Getting Started in Internet Auctions [Paperback]

Alan C. Elliott (Author)

Book Description

Series: Getting Started in | Publication Date: April 14, 2000

Comprehensive Coverage
Completely Up-to-Date
Your complete guide to buying and selling at Internet auctions

As millions of people worldwide have discovered, online auctions can be a fun, safe, and easy way to buy, sell, or trade virtually anything-from Pez dispensers to mobile homes, antiques to computers. But the world of Internet auctions is unlike any other marketplace, and finding and making the great deals you're hoping for can be a very tricky business, especially for newcomers. In this complete guide, expert Alan Elliott saves you the time and expense of learning the ins and outs of Internet auctions the hard way. He reviews all the best auction sites and, step-by-step, teaches you everything you need to know to safely and successfully participate both as a buyer and a seller. From finding an auction site to setting up and managing your own auctions, Elliott covers all the bases, including how to:
* find the real online bargains
* spot inferior merchandise
* use safe, smart bidding practices
* set limits and time your bids
* conduct financial transactions online, safely and securely
* avoid Internet scam artists
* determine what is salable online and what isn't
* find the best auction site for what you have to sell
* correctly price your merchandise
* successfully advertise and market your merchandise
* make a living in Internet auctions

For Internet auction updates and links to valuable auction resources, contact the Companion Web site at: www.alanelliott.com/auction.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Comprehensive Coverage
Completely Up-to-Date
Your complete guide to buying and selling at Internet auctions

As millions of people worldwide have discovered, online auctions can be a fun, safe, and easy way to buy, sell, or trade virtually anything-from Pez dispensers to mobile homes, antiques to computers. But the world of Internet auctions is unlike any other marketplace, and finding and making the great deals you're hoping for can be a very tricky business, especially for newcomers. In this complete guide, expert Alan Elliott saves you the time and expense of learning the ins and outs of Internet auctions the hard way. He reviews all the best auction sites and, step-by-step, teaches you everything you need to know to safely and successfully participate both as a buyer and a seller. From finding an auction site to setting up and managing your own auctions, Elliott covers all the bases, including how to:
* find the real online bargains
* spot inferior merchandise
* use safe, smart bidding practices
* set limits and time your bids
* conduct financial transactions online, safely and securely
* avoid Internet scam artists
* determine what is salable online and what isn't
* find the best auction site for what you have to sell
* correctly price your merchandise
* successfully advertise and market your merchandise
* make a living in Internet auctions

For Internet auction updates and links to valuable auction resources, contact the Companion Web site at: www.alanelliott.com/auction.

About the Author

ALAN C. ELLIOTT is a computer consultant, instructor, author, and businessman. He has written over a dozen books ranging from introductory computing to business success strategies and has taught computer application courses since 1981. He currently serves as Assistant Director for Academic Computing Services at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. A successful Internet entrepreneur, Elliott has sold over one million dollars worth of merchandise in e-commerce.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471380873
• ISBN-13: 978-0471380870
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,806,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Elliott is a Texas author with over twenty books published. He is also co-author of several stage plays and a recently released movie, Angels Love Donuts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super-easy read will give reader confidence to jump right in, June 1, 2000

By 

Debra McKnight (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Started in Internet Auctions (Paperback)

"Getting started in Internet Auctions" is a super-easy read that will give readers enough confidence to jump right into the electronic auction arena. Author Alan Elliott begins the book with an overview of the auction process, then moves into detailed step-by-step descriptions of both the bidding and selling process. Using the popular Ebay.com site for his example, Elliott tells what web addresses to enter into your browser, which software buttons to push and even sometimes when to push them.

The best value in this book comes from the wealth of "tricks of the trade:" How to find real bargains on the auction block that others have overlooked. How to time bids in order to maximize winning the sought-after item. How to find items to sell beyond those crammed in the back of your closet. How to avoid getting ripped-off by the top twenty ploys perpetrated by the occasional less-than honest folks in the digital market place As an extra bonus, Elliott introduces readers to a handful of successful web-auction entrepreneurs who are making their living off their Ebay efforts and explains several strategies for mirroring their success. Content like this makes this book a confidence-builder for even a novice Internet user. Anybody interested in making or spending a buck in Internet auctions should put a bid down on this book.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting Started on eBay, August 25, 2000

By 

Real Screenwriter (Little Rock, AR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Started in Internet Auctions (Paperback)

This book focuses almost entirely on eBay. The truly authoritative Internet auction book would cover at least the top three open auctions (eBay, Yahoo! and Amazon) and the top three store auctions (egghead, onsale and ubid). That said, although this is more of a "how to use eBay" book than anything, it does offer great advice on online auctions, including the ins and outs of "professional" auction selling, and Elliot clearly knows his stuff.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction to eBay and other Internet Auctions, May 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Started in Internet Auctions (Paperback)

This book is a good way to quickly learn about eBay and other internet auctions from the inside out. It is more than just a point here, click there type of book. It gives you the thinking behind strategies for both buying and selling. The stories in the chapter about how people make a living on eBay are quite interesting. Worth the read!