From WikiFAQ

Ebay FAQs

What does FVF mean?

Final Value Fee. This is the fee eBay charges as a percentage of the final bid at the end of a successful auction. If nobody bids or the reserve isn't met on a reserve auction, there's no FVF to pay. If the winning bidder backs out for any reason, the seller can reclaim the FVF from eBay as the transaction is not deemed successful. To do so, the seller must file an NPB alert and wait 10 days, except when the winning bidder is NARUed. For more information, refer to http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/npb.html.

edit

What does NARU mean?

Not a Registered User. The user in question is not currently able to sell or bid on eBay. This situation may be temporary or permanent. It may also occur at the user's request. Generally speaking, most NARU'd accounts have violated some policy or have an outstanding bill with eBay. Unless the user has really bad feedback it can be difficult to guess why a user is NARU'd as eBay doesn't state any reason why.

edit

What does NPB mean?

Non-paying Bidder. Also refers to the Non-Paying Bidder Alert form. In other words, the bidder of an auction hasn't paid, so you file a NPB alert to provide a little push to help convince them to pay for your auction. It's also the first step to reclaiming the FVF that eBay billed you. NPB alerts don't go down as a black mark on the bidder's history, but FVF's do (unless the FVF reason was that you both agreed to mutually cancel the transaction). For more information, refer to

http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/npb.html.

edit

What does NR mean?

No Reserve. This short acronym is often found in auction titles to indicate items offered with no reserve.

edit

What does EOA mean?

eBay's End of Auction notice or alternately, your own End of Auction notice.

edit

What does BIN mean?

EBay's Buy It Now feature. When a buyer uses BIN, the auction is immediately ended with the bidder as the winner at the specified BIN price. BIN prices are only present if the auction has no bids or, in the case of reserve auctions, the reserve has not been met.

edit

What does VeRO mean?

Verified Rights Owner. EBay gives the VeRO special privileges in determining if auctions listed by other seller's violate their intellectual property rights. If a VeRO member decides someone has violated their rights, they can unilaterally cancel the auctions of other sellers.

All you need to do to join eBay's VeRO program is register an account, create an About Me page describing your rights, and then register with eBay as the owner of whatever intellectual property you are claiming.

edit

How do I contact eBay?

It depends on the problem. As of the date of this FAQ, you can send email to safeharbor@ebay.com or timesensitive@ebay.com.

edit

How can I get an unjust negative feedback removed?

The short answer - you can't. There appears to be only three ways to get a negative feedback erased from your record. First, if you can show that the feedback YOU left was for the wrong user by referring the eBay representative to another user where you left identical feedback. Secondly, you can apply to Square Trade (http://www.squaretrade.com), pay them $15 to mediate and IF the other party cooperates and agrees, the feedback can be removed. Finally, obtain a court order. Check with your attorney to determine costs and the timeframe associated with this type of action.

If you receive an unjust negative feedback, remain calm. The character portrayed in your response is more important than the feedback itself. Leave a factual, professional response and forget about it. Your trading partners will most likely understand and not hold it against you unless they see a pattern of negatives.

edit

Are there any alternatives to eBay?

There are plenty of other auction sites on the Internet, but eBay is widely recognized as the 800 lb. gorilla and currently delivers a much higher percentage of buyers per auction than any other site available.

With that said, other auction sites commonly referenced as alternatives to eBay are Yahoo Auctions, ePier, and SellYourItem.com.

edit

How long do auction listings stay on eBay?

They are available on eBay's site for a minimum of 90 days. This is the same as the length of time guaranteed for leaving feedback on an auction. Completed items are only available through My EBay for 30 days and via search for 10 days (subject to change without notice). After 30 days, you need to know the auction number to view the listing.

edit

If I change my eBay handle, will I lose my feedback?

No. Your feedback stays with you as long as you use the same eBay account, regardless of the name assigned to the account. You will have to wear the shades for 30 days indicating your ID has recently changed.

edit

What items should I sell on eBay that can make me a lot of money?

Take stock of the resources you have for obtaining merchandise. Make a list of what you can readily obtain and then research the heck out of it by searching eBay's closed auctions.

