how does e-bay prevent people  bidding on their own goods to increase price?
345335
it is against their rules, but they don't really detect violators (unless things have changed lately)... my hunch is that gross violators will be stopped, but the occasional, small-time "shill bidder" they don't worry about
164882
Alot of people get ripped off on e-bay. Its better to buy from some other place.\n\nContact e-bay and complain if you think he is trying to ripp you off.\n\nAlso do what ping ponger said..
231757
I have my own eBay business.    The first thing I would do is buy some inexpensive things on eBay, just to get some positive feedback.  The first thing I bought was a VHS tape for $.99.  The trick to being successful is to pick a category that doesn't have that many sellers, and is something that people want.  If you pick a category that comes up with 500,000 items up for auction, people just aren't going to browse through that category to see what everyone has.  Even when you refine your search on a category that big it usually comes up with 30,000...still too many for browsing.  I always ship USPS Priority Mail because there is a flat rate box (12x14x3) that is one price, no matter how much it weighs....so if you can fit it in that box it's only one price. The Post Office will also come and pick your shipment up for free with Priority Mail, so there's no going to the Post Office and customers get their product in 2-3 days.  (I've found that people don't want to wait for their stuff longer than 3 days.)  I don't want to tell you what I'm selling because I don't want the category to get overloaded with sellers.  But I do well, I am able to support myself, no problem.  I actually started out with only $500.  When you put your product up for auction you have a choice of a 7 day or a 10 day auction.  I always do the 10 day auction starting it on a Friday.  That way you have 2 weekends for people to look at your stuff.  Some sellers don't accept PayPal as a method of payment because you have to give a percentage of your profit of a sale to them if it is used by your buyer.  I personally won't buy from people that don't take PayPal because you have protection against a seller that is trying to rip you off.  I have only had good experiences with my customers and  with PayPal, and I have a 100% positive feedback rate.  If you have any more questions you can email me at:\n\nebayenigma@luv2kre8it.com
133754
A number of people in your situation have started their own stores on e-bay. There are a number of books on how to get started. The e-bay site can give you a lot of information.
298887
Ebay is recently changing its system and charging ppl to sell in ebay.. i guess that's the problem but it's gonna be okay soon.\nmeantime check if you've put Ebay into your restricted site by mistake? if yes, you can undo that in Tool-Internet Options.
1104597
Power Sellers bring in money for them (moreso than other sellers). Plus, they have access to a direct line at Ebay where they can talk to a live person to get problems resolved. Thus, their "squeaky wheel" is much louder. Besides, Ebay does not care about too much of anything except money. Look up their child pornography sometime. They turn a blind eye to quite a bit.
891083
it's not breaking the law.\n\nit's kind-of well understood that different types of folks visit different types of web-sites. And some people buy things from one 'vendor' because the price is 'more', - so it must be better.\n\nThat's like taxing 'idiots' - and I'm all for that. And if the company get make more money of person 'A', then the can make less money on person 'B'.\n\nWhat the market will bear, - is my motto. And besides, they're not descriminating on age, gender, race, etc.
925507
No...if you are outbid, then someone else has bid more...\n\nWhy would you think you would need to pay???
970365
Sometimes people will make their money in shipping and handling.\n\nBut most of the time it is just there to raise their feedback.  The higher the feedback, the more money you make on eBay.
38166
I am sure you could get a lot for it. You can check auctions that have already completed by going to Advanced Search and putting in the keywords. That would give you an idea. Also, place a reserve price to prevent it for going too low. Set the reserve at the lowest price you would be willing to sell it for. So if it does not get bid up that high, you are not obligated to sell it.
797630
It could also be that the items you have for sale are not what people are looking to buy.  What kind of items are you selling?  How old?  How used?  How damaged?  etc.
451329
You have to be careful in your minimum pricing or reserve price.  People on eBay are looking for bargains, and many people's items go unsold because they are overpriced for THAT market (as opposed to the regular retail value of an item).  Try searching similar items, and on the left under the search box, you'ss also find a box to check for COMPLETED LISTINGS.  You can research what did and did not sell, and the listing or selling prices of similar items, so that you can price your items competitively.  Good luck!
1152140
That's part of their seller's agreement.\nHopefully, that item you're offering will bring in a much better price if a bidding war erupts between potential buyers.\nKeep you fingers crossed.
618727
Firstly, you will get negative ratings from the seller which means that other sellers may not accept bids from you in future.\n\nAdditionally, the seller can report you to eBay who may ban you from their site.\n\nTo avoid this, you may wish to contact the seller directly, explain why you no longer want the item and try to come to some agreement with them.
483499
Yes, contact the seller who is selling the item.\n\nASk him you want to retract your bid. \n\nThe seller has the option to take you off the list.
940977
The first thing anybody would see before clicking on a product on E-Bay is the headline for a product.  If it doesn't appeal to them in the first microsecond, they probably won't click on it.  Just my 2 cents, as I don't know what you're selling.
528910
The first rule in eBay: Sell products that people actually want. \n\nSelling on eBay is not as easy as some portray. In fact, go to eBay and check out the number of auctions that end without a single bid. Competition is getting tough, as more sellers go to eBay; even the big boys are joining in the eBay marketplace. Add to that the increasing listing and final value fees.\n\neBay has several ways for you to determine exactly what the hot items to sell on their marketplace: \n\nItems In Demand = the most popular items currently within that particular category. To see the In Demand page, go to http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/sellbycategory.html  \n\nHot Items by Category Report = a monthly report that lists the fastest growing categories on eBay for the previous month. Go to http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/whatshot.html and select "Hot Items by Category" from the menu on the left. \n\neBay Pulse = "a daily snapshot of current trends, hot picks, and cool stuff on eBay". Go to http://pulse.ebay.com/ to see eBay Pulse in action. \n\nMerchandising Calendar = eBay promotes specific categories on its home page each month. Savvy eBayers know that this home page exposure results in more interest in such categories. Go to http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/calendar.html  to view the current Merchandising Calendar.\n\nFor managing ebay listings, I use Timbercreek's Sold! http://www.timbercreeksoftware.com/... - it can create invoices, schedule your listings, manage multiple auctions, manage customers, track payments receive, etc.\n\nI suggest you read the articles on Success with Auctions http://www.powerhomebiz.com/internet/auctions.htm\n\nBuying from garage sales and selling on eBay is fun, and good getting a few dollars here and there from ebay. Sometimes, you luck out on an item and hit big, but many times it will just be so-so (assuming you can even get the price you paid for it). In terms of fun factor, it is great. But from a business stand-point, it is not. Not sustainable.\n\nIf you want to earn serious money from eBay, you need to have a well-thought out business model. Selling on ebay is getting tougher -- just look at the number of auctions that closes without a bid. Go to the boards on ebay and you will hear even oldtimers complaining about how stiffer competition plus higher fees make it so much harder to sell on ebay.\n\nOne success model of ebay is the couple Jay and Marie Senese (username jayandmarie) of the 1-cent CD fame. They have the highest positive feedback number of all sellers on eBay. Their business model is to buy very low cost CDs in bulk (those that CD stores sell in their discount bins) and offer them on ebay at a starting price of 1 cent http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_23/b3886080.htm Their success is based on the fact that they stumbled on a sustainable business model with products that people really want. They sold their business -- where else but on ebay -- for $5 million! Now that is success.