How to Buy and Sell on the Internet

Internet shopping is now a huge business. From books and groceries to holidays, cars, computers, and music, there's little you can't buy online. Buying goods online is safer than many people think as long as you're sensible. You'll usually pay using a credit or debit card or with an Internet payment service such as PayPal. PayPal is a popular way to pay for goods and services on eBay and many other sites across the Internet. This service acts as a payment broker, almost a bank. When you pay for something using PayPal the money comes from your account, topped up automatically by your credit card if necessary. Setting up an account can take a little time, but it does help simplify online purchasing in many Web stores.

However you pay, the most important point is to stay secure. If you're paying using a credit or debit card you should be sure the payment page is secure, one that transmits your details in encrypted form. Your Web browser will show a padlock icon in its window (not just in the page itself) and the address will begin with https:// rather than just http://-the "s" indicates a secure connection. Paying using PayPal will involve stepping across to the PayPal site, logging into your secure account pages and confirming the payment. Once you've finished, keep a record of what you've bought, where you bought it and when. Know how long delivery is going to be and contact the seller if there's a delay.

EBay is one of the biggest names when it comes to selling online. This is a virtual marketplace where anyone can come along, register, and offer things up for auction. EBay provides the venue, and people come along and use it to sell virtually anything at all to whoever will pay. Although there are rules for buyers and sellers, eBay has no direct control over what's sold. In effect, the whole of eBay runs on trust. It is quite possible for someone to take your money and send you some junk or nothing at all in return but in fact, most people want to keep on using eBay, and they know they'd get negative feedback from their buyers or be kicked off eBay if they tried to pull a fast one. The same thing discourages bidders from backing out after winning an auction. Good feedback is the key to confidence for both buyers and sellers and a key part of eBay's functioning, and it works pretty well almost all of the time.

Searching eBay for goods is simple enough. You can browse idly through the many different areas to see what's around, but for serious shopping you should use its search features. Imagine the kinds of words a seller might choose for their auction and use those in your search. If you find something you're interested in but you're not ready to bid for just yet, you can add it to a watch list. This helps you get back to them quickly if you want to make comparisons or go ahead and bid. The advanced search lets you view completed listings instead of current auctions so you can get a feel for how much different things tend to sell for.

You should have a mental checklist that you always go through before you go ahead and bid on anything. Does the seller have good feedback? What payment methods are listed? Where is the seller based and how much is the postage? What about the auction description? Is it complete and informative? Is the item really what you think it is? Don't be put off entirely by limited descriptions, but do be wary. Ask the seller questions before you bid, not after.

You'll need to guard yourself against auction fever. It is all too easy to get carried away when bidding against others and ending up paying more than you should. You should always decide what's the most you're willing to pay, and remember to factor the postage costs into this figure. When you make a bid the maximum price that you submit won't necessarily be what you'll have to pay; the actual price gets raised bid by bid, with earlier bids taking precedence in case of matching amounts. When an auction nears its end there can be a small flurry of activity as people try to grab a bargain, and this is where the danger of auction fever is at its greatest. Be ready to walk away from something if the price gets a bit steep. If you win, contact the seller and pay up as soon as possible.

When you want to sell something, remember your eBay buying experiences and do your best to make an auction that will attract buyers. Use a digital camera to take photos of the item, even snaps from a cell phone camera are better than nothing, then click on eBay's Sell link and walk through the auction creation steps. Finally, when your item is sold, send it off as soon as you've been paid and never forget to leave feedback whether you're buying or selling.