| Acknowledgments | p. xvii |
| Introduction | p. xix |
| Collecting: Basic Information | |
| Exploring the New Collectors' Paradise: eBay! | p. 3 |
| Changing the Playing Field for Collectors | p. 4 |
| What Can You Collect on eBay? | p. 6 |
| Comparing eBay and Traditional Auctions | p. 7 |
| Attracting a Worldwide Audience | p. 8 |
| Moving Beyond Price Guides | p. 9 |
| Building Your Collection on eBay | p. 10 |
| Setting Goals for Acquiring Your Collectibles | p. 10 |
| Collecting for Kids and Parents | p. 12 |
| Evaluating Condition | p. 12 |
| Avoiding Beginners' Pitfalls | p. 13 |
| Bid with Your Head, Not Your Heart | p. 13 |
| Don't Bid at the Wrong Time | p. 15 |
| Make Sure You Read the Fine Print | p. 15 |
| Research Your Seller | p. 16 |
| Using eBay to Become an Expert in Your Field | p. 16 |
| Learning from Other Experts | p. 17 |
| Turning to the Community | p. 18 |
| Researching Sales Descriptions | p. 18 |
| Selling Collectibles on eBay | p. 18 |
| Finding Customers-and Friends-Around the World | p. 19 |
| Opening an eBay Store | p. 19 |
| Diversifying What You Sell | p. 20 |
| eBay for Buyers: A One-Hour Primer | p. 25 |
| eBay's Web Site: A Collector's Paradise | p. 26 |
| eBay's Front Door: The Home Page | p. 27 |
| eBay's Global Positioning Tool: The Navigation Bar | p. 31 |
| eBay's Table of Contents: The Site Map | p. 33 |
| Searching for Collectibles | p. 34 |
| Researching Collectibles | p. 37 |
| Evaluating a Collectible's Condition | p. 38 |
| Asking for More Information | p. 39 |
| Browsing for Treasures | p. 40 |
| Category Opening Pages | p. 44 |
| Buying and Winning Collectibles on eBay | p. 46 |
| Standard Auctions | p. 46 |
| Reserve Auctions | p. 46 |
| Multiple-Item Auctions | p. 50 |
| Making an Offer | p. 51 |
| Sealing the Deal | p. 54 |
| Paper Money: Cashier's Checks and Money Orders | p. 54 |
| PayPal | p. 55 |
| Western Union Auction Payments | p. 57 |
| Putting Feedback to Work for You | p. 58 |
| Feedback Types | p. 58 |
| Research Feedback | p. 59 |
| Leaving Feedback | p. 61 |
| eBay for Sellers: A One-Hour Primer | p. 65 |
| Deciding What to Sell | p. 66 |
| Know What You Have | p. 67 |
| Think About Year-Round Sales | p. 74 |
| Consider Categories | p. 75 |
| Preparing Your Sales Description: The Preliminaries | p. 77 |
| Write Out Your Description | p. 78 |
| Capture Digital Images | p. 80 |
| Set Up a Payment Plan | p. 84 |
| The Sell Your Item Form | p. 85 |
| Choose a Sales Format | p. 86 |
| Choose Categories | p. 86 |
| Create Your Description | p. 87 |
| Preview Your Listing | p. 94 |
| The eBay Collectors' Community | p. 95 |
| Finding Collectors Within a Category | p. 96 |
| Finding Collectors in eBay's Community Forums | p. 98 |
| Discussion Groups | p. 100 |
| Chat Rooms | p. 106 |
| The Answer Center | p. 108 |
| Workshops | p. 111 |
| Other Events and Gatherings | p. 111 |
| eBay Groups | p. 113 |
| Joining Groups | p. 113 |
| Moderating a Group | p. 114 |
| Looking for Collectors Outside eBay | p. 115 |
| Usenet Newsgroups | p. 115 |
| AuctionBytes | p. 121 |
| Reporting Trouble in the Community | p. 121 |
| Shopping and Collecting | |
| Treasure Hunting on eBay | p. 127 |
| Becoming a Power Searcher | p. 128 |
| Making the World Your Oyster | p. 129 |
| Shopping at "Bad" Times | p. 129 |
| Exploring All of eBay's Search Options | p. 131 |
| Basic Search Tips | p. 131 |
| Creating Complex Searches | p. 132 |
| Sorting Search Results | p. 134 |
| Searching eBay Stores | p. 135 |
| Being a Smart Collector | p. 139 |
| Asking for Insurance | p. 139 |
| Saving Photos of What You Purchase | p. 140 |
| Getting Organized with My eBay | p. 141 |
| Configuring Your Summary | p. 141 |
| Saving Searches | p. 143 |
| Tracking Your Activity | p. 146 |
| All Buying: Tracking What You've Done | p. 146 |
| All Selling: Tracking What You Have for Sale | p. 148 |
