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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
