eBid Knowledge Base

Not found your query covered here? Then you could try:

If all else fails contact eBid user support. Please appreciate that they are kept very busy - so do at least try to find the answer yourself before contacting them.

eBid is an online selling venue, established in the United Kingdom in 1999 by co-founders Gary (a.k.a. Gazza) Sewell and Mark Wilkinson.

eBid was originally planned to be the UK version of the (then) US only eBay. Unfortunately, before eBid could be brought to launch eBay expanded its operations into the UK. This meant that when eBid did launch it was going up against a well established competitor with a large user base that was already a household name - thanks mainly to being the recipient of masses of free publicity via all arms of the UK media.

However, eBid did survive (when many others have tried and failed), and has grown steadily. eBid is now open to buyers worldwide, and accommodates sellers from the following 23 countries:

The growth of eBid continues, with more countries being opened up to sellers. eBid is widely recognised to be the best alternative selling site to the infamous eBay.

eBid proudly claims that it is free to list items for sale on the site. That is true, but should probably be qualified to make clear that it is true only as long as you use the basic listing formats. If you add features or extras to the basic listing formats, fees can become applicable on placing listings. Free to list does not also mean free to sell; dependent on the listing type, fees may be payable on the successful sale of an item. With Seller Plus membership there are no listing or selling fees when the basic listing format is used. All fees, where they do apply, are very competitive when compared to similar selling sites.

eBid, like eBay, declares itself to be only a venue. While that is patently false on eBay, it is as true as is possible on eBid. Apart from a few rules, which are mainly to keep eBid within the laws of the country it is registered in, you are free to control your own sales and conduct your business as you see fit. You are not restricted on what payment options you can accept, nor told which ones you must accept. You are not told how you should conduct your business in any way. Any transaction is between the seller and the buyer - the site administrators do not keep sticking their fingers into your pie. The whole way of the site is far more relaxed than some sites you may have used before. That rubs off onto sellers and buyers alike - making eBid a far nicer and friendlier place to do trade than comparable sites.

There are three types of membership account available:

The eBid user forums are a great place to seek answers to problems, and a fun way to while away some time between sales; they are both friendly and helpful. If you have had a bad experience using forums on other sites, do not let that put you off joining in here. If you have a problem, a query, or just fancy a chat - feel free to join in. There is no such thing as a daft question, and fellow members are happy to pass on what they have learnt since they first started out here.

Related topic: What are the 7, 30, 90, 365 day and Lifetime Seller Plus subscriptions?
Related topic: Why do I have to register my debit/credit card if it is free to list on eBid?
Related topic: eBid's Terms and Conditions.

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It is rare to experience problems. The vast majority of sellers you find on eBid are good and honest people. As in all walks of life though, there is always that small element of less scrupulous people out to make easy money at the expense (literally) of others. While you should not allow yourself to become paranoid about such people, you should be aware that they do exist out there, and take sensible precautions to make it as difficult as possible for them. Keep in mind that, while bargains are to be had, if you find an offer that 'seems too good to be true' then there is a good chance that it is - so tread carefully.

A 10 step guide to safe buying on eBid. (Created by eBid user bykimbo)

1. Read the whole listing
   Watch out for any small print, limits to your rights, dodgy terminology, make sure they take the payment method you want to use, ship how you prefer etc.
   
   
2. Check their feedback
   Zero feedback is not automatically bad, we all had to start somewhere, but the lower the feedback the more cautious you’ll need to be. A lot of negative feedback means move on.
   
   
3. Check their My All About Me page
   A dedicated and professional seller will have taken the trouble to set up their information page, to let you know a little about themselves and their methods.
   
   
4. Ask a question about the item
   “Dump it and Run” can be a problem on eBid because of the lower fees and long-term listings, so to make sure your seller is really around and paying attention, use the Ask A Question facility on the listing and wait to see if they answer.
   
   
5. Bid or Buy
   Now you’ve checked their background and know they’re really about, it’s safe to bid or buy. Most items on eBid go for the start price, so the odds are good if you want to gamble on a bargain... but don’t blame me if you get beaten!
   
   
6. Ask for an invoice
   Don't pay until your seller has made contact. If you ask for an invoice youll know theyre paying attention and they can send you an official invoice with pay buttons included.
   
   
7. Check the numbers
   In particular, you might need to check the postage – eBid’s invoice system allows discounts and extras and it’s sadly easy to get it wrong, so check the numbers and let your seller know if there’s a problem.
   
   
8. Pay using a method you know and trust
   If you’re venturing into a new site and using a new seller, it’s nice to have something you feel you can rely on! Choose a method you know you can reverse if anything goes wrong.
   
   
9. Watch your item & email so you know when the item is shipped
   If it hasn’t arrived in the expected time, let your seller know immediately so they can start investigating before it becomes a major problem.
   
   
10. Leave feedback
    Once it’s arrived let your seller, and other buyers, know how well the purchase went – your seller will appreciate it, and it helps other newbies when they are still at step 2.

Related topic: How can I recover my money if goods are not delivered, are damaged, or are not as described?

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Firstly, as eBid are not a party in the transaction (they only provide the venue and never handle the goods or the money), they are not liable for any losses incurred – by either buyer or seller.

Prevention is always better than cure. Read the tips on How to buy safely on eBid above. If buying expensive or high risk items (e.g. mobile phones, iPads, etc.), consider using an Escrow service to act as a ‘middleman’ to the transaction, and insist on a delivery service that includes full tracking and adequate compensation for loss. If the seller is not willing to meet your requests - move on to one who will.

Also, for UK residents, acquaint yourself with the Sale of Goods Act and the Distance Selling Regulations. These afford you certain rights in law when you buy.

If things do go wrong, always try to resolve matters with the seller first. Politely and calmly (an aggressive approach is never helpful) set out why you are dissatisfied with the transaction, and what remedy you desire.

If you are unable to reach an amicable settlement with the seller, how you attempt recovery of your money depends on how you paid for the item. The following applies mainly to the UK:

• If you paid all or part of the total sum directly from a credit card, and the total sum is between 100 GBP and 30,000 GBP, you are covered in the UK under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. This act makes the credit card issuer 'jointly and severally' liable for your loss, and you can make a claim against the card issuer by initiating a Chargeback. In addition to the total sum paid, you may also claim for any incidental losses you incurred as a result of the transaction.
  
  
• If you paid directly from a debit card, you do not have the same legal protection as with a credit card - as Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act does not apply. Most debit cards offer you no protection at all - a debit card payment being treated the same as a cash payment. One exception is VISA, who provide the VISA Debit Chargeback Scheme. This scheme requires any issuer of a VISA debit card to refund for faulty, damaged, or undelivered goods and services. There is no minimum spend (as there is with a credit card) to be eligible to make a claim. Claims under the VISA Debit Chargeback Scheme must be made to the bank that issued the debit card within 120 days of the payment being made. There is no legal underpinning to the VISA Debit Chargeback Scheme, so making a claim against some card issuers may require a little persistence on your part - don't let them fob you off.
  
  
• If you paid via a Payment Processor (e.g. PayPal), some have their own buyer protection programs, and you can make a claim via the payment processor. There are usually conditions and time limits on making a claim, so it is best to acquaint yourself with these before you have need to use them. Such protection programs are often over-hyped by the payment processors, and you should not rely on them to recover your money. Be aware, even if you fund payment through the payment processor from your credit card, the protection afforded by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act does not apply. The VISA Debit Chargeback Scheme, described above, does apply to payments made through PayPal for both VISA credit and VISA debit card transactions.
  
  
• If you paid by cash, cheque, postal order, or bank transfer, there is no mechanism to recover the money once it has been paid - other than by taking legal action. If you are quick enough you may be able to stop a cheque before it is cashed, but by the time the alarm bells start ringing in your head, it will usually be too late for this.
  
  
• It may be that your only recourse is to take legal action to attempt recovery of your money. This, sadly, is often prohibitive - as the costs involved can exceed the amount you are trying to recover (though you may be awarded those costs back if you win your claim). There is an online claims process, details of which can be found here: Money Claim Online

From the above, it would seem your best protection is to use a VISA credit card for purchases over 100 GBP (for the added legal protection), and a VISA debit card for purchases under 100 GBP.

Your local Trading Standards Office (if it hasn't been closed due to government cutbacks) is a valuable source of help and advice on your rights, and how to best go about getting them. They will often do a lot of the work for you (a simple telephone call from them to a vendor can work wonders), so make full use of them. Alternatively, you can obtain advice online at Directgov Consumer Rights.

You should leave appropriate feedback and inform eBid user support of any problems that you are unable to resolve with a seller. eBid can then review the situation, offer advice/assistance, and possibly bar the seller from selling on the eBid site in the future - in order to protect other buyers.

Related topic: How to buy safely on eBid

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[ Wherever the name eBay appears substitute the name of any other online selling site as is appropriate. ]

eBid is NOT eBay. Accept that basic fact and life will instantly become a lot simpler. If you have moved to eBid from eBay then do not expect eBid to be or become a clone of eBay; you will need to adapt to the way eBid works - not expect eBid to adapt to you. After all, would you buy a Rolls Royce and expect it to be just the same as your rusty old banger? If you are really looking for a site that works just like eBay...then I would suggest you try...well...um...eBay.

While you are encouraged by the eBid management to put forward suggestions that you feel would improve eBid, simply saying "This is the way I am used to doing it on eBay; change eBid so that it works the same." will get you nowhere.

Few people like change and it often feels harder to learn something familiar to you that is done in a different way than it does to learn something totally new. Give yourself time to get to know the eBid site and the way it works. You may just find that the eBid way of doing things is superior once you are familiar with it.

Many problems new users have arise from them simply not reading what is on the screen in front of them and not making use of the help available. When you are new to eBid it is very important to READ WHAT IS ON YOUR SCREEN. Do not make assumptions about how things work - particularly not assumptions based on your use of some other site, and do not skip over 'small print' thinking it unimportant. Read the whole screen text, read the help pages, read the pop-up context help (marked by an icon) adjacent to many eBid functions.

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There is currently no telephone user support at eBid; all user support issues are conducted online.

Before going to user support with a problem (they are kept busy) at least try to find the answer for yourself.

1. Read the provided eBid help pages.
2. Search the eBid user forums to see if your query has been asked and answered before.
3. If you cannot find that it has been answered before then ask in the eBid user forums. Fellow users are happy to help if they can.

If you are still in need of help after trying the above, then to contact eBid user support:

Click on the Help link (arrowed below) available at the top-right of almost any page on eBid.

On the resulting page select the Contact Us tab (arrowed below) and follow the instructions from there.

