Chapter 1. Ready, Set, Shop | eBay[c] The Missing Manual

Chapter 1. Ready, Set, Shop!

eBay isn't like traditional online stores, where you pile up purchases in a virtual shopping cart and then check out. On eBay, the main attraction is its auction format; would-be buyers compete with each other by bidding on an item until everyone's made his top offer, or until the always-ticking eBay clock brings down the final hammer .

This arrangement may sound about as relaxing as rush- hour traffic when you're late for your own wedding . But once you get used to itwhich isn't hardit's straightforward and amazingly fun.

Note: In addition to auctions, eBay also has fixed-price sales, labeled Buy It Now. Section 1.4.3 tells you all about them.

Whether you want to buy, sell, or both, the best way to get started on eBay is to register and explore the site as a buyer. Learning how to buy smart helps you discover how to use eBay's search engine efficiently and familiarizes you with auction pages, where you can check out sellers' wares. Later, when you're ready to sell (Chapter 5), the skills you learn in this chapter will help you think like a buyer, attracting bidders to your auctions and getting top dollar for your merchandise.

This chapter shows you everything you need to get going on eBay:

How to register.
How to search eBay to find the stuff you want.
How to decipher auction pages to score the best deal.
How to tell the difference between the various types of eBay auctions.
How to shop smarter using your My eBay page.

To get started, simply type www.ebay.com into your Web browser's address box, and then hit Enter. eBay's home page appears, as shown in Figure 1-1. You can sign up, as described below, and start shopping in mere minutes.

Figure 1-1. This screenshot shows the version of eBay's home page that appears the first time you visit the site. It presents the three steps of most interest to new eBayers: how to find stuff, how to buy that stuff, and how to pay for it. Anyone can search the site. But before you can bid, buy, or pay, you have to register, as described in the following section.

Note: eBay likes to rearrange things and try out new looks, so its home page design changes frequently. But you can always find prominent links letting you register, search, pay, sell, or find help.