You Won Now What?

You Won! Now What?

You've somehow waited patiently (or not) throughout the entire progress. As the clock ticked down to zero, no other viable competitors entered the arena, and your high bid stood. You won!

Now things really start to happen. You'll receive an email from eBay notifying you that you've won the auction. You'll also receive an email from the item's seller, telling you how much you need to pay, and where to send the payment. Then you'll need to reply to the seller, make your payment, and wait for the item to arrive. It's all pretty much common sense stuff, and fairly easy, as you'll learn in Chapter 10, "Paying for Your Purchaseand Waiting for It to Arrive."

The Absolute Minimum

Here are the key points to remember from this chapter:

• Before you place a bid, you have to be a registered eBay userand you should check out the feedback rating and comments of the item's seller.

• You place your bid in the Ready to Bid? section of the item listing page; then you enter your user ID, password, and the maximum bid you're willing to make.

• eBay's proxy bidding software manages your bidding, raising your bid as necessary up to but not exceeding your specified maximum bid amount.

• If, at any point during the auction, you get outbid, you have two options: Place another (higher) bid, or walk away free and clear.

• When you win an auction, you'll be notified by eBay; you should then contact the seller to arrange payment and shipping terms.