The Computer Revolution/E commerce/E-bay

EBay has been described as “The World's Online Marketplace” (http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/questions/about-ebay.html, retrieved October 21, 2011). Being able to shop online means that you as the consumer or seller would not have to be physically present to sell or buy a product. Although originally intended for consumer-to-consumer transactions (also known as the C2C business model), even small businesses use eBay along with their own e-commerce website. EBay has dramatically changed the way we in the marketplace exchange goods and services. The interaction between buyer and seller is all done online and eBay provides you with the tools and cyber market to do so. EBay can also be described as an online auction where bidding on an item can take place. (http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/questions/about-ebay.html).

How to Buy and Sell on eBay

First the seller must register with eBay and set up an account. Next the seller must decide on what they would like to sell, take pictures of the item(s) and then write a full description of the product before posting the item(s) on the website. EBay actually has a sellers' checklist, suggestions and process for sellers to follow (http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/checklist.html). As the seller you should also set your price for the item. Although the seller is a price setter, there may be certain rules or price ceilings that may be in place to prevent extortion of a product. As a seller you can sell almost anything, however, there is a prohibited items list posted on the eBay website that restricts the selling of a number of items such as illegal substances, government issued ID’s, games and pirated software (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html).

After the item has been posted on the eBay website the auction will begin and buyers from around the world can bid for the sale of the item. The product will be open for bid for a certain amount of time. In order to buy an item on eBay you must use PayPal for online credit card payment or a bank account depending on what the buyer wants (http://pages.ebay.com/education/buying.html).

Even though this process does seem simpler, there are certain rules, regulations and legalities involved when you buy or sell a product.

EBay- Tips and Tricks!

When using eBay there are a number of easy ways to make your experience more enjoyable.

1. Make sure you have confirmed your address!! You can do this through your Pay Pal account by confirming your account with a credit card back up # and a quick direct call from them to your house to confirm everything; this will enable you to receive your shipment fast and quickly with a confirmed address.

2. Check the seller's history to make sure that they have a reputable history of selling and to see if other buyers are happy. This can make a big difference in the speed of getting your shipment and the quality of packaging.

3. Make sure that the item you are bidding on is the item that you see in the picture. Check with the seller about the item described.

4. Make sure that the item is being shipped from where it says, some sellers have fake addresses so that you’re more willing to buy from them (i.e. USA when they're really located elsewhere)