eBay books eNlightening, eNtertaining—October 26, 2007
Accumulated more than eNough stuff? If you’re thinking of eLiminating some of the eNormous clutter in your life, eBay, the world’s most popular marketplace, may be the most eFfective solution for you!
Two new books at Hastings Public Library can help you help you navigate the waters of eBay and determine if it is right for your needs.
Whether you’re a newcomer to online auctions or a savvy seller, “the bucks start here,” promises author Marsha Collier to readers of her latest book, “eBay for Dummies.” Collier, a “Power Seller” (large volume dealer) with her own eBay store, is a columnist and author of several best-selling books about eBay.
“eBay for Dummies” is a comprehensive guide to buying and selling that is written with a dash of humor and fun. “Forget the Car, Drive Your Mouse to an eBay Store” is the title of her chapter about sellers, who have eBay stores with fixed price merchandise.
Other chapters cover eBay basics, trust and safety, the feedback process and troubleshooting a transaction. Sellers will find help in writing descriptions, setting prices, buy-it-now options, the payment process, managing inventory, how to add a photo and more. Buyers will get tips in searching for items, bidding strategies, and evaluating and communicating with sellers.
Collier also discusses alternate eBay auctions. “Live auctions” provide bidding via eBay’s Internet hookup to an auction house. “Charity fundraiser auctions,” are an opportunity to bid on high profile, one-of-a-kind items, such as the shoes that Ron Howard wore when he put his footprints in cement at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood!
Another excellent reference book about eBay, “How to Do Everything with eBay,” takes a slightly different and user-friendly approach. Its author, Greg Holden, provides illustrations of how your computer window will appear as you maneuver through the eBay auction process. Seeing the actual navigation bars, categories, subcategories helps a newcomer easily get started.
The book is an entertaining read as well, discussing some of the most unusual items to sell on eBay. A bag of air, captured in 2003 at the height of Hurricane Isabel at Cape Hatteras, sold with a certificate of authenticity for $123.50 after receiving 19 bids!
If you’ve done a few searches on eBay for long-lost toys from your childhood, this book will help you round out your collection by showing you how to purchase more safely. And whether you need to clear out your garage or want a new source of regular income, it will provide the know-how to sell on eBay.
Hastings Public Library has other auction books in its collection. Learn how to sell and buy cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, parts and accessories with “eBay Motors the Smart Way.”
“What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It,” is another definitive guide to building a profitable and consistent eBay business. This book shares techniques used by the most successful e-commerce entrepreneurs and by major retail chains.
Let Hastings Public Library eQuip you with just the right information!