Alternatively, you can email support direct at:

You will initially receive an automated email with a 'ticket' number. This acknowledges receipt of your query and identifies your query for future reference (always quote the ticket number in the subject line of any subsequent correspondence on the issue). The actual reply to your query will follow later. Should you not receive an initial response with your ticket number within a reasonable time then check that mail from the support email address above is not being intercepted by your Junk/Spam filter.

User support at eBid is generally very good. Questions are usually answered promptly - often within a couple of hours. You will also find that you are not communicating with some brain dead drone working from a script but with real people (often the owners of eBid).

If you want help with a problem from eBid User Support (or other users via the forums) then provide enough information to enable them to reproduce the problem. Simply saying "So and so does not work" is unlikely to bring the targeted help you are seeking.

Tell them:

• What you were trying to do.
• What steps you took to do it.
• What was the result you got - include screen captures that illustrate the problem if you can.
• What, if any, error messages were displayed.
• What the listing number (auction id) is - if the problem is with a specific listing.
• What operating system you are using (e.g. Windows XP SP3).
• What browser you are using (e.g. Firefox v3.6.3).

A useful link to return details on the last item is: Get Browser In Use. Copy the results displayed by that link to the system clipboard and paste them into your help request.

In all cases, be polite when communicating with the support team and fellow eBid users. Apart from it being common courtesy - you will not help yourself by ranting and raving about the problem you are experiencing. Do not alienate the people you are looking to for help.

It is also courteous to let support or fellow members know if the help they have offered has solved your problem. A simple 'Thank you!' goes a long way.

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All members who wish to sell on eBid must first be verified by checking the details they gave on registration against the details held by their debit/credit card issuer. If you are not willing or able to complete the verification process, for whatever reason, then you cannot sell on eBid.

When you first register a credit/debit card, or when you register a new credit/debit card, a test authorisation for a small amount of money will be made against your card account. No money actually leaves your account; it is simply a mechanism that enables eBid to verify your given details with your card issuer. It has to be for a small amount as a zero amount transaction against a card account is not allowed. It basically queries your card issuer 'Would you pay me this if I asked you to?' - but never actually asks them to.[1] The query may show up on your card account as a pending transaction for a short time, but will then vanish.

Verification goes towards ensuring that you are who you say you are, reducing the likelihood of buyers encountering rogue sellers. It also prevents persons banned from use of the site for serious transgressions from coming back hiding behind another name.

Additionally, while it is entirely possible to list and sell for free on eBid, you may incur Final Value Fees if you choose to use certain types of listing format and/or fees for any optional enhancements you use in your listings. These fees may be charged against your registered card - though you can opt to pay any due fees via PayPal if you so wish.[2]

If you are selling high value or high risk items you may be required to provide additional proof of identity (e.g. utility bill) in order to protect buyers on eBid from possible fraudulent sellers.

Bottom line... No Verification = No Selling on eBid.

Notes:
[1] Clearly, the card account used must have some funds available, or the card issuer will respond 'No', and verification will fail.
[2] Due to costs, eBid do not collect due fees until the balance owed is greater than 0.40 GBP (or the equivalent in your local currency).

Related topic: Why are eBid requesting additional proof of identification?

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If you are new to selling on eBid and are listing high value or high risk items, eBid may require you to provide additional means of identification (e.g. passport scan, utility bill, etc.). The purpose of this is to further help protect buyers against fraudulent sellers. Such dishonest people tend to offer items of this type for sale to deprive buyers of as much money as they can before being exposed and ousted from eBid. Invariably, protecting against these few 'bad apples' results in life being made more difficult for the honest person. You may also be asked for this additional proof of identification if there are perceived discrepancies with the details you provided to open your eBid account.

If eBid requests additional identification from you, do your best to provide what they require. If you have problems meeting eBid's requests then contact eBid user support and explain your difficulties - they may be open to alternative means of compliance.

Related topic: Why do I have to register my debit/credit card if it is free to list on eBid?
Related topic: Why is my username crossed out?

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• If you have paid by credit/debit card via eBid's payment processor, your account upgrade should be almost immediate.
   
• If you have paid via PayPal, there is a delay between PayPal receiving your payment, and PayPal notifying eBid that payment has been made - thereby allowing eBid to upgrade your account.
   
• If the payment is made via PayPal in the form of an eCheque (check the transaction details on PayPal) the delay is even greater, it can take several days before payment is confirmed to eBid.

If the above does not help, you will need to contact eBid user support - they are the only ones with access to the account information needed to follow up any problem.

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The special offer price for a Seller Plus Lifetime subscription is advertised as available if the subscription is taken out within 24 hours of first registering on eBid. However, Gary (Gazza) Sewell, one of the owners of eBid, posted the following extensions to this offer in the forums; I quote:

From this, you can see that the offer is not only available when you first join eBid, but also becomes available again for 24 hours when you take out any NEW (not repeat) upgrade of your Seller subscription. This allows you to upgrade in stages, and still benefit from the offer price for the Seller Plus Lifetime subscription. Any monies previously paid for any lesser subscriptions will be deducted from the Seller Plus Lifetime offer price.

Be aware that these extensions to the offer, and indeed the offer itself, may be withdrawn at any time.

Related topic: What are the 7, 30, 90, 365 day and Lifetime Seller Plus subscriptions?

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If, on entering your correct username and password, you are repeatedly taken back to the logon page and asked to login again then here are a few suggestions:

• Check that the date and time set on your computer is correct.
• Try clearing cookies and your recent browsing history from your browser.
• Check that your browser is set to allow eBid to store cookies on your PC - eBid needs this ability to manage your session on the site.
• Check that eBid is not listed as a 'Restricted Site' in your browser security settings.
• If you have another browser (e.g. Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, IE, etc.) installed on your PC, try using that to log in to eBid.

If the last item gives you a successful login, that would indicate an errant setting in your original browser.

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Go to your My eBid page and select My Fees & Invoices from the My Options menu at page left.

There any fees levied will be detailed - including what they were for.

The two most common causes of unexpected fees are:

1. You have taken out one of the short-term subscriptions to a Seller Plus account. These short term subscriptions are recurring (as is explained when you sign up for it, and in eBid's Terms & Conditions), and so will continue until such time as you cancel that subscription.
    
2. You have listed items using optional extras (e.g. extra photographs), or enhancements (e.g. Featured listing), that are charged at the time the listing is posted - rather than on sale. These will be charged every time the listing is reposted - including via Auto-Repost.

Related topic: Is it really free to list on eBid?
Related topic: What are the 7, 30, 90, 365 day and Lifetime Seller Plus subscriptions?
Related topic: How do I close my eBid account or end my eBid subscription?
Related topic: eBid's Terms and Conditions.

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If a sale has fallen through due to no fault of your own (e.g. the buyer has failed to pay for the item), you can apply for a refund of any final value fees that were applied.

Before you can obtain a refund you must follow the set procedure detailed below.

• Allow a reasonable amount of time for the buyer to make payment.[1]
• Send the buyer a first payment reminder or resend the invoice using the listing's AAL (After Auction Log).
• Allow a minimum of 24 hours to elapse and, if no response, send the buyer a second payment reminder or resend the invoice once more.
• After at least another 24 hours have elapsed with no response, mark the buyer as a Non-Paying Bidder (NPB) and leave the buyer negative or neutral feedback using the AAL.

Once the above procedure is completed, the option Refund Final Value Fee will appear in the AAL menu for the item between 20 and 75 days from the date of sale.  Select this option to request a refund.

Note that any enhanced listing fees (e.g. Featured, Front Page, Highlighted, etc.) are not refundable.

If a sale has fallen through due to reasons of your own making (e.g. you ran out of stock, you sold the item elsewhere, etc.) then no refund of any fees are due. If the failure to complete the sale is yours, then so are the costs of that failure; eBid will have met all their obligations in getting you the sale, and they are rightfully due their fees for that.

Notes:
[1] Only you can determine what you consider 'reasonable' - but be realistic.

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Generally the answer is, 'No'. You may only have one user id on eBid.

If you have a real need for more than one user id, you can apply to eBid user support and make your case - they may make an exception if they agree the need justifies it.

Always get consent from eBid before creating a second user id. Without that consent ALL your accounts are likely to be suspended.

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If your username is crossed out then your eBid account is on hold ('suspended' if you prefer). This is most likely to be for one of the following reasons:

• If you have recently joined eBid or have upgraded your account to allow you to sell on eBid, checks are made to verify your registration details. If these checks fail for any reason (most often a problem with contact details) then your account will be placed on hold until the issues are resolved.

• If the details you provided were false, the hold on your account will not be removed.
   
• If you believe the details you provided were correct, and the hold is not removed, contact eBid user support to try to resolve the problem.

It can be worth fully logging out of eBid (do not just close your browser) by clicking on the Logout link (arrowed below) adjacent to your username at page top-right and then logging back in again. This can sometimes trigger an update of your status.

• eBid have been unable to contact you via the email address you have supplied. Ensure that your email address has been entered into your My Personal Details area correctly. Also ensure that your email processor or ISP are not blocking eBid emails, or treating them as junk/spam mail.

• eBid require additional details from you in order to verify your identity. See: Why are eBid requesting additional proof of identification?

• You have broken one or more of eBid's few rules (more often than not the eBid posting rules). If you really do not know what it was you did wrong, contact eBid user support and politely request an explanation. If you do know what you did wrong, contact eBid user support, apologise, and undertake to comply with eBid's rules in the future; eBid admin will then, more than likely, remove the hold on your account.

There is another possibility... you have had your account suspended for bad selling/buying practices, or for breaking the eBid Terms & Conditions that you agreed to when you first registered. I am sure this would not apply to you - but if it does, you will have to try and make a very good case to eBid for the reinstatement of your account.

More information here: eBid Help - I've been told my account is on hold.

Related topic: eBid's Terms and Conditions
Related topic: Why are eBid requesting additional proof of identification?

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You and eBid have no control over the appearance of the Address Verified ( ) icon next to your username - it is a function of eBid's payment processor.

When you validate your credit or debit card a check is made to see if the address you registered on eBid matches that held by your card issuer (i.e. the address your card statement is sent to). If it does, that is signalled back to eBid and the AV icon appears. If the two addresses mismatch in any way the Address Verified icon will not appear.

If you feel the two addresses should match then check your registered address on eBid against that on your most recent card statement (particularly the post/zip code). If errors between the two are found then correct them and revalidate your card.

If you subscribed to eBid via PayPal, you need to have either added and verified a bank account with PayPal or have been approved for a PayPal Plus Credit Card.

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The usual reasons for this are:

• A listing was deemed by eBid to be a duplicate of another you had listed.
   
