Register on eBay
On eBay you can search for a product and read its description without having an account. Needless to say, however, that to proceed with the purchase of the same and take advantage of all the other features of the service it is necessary to proceed with registration.
Before going into the details of the matter and discovering all the functions that eBay makes available to its users, let's see, together, how to create a free account. To create an account on eBay, connected to the home page of the latter and click on the item Subscribe located at the top left. Now, enter your details in the fields Your name, Last name, Email address, Password and click sul pulsating Subscribe. Within a few moments you will receive an email containing an activation link: press it to complete the subscription to the service.
If you are registering on eBay for the purpose of selling products made by you or purchased for resale, it is recommended that you open an account Business, which allows you to take advantage of some tax benefits (it is possible to provide a VAT number for the payment of eBay fees after tax) and to register a company name. In this case, on the registration screen scroll down and click on the option Register a professional account. Then enter the required data such as, for example, Business name, Business type, Type of company and his bottone award Continue to continue with the insertion of EBay user ID e Password.
As a last step, you need to confirm your identity: select the item Confirm your identity with a credit card to enter your credit card details (no charges will be made) otherwise choose the option Confirm your identity by phone to receive a verification code by telephone.
If you have already registered on eBay and need to change your account to a professional account, log in first and then click on the item Hello [name] located at the top left. Now, select the option Account settings and, in the card Account, presses on the voice Personal information (left) and click the option Modification present accanto alla voce Account type. As a final step, select Account business, award bottone Send and proceed with entering your data to complete the step.
Set up a payment method
On eBay it is possible to pay via numerous payment methods, such as PayPal e credit card. The sellers decide the payment method for each individual item: it is therefore necessary, before completing a purchase, to view the section Payment details of the product of interest and verify the accepted payment method.
In the past, the default payment method on eBay was PayPal, which in turn can be connected to a credit card (also prepaid) for the payment of items purchased online. As the agreement between eBay and PayPal expired in 2021, you should have already provided your bank account details to receive payments.
To do this, go to this page, log in to your account (if required) and, once you have clicked on the button Continue, provide theIBAN (including a prepaid one) and all other data on your account. Finally, click on the button Send and wait for the operation to complete.
Buy on eBay
Once you have created an eBay account and set up your payment method, you can start shopping on eBay. As mentioned above, thousands of products, both new and used, of all kinds are available on eBay: from household items to technological products, passing through cars, clothes and much more.
The fastest way to start buying is to use the search bar at the top. Then type the name of the article to find and, if you want to refine your search, click on the item All Categories in order to narrow the search only to certain product categories. To start the search, click the button Search.
The products found will be proposed in order of relevance: if you wish to change the display order, click on the option Most relevant adverts next to the item Show first and select one of the available options: Expiring to see the advertisements in order of expiration; Just put on sale to view new listings first; Price + shipping: cheaper e Price + shipping: more expensive to see the products ordered from the lowest price to the highest price and vice versa; Cheaper e More expensive for products with price, excluding shipping, ordered from least expensive to most expensive and vice versa; Closer to view the products ordered from closest to farthest; new to view new products; Used to see the products used.
Furthermore, you can decide whether to view all the available products, only those in auction mode or the items that can be purchased immediately: then press the buttons Tutto, Auction o Buy it that are located at the top, to further refine your search, and you should find the advertisements of your interest more easily.
If you want, you can also browse the various categories of the site and view the products on it. To do this, click on the item Choose the category (top left) and click on one of the categories present: Clothing and accessories, Home, furniture and DIY, Fixed and mobile telephony, Toys and modeling etc, or on one of the sub-categories, eg. Men's clothing, Mobile phones and smartphones, Televisions, Role play games.
Once you have identified the product you wish to purchase, click on its image to access the complete listing, in which you can view all the necessary information, such as description, location of the item, accepted payment method, etc .; view other photos (if available); know the shipping times and the condition of the object (new, used or refurbished).
On the right side of the listing, you can view the details of the seller and, above all, consult the feedback: a system based on the positive, neutral or negative "vote" that the buyer and seller exchange each other on the basis of the sale made. In this way it is possible to identify the seller (but also a buyer) as safe or unreliable: the higher the percentage of feedback, the more reliable the seller is.
At this point you are ready to buy on eBay! If the product of your interest is for sale in auction mode, enter the required amount or make a raise, then press the button Make an offer and automatically you will become the highest bidder. If you stay there until the auction expires, you will win the item. In case of bids by other users, you will be notified by email and you can decide whether to make a further offer.
