Megan VerHelst
For The Logos

The days of driving long distances to shop are becoming a thing of the past. Why drive when one could just jump online and buy a unique collectible that resides halfway around the world?

This concept would not seem feasible until recently. Even though it has been around for quite awhile, eBay, the online auction site, has become the primary choice of millions of online-savvy shoppers.

Best known as an online auction site, eBay gives many potential buyers and sellers a place to get rid of their things for money or buy items of interest often for low prices.

"eBay is about business and making money," Norb Thomes, NIACC Information Technologies instructor, said. According to Thomes, eBay operates on the concept that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Thomes said eBay was founded by a guy who was trying to help his girlfriend get rid of some of her things.

eBay was created for use by all different kinds of people. People who utilize the online shop can vary from someone just looking to pick something up for a hobby all of the way to someone who runs a business off of eBay.

"There is a woman in Clear Lake who owns an antique store," Thomes said. "During the winter, eBay pays her bills because there is no traffic going through."

Although most people have a general idea of what eBay is there are some who are not familiar with the process of buying and selling on the site.

According to Thomes, the first thing one must do is sign up for an account on eBay. Once one has an account, he or she can log in and begin shopping.

"eBay is a search mechanism like Google," Thomes said. When someone has a particular something in mind to purchase, all he or she must do is type it in the search bar and hit enter.

Once one finds something that he or she wants, a bid can be placed on it for however much the buyer feels is appropriate, so long as it is higher than the last bid.

"It works just like an auction," Thomes said. "Whoever has the highest bid wins."

Once someone wins an item, a form of payment is chosen. According to Thomes, one can pay with traditional check or money order. One can also pay electronically with a credit or debit card through PayPal.

PayPal is a website that was started as a way to electronically transfer funds. The site was started independently, but now belongs to eBay. According to Thomes, PayPal can be used for things such as to pay bills or start a savings account.

"PayPal has almost become a bank," Thomes said. "It started out small and eBay helped turn it into a huge deal."

Since people can also sell their collectibles or junk on eBay, there is a certain process to selling on eBay.

The process starts out the same by creating a general eBay account, but one must also create a seller's account.

According to Thomes, there is a link to sell an item on eBay's home page and it walks a potential seller through the process of setting up a seller's account.

"There are certain things to do that guarantee better results on your sale," Thomes said. "It is really in the best interest to have pictures of the item." According to Thomes, there are always better results when the item is accompanied with pictures.

There are many things one can do to enhance his or her auction on eBay. One can create larger pictures and gift galleries. One can also establish a reserve price if he or she wants to guarantee it will sell for a certain price.

Options that are not standard accumulate fees starting from the listing price. According to Thomes, even though the non-standard options carry additional charges, they are small.

eBay is not just auctions. People can sell their items at specified Buy It Now prices, which are strictly one-person sales. Sellers also have the option of listing their items as both an auction and Buy It Now.

There are many things that potential buyers can find on eBay that are out of the ordinary. Department store chains often sell their merchandise on eBay.

"You can buy real estate on eBay, and there is also a site called eBay Auto where you can buy cars," Thomes said. "Some are classics while some aren't."

Students can also find cheap, used textbooks on eBay.

Since most buyer and seller relationships on eBay are between people who have never met, there is often a fear of getting ripped off.

Thomes said that he believes there are many ways to alleviate the fears of getting involved in a dishonest sale. "One of the best features is the feedback on sellers," Thomes said. "Look at what other buyers are saying about how these sellers have done in the past."

According to Thomes, both buyers and sellers are quite proud of their feedback because they realize the value of the tool. If comments are negatives, people might not want to buy or sell to that person.

In terms of payment, Thomes said that he would go with PayPal, since it is a secure form of payment.

Thomes said that he would recommend using eBay because it is a fun way to buy things that one can't often find around North Iowa.

"eBay is a form of electronic commerce, which has value in the classroom," Thomes said. "Plus, it's always a good way to make a few bucks."

Aaron Rush
For the Logos

Getting a good deal. That's what it boils down to for Jeremy Purvis, a NIACC student, who explores his options as a consumer by using eBay to buy and sell.

Purvis said he utilized eBay when purchasing some of his books this last year. He said that decision saved him some money. "Two books were $130 at the bookstore, I bought them both on eBay for $65 with shipping," Purvis said, although not all books are cheaper on eBay.

Not only did Purvis save money when he bought his books on eBay, but he said his decision to sell his books on eBay also reaped rewards.

