eBay is an online marketplace where users can buy and sell a wide variety of goods. To use eBay, users must register for a member account which allows them to buy and sell items, track purchases, and leave feedback. eBay has policies in place to ensure a safe and fair buying experience, including rules about communication, identity verification, and prohibited activities. The document provides guidance on how to browse, bid on or buy items, pay sellers, and resolve any issues that may arise.

1. Presented by Celia Bandelier

2. What is eBay?
eBay is your place to buy what you want, sell what
you have, and make a few friends while you're at it.

3. Become a member
You can browse for items as a guest, but to buy and
sell, you need to register. As a member you can:
Buy and sell items on eBay.
Track up to 200 items at a time.
Create reviews and post to our community boards.
Use My eBay to manage your buying and selling
activities.
When you're ready, register to get started.

4. Register

5. Register cont’d

6. Read info for new members
When you register you'll be asked to read and agree
to eBay’s User Agreement.
Find answers to frequently asked questions in
Customer support.
Stay in touch with eBay’s community. They have a
number of community resources to help you stay
informed about the latest events, programs, and
news.
Use My eBay to help you track and manage your
buying, selling, messages, account information, and
preferences.

7. Spoof emails
Beware of spoof (fake)emails that claim to be sent by eBay.
They ask you to reply with personal information, such as
your credit card number, social security number, or
account password.
My Messages is the definitive, legitimate source for any
email from eBay that affects your account. The bottom
line - if an email affects your eBay account, it's in My
Messages. If you get an email that looks like it's from
eBay about a problem with your account or requests
personal information and it's not in My Messages, it's a
fake email. Visit My Messages to verify your eBay emails
today!

8. Feedback
Before you buy an item, review the feedback that
other members have left for a seller. Learning about a
seller's trading history helps you decide whether they
are someone you feel secure trading with.

9. Rules and Policies
To help create a safe and fair trading environment,
eBay has rules and policies for all members.
There are rules that all eBay members, both buyers
and sellers, need to know and follow. These rules are
created to protect you and to keep eBay a safe place to
buy, sell, and participate in the community.

10. Not allowed
eBay members are not allowed to:
Interfere with the eBay site
Use profanity on the site
Infringe on eBay's intellectual property
Create a new account or buy and sell on
other existing accounts to avoid restrictions or limits
Make offers to buy or sell outside of eBay
Post want ads, except in the Want It Now section of eBay
Falsely report that another member has violated an eBay
policy
In addition to rules that apply to all eBay members, eBay
also has rules specifically about Feedback, buying, and

11. Rules about Identity
eBay members:
Must be at least 18 years old
Cannot misrepresent their identities
Must always provide valid and complete
contact information and must always have a
valid email address
Cannot
publish the contact information of other members in
an online public area
Must choose their user ID according to eBay rules

12. Rules about communicating
eBay members:
Can't use our member-to-member contact options to
send spam or threats
Must follow eBay's rules for eBay Groups,
eBay discussion boards, and community content
(includes reviews and guides)

13. eBay’s responsibilities
eBay's Privacy Policy specifies how your personal
information is used. The
appendix to the Privacy Policy lists which third
parties have access to which types of information.
eBay's outage policy allows sellers compensation if
the site experiences an extended outage.
eBay employees are bound by all eBay policies and
need to identify themselves as eBay employees when
they bid, list an item, or submit content to the site.
eBay appreciates your ideas, but considers these
unsolicited idea submissions as non-binding.

14. You can close your account
Here's how to close your eBay account: Be sure
that all your fees are paid and your account balance is
zero.
Submit a request to close your account.
There's a waiting period to ensure that any
transactions you made are complete.
During the waiting period, you won't be able to bid,
make purchases, list items, or change your contact
information, but you'll still have access to your
account information.
When the waiting period is over, you'll receive an
email confirming that your account is closed.

15. Other ways to keep you safe
To help keep you safe when buying and selling, we
also offer protection programs for buyers and sellers.
If you ever need to resolve a dispute you can use our
Resolution Center.

16. Start buying
When you're ready to start buying, begin by
searching or browsing for items you're interested in.
There are lots of ways to buy.
Great deals are everywhere on eBay. Whether you
want to buy something at a fixed price, or take part in
an auction-style listing to win that perfect item, it's
easy to get started.

17. Find an item to buy
Enter keywords into the search box located at the top
of any page, or browse through our list of categories
on the home page.

18. Item Description
Read the item description carefully.

19. Ask a question link
If you have any questions about the item, you can find
answers by clicking the Ask a question link

20. Seller’s feedback
View the seller's business reputation by looking at his
or her Feedback score, and read the comments left by
previous buyers to be sure that this is a seller you feel
you can trust.

21. Bid or Buy It Now
Check the item page to see what purchase options are
available. You can either place a bid on an item or
purchase it instantly using Buy It Now. Remember, all
bids are active until the listing ends. If you win or
click the Buy It Now button, you're obligated to
complete the transaction.

22. Incremental bidding
Everyone wants to win, but only at the right price.
Although eBay suggests that you bid the maximum
amount that you're willing to pay for an item, you
could pay less. As the listing proceeds, eBay compares
your bid to those of other bidders. When you're
outbid, eBay automatically bids on your behalf up to
your maximum bid. eBay increases your bid by
increments only as much as necessary to maintain
your position as highest bidder.

