My eBay for Seniors

Michael Miller is a prolific and popular writer of more than 150 nonfiction books and is known for his ability to explain complex topics to everyday readers. He writes about a variety of topics, including technology, business, and music. His best-selling books for Que include My Windows 8.1 PC for Seniors, My Facebook for Seniors, Absolute Beginner’s Guide to eBay, and Selling Your Crafts Online: With Etsy, eBay, and Pinterest. Worldwide, his books have sold more than one million copies. Find out more at the author’s website: www.molehillgroup.com Follow the author on Twitter: molehillgroup

Chapter 1: Getting to Know eBay--for Seniors     3
What Is eBay, Exactly?      3
How Seniors Use eBay     7
Signing Up, Signing In, and Signing Out     8
Create a New eBay Account     8
Sign Into Your eBay Account     9
Sign Out of eBay     10
Navigating the eBay Site     11
Use the eBay Toolbar     11
Use eBay’s Home Page     12
Chapter 2: Shopping Safely on eBay     15
Understanding the Risks of Shopping on eBay     15
Minimizing Your Risk with eBay’s Feedback System     16
Understanding Feedback     16
Viewing Feedback and Comments     18
Paying Safely by Credit Card--and PayPal     20
Protecting Yourself After the Sale with eBay’s Money Back Guarantee     21
Filing a Claim     22
Reporting Inappropriate Behavior     23
Report Another User     24
Tips for Protecting Yourself on eBay     25
Chapter 3: Browsing and Searching for Bargains     29
Browsing eBay’s Product Categories     29
Browse the Product Categories     30
Shop at a Product Hub     33
Shop for Deals     34
Searching for Specific Items     34
Use eBay’s Basic Search     35
Use eBay’s Advanced Search     36
Follow a Search     40
Viewing Product Listings     41
Read a Listing Page     41
Chapter 4: Buying Fixed-Price Items     47
Fixed-Price or Auction: What’s the Best Way to Buy?      47
Before You Buy     49
Look for Key Information     49
Purchasing a Fixed-Price Item     51
Calculate the Final Price     51
Buy a Single Item     53
Use the eBay Shopping Cart for Multiple Items     55
Paying for Your Purchase     57
Shopping at eBay Stores     59
Find an eBay Store     59
Search for an Item in eBay Stores     60
Browse and Buy in an eBay Store     60
After the Sale     61
Leave Feedback     62
Chapter 5: Buying Items on Auction     65
How Online Auctions Work     65
Understanding the Bidding Process     66
Determining How Much to Bid     69
Bidding in an Online Auction     70
Place a Bid     70
After You’ve Bid     72
Respond to a Higher Bid     73
Retract a Bad Bid     74
Winning an eBay Auction     75
Pay for a Winning Bid     75
Wait for the Item to Arrive     77
Leave Feedback     79
Bidding in a Reserve Price Auction     80
Purchasing an Auction Item with the Buy It Now Option     81
Use the Buy It Now Option     82
Bid a Lower Price Instead     82
Sniping to Win     83
What Sniping Is--And How It Works     83
Place a Last-Second Snipe     84
Explore Automated Sniping Services     85
Ten Tips for Winning More eBay Auctions     86
#1: Don’t Bid Too Early     86
#2: Look for Off-Peak Auctions     87
#3: Bid in the Off Season     87
#4: Search for Last-Minute Bargains     87
#5: Don’t Bid Too Low     88
#6: Don’t Bid Too High     88
#7: Bid in Odd Numbers     88
#8: Don’t Get Caught Up in a Bidding Frenzy     89
#9: There’s More Where That Came From     89
#10: Remember the Shipping and Handling Fees     89
Chapter 6: Understanding eBay’s Selling Fees     93
What Fees Do Buyers Pay?      93
What Fees Do Sellers Pay?      94
Basic Fees     94
Optional Fees     96
Use eBay’s Fee Calculator     98
PayPal Fees     100
Paying Your Fees     100
Chapter 7: Preparing Items for Sale     103
Finding Items to Sell     103
Around the House     103
Friends and Family     104
Garage Sales and Yard Sales     104
Flea Markets     104
Live Auctions     105
Vintage and Used Retailers     105
Thrift Stores     105
Discount and Dollar Stores     105
Closeout Sales     105
Going Out of Business Sales     105
What You Can’t Sell on eBay     106
Preparing Items for Sale     108
Picking the Right Category     110
Understand eBay’s Product Categories     110
Choosing a Category     111
Taking Product Photos     112
Tips for Taking Great Product Photos     112
Use eBay’s Stock Photos     118
Edit Your Photos     119
Writing an Effective Title     120
Include Key Information     121
Make Your Title Stand Out     121
Writing an Effective Description     122
Take All the Space You Need     122
First Things First     123
The Bare Necessities     123
Describe It--Accurately     124
Stress Benefits, Not Features     124
Break It Up     124
Don’t Forget the Fine Print     125
Include Alternative Wording     125
Making the Grade     126
Making a Mint     126
Getting Graded     127
Other Ways to Describe Your Item     128
Chapter 8: Downsizing via eBay     133
Different Ways to Downsize     133
Determining What to Sell     134
Determining How to Sell     136
Individual Items or Multiple-Item Lots?      136
Auction or Fixed Price?      137
Determining When to Sell     138
Letting Someone Else Sell for You     138
Use a Consignment Store     139
Use an eBay Valet     140
Chapter 9: Selling Commodity Items at a Fixed Price     143
What Types of Items Should You Sell at a Fixed Price?      144
Creating a Fixed-Price Listing     145
Create a New Listing     146
Create a New Listing--When eBay Knows What You’re Selling     151
Managing Your Listings     155
Edit a Listing     155
End a Listing     157
Relist an Item     158
Making a Sale--What Happens Next?      159
Chapter 10: Selling One-of-a-Kind Items via Auction     161
What Types of Things Should You List via Online Auction?      161
Before You List: Setting the Right Starting Price     162
Set It Low Enough to Be Attractive...     162
...But Don’t Set It So Low That It’s Not Believable     164
Make Sure You Recover Your Costs     164
Make Sure You Can Live with a Single Bid     164
Creating an Auction Listing     165
Create a New Listing     165
Create a New Listing--When eBay Knows What You’re Selling     170
Adding Fixed-Price Selling to Your Auctions with Buy It Now     174
Add Buy It Now to an Auction Listing     175
Setting a Higher Minimum with a Reserve Price Auction     176
Add a Reserve Price to an Auction Listing     177
Managing Your Item Listing     178
Edit a Listing     179
Cancel an Auction     180
Block Unwanted Buyers     181
Relist an Unsold Item     182
After the Auction--Now What Happens?      183
Chapter 11: Accepting Payments with PayPal     185
Signing Up for a PayPal Account     185
Different Types of PayPal Accounts     186
Sign Up for PayPal     187
Paying for PayPal     189
Accepting PayPal Payments in Your eBay Listings     190
Collecting PayPal Payments     190
Withdraw Your Funds from PayPal     192
Chapter 12: After the Sale--Concluding the Transaction and Leaving Feedback     195
Understanding the Post-Sale Process     196
Getting Paid     197
Send an Invoice     197
Receive Payment     199
Packing and Shipping     200
Leaving Feedback     200
Leave Feedback     200
Chapter 13: Packaging and Shipping the Items You Sell     203
Packing Your Item for Shipment     203
Essential Packing Supplies     204
Pick the Right Shipping Container     205
Where to Find Shipping Boxes     207
How to Pack     208
Seal the Package     211
Labeling Your Package     212
Use Prepaid Shipping Labels     212
Label It Yourself     216
Shipping Your Item     216
Compare the Major Shipping Services     217
U.S. Postal Service     218
FedEx     219
UPS     220
Pricing Shipping for Your eBay Listings     220
Charge a Flat Fee     220
Use eBay’s Shipping Calculator     221
Charge a Variable Fee     222
Chapter 14: Dealing with Deadbeats and Disputes     225
Handling Buyer Complaints     225
Dealing with Nonpaying Buyers     227
Follow Through on an Unpaid Item     228
Contact an Unresponsive Bidder     228
Open a Case in the Resolution Center     229
Close Your Case     230
Relist Your Item     230
Chapter 15: Managing Your eBay Activity with My eBay     233
Understanding and Navigating My eBay     233
Using My eBay     235
View a Summary of Your Activities     235
View All Your Bids and Offers     237
View Items You’re Watching     237
View Your Purchase History     238
Manage Your Selling (and Post-Selling) Activity     239
View Searches You Follow     241
Read and Send Messages     241
Chapter 16: Managing Your Personal Presence on eBay     245
Viewing Other Users’ Profile Pages     245
View a Profile Page     246
Follow Another User     247
Personalizing Your Profile Page     248
Edit Your Personal Information     248
Add a Profile Picture     249
Add or Change a Cover Image     250
Share Your Profile Page with Others     251
Managing Your eBay Account Settings     251
Edit Your Account Information     251
Chapter 17: Using eBay on Your Mobile Phone or Tablet     255
Using eBay’s iPhone App     255
Navigate the eBay App     256
Search for Items to Buy     257
Browse eBay’s Product Categories     259
Shop via Barcode     261
Sell on eBay     262
Manage Your eBay Activity     265
Using eBay on Other Mobile Devices     267
Using eBay’s iPad App     268
Using eBay’s Android App     269
Using eBay’s Windows Phone App     270
Using eBay’s BlackBerry App     271
Index     273