The main auction site categories at eBay are:
Each of the categories above is then broken down into sub-categories, for example the Computer and Video Gaming category consists of the following sub-categories: Coin-Operated; Classic Platforms; Gameboy; GameCube; Merchandise & Books; Nintendo 64; PC Games; Sega Dreamcast; Sony PlayStation; Sony PS2; Vintage Platforms; Wholesale; Xbox and Other Video Gaming.
eBay UK tips and info - for all you need to know on bidding and buying items, see the page - How do I bid?
On the other hand, if you want to know anything about how to sell an item on eBay, see the page - How do I Sell?
When you have registered free on the eBay site, you will be able to use lots of useful features including the My eBay section of the site. My eBay is a valuable tool that helps you keep track of your bidding and selling activity. Many users think that My eBay is the one of the best features on the site - it allows you to to view the items you are selling, those that you are bidding on, your account status, and your most recent feedback. You can also specify your favourite e-bay categories.
For example, if you see an item you are interested in, but don't want to bid on it yet, you can click on 'Watch this item' to remind yourself and make it easy to find that item again. This is not bidding on the item - it just means that it will be placed on the list of items you are watching in the my eBay section of the site.
If you want to bid on an item, simply enter your bid in the box and then confirm your bid - you can also enter a maximum bid (which is kept secret from the seller and other buyers). This is called proxy bidding and means that you can type in the maximum price you are willing to pay for an item and as long as nobody else bids higher than your maximum, you will win the item! From eBays site, here is the info on how it works:
1.) When you place a bid, you enter the maximum amount you'd be willing to pay for the item. Your maximum amount is kept confidential from other bidders and the seller.
2.) The eBay system compares your bid to those of the other bidders.
3.) The system places bids on your behalf, using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high bid position (or to meet the reserve price). The system will bid up to your maximum amount.
4.)If another bidder has a higher maximum, you'll be outbid. BUT, if no other bidder has a higher maximum, you win the item. And you could pay significantly less than your maximum price".
The 'My eBay' section of the site displays information on items you are bidding on; items you have won; items you are watching and items you didn't win. Any time you search for an item, you can choose to save your search to make it easy to run the search again at any time. You can also choose to receive email notification for up to 3 searches - as new items are added to eBay every day this is a great way to make sure you don't miss out on any bargains! When new items are added to eBay which match your search terms you will get details by email with links to the items for sale. So if no matching items are currently available you can make sure that you are notified when the products you want are listed, without checking the site every day.
Top tip - don't bid too early - bidding early can result in other people outbidding you and driving up the price. If you are able to log on to eBay around the time that the auction for the item you want is about to end you can often get in a successful last minute bid.
Each seller and buyer gets feedback from other users when they buy and sell, so you can view the feedback from other buyers and sellers to see what people said about them! This is a good way to reassure yourself that the person you are buying from or selling to is reliable and trustworthy.
Other bidding tips for buyers (from the eBay site) include:
# Go through the Buyer's Checklist carefully to prepare to bid.
# Read a seller's Feedback: Feedback is very useful for evaluating a user's trading history on eBay: a couple of moments spent looking through the feedback of the person you are doing business with is usually a good investment.
# Read the description: Take the time to read the item description and look at the photo to familiarise yourself with the item and ensure it is what you want. 'Check if the seller accepts safer payment methods such as Paypal or offers an insured postage option.
# Ask Questions: A good seller will always welcome questions and enquiries. If you want to know more, you can e-mail the seller or other eBay users who have bought from that seller.
# Use a Safer Payment Method: By using a safer payment method such as an Escrow service or Paypal you have more control over your purchase. Using a credit card to buy your item could offer you insurance cover. Check the terms and conditions of your credit card to find out more.
# Use Common Sense: On eBay, as in everyday life, you should always use common sense to protect yourself against fraud and deception. If you have any doubts about the seller, have a look if the item is being sold elsewhere on eBay. With millions of items for sale on eBay every day, there is bound to be another up for sale soon.
Items sold and for sale on eBay range from auctions for cars and property, to holiday auctions, antiques, PC and computer items, second hand furniture, golf clubs and just about anything else you can think of! So whether you are looking for a bargain book, cd or mobile phone or are interested in a property, van or car auction online - the eBay UK web site is the place to look on line.
We hope that this short guide to using eBay has been helpful - once you get familiar with the eBay UK web site you may even find it quite addictive and have good fun searching out and buying bargains or selling items you don't need to earn some extra cash! The variety of items sold on eBay is enormous - everything from secondhand books, cd's, videos, dvds, cameras and mobile phones to more unusual and unique items including fossils, autographs and signed photos, collectables and just about everything else!
eBay is the world’s largest person-to-person online trading community, with 42 million registered members and over 10 million listings online at any one time! As well as the UK web site, there are also country specific eBay web sites for Australia
; Canada;
the United States (ebay.com) and several other countries
. Basically, by taking advantage of the internet, eBay uses modern technology to bring classified ads into the 21st century, making it easy for buyers and sellers to come together for mutual benefit. And with over 1 million registered members in the UK, eBay offers a much wider selection of items for sale than you will find in the classifieds of any local newspaper!
To get started at eBay UK click here to register for free.
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Recommended resources:
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