You have:
- An ebay account
- A paypal account
- Money (hopefully)
- Find items you want
- Avoid scammers
And then you can click on one of the following, as available:
- Place Bid
- Buy it Now
- Make Offer
Recession got you down? Live a little without spending a lot!
Showing posts with label paypal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paypal. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
eBay 103: Making your first bid
Tags:
advice,
ebay,
ireland,
paypal,
shipping,
smart consumer,
technology
Part three already? How time flies... Let's see what you've learned.
You have:
And then you can click on one of the following, as available:
You have:
And then you can click on one of the following, as available:
Friday, June 6, 2008
eBay 102: The good, the bad and the damn fugly
Following on from eBay 101, we're going to look at some of the things you might see on your travels to find that widget/gizmo/electric thingymajig of your dreams. Beautiful things. Things that can trip you up. Things that make you go "hmmm". Use the following lists to know what to look for and what to look out for.
The good
The bad
The OMG STAY AWAY!!!
The good
- Low price
- Well written product description
- Clearly stated shipping to Ireland policy
- Clearly stated returns policy
- Clearly stated insurance cost
- High feedback score
- High percentage of positive feedback (99%+)
- Selling in Euro
- Offer Credit Card sales (safer than PayPal but about to be blocked by eBay)
- Offer PayPal
The bad
- Description copy/pasted from manufacturers website
- Omits important details
- Poor English
- Does not respond to "Ask seller a question"
- Uses name like "honest123" or "safetrader89" (not real names... I think)
- Located in Hong Kong
The OMG STAY AWAY!!!
- Suspiciously low price for new item
- Low price but high shipping
- Says will ship to anywhere but no quote given
- Located in any African nation, Russia or China (unless reputable, but not many)
- Wants to use escrow service
- Wants to use bank transfer/Western Union/unfamiliar service
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
eBay 101: Getting started
This is a guide for the absolute eBay beginner. You have heard of eBay, maybe you even know someone who uses it but you have never dared to use it yourself or have the first idea about how to go about doing it. Well, read on and all that will change.
What is eBay?
eBay could be described as the worlds largest flea market, a global auction house, a bargain hunters paradise or a refuge for scammers. It is the largest online marketplace in terms of users and therefore it has the widest selection of goods on offer. Sellers offer everything from the brand new to the old and worn. If it's for sale, it's probably here.
What does it have on offer for me?
Ok, let's say you wanted to buy a shiny new HTC Diamond smartphone. First, open http://www.ebay.ie/ in a new tab or window. Next locate this bar:
...and type htc diamond as shown. Hit enter. I got 50 matches, how about you?
Notice the .ie at the end of the address. This means that it is eBay Ireland. What that means is that the site is optimised (in eBays opinion, not mine) for Irish sellers. Prices appear in euro, shipping defaults to "to Ireland", Irish eBay Shops are given priority and so on. This is useful but actually there is a problem: it cuts out a lot of people who are quite happy to sell to you at low prices! Try the other varients such as ebay.com and ebay.co.uk to find more deals. For example, ebay UK was showing 62 hits for me on the same search as above.
I see something I want. How do I buy things?
You need to sign up for an eBay account, have an email address, have a credit card and 99% of the time, a PayPal account.
That should keep you busy for now. If you want me to cover something in particular in the next installment, leave a comment and I'll do my best.
What is eBay?
eBay could be described as the worlds largest flea market, a global auction house, a bargain hunters paradise or a refuge for scammers. It is the largest online marketplace in terms of users and therefore it has the widest selection of goods on offer. Sellers offer everything from the brand new to the old and worn. If it's for sale, it's probably here.
What does it have on offer for me?
Ok, let's say you wanted to buy a shiny new HTC Diamond smartphone. First, open http://www.ebay.ie/ in a new tab or window. Next locate this bar:
...and type htc diamond as shown. Hit enter. I got 50 matches, how about you?
Notice the .ie at the end of the address. This means that it is eBay Ireland. What that means is that the site is optimised (in eBays opinion, not mine) for Irish sellers. Prices appear in euro, shipping defaults to "to Ireland", Irish eBay Shops are given priority and so on. This is useful but actually there is a problem: it cuts out a lot of people who are quite happy to sell to you at low prices! Try the other varients such as ebay.com and ebay.co.uk to find more deals. For example, ebay UK was showing 62 hits for me on the same search as above.
I see something I want. How do I buy things?
You need to sign up for an eBay account, have an email address, have a credit card and 99% of the time, a PayPal account.
That should keep you busy for now. If you want me to cover something in particular in the next installment, leave a comment and I'll do my best.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Making payments online
Over the last 9 days I've meandered about from site to site, letting you sample some of the plethora of delights the internet offers. From the cheap and cheerful dealextreme*, to sober dabs and the ever useful but downright dull revenue commissioner. In my first post, I promised to cover the basics. To my mind there is a part of online purchases that I haven't gone into enough detail on: purchasing. So, here is a list of ways you can make purchases online, with comments where appropriate.
