You Won That Ebay Auction! Now What Do You Do?

by Kirsten Hawkins

It's a heady feeling when you win your first eBay auction: a mixture of happiness and perhaps just a little fear. After all, there seems to be so much to do before you can actually get your item. What do you do next? The simple answer is: you send payment to the seller, as quickly as possible. The quicker you pay, the more your seller will like you, and the sooner your item will arrive. But how you go about it? That all depends on how you plan to pay. PayPal. PayPal is one of the most popular options for paying on eBay, to the point where eBay decided to buy the company. It allows instant electronic payment across the Internet. Money goes instantly from your credit or debit card to the seller's PayPal account, where they can either use it for Internet purchases or transfer it out to their bank. eBay offer incentives for using PayPal, and almost all sellers now accept it. Its instant nature makes sellers very happy, and means that they can have your item packed and sent and leave you some positive feedback within a few hours of the auction ending. When paying by PayPal, you will be covered by PayPal's own insurances and guarantees, as well as any that your card might have. Cheques and Money Orders. This is payment the old-fashioned way, and will lead to a long wait to your item. You need to post the cheque or money order, then the seller has to take it to the bank and get it cleared, and only then do they send the item. The only reason to use this method is if either you or the seller distrusts electronic payment methods. If you're willing to go to the trouble with these sellers, though, you might get an item very cheaply, as most buyers just can't be bothered. When you pay by cheque or money order, make sure to print the eBay order confirmation page (it will be emailed to you) and put it in the envelope with your payment. Underline or circle key information like your mailing address and the item number. Finally, remember to be patient: keep in contact with the seller, as it really can take a month or two before everything falls into place and your item turns up. Money Transfers and Bank Deposits. Some sellers may ask you to pay them using a wire service like Western Union, or simply give you a bank account number and ask you to pay money into it. Unless you really trust the seller, this is generally a bad idea - these methods are hard to trace and you're unlikely to get any money back if anything goes wrong. Paying in cash, it hardly needs to be said, is an even worse idea. It's all a lot to take in, isn't it? I'm sure by now you've got a few questions, which is why the next email will be a little eBay buyer's FAQ. Let's hope we can solve any problems you might have. About the Author Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/ for more great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.

AUCTION TIP: A Basic eBay Listing Template

by Chuck Smith

The following article pertains to anyone who is looking to start an online auction business on eBay. Please feel free to use it for your ezine, web site, or any other electronic or print publication, with the following exception: You may NOT use this article in any form of spam. I only ask that you: 1. do not add or delete anything from the article 2. include the resource box at the end 3. notify me (csmith@auctionrookie.com) you are using it Synopsis -------- A good auction listing must not only read well, but must look professional. Here’s a quick, easy template anyone to make their listing more professional Word count according to Microsoft Word: 728 including title, byline, and contact info. Thanks, Chuck www.auctionrookie.com mailto:csmith@auctionrookie.com ============================================================ AUCTION TIP: A Basic eBay Listing Template by Chuck Smith Do you know what drives me nuts on eBay? When I view an item up for auction and the listing has no style whatsoever. There’s just a long scroll of text that gives only the briefest explanation of what the product is and why I should buy it. Writing a good auction listing is a topic for another article, but I can help those of you who want to spice up the look of your auction listings with a simple template that will work in the eBay “Sell an Item” system. First, I want to go over a couple of HTML “tags” so you know what all the funky little letters in the brackets (< >) are for. But don’t worry – I’m not going to try and teach you HTML. I just want to show you a little to keep you from messing up your listing. First, an HTML TAG is just a quick way for you to let a Web browser know how you want your web page to look like when it is displayed in your Web browser. That’s it. ======================== HTML TAGS ========================= HEADING TAG: This tag designates that the text is a heading and should be larger than the page text. You can designate different sizes of headings (I use heading2 below - ). FORMAT: Starts with and ends with PARAGRAPH TAG: This tag lets you format a block of text, complete with a break in between paragraphs. The break is always there, and you cannot start a new paragraph on the very next line. FORMAT: Starts with and ends with LINE BREAK TAG: This tag is like a carriage return on your word processor or typewriter. This tag will allow you to start on the very next line. NOTE: You cannot use more than one Line Break Tag in a row – HTML ignores them. FORMAT: Put a at the end of the line BULLETTED LIST: This will allow you to create a nice list of items with bullets in front. Great for showing off some features, since people tend to skim pages. FORMAT: Start the list with and end with Each list item gets a in front of it ======================== HTML TAGS ========================= That’s it for the HTML tutorial. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now, here’s a quick template you can use to spice up your eBay listings. Just cut and paste the text below (in between the “CUT HERE” lines) into the Notepad program on your PC (located under “All Programs > Accessories” in the Start menu) and edit the information in ALL CAPS. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ CUT HERE ++++++++++++++++++++++++ YOUR INTERESTING HEADLINE AN INTERESTING SUBHEAD HERE, YOU CAN EXPLAIN THE MAIN BENEFITS OF THE ITEM. MAKE IT A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION (2 – 3 SENTENCES). ANOTHER BENEFIT PARAGRAPH. SOME FEATURES IN A BULLETTED LIST: FEATURE 1 FEATURE 2 FEATURE 3 FEATURE 4 USE THIS PARAGRAPH TO WRAP-UP. YOU CAN STATE THE PRICE OF THE ITEM IF THEY BOUGHT IT IN THE STORE (I.E. I SAW THIS PRODUCT FOR $97 AT THE LOCAL STORE). YOU CAN ALSO PUT IN SOME CLOSING COMMENTS (I LIKE THIS ITEM, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE ROOM IN MY BASEMENT). PAYMENT TERMS: PUT YOUR PAYMENT METHODS HERE. P.S. ADD YOUR ABOUT ME PAGE HERE About Me Thank you! ++++++++++++++++++++++++ CUT HERE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Once you’ve changed the text and saved it from Notepad, just copy all of the text and paste it into the listing window on eBay. This will be the “Item description” form that comes up after you’ve picked a category. You can preview the description by clicking on the “Preview Page” link below the window. If you’ve done everything correctly, it should look great! By using this simple template, you can immediately vault the professionalism of your listings above and beyond what a lot of eBay-ers are putting out there right now. And that can result in more sales, at a greater price, for your online auction business. About the Author: Chuck Smith is the creator of the Auction Rookie web site. This site is dedicated to helping people start and run a successful online auction business. Visit his site to get a free report on “How to Get Started Selling on eBay.” http://www.auctionrookie.com or mailto:csmith@auctionrookie.com ------------------------------------------- Auction Rookie – Tools and Tips for Online Auction Success Visit http://www.auctionrookie.com for a FREE report on “How to Get Started Selling on eBay.” Comments or Questions? mailto:csmith@auctionrookie.com (c) Copyright 2003, Chuck Smith. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. About the Author Chuck Smith is the creator of the Auction Rookie web site. This site is dedicated to helping people start and run a successful online auction business. Visit his site to get a free report on “How to Get Started Selling on eBay.” http://www.auctionrookie.com or mailto:csmith@auctionrookie.com

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