If you are attracted by the idea of taking part in online auctions – either as a buyer or seller – then you will inevitably head for Ebay. It is the foremost auction website and if you want the best exposure for your sale item or want to bag a bargain for yourself, then it’s definitely the place to be.
As you’ll discover once signed up, the ‘My Ebay’ page is the hub of your eBay experience – and you should learn to use it to your advantage. Here are a few pointers for navigating it and changing some of the settings.
Step 1…
Launch your web browser and go to www.ebay.co.uk. Once the page is displayed, click on the Log in link at the top of the page and enter your user name and password or register for the service. When you have successfully logged in, click on the My eBay link at the top of the page. The first page that is displayed will be the summary page – this is the default information page that is displayed whenever you go to My eBay. However, there are lots of settings you can change. For example, you can choose to see current bids or auctions that you have previously won or lost.
Step 2…
To change your settings, you need to click on the eBay Preferences link, which you’ll find towards the bottom of the My Account section under the My eBay Views heading, on the left of the page. The My eBay page is quite long, so you may need to scroll down to find this.
Step 3…
When the page has changed, scroll down to the bottom to the My eBay Preferences heading. Click on the drop-down menu and select a different page to be displayed when you first enter the My eBay page. For example, if you’re primarily interested in selling on eBay, then it makes sense to choose the Start Selling! option, as this will speed your way for future listings.
Step 4…
If you have been using eBay for a few days you’ll already have received several e-mails from the administrators, and this can be overwhelming. Fortunately, you can choose to reduce the e-mail notification to a minimum. Scroll back up to the top of the page and click on the View/Change link to the right of Notification Preferences. The page will change to display a list of all the occasions you will be notified by eBay. Most of the options are best left alone, since they relate to possible bids and notification of the activity in your account. However, there are some options towards the bottom of the list such as eBay telemarketing and email – direct mail that you can opt out of without affecting any crucial information. Once you’ve made your alterations here, click on the Save Changes button and you will be presented with a summary of your changes. Click on the My eBay link at the bottom of the page to return to the main page.
Step 5…
On the main summary page, click on the Customise Summary link at the top-right. You can then choose the elements of the summary page that suit you best. You will be presented with two lists. The right-hand list contains all the current headings displayed on the Summary page. The left-hand list contains all the headings that can be listed. Choose an option from the left-hand box that you would like to include on your My eBay page and click on the right-pointing arrow. To remove a heading from your My eBay page, highlight the heading in the right-hand box, then click on the left-pointing double-arrow. You can also list the headings in a different order by using the up and down arrows on the right-hand side of the box.
Step 6…
Once you start finding your way around, one technique you might want to employ is ‘watching’. This allows you to keep tabs on an item without bidding on it, perhaps so that you can wait until the time or price is right. Browse or search until you find an item. In the top right-hand corner of the item’s main page you’ll find a blue link titled ‘Watch this item’. After clicking on the link it will change to ‘this item is being watched in my eBay’. To see a complete list of all the items you are ‘watching’, click on the My eBay link and scroll down the list until you get to the ‘Items I am watching’ heading.
Manage your Ebay account
Step 7…
In the Services section (click on Services at the top of the page) you can access a host of other tools and services that can help you with eBay. On the Services page, scroll down to the tools section and click on the eBay toolbar. When the page changes, click on the button labelled ‘Download eBay toolbar today’, then click on the Agree button on the following page. There is no software to download, as the toolbar will be integrated automatically. Soon a dialogue box will appear – click on Yes to agree that you trust the eBay software. Soon the page will change again to inform you that the toolbar has been successfully installed.
Step 8…
You’ll now have to close your Internet Explorer window and open a new one. The eBay toolbar will now be available for you to start using. First, sign in by clicking on the ‘Toolbar sign in’ button. The web page will display the usual sign-in screen – enter your details, then click on the sign-in button. Once you’ve done this you can access all the common functions in eBay without having to use the link on the site itself. First, try searching for an object using the search box to the left of the toolbar – click inside it and enter a word or two describing the item you’re looking for, then click on the Search eBay link next to it. The page will now refresh to display your search results.
Step 9…
You can keep an eye on what is happening to the items on your watch list or your current bids using the Bid Alert and Watch Alert buttons. Click on the button to see currently-pending bids and watched items. You can also use these tools to set reminders that will alert you when bidding is about to close on an item. Click on the eBay icon on the far left of the toolbar and select ‘eBay Toolbar Preferences’. When the page changes you can set how you are alerted and how long before the auction finishes, as well as a host of other alerts. Click on Save changes at the bottom of the screen when you’ve finished.
Step 10…
Finally, if you need further guidance – or simply fancy chewing the fat with a few fellow eBayers – then we’d advise exploring the site’s Community area. Click on the Community button at the top of the page and then take your pick from Talk, News, Events & Education and People. Click on the Community Help Boards link under Talk for all the eBay advice you could ever need.
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