Preface

Buying and selling on eBay is straightforward – most users grasp
the fundamentals in under an hour. However, using eBay to its full
potential is more challenging. The more you use the site, the more
you become aware of its depth, its subtleties, its features and tools
that may not at first have been apparent. Even ‘veterans’ who think
they know every wrinkle of the site admit, if pushed, that there is
always more they could learn.
I first realised that there was a need for a Q&A book when I
reviewed the hundreds of questions sent to me by readers of my
weekly bulletin. Looking through the masses of emails and the
transcripts of my radio shows, two things struck me:
• Firstly, lots of people ask the same questions. There seem to be
certain concepts that stump people every time and no matter
how eBay tries to explain them on its website, they continue
to baffle.
• Secondly, that some of the questions are quite sophisticated.
Many people, it seemed, are comfortable with the basic
workings of eBay but get snagged on some of the more
esoteric points.
For both types of question, it seemed obvious to me that providing
answers in a simple, at-a-glance format would be a useful service.
What you have here, then, is a cross section of questions relating
to almost every aspect of eBay and, more importantly, answers
which are short, practical, and based on real-life experience; mine,
and that of other experienced eBay traders.
Whether you are mainly a buyer or a seller and irrespective of the
number or value of trades you do, you should find something in
these pages that makes you exclaim “well I never knew that!”, “ah,
I’ve always wondered how to do that!” or “now that’s an idea!”