Aron's eBay Blog

If you're an eBay seller who's been selling for any length of time, you've probably been asked for a refund at least once. Such requests, especially when they come from unsatisfied or wary buyers, can be unsettling and frustrating given both the loss of revenue that such a request represents and the amount of time and energy required to make a return and refund happen. But don't begin by thinking about such a request as a standoff; instead, try to make a deal that works for both of you.

There are actually multiple approaches you can take as a seller as you attempt to satisfy your buyer—beyond the traditional arrangement of return-restock-refund. Read on for discussion of some of the many ways that you can pursue the result is least costly for you, satisfying a dissatisfied buyer while at the same time minimizing the costs that you incur yourself.

See Also

     •  Dealing with Buyer Fraud
     •  What To Do When You Don't Get Paid
     •  Nine Small Business Pitfalls to Avoid

Anyone that trades actively on eBay learns to make use of their My eBay pages almost immediately—and with good reason. My eBay provides a great way to track all of your current activity. But did you know that My eBay offers a feature that can help you to remember and make notes about almost any item shown on your My eBay pages?

If you've ever found yourself wondering where you left a tracking number or trying to figure out just why you bid on a particularly strange item, perhaps it's time you acquainted yourself with the notes feature of My eBay. Read on to learn more.

See Also

     •  Learn to Use My eBay
     •  Streamline Your Record-Keeping
     •  Customize Your My eBay Summary

It's time for another batch of weird eBay auctions. It's the middle of summer and nothing in particular is going on. In keeping with such a state of affairs, nothing in particular ties today's weird eBay auctions together, apart from their unusualness.

For the Kids

First up today is something that only a very trusting parent would buy—a baby name. That's right, if you're the parent of an as-of-yet-unnamed newborn baby, you could be lucky enough to win the chance for someone else to name it.

Even if you don't have a newborn baby, eBay can still better your childrens' lives. For example, if your offspring are utterly friendless, you might consider buying each of them 500 fresh friends on MySpace. Nearly as good as the real thing, I'm sure!

For the Grown-Ups

Don't worry if you're childless, there's something for everyone on eBay. For example, might consider bidding on this vintage fire hydrant that someone has been so kind as to extract from a street corner in Boston.

Alternatively, you might buy this working hand-cranked air-raid siren instead. They make great gifts for ever-prepared friends and neighbors, so consider buying a few and giving them away at Christmas time.

If you're looking for something a little easier on the ears, you can always spring for this set of singing bowls that can apparently cure what ails you (or your psyche) with their sweet, harmonizing notes. A snip at just under a thousand dollars.

In fact, you might need some decent nerve-soothing if you decide to take on the task of repairing these 363 broken Playstation 2 consoles. Some spare parts included—though apparently not amongst these are the screws that are supposed to hold each unit together.

Once again, eBay proves to have something for everyone, whether nameless or hydrantless. Happy bidding, everyone!

The front page of eBay and many of the eBay categories are peppered with auctions that can only be described as junk. They can be tempting buys for buyers because they're only a dollar or two and promise the world. They can be tempting products for sellers because they're almost pure profit with little work. But don't be fooled.

The truth is that these kinds of auctions are unlikely to do anything for you or for eBay as a resource in the long term. Instead, they lead to disappointment, liability, and loss. Plus, you can get a few of the "secrets" that are for sale in these types of auctions inside this article! So read on!

See Also

     •  Avoid Counterfeit Items
     •  Don't Keyword SPAM or Miscategorize
     •  Don't Quietly Sell Defective Items

eBay is a great place to shop for everyday items and consumer goods, sure, but have you ever thought about stretching eBay to the hobbyist limit as your source for things like engine blocks (for home mechanics) and mainsprings (for home clockmakers), amongst others?

In fact, eBay is great as a "start to finish" supplier for big hobbyist projects and enthusiast needs of all kinds—and it also represents a great opportunity for sellers of such items to move new old stock and re-sell pulls and spares. Read on to learn more.

See Also

     •  Tips for Selling Hobbyist Goods on eBay
     •  Join the Community with eBay Groups

Ever find yourself puzzled by a sticky eBay situation? Questions on eBay—about trading policies and rules, best practices, ongoing disputes, and so on—are a regular part of life, whether you happen to be an experienced trader or an absolute eBay newbie. When questions arise, most users' first impulse is to immediately contact eBay in search of answers. But is this the best way to get them?

Though eBay will eventually respond to any query you send, you may find that it is in your interest to use another tool for getting your eBay answers—a human-driven tool that eBay has placed into service specifically to help eBay users with tough, urgent questions. Read on to learn more.

See Also

     •  Using eBay Help
     •  Let eBay Recommend Tools for You
     •  eBay's Community Hub

Buyers and bidders new to eBay are often shocked and bewildered to discover that eBay auctions don’t work like the most common form of “going, going, gone” auction to which they are accustomed. There are a number of important differences between eBay auctions and “regular” auctions that should be understood if you are to bid your way to maximum success on eBay.

See Also

     •  What is eBay?
     •  eBay Glossary

If you're a seller, one of your major eBay goals on an ongoing basis is to anticipate demand and sell into it. Luckily, eBay makes this an easy thing for sellers to do. Using information on eBay's website, you can get a quick summary of eBay's own market research as well as a summary of the types of items that eBay plans to promote in coming months. Read on to learn more.

See Also

     •  Supply and Demand on eBay
     •  eBay Selling and Marketing Tools

Sometimes a paragraph is just too much. You want to describe the items that you sell quickly, in ways that your buyers will understand without having to read sentence after sentence, without the risk that they won't notice the caveats that you included in your listing. For times like these, use the item condition shorthand that can be seen across eBay.

See Also

     •  Guide to Terms in eBay Listings
     •  eBay Seller Features Guide

In the real world, not every transaction can go smoothly. Sometimes buyers will not be satisfied with what sellers ship; that's the nature of selling and exchange. What's important is how both parties handle the disagreement, and in that regard eBay is somewhat different from other sales venues.

On eBay, of course, returns don't run through the company, but are rather the logistical responsibility of buyers and their sellers. This makes for an interesting level of variety but can also increase the potential for conflict if both sides aren't clear about what they can reasonably expect and what they are reasonably expected to provide. Read on to learn more.

See Also

     •  Resolving Disputes With Sellers
     •  Dealing With Buyer Fraud