Your best bet when you are just getting started is to run an eBay garage sale. Find things around the house that you no longer need. Not only will you build feedback, but your cash flow is high since you don�t have to buy merchandise. This also gives you the opportunity to fine tune you�re listing templates and establish a solid method to stay on top of your auction sales and customers. Once you have things down, you also can reinvest your income in items that you think might be profitable.

edit

What items aren't allowed on eBay?

We try to keep up with the constant policy updates regarding allowable items on eBay here, but the final authority is eBay. You can view their current policy here.

edit

What should be in my auction listing?

At a minimum, you should list a clear and concise description, a clear picture of the item being sold, and any necessary terms of sale. Terms should include details about shipping, payment types accepted, and contact information in case a bidder has further questions. If possible, list a fixed shipping price for the item.

edit

What shouldn't be in my auction listing?

Background music, large or dark backgrounds, animated images, and huge photos of the item for sale all can take a long time to load and buyers are often too impatient to wait. Also, if the listing is too "busy" visually, bidders will have a difficult time figuring out what you are offering and may move on.

Complicated backgrounds, particularly with small text, are extremely difficult to read. If the background has a pattern containing colors similar to the text, the text may be illegible. The bottom line to consider is the value of the graphic, image, or other elements in helping to accurately describe your item. If it doesn't help the buyer determine what they are bidding on, leave it out.

Sellers should also keep abreast of listing violations that may cause your auction to be cancelled by eBay or cause them to NARU your account.

edit

How do I put more than one picture in my auction listing?

You can do these two different ways. If you don't want to spend any time learning html (the language of the web), you can take advantage of eBay's picture services for a nominal fee for up to six pictures. For those will basic skills, you can upload the pictures to your web space and then link the pictures into your auction description using an IMG tag.

edit

Why are my pictures broken?

If the links you provided to your pictures don't match the actual URL of the picture, your pictures will appear broken. Also, some free web hosts block links from eBay's servers and don't allow picture hosting from their sites. Try cutting the URL for your picture and pasting it directly into the address bar of your browser. If the pictures still don't work, you'll get an error message stating why. If they suddenly work, your web host is probably blocking the link from eBay's site. You'll either need to upgrade to a paid service or switch to a different web host.

edit

Where can I get free picture hosting?

There are a number of sites that provide free web and picture hosting. A relatively current page listing free and low-cost web hosts can be found at http://www.webnology.com/~geekaw/ImageHosts.htm.

edit

Someone is using my pictures. What can I do?

If they are linking to a picture in your web space, you can always replace the picture. A great gag would be to use a picture of your item, but horrible destroyed. Be sure none of your current auctions are using the same picture! If the seller was smart enough to copy your picture before using it, you can complain to ebay or the seller. This is mostly ineffective since eBay takes 2-3 days to respond and you'll need to prove somehow that you indeed own the picture. If you consider your artwork and auction listings valuable, register with eBay's VeRO program and state your rights on About Me page. I haven't heard any feedback on how effective this tactic is, but the VeRO email address is looked at quicker than safeharbor.

A good way to discourage people from using your pictures is to put your name or eBay handle in the graphic image with an editor. For example, put the text "Copyright 2001 -your ebay handle-" in the image using your favorite paint program before posting it. Someone could always edit it back out, but it takes much more effort, especially if your background is multi-colored.

edit

Can I use my About Me page for my auction terms?

Many sellers do, but this practice is actually prohibited by eBay. EBay states that all terms must appear in the auction listing. The problem with putting your terms elsewhere is that they can be unilaterally changed by the seller during or after the auction leaving little recourse or protection to buyers.

edit

Should I use reserves in my auctions?

Reserves perform two important roles on eBay. First, they protect the value of your item. Second, the BIN price is maintained until the reserve is met preventing a buyer from eliminating your BIN price with a low, starting bid.

Many sellers believe that reserves reduce the number of bidders and hurt your final fee. Other sellers believe the opposite-by starting an auction with a low price and a reasonable reserve, you will attract early bidding and bidders will gravitate to your auction (i.e. bids beget bids). You'll have to experiment a bit to see what works for you.

Remember that your fees are higher for items that don't reach the reserve price. As a general rule, if you are selling items that have a large bidder pool, reserves are unnecessary since the bidding usually reaches a fair price. If your items only receive a few bids, you'll either need to use reserves or start your auctions at the minimum price you are willing to accept for the item.

edit

When is the best time to start/end an auction?