• A listing broke one of the eBid posting rules.
   
• A listing was placed in an inappropriate category/subcategory for the item.

In such cases each offending listing is liable to deletion by eBid without notice.

Each time you submit a listing to eBid you affirm that the listing complies with eBid's rules. It is your responsibility to ensure that is so.

Repeated or deliberate infractions of eBid rules may result in the suspension of your account.

Related topic: Why am I not allowed to list identical items in separate listings?

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These are all subscriptions to the Seller Plus type selling account.

You do not have to take out a subscription to a Seller Plus account in order to sell on eBid - you can sell as a basic Seller without any subscription.[1]

Seller Plus status, of any duration, enables you to list and sell for FREE - Zero listing fees and zero final value fees on basic listings (some listing features and/or extras are still chargeable). Seller Plus status also brings the ability to create and run 5 stores for FREE and gives you up to 5 free images on each listing. Many extra listing options and features also become available to you.

Be aware that (except for the Seller Plus Lifetime subscription which is a one off payment) they are recurring subscriptions of the period stated. That is - you will be automatically billed for the next period at the end of the current one. Also be aware that you will continue to be billed even if you do not list or sell any items during a subscription period. If you do not wish to continue with a subscription (with the resultant billing) you should cancel your subscription by going to your My eBid page and selecting My Subscription from the My Options menu at page left.

Any subscription fees already paid for the shorter term subscriptions can be traded in against the cost of a Seller Plus Lifetime subscription. So if the Seller Plus Lifetime subscription is £74.99 and you have already paid for 3 x 90 day subscriptions at £16.99 each (a total of £50.97) you can upgrade to Seller Plus Lifetime for only £24.02 (£74.99 - £50.97).

The Seller Plus Lifetime subscription is what it says. For a one off payment you get Seller Plus status for life. The value of that depends on the amount you list (and possibly your age and state of health). For anyone selling regularly or in volume the Seller Plus Lifetime subscription should make economic sense. As the cherry on top of the cake you also get a free eBid T-shirt when you subscribe to Seller Plus Lifetime.

• For a chart of the feature packs of the different account types see: eBid Help - How do I register & upgrade an account?.
  
  
• For a table of fees for the different types of Seller accounts see: eBid Help - Do you have a list of your different auction fees?. 

My personal recommendation is that anyone coming fresh to eBid, and wanting to be Seller Plus, should initially take out one of the shorter subscriptions (say 30 days) before paying for the Lifetime subscription. This will allow you to determine if eBid is the place you want to be long term. If it is then you can upgrade to Seller Plus Lifetime for the subscription price less any subscription fees you have already paid - as explained earlier. I am not aware that any subscriptions are refundable so if you take out the Seller Plus Lifetime subscription immediately, and then find eBid is not for you, then you may not see value in what you have paid.

Notes:
[1] Basic sellers can access most Seller Plus features on a listing by listing basis by creating a Platinum style listing.

Related topic: Can I get the special offer price for the Seller Plus Lifetime subscription?
Related topic: Is it really free to list on eBid?
Related topic: Why do eBid keep charging me a regular fee?
Related topic: Why has my Seller account not been upgraded? I have paid the subscription.
Related topic: How do I close my eBid account or end my eBid subscription?
Related topic: Why have I not received my eBid T-Shirt for upgrading to a Seller Plus Lifetime subscription?

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Seller+ account holders can import feedback earned on other sites. The facility is not available to basic Seller account holders.

There exists polarised opinions on whether it is a good thing to do. Some people say feedback shown on a site should reflect a seller's performance on that site only. Others view importing feedback as no different to using a C.V. (resumé) when you go for a new job - i.e. your past performance is relevant to your likely future performance. Bottom line... eBid allows the import of feedback, and it is a seller's personal choice if they do it; what anyone else thinks is irrelevant.

Regarding eBay in particular, any feedback you have gained on eBay is their property (or so they claim) - all you did was put in the hard work to earn it. eBay has threatened legal action against eBid if they import user feedback from the eBay site. This means that your eBay feedback cannot be directly imported into eBid. Place the blame for this on eBay and not on eBid.

You may import feedback from eBay and other selling sites, indirectly, by placing a unique code on your About Me page (or equivalent) of the other selling site. As only you, as the account holder, has the access to place the code into the page, eBid will use the presence of the code to verify you as the account holder. Once verified, eBid will add the current feedback for that account to your eBid feedback. You can obtain the unique code to insert by going to your My eBid page and selecting My Feedback from the My Options menu at page left, and then selecting the Import FB tab.

Once you have inserted your unique code into the relevant place, return to eBid, complete the details for the import request, and click on the Request Feedback Import button.

The import of feedback from other sites is a one off event to get your feedback score going on eBid. It does not continually update your feedback score on eBid with future feedback you may receive on sites other than eBid. If you wish to display your current total feedback across all sites that you use, you can display a Repatoo badge either on your listings, or on your My All About Me page.

Do not link directly to eBay (for feedback or otherwise) or to any e-commerce enabled site in your listings, or anywhere else on eBid, as that would be in breach of eBid's rules and could result in the suspension of your eBid account.

If you wish to reference any feedback earned on other sites (including eBay) I can recommend Repatoo.com as a solution; I use it myself. Sadly, creating a Repatoo account is no longer free; a one off fee is now charged. Repatoo user support (should you need it) is first rate in my experience. I did look at creating a tutorial for setting up a Repatoo account but found their site so intuitive I really did not see what I could add. If you do try it and have any difficulties I would be interested to hear for the possible creation of a tutorial.

Here is an example of Repatoo in action - Click on the badge.

Go create a Repatoo account now.

Related topic: Do I have to provide Repatoo with my username and password to verify a selling account?
Related topic: How do I insert a Repatoo badge into my listings/My All About Me? I do not understand HTML.

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When verifying a selling account with Repatoo you do have to provide the username to that selling account - this is so Repatoo knows which selling account it is verifying.

You do not have to provide the password to that selling account. Most people are, understandably, not comfortable giving their account passwords to third parties - it goes against all security protocols. So while using the username / password combination is the simplest and quickest way to verify a selling account Repatoo does provide an alternative method that does not compromise any passwords. This is done by you inserting a small piece of marker text into the selling account's profile. As only you have the access to place that text there Repatoo will use its presence to verify the account.

To verify a selling account without providing Repatoo with that account's password proceed as follows:

• Log in to your Repatoo account.
• Add a selling account as normal, selecting the website from the drop-down list and entering the username of the account.
• Do not enter the password to that account - leave the field blank.
• Click on the Submit button (You will receive a warning that the account cannot be verified but can be done later - accept that warning).
• The added account will now be displayed with a Verify button next to the site's feedback score. Click that button.
• At the bottom of the presented dialogue is a link to Alternate Verification. Click that link.
• Details will be provided on how to insert the marker text into the account for Repatoo to read - plus a link to step by step instructions.
• Once you have inserted the marker text return and click on the Verify button. The account should now be verified.

If you should choose to provide the password to a selling account to allow verification - I would advise that you put a temporary password in place for as long as it takes to verify the account with Repatoo (this should only be a few moments). Once the verification is complete you can change the password back again to the one you normally use to access that selling account.

Related topic: Can I import feedback earned on eBay and other sites?
Related topic: How do I insert a Repatoo badge into my listings/My All About Me? I do not understand HTML.

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If HTML is like a foreign language to you, getting the badge that links to your Repatoo account into your listings and/or My All About Me page may seem a little daunting. You can do it without knowing anything about HTML. Proceed as follows to insert your Repatoo badge into a listing, your defaults, or your My All About Me page:

Log in to your Repatoo account and select the Create Links tab. Select the badge style of your choice and, with the option set to HTML, click on the Create button. The HTML code for your badge will appear in the box. It will look something like this:

Select and copy all of this HTML code from the box to your system clipboard (Maybe also save it to a text file for future use).

Create or edit a listing, a default or your My All About Me page using eBid's WYSIWYG Advanced editor.

Locate where you wish the badge to go and enter some marker text that you can easily recognise (e.g. XXXXXXXX - as shown below). It really does not matter what it is, or how long it is - you just need to be able to spot it easily later.

Now click on the Source icon (arrowed below) to change to the HTML/Source editor:

Look for the marker text that you just input (XXXXXXXX). Do not concern yourself about any of the other stuff around it - apart from do not alter any of it. Select that marker text and paste in (i.e. replace it with) the HTML code for your Repatoo badge that you previously copied to the system clipboard.

Click the Source icon (arrowed below) again to change back to the WYSIWYG Advanced editor.

You will now be returned to the WYSIWYG editor and, if all has gone well, your Repatoo badge will now be in place and active.

The above is harder to describe than it is to do, so do not be put off if it appears a little complex. Once you have done it a couple of times it will become second nature. You may even learn some HTML along the way...

Using the same procedure you could insert your Repatoo badge into the description field of your listings, your My Defaults description field or into your My All About Me page.

Related topic: Can I import feedback earned on eBay and other sites?
Related topic: Do I have to provide Repatoo with my username and password to verify a selling account?

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URL is an abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator. It is also sometimes referred to as a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier).

A URL is the 'address' where a page, file, picture, object, or any other resource can be located on the internet. Think of it like your own name and address which tells someone exactly how to find you in the world.

The URL of this page is: http://www.mootango.webspace.virginmedia.com/ebidkb.htm

The URL of anything displayed in your browser can normally be seen in the address bar right at the top of your browser.

If you need to obtain the URL to use as the destination to a link in your listings, My All About Me page, or forum posts - display the destination in your browser and copy the URL from the address bar.

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Yes, it is always free to place a listing on eBid. That does not mean that EVERYTHING is free though. If you add features and/or extras to your listings then fees may become applicable; those fees are for the features and/or extras that you have used and not for the placing of the listing. If you want totally free listing then do not add features and/or extras.

For a list of fees that are applicable to the different types of Seller accounts see: eBid Help - Do you have a list of your different auction fees?

Related topic: Why do eBid keep charging me a regular fee?
Related topic: What are the 7, 30, 90, 365 day and Lifetime Seller Plus subscriptions?

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To list an item on eBid you must have either a Seller or Seller Plus account.

Before listing, ensure you have read and understood the eBid posting rules. Failure to abide by these could lead to your listing(s) being deleted without notice. In extreme cases your account could be suspended.

To create a new listing, click on the SELL tab (arrowed below) at the top of almost every eBid page.

You will initially be invited to select a category and subcategory under which to list your item. Take care to select appropriately; any items listed in inappropriate categories are liable to deletion by eBid without notice.

