Understanding the Ebay Vocabulary

Ebay is, for the most part, very simple to use. You can search the site for anything that you would like to purchase and for most cases be presented with more listings that you know what to do with. But, sometimes what should be a simple search can become bogged down with abbreviations that are unfamiliar. In the list of results for your search you notice that there are abbreviations that obviously have something to do with the description of the item you are looking for but you might not be able to piece together what these abbreviations mean.

I will not be able to go over all the abbreviations used on Ebay in this article as more and more are added each day depending on need. So, if you see an abbreviation not listed here you may be able to discern what it means by reading the seller's item description or by going so far as to contact the seller about it. But, to save you some leg work on recognizing the more predominant abbreviations used on Ebay, I have created this list.

Abbreviation .............. What it means

BIN ................. Buy It Now

BNIB .............. Brand New In Box

BNWT ............ Brand New With Tags

EUC ................ Excellent Used Condition

FC .................. First Class Mail

HTF ................ Hard to Find

NIB ................ New In Box

NR .................. No Reserve

NWT ............... New With Tags

NWOT ........... New Without Tags

PM ................. Priority Mail

PP ................... Parcel Post

SH .................. Shipping and Handling

VGC .............. Very Good Condition

There are also some terms that are used on Ebay that you should be aware of. The term "Mint" normally applies to an item that is brand new and the box or packaging is in perfect condition. However, lately this term has also been applied to used items that are in excellent used condition. Make sure that you read the description of items described as Mint carefully. Another term that has become overused is "Rare". This term used to only be applied to items that were truly rare and hard to find. Now, though, it is often used as a ploy to get buyers to bid on non-rarities. So, please take the time to read descriptions carefully and contact the seller with any questions before you bid on any item. Also, if the item is not pictured in the listing or a stock photo is used contact the seller for information regarding the actual item they are selling. Stock photos especially can be misleading.