Introduction
eBay has become one of the largest and most popular e-commerce websites that link buyers and sellers of virtually anything in the world. Founded in 1995, eBay has dramatically transformed how people browse for and purchase items online.
History of eBay
eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar, a computer programmer and Jeff Skoll, a Canadian entrepreneur. The website, initially named “AuctionWeb,” was supposed to be an auctioning website. The first item sold on the eBay website was a broken laser pointer sold at $14.83.
What is eBay?
eBay is an e-commerce multi-billion dollar platform through which users can buy and sell new as well as old products, including:
Electronics
Fashion
Home and garden
Sports
Collectibles
How eBay Works
eBay’s functionality can be broken down into several key components:
1. Registration: Create an account
2. Listing Items: Sellers create listings
3. Bidding and Buying: Buyers bid or purchase
4. Payment and Shipping: Buyers pay, sellers ship
5. Feedback and Ratings: Buyers and sellers rate each other
eBay Features
1. Search: Advanced search functionality
2. Categories: Items organized into categories
3. Seller Profiles: Showcase items, ratings, policies
4. eBay Money Back Guarantee: Buyer protection
5. eBay Plus: advantages of the premium membership
Benefits of Using eBay
1. Global coverage: get customers/sellers from anywhere in the world
2. Price comparison: compare prices for your best deals
3. Millions: connecting to millions of listings
4. Convenience: shop from wherever and whenever you like
5. Safety: eBay’s trust and safety policies
Tips in Buying
1. Research: checking ratings, seeing feedbacks from the seller
2. Reading description: getting to know what kind of condition an item is in, terms
3. Bidding well: budgeting, no bidding wars
4. Return policies checking: getting to know a seller’s return policies
Selling Tips
1. Image quality: lets the customer see the real item
2. Actual Descriptions: Proprietary, honest descriptions
3. Competitive Pricing: According to demand
4. Outstanding Customer Service: Responses to questions within a very short period
1. Insertion Fees: Charges for listing
2. Final Value Fees: Sales commissions
3. PayPal Fees: Payment processing charges
1. User Agreement: Terms of service
2. Privacy Policy: Data protection
3. Intellectual Property Policy: Protection of rights
1. eBay Seller Hub: Listings and sales management
2. eBay Analytics: Performance monitoring
3. eBay Inventory Management: Stock Organizatio
Shared Errors on eBay and Action
1. Item Not Received: contact the seller, and eBay support
2. Item Not as Described: file the complaint, return refund
3. Payment Problems: resolve with seller, PayPal
Conclusion
eBay has revolutionized the culture of online shopping by offering an extremely vibrant site for buyers and sellers.
Glossary
1. Auction: Classifieds with a bidding format
2. Fixed Price: Classifieds with a set price format
3. Classifieds: Ad-based format
4. Bid: Offer to buy
5. Buy It Now: Instant purchase