Again, it depends on what you sell. Ebay seems busiest on Sunday nights, but there are numerous reasons why ending auctions at that time may not be a good idea. For instance, if many of your competitors are ending auctions at the same time, the bids may be split between those competitors and the final values might be lower. Also, keep in mind that holidays are generally a bad time to end auctions.

Also, consider your audience. Some items sell very well during the daytime since the bidders for those items are surfing from work or when the kids are at school. Other items sell better with evening closing times for similar reasons. Experimentation is strongly recommended. And don't forget that you'll need to retest your assumptions periodically since buying habits change with time as well.

edit

Are those extra-charge options worthwhile?

The answer to this question greatly depends on the type of items you are selling and the type of buyers you attract with your listings. The more exclusive your item is, the less important these features become. Remember that these features are designed to increase your exposure by making your item more visible or prominent when a potential buyer is looking at lists of auctions that they might be interested in.

Before you consider paying for extra features, you should first make sure the best possible keywords are present in your auction listings and titles and that you are in the best categories. Buyers find auctions two ways - by browsing categories and by searching keywords. If your keywords are inappropriate or misspelled, your item won't even make it onto the list and those paid features are worthless. I recommend you fine-tune your listings before you start paying for extra features.

If you don't use counters on your auctions, start right away. You don't have any other way to measure the results.

The key to making effective use of features like bold, highlight, and the various incarnations of "Featured" placement is to experiment and to pay attention to what your competition is doing. Unless you can differentiate your auction listing in some meaningful way, your customers won't notice your auction buried on page two of a category with 120 featured auctions. If you are relatively exclusive in your products, skip the extra features.

The only real exception is the Gallery. If you product is very visual in nature, a clear gallery thumbnail can make a huge difference in your auction results. Keep in mind the goal is to entice the buyer to click through to your auction, so make sure the gallery image you select is eyecatching and the title gives enough information to reinforce the image. With the other features, bold is bold is bold (as an example). With the gallery, you can do a lot for your auction by making sure your gallery pics are better than the competition's.

Finally, experiment. Watch your click-throughs on your auctions and track how many people view your auctions with the various features enabled. Be sure to keep other variables (such as auction length and ending day/time) consistent to ensure your numbers are as meaningful as possible. If you aren't selling multiples of an item, compare your results to your competition by searching closed auctions. See if your selling price is in line with others that using different options. If the selling prices aren't improved by using the optional features, drop them.

edit

What payment services should I accept?

The more payment services you accept, the less likely someone will pass on your auctions. With that said, there are perfectly valid reasons for NOT accepting certain forms I payment. For instance, I have no place to store live chickens and won't take them. I recommend at least one option that the buyer can use without getting out of their chair. For online payments, the current choices are PayPal, eBay Payments, Yahoo PayDirect, BidPay, and C2It (listed in order by payment volume AFAIK). All of these services allow buyers to use their credit cards or bank accounts to pay the seller electronically.

edit

What is PayPal?

PayPal is the most popular payment service accepted by sellers on eBay, as ranked by the number of auctions. They started as a person-to-person payment service with the premise that you can send and receive money via email or wireless via your Palm handheld.

edit

What is BidPay?

BidPay is a bit unique in that payments arrive in the form of Western Union Money order rather than electronic form. Many International buyers find it very convenient when paying US sellers since the money order is easily converted to cash and is present is U.S. funds.

edit

Can I charge a fee if someone pays me with one of these services?

No. Not only is it against eBay's terms of service on the U.S. site, it probably also violates the terms for your payment service (You should check with the payment service to be sure). With that said, many sellers include it in their handling fee which is spread out among all buyers and thereby ok. Laws regarding credit card surcharges may vary from state to state.

edit

What if my bidder doesn't respond?

Have you given them at least 3 working days to reply? If so, try using a different e-mail service to contact them in case your messages are being blocked by their ISP. If you still aren't able to make contact after at least 7 calendar days, you can go to eBay's Non-Paying Bidder Alert Form located at http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw- cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?NPBComplaintForm . You can file the NPB anytime between 7 and 45 days after the auction closes.

You may also wish to obtain the buyer's contact information from eBay. If you have a current or recent transaction with someone, you can have eBay send you their contact information comprising their name, phone number and city/state. You will not receive their address. Keep in mind that the user will also automatically receive your information when you make the request.

