Buying

on

eBay History• According to urban myth, eBay was founded by Pierre

Omidyar for his girlfriend so she could have a way to trade Pez dispensers

• 1995 - Pierre Omidyar creates eBay. AuctionWeb.com goes online

• 1997 - eBay hits on the site spiked in the first quarter of the year, from 600,000 to more than 1 million. Site crashes were a daily occurance.

• 1997 - AuctionWeb.com site name changed to eBay.com. First logo is created.

• 1997-1998 - The eBay logo with the colorful letters we know today was chosen as the final logo for the company.

• 1999 - EBay's site crashes for 22 hours. eBay's then 400 employees are ordered to call all eBay users to personally apologize.

• 2000 – eBay has 1,927 full-time employees and 12 million registered users. By the end of 2000 the company has 22 million registered users.

• 2004 – eBay grosses $3.3 billion in revenue

eBay History

eBay History

eBay History

eBay History

What is sold on eBayAntiquesArtBabyBooksBusiness & IndustrialCameras & PhotoCars, Boats, Vehicles & PartsCell PhonesClothing, Shoes & AccessoriesCoinsCollectiblesComputers & NetworkingConsumer ElectronicsCraftsDolls & BearsDVDs & MoviesEntertainment MemorabiliaGift Certificates

Health & BeautyHome & GardenJewelry & WatchesMusicMusical InstrumentsPottery & GlassReal EstateSpecialty ServicesSporting GoodsSports Mem, Cards & Fan ShopStampsTicketsToys & HobbiesTravelVideo GamesEverything Else

Weird Stuff

• Grilled-cheese sandwich with the image of the Holy Mother sold for $28,000

• Man who auctioned his forehead for advertising space sold for $37,375

• Britney Spears' chewed gum sold for $263• U.S. Navy F/A-18A Hornet jet fighter sold for

$9,000,000• Titan 1 ICBM Missile Base (decommissioned,

don’t worry) sold for $778,080.02

What is not sold on eBay• Items that are illegal or that encourage illegal activity

(banned weapons, drugs, etc.)

• Items that are racially or ethnically inappropriate.

• Services that are illegal, sexual in nature or that violate eBay’s User Agreement

• Listings with counterfeit or bootleg items (counterfeits, replicas and unauthorized copies)

What you need

• A valid e-mail address (if you use webmail you may need to give more information)

• A credit card• Money to buy stuff

PayPal• Used to send and receive electronic payments• Primary form of payment for items on eBay• Must be registered separately from eBay• Two forms of accounts

– Unverified: makes payments though a credit card– Verified: makes payments using direct deposit to a

checking account

How does eBay work?1. An eBay user posts an item for sale in an auction

listing. The auction lasts several days2. Another user does a search for the same or similar

item and finds the listing.3. The buyer inspects the listing, asks the seller

questions through E-Mail or on eBay, checks the sellers feedback history, and eventually bids on the item.

4. Other buyers do the same and place higher bids5. The auction ends and the winning buyer is sent an E-

Mail notification with the total price of the item plus shipping and handling costs

How does eBay work?• The buyer pays for the item with PayPal, money

order, check or credit card (if the seller accepts credit card).

• The seller receives the payment in their PayPal account.

• The seller ships the item to the buyer.• Once the buyer receives the item and it is to

their satisfaction the buyer leaves good feedback to the seller.

• The seller leaves good feedback to the buyer.• The transaction is complete.

eBay Terminology• Auctions: Item is open for buyers to place bids

on until the listing end time.• Buy it Now: Item can be purchased immediately

at a fixed price.• Reserve: Item will not sell below a certain price

set by the seller.• NR: No Reserve.• Best Offer: Seller allows buyer ability to make

offers on fixed price items which the buyer can then accept or deny.

Types of Listings• Auction

– Usually lasts several days– Some have Buy it now– Some have Reserves

• Fixed Price (Buy it Now)– Usually lasts several days– Some have make an offer

• eBay Store– Usually last until purchased– Some have make an offer

Types of Payment• PayPal

– The most widely used method– Can be paid with either credit card or direct deposit from checking

• Money Order– Most sellers accept money orders, however it increases the time of a

transaction• Personal Check

– Few sellers accept strait personal checks because of the inherent risk of bounced checks

• Cash– Only used for direct pickup. NEVER mail cash!!!

• COD– Almost no seller accepts this unless they are directly delivering the item

• Credit Card– Usually only large vendors accept credit card over the phone.

Types of Shipping Calculation

• Fixed shipping– Seller will ship an item at a fixed price, regardless of

destination or weight, using a specified carrier• Calculate shipping

– Buyer can calculate shipping costs for multiple carriers by entering their Zip Code (only works in US)

• Contact Seller– Seller and buyer negotiate shipping charges and

methods

Feedback System

• eBay employs a user driven feedback system as part of quality control.

• Every user has a feedback given to them by both buyers and sellers for every successfully completed transaction.

• The more good feedback a seller has, the safer they are to buy from (generally).

• The more bad feedback a seller has, the more unsatisfied customers the seller has had.

eBay Live Demo…