You Won That Ebay Auction! Now What Do You Do?

by Kirsten Hawkins

It's a heady feeling when you win your first eBay auction: a mixture of happiness and perhaps just a little fear. After all, there seems to be so much to do before you can actually get your item. What do you do next? The simple answer is: you send payment to the seller, as quickly as possible. The quicker you pay, the more your seller will like you, and the sooner your item will arrive. But how you go about it? That all depends on how you plan to pay. PayPal. PayPal is one of the most popular options for paying on eBay, to the point where eBay decided to buy the company. It allows instant electronic payment across the Internet. Money goes instantly from your credit or debit card to the seller's PayPal account, where they can either use it for Internet purchases or transfer it out to their bank. eBay offer incentives for using PayPal, and almost all sellers now accept it. Its instant nature makes sellers very happy, and means that they can have your item packed and sent and leave you some positive feedback within a few hours of the auction ending. When paying by PayPal, you will be covered by PayPal's own insurances and guarantees, as well as any that your card might have. Cheques and Money Orders. This is payment the old-fashioned way, and will lead to a long wait to your item. You need to post the cheque or money order, then the seller has to take it to the bank and get it cleared, and only then do they send the item. The only reason to use this method is if either you or the seller distrusts electronic payment methods. If you're willing to go to the trouble with these sellers, though, you might get an item very cheaply, as most buyers just can't be bothered. When you pay by cheque or money order, make sure to print the eBay order confirmation page (it will be emailed to you) and put it in the envelope with your payment. Underline or circle key information like your mailing address and the item number. Finally, remember to be patient: keep in contact with the seller, as it really can take a month or two before everything falls into place and your item turns up. Money Transfers and Bank Deposits. Some sellers may ask you to pay them using a wire service like Western Union, or simply give you a bank account number and ask you to pay money into it. Unless you really trust the seller, this is generally a bad idea - these methods are hard to trace and you're unlikely to get any money back if anything goes wrong. Paying in cash, it hardly needs to be said, is an even worse idea. It's all a lot to take in, isn't it? I'm sure by now you've got a few questions, which is why the next email will be a little eBay buyer's FAQ. Let's hope we can solve any problems you might have. About the Author Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/ for more great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.

Australian online auction upstart takes on eBay

by 2Bid.com.au founder, Adam Mulcahy

An exciting new online auction website, 2Bid.com.au is taking on the global might of eBay in a bid to keep a slice of the auction action in Australia. The site offers all the powerful features of a major online auction website with two significant differences - it is 100% free to buy, sell or trade items, and, it is 100% Australian owned. 2Bid.com.au was started by local businessman Adam Mulcahy who became frustrated with seeing foreign companies collecting huge amounts of money in fees for Australians to trade with other Australians. "I find it absurd that Aussies are trading direct with each other yet paying fees to overseas companies for the privilege! I started this online auction website 2Bid.com.au so that Aussies could trade with Aussies completely FREE and not lose money overseas with every transaction." With 2Bid.com.au it costs nothing to buy, sell, auction, swap or create an online store - there are no commissions, no listing fees and no sales fees. This means 2Bid.com.au has no need to collect members' credit card details making it a safe option for people wary of submitting their credit card details online. Even with a majority 72% of Australian households having internet connections and 59% of internet users performing buying/selling activities (ACNielsen, 2005), there are still concerns about security and fraud. 2Bid.com.au addresses this issue directly and has opened up online selling to a whole new group of Australians. Also, because the auction website is only open to Australians it lowers the chance of fraud from overseas users and removes the complexity of international currency and delivery. "We're taking the global guys on at their own game using the internet to let Aussies trade with Aussies without a slice of revenue going overseas" said Mulcahy. 2Bid.com.au first opened on 10 November 2005 and has since had 6,797 visitors and 2,435 auctions created by its 185 active members. Having established it as a proven concept with secure and efficient services, 2Bid.com.au is now launching to the mainstream Australian market. About the author: Australian businessman Adam Mulcahy started 2Bid.com.au after becoming frustrated with seeing foreign companies collecting huge amounts of money in fees for Australians to trade with other Australians.

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