On any given day there are more than 7 million items listed for auction at ebay (www.ebay.com), the world's largest online trading community. At the end of its last fiscal quarter, ebay had 49.7 million registered users, more than double the number of users just two years previous. It is estimated that $9.3 billion worth of merchandise, in more than 423 million individual auctions, was traded over eBay during the year 2002. To an absolute beginner, using eBay can be an intimidating experience. What do you need to do to participate? How do you place a bid? What do you do when the auction is over? Can you really trust the auction seller? Potential buyers and sellers need a book that takes them step-by-step through the eBay auction process and helps them become more successful over time. That book is this book: Absolute Beginner's Guide to ebay. Also included is information of value to ebay users wanting to make the jump to power-seller status.

Michael Miller is a top eBay seller and a successful and prolific author. He has a reputation for practical, real-world advice and an unerring empathy for the needs of his readers. Mr. Miller has written more than four dozen how-to and reference books since 1989, for Que and other major publishers. His books for Que include Absolute Beginner's Guide to Computer Basics, Special Edition Using the Internet and Web, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Auctions, and, with Jim Louderback, TechTV's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP for Home Users. He is known for his casual, easy-to-read writing style and his ability to explain a wide variety of complex topics to an everyday audience. Mr. Miller is also president of The Molehill Group, a strategic consulting and authoring firm based in Carmel, Indiana. As a consultant, he specializes in providing strategic advice to and writing business plans for Internet- and technology-based businesses. You can e-mail Mr. Miller directly at abg-ebay@molehillgroup.com. His Web site is located at www.molehillgroup.com.

Introduction. How This Book Is Organized. Conventions Used in This Book. Let Me Know What You Think. I. ESSENTIAL EBAY. 1. All About Online Auctions. How Popular Are Online Auctions? What Is an Online Auction, Exactly? What Makes Online Auctions So Popular? Why Should You Use an Online Auction? More About eBay-And Other Online Auction Sites. How Does an eBay Online Auction Work? 2. Introducing eBay, the WorldA 's Largest Online Auction. What Is eBay-And How Did It Come to Be? What You Can-And What You CanA 't-Trade on eBay. eBayA 's Specialty Services. WhatA 's What (and WhatA 's Where) on eBay. 3. Joining Up and Getting Started. Everybody Does It: Filling Out eBayA 's Registration Form. Setting Up Your Payment Options. The Costs of Using eBay. Getting Started. 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 YouA 've Bid. 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. Use 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. Before You List-Think About Checkout. Getting Started: Creating an Item Listing. Dealing with Different Types of Auctions. Managing Your Item Listing. The AuctionA '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. Paying by Cash. Paying by C.O.D. Paying by Personal Check. Paying by Money Order or CashierA 's Check. Paying by Credit Card-Or 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. Checklist-eBay Pictures. 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 eBayA 's Picture Hosting Service. 16. Creating a Great-Looking Listing. Crack the Code: An HTML Primer. Code You Can Use, for Real. Let Somebody Else Do the Coding: Prepackaged HTML for Your Item Listings. 17. Managing the Auction Process. Keeping Tabs on Your Current Auctions. Editing In-Process Auctions. Answering Bidder Questions. Promoting Your Auctions. 18. 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 DidnA 't Sell Your Item? What If the Buyer DoesnA 't Pay? 19. Shipping It Out-Cheaply and Safely. Packing 101. Labeling 101. Shipping 101. 20. 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. 21. Secrets of Successful Sellers. Two Different Strategies for Success. Forty Sure-Fire Tips for Closing More Auctions-And Increasing Your Revenues. IV. USING EBAYA 'S ADVANCED FEATURES. 22. Creating a Home Base with My eBay. Accessing and Using My eBay. Personalizing My eBay. 23. 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. 24. Understanding and Using Feedback. What Do All Those Stars and Numbers Mean? Reading Feedback Comments. View Feedback About You. Using the Feedback Forum. How to Leave Feedback. Figuring Out What Kind of Feedback to Leave. Dealing with Negative Feedback. 25. Participating in the eBay Community. Using eBayA 's Community Forums. Communicating via Third-Party Forums. Joining an Online Auction Organization. 26. Buying and Selling Right Now: eBay Stores and Half.com. Buying and Selling at eBay Stores. Buying and Selling at Half.com. 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. Selling in Quantity. Introducing eBay Turbo Lister. Other Bulk Listing Software and Services. 30. Using PayPal and Other Payment Services. Using PayPal for eBay Auctions. Using PayPal for Non-Auction Transactions. Other Online Payment Services. 31. Going International. Pros and Cons of Selling Internationally. Selling Outside the U.S. eBayA 's International Marketplaces. 32. Making a Living from eBay. Becoming an eBay PowerSeller. How to Turn 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 Online Store. Index.