Certain categories (e.g. books and CDs) will offer you the chance to pre-fill your listing with information that may be held about that item in eBid’s database. You can elect to use the feature, or just list your item as normal.

You will then be presented with the main listing creation page. If you work your way through from top to bottom, reading the information/help text (click on:) adjacent to each field, you should not have any problems. Below I have set out a few tips, and some warnings of things that can catch people out.

Section 1: Item Particulars

Auction Title: Try to use all of the 80 available characters. If you have space left after entering your title, add keywords that users might enter when doing searches for your type of item. Getting the keywords into your title that people are likely to enter in searches is more important than the title being grammatically correct - but normal punctuation and word spacing should be used. If selling to overseas, consider any local spellings variations that may be used when searches are being made (e.g. jewellery (UK) and jewelry (USA), grey (UK) and gray (USA)). Avoid using in your titles any text that serves no purpose (e.g. L@@K) and that nobody is going to search for, graphic characters, excessive use of punctuation characters and capitalisation (e.g. **** BLUE WIDGET ***), and shipping information (e.g. Free Shipping). All of these types of title construct can lead to your items being disallowed from appearing on Google Shopping/Products, and can interfere with search engines finding your keywords. Also, do not use brand names (e.g. Gucci, Adidas, etc.) in your listing title if your item is not made by that manufacturer (e.g. Gucci Style Handbag)[1].

Condition: eBid allows items to be listed on the site as: New, Used, Unused, or Refurbished. Google Shopping/Products does not allow the condition of 'Unused', therefore items listed as 'Unused' on eBid will be changed to 'Used' on upload to Google Shopping/Products.

eBid Store Category: If you have a Seller Plus account and have one or more stores created and online, dropdown lists will appear here to allow you to select into which store and store category the listing is to be placed. You can also choose not to place the item in a store.

Barcode and Brand: These two fields are particularly important for items intended for upload to Google to appear in Google Shopping/Products. Items will be rejected by Google if this information is missing and an exemption has not been granted.

Photos: If you upload a picture to your My Gallery area for use in your listing, after uploading you need to select it for use by clicking on the use this picture in my auction link (arrowed below) adjacent to the image in the Your Uploaded Photos area of your My Gallery. This link is only available while you are in the process of creating a listing - it does not show when you are simply viewing your My Gallery.

The optimal size for your images is 600 pixels along the longest side (ideally 600 pixels square). Anything over that will cause eBid to resize the image to fit the available display area - this may result in a degradation of your image. It is better to crop and resize your images before uploading them to eBid, as this gives you more control over the end result, and also makes uploading of the images faster. If you do not have a suitable application to crop and resize images, IrfanView is a very good (and free for non-commercial use) package. Note that eBid places its logo as a watermark in the bottom-right corner of user images stored on its servers, so avoid placing important detail in that area of your images.

Seller Plus members are now allowed 5 free images on each listing. To select a number of images in one go, tick the Use? checkbox (arrowed below) for each image in My Gallery that you wish to appear in the listing, and then click the Use Selected Image(s) button.

Auction Description: Certain things are not allowed by eBid to appear in an auction description. These include:

• Contact details, e.g. addresses, telephone numbers.
• Email addresses.
• Links to e-commerce enabled sites.
• Attributing brand names (e.g. Gucci, Adidas, etc.) to your item if your item is not made by that manufacture[1].
• Any invitation to off site sales.

The above is not an exhaustive list. See the eBid posting rules for full details.

Avoid the use of the @ character in your description. This seems to trigger the eBid email address filter, and the filter's attempt to remove a non-existent email address can mess up your description - causing chunks of it to disappear when listed. Use the literal 'at' rather than the @ character in your descriptions.

Make your descriptions sufficiently detailed. Online customers are not able to inspect an item as they could in a real world shop; they rely on you to provide the information needed for them to make a buying decision. If you do not provide sufficient information, they will likely pass your item over in favour of one from someone that does.

To avoid conflict with the requirements for your listings to be uploaded to Google, do not place shipping information (or any other boilerplate text) within the first 250 characters of your description.

Descriptions are limited to a generous maximum of 500000 bytes (approximately 500 KB).

If you normally post your listing description as HTML using the eBid Plain HTML Box editor, it is not a good idea to ever switch to one of the eBid WYSIWYG description editors in order to edit or view the description. Doing so will strip off anything in the header block (e.g. style information) and can also modify your HTML code to suit the WYSIWYG editor's own rules - which may affect how your description is displayed.

If uploading your listing descriptions as HTML, do not alter the eBid page with your code. Keep your artistic efforts within your allotted description area. You may think that the whole eBid page looks great with a lurid green background and yellow text - but most viewing it will not. eBid are currently very generous with what they allow users to do with HTML, JavaScript, etc, but if this is abused that could change - to the detriment of many.

Section 2: Shipping & Timing

Close Auction: While you might be tempted to list items as Run Until Sold (RUS) or n days from First Bid (OFB), doing so pushes your listings right to the bottom of default search/browsing results - where they will remain. While RUS and OFB have their uses, consensus appears to be that, generally, the best tactic is to list items for 8-10 days and set Auto Repost to 10. This will allow items to percolate to the top of search/browsing results each 8-10 day period but still run for 80-100 days (about 3 months) without any intervention on your part. Of course...it is hoped the item will have sold long before that period has elapsed. Also note that if you list as Run Until Sold you cannot create a biddable auction listing - only a Fixed Price listing. A Run Until Sold auction makes no sense - as it would never end. If a listing is open to bidding (i.e. an auction) then do not set the run time too long. Think...would you be willing to wait three months for an auction to end and find out if you have won the item?

Auto Repost: A great feature - but watch out if you have added any features and/or extras to your listings that incur a fee at time of listing rather than on sale. Such fees will be charged each time the listing undergoes Auto-Repost - this can lead to fees being charged that you may not have expected.

Section 3: Pricing & Payment

Starting Bid: Multiple bidders for an item are not that common on eBid yet, so either set your Starting Bid to the minimum price you would be happy to realise for the item, or set a Reserve Price. Starting at a very low price with no reserve risks your item selling for the starting price - which usually results in either the seller or the buyer being unhappy with the transaction.

Fixed Price: Watch out for the setting of this box. If it is ticked you will not be able to enter a Starting Bid. Many people miss this and then wonder why they cannot create a biddable auction listing. If the Fixed Price box refuses to remain un-ticked, you are likely trying to create a biddable auction listing with Run Until Sold set; the two cannot be used together as the combination is illogical - such an auction would never end.

Section 4: Featured & Extras

Listing Type: Ensure that the default selection is actually the auction/listing type you want; Seller Plus listings default to Gallery type listings (which incur a fee on sale) and not to the Free listing type.

Add Extras: Any extras selected that incur a fee on listing rather than on sale are charged each time the listing undergoes manual repost or Auto Repost. Bear that in mind or you may be charged fees that you were not expecting.

Preview Auction Now Button:

Note well the name of this button. Clicking this button shows you a PREVIEW of your listing only. While the preview is being shown, a translucent bar remains on screen as you scroll your listing. Move your mouse pointer over the bar and it becomes opaque displaying any fees applicable to the listing (always check they are what you expect them to be), a green Begin Auction button - to post your listing if you are happy with it, and a red Edit Auction Details button - to return and edit your listing details further.

Until you click on the Begin Auction button your listing will not be created on eBid.

Notes:
[1] Brand names may be used to indicate compatibility, fit, usage, etc. (e.g. To hold Nokia GK2500).

Related topic: What is 'Auto-Repost'?

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Auto-Repost is an optional eBid listing feature for use on time based listings.

A time based listing normally runs for a set period of time as defined when the listing is created (e.g. 7 days). When the listing reaches its start time a clock starts and counts down until either the item sells or the clock reaches zero - at which point the listing will close.

Setting Auto-Repost to a number between 1 and 10 when creating a listing causes eBid to not close the listing when the clock reaches zero. Instead eBid reposts the listing using all the same parameters as it was originally created with.

Each time a listing is auto-reposted the Auto-Repost count is decremented. When the Auto-Repost count reaches zero the listing will close as normal when its set run time expires.

Be aware that any listing features and/or extras that are chargeable when an item is listed (as opposed to on sale) will be charged again when an Auto-Repost is carried out.

Related topic: How do I create a listing on eBid?

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Yes, it is known as the eBid Ninja Lister. This may be used to create new listings for eBid or to import listings into eBid from the eBay, Amazon, Abebooks, or Etsy sites.

Before you can install the eBid Ninja Lister you will first need to have the Adobe AIR Runtime installed on your system. If you do not then you can obtain it here: Download Adobe AIR Runtime. Once downloaded, double-click on the AdobeAIRInstaller.exe file and follow the prompts to complete installation of the AIR runtime. Note that you require Administrative access to your computer in order to install the AIR runtime. If you do not have the required access then contact your System Administrator.

You obtain the eBid Ninja Lister by going to your My eBid page and selecting My Bulk Upload from the My Options menu at page left.

On your My Bulk Upload page click on the link (arrowed below) to download the application.

Once downloaded, double-click (or right click and select Install) on the ninjalister_x.xx.xx.air file (where x.xx.xx is the current version number) to install the application.

There is some brief help text here: Using Ninja Lister. More comprehensive help may be some way off as the eBid Ninja Lister is continuing to evolve and its operation changes almost daily.

Related topic: Can I transfer my eBay listings to eBid?

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Yes, you can transfer your eBay listings to eBid using a combination of the eBay Turbo Lister application and the eBid Ninja Lister application.

To carry out the transfer of your listings from eBay to eBid, you will need your eBay listings to be held within the eBay Turbo Lister application, and to have the eBid Ninja Lister application installed on your system.

NOTE: In order to export Active and Ended listings from Turbo Lister, they must first be copied to Turbo Lister's Inventory folder.

First, export your listings from Turbo Lister:

• Select the items you wish to export.
• From the File menu, select Export Selected Items.
• On the presented dialogue, select the file format 'Turbo Lister Format (CSV File)' (arrowed below), and then click the Export button.

Next, import the created file containing your exported listing into the eBid Ninja Lister by right-clicking on an Auction Set and selecting Import Auctions into this Set (arrowed below) from the drop-down menu.

After importing, check the details of your listings within the eBid Ninja Lister. If all is OK, add your listings to the Good to Go Bucket and upload them to eBid.

Any imported items that have Select On Upload placed in the Category field will be automagically matched to eBid categories when the items are uploaded. Any that cannot be resolved will be displayed on your My eBid > My Bulk Upload page for you to manually assign a suitable category for the item.

The results of your upload, indicating success or any problems, can be found by going to your My eBid page and selecting My Bulk Upload from the My Options menu at page left.

