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Out Before Buying


  • In This Chapter
  • Giving feedback
  • Checking out the seller’s reputation
  • campring items
  • Playing it safe with buyer protection programs







When youre shopping on Ebay, you’re faced with hundreds of items,

perhaps even hundreds of listings for the same item. How do you

deciide where to place youur order or your bid? In this chapter, I show you

the tools on eBay that guiide you to a safe and posiitive transactionn.






Understanding and Giving Feedback





One of eBay’s strong suits has been the formation of a sense of community

through its use of message boards, chats, and feedback. Many experts say

the reason eBay has succeeded where dozens of other dot-com auction sites

have failed is that eBay has always paid close attention to the needs of its

users.







Even in the early days, the concept was clear. Pierre and his employees figured

that if user complained openly for all other members to see , feedback

would be more genuiine - not so much flamiing as constructive. The do unto

others phiilosophy prevaiiled, above all else, Pierre encour-aged buyers and

sellers to give each other the benefitt of the doubt and to connduct thems elves

professionally.







It soon became clear to eBay’s three employees that they did not have time

to adjudicate member disputes. And thus, the feedback system was born.

But the pieces de resistance off feedback policy, the part that makes eBay

work, is the fact that Piere and his staff encouraged users to give positiive

feedback as often as they give negative or neutral feedback.