| All Favorites: Accessing Data You Need Frequently | p. 151 |
| My Account: Setting Your Preferences | p. 151 |
| Turning Your Browser into an Organizer | p. 152 |
| Installing eBay's Toolbar | p. 152 |
| Working with Your Browser's Links Bar | p. 154 |
| Collecting Around the World | p. 157 |
| Exploring eBay's International Sites | p. 158 |
| Searching eBay Overseas | p. 159 |
| Language Considerations | p. 163 |
| Time-Zone Differences | p. 166 |
| What Kinds of Things Can You Find Overseas? | p. 169 |
| Vacation and Travel Bargains | p. 169 |
| Vacation Homes and Real Castles | p. 170 |
| Exotic Motor Vehicles | p. 170 |
| Shipping Costs and Other Expenses | p. 171 |
| Shipping Considerations | p. 171 |
| Customs and Other Fees | p. 173 |
| North American Shipping Fees | p. 174 |
| Customs Restrictions | p. 175 |
| Paying in Another Country's Currency | p. 175 |
| Meeting eBay Members Around the World | p. 176 |
| Visiting the eBay International Trading Board | p. 176 |
| Visiting Country-Specific Chat Rooms | p. 177 |
| Buying at Live Auctions | p. 179 |
| Collecting at Live Auctions | p. 180 |
| Lots of Catalogs, and Lots of Lots | p. 181 |
| Searching Through Lots | p. 181 |
| Bidding in Real (or Almost-Real) Time | p. 188 |
| Watching a Live Auction | p. 189 |
| Placing a Live Bid | p. 191 |
| Placing an Absentee Bid | p. 193 |
| Being Aware of Additional Costs | p. 196 |
| Researching Items and Sellers | p. 196 |
| Other Options for High-End Collecting | p. 198 |
| Big Ticket Items | p. 198 |
| Celebrity Auctions | p. 199 |
| Selling Collectibles | |
| Images, Presentation, and Marketing | p. 203 |
| Attracting Bids from Other Collectors | p. 204 |
| Details, Details | p. 205 |
| Prove Your Knowledge and Trustworthiness | p. 205 |
| Maker's Marks and Other Identifiers | p. 208 |
| Condition: Critical | p. 209 |
| Writing a Winning Description | p. 211 |
| Accentuate the Positive | p. 212 |
| Taking Good Images | p. 213 |
| Find a Cheap Photo Host | p. 213 |
| Include Multiple Photos | p. 215 |
| Provide Good Lighting and Presentation | p. 215 |
| Get a Good-Quality Camera | p. 215 |
| Keep Your Images Small and Portable | p. 216 |
| Designing Your Description | p. 217 |
| Avoid Obvious Turnoffs | p. 218 |
| Use a Template | p. 218 |
| Create a Logo | p. 221 |
| Create a Web Page | p. 224 |
| Strategies for Serious Collectors | p. 229 |
| Deciding What You Want to Collect | p. 230 |
| Scouring Price Guides | p. 231 |
| Drawing Up a List | p. 233 |
| Researching What You Have to Sell | p. 234 |
| Getting an Online Appraisal | p. 235 |
| Consulting an Authority in Your Category | p. 236 |
| Discussion Threads for Collectors | p. 237 |
| Category Opening Page Promotions | p. 238 |
| Looking for eBay Exclusives | p. 239 |
| Scanning Top 10 Lists and Popular Searches | p. 239 |
| Industry Resources | p. 241 |
| Exploring Advanced Resources in Seller Central | p. 242 |
| "What's Hot" Statistics | p. 242 |
| Getting the Seller's Edge | p. 243 |
| Collecting Tips on eBay Radio | p. 244 |
| Expanding Your eBay Sales Options | p. 249 |
| Selling for Other People | p. 250 |
| Selling on Consignment | p. 251 |
| Becoming a Trading Assistant | p. 253 |
| Selling at Live Auctions | p. 254 |
| Becoming a PowerSeller | p. 256 |
| Selling at Fixed Price | p. 258 |
| Buy It Now | p. 259 |
| eBay Stores | p. 261 |
| List Your Sales Items | p. 263 |
| Advertising Your eBay Sales on Your Web Site | p. 263 |
| Drumming Up Affiliate Sales | p. 264 |
| Editor Kit | p. 267 |
| Merchant Kit | p. 269 |
| Acquiring Collectibles: Payment and Shipping | p. 271 |
| Accepting Online Payments | p. 272 |
| Spelling Out the Terms of Sale | p. 273 |
| Proceeding Smoothly After the Sale | p. 276 |
| Accepting Traditional Paper Payments | p. 277 |
| Becoming a PayPal Merchant | p. 280 |
| Turning to Western Union Auction Payments | p. 282 |
| Obtaining a Merchant Account | p. 284 |