23. Here's how to bid on an item:
Carefully review the listing.
Click the Place Bid button. You may need to sign in.
Enter your maximum bid, and then click the
Continue button.
Review your bid, and then click the Confirm Bid
button

24. Bid history
To keep certain info private, eBay limits how bid history
information is displayed. When the highest bid, reserve
price, or Buy It Now price reaches or exceeds a certain
level, members can't view or search for member-specific
information, such as user IDs, on the Bid History page.
Though the Bid History: Details page has information on
bidders, each bidder is assigned an anonymous name
(x***y, for example). Only the seller can see a bidder's user
ID.
Regardless of the current high bid, when a reserve or Buy
It Now price is set at a certain level, user IDs will appear as
anonymous names for the duration of the listing, even if
the seller lowers the price.
Note: eBay determines when user IDs are no longer
viewable based on the price or bid amount, and this varies
by country.

25. 1-click biddingTo help you avoid being outbid, we offer 1-click
bidding during the final 60 minutes of a listing. When
you use 1-click bidding, we automatically raise your
bid by one increment. To use 1-click bidding, you
need to be signed in to eBay and have at least one
previous bid on the item.

26. Retracting or changing bid
As a general rule, you're not allowed to retract or cancel a
bid on eBay. However, there might be times when you'd
like to change your maximum bid and have a valid reason
for doing so. Review the requirements for
retracting or canceling your bid.
If you want to retract a bid:
Review the conditions and time restrictions for canceling a
bid.
If you feel you have a valid reason for canceling a bid, fill
out the Bid Retractions form.
If you want to cancel a Best Offer, use the
Best Offer Cancellation form

27. No longer want an item
If you won an item and you no longer want to buy it, you
need to contact the seller.
A bid on eBay is considered a contract, and you're obligated
to purchase the item. Read about changing your mind
about an item.
Many sellers are willing to work with you if you
communicate with them openly and honestly. If you
haven't done so already, request the seller's contact
information and call him or her. You may be able to work
things out to everyone's satisfaction.
If the seller doesn't respond in the way you hope, keep in
mind that failing to purchase an item you've won may
result in an unpaid item being recorded on your account. If
you get too many unpaid items recorded on your account
within a short time period, your account may be limited or
suspended.

28. Retract a bid
Whether you can retract a bid depends on the
circumstances and timing of the bid. You can retract a
bid for the following reasons:
You accidentally entered the wrong bid amount
due to a typographical error. For example, you bid
$99.50 instead of $9.95. If this happens, you need to
reenter the correct bid amount right away. Changing
your mind does not qualify as accidentally entering a
wrong bid amount.
The item's description changed significantly after
you entered your last bid. For example, the seller
updated details about the item's features or condition.
You can't reach the seller by telephone or email.

29. Bid is binding
Please remember that every bid is binding, unless the item
is listed in a category covered by the non-binding bid policy
or the sale is prohibited by law or by our User Agreement.
Bidding on multiple identical items should be done only if
you intend to buy all of the items.
Your bids affect how other users bid for an item and the
item's final selling price. We carefully investigate all bid
retractions to determine whether they are appropriate and
conform to the rules for buyers. Abuse of bid retractions can
result in the suspension of your account.
Bids retracted within the last 24 hours of a listing can be
viewed as an example of shill bidding, which is a serious
violation of eBay policy.
You cannot retract a purchase made through a Buy It Now
listing. Once you confirm your purchase, you are obligated
to pay the seller.

30. Reserve price
A reserve price is a hidden minimum price—
essentially, the lowest price that the seller is willing to
accept for the item. If the listing ends without any bids
that meet the reserve price, the seller is not required to
sell the item.
As a buyer, you are not shown the reserve price. As you
bid on an auction-style listing with a reserve price, pay
attention to the label next to the current bid price to
see if the reserve has been met. Once the reserve has
been met, the "reserve not met" label will be removed.
Learn more.

31. Bidding ends
When the listing ends, you'll receive an email
indicating whether you've won the item and an
explanation of what to do next.

32. payment
After you've won or bought the item, send your
payment to the seller within 3 days. To pay with one
of the electronic payment methods offered by the
seller, click the Pay Now button in the listing or email
notification If you're picking up the item, you can pay
by any method the seller accepts (including cash).

33. Accept payments
Be sure to pay using one of the methods specified by
the seller.
Checks, money orders, and bank wire transfers aren't
allowed for most purchases. Exceptions include
vehicles, capital and business equipment, real estate,
items in the Adult Only category, and local pickup.
For specifics about payment methods, see eBay’s
accepted payments policy.

34. Payment methods
Our Accepted Payments policy helps ensure that buyers and
sellers on eBay are offered safe, convenient payment
options.
For most categories, sellers need to offer one or more of the
following electronic payment choices:
PayPal
ProPay
Moneybookers
Paymate
Credit card or debit card processed through the seller's
Internet merchant account
Additionally, payment upon pickup and Bill Me Later are
valid payment methods as well.

35. Not acceptable methods
For most categories, sellers can't ask buyers to:
Send cash through the mail
Send cash or money orders through instant, point-to-
point cash transfer services (that are not banks) such
as Western Union or MoneyGram
Mail checks or money orders (except for items in
categories specifically permitted below)
Pay through bank-to-bank transfers (except for items
in categories specifically permitted below)
Pay by "topping off" a seller's prepaid credit or debit
card
Pay using online or other payment methods not
specifically permitted in this policy

36. Communicating about payment
methods
Sellers need to say in their listing specifically which payment
methods they accept and only offer payment methods
approved by eBay.
Sellers aren't allowed to:
Ask buyers to contact them for additional payment
methods
Offer a payment method to some buyers and not to others
Discourage buyers from using any payment method the
seller specified in the listing
Ask buyers to pay using a method not mentioned in the
listing.
This applies to all transaction-related correspondence
between a seller and buyer as well as the listings.