One of the largest networks of buyers and sellers is found on the internet and, every year, many people earn a living doing what they love. Buying and selling, just selling or just buying. It’s all a part of what makes eBay the largest person-to-person internet auction website in existence. There are several resources that can make the experience a pleasant, and profitable, one.

1. Finding Out What Other eBay Buyers Are Bidding On

The best way to research current eBay buying trends is to simply search through the categories and see which products are generating the most bids. Category listings are found on the left column at www.eBay.com. In addition, entering a specific keyword will bring up listing results that feature certain products. For example, if you have a blue topaz ring to sell and want to see what the going price is for something similar, a good search term would be ‘blue topaz ring.’

2. Locating An eBay Member

One of the most convenient options for eBay users is that of the advanced member search, which allows members to search for other members within a specific area or by e-mail address. For example, if you wanted to purchase an item locally, you could simply enter the zip code and search for products within a certain location. There is also an additional feature that allows anyone to search for a member by using their e-mail address. As a rule, eBay will not release the user ID but will confirm whether or not an account is registered to a specific e-mail address. Users can find a fellow eBay member by clicking on the ‘Help’ link and typing ‘find eBay member’ in the search box.

3. Non-Paying Bidders & Requesting A Final Value Fee Credit

As an eBay seller, you will most definitely come across one or more non-paying bidders. For this reason, eBay has enlisted a non-paying bidder policy that allows a seller to file a complaint seven days after the auction closes. If the buyer fails to respond to the filed complaint, or if the response is not acceptable, the seller will have the option of closing the complaint and requesting a final value fee credit. In addition, the seller can choose to enforce a non-paying bidder mark. If a buyer has three non-paying bidder marks, his/her eBay account is suspended. Unfortunately for sellers, eBay will not refund the original listing fee even if a bidder fails to pay for the item. The final value fee, however, will be credited toward the seller’s account. To begin the non-paying bidder process, a seller should visit ‘My eBay’ and click on the auction listing that was sold to the non-payer. After seven days, a link will be shown as ‘Report an unpaid item.’ This link will begin the process of requesting a final value fee credit.

4. Detecting & Reporting Shill Bidding

Not everyone is familiar with shill bidding, but it can be a problem among internet auctions. This practice involves a seller registering multiple usernames and placing bids on their own items, which increases the price and the apparent interest in an item. At times, an acquaintance or colleague of the seller may also place bids on an item without having the intent on purchasing, but rather bidding solely to increase the price. Shill bidding is prohibited and is illegal in most areas. Users can learn more about eBay’s policy on shill bidding by visiting the ‘Help’ section and typing in the related search term.

5. Fraudulent e-mails & How To Stop Them

Many eBay users have been the victim of an e-mail scam, which prompts the reader to click on an e-mail link and confirm his/her password or payment method. There are several ways that eBay users can protect themselves from falling victim to this scam, including making sure that any e-mail addresses you by both your first and last name. An authentic eBay e-mail will not read ‘Dear user’ or ‘Dear eBay member.’ In addition, fraudulent e-mails often contain misspellings and other grammatical errors. You can believe that the eBay marketing department knows how to spell, so be cautious of any e-mail with spelling errors. Lastly, before clicking on any e-mail link, move the cursor over the link without actually clicking on it and hold it there for several seconds. While the link in the e-mail may look genuine, the real website address will appear just above the link with this procedure. In many cases, the actual website address is clearly false. Any such e-mails can be reported to eBay by forwarding the entire copy to: spoof@ebay.com.