You've made it far enough online to know about Ebay and perhaps to surf Ebay (and its array of delicious items). But you haven't made that leap yet. Don't fret, Pinktags is here to show you the easiest, simplest way to stop that drool and get designer items--the cheap and the rare!


The Easiest Part! Signing Up for Ebay

Before you can have all of the trendy action you see in Ebay listings, you need an Ebay account!

Sign Up for Ebay!

On the registration page, fill in the appropriate information related to your name, address, and email. (You can edit after registration, so no worries!) Read the Ebay agreement and accept to sign up. Then pick a UserID (other Ebay users will see this) and a secure password. Some users may be asked to provide additional info, but this should put you well on the path to being a new user!

Congratulations! You are no longer "that chick who's not on Ebay." You're hip, you're with it, you're shopping online! Now on to the fun part...finding that delicious stuff you've heard Ebay is full of!

Filling Your Shopping Bags with Ebay Delights

This section is arranged into 3 phases: Find Stuff, Get the Facts, and Bid for Glory!

1. Find Stuff

There are two ways to find listings on Ebay!

If you know what you want specifically, say, a True Religion Joey jean in size 26, then you simply type a simple version of that into the search box on the Ebay front page. (Type: True Religion joey 26, which leaves out unnecessary words unlikely to be used in search titles.) A list of items will be shown, and you can sort through those on your own or through using the lefthand sidebar to sort by size, style, color, price, etc.

If you don't know what you want, you can try browsing through Ebay's hierarchical directory. On the lefthand side of the Ebay front page, you can click on a category that interests you. For instance, Clothes, Shoes, & Accessories! From there you can click on what you like, maybe Women's Shoes > Athletic. Then you'll see a list of all the items that fit under this category. You can use the search box to further narrow down the options to "Puma" if you decide that's what you'd like.

Remember, Ebay is not your average our-stock-only-changes-once-a-season store. Ebay is constantly adding new items! So if you searched for your favorite Pumas last week, don't forget to search again this week! They just might be there. You can also save your favorite searches and repeat them whenever you want by telling MyEbay what your favorites are.

Those are the basics on search, you can explore the Ebay interface and searchword usage guides to get the most specific results.

2. Get the Facts

So you've found the listing you want. I mean, who can refuse those amazing Pumas you searched for in the above step? Now you want to know more about them to see if they're really you. First scan the listing's quick info:

You can see a Gallery image (lefthand icon photo), the full listing title, the current price, the number of bids or whether the item is Buy It Now, and the time left on the auction. Other information may be shown, depending on what display options you have selected in the Customize Display center.

If it's the right item for the right price, click the listing title to be taken to the full auction description page. This is where the juicy details get exposed!

The top portion gives you all the pricing and time information you'll need, as well as seller reputation and contact info. Examine all these and make sure they are okay (see this guide for more detailed steps on doing this). Next, scroll down and look at the item. Wow! Those are hot Pumas, you say! Read the seller's description of the item and go ga-ga at the photos. Still look good? Then scroll all the way down to the bottom to see the shipping info--carrier, cost, timing. If you're all set, then you can place your bid!

3. Bid for Glory

Ebay has 2 major purchase options: bidding and "Buy It Now." They are each exactly what they sound like:

Bidding = competing with others to suggest the highest price for the item

Buy It Now = being the first to purchase the item at a set price

(A seller may also accept an opening bid or a Buy It Now offer. In this case, the item is sold when the first Buy It Now is placed. If the item is bid upon, then the BIN option disappears and bidding continues as normal until the end of the auction.)

When bidding, just keep a couple things in mind and you'll be all right. Never bid more than you can pay. Never bid more than you currently have in your payment source (PayPal balance, credit card limit, checking account, or wherever else you're paying from.) Never bid more than you want to pay! Bid at the end if you'll be awake and at the computer when the auction ends. Bid when you first see the listing if you won't be around for the auction end and if you know exactly how much your maximum desirable payment is. (Ebay automatically bids for you in small increments up to your maximum bid if other people begin bidding on the item. You will win the auction unless someone places a bid above your maximum. In that case, you'll hope you can return at the end of the auction to place a higher bid.) Sometimes this is called sniping. You can get tons more info on bidding practices and techniques elsewhere on the web!

Now that you've won an item, it's time to pay! Why the exclamation mark? Well, because PayPal is exciting!

Quick PayPal Tips

Most sellers accept PayPal, that amazing invention of secure online transaction. While some sellers may also accept checks, money orders, and sketchy modes of online payment, you should stick with PayPal auctions at the beginning. It's simplest this way!

To keep yourself from being tempted by items that don't accept PayPal, you can filter your Ebay auctions. Click on the "Customize Display" link next to the "Sort by" menu just above the listings. You will see two boxes; make sure that PayPal is listed in the righthand box that says "Columns to Display." (If it's not, highlight PayPal on the left, click the rightward arrow, and voila it's in the display box!)

Make sure you sign up for PayPal. The details of this you can discover on the PayPal help pages. Once you've got your account, however, you are free to make instant payments online for your Ebay auctions. The way to get positive feedback and fast shipping is to pay instantly for your Ebay items as soon as they are won. You can do this by making sure you have your credit card ready to make purchases or by having an available balance in your PayPal account (usually transferred there earlier from your checking account). PayPal records all of your transactions with detailed documentation so you can feel confident about your purchasing.

Hooray! Now you're all set with PayPal! Best of luck with the rest of your Ebay endeavors. Be sure to return to PinkTags often for yummy deals on what's hot on Ebay. We do all of that time consuming searching for you!