| Verifying Addresses | p. 285 |
| Paying Fees | p. 286 |
| Packing Your Merchandise | p. 288 |
| Obtaining Packing Materials | p. 288 |
| Including an Extra Gift | p. 289 |
| Shipping Your Collectibles | p. 290 |
| The Big Three Shippers | p. 290 |
| Delivery Confirmation | p. 291 |
| Insurance | p. 292 |
| Tracking and Shipping Notices | p. 292 |
| Advanced Collectors' Options | |
| Appraising Your Collectibles on eBay and the Web | p. 297 |
| Discover What's "Hot" in a Category | p. 298 |
| Revisiting a Favorite Category | p. 298 |
| Scouring Seller Central | p. 301 |
| Using Someone Else's Research | p. 304 |
| Tapping into Completed Sales Yourself | p. 305 |
| Searching eBay with Andale's Free Research Tool | p. 306 |
| Mining eBay for Data with DeepAnalysis | p. 307 |
| Researching the Value of What You Have to Sell | p. 311 |
| Buying an Appraisal on eBay | p. 312 |
| Consulting Collectors and Appraisers on the Web | p. 312 |
| Consulting eBay's Appraisal Partner | p. 316 |
| Asking About.com | p. 317 |
| Automating Your Sales | p. 319 |
| Developing a System | p. 320 |
| Preparing a Template with Boilerplate | p. 320 |
| Uploading Photos in Bulk | p. 321 |
| Finding an Extra Pair of Hands | p. 323 |
| Boosting Sales with eBay's Listing Software | p. 325 |
| Turbo Lister | p. 325 |
| Seller's Assistant | p. 329 |
| Selling Manager | p. 331 |
| Finding Sales Software Outside of eBay | p. 333 |
| SpareDollar's sdLister | p. 333 |
| Starting an eBay Collectors' Group | p. 339 |
| Serving as Group Leader | p. 341 |
| Developing a Charter | p. 343 |
| Finding Moderators | p. 344 |
| Suggesting Topics | p. 344 |
| Promoting Your Group | p. 345 |
| Inviting Members | p. 345 |
| Creating a Welcome Image | p. 347 |
| Serving as Moderator | p. 351 |
| Getting Nonparticipating Members to Be Active | p. 351 |
| Collecting Your Financial and Tax Data | p. 355 |
| Steering Clear of Legal Issues | p. 356 |
| Avoiding Trademark Violations | p. 357 |
| Trying Not to Step on Someone Else's Copyright | p. 359 |
| eBay's Potentially Infringing, Questionable, and Prohibited Items | p. 360 |
| Observing Collecting Best Practices | p. 362 |
| Managing Your Inventory | p. 363 |
| Keeping Track of What's on Hand | p. 364 |
| Finding Storage Space | p. 365 |
| Making Your Business Less Taxing | p. 365 |
| Choosing a Legal Form for Your Business | p. 365 |
| Tackling the Sales Tax Question | p. 367 |
| Confronting Employee Tax Considerations | p. 368 |
| Accounting 101 for Collectors | p. 368 |
| Cash Versus Accrual Basis | p. 369 |
| Your Accounting Period | p. 369 |
| Tracking Sales with a Database | p. 370 |
| Expenses You Should Track | p. 371 |
| Top 10 eBay Frauds to Avoid | p. 375 |
| The "Pay Me by Western Union" Fraud | p. 376 |
| The "Update Your Account" Scam | p. 377 |
| The Fake eBay Web Page Variation | p. 377 |
| The Fake Sale Held by an Account "Hijacker" | p. 378 |
| The "Second Chance" Nonoffer | p. 379 |
| The "If You Just Make Up the Difference..." Fraud | p. 379 |
| The Plain and Simple Credit Card Con | p. 380 |
| The "I Demand a Refund" Cheat | p. 380 |
| The "Lost in the Mail" Liar | p. 380 |
| The Company Check Calamity | p. 381 |
| eBay Collectors' Lingo | p. 383 |
| Collectors' Resources on the Web | p. 389 |
| Online Price Guides | p. 390 |
| Kovels' Online Antiques and Collectibles Price Guides | p. 390 |
| Artprice.com | p. 390 |
| Collect.com | p. 391 |
| Maine Antique Digest | p. 391 |
| GPAnalysis.com | p. 391 |
| Auction Services | p. 391 |
| Andale | p. 392 |
| HammerTap | p. 392 |
| Marketworks | p. 392 |
| SpareDollar | p. 393 |
| Vendio | p. 393 |
| Online Appraisals | p. 393 |
| Ask the Appraiser | p. 393 |
| About.com's eBay Experts Page | p. 394 |
| WhatsItWorthToYou.com | p. 394 |
| Instappraisal | p. 394 |
| Antique Appraisals Online | p. 394 |
| Index | p. 395 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |