eBay is the world's largest trading community where millions of people buy and sell millions of items every day. Most of the selling on eBay occurs in an auction or Buy It Now format. The person who chooses to Buy It Now or the person who placed the highest bid at the close of an auction gets the merchandise.

To sell on eBay, you have to register by providing your name, email address, and a credit card number (for paying auction fees.) Then, with your user ID and password, you can log in. To list your item for auction, click the "Sell" link on the "Welcome" screen. This takes you to a very long form.

The first thing you have to do is choose a category and sub-category for your item. Choosing the correct category is essential. When choosing a category consider your target buyer. Next, enter a title for your item (45 characters max).

Your title should consist of carefully selected keywords. Buyers use keywords to search on eBay. At the end of your title, you might want to enter the letters 'NR'. This stands for "No Reserve" and means that you are actually willing to sell your item at the price you enter as the minimum bid.

Next, enter a description of your item. Fraud is a concern of all auction sites, so make bidders feel at ease by giving as much information as possible.

Enter a minimum bid. This is the lowest amount you are willing to accept for the item and the amount you require to make the minimum acceptable profit. Then set the "Auction Duration", this is the number of days that you want your auction to run. For the best results, your auction should end on Sunday.

If you don't want to actually sell your item at the minimum bid amount, then enter a "Reserve Price". This is a price higher than the minimum bid, at which you are actually willing to sell your item. Buyers can't see your reserve price, they only know there is a reserve on your item. Buyers do not like reserve price auctions, so you might want to leave this entry blank.

Set checkboxes to select the types of payment you will accept; checks, money orders, etc. Then enter any shipping, handling, insurance and sales tax charges.

Enter your return policy. If you don't want to have to refund money to a buyer, enter "No Returns". Then set the radio button to "I will not accept escrow". For an expensive item, you might accept an escrow. Escrow is when a third party holds the buyer's money until he receives the item.

Select the checkbox for the shipping payment method; "seller pays shipping", buyer pays the actual shipping cost, or buyer pays fixed amount. This is a lot of information to provide on a form. If you sell many similar items, you can set a checkbox for eBay to remember your preferences so that you don't have to fill out the entire form each time.

Next, click the "Continue" button. You are then given an opportunity to review your listing and correct any errors before submitting. After reviewing your listing, click the "submit" button.

Your item will be posted for auction. Now that your item is listed, you can login to eBay at any time and click on my eBay link to get the status of your auction. If your item is sold, you will be charged $1.25 plus 2.5% of the final sale price. In order to buy or sell on eBay, you must first become a registered eBay Member.

© 2005 by Afromerica

Ms. Deborah Maisonet will be keeping the Black community updated on the most current in technology and Internet etiquette. Visit regularly for new information that could help you pursue a more positive technological lifestyle.

To subscribe to Deborah's column join the Afromerica email list to receive new information as it is updated. Or E-mail Deborah at: grvc@worldnet.att.net

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