Here are some hints and tips refer to eBay help sections for more detailed instructions.
And Happy bidding!!!!!!
Launched in 1995, eBay started as a place to trade collectables and hard-to-find items. Today eBay is a global marketplace where businesses and individuals can buy and sell practically anything.
Although eBay is a great place for buyers and sellers to come together and trade almost anything, eBay can be a bit scary to new users who aren’t used to buying items online from strangers or buying at auctions.
Here are a few tips for making your eBay experience a good one:
- Learn how to effectively search and browse. eBay includes thousands and thousands of items, which can be sometimes overwhelming when you’re trying to find what you’re looking for. Learning when to search and when to browse can be helpful.
- Before buying an item, review the feedback that members have left for a seller, and learn about PayPal, eBay’s preferred way to pay. Learning about a seller’s past trading experiences will help you decide if this is a person you feel you can trust. Learning about PayPal before you buy will make your PayPal buying experience easier.
- Review eBay’s rules and policies. To create a safe and fair trading environment for all eBay members, eBay includes rules and policies for all members. Learn more about why eBay has these rules and policies in place and what happens if you violate them.
- Use the powerful tools in My eBay. My eBay can help you track and manage all your eBay buying, selling, messaging, account information, preferences, and more.
- Learn how to get the help you need when you need it. eBay includes many tools for getting help including online help, eBay Learning Center, Community Help Boards, glossary and more.
Protect your eBay account
- Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully.
- Beware of fake email and Web sites requesting sensitive information.
- Install and update online protection software.
- Monitor your account for suspicious activity.
Here are some additional steps eBay is taking to help protect your account:
Identity Confirmation
PayPal Security Key
Choose your user ID, eBay password and secret question carefully.
- Your user ID and password give you access to your eBay account. Your user ID is the nickname that identifies you on eBay. Your password is the key to your account. You should choose both a user ID and a password that are not related to your email address or any of your other online accounts. Using the same password for several online accounts means that if someone can access one of your accounts, they can access your other accounts as well.
- If your user ID is the same, or similar to your email address, you should change your user ID. eBay members can still contact you after you have changed your user ID by using the Contact an eBay Member feature.
- Review Creating and Protecting Your Password for tips on how to select a secure password. Note: You should change your eBay password every 30 to 60 days
- In addition to changing your password regularly, you should also change the secret question and answer associated with your eBay account.
Beware of phishing (fake) emails and websites asking for sensitive information.
- A major threat to the security of your eBay account is fake emails and web sites, called spoof or phishing. They are used to get personal and account information.
- If you receive an email that looks as if it is from eBay and mentions a problem with your account or requests personal information and is not in My Messages in My eBay, it is a fake email. Forward suspicious emails to spoof@ebay.com.au.
- eBay will never ask you to provide sign-in passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information through email. If eBay requests information, eBay always directs you back to the eBay site.
- Review Reporting Spoof Emails and Recognising Spoof (Fake) eBay Web Sites so that you know what to do to protect your eBay account against these threats.
Review Reporting Spoof Emails and Recognising Spoof (Fake) eBay websites so that you know what to do to protect your eBay account against these threats.
Install and update online protection software.
- Anti-virus software. Computer viruses can log and record keystrokes. Emails can carry viruses that can find and transmit information from your files. Install the latest version of anti-virus software and use it regularly to scan your computer.
- Spyware protection. Spyware is software that is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge to collect personal information and record your Internet usage. By maintaining current versions of spyware protection you can be sure that people who want to steal your account or your identity won't have access to your computer.
- Internet firewalls. Firewalls are either hardware or software that controls the flow of information to and from your computer. Using a firewall helps prevent any unauthorised parties from gaining access to sensitive information stored on your computer. It is especially important to use a firewall if you have a high-speed connection that is always connected to the Internet.
Monitor your account for suspicious activity.
Periodically check My eBay to ensure no one has tampered with your account. It's a good idea to periodically check all your online accounts, not just your eBay and PayPal accounts.
If you see anything out of the ordinary with your eBay account, report it to eBay immediately and take action quickly to secure your eBay account and protect yourself from identity theft.
How eBay helps protect your account through identity confirmation
Keeping your personal information secure and confidential is one of our most important responsibilities. We continuously use a variety of technologies and techniques designed to prevent unauthorised access to your information. As part of this program, eBay will attempt to recognise a trusted member automatically by verifying the computer they use. If an attempt is made to login to your account from an unrecognised computer, we will require additional confirmation to protect your account from unauthorised access.
If an account owner is using a new computer ‑ perhaps at the office or at a friend’s house ‑ that owner will have to confirm his or her identity before they can sell on the site.
To help identity confirmation work quickly for you, we recommend that you:
- Ensure that your personal information is current. We might need to confirm the information in your account, such as your telephone number or address. We would also highly recommend that you to provide us with a secondary phone number.
- Review your secret question. Make sure the secret question and answer you have on file is easy for you to remember and difficult for others to guess.
Add extra password protection with the PayPal Security Key
Add an extra layer of security with the advanced password protection of the PayPal Security Key. The PayPal Security Key is a lightweight, sturdy, keychain-sized device that generates a new six-digit security code that you add to your password when you sign in to eBay. Learn more about the PayPal Security Key.
How to bid
- Once you find an item you're interested in, it's easy to place a bid.
Carefully review the item listing, and click the Place Bid button on the item page. - Enter your maximum bid.
- Click the Continue button.
- Review your bid, and click the Confirm Bid button.
eBay will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid. You'll get an email confirming your bid. And when the auction ends, you'll receive another email indicating whether you've won the item, with an explanation of what you can do next.
Note: You may be able to place bids from more than just the item page. However, please carefully review the item listing before you place a bid.
About eBay’s automatic bidding system
When you place a bid, we suggest that you enter the maximum amount that you're willing to pay for the item. (You won't necessarily pay the amount of your maximum bid.) eBay compares your bid to those of other bidders and increases your bid on your behalf using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high bid position.
Automatic bidding system: eBay uses an automatic bidding system to make bidding more convenient. There’s nothing you need to set up, the system is already in place.
Bid increments: eBay’s bidding system is based on increments. A bid increment is the amount by which a bid will be raised each time the current bid is outdone.
Bid safely: eBay limits the display of your bid history information by using anonymous names. All bidders are assigned anonymous names, such as x***y. These anonymous names are used consistently across all auctions that exceed a certain level. When you bid on an item, your user ID is shown only to the seller of the item.
Note: Anonymous names may appear more than once in the bid history and may represent different bidders from different auctions.
Tips for successful bidding
Don't bid on identical items in different listings if you just want one item. If you win both, you'll be obligated to buy both.
If you’re outbid on an item, wait until the auction has ended before placing a bid on an equivalent item. If the bidder who outbid you retracts his or her bid, your bid may become the winning bid. Consider placing the identical item on your list of items you're watching in My eBay.
To change your bid amount, enter a new bid amount and click the Place Bid button.
