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more information about yourself. These optional questions allow you to fill in your self-portrait for your new pals from eBay.
    Although eBay doesn’t share member information with anyone, you don’t have to answer the optional questions if you don’t want to.
    The following points show you the optional questions eBay asks. You decide what you feel comfortable divulging and what you want to keep personal. eBay asks for this information because the company wants a better picture of who is using its Web site. In marketing mumbo-jumbo, this stuff is called demographics — statistics that characterize a group of people who make up a community. In this case, it’s the eBay community. Here is the optional information you can provide:
    Gender: This first choice gets right down to the basics; some people find it a good test of whether the requests for information seem too personal. (eBay will no doubt figure it out anyway when they see what items you search the site for!)
    Annual household income: Fill this in if you want to (eBay states that this info is kept anonymous), but I think this information is too personal. If you’re not comfortable with providing it, skip it.
    Your highest completed education level: Again if this is too personal, leave this area blank.
    After selecting your responses from the drop-down box, you can click Submit. If you’re not in the mood right now, you can click the Answer Later link. (This pop-up box reappears for your response later in your eBay dealings.) If you don’t want to answer any demographic queries, click the Please Don’t Ask Me Again link at the bottom of the pop-up window.
    If somebody you’re in a transaction with requests your info, you get an e-mail from eBay giving you the name, phone number, city, and state of the person making the request. Keep your information up-to-date. If you don’t, you risk being ejected from the site. See Chapter 15 for details.
    A Quick Word about Passwords
    Choosing a good password is not as easy (but is twice as important) as it may seem. Whoever has your password can (in effect) “be you” on eBay — running sales, bidding on auctions, and leaving possibly litigious feedback for others. Basically, such an impostor can ruin your eBay career and possibly cause you serious financial grief.
    As with any online password, you should follow these rules to protect your privacy:
    Don’t choose an obvious password, such as your birthday, your first name, or (especially!) your Social Security number. ( Hint: If it’s too easy to remember, it’s probably too easy to crack.)
    Make things tough on the bad guys — combine numbers and letters (use uppercase and lowercase) or create nonsensical words.
    Don’t give out your password to anyone — it’s like giving away the keys to the front door of your house.
    If you ever suspect that someone has your password, immediately change it by going to the following address:
    https://scgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll
    Change your password every few months just to be on the safe side.
    Don’t use the same password for eBay and PayPal.
    A Not-So-Quick Word about Choosing a User ID
    eBay gives you the option of picking your user ID. Making up a user ID is my favorite part. If you’ve never liked your real name (or never had a nickname), here’s your chance to correct that situation. Have fun. Consider choosing an ID that tells a little about you. Of course, if your interests change, you may regret having too narrow a user ID.
    You can call yourself just about anything; you can be silly or creative or boring. But remember, this ID is how other eBay users will know you. So here are some commonsense rules:
    Don’t use a name that would embarrass your mother.
    Don’t use a name with a negative connotation, such as scam-guy.
    Don’t use a name that’s too weird. If people don’t trust you, they won’t buy from you.
    eBay doesn’t allow spaces in user IDs, so make sure that the ID makes sense when putting two or