Everybody Does It: Filling Out eBay s Registration Form

Everybody Does It: Filling Out eBay's Registration Form

Registration is free, easy, and relatively quick. But before you register, you need to be prepared to enter some key information, as detailed in the following checklist:

Checklist: Before You Register

	Your name
	Your street address
	Your email address
	Your phone number
	Your date of birth
	Your credit card number (optional if you're only going to be bidding on items; mandatory if you're going to be selling items on auction)
	Your checking account number (not necessary if you're only going to be bidding on items; mandatory if you're going to be selling items on auction)

Note

eBay asks all members to supply a valid physical address and telephone number. They don't disclose this info to any third parties outside the eBay site, although they will supply appropriate personal data to other eBay users on their request. (It's how they try to contact deadbeat bidders and sellers.) You can get more details from eBay's Privacy Policy, found at pages.ebay.com/help/policies/privacy-policy.html.

Your eBay user ID must be at least two characters long, and can contain letters, numbers, and/or certain symbols. It cannot contain spaces, web page URLs, or the following symbols: @, $, &, %, ', <, or > and you can't use your email address as your user ID.

If you ever move, you'll need to change the address and phone number information eBay has on file. Just go to any My eBay page, click the Personal Information link (in the My Account section), and then click the Edit link next to the item you want to change: User ID, Password, Registered Name and Address, Registered Email Address, and so on.

Signing Up for Basic Membership

With this information at hand, you register as an eBay user by following these steps:

1.	From the Welcome to eBay page, click the Register Now buttonor, from the eBay home page, click the Register link above the Navigation Bar.
2.	When the Enter Information page appears (as shown in Figure 2.1), enter the following information: First name and last name Street address (including city, state, ZIP code, and country) Telephone numbersprimary (required) and secondary (optional) Date of birth Email address Figure 2.1. Enter your name, address, phone number, and email address.
3.	Still on the Enter Information page, scroll down and read the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy, check the box to agree to both agreements, and then click the Continue button. Note You may also be asked to provide a credit card number if you're a bidder using a free web-based email account, such as Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, or Gmail.
4.	When the Choose User ID and Password page appears (as shown in Figure 2.2), select one of the user names that eBay suggests for you, or create and enter your own user ID into the Create Your Own ID box. Figure 2.2. Select a user name and password.
5.	Still on the same page, create and enter a password (at least six characters long, with no spaces) into the Create Password box. Enter the password again into the Re-Enter Password box.
6.	Still on the same page, select a question from the Secret Question list, and then enter your answer in the Secret Answer box. (This is used if you ever forget your password.) Click Continue when done.
7.	eBay now verifies your email address and sends you a confirmation message via email, like the one shown in Figure 2.3. When you receive the email, click the Activate Your eBay Membership link in the email message to finalize your registration. Figure 2.3. eBay's confirmation email.

Creating a Seller's Account

If you intend to sell items on eBay, you'll need to provide a little bit more information to eBayin particular, your checking account number and either a credit or debit card number. The credit/debit card number is for billing purposes; your card is billed for all seller's fees you incur. (You can also choose to pay via checking account withdrawal; eBay bills your account once a month.) The checking account information is used to confirm that you are who you say you are, in an attempt to weed out fraudulent sellers from the system.

Tip

Even if you're just a buyer, you still might want to enter your credit card informationnot that eBay requires it, or will charge anything against it. Registering your card allows you to access eBay's adult areas and sets everything in place in case you do want to list items for sale in the future.

To set up your eBay account for selling, follow these steps:

1.	After you've completed your normal registration, and see eBay's Congratulations screen, click the Start Selling link. (Alternately, you'll be prompted to create a seller's account the first time you try to sell something on eBay.)
2.	When the Create Seller's Account page appears, as shown in Figure 2.4, click the Create Seller's Account button. Figure 2.4. Getting ready to create your eBay seller's account.
3.	You are now asked for a credit card to confirm your name and identity, as shown in Figure 2.5. Enter the requested information, then click Continue. Figure 2.5. Enter your credit card number.
4.	Now you have to enter your checking account informationbank name, bank routing number, and checking account number, as shown in Figure 2.6. Click Continue when ready. Figure 2.6. Enter your checking account number to create a seller's account.
5.	When the Select How to Pay Selling Fees page appears, select how you want to pay your eBay feesas a debit from your checking account or via credit card. Click the Submit button when done.

Your credit card information will be applied to your eBay account within 12 to 24 hoursat which time you'll be able to participate fully in everything eBay has to offer.