. Reporting Inappropriate Behavior. Tips for Protecting Yourself on eBay. 9. Secrets of Successful Bidders. The Guaranteed Way to Win an Auction-Be Sneaky and Snipe. Forty Sure-Fire Tips for Placing a Winning Bid-and Getting the Most. for Your Money. III. EBAY FOR SELLERS. 10. Selling 101: A Tutorial for Beginning Sellers. Getting Ready to List. Getting Started: Creating an Item Listing. Selling Commonly Sold Items with Pre-Filled Item Information. Dealing with Different Types of Auctions. Managing Your Item Listing. Five Common Selling Mistakes. The Auction's Over!Now What? 11. Determining What to Sell---And for How Much. Finding Items to Sell. Picking the Right Category. Setting the Right Price. 12. Deciding on Your Payment Methods---And Using PayPal. Accepting Cash. Accepting C.O.D. Payments. Accepting Personal Checks. Accepting Money Orders and Cashier's Checks. Accepting Credit Cards-via PayPal. Which Way Is Best? 13. Choosing the Right Listing Options. Choosing the Right Length. Choosing a Different Start Time. To Reserve or Not to Reserve. Sell It Now? Public or Private? Local Is Good. A Pretty Picture. Go for the Gallery? Grab Attention with Listing Upgrades. Count 'em Up. 14. Writing a Listing That Sells. Write a Title That SELLS! Write the Right Description. Making the Grade. Other Ways to Describe Your Item. 15. Using Pictures in Your Listings. Take a Picture-or Make a Scan. Convert a Picture to a Digital Graphics File. Edit the Image File. Upload Your Image File to the Internet-or Use eBay. Picture Services. 16. Creating a Great-Looking Listing. Apply Cool Templates with eBay's Listing Designer. Create Fancy Listings with Listing-Creation Tools. Insert Simple Formatting in Your Item Description. Crack the Code: Entering HTML by Hand. 17. Automating Item Listing with eBay Turbo Lister. Downloading and Configuring the Turbo Lister Software. Creating an Item Listing. Creating Listings for Commonly Sold Items. Uploading Your Listings. 18. Managing the Auction Process. Keeping Tabs on Your Current Auctions. Editing In-Process Auctions. Promoting Your Auctions. 19. After the Auction: Concluding Your Business. The Post-Auction Process. Communicating with the Winning Bidder. Accepting Payment. Packing and Shipping. Finishing Things Up and Leaving Feedback. Handling Buyer Complaints and Problems. What If You Don't Sell Your Item? What If the Buyer Doesn't Pay? 20. Automating Auction Management with eBay Selling Manager. Introducing eBay Selling Manager. Sending Buyer Emails. Receiving Payment. Printing Invoices and Shipping Labels. After the Item Is Shipped. 21. Shipping It Out---Cheaply and Safely. Packing 101. Labeling 101. Shipping 101. 22. Dealing with Deadbeat Bidders. How to Handle Bum Bidders. Contacting an Unresponsive Bidder. Filing a Non-Paying Bidder Alert. Asking eBay to Refund Your Fees. Leaving Negative Feedback. Giving Other Bidders a Second Chance. Relisting Your Item. 23. Secrets of Successful Sellers. Two Different Strategies for Success. Forty Sure-Fire Tips for Closing More Auctions-and Increasing. Your Revenues. IV. USING EBAY'S ADVANCED FEATURES. 24. Creating Your Own Personal About Me Page. Introducing the About Me Page. Creating Your Own About Me Page. Publicizing Your eBay Auctions with About Me. 25. Understanding and Using Feedback. What Do All Those Stars and Numbers Mean? Reading Feedback Comments-and Contacting Other Users. How to Leave Feedback. Figuring Out What Kind of Feedback to Leave. Dealing with Negative Feedback. 26. Participating in the eBay Community. Using eBay's Community Forums. Communicating via Third-Party Forums. Joining an Online Auction Organization. 27. Buying and Selling Wheels and Walls: eBay Motors and Real Estate. Buying and Selling Vehicles on eBay Motors. Buying and Selling Houses on eBay Real Estate. V. BECOMING A POWER SELLER. 28. Using Auction Software and Services. Listing and Auction Management. Sniping and Bidding Tools. 29. Going International. Pros and Cons of Selling Internationally. Selling Outside the U.S.. eBay's International Marketplaces. 30. Making a Living from eBay. Becoming an eBay PowerSeller. Turning Your Online Auctions into a Real Business. Maintaining Your Sales Inventory. Automating Your Auction Activities. Tracking Revenues and Costs. Promoting Your Online Auctions. Supplementing Your Auctions with an eBay Store. Index.