New eBayer's Guide to Sucess

By: Spoil Myself Today

Everyone on eBay has had to start at zero feedback unless you have purchased somoneone elses account which is know as feedback soliciation. Most EBayer’s are honest and have had to start from the beginning like the rest of us. Being a new buyer can be hard; sellers complain about you, you get a bad reputation for non payment, and you are slow to respond to e-mails or don't know how to work the system.

Spoil Myself Today is committed to helping new EBayer’s with their buying problems we are open, honest and communicate with new buyers. However, when you are buying  on eBay you need to remember a few simple rules.

• Always read the auctions in it's entirity  and also read any of the  Square Trade Policies. This tell you what you are bidding on as this will also tell you how the seller operates. It is unrealistic to expect a seller to significantly deviate from the terms stated and unrealistic to expect the seller to accept a payment method that is not stated in the auction.  If you bid without reading the auction you may find what you receive is not what you expected or you may find that the seller is acting in a way that you did not expect.



• Always understand your payment options  for the auction What does the seller state they will take for payment? 



• Understand foreign markets and currency if you are bidding outside of your country it is important that you understand conversion rates and foreign measurements. For example something listed on eBay.co.uk whose current bid is £1.52  is not the same as $1.52. At current market rates when this guide was published, £1.52 is approximately $2.84. Also 3.54 mls is not the same as 3.54 ounces so it is imperative you understand these differences as there is not a universal listing format on eBay. If you don't understand these differences the choice you have is to either ask the seller to explain or don't bid. The seller cannot be faulted for your lack of understanding.



• Ask your seller questions! There is no such thing as a stupid question if you don't understand something ask!



• Make sure you check your messages regularly. Messages sent off of eBay will be sent to My Messages on eBay and to the e-mail address that you have listed on eBay. Some of these messages end up in your junk or spam folders so it is important for you to review your folder on a regular basis and identify any e-mail from eBay as not Junk/Spam! Your e-mail provider should have a explaniation on how to do this. Many messages get missed this way by sellers and buyers because of Spam folder settings!  If you are going to buy on eBay make sure your setting are NOT set to delete all spam check this box every day!



• Pay for you items that you win in a timely manner! Makes sure you pay within the time frame stated in the auction and if no time frame is stated that you pay within 7 days. Otherwise the buyer can relist the item, block you from future auctions, and may decide to file a non payment strike against your ebay id. A non payment strike, especially if your account is less than 30 days old and / or has a feedback score of less than 10, may result in your account being suspended by eBay.



• If you can't pay for your item and you have and won make sure you contact the seller. Nothing screams bad Ebayer when you can't even type in a simple I am sorry I am having payment problems. You will find that most EBayer’s are very forgiving, and will understand if you are having problems. Sometimes things just come up and you can't control it! Remember we are not psychic!



• If you make a payment arrangement don't forget to pay! We do file Non-Payment Strike against  EBayer’s who don't hold their end of the deal and fail to pay on time after making an agreement.



• Don't be quick to leave negative or neutral feedback  for a seller! If the items is not as described or your are disappointed in the product. Send the seller a message through My Messages specificaly stating what the issue is  and any solution you can think of that would resolve the situation. Believe me if you leave positive feedback with a unwelcome comment, negative or neutral feedback most sellers will return the favour for you by leaving you negative for you!  Don't be surprised by this as this is a result of not commuicating with the seller by thinking you are solving the problem by hastely leaving feedback. Remember sellers are not obligated to leave like for like feedback. This is a quick way to learn how to communicate with your seller.



• Don't ask for alternative payment forms! If the auction states PAY PAL ONLY! Its Pay Pal only, you can't pay  by cheque, money order of cash. Sellers will file Non-Payment strikes for buyers who refuse to pay for items because they don't like the payment terms or attempt to pay via a method not stated.



• Don't try to negotiate shipping on your purchases. If the shipping is £2.50 for each item and there are three items with no discount you will be expected to pay £7.50. The seller may only pay £3.50 to ship the item however, shipping costs includes things such as envelopes, tape, boxes, labels, petrol, car insurance parking fees, and these do not magicaly grow on trees in our gardens nor do gnomes appear with shipping money.



• Don't Leave Negative Feedback For High Shipping Costs Nothing annoys me more than seeing a poor seller who has gone to the trouble to send an item out to a buyer who then leaves negative feedback for high shipping! This is totally uncalled  for and will not win you any friends on eBay. When you bid you are making a contract between you and the seller, if you bid knowing the shipping is £15.00, you should not complain in the feedback about the shipping as it reflects more negatively on you than the seller. Instead eBay provides a mechanism for reporting fee circumvention.

Important eBay Acronyms 

When shopping in the worlds largest mall you often see strange three letter words that make very little sense to you when you have never shopped on eBay before here is a list and their meaning to help your shopping experience.

• NIB-New in Box
• NWT-New with Tags
• B&W-Black and White
• BIN-Buy it Now
• BNWOT-Brand New Without  Tags
• EUC-Excellent Used Condition
• FB-Feedback
• NPS-Non Payment Strike
• FVF-Final Value Fee
• GU-Gently Used
• HTF-Hard to Find
• MIB-Mint in Box
• NBW-Never Been Worn
• NR-No Reserve
• G-Good
• OP-Origional Poster this is used quite a bit in the message boards.

Since the seller only has a few letters to describe their item in the TITLE eBay has come up with this lingo also know as acronyms which is important to know if you are  buying off of eBay and you are new.

I hope this guide has been helpful to you if you are a new buyer, or even an experienced buyer. If you have any questions about eBay, buying or selling please don't hesitate to ask we are always happy to help you out however we can!

HAPPY BIDDING!