If the ad is available in Buy it, you can buy the item without waiting any longer, at the price set by the seller. Then press the button Buy it and then presses the button Confirm and pay to complete the purchase. Alternatively, tap on the item Add to Cart to place it in the cart and complete the order later. You can access the cart and see the items present by clicking on the icon cart present at the top right.
Have you made a purchase but, for whatever reason, have you changed your mind and would like to cancel it? You can do this by contacting the seller: you can get more information about it by reading my guide on how to cancel a purchase on eBay.
Please note: some advertisements may present the bank transfer as a payment method but that is not recommended, as it is not secure.
Selling on eBay
Do you have an item you would like to sell? On eBay you can do this too! The platform launched by Pierre Omidyar allows you to create 50 free advertisements monthly, in online auction mode and buy it immediately without reserve price. It is useful to know, however, that if the sale is successful, they are expected commissions on the final value equal to 11,5% (to which must be added a commission of 0,35 euros per transaction + taxes on shipping costs).
To start selling, press on the item Sell present in the top menu and, on the next screen, enter a title in the field Enter a descriptive title for the listing and press pulsating Start to proceed with the creation of the advertisement. Then check that the proposed category is correct (if not, click on the item Modification) e pigia sul pulsating Create a listing.
Now, proceed with entering the data in the appropriate fields: Title, where to insert a descriptive title that helps users to find the object easily; Condition, to indicate whether the item is new, used or refurbished; Gallery, to add up to 12 photos for free e Details, to provide details, such as brand name, item description etc.
In the Select the format and price, set whether to sell the item in Online auction or in mode Buy it: in the case of an auction, then enter the Starting price and Duration of the advertisement (1, 3, 5, 7 or 10 days) and choose whether to give the buyer the opportunity to buy the item immediately, placing the check mark next to the item Add Buy It Now and entering a higher price than the starting price. You can also set a Reserve price, a feature that allows you to enter a minimum amount that must be reached in the auction, in order for the item to be sold.
If, on the other hand, you prefer to set the object to mode Buy it, insert Price, Quantity, Duration of the advertisement and apponi il segno di spunta accanto alla voce Add Purchase Proposal if you want to allow the buyer to send you offers for evaluation. It is also possible to program the date and time of the start of the advertisement: this feature has a cost of € 0,20.
At this point, set the Shipping methods choosing the service used to ship the item (for example Registered mail, Fold of books, Paccocelere 1 etc) and in the field Cost enter the cost of shipping. If you want to offer shipping, put the check mark next to the item Offer free shipping, while if you want to allow the withdrawal in person, insert the check mark next to the item Offer to pick up the item in the area. If you do not want to ship the item but only want to allow collection in the area, click on the option Offer only the pickup of the item in the area and proceed further.
As a last step, to the section Check your preferences, set i Accepted payment methods, insertion il POSTAL CODE of your city in the field Place where the object is located and, to the voice Return, set whether or not to accept the return of the item.
Now, check the cost of the listing in the box Advertising rates (visible on the right) and press on the item See a preview to see a preview of the newly created ad, press the option Save for later to continue creating your listing at a later time or click the button You are selling at the rates shown to publish the ad.
To monitor the status of the items for sale, click on the item My eBay and presses on the option Sales. In this section, you can see scheduled sales, ongoing listings, sold and unsold items, drafts in preparation, and promotional offers.
How eBay works on smartphones and tablets
I conclude this eBay guide with a chapter dedicated to its operation via mobile devices. The online purchase and sale site, in fact, in addition to being usable on the Web, is available in the form of an application for Android and iOS devices.
The procedure for creating an account on eBay from mobile devices is similar to that described in the previous paragraphs, so you can follow the instructions you find in them.
To start shopping, however, you have to type the name of the product you are interested in in the search bar placed at the top, otherwise you have to tap on the voice Categories to browse the products available within one of the numerous categories of the service: Clothing, Beauty and health, Collectibles, Movies and DVDs, Stamps, informatics etc.
One of the features available through the eBay app is the ability to find an item via its barcode. Then tap on the item Search present in the lower menu, presses the icon of barcode (above) and, using the camera of your device, scan the barcode of the product to be searched. Wait a few seconds and, if available on eBay, the product will be displayed in the search results.
Once you have identified the object of your interest, click on its cover image and click on the button Buy it to proceed with the purchase or, if the item is on sale in auction mode, enter your offer and tap the button Make an offer.
If your intent is to sell an object instead, press on the item Sell present in the menu below and tap the button Sell an item. Then enter the title of the object to be sold and confirm via the keyboard of your device and proceed with the insertion of Gallery, Condition, Details, Format and price, Shipping and collection in the area e Pref Renze. Press on the button Save to save the draft and complete it later or tap the button Continue on your pulse You are selling at the rates shown to publish the ad.
How eBay works