Ensure that when importing listings from eBay (or from any other e-commerce enabled site) that any links back to that site are removed, and that your listings comply with all other eBid posting rules before uploading to eBid - failure to do so could result in your listings being deleted.

Related topic: Is there a listing program for eBid like the Turbo Lister program on eBay?
Related topic: How do I save a spreadsheet, using Open Office Calc, in an eBid compatible format?

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The most likely cause is down to one of eBid's idiosyncrasies.

The countdown clock you see when you view a listing takes its time from your computer's clock.

The actual eBid listing takes its time from the eBid server clock.

If there is a variance between your clock and eBid's then closing times can get out of sync. This can cause your view of the listing to show that it still has time to run when it has actually finished on eBid.

Ensure your PC's clock is set to the correct time. When a listing is displayed it has a creation date and time annotated right at the bottom of the page. Your PC's clock should match this as closely as possible. Note that the annotated date and time is only valid at the moment the page loads - it does not update.

Even with your best efforts you may not be able to synchronise your clock to eBid's second perfect. Personally, I use a little program Atomic Clock Sync to keep my computer clock accurate.

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As a Seller

You should ensure that you fully understand how a Dutch Auction works before you start one. Failure to do so could be expensive.

A Dutch Auction is a way of selling multiple quantities of identical items using the sale by bidding format.

A Dutch Auction is listed stating how many of the items you have available for sale and the minimum price (the starting bid) you are willing to sell each item for.

Potential buyers then make bids stating how many of the total available quantity they wish to buy and how much they are willing to pay per item.

At the end of the auction the person who has offered to pay the most per item has first claim for the quantity they bid for from the quantity that are available.
The next highest bidder then has claim to the quantity they bid for from the number of items remaining.
This continues until there are no items left; at which point all other bids are discarded.

Now comes the really important bit that can cost you dear if you get it wrong…

The price ALL winning buyers pay per item is the amount bid per item by the LOWEST successful bidder.

That means that it is entirely possible, if there is insufficient demand, for all of your items to sell at the price you started them at. So make sure that your starting price really is the absolute minimum price you would be happy to sell each item for.

eBid, rather confusingly, also uses the term 'Dutch Auction' to refer to a multiple item listing (i.e. one selling several items at a fixed price rather than by bidding).  These are not the same thing at all and the above warnings do not apply to this type of listing. Each item in a multiple item fixed price (BuyNow) listing will sell for the price asked.

As a Buyer

Be aware that when bidding on a Dutch Auction that there is no proxy bidding. This means that the maximum bid you place is the bid that will be made.

So, for example, if an item has a starting price of £1.00 and you bid £3.00 then £3.00 is what you will have bid and not £1.00 as you would normally expect to see with proxy bidding.

The price ALL winning buyers pay item is the amount bid per item by the LOWEST successful bidder.

Related topic: What is proxy bidding?

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Proxy bidding is a system whereby eBid will make bids on your behalf, up to the maximum amount you set, in order to outbid anyone that subsequently outbids you. If you have ever been to a real life auction this is the same as 'Commission Bidding' or 'Leaving a Bid on the Book' with the auctioneer. Note that proxy bidding is not used on Dutch Auctions.

How it works:

You see an item listed on eBid that allows bidding for that item (rather than a fixed BuyNow price). You decide you would like to buy it, would be willing to pay a maximum of £20.00 for it, and the current highest bid for the item is only £5.00. You could sit at your computer for the duration of the auction placing bids to beat each new bid made by competitors for the item as they come in - but that would be a rather tedious exercise. Luckily, you can let eBid do the work for you while you do something more productive or enjoyable. Here is how...

• You decide the maximum amount you would be willing to pay for the item and enter this amount as your maximum bid.
  
• eBid will then bid on your behalf, using only as much of your maximum bid amount as is needed, to maintain you as the highest bidder.
  
• If at the end of the auction your bid is the highest you are the winner and get the item - and possibly for less than you were willing to pay.
  
• If other bidders have outbid your maximum bid when the auction ends then you do not win the item.

If you see your maximum bid has been beaten during the auction you can enter a new maximum bid if you should wish to stay in the running. It is best though to enter the true maximum you are willing to pay at the start; eBid will not use more of that amount than is needed to try to win you the item. Constantly upping your maximum bid could get you sucked into a bidding war where you may end up paying more to win the item than you intended - and possibly more than the item is actually worth.

Related topic: Dutch Auctions: What are they and how do they work?

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'Buddy Points' are an eBid reward scheme. You are awarded a varying number of points for achieving certain goals, such as:

• Introducing someone to join eBid.
• Someone you introduced to eBid upgrading to Seller status.
• Someone you introduced to eBid upgrading to Seller Plus status.
• Gaining positive feedback on a transaction.
• Making a bid on an item that meets any reserve price set (or the start price if there is no reserve).
• Winning an auction.
• Using BuyNow to purchase an item.

Buddy Points earned can be used to take part in Buddy Point Auctions run by eBid. Buddy Points have no cash value.

To see your current Buddy Points statement and current award levels go to your My eBid page and select My Buddy Points from the My Options menu at page left.

Related topic: How do I add a 'Join eBid here' link to my listings and gain 'Buddy Points'?

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You earn eBid Buddy Points for introducing new members to eBid, and further points if they then go on to open a Seller or Seller Plus account. To be allocated those points the new member must register on eBid via your Buddy Point Link. If they join eBid simply by going direct to the registration page then you will not be awarded any points.

A suitable Buddy Point Link can be created using either text or an image as the link 'hot spot'. The instructions below are for a textual link, but the same method applies for using an image...

First go to your My eBid page and select My Buddy Points from the My Options menu at page left.

Part way down the resulting page is a section captioned My Buddy Point Link - select and copy the entire text (highlighted and arrowed below) that follows 'Your Buddy Link is' to your system clipboard.

[This same link can be used in emails, personal web pages, Facebook, etc. to gain
buddy points from people registering via it.]

Using eBid's WYSIWYG Advanced editor enter the text you want to appear in your listings into either your listing description or into your My Defaults description. For example:

Select the text that you want to act as the link (e.g. the words Join here...) and click on the insert/edit link icon (arrowed below) at the top of the editor.

In the Link dialogue box that appears:

On the Link Info tab:

• From the Link Type drop-down list select URL.
• From the Protocol drop-down list select http://.
• In the URL box, paste in the buddy link you copied to the system clipboard previously.

On the Target tab:

• From the Target drop-down list select New Window (_blank).

This above step is optional. Opening a new window or tab in a user's browser is frowned upon by purists, but doing so here helps prevent users losing their place within your eBid pages if they divert away via your link to register on eBid. Skip this step is you wish to feel saintly.

On the Advanced tab:

• In the box captioned Advisory Title enter something descriptive - such as: Jump to eBid's registration page...

Click on the OK button to close the dialogue and save the settings made.

Job done! Your link is now active and you will receive buddy points for anyone registering on eBid via your link. You will also get the credit if the user registers within seven days of using your link.

When a user clicks on your Buddy Point Link, eBid creates a cookie on their computer. This cookie carries information to inform eBid that you were the person that made the introduction and due the Buddy Points when the user registers. This cookie must still exist on the user's computer when they complete their registration on eBid, otherwise you will not receive the credit for the introduction. Note the following:

• The cookie has a life of 7 days from its creation. If the user does not register within those 7 days, you will not be credited.
• If the cookie is deleted from the user's computer before they register on eBid, you will not be credited.
• If the user's computer is set to block cookies from eBid, the cookie will not be created, and you will not be credited.
• If the user clicks on another Buddy Point Link after yours, you will not be credited - the owner of the last clicked link will be.

If you are using eBid's HTML Plain Box editor or editing your own HTML templates, the following HTML code will achieve the same effect as above. Using the system clipboard, copy and paste the code in the box below into your own code; replacing the text INSERT_YOUR_BUDDY_LINK_HERE (leave the quote marks in place) with your own buddy link referred to earlier.

Related topic: What are 'Buddy Points'?

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A very good tutorial to this has been created by eBid user JewelEffects. Rather than me reinventing the wheel, view her tutorial here: Google Checkout Setup Tutorial.

The only thing I would add to the above tutorial is that, when entering your Google Merchant Key into your Personal Details on eBid, you ensure it is entered exactly as shown on Google. Ensure that the case of each character is correct, and that no leading or trailing spaces are inadvertently added - this latter error often happens if you use the system clipboard to  copy and paste the key.

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You may open stores on eBid with either a basic Seller account or with a Seller Plus account.

A Seller Plus account entitles you to create and run up to five stores at no cost. You may have as many stores as you wish, but each active store over your free five will be billed a monthly fee.

Basic Seller account holders are charged a monthly fee for each store they have active.

To commence creating a store go to your My eBid page and select My eBid Stores from the My Options menu at page left.

From the resulting displayed page, select Click here to open a new eBid Store (arrowed below).

Three sections must be completed before you can place your store online and populate it with items for sale. These are:

Section 1: Upload an image to be used as your store logo.
Section 2: Define details of your store and the colours it is presented in.
Section 3: Define store parent categories and optional subcategories in which to place your items for sale.

Any settings you make now can be changed later. Nothing is set in stone so feel free to experiment until you achieve your desired look.

Section 1. Upload an image to be used as your store logo.

The image used as your store logo must be of the correct size and format. For details on creating a suitable image, if you have not already done so, click here: How do I create a store logo? For a few generic store logos, visit the Resources page.

Click on the Browse button and select the image to be used from your computer.

Once you have done that click on the Upload image button to transfer your image to eBid for use in your store. If the upload is successful then your image will be displayed. If your image is not displayed then recheck the image is of the correct size and in the correct format.

Section 2. Define details of your store and the colours it is presented in.

Complete the fields as follows:

Once you have completed all fields, click on the Update Section 2 button to save the details.

Related topic: How do I create a store logo?

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A store logo is a 310 pixel wide by 90 pixel high image in .gif or .jpg format.

You can create this image in any paint or graphic editor program for upload to your store.

If you are 'graphically challenged' then eBid user JewelEffects comes to the rescue with a tutorial on using the BannerFans website. This site employs a 'Pick & Mix' approach to creating a suitable image. View her tutorial here: Bannerfans Tutorial.

For a few generic store logos, visit the Resources page.

Related topic: How do I set up a store on eBid?

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A store only appear in the eBid Stores list if the store is online and the count of the number of items within the store is greater then zero (i.e. the store has stock).

This count is carried out at 4 hour intervals. Until the next positive count is made the store will not appear in the Stores list - though your store(s) and listings are fully live.