The contact request form is located at http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?UserInformationRequest.

A special note should be made regarding dutch auctions. When filing the NPB Alert, the seller must file all NPB's for the auction at the same time. Any NPB's not filed at this time are forfeited and the seller will not be able to recover fees.

edit

What if my bidder responds and refuses to pay?

Go directly to the NPB form after the 7 days have past. Remember, you only have 45 days to file a NPB report and 60 days to request a FVF refund. Once you file the NPB alert, you have to wait 10 days to file the FVF request (for most NPB Reasons).

Once you've completed the FVF request, leave appropriate feedback for the buyer.

edit

How long do I have to wait to relist my item?

Technically, you can relist the item if you haven't heard from the buyer in the three business days. Most eBay users would probably agree that this is MUCH too soon. It's not uncommon for a buyer to send a payment without contacting you first. EBay recommends you send a payment reminder between three and thirty days from auction close.

edit

Can I use Priority Mail boxes for other types of mail?

The USPS provides certain Express Mail, Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, Global Express Mail and Global Priority Mail� packing materials at no cost to the consumer specifically for use in shipping via these services on.

edit

Should I ship to International bidders?

Another hotly debated topic. The tough part about international shipping is the potential for fraud, cost of shipping, establishing acceptable payment terms, and language barriers. It takes a bit of work initially and a little experience to get used to these types of transactions, but the potential for higher profits is tremendous.

If you want to dip your toe a bit before plunging in to the world-wide market, eBay lets you select certain regions giving you some control over your exposure on the various worldwide eBay sites. From the United States, you might want to try just Canada for a while until you have a level of comfort with International sales. Once you feel you've mastered Canadian sales, expand to Europe or Australia.

When you decide to offer your goods to International Buyers, you'll want to be sure to specify how you want to be paid. If you get a request from a potential buyer asking if you'll accept payment type X, it's always a good idea to check with your bank to make sure you aren't going to be hit with any outrageous fees. As a general rule, it you are taking payments in U.S. dollars and the payment instrument is drawn on an American bank, your bank shouldn't be charging extra for these types of deposits. If they are, shop around and find a bank that doesn't.

edit

When should I leave feedback?

Opinions vary greatly. Many sellers don't consider the auction to be complete until the buyer acknowledges receipt of the item and states that everything is in order. Other sellers feel that once a buyer has paid, they have fulfilled their obligations and feedback is in order. Whatever your decision, stick with it and don't keep it a secret. Post your feedback policy on your 'About Me' page so that buyer's can know what to expect.

Keep in mind that many buyers consider themselves 'feedback hostages' when sellers employ the strategy of leaving feedback only after the other party has done so. Good sellers generally only receive feedback on about 50-60% of their sold auctions. Many buyers will react strongly if they feel pushed and an otherwise smooth transaction can end up with poor results for the seller.

edit

How do I become a PowerSeller?

Powersellers get that way by selling a minimum of $2000 per month through eBay. That amount doesn't include shipping and handling. You can't apply to become a power seller, you are invited. Criteria for the various power seller levels can be found at

http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/powersellers.html.

edit

I'm new to eBay and want to sell. How can I convince others of my honesty?

Start small, selling relatively inexpensive items that can be shipped cheaply. Deliver them promptly, and pack them carefully. It's a whole lot easier to sell a $5 to $10 item when you have no feedback than it is to sell a $50 or $100 item. Count on not making too much if anything on that first group of auctions. When you've built up a few positives, start selling more expensive merchandise.

People want to see a pattern of transacting business in an honorable fashion. Starting small is the easiest way to establish a record of honorable behavior. Admittedly, some people do the same thing to sell nonexistent $2000 laptops, but if you're selling books and toys, starting with the cheaper stuff first, and gradually moving into the higher priced but still similar merchandise, people are less likely to automatically assume you're a scammer.

edit

How much should I bid?

Bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay for an item less the expected cost to ship. If you lose the auction, you'll have the comfort of know you weren't willing to pay more for it. What? You would have paid that extra $1? That means you really didn't bid your max.

edit

I bid $20 and my bid only shows as $1.00. Why?

