Welcome to eBay Training

Some details:eBay was launched in 1995 as an experiment in how equal access to

information and opportunities would affect the efficiency of a marketplace, it seems to have worked because:

• Today, there are more than 150 million registered members from around the world

• 724,000 members make their living entirely on eBay• eBay is the 3rd most visited site on the internet.• eBay has hosted over 6.4 billion auctions since its beginning in 1995.• eBay is global, with eBay sites in 26 separate countries, including China and

India.• eBay North America receives over 12 million page views per day.• In 2004, eBay members transacted $26 billion in annualized gross

merchandise sales (GMS, the value of goods sold on eBay).• On any given day, there are more than 22 million items listed on eBay

across 27,000 categories.

What we will cover:• Registering• Browsing and Searching• Buying• Selling• Shipping• Selling fees• My eBay• The eBay Community, eBay Help and other

resources

Registering on eBay

To Register…• Go to www.ebay.com• Click “Register”• You’ll need:

email addresscontact information

• You will createuser IDpassword

Fill in the information and

scroll down

Check your Email

• After entering your information eBay will send you an email that will have a link to click on to “Activate Your eBay Membership”

• This tells eBay that you can access emails from the email address you provided.

eBay and PayPalTo Open a PayPal Account:

• You will need…– An email address (preferably the one you used to register on eBay)– A valid bank account– A credit or debit card

• Go to www.paypal.com• You will create a password• Click the Sign Up link

and follow the instructions

And you’re ready to buy!

Browsing & Searching

Browse by Category• Categories

– eBay’s hierarchical classification system

– Allows users to “window shop” or “browse”

– 32 top categories– 50,000+ sub categories

Let’s browse cameras by clicking on “Cameras & Photo”

Category Pages

You now see subcategories to choose from and subcategories below those.

Category Pages

• Browse through pages• Use Finder to filter results

Keyword Searches

• Search boxes on every page

Keyword Searches

• Use “title & description search” to find more items

To narrow your choices:• Use * to find any words

that start with a group ofletters/numbers

• Use – to exclude words

• Use parentheses to indicate OR (a,b)

• Search for phrases byincluding the query“in quotes”

More Filters

Buying

What is Feedback?• Feedback is important!

– Building blocks of every eBay member’s reputation– Buyers want and expect positive feedback

• Who goes first? It’s not official but..– Sellers usually leave feedback when they receive

payment– Buyers usually leave feedback when they receive the

item• Dispute? Try to work it out first!

– Feedback is permanent– Always give buyers the benefit of the doubt– Exhaust all options before leaving negative feedback

How to Check Seller Feedback

Reading FeedbackYou can read feedback:• From people who have bought from the member• From people who have sold to the member• That the member has left for others

Have questions for seller?

Click here

Selling

Set up a Seller’s Account• First, register on eBay,

then have on hand:– Your eBay User ID & password– A credit card/debit card– A checking account check

• Then click the Sell link

• Click on “Register”• Fill in all the information requested on the form that opensYou’re ready to sell!

What to sell?

• Pick something easy to describe and package and ship for starting

• How to sell it?– Compare sold / unsold items– Click “Advanced Search”– Enter Keywords– Check “completed items”– View the most & least successful items– Copy what works

Researching Completed Items• Title – Which keywords get the most bids• Starting Price – Low, reasonable or high?• Description – How much information provided?• Photos – High or poor quality? No photos?• Selling Format – Auction, Buy It Now, or Fixed Price?

Reserve?• Number of bids – Few, many or none?• Payment Options – Provided? No provided?

Fixed or calculated?• Return / Refund policy – Provided? Not provided?

Terms?• Category / subcategory – Was the item properly categorized?

• Hit Counter – How many hits?

Write a Description• Compose it with Notepad and SAVE for future use• Complete item details

– Full name– Dimensions– Color– Age / Condition

• Detailed Terms of Service– Payment / Shipping terms– Return / refund policy

• Professional look & feel– Simple, uncluttered layout– Positive tone

Sample Descriptions

Digital Pictures

• Digital Camera or Scanner• Watch what you are taking a picture of

– Make sure background is not your clutter– Backdrop with light is good– Make sure camera is focused– Stabilize the camera– Items arranged for best aspect / angle– Crop the item for tight picture

Pricing & Formats• Starting Price

– Mandatory– Price you set as the “opening bid”

• Reserve Price– Optional– Lowest price at which you are obligated to sell

• Buy it Now– Optional– Your “sell it outright” price– Best for “commodity” items

• Multiple Item Auction– Dutch Auction– For selling identical items in auction format

Sell Your Item Form

Sample auction listing

Shipping

Shipping Companies

• United States Postal Service (usps.com)• UPS.com• Fedex.com• Endicia.com• DHL

Pros & Con review

Selling Fees

How do I pay my eBay fees?

• PayPal• Direct Pay• Credit Card• Check or money order

Types of selling fees

• Insertion fees– Applies to auction, fixed price and Dutch (multiple)

listings– Amount based on starting or reserve price– Non-refundable

• Listing Enhancement fees (see next slide)• Final Value fees

– The Final Value Fee is based on the ending price– No Final Value Fee is charged if the Reserve is not

met or the item receives no bids

Listing Enhancement Fees1st Photo FREE With eBay Picture ServicesAdditional Photos $0.15 Up to six (nine in Motors)Gallery $0.35 Adds Thumbnail photo next to titleShow as Gift $0.25 Inserts gift icon next to your titleReserve Price varies Sets a "don't sell unless" priceBuy It Now varies Sets a "fixed price" for outright purchaseBold $1.00 Listing title appears in boldAndale Counter FREE Shows number of page hitsHighlight $5.00 Places a color band behind your item titleSchedule Listing $0.10 Allows you to set a future start timeListing Designer $0.10 Surrounds description with themed layoutsHome Page Featured $39.95 Places a copy of title in Featured sectionFeatured Plus! $19.95 Places a copy of title on top of category

see eBay for current pricing

My eBay

Your personal “dashboard” for storing and monitoring:

• Items for sale & items sold• Bids and purchases• Favorite searches, categories and sellers• Accounts• Feedback (received and obligations)• Personal information and preferences

Monitoring Your Listing• Check your listing regularly

– Search for it (think like a buyer)– Browse for it in its category

• Revise the Listing– Make corrections before first bid– No changes possible after first bid– Add to the item description if necessary

• Cancel the Listing– For major mistakes or item no longer available– My eBay > Selling > Selling Related Links

Monitoring Your Listing• Trends

– A few bids right out of the gate– Few or no bids for the duration– Many bidders tend to bid in the last moments– Track and record hits and bids by number, date and

time– Track number of “watchers” using My eBay

• Respond to Bidder’s questions– Check email often– Note buyer questions (add information to future

listings)– Maintain a polite & professional demeanor

Two important views• All Selling• My Account

Beyond the Sale

The eBay Community• Announcement Boards

– General promotions, announcements, features and system updates• Community Chat

– Discussion forums on any topic for all eBay members• Workshops & Town Hall Meetings

– Live discussion of eBay topics hosted by eBay members and senior staff employees

• eBay Groups– Member initiated groups

eBay Help• Click the Help link• Enter your question• Click an appropriate topic link or…• Click “Contact Us” to email Customer Support• Find more helpful links on the bottom of “My eBay” pages.

Live Help

• Click Live Help on eBay Home Page• Follow instructions• Real time chat with eBay Customer

Support

Summary and other things to discuss

• Re-listing if your item is doesn’t sell• Second chance offer to item under-bidder• Calculate shipping and contact buyer• eBay fees – cost less than local classified

ads!• PayPal.com is easy to set up and use• Different types of fraud to be careful of

Other Resources• half.com owned by eBay, same userid and password, easy to sell Media

items like DVD's, VHS tapes and Books by simply entering the ISBN # and following onscreen prompts.

• paypal.com for processing $$$ transactions • usps.com for shipping rates (see also: fedex.com, ups.com, dhl.com

etc...)• ecrater.com for free website store, they will process payments through

paypal.com or google checkout. Easiest way to get started with your own little website.

• ureach.com for toll free phone number, inbox, file cabinet• endicia.com for professional shipping labels, stealth postage, and avoid

waiting in line at post office• escrow.com for processing $$$ transactions through a 3rd party, for

protection of the buyer• craigslist.org - for advertising, free stuff, networking, and sales!• Book - Title: How to start and run an eBay consignment business

by: Skip McGrath

Welcome to the eBay community!