If a store is found to be empty of items when this count is made the store will be removed from the eBid Stores list. This prevents empty stores cluttering up eBid and giving users a bad experience.

Allow newly created stores up to 8 hours to appear in the Stores list from the time the first item is placed in it.

Related topic: Why does the number of auctions next to my store name not match the number that exist in my store?

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You do not - is the simple answer.

Featured Stores are chosen entirely at random by eBid. You cannot influence that choice - apart from the more stores you have the more chance there is that one will be picked to display.

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The count of listings in a store is not updated in real time, they are updated at 4 hours intervals. The displayed count will be corrected at the next due update.

If a store is found to be empty of items when this count is made the store will be removed from the eBid Stores list. This prevents empty stores cluttering up eBid and giving users a bad experience.

Related topic: Why does my new store not appear in the Stores list?

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The date and time of your last visit to eBid is calculated and stored as the number of seconds that have passed since the 1st. January 1970 - this is a function of the Operating System that drives eBid.

When you first join eBid there is no value (i.e. zero) stored for the date and time of your last visit so it displays as 1st January 1970. As soon as you take an action that causes an update of the value the date and time will correct itself.

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The forum software (vBulletin) is a bought-in, bolt-on package to eBid; it has its own logging in system. The forum login username and password are the same as for your eBid account.

You can elect to stay logged into the forums by ticking the Remember Me? box (arrowed below) on log-in. The forums, unlike the main eBid site, do not required you to log in periodically.

If ticking the above box still does not keep you logged into the forums, check that you are not blocking eBid from storing cookies on your system; eBid needs this ability to manage your sessions.

The fact that the forums software is bought in means that eBid has little control over the way it works and are not in a position to fundamentally alter the way it works. If something really annoys you about the vBulletin forum software then it may be more productive to contact the authors at http://www.vbulletin.com rather than eBid.

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The rules for using the eBid forums can be found here: eBid Forum Rules

eBid admin are the only moderators of the eBid forums. They have the unquestionable right to decide what does and does not appear on their site. If they decide a post is in breach of the forums rules or is deemed inappropriate it, or the whole thread, will be removed. They need not, and never do, explain or enter into a debate over any deletion.

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There are five levels (excluding admin posts) of forum poster.

The various levels are based purely on the number of posts made to the forums and nothing more should be attributed to them.

Quantity of posts does not necessarily equate to quality (check out some of my posts for proof of that). You could risk making the assumption that someone who has been around long enough to make a lot of posts may have some idea what they are talking about in matters relating to eBid - but no guarantees.

Posters at all levels have an equal voice; there are no moderators apart from eBid admin.

Related topic: What are the rules for using the eBid forums?

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A forum signature is a block of boilerplate text that is automatically added to the end of each post you make to the eBid user forums. It can be used simply as a signature, or also carry links to your stores, My All About Me page, etc. It may also contain an optional signature logo, which may be your store logo, or something entirely different. A forum signature can contain several links - but only one logo.

Note that links should not point to individual items for sale or to any outside e-commerce enabled site - both would break the eBid forum rules.

For the purposes of this tutorial, we are going to include a link to your eBid My All About Me page in your signature. You can, of course, make a link point to anywhere you wish (e.g. to your eBid store ) by substituting a different URL as the link destination. We will stick with your eBid My All About Me page for now though.

First click on your username (arrowed below) at the top-right of the page to display your My All About Me page.

Select and copy the URL that appears in the address bar of your browser to the system clipboard.

The URL will look something similar to the one above, but will contain your country code and eBid user id.

Log into the forums and select Settings from the menu bar near the top of the page, then select Edit Signature from under My Profile in the My Settings menu at page left.

Enter the text that you want to appear in your signature. Include something that can be used as a link back to your My All About Me page (which will in turn link to your stores/sales). For an example here let us say you enter ' The door is always open. Welcome! ' for use as your link. Now highlight that text and click on the Insert Link icon (arrowed below).

If the above icon does not show, you have the wrong editor set in your forum options. To correct this; select General Settings from the My Settings menu at page left, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and select Enhanced Interface - Full WYSIWYG Editing from the drop-down list under Message Editor Interface. Click on the Save Changes button just below, and then return to editing your signature.

In the Link dialogue box that appears - paste in the URL that you copied to the system clipboard earlier, and click the OK button.

The appearance of this dialogue box may vary - depending on the browser you are using.

Click on the Preview Signature button. If all is as you wish, click on the Save Signature button.

Previously existing signatures and future forum posts by you will now display your new signature with a link back to your My All About Me page and items for sale.

Related topic: What is a URL?
Related topic: How do I add a logo to my forums signature?
Related topic: How do I add an avatar to my forum posts?

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Note that some limitations exist on the image you can use to create your signature logo. These are a maximum image size of 500 pixels wide by 100 pixels high and a maximum file size of 19.5 KB. If either of these limits are exceeded then adding your signature logo will fail.

Create the logo you wish to use in accordance with the above limits. If you already have a store banner, you can use that as your signature logo.

Log into the eBid user forums and from the menu bar near the top of the page select Settings, then select Edit Signature from under My Profile in the My Settings menu at page left.

Upload your prepared signature logo. Either:

1. Enter the URL (be careful not to enter the http:// part twice) to its location on the web into the box provided (Option 1).

2. Click the Browse... button (arrowed below) and locate the image file on your computer. (Option 2)

Click the Upload button

If your image upload is successful your image will now appear on the page. Note that adjacent to it is a button captioned Insert Signature Picture (arrowed below). Remember this - you will need it in a moment.

Scroll back up to the editor box and place your cursor where you wish your logo to appear in your signature.

Click on the Insert Signature Picture button noted earlier. You should now see the text [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] appear in the editor box - this segment of text is simply a placeholder for your logo and your actual logo image will appear in its place when your signature is displayed.

If you wish to make your signature logo into a clickable link, see the instructions in the following box - otherwise continue below.

Click on the Preview Signature button. If all is as you wish - click on the Save Signature button.

Previously existing forum posts with signatures, and future forum posts by you, will display your new signature with its optional logo.

Related topic: What is a URL?
Related topic: How do I create a forums signature?
Related topic: How do I add an avatar to my forum posts?
Related topic: Why does a page continue to show an old image after I have uploaded a new one?

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If you do not already know, avatars are small pictures that appear under your username to the left of any posts you make to the eBid user forums.

Note that some limitations exist on the image you can use to create your avatar. These are a maximum image size of 150 x 150 pixels and a maximum file size of 15.0 KB. If either of these limits are exceeded then creating your avatar will fail.

First, create the image you wish to use in accordance with the above limits.

Log into the eBid user forums and from the menu bar near the top of the page select Settings, then select Edit Avatar from under My Profile in the My Settings menu at page left.

Ensure the Use Custom Avatar option (arrowed below) is set.

Upload your prepared image. Either:

1. Enter the URL to its location on the web into the box provided (Option 1)

2. Click the Browse button and locate the image file on your computer. (Option 2)

Click the Save Changes button. If your image upload is successful your avatar will now appear in the box at the top of the page.

Your new or updated avatar will now appear on any existing and future posts to the forums by you.

Related topic: What is a URL?
Related topic: How do I create a forums signature?
Related topic: How do add a logo to my forums signature?
Related topic: Why does a page continue to show an old image after I have uploaded a new one?

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If the option is set in your My Defaults eBid submits all eligible listings to Google Base shortly after they are created, edited, or reposted. eBid also refreshes any items on Google Base that have remained there long enough to reach the expiry date laid down by Google. Listings undergoing Auto-Repost are not resubmitted as no listing details change and therefore Google Base does not require updating for such items.

Eligible listings for submission by eBid and acceptance by Google are those that meet all of the following main requirements:

• Are listed on either the UK, USA, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, and Netherlands eBid sites - other countries[1] are not currently supported by eBid.
• Are listed using a Seller Plus account or a Platinum type listing for basic Seller accounts.
• Have a BuyNow price.
• Are legal.
• Are in categories allowed by Google Base.
• Comply with Google Base policies.

The above is not an exhaustive list of the Google requirements - which are rather extensive; for fuller details see: eBid Help - Will you upload my items to Google Shopping?

Google are also becoming very fussy about submitted items having Product Identifiers (Barcode, ISBN, Brand, etc.) included before they will accept them. If Product Identifiers are missing, not only those of your items without but all of your submissions can be rejected. If you are selling items that have no product identifiers (e.g. craft items) you will need to apply to Google for an exemption to the requirement to supply Product Identifiers. For fuller information on this see: eBid Help - Will you upload my items to Google Shopping?

Items submitted to Google Base are searchable/viewable by end users using Google Shopping or Google Product Search (formerly known as Google Products, and before that, Froogle - they just cannot seem to make up their minds as to what to call it) and also in general Google searches under the heading of Shopping Results for {search term} in the search results.

TIP: To make it simple to locate your own items on Google Shopping/Products, include a keyword within the description of every item you list. Make this keyword something that is unlikely to occur naturally (e.g. KXR76PF). A good test is to enter your intended keyword into Google to see if it gets any hits. If it does - rethink, if it doesn't - you have a good choice. You can then just search on that keyword and, regardless of which store they are in (or even if they are listed outside of a store), all of your items on Goggle Products will be returned. This can make it far easier to check if your items are being uploaded to Google successfully. You can add your keyword to your listing template(s) or into your My Defaults - so it is included in all new listings, or use Bulk Edit to add it to existing listings.

Notes:
[1] Google Shopping/Product Search has also recently launched in China, Japan, Hong Kong.

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No, there is no practical limit to the number of images you may store in your My Gallery area on eBid. However, images will be automatically deleted from your My Gallery area if they are not used in a listing within 10 days of being uploaded, or after 75 days from the date an image last appeared in an active listing. You are advised to keep your own copy of any images that you may wish to re-use in the future.

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Multiple image files for use in listings can be uploaded to your My Gallery area by enclosing them in a ZIP file (maximum file size 100 MB). A ZIP file is a container for multiple files, and can optionally be compressed - to both reduce the size, and decrease transfer times. eBid recognises this type of file from its .zip extension, extracting the individual image files from it after the file is uploaded, and placing them (in filename order) into your My Gallery area.

Some versions of Windows can handle ZIP files internally (e.g. Windows XP), while others versions of Windows, or other Operating Systems, may require the use of a standalone program.

There are many suitable standalone programs around - Freeware, Shareware, and Commercial. A site such as Tucows.com will offer a good selection. A standalone program will give you far greater control over the creation of ZIP files than any Windows internal ZIP file handler.

To create a ZIP file of images with those versions of Windows that can handle ZIP file internally:

• Select the group of files that you wish to place into the ZIP file.
• Right click on the selection to open the pop-up menu.
• Select Send To > Compressed (zipped) Folder.