   He profited on the selling of a book, buying it for $30 and selling for $60.

   Purvis said he uses eBay for more than just books though.

He has bought or sold car electronics and sports memorabilia as well.

"I use eBay quite a bit," Purvis said.

Although Purvis said he is comfortable using eBay, he said he checks the history of the seller and generally likes to buy from eBay stores compared to regular eBay sellers.

When Purvis isn't buying, he said he is selling. According to Purvis, eBay charges a fee to set up the auction and then a small percentage of the sale.

Although buying from local sellers has certain advantages, the desire to use eBay boils down to one thing for Purvis. "It's cheaper, it saves you money," Purvis said.

Brandon K Watson
News Editor

With many students starving to get a financial taste of eBay's lucrative pie, the continuing education department at NIACC is offering online courses entitled, "Learn to Buy and Sell on eBay", for the second consecutive year.

Bidding, creating advertisements, and displaying digital photographs of products are but a few of the aspects of eBay that students enrolled in the 6-week course will learn about.

Students will also be taught how to examine a seller's credibility through eBay's seller ratings system.

Kristin Hinds, a sophomore at NIACC, benefited from this aspect of the course. Hinds was in the process of purchasing an item on eBay, when she remembered from instructions in the course to check a seller's rating and history.

It turned out that the seller she was going to do business with had not sent items to previous buyers. This saved Hinds not only a headache, but $85 as well.

eBay, which originated in September of 1995 as an auction website for the selling of goods and services, has developed to be considered the epitome of e-commerce. From the basics of a can opener to the luxuries of leer jets and yachts, eBay has it all.

"I was able to find a China casserole dish that I broke, on eBay," NIACC Computer Training Coordinator, Mary Nell Fullerton said about the array of items eBay allows consumers access to. " It makes buying and selling a global market for consumers, out of the comfort of their homes."

With eBay being a mutli-billion dollar marketplace, the opportunities for students enrolled in the courses to make money are countless. Fullerton, who teaches the course, said that many studcnts do find success with buying and selling on eBay.

While taking the course, students also gain access to what products are a hot commodity to consumers. "Through the knowledge I obtained in the course, I was able to sell a pair of shoes for $120," Hinds said.

"The course is a great opportunity for students to learn how to purchase products and make money on eBay.

Travis Fischer
For the Logos

Those who plan to do business on eBay might consider the following suggestions.

• Be There When The Auction Ends
  
  Simple advice is generally good advice and this is as simple as it gets. If you want to win your auction then it only makes sense that you are there for the final seconds of it in case somebody decides to outbid you. Most eBay bidding happens during the final seconds so if you really want to win you need to be there.
  
  
• Be Sure Of What You Buy
  
  There is a famous eBay incident from 2000. During the height of the PlayStation2 buying frenzy, a woman spent $425 on a "PlayStation2 Original Box and Receipt". The woman got exactly what she paid for. An empty box.
  
  The lesson of this tale: Read the auction and ask questions if you're not sure about something.
  
  
• Be Careful Who You Buy From
  
  Most of the time eBay is a safe place to purchase goods. Many small businesses have their own eBay stores and those are often just as safe as buying from any online retailer. eBay is also populated by thousands of genuine people who are just looking to get rid of stuff they don't want and make a buck at the same time.
  
  That said, just like any other large group, eBay has its share of unscrupulous people.
  
  Always be sure to check the user feedback of everybody who you want to buy something from. This can be easily done on any auction and will tell you right away what kind of person you are dealing with.
  
  
• Check To See Where Your Item Is Coming From
  
  So you've won your auction, paid the seller and now you want your item. Well just hang on a second. Depending on where the seller is, it may take a while to get your prize. Don't panic if you don't get your item right away, it could be coming from the other side of the world.
  
  
• Watch The Shipping Price
  
  Since a seller never knows exactly where he or she will be shipping the item, it is a common practice to have a slightly higher than standard shipping rate. This way the seller knows he or she won't have to worry about having to pay out of pocket to send the item.
  
  While this is a normal practice there is a point where shipping gets to be too much. Always factor in the shipping cost when you are deciding how much you want to spend on an item and if the shipping for an item is too high you may want to shop around a bit more to look for another seller with lower rates.
  
  Something else to look out for is a seller that combines shipping on multiple auctions. This is another common eBay practice that is beneficial to both the buyer and seller. Buyers save on shipping by combining the auctions into a single shipment and sellers benefit by selling more items in one load.