Computer Tips 

Using Ebay—4

Your heart is still pounding, and your palms are sweaty. But you have the     satisfaction of knowing that you completed your first winning bid. The item is yours! But what happens now?

Due to the nature of selling on Ebay, the seller and the winning buyer are often  hundreds of kilometers apart. However, Ebay offers an excellent avenue for ensuring the item you have won is delivered to you in a timely manner. It is however ultimately the responsibility of the seller to make sure the item you have purchased is delivered to you as described and in a timely manner.

When a seller goes through the process of listing an item for auction on Ebay, they are given several options for delivery of their item. These options include using a courier, Australia post, or no delivery at all, known as pickup only. The seller also specifies which area and country they are willing to send their item, and also set a fee for this delivery. These options are  usually displayed to the buyer during the auction. When bidding on an item, you should consider the seller’s options, and calculate any delivery fees into the final price you are willing to pay for the item.

Ebay also offers the buyer and seller several methods for paying for items won. It also forbids some methods. Permitted methods of transferring money include Paypal (the online credit card processor), cheques (both personal and bank), money order, direct bank deposit, or cash on delivery. Ebay does not allow sending cash either through the post or in transfers such as Western Union wire transfers.

Now that you have won the auction, it is up to you to make contact with the seller via email within the requested time set by that seller. Typically in this email you would thank the seller for listing the item, let them know which payment method you are using, and if it is not listed in the auction, ask the total amount to pay including any delivery fees. This done, the seller will usually send a reply, finalizing any arrangements for payment and delivery.

Now is when you send your payment for the item to the seller. Ebay will give you the contact details and if necessary, the bank account information of the seller with whom you are dealing. This helps make the transaction run more smoothly should any problem arise.

Once you have sent the payment, it is now a matter of waiting for the process to complete. This can take up to 10 days if the item is here within Australia, or longer if it is overseas. If you have been waiting for a reasonable time, and the item has not arrived, send an email to the seller asking its whereabouts. If they are reputable, they usually give notice of when they have dispatched the item.

Next issue we will look at leaving feedback for the seller, and also some things to watch out for when buying on Ebay.

 To be continued...

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