A new file will be created with the .zip extension. That is the file containing your multiple images for upload to eBid.

Windows will, unless another handler is installed, display and handle the ZIP file as a folder (though it really is a file - honest). You can treat it like any normal folder and drag and drop more image files into it, or delete image files from it.

To upload the images: go to your My Gallery area, browse to locate the .zip file on your computer, and click on the button captioned Upload image.

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It is eBid policy that if you have several identical items to sell they should be sold using a multiple item fixed price listing or a Dutch Auction - rather than as a series of individual (duplicate) listings. This prevents high volume sellers swamping user search results to the detriment of smaller sellers. This is particularly likely to happen on eBid as it costs nothing to place a listing - which removes the economic factor that may act as a restraint on some sellers.

If eBid deems that you have posted duplicate listings then all are liable to deletion without notice. You may be sent an email indicating the reason why. If you do not receive an email and really do not know what you did wrong, or you wish to contest the decision, then contact eBid user support.

Quite what the criteria are that define a duplicate listing I am not certain - and eBid seem rather tight lipped on the subject. The main one seems to be the title of the listing. If you are listing a quantity of similar items then it is advisable to differentiate between them in the listing title, e.g. Widget (Blue), Widget (Red); or Widget (Large), Widget (Small); or Widget (Type 1), Widget (Type 2); etc.

Note that 'massaging' listing titles (e.g. Widget Blue, Blue Widget), or adding bogus differentiators, in an attempt to circumvent this rule is not acceptable, and likely to result in your listings being deleted.

You also may not list the same item separately in more than one category; that would still be classed as a duplicate listing. You may add an extra category to a listing (for a small fee) so that it is displayed when users search or browse either of those categories.

The above does not mean that you are not allowed to list an identical item as someone else - just not identical to one you currently have listed.

Related topic: Why have some of my listings disappeared?

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First off...Thumbnail images in search results do not form a part of Standard (Seller) or Free (Seller Plus) listings.

To get the thumbnail as a basic Seller you need to create a Platinum type listing. This, for a small fee on listing, not only gives you the thumbnail in search results but also access on that listing to most features normally only available to Seller Plus members.

As a Seller Plus member you need to create at least a Gallery type listing to get the thumbnail in search results. Gallery type listings incur a fee of 2% on the eventual sale price of the item. As long as the item has received no bids you may edit a listing to change the type between Free and Gallery.

The following applies only to users with basic Seller accounts when creating a Platinum listing and not to Seller Plus account holders.

For the thumbnail image to appear in search results it seems the image it is generated from needs to be located in your My Gallery area. If you self host all your images off site then the thumbnail will not be generated from just a supplied URL. You will need to upload at least one image to your My Gallery area and use that as your main image if you want a thumbnail to be generated.

( Update: The above problem may have been fixed but I am unable to test and confirm it; if anyone with a basic Seller account can then please let me know.)

Related topic: What is a URL?

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Yes. This is known as ‘self hosting’ your images. The additional images go into the description area of your listing, rather than being added below your free main image(s) - as would happen if you paid eBid for them. It requires that you have somewhere to store your images on the web other than in your My Gallery area on eBid. This may be either on your own web space/site, or on an image hosting site such as Photobucket.com (which is a site that many seem to use but I have no personal experience of).

Once your images are stored on the web you will need to know the URLs of where each of those images are located. The URLs will look something like: http://mywebspace/myimages/mypicture1.jpg. If the image is on an image hosting site this URL information should be provided to you by the site. If you operate your own web space/site you should already be familiar with the format and use of URLs.

To insert an image into your listing using the eBid WYSIWYG Advanced listing editor proceed as follows…

Position the cursor within the description field where you wish the image to go and click on the Insert/Edit Image icon (arrowed below). The dialogue box shown below will appear.

Fill in the details, as indicated, on the Image Info tab of the dialogue box. Once you have entered the URL of the image into the URL field your image should appear in the Preview area. If it does not, recheck that your URL is correct. Finally, click on the OK button and your image will be inserted into your description.

You can experiment with the other tabs on the dialogue box if you wish, but they are not needed under normal circumstances - apart from maybe giving your image a description on the Advanced tab.

Repeat the above procedure for any additional images you wish to insert into your description.

Related topic: What is a URL?

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Yes. eBid released a copy of their logo with permission for its free use.

To download it click here: eBid Logo Original Art. You may need to re-size it for use as it is quite large.

To download copies already reduced in size click here: eBid Logos. The .zip file contains each of 83x68, 121x100, and 234x193 pixels in .png format.

eBid also released a series of static and animated banners, of various styles and sizes (example below), for use on your web pages or listings; get them here: eBid Web Banners.

All the above, plus more, can be obtained from my eBid Resources page.

Related topic: A collection of free resources for use with eBid.

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Sometimes the system needs to be 'tickled' to force an update of your displayed feedback count. To do this:

Fully sign out of eBid (do not just close your browser) by clicking on the Logout link (arrowed below).

Sign back in again.

Your feedback count should now reflect the correct value.

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To carry out a search on closed listings click on the Advanced Search link (arrowed below) adjacent to the simple search box. This will open up a selection of options to refine your search, including the option to search for closed listings only.

If you already have the results of a search displayed and wish to refine the search to closed listings only then click on the more search options link (arrowed below). This will open up a selection of options to refine your search, including the option to search for closed listings only.

Closed listings are retained on eBid for 75 days, after which they are archived without any eBid hosted images.

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There is nothing I can tell you that will guarantee you sales, but here are a few tips that can increase your chances:

Avoid listing as Run Until Sold or n days from First Bid, as both leave your listings at the bottom of search results. Include a BuyNow price in your listing to make them eligible for upload to Google - many sales come from there. Make your descriptions sufficiently detailed. Ask yourself what you would want to know if you were buying the item. Use good and in focus images of a reasonable size (optimum size is 600 x 600 pixels). A tiny blurred image puts off buyers. Consider using a listing type that includes a thumbnail image in search results. It is widely felt that buyers pass by those without. Make your items available to overseas buyers (if you do not already). Do not ignore potential markets for your items. Complete your eBid My All About Me page giving potential customers information about yourself, your sales/returns policies, etc. Promote eBid whenever and wherever the opportunity arises (and even when and where it does not). Try to bring in customers. Without 'spamming' and upsetting people - try and let any previous customers know that you are selling on eBid. Print up some eBid stickers to affix to all your parcels and envelopes. Spread the word. Postal workers are buyers too.[1][2] If you have feedback earned on other selling sites consider requesting eBid import it to get your feedback started. Maybe make some small purchases to get your feedback above zero.[3] Feedback over 5 removes the low feedback sunglasses icon. Make use of your forums signature to add links directing other forum users to your store(s) or your My All About Me page.[4] If you are into Social Networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.), use them to promote your items for sale. Use the Plug Your Auctions forum to advertise your wares and any special offers you are running. [5]

Notes:
[1] To download a MS Word document (.doc) to print 21 eBid stickers on an A4 sheet (e.g. Avery^® J8160 - 21 x 63.5 mm x 38.1 mm)  visit the Resources page.
[2] To download a 6 x 4 inch (15 x 10 cm) eBid advertising image (JPG format) suitable for printing on to postcards visit the Resources page.
[3] The monthly YDC charity auctions are a good way to start your feedback off while, at the same time, having some fun and helping a worthy cause.
[4] Do not link to individual items in your forums signature as that would breach eBid's rules. Use the Plug Your Auctions forum for individual item promotion.
[5] You are allowed only one thread in the Plug Your Auctions forum to promote your sales and may only 'bump' (to raise to the top of the thread list by posting a new message to your own thread) your thread once in every 24 hours. If you want to create a new thread delete the old one first and then create the new one - this counts as your daily bump. Do not plug your items in any other forum. Violation of these conditions can result in your thread(s) being deleted and you being suspended (or banned for repeated infractions) from using the forums.

Related topic: What are the criteria for my items to be submitted to Google Base by eBid?
Related topic: Can I import feedback earned on eBay and other sites?
Related topic: How do I create a listing on eBid?
Related topic: How do I create a forums signature?
Related topic: What are the YDC charity auctions?
Related topic: A collection of free resources for use with eBid.

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The first time your browser downloads a web page from the internet it stores a copy of the page, along with copies of any images the page uses, in a cache (a storage area) on your computer. The next time the same page is requested the browser checks to see if a copy of the page:

• Is not in the cache (a page can instruct a browser not to save a copy of itself to the cache, or it could have been deleted from the cache).
• Has expired in the cache (a page can instruct a browser that it is to have a set 'life' in the cache, after which it is considered out of date).
• Has a timestamp that is older than that of the page on the source server (i.e. the copy held in the cache is out of date).

If none of the above are true the browser retrieves and displays the copy of the page, along with its associated images, from the cache - which is quicker than fetching everything from over the internet again. This normally works very well, and makes the internet appear to operate faster.

A problem arises when the only thing that has changed on a page is the visual content of an image. As only the visual representation in the image has changed and not the page itself (images are not actually a part of the page but are stored separately; the page merely reserves a space to display the image), this is not enough to inform your browser that the copy of the page it holds in its cache is out of date. The browser therefore, erroneously, displays the page from its cache - complete with the old image(s).

To display the page correctly, along with its new image(s), you must force your browser to fetch a new copy of the page from the source server, ignoring any copy it currently holds in its cache - even though it believes it to be still valid.

How you force this fetch of the page may vary slightly from browser to browser. Holding down the Ctrl key and pressing F5 [Ctrl+F5][1] or R [Ctrl+R] (while viewing the problem page) are common key combinations across various browsers. Alternatively, check your browser help files for how to force a page refresh ignoring the cache - it will often be a command on the browser View menu - such as Reload or Refresh.

This is not an issue unique to eBid; it can happen anywhere when the only change to a page is the visual content of an image. If any page does not display as you expect, try forcing a reload of the page as described above.

Notes:
[1] If your keyboard has dual use function keys (e.g. multi-media keyboards) ensure they are toggled to act as function keys.

Microsoft applications tend to set their own standards – which seldom comply with accepted standards. Microsoft Word, in particular, creates a lot of hidden garbage which can upset other applications – including eBid.

If you must use content created in Microsoft Word on eBid, use eBid's WYSIWYG Advanced editor and its Paste from Word facility. Click on the icon (arrowed below), paste the content copied from Microsoft Word into the resulting dialogue, and click the OK button to place the content into the editor. This will make a best attempt to strip out the garbage and give the results you expected.

