How do you do it?

Question

How does ebay work? I assume an account has to be opened , but when you sell or buy stuff, how do you get paid or how do you pay? Is it safe? And what is this biding stuff?

Answer 1

Yes, Ebay is safe, if you are careful, there are some people out there who try to con you so just be careful, however, they have user reviews so always check out their reviews first and see if they are in the high ninety percents.
Basically, yes, you open an account and then you search for an item you want to buy and then you give your highest bid for that item but it's open for all users and therefore, someone can come along and outbid you, so sometimes it's a bit of a rip off but a lot of the time you get good bargains.
And basically, when selling something, you go through a process where you sort your item into a category, specify ways of delivery and payment and add any extra info about that item. You can make it a set price or you can leave it open for bidding, bidding is best if it's a popular item, you get a better profit! With a fixed price, it has no chance of going higher than what you expected, but this is better for a less popular item, as it can sell for a really cheap price.
As for paying, there are different ways of payment, personal cheque is one where as soon as you win the item, you send them a cheque through the post and they send the item back to you. Or you can open a paypal account where you pay through your credit card straight into that person's account, then they post the item when it's cleared. People usually have a preference to which one they prefer you to use.

But for more information, I suggest contacting ebay or reading up about it on a website (http://pages.ebay.ca/education/started/howitworks.html).
Ebay's really good but be web-wise!

(Oh yes, and if you live in england, don't go on ebay.com and vice versa - the stuff's likely to come from america!!!!)

Lorna

Answer 2

Ebay's definately a great place to buy/sell anything you want (or have) your hands on - there are just a few precautions you need to take. First off,register an account and have a look around - read through the rules and guidelines, because they'll give you a valuable insight on how bidding works. It's all quite safe, but it depends on how you pay for things.. I usually use Paypal, a great online program that books money directly from your bankaccount/PayPal balance, so the seller will never have to see your personal banking information :) When buying things, I suggest you check out the seller's feedback first. It will tell you if he's a respected person and easy to deal with, or if you'll probably be running into some trouble.. Best of luck!

Answer 3

Gosh, those are a lot of questions, and I could write for days to answer them. Here's some advice; pick an item that is up for bid. Look at it carefully, see if there is a minimum sale price, bookmark it, and watch the bidding process unfold. It's just like a regular auction in that you bid for something you want, and other people who are willing to pay more, may outbid you. Paypal is the usual way that people pay or get paid. Paypal is a payment "broker" who handles the transfer of money so that the seller never sees the buyer's private information (credit card no, check information)and the buyer never sees anything sees anything about the seller (address, bank acct no.). This is done for a fee, but lots of people use it because it installs a third party between financial transactions. I know people who sell on e-bay that accept personal checks though. It is up to the seller what method they will accept. It is easy to open an account on e-bay and paypal, and they have tutorials that can teach you how to use them. To start out though, just spend some time familiarizing yourself with the site. Watch an auction, read seller's ratings, it's interesting.

Answer 4

You have to set up an e-bay account to get started. That part is free.

In order to purchase things, you will either need to set up a paypal account, or sometimes people will let you send them certified checks. In order to sell things, it's usually best to stick wtih paypal.

There is a rating system that you should pay attention to - it lets you know if a person buying or selling has been fair and truthful in the past (when you first get started, you might want to make some small purchases, in order to get your rating up - since some people won't even deal with someone unless they have a decent rating).

It's relatively safe - though just like anything else, you should use common sense to determine if a '67 Les Paul that someone is selling for 10 bucks is real or not.

The bidding system allows the seller to set a minimum price they will accept, and then people can bid whatever amount they want - the seller can decide to accept lower than their minimum - but sometimes they can get more than they expected, if two or more people get in a bidding war and run the price up.

I avoid e-bay for the most part, but I've got a friend who buys guitars from it quite often, and has them sent to me first to check them out and make sure they are 100% before he gets them.

Answer 5

eBay is an on-line auction site (like you didn't know that, lol) and people get paid by PayPal, sending a cheque, bank transfer, etc. there are risks with this but there are a few safe-guards that are there. take a look at the eBay site to see these explained.

Yes, you have to open an account with eBay, but they won't take any money off you unless you sell something, then there's a small commission to pay.

It's as safe as buying from any 'virtual auction', but you should check out other peoples feedback before sending any money. If there's much bad feedback then don't buy!

I've been buying on eBay for years and I've only had one bad experience and that was sorted by a few quick emails for eBay themselves.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

You open an ebay account

Theres a variety of payment options from paypal to credit cards to cheques the sellers say on the advert what form of payment they will accept.

You see an item you like you put in the most you are willing to pay if no-one bids higher it is yours.

Answer 7

Paypal

Answer 8

Yes it is safe. You open an account. You have to set up Pay Pal.

Answer 9

Trust! Feedback! you paid for stuff thought Pay Pal it's secure.
We want to buy one thing: 10$ for example. I'll buy it for 10.5$,
you want this thing too. You tell 10.6$ - Bid (tell price - auction)

Answer 10

it's safe and better yet it works. well some ppl are NOT safe but u can check their postive/negative feedback rating. i got an $450 ipod package vale for like $350