Section 11.3. Help via Email

11.3. Help via Email

If you can't find an answer in the Help topics or the AZ Index, you can shoot off an email to eBay. It might take a little while, but sooner or later a staffer will get back to you. Often the answers are canned responses cut and pasted straight from the Help files, but sometimes you get an answer that zeroes right in on your problem. It's worth asking.

Note: If you can't wait around for an email, or if you need a little give-and-take to get to the bottom of your problem, see "Live Help" on this page or "Chat" on page 389.

To send an email to eBay, start on the Help page (click Help on the navigation bar). Look on the left-hand side of the Help page for the Contact Us link; click it to email a question to eBay's support staff. A page opens where you choose a category and two subcategories that best describe your question. Putting your question into a category helps eBay to route your question, but it also means that eBay controls the kinds of questions you can ask. Take a look at Figure 11-2 to see an example.

Figure 11-2. Contact Us lets you ask a question or report problems with auctions or other eBayers. When you've selected the topic and subtopics that describe your communication, click Continue. On the next page, eBay suggests Help topics you might check out and provides a link you can click to type your email.

After you specify a category and click the Continue button, as shown in Figure 11-2, a page appears giving you Instant Help (links to topics eBay thinks will answer your question). If none of these topics offers the information you're looking for, click the Email link to send off your questionand be prepared to wait a day or two for your answer.