The HTML code generated by Microsoft Word is also an absolute mess, and can create problems if you try to use it anywhere else but in Microsoft applications.

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If you are using the Open Office Calc spreadsheet application to edit the eBid Bulk Upload spreadsheet, or to edit spreadsheet data for import into Ninja Lister, you need to enable the correct settings in order to save the spreadsheet in the correct format for compatibility with eBid.

To do this proceed as follows:

With the sheet containing your listing data selected, from the Open Office Calc File menu, click on Save As...

Complete the resulting dialogue as detailed in the text and image below:

• Set the file name to save the spreadsheet to - complete with the extension of .txt
• Select Text CSV (.csv) from the drop-down list captioned Save as type.
• Ensure the checkbox captioned Automatic file name extension is not ticked.
• Ensure the checkbox captioned Edit filter settings is ticked.
• Click on the Save button.

Complete the resulting dialogue as detailed in the text and image below:

• Select {Tab} from the drop-down list captioned Field delimiter.
• Click on the OK button.

The spreadsheet data will now be saved in the correct format to be accepted by eBid on upload via Bulk Upload, or for import into Ninja Lister.

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There is a PayPal setting that interferes with the application of shipping/postal charges stated on a listing.

This setting prevents transaction based shipping charges (i.e. what you stated on your eBid listing) being applied when a buyer goes to pay via PayPal. Instead, it substitutes a fixed price - as defined in a table of shipping/postal charges in your PayPal account. If this price table has not been completed on your PayPal account the table is filled with zero values, and that is the shipping/postal charge applied to the transaction by PayPal - i.e. ZERO. If the table has been completed any values contained in it can override those stated on your listings.

The default for a PayPal account appears to be to use this table of shipping/postal charges, and it does not work in the way it indicates it should do.

To correct this setting, proceed as follows:

Note (12 Apr 2011): PayPal seem to be messing with the layout of their pages. Below are directions
for both the new and 'classic' site layouts. You may still need to adapt these if PayPal continue to
make changes to their site.

New PayPal Site Layout:

• Log in to your PayPal account.
• Navigate to: My Account > Profile > My Selling Preferences.
• Under Posting my items, click on the Update link adjacent to Postage calculations.
• Ensure that the box, at the bottom of the page, captioned Click here to allow transaction-based postage values to override... is ticked.
• Click Save.

Classic PayPal Site Layout:

• Log in to your PayPal account.
• Navigate to: My Account > Profile > My Selling Preferences.
• Under the Selling Preferences column, click on Postage calculations.
• Ensure that the box, at the bottom of the page, captioned Click here to allow transaction-based postage values to override... is ticked.
• Click Save.

Shipping/postal charges, as defined on individual listings, should now be correctly applied to PayPal payments.

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With the above warning in mind, to delete all bids made by a user on all of your items proceed as follows:

Go to your My eBid page and select My Blackball from the My Options menu at page left.

On the resulting page, enter the eBid username of the person whose bid(s) you wish to cancel.

Optionally, enter a reason for issuing the blackball - as a reminder of what the user did to upset you.

Tick the box captioned remove current bids? and click the Add button.

If you want the user to be able to bid on your items in the future, remember to remove the blackball by clicking on the Remove link
(arrowed below) against their username.

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Yes. There is what is called a 'Holiday Notice'. This is a variant of the standard Seller notice, and prevents a Bid or BuyNow being made on your listings. It  can be used for any time, not just holidays, when you are going to be unavailable to process any sales of your items. This is a relatively new feature, the following is my belief of how it works. I would be interested to hear of your practical experience of this feature if it differs from that given below.

With a 'Holiday Notice' in place:

• Any stores will remain open/online.
• Listings will remain visible for users to browse.
• Users will not be able to Bid, or use Buy Now, on any of your listings that are subject to the Holiday Notice.
• Users will be shown your custom notice at the top of each listing.
• Users can still ask a question regarding the listing; you may be able to respond to these while away even if you cannot action sales.[1]
• Listings will continue to run as normal.
• Any listings without Auto-Repost set that are scheduled to end while you are away will end as normal.
• Any listings with Auto-Repost set that are scheduled to end while you are away will repost.
• If all listings in a store end without auto-repost, the store will be taken offline within 12 hours of the last listing ending.

To enable the 'Holiday Notice':

Go to your My eBid page and select My Notices from the My Options menu at page left.

Either create a new notice, or edit an existing one as shown below.

• Create your message text. The number of characters available (max. 225) will vary depending on the sizes of font you use.
• Select whether this notice is to be applied to all your items, or only items within certain Stores or eBid/Store categories.
• Tick the Holiday Notice? and Active? boxes.
• Finally click on the Save Notice button.

Your 'Holiday Notice' is now in place. Do not forget to remove it when you come back. Maybe stick a 'Post It' note on your monitor to remind you - otherwise you may end up wondering why you are not selling anything.

Note: Simply taking your store(s) offline will not work. Any active listings in a store that is taken offline revert to being normal listings outside of any store.

Also, be aware that if any of your auction listings currently have bids at the time the Holiday Notice is applied, they will be unable to accept further bids while the Holiday Notice is in effect. If an auction with bids ends while a Holiday Notice is in effect, it will end at the bid price that existed at the time the Holiday Notice was applied.

If you do not want to use the 'Holiday Notice', your only option is to close your listings. Closed listings will remain available on the system for reposting for 75 days; after which they will be deleted and unrecoverable.

Notes:
[1] While it has not been explicitly stated, I feel it can be implied that the eBid Q&A rule on questions being responded to promptly will be negated by using this setting.

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You cannot do this yourself. You will need to contact eBid user support, using your registered email address, and ask them to do it for you. Provide them with your old username, and the username you wish to use in the future.

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You need to contact eBid user support and tell them your eBid username, and the size (they are not psychic) of T-Shirt that you require.

Sizes available are:

• Small (S)
• Medium (M)
• Large (L)
• Extra Large (XL)
• Extra Extra Large (XXL)
• Extra Extra Extra Large (XXXL)

There are also two styles available - one with a large logo in the centre, and one with a smaller logo over the left breast; I do not know if you can stipulate which style you wish to receive, but if you have a preference it cannot hurt to ask.

The T-shirt will be mailed to the address you registered on eBid. It is mailed by the cheapest means possible - this may mean a long delivery time for members outside the United Kingdom.

If you require additional T-shirts, these can often be found on offer in 'The eBid's Store' for purchase - either by cash, or using Buddy Points.

Related topic: What are 'Buddy Points'?

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YDC was originally an abbreviation for Yorkie's Daft Competition; a charity fundraising event created and developed by Frank Carr (eBid user YorkiesAuctions). Recently the event name has changed to Your Donation Counts. This change of name is still propagating, so you may see either name used in different places - but they refer to the same thing. Due to other commitments, Frank has now largely handed over the running of the YDC events to others,  though he maintains a paternal interest in what is happening with his baby. The current brave soul that has taken on the task of making the events a success, while at the same time trying to keep everybody happy, is eBid user Vonz.

The international eBid membership hold YDC charity auctions over a four day period (24th - 28th inclusive) of each month - excluding December.

The aim is to raise as much money as possible for worthy causes - and to have some fun while doing it.

The event includes a friendly competition (the entry into which is entirely optional) to see which seller can attract the highest bid for one of their items. The winning seller gets to nominate the charity they would like to see benefit from the next month's YDC charity auctions - though participating sellers are always free to support their own chosen cause if they prefer. In order to create a level playing field for the competition, a few additional requirements are required for listings to be eligible for entry - see below.

The following guidelines apply to items listed in YDC events:

• Auctions should be listed in the eBid listing category: Charity Auctions > YDC (Your Donation Counts).
• Auctions must be for the benefit of a stated charity - or other good cause.
• Auctions should not have a reserve, or an optional BuyNow price.
• Auctions should run for exactly 4 days.
• Auctions should be set to start at any time on the 24th of the month (local time zone), and finish at the same time on the 28th.
• The YDC event number (e.g. YDC 79) should appear within the auction title (observe the space between YDC and the event number).
• Auctions must be hosted on eBid, and comply with the eBid posting rules.[1]
• Descriptions must not mislead. While it is OK to have a bit of fun with YDC listings, it should be clear what is being bid on.
• Postal/shipping charges should be at cost.
• You can make auctions available to bidders in as many countries as you wish.
• There is no limit on the number of auctions a seller may enter into a YDC event.
• The following text should appear in listing descriptions:

In addition, the following guidelines apply for those items listed to be eligible for entry into the YDC event competition:

• Auctions should have a maximum start price of 0.99 GBP (or the equivalent in the seller's local currency).
• No item listed for auction should have an expected value of more than 20.00 GBP (or the equivalent in the seller's local currency).
• Auctions should be standard auctions (i.e. not Featured, FrontPage, or with any listing extras/enhancements other than a gallery image).
• The following text should appear in listing descriptions:

Notes:
[1] The Your Donation Counts  listing category (and all other charity categories) are 'catch all' categories; the usual eBid rule that the category listed under must relate to the actual item does not apply - the relevancy is the charity.

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eBid's Terms and Conditions of use are detailed on the eBid registration page.

Related topic: eBid's Privacy Policy.

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To view the eBid privacy policy see: eBid Help - How do you assure the privacy of my information?.

Related topic: eBid's Terms and Conditions.

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If you wish to fully close your account and remove all trace of yourself from eBid, contact eBid user support and request removal - see: eBid Help - How do I close my account? for details. Be aware, if you have your account deleted you may have difficulty should you wish to rejoin eBid at a later date.

If you have paid for Seller Plus Lifetime, there is little point in removing yourself from eBid. I am not aware, nor would I expect, that any refund will be made of your subscription.

If you are registered as a Buyer or Basic Seller then, as there are no ongoing fees involved if you do not use the site, you may as well leave your account open in case you wish to make use of the site at a later date.

If you are signed up to a recurring Seller Plus short term subscription (not applicable to the Seller Plus Lifetime subscription), and wish to cancel that subscription but remain registered to buy and sell on eBid, then:

1. Go to your My eBid page and select My Subscription from the My Options menu at page left.

2. Select Stop My Subscription from the drop-down list captioned Change My Subscription.

3. Click on the adjacent Change Subscription button to update your details.

Your subscription will then be terminated at the end of the currently paid for period.

Related topic: What are the 7, 30, 90, 365 day and Lifetime Seller Plus subscriptions?
Related topic: Why do eBid keep charging me a regular fee?
Related topic: eBid's Terms and Conditions

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A collection of resources (banners, labels, logos, templates, etc.) available for free use can be found on my eBid Resources page.

Related topic: Are there images of the eBid logo available that I can use for advertising purposes?

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