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eBay Hacks
book

eBay Hacks

by David A. Karp
August 2003
Beginner content levelBeginner
368 pages
9h 38m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from eBay Hacks

Improve Your Trustworthiness Quickly

Don’t let an apparent lack of experience hurt your success on eBay.

“Bad credit? No credit? No problem!”

Ernie’s Used Cars

A low feedback rating can hurt a buyer or seller nearly as much as a feedback profile with an excessive amount of negative comments. Luckily, there are a few things new users can do to gain trust within the eBay community.

Newbie Buyers

Many sellers, primarily those who have had a bad experience with a non-paying bidder, are understandably apprehensive about bidders with low or zero feedback. So, if you see an auction in which the seller has written a warning about such bidders, drop him a quick note by clicking “Ask seller a question,” just to let him know you’re serious.

Tip

If you’re a seller, see [Hack #54] for effective ways of dealing with newbie buyers as well as bidders who don’t pay.

Newbie Sellers

It’s harder to be a new seller on eBay than a new buyer; a seller with low or zero feedback will have a hard time selling anything. Trust, after all, takes on a bigger role when someone else’s money is at stake.

The best thing to do (and, coincidentally, the most fun) is to buy a few things before you start selling. Not only is this an easy way to build up feedback, but it will give you some experience in what it’s like to be a buyer, which will ultimately make you a better seller.

Tip

Note that eBay will also lift some restrictions when you’ve beefed up your feedback. For instance, once you reach a feedback rating of 10, you’ll ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596005644Catalog PageErrata