1. Paypal
THE online payments processor. Owned by and promoted heavily by Ebay. Acts as a proxy between you and a seller, allows you to pay by bank account or credit card. Big. Well known.
The good: It's pretty safe. The seller never sees your credit card details, so they can't draw all your money and leave you to pick up the pieces. Free to use for consumers.
The bad: Their customer service has left a trail of destruction. Don't make purchases over €500 with Paypal or you could be very sorry if things don't go smoothly. Also, they have a convoluted verification process which is a nuisance, but necessary for some sellers.
2. CCNow, WorldPay, RealEx etc.
The other online payments processors. Independently owned. Do pretty much the same thing as paypal and quite often better. Small. Frequently bullied by Paypal in the yard.
The good: Very little difference to Paypal. Don't ask too many questions.
The bad: Again, like Paypal. Lack of verification may give people the impression that they are less secure than Paypal (not true).
3. Credit Card
The standard in international payments. There isn't a business man alive who doesn't understand visa. Accepted by medium to big stores. Most common and easiest method of online payment. Costs €30 in tax to hold one for a year or part thereof.
The good: Reasonably safe to use. Unlikely to lose money if you are a victim of fraud. Easy to acquire.
The bad: If you do get into a dispute, you could be without a working credit card for a while.
4. Virtual Credit Card
Ooh, virtual! Nothing to do with virtual reality. Acts as a pay-as-you-go rechargeable credit card. Not taxed. Suitable for 16+ years.
The good: Same as a credit card. Can only be emptied of the credit that is on it.
The bad: Joining fees and administration charges. Cannot be used on certain websites.
5. Debit Card
Direct access to your current account. Payment is transferred (almost) immediately. Usually specific to a certain country or area.
The good: Convenient. Easy to acquire.
The bad: Not accepted in a lot of places. Not particularly safe.
6. Cheque
Limited access to your current account. Payment is transferred within 5 working days upon receipt.
The good: Easy to acquire.
The bad: Not accepted in a lot of places. Not particularly safe. Slow.
7. Bank transfer
Don't even think about it.
8. Cash
What did I just say?
That about covers it for today. If you have any questions, comments or just want to hang out and talk rubbish, feel free to leave a comment (see below). Comments can be anonymous so if you want to ask a question without giving away your email, go for it!
1. Paypal
THE online payments processor. Owned by and promoted heavily by Ebay. Acts as a proxy between you and a seller, allows you to pay by bank account or credit card. Big. Well known.
The good: It's pretty safe. The seller never sees your credit card details, so they can't draw all your money and leave you to pick up the pieces. Free to use for consumers.
The bad: Their customer service has left a trail of destruction. Don't make purchases over €500 with Paypal or you could be very sorry if things don't go smoothly. Also, they have a convoluted verification process which is a nuisance, but necessary for some sellers.
2. CCNow, WorldPay, RealEx etc.
The other online payments processors. Independently owned. Do pretty much the same thing as paypal and quite often better. Small. Frequently bullied by Paypal in the yard.
The good: Very little difference to Paypal. Don't ask too many questions.
The bad: Again, like Paypal. Lack of verification may give people the impression that they are less secure than Paypal (not true).
3. Credit Card
The standard in international payments. There isn't a business man alive who doesn't understand visa. Accepted by medium to big stores. Most common and easiest method of online payment. Costs €30 in tax to hold one for a year or part thereof.
The good: Reasonably safe to use. Unlikely to lose money if you are a victim of fraud. Easy to acquire.
The bad: If you do get into a dispute, you could be without a working credit card for a while.
4. Virtual Credit Card
Ooh, virtual! Nothing to do with virtual reality. Acts as a pay-as-you-go rechargeable credit card. Not taxed. Suitable for 16+ years.
The good: Same as a credit card. Can only be emptied of the credit that is on it.
The bad: Joining fees and administration charges. Cannot be used on certain websites.
5. Debit Card
Direct access to your current account. Payment is transferred (almost) immediately. Usually specific to a certain country or area.
The good: Convenient. Easy to acquire.
The bad: Not accepted in a lot of places. Not particularly safe.
6. Cheque
Limited access to your current account. Payment is transferred within 5 working days upon receipt.
The good: Easy to acquire.
The bad: Not accepted in a lot of places. Not particularly safe. Slow.
7. Bank transfer
Don't even think about it.
8. Cash
What did I just say?
That about covers it for today. If you have any questions, comments or just want to hang out and talk rubbish, feel free to leave a comment (see below). Comments can be anonymous so if you want to ask a question without giving away your email, go for it!
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