Read EBay for Dummies for Free Online

don’t ever forget that eBay takes this stuff very seriously. You can be kicked off eBay or worse. (Can you say “federal investigation”?)
    Be sure to read the User Agreement thoroughly when you register. So that you don’t have to put down this riveting book to read the legalese right this minute, I provide the nuts and bolts here:
    You understand that every transaction is a legally binding contract. (Click the User Agreement link at the bottom of any eBay page for the current eBay Rules and Regulations.)
    You agree that you can pay for the items you buy and the eBay fees that you incur. (Chapter 8 fills you in on how eBay takes its cut of the auction action.)
    You understand that you’re responsible for paying any taxes.
    You’re aware that if you sell prohibited items, eBay can forward your personal information to law enforcement for further investigation. (Chapter 9 explains what you can and can’t sell on eBay — and what eBay does to sellers of prohibited items.)
    eBay makes clear that it is just a venue, which means it’s a place where people with similar interests can meet, greet, and do business.
    When everything goes well, the eBay Web site is like a school gym that opens for Saturday swap meets. At the gym, if you don’t play by the rules, you can get tossed out. But if you don’t play by the rules on eBay, the venue gets un-gymlike in a hurry. eBay has the right to get state and federal officials to track you down and prosecute you. But fair’s fair; if you click the appropriate box on this page, eBay keeps you posted by e-mail of any updates in the User Agreement.
    If you’re a stickler for fine print, click the links provided on the registration page for all the Ps and Qs of the latest policies. The User Agreement is vital to your success on eBay.
    Before you can proceed, you must click the two check boxes, indicating that you really, really understand what it means to be an eBay user. Because I know that you, as a law-abiding eBay member, will have no problem following the rules, go ahead and click the I Agree to These Terms button at the bottom of the page. You’re transported to a screen stating that eBay is sending you an e-mail. You’re almost done.
    The next step is confirming your e-mail address, which I cover in the next section.
    It must be true if you have it in writing
    After you accept the User Agreement and Privacy Policy, eBay takes less than a minute to e-mail you an activation notice. When you receive the eBay registration activation e-mail, be sure to print it, and don’t delete the e-mail — save it somewhere special.
    With your confirmation number in hand, head back to the eBay Registration page by clicking the link supplied in your e-mail. If your e-mail doesn’t support links, go to this address:
    cgi4.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll
    After you reconnect with eBay and it knows your e-mail address is genuine, you’ll be heartily congratulated with an eBay e-mail. It’s time to start shopping!
    If you don’t receive your eBay registration confirmation e-mail within 24 hours, there was most likely an error in your e-mail address. At this point, the customer-support folks can help you complete the registration process. Try visiting the Contact Us link on the eBay home page. They are always happy to help.
    If for some reason (even a late night watching the 24 marathon is a perfectly acceptable excuse) you incorrectly type the wrong e-mail address, you have to start the registration process all over again with a different user ID (eBay holds the previous ID for 30 days). If you run into a snag, you can click the Contact Us button to reach Live Help. See Figure 2-3 for one of my previous Live Help discussions.
    Figure 2-3: Within minutes of clicking Live Help, I was online with a real person.

    Getting to know you: Optional information
    When you’re a full-fledged, officially registered member of the eBay community, you may see an eBay pop-up window, giving you the option to provide