Marsha Collier - eBay For Dummies

eBay For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016939682

ISBN: 978-1-119-26019-6

ISBN 978-1-119-26020-2 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-119-26026-4 (ePDF)

1. Table of Contents

Ijust cant believe it; this is the ninth edition of eBay For Dummies. When I wrote the original edition in 1999, eBay had just gone public, and its gross merchandise sales by sellers on the site was estimated at a staggering $2.8 billion. There has been little change in Internet transactions since eBay pioneered the collaborative economy. In 2015, eBay enabled $82 billion of gross merchandise volume with person-to-person transactions. I had no idea that eBay would become the worldwide marketplace it has and that this book would become the top-selling book for those wanting to learn about eBay. (Pretty cool, though.)

Millions of people have learned how to succeed at an eBay business by reading my books. In your hand you have the book that will get you on the road to your own online business. Heed my words and youll be getting the no-nonsense facts about eBay from an active user who was selling on eBay almost from day one.

Im a longtime eBay shopper as well as a Top Rated Seller. My original career was in retail marketing, and since launching my eBay adventure, Ive been making money on the site. (I even put my daughter through college on my profits!) I work from home and apply my background successfully to all facets of the site.

My enthusiasm and excitement for shopping and selling on the eBay Marketplace seems to have spread to so many corners of the world. eBay users (like you and me) currently total 162 million active users worldwide thats quite a community. (In 1999 there were only 10 million registered users.)

Its a community of buyers who enjoy shopping with mom-and-pop businesses (along with many famous celebrities and brand names) worldwide and of sellers who forage for items to sell online and make a few dollars (or a full-time living). The best part is that eBay is available to anyone who wants to take the time to learn how it works.

The venue is constantly evolving; familiar links may move, but the basics are there. It isnt too hard to master, but just as with any tool, once you know the ins and outs, youre ahead of the game. You can then get the deals when you shop, and make the most money when you sell. Youve come to the right place to find out all about eBay. This book is designed to help you understand the basics about buying and selling on eBay, the most successful e-commerce community.

You need a firm grasp of the basics before you can succeed in any endeavor. Here are all the tools you need to get moving on eBay, whether youre new to the Internet or a seasoned veteran. You see how to turn your everyday household clutter into cold, hard cash and how to look for items that you can sell on eBay.

If youre an online shopper, I show you how to figure out how much you should spend and how to get great deals. How much money you earn (or spend) depends entirely on how often and how smartly you conduct your eBay transactions. You decide how often you want to sell items and place bids; Im here to help with the smart part by sharing tips (along with the rules) drawn from my experiences on eBay.

A website as complex as eBay has many nooks and crannies that may confuse new users. Think of this book as a detailed road map that can help you navigate eBay, getting just as much or as little as you want from it. If theres a specific question you want answered, try looking it up in the index. I bet youll find a reference that will help.

As you figure out the nuts and bolts, you can start buying and selling stuff. This book is full of terrific strategies that help you get the most out of your transactions. With this book and a little elbow grease, you can join the ranks of the millions of people who use the Internet to make a profit. When you get the hang of eBay and feel that its time to graduate (no cap and gown required) from this book, look for my