The eBay Survival Guide: How to Make Money and Avoid Losing Your Shirt (Paperback)

~ Michael Banks (Author)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A nifty paperback that gets down to essentials and provides plenty of sound advice." -- Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer, June 28, 2006

A good review of what you may already know, and good advice that you probably just didn’t think of. -- Blogcritics, October 11, 2005 (http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/11/205251.php)

Product Description

Before diving into the sometimes-choppy waters of eBay, be sure you’re equipped to survive and thrive! Join online auction expert Michael Banks as he demystifies the world of eBay and shares insider tips and instructive tales from his own encounters on one of the Internet’s most popular destination sites.
The eBay Survival Guide is a practical guidebook that explains how to have the most successful eBay experience you can, all while avoiding the common (and uncommon) pitfalls of online auctioning. Like a good friend giving tips, Banks ditches the nonsense and tells you exactly what you need to know now, whether you're buying or selling. This book reveals how to find the exact item you're looking for, uncover the real price you should be paying it, and then learn the most effective bidding strategies so you can win. Also included in The eBay Survival Guide--the best ways to sell through eBay, from determining what you should sell and how to get your hands on inventory, to creating compelling listings for your items and receiving the highest price.
A valuable resource for both the novice and the more experienced eBayer, The eBay Survival Guide helps you navigate eBay buying and selling for both fun and profit. By the book's end, you’ll know how to avoid losing your shirt—and how to bid on and win a few more shirts (or computer monitors... or antique tea sets... or baseball collectibles...)!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: No Starch Press (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593270631
• ISBN-13: 978-1593270636
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #702,090 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and practical, October 4, 2005

By	Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a tightly written 250 page book that covers the basics of buying and selling on eBay. The style is very practical with real world advice and stories. Screenshots are used very well. This isn't one of those 500 page bible tomes that covers every single aspect.

You can compare this book with O'Reilly's "EBay: The Missing Manual". This one comes out smaller and more focus. While the O'Reilly book comes out as more thorough and comprehensive. Both are good. It's just a question of how import eBay is to you. If it's something you do now and then and you just want to do it better, this is likely the book for you.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical guide for all aspects of eBay, December 4, 2005

By	Allan Bedford "Author of The Unofficial LEGO ... (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you've never used eBay before you'd be silly to do so without first picking up 'The eBay Survival Guide' by Michael Banks. Even if you've been using the auction site for years you will also benefit from the information found in this book.

'The eBay Survival Guide' starts out, not surprisingly, with an overview and history of online auctions and of eBay itself. It then moves on to how the site works and also provides some great tips and techniques for finding items you want. Even though I've been using eBay since 1999 I found it interesting to go back to the beginning and get an overall sense of what's really happening on one of the biggest sites on the internet.

The next major section of the book is geared toward those people who are using the site to sell things. That brings up a point worth mentioning. This book is for both sellers and buyers on eBay. It's a 'survival guide' for all users, not just a "how to make lots of money on eBay" book. I'll look at the section for buyers in a minute. The section for sellers includes suggestions for creating better listings, when to relist items, how to deal with problems that may arise and so on. It's loaded with screenshots, so you're not just reading about eBay you're seeing what things will look like when you use the real site. I think a great many sellers would benefit from reading Chapter 10 called, "How To Create Listings That Sell". Banks points out the many pluses that come with writing effective descriptions and titles for your auction items.

Next comes the section for buyers. Again there are lots of screenshots that really help bring the examples to life. And there are more than just a few examples. The book is obviously written from a great deal of personal experience not just clinical research. Banks' anecdote about the historic airplane photograph and negative (page 186) is proof of this. In presenting it he helps illustrate best practices for bidding, outbidding and sniping. Here's an area where I had some experience but again felt that the book either reinforced some of the things I already knew (making me feel more confident in bidding) or suggested things I should be doing but wasn't (like spending more time researching other bidders).

Near the end of the book he discusses how not to get ripped off using eBay and in doing so exposes some of the uglier sides of the site. This is important information though and helps buyers and sellers better understand what can go wrong and how to avoid it.

Throughout the book Banks writes in a clear easy-to-understand style that feels like a friend sitting down to explain eBay to you. Despite the fact that the guide is about an internet website it feels not at all like a computer textbook. Its short concise sections make finding the information easy and learning from it even easier. You should find it easy to pick up the book and skip to whatever section is currently most relevant to your eBay activities. The well-written index also helps you to find the help you need quickly.

Whether you're new to eBay or not and no matter whether you're buying or selling it's a sure bet that "The eBay Survival Guide: How to Make Money and Avoid Losing Your Shirt" will help you get the most out of online auctions. Highly recommended.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'SOLD AMERICAN!!!", February 9, 2006

By	John R. Vacca "Tech Write Independent Reviewer" (Pomeroy, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Are you a frequent buyer or seller on eBay. If you are, this book is for you. Author Michael Banks, has written an outstanding book that is a nonconformist, irreverent, and realistic handbook for both buyers and sellers.

Banks, begins by presenting an overview of the organization and structure of eBay, along with what it offers and the basics of how it works. Then, he covers the basics of participating in eBay auctions. The author continues by introducing you to the basics of searching on eBay. In addition, he also shows you how to combine basic search techniques with Search commands and unconventional techniques to conduct truly high-powered searches. The author also considers the relationship between value, price, and demand, and looks at some methods for calculating prices. Then, the author takes a look at how you can fit the profile of the ideal seller, and how to handle those less-than-ideal buyers you may consider. Next, he shows you how to decide what you are going to sell.
Next, the author suggests how you might go about finding items to sell on eBay. Then, he explains how to go about creating a successful auction. The author continues by showing you how to write copy on eBay. In addition, he covers how to relist an item and how to improve your chances of selling it. The author also presents an overview of things you should know before you bid and buy on eBay, focusing on dealing with sellers. Then, he answers questions about bidding and tracking auctions, along with information about techniques and tools you can use to win consistently. Next, he presents some approaches to getting those auction items you've lost. Then, the author covers the steps and options involved in paying for and getting your items. The author continues by looking at some common scams and downright illegal activities that take place on eBay. In addition, he looks at several types of products that aren't what they appear to be. Finally, the authors shows you how you might go about getting information about an eBay member, through eBay and other channels.

This excellent book shows you how eBay works; how to find things on eBay; how to bid effectively and win; the best times for buying and selling; how to draw bidders without spending a bunch on eBay auction features; how to spot shills, fraudulent sellers and deadbeat buyers; and, a lot more. In addition, you'll find information about how to handle the offline aspects of online buying and selling, and some useful information about using the Internet in general.