Home > Features > You are here: Finding a bargain; A beginner's guide to using eBay- Part One | Registration

Finding a bargain; A beginner's guide to using eBay
By Keith Dewars*

Part One | Registration

More traps for less money. That's the quandary. If you are like me you're always searching for new ways to squeeze a little more value out of each dollar you spend. One way to save money on your trapping supplies is to use eBay to find the items you need. Use this simple guide to make your eBay experience a good one.

The first thing to do before using eBay is to register as an eBay user. Registering is simple and free. Ebay will ask for your contact information and e-mail address, then you will create a User ID and password for yourself. Your e-mail address is required so eBay can send you a confirmation e-mail with instructions on how to complete your registration. E-mail is important for other reasons as well; your e-mail address is used to notify you when you've won an item and to find out payment and shipping information from buyers and sellers. It is best to supply eBay with an e-mail address from a paid service provider (such as AOL), if you use one of the "free" addresses from services such as Yahoo or Hotmail you will be asked for a credit card number to be put on file. You will not be charged for this, your card will only be used to confirm your identity.

In the course of the registration process you will be asked to review eBay's User Agreement and Privacy Policy. As with most software programs and many other websites, you must agree to these policies before commencing use of the website.

Once you have agreed to eBay's policies and clicked the link in the confirmation e-mail you received from eBay, you are ready to start exploring the world of online auctions. EBay is fun and interesting, for the simple fact that there is just so much to look at. There are millions of items for sale at any one time and more often than not, if there is something you need, you can find it on eBay.

Coming next- Watch for Part Two of our eBay guide, which will walk you through the bidding and buying process.

*Keith Dewars is a freelance writer, avid outdoorsman and owner/webmaster of Malum Internet Properties. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Home > Features > You are here: Finding a bargain; A beginner's guide to using eBay- Part One | Registration