You have just been introduced to the proxy bidding system. When you place your bid, eBay only shows the minimum amount necessary for you to win the auction. If other bidders jump in, your bid will automatically increase until the other party quits bidding or your maximum bid (the amount you entered) is exceeded. This method is very effective as long as you bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay. If you are only incrementally bidding, you are drawing attention to the auction and potential snipers can easily take the auction from you at the last moment.

edit

I just lost an auction by $1.00. How did this happen?

Remember that eBay only bids the amount necessary to win the auction. You don't really know how much the winner was willing to spend, all you know is that it was at least $1 (or whatever the bid increment was) more than your bid.

edit

I lost an auction in the last minute. How can I keep that from happening again?

Bid your max. The only real protection from last-minute bidders is to have your maximum bid in place before the auction ends. Any lesser amount usually results in a loss.

edit

What is proxy bidding? How does it work?

Essentially, when you bid, you aren't telling eBay how much of a bid to place. You are actually informing ebay as to the maximum amount you are willing to spend on this auction. The actual bid placed by eBay's bidding system is either the minimum amount for the auction (if you are the first bidder) or one bid increment above the previous high bidder. In the event someone else bids, eBay will increase your bid up to your maximum to keep you one bid increment above the other bidders. If another bidder exceeds your maximum, they become the high bidder at no more than one bid increment above your maximum bid. EBay gives some very good examples at

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buyerguide/bidding-prxy.html.

edit

What are the bid increments eBay uses to increase bids?

When eBay bids up to your maximum amount on your behalf, the bidding system automatically determines the next bid based on a simple schedule of increments located at http://pages.ebay.com/help/basics/e_item11.html based on the current bid price. The higher the item price, the larger the increment, bid increments range from a nickel to $100 on the U.S. Site.

edit

How long should I wait for a seller to reply to my emails?

You shouldn't need to wait more than three business days to exchange contacts with a seller. Remember that eBay states that both parties should make contact within that timeframe. Unless the seller states in their auction that they don't use the eBay checkout system, checkout is a great way to initiate that contact. If the seller doesn't use checkout, you should expect a timely email from the seller or the auction listing should have detailed instructions on what to expect.

edit

What should I do if my emails to the seller bounce?

When the email bounces, it might indicate a bad email address or another problem with either of your email accounts. Before you panic, there a couple of simple things to try. First, use the Ask Seller a Question link on the auction page to attempt contact. This message comes from eBay's servers and is less likely to be blocked by anti-spammed mail systems. If the message bounced because of a full mailbox, wait a day before attempting to send another message.

If you don't think you'll be able to make email contact, request the user's contact information using

http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MemberSearchShow from eBay and give them a call. If the email account is not valid or the contact information is wrong, contact safeharbor@ebay.com.

edit

The seller doesn't accept my payment type. What do I do?

If they state in their auction listing that they do accept that form of payment, insist upon it. You have every right to expect the seller to live up to the terms they stated in the auction. If you get a neg, handle it accordingly.

If the seller didn't state in their auction listing that a specific form of payment is acceptable, you should have clarified that bit of information before you bid. Note that many sellers will check the Visa/MC option for payments by eBay Payments and PayPal. EBay considers this acceptable. If you try to force a payment type onto a seller, be prepared for a no sale and possible negative feedback.

edit

How long should I wait to receive my merchandise?

Even if a seller ships your order on the day they receive the payment, there is still an interval of time before your item arrives at your doorstep. Factors that affect shipping time include distance, class of service, unexpected mail delays, misaddressed mail, and quality of packaging. Normal delivery times can range anywhere from one day to eight weeks. If you've done your homework, you should know the seller's track record for shipping by reviewing his or her feedback. If you feel your package is late, contact the seller to find out what is going on. Whenever possible, obtain a tracking number so you can check the status for yourself online. If you need to contact the seller, you should verify the shipping address, date sent, and the tracking number.

Retrieved from "http://www.wikifaq.com/Ebay_FAQs"

Categories: Internet | Computers

Sponsor Links

Return to Top

Page Statistics

This page was originally created by Andrea at 12:31 on Aug 17, 2005.
This page was last modified by Josh W at 01:39 on Apr 19, 2006.
This following users have made contributions: Andrea , Josh W , and an anonymous user.
This page was released under the terms of the: CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5.
This page has been previously accessed a total of 11984 times.