Developing eBay Business Tools For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) (Paperback)

by John Kaufeld (Author), Tim Harvey (Author) "If the Great Pyramid qualifies as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, then eBay deserves an honorary award as the Eighth Wonder..." (more)
Key Phrases: auction page, Doughboy Tank, Developers Program, Listing Designer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• Features ready-to-use applications-all available on the CD-ROM-that eBay sellers can plug right into their pages; more advanced users can tweak the applications to suit specific needs
• Shows you how to streamline an eBay business by leveraging programming technologies and the eBay API (application program interface)
• Explains how to connect eBay pages to the APIs of related companies (PayPal, Fed Ex, UPS, and the USPS) as well as to Microsoft Office applications such as Outlook and Excel
• Provides expert tips and tricks for implementing eBay technologies such as image handling, shipping calculators, enhanced About Me pages, and back-office tools

From the Back Cover
Unlock the techie secrets to building bigger profits

A little technological know-how can give your auctions a lot more appeal

There's treasure hidden throughout that techno-planet known as eBay, and here's your guidebook and equipment list for finding it. Tap into your inner geek and pull out a little HTML to jazz up your auctions, or dig all the way into the mysteries of APIs—it's up to you. Every bit can boost your bottom line!

Discover how to:

• Improve your eBay presence, planning, and follow-up
• Make the most of your About Me page
• Post auctions faster
• Make your business run better with the eBay API
• Sweeten your pages with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript™

All this on the bonus CD-ROM:

• Macromedia® Dreamweaver® MX 2004 with HomeSite trial version
• Trial versions of Zend Studio, Primal® Script, and Primal Code®
• eBay Software Development Kit for Windows® and Java™

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Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (January 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764579061
• ISBN-13: 978-0764579066
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #980,883 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tries Hard to Cover Everything, March 1, 2005

By	Stuart Gardner "www.sdgardner.com" (Fair Lawn, NJ) - See all my reviews

A significant proportion of this book is dedicated to producing well presented listings. Easy HTML for ebay does a far better job of covering the same ground. There are also alot of quick tips that are easy to apply (and have been better covered in books such as ebay hacks).

Most of the software packages on the CD are trial versions. Nothing innovative or new is included.

The descriptions of the ebay sandbox and API are very superficial - enough to get you started but little else. The chapter on office development tells you that "serious"
experience is required and little information is availible from the ebay development site and advises the reader to concentrate on PHP - not bad advice but it takes 7 pages to get there.

Conclusion: the scope of the book is overambitious. It results in a good description of how to prepare listings, some useful tips and a superficial introduction to the ebay API.