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Excerpts

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction by Pierre Omidyar, Founder and Chairman of eBay Inc.
How to Use This Book

Part I
The Thrill of the Hunt

Chapter 1
Welcome to the World's Largest Person-to-Person Online Trading Community
The eBay Revolution: The Mouse That Roared
The Four Pillars of eBay
Who Makes Up the eBay Community?
Before eBay/After eBay
Meet Our Extended Family
Mastering the eBay Way in Five Easy Steps
Why Buying on eBay is Safe
A Nickel Tour of the Site
What Makes eBay Auctions Unique?
Traditional Auction vs. eBay Auction

Chapter 2
The Perfect Setup
You Gotta Be in It to Win It: Technical Stuff
The Need for Speed: Bits and Bandwidth
Registering to Become Part of the eBay Community
What's in a Name?
What eBay Charges Per Item
Going Dutch
Who You Are: Picking a Handle and Password
How eBay Keeps You in the Loop
Community Customs
Why Spam Ain't Kosher

Chapter 3
The Quest for Amazing Stuff
Homing In, Category by Category
The Big List at a Glance
What You Won't Find
Finding What You're Looking For
The No-Frills Search
Follow the Leader: Tracking Like-minded Bidders and Sellers
Personal Shopper
Gallery Hopping and Shopping
Beyond Collectibles: Everyday Wonders
Real Estate Reality Check
The "Great Collections" Connection
Kruse Control

Chapter 4
Let the Bidding Begin
Demystifying the Bidding Process
What It Means to Bid
Retracting a Bid
You Absolutely Positively Have to Have It: Bidding to Win
Capitalism for the Rest of Us
Up and Up: Bidding Increments
Cracking the Bid Code
Understanding Reserves
Dutch Auctions
Do Your Due Diligence
Good Questions to Ask

Part II
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Chapter 5
Putting It on the Block
Details, Please: Listing Your Item for Sale
The Key to Winning Titles
Some Like Plain Vanilla
The Great Listing Checklist
Files with Style: Using HTML
Say It with Pictures
A Host of Options
Off-the-Shelf Software

Chapter 6
Taking Care of Bidness
Name Your Price
Is It Really What You Think It Is?
To Reserve or Not to Reserve?
Establishing Payment Methods and Terms
Perfect Timing
Payments Made Easy
Sorry, You Can't Bid on Your Own Auction
Getting the Shipping Straight
Happy Returns
Final Touches
Forget Something?
Sellers, Please Stand By
Knocking Off Early
Canceling Bids
Your Item Didn't Sell
Building a Business on eBay

Part III
Making Contact

Chapter 7
The Bidding Is Closed -- Now What?
Buyer Meet Seller, Seller Meet Buyer
You've Got Mail
Tracking Down Email Addresses
I Want a Cookie
Temporary Parking: Escrow Services
Shipping News: Getting Out the Goods
Ordering Supplies on the Net
Stamp Me -- I Must Be Dreaming
Closing the Loop: Leaving Feedback

Chapter 8
SafeHarbor and Happy Trading
Heading for SafeHarbor
Suspicious Minds: Identifying and Reporting Bad Behavior
Stake Your Claim: Insurance Against Fraud
Violations eBay Responds to Automatically
It's the Law: Prohibited, Questionable, and Infringing Items
Protecting Your Privacy
eBay's Privacy Policy
Making Your Experience More Positive
When a Deal Goes South
Best Remedy Prevention
Escrow Services
Who Was That Masked Man? Reaching Out to People Beyond Email

Chapter 9
When You Need a Friend
For Do-It-Yourselfers
By the Boards
eBay Customer Service Boards
Peer-to-Peer Support Boards
Talk the Talk
Giving Back

Part IV
You Are What You Collect

Chapter 10
Collecting Your Thoughts
Why Do People Collect?
Collecting vs. Accumulating
When Does a Collection Start? When Does It End?
Kids' Kollections
Getting Picky: Building and Upgrading

Chapter 11
The Mystery of Value
Separated at Birth: No Two Collectibles Are Exactly Alike
Eight Is Enough: The Collectibles Checklist
Mint to Be
Consult Before You Clean
Distinguishing Price from Value
Car Collecting Caveats
Where Passion Meets Price: Collecting as an Investment
Ready, "Set," Go: Collectors' Series
How Limited Is a Limited Edition?

Chapter 12
Becoming an Expert
Mastering the Details
Training Your Eye -- and Ear, Nose, and Fingers
Immersing Yourself in the Market
Research, Research, Research

Chapter 13
Where the Action Is
Making the Rounds
Collector Connections on the Web
Special Sources for Established Dealers

Chapter 14
Out In the Field
Marketplace 101
Dealing with Dealers
Haggling with the Best of Them
Price Check, Aisle Six
Everything's Negotiable
A Tax Break for Dealers
Mood Breakers
Maximizing Your Auction Action
Beyond Negotiating: The Law of Averages
Finders Keepers: Shopping Etiquette
Tricks of Trading
It Happens to Everyone: Buying Mistakes

Part V
Putting It All Together

Chapter 15
My eBay and Other Ways to Keep Track of It All
My eBay
Simple Spreadsheets You Can Create

Chapter 16
Documenting the Goods
Creating an Inventory
Insurance
Appraisals
Questions for the Appraiser
Collector, Appraise Thyself
Coming to Your Town: The Antiques Road Show
You Can't Take It With You
Going Public: Donating to an Institution
Trailblazing a Library

Appendices
eBay Site Map
eBay Category Overview

Index