1. How to Register
Buying on eBay is simple and fun. Millions of items are for sale every day and to get started all you need to do is register on the site. Registration is free and it won't take you more than a few minutes.
To register, click the Register link.
Step 1
You will need to agree to eBay's User Agreement and Privacy Policy. The User agreement details the relationship between you and eBay and the Privacy Policy details how we protect your personal information. You must also be 18 years of age to buy and sell on eBay.
Once the first two steps are complete, you need to confirm your email address. This is important as it is the way that buyers and sellers contact each other. eBay will send an email to the address you provided in Step 1. All you need to do is follow the instructions in the email, and you will be ready to start bidding & buying.
Since most bidding takes place during the last few minutes of an auction-style listing, register now so you don't miss out on any last minute bargains!
2. How to Find what you're looking for
There are two ways to find an item you want to buy on eBay. You can Browse or Search. To start Browsing for the item you want, simply click on the Category links on the home page or click Browse on the Navigation Bar. You can also use eBay's powerful search engine to find an item you like, in the same way you would search the internet using a Search engine like Google.
On the Left-hand side of the eBay Homepage you can see a list of categories. There's millions of items for sale on eBay all the time, so sellers list their items in different areas to make it easy for buyers to find them. Click on the category you are interested in, let's say Collectables, and you will be taken to the Collectables category page. On this page you can see all the different sub-categories and you just need to choose the specific type of Collectables you are interested in. If you are a collector of Royal Memorabilia, and specifically interested in items related to Queen Victoria, you would find the Royalty heading and choose Victoria category. Click on the link, and on the next page and you can see all the different items in this Category.
Searching offers you a more precise way of locating an item you want to buy. If you know exactly what you are looking for, search is your best option.
To start Searching on eBay, click on the search button at the top of any page or use a search box like this one. Enter a search term related to an item, such as "Queen Victoria" and eBay will show you every item with the words Queen and Victoria in the item title.
Whether you are searching or browsing, eBay offers you ways to narrow down the selection of items you can see.
A. You can filter the results by their price or finishing time.3. How to Review the Item & the Seller
Once you have found an item that interests you, it is important that you read the description carefully to ensure it is exactly what you want. Important things to consider are:
A. Starting bid & current bid; this will help you to decide how much you are willing to pay
B. Buy It Now price if available, if you want to buy it without bidding
C. The Item Description: How has the item been described and what condition is it in. Read this thoroughly to ensure you know what you are getting
D. Item location and Postage costs: If you want to bid on an item that is located outside of your own country, make sure that the seller is willing to post internationally.
E. The Seller's Payment Options: make sure the seller is offering an option you are comfortable with. Most buyers prefer PayPal. UK members can pay for items with PayPal using a debit card, credit card or bank account. Members in the Republic of Ireland can currently pay for items using a credit card.
F. The Seller's Feedback Rating: This is the number in brackets next to their User ID. At a glance you can see the percentage of positive feedback the seller has. It is important to click on the number to get a more detailed view of the Member Profile and take a look at the actual comments that have been left so that you can get a good impression of how the seller trades.
G. Contact the Seller: if you still have questions about the item, email the seller BEFORE placing a bid. Remember, placing a bid is a bidding agreement - meaning that once you are declared the winning bidder, you cannot later decide that you do not want the item.
4. How to place a Bid or Buy Instantly
Decide on the maximum you would pay for the item and enter it into the bid box, eBay's proxy bidding system will bid on your behalf, only as much as is needed for you to remain the highest bidder. Make sure you put a figure you would be happy paying as once you have bid, you are entering into a contract with the seller.
My eBay is your own personalised area of eBay where you can monitor all of your eBay activity and manage your account. To review your bidding activity, click on the All Buying Tab. If you have been outbid you can place a higher bid from here by clicking on the Bid Now button.
If you are outbid, eBay will send an email notification telling you that you have now been outbid. If you want to place a new bid, you can do so by clicking on the Bid Again button.
If you see Buy It Now in a listing, this means you can buy the item instantly! You do not need to bid. The seller will have decided on a price they want to sell at, and that is the price you pay. Remember, postage and packaging charges are not included in the Buy It Now price.
Once you have opted to Buy it Now, you can pay instantly - this is sometimes a requirement of the seller. If this is the case, click the "Continue to PayPal" button to start the simple payment process.
5. How to Pay for your item
eBay Checkout:
Checkout calculates the total amount to pay and sends your payment and postal information to the seller. It can also help you request any payment information that was not specified in the listing.
If the seller has provided Payment details and accepts PayPal as a payment method, simply click the 'Pay Now' button from one of these three locations and complete the Checkout process: