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Index
eBay Hacks, 2nd Edition
SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
Copyright
Credits
About the Author
Contributors
Best eBay Pop-Culture References
This is Spinal Tap.
The Simpsons (episode BABF22).
Spider-Man 2.
Acknowledgments
Preface
Origins
What This Book Is…and Isn't
Hacking a Dynamic System
Practical Matters
Recent web browser.
Email account.
Email application.
Control over your spam filter.
The ability to tilt your head to the left.
A digital camera.
A credit card.
Fun.
Getting Started with the Code in This Book
HTML
JavaScript
Perl
Using Code Examples
How This Book Is Organized
Hacks for All
Hacks for Buyers
Hacks for Sellers
Hacks for Developers
How to Use This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
How to Contact Us
Safari Enabled
Got a Hack?
1. Diplomacy and Feedback
1.1. Hacks 1–9
1.1.1. Leaving Feedback
1.1.1.1. Positive.
1.1.1.2. Negative.
1.1.1.3. Neutral.
Hack #1. Appraise an eBayer's Reputation
1.2.1. Digging Deeper
1.2.2. Search for Specific Comments
1.2.3. Distill Negative and Neutral Comments
1.2.4. See Also
Hack #2. Use Prefabricated Feedback
1.3.1. Feedback for Multiple Auctions
1.3.2. Right-Click-o-Rama
1.3.3. Feedback for International Users
1.3.4.
Hack #3. Avoid Negative Feedback
1.4.1.
1.4.1.1. A buyer's expectations weren't met.
1.4.1.2. Deadbeat bidder.
1.4.1.3. Communication breakdown.
1.4.1.4. Retaliation.
1.4.2. Etiquette and Netiquette
1.4.3.
Hack #4. Receive Feedback Notifications
Hack #5. Reply and Follow Up to Feedback
1.6.1. First Reply to Feedback
1.6.2. Follow Up to Feedback
1.6.2.1. Damage control.
1.6.2.2. Correct a mistake.
1.6.2.3. Continue the conversation.
Hack #6. Withhold Feedback
1.7.1. Who Goes First
1.7.2. If There's Doubt
1.7.3. Just in Case
Hack #7. Remove Unwanted Feedback
1.8.1. Mutual Feedback Withdrawal
1.8.2. SquareTrade
Hack #8. Improve Your Trustworthiness Quickly
1.9.1. Newbie Buyers
1.9.2. Newbie Sellers
1.9.3. ID Verify
1.9.4. Negative Feedback
Hack #9. What to Do When Your Email Doesn't Get Through
1.10.1.
1.10.1.1. Contact an eBay Member form.
1.10.1.2. Use a different ISP.
1.10.1.3. Look in the auction description
1.10.1.4. See where the member's photos are hosted.
1.10.1.5. About Me.
1.10.1.6. Modify your own photos.
1.10.1.7. Piggyback on PayPal.
1.10.1.8. Alternate PayPal email address.
1.10.1.9. File a dispute.
1.10.1.10. Additional contact information.
1.10.2.
2. Searching
2.1. Hacks 10–24
Hack #10. Focus Your Searches with eBay's Advanced Search Syntax
2.2.1. Excluding Unwanted Results
2.2.2. Save Time and Typing with Wildcards
2.2.3. Performing OR Searches
2.2.4. Looking for Phrases
Hack #11. Control Fuzzy Searches
2.3.1. Search, Literally
2.3.2. Punctuation
Hack #12. Jump In and Out of Categories While Searching
2.4.1. Search Within a Category
2.4.2. Categorize Your Search
2.4.2.1. Up.
2.4.2.2. Down.
2.4.2.3. Anywhere.
2.4.3. Bookmark a Category
2.4.4. See Also
Hack #13. Tweak Search URLs
2.5.1. Auction/Listing Pages
2.5.2. Feedback/Member Profile pages
2.5.3. Search Results and Category Listings
2.5.4. View a Seller's Other Items
2.5.5.
Hack #14. Find Similar Items
2.6.1. How It Works
2.6.2. Hacking the Hack
Hack #15. Search for Selected Text
2.7.1.
2.7.2.
Hack #16. Open Search Results in a New Window
2.8.1. The Hack
2.8.2.
2.8.3.
2.8.4. The Greasemonkey Approach
2.8.5.
Hack #17. Decipher Title Acronyms
2.9.1. Interpreting Condition
2.9.2. Look It Up
Hack #18. Search by Seller
2.10.1. View Seller's Other Items
2.10.2. Expand Your Search
2.10.3. eBay Stores
2.10.4. The Obvious
2.10.5.
Hack #19. Search Internationally
2.11.1. Expanding Your Search
2.11.1.1. Within your own localization
2.11.1.2. All items available to your country
2.11.1.3. All items, everywhere
2.11.2. Making Sure the Seller Will Ship to You
2.11.3. Viewing Foreign Categories
2.11.4. Excluding Foreign Items
Hack #20. Save Your Searches
2.12.1. Favorite Searches
2.12.2. Quick and Dirty
2.12.3. A Little Spit and Polish
2.12.4.
Hack #21. Create a Search Robot
2.13.1. Constructing the Robot
2.13.2. The Code
2.13.3.
2.13.4. Running the Hack
2.13.5.
2.13.5.1. Search titles and descriptions.
2.13.5.2. Add more information.
2.13.5.3. Add gallery thumbnails.
2.13.5.4. Send mail on Linux, Unix, Mac OS X
2.13.5.5. Consolidate multiple searches
2.13.5.6. Automatically watch new listings
Hack #22. Find Items by Shadowing
2.14.1. Prevent Bidders from Shadowing You
Hack #23. Keep Tabs on eBay with the eBay Toolbar
2.15.1.
2.15.1.1. Search.
2.15.1.2. Bid Alerts.
2.15.1.3. Watch Alerts.
2.15.1.4. Outbid Alerts.
2.15.1.5. Account Guard.
2.15.1.6. Maybe you just like toolbars.
Hack #24. Post a Want Ad
2.16.1.
2.16.1.1. Sell something.
2.16.1.2. Use your About Me page.
2.16.1.3. Advertise off-eBay.
3. Bidding
3.1. Hacks 25–41
3.1.1. Proxy Bidding
Hack #25. Sniff Out Dishonest Sellers
3.2.1. If It Sounds Too Good to Be True…
3.2.2. The Inflated Shipping Scam
3.2.3. Quick to Unload?
3.2.4. There's Less Than Meets the Eye
3.2.5. Hostile Takeover
3.2.5.1. Private Auction.
3.2.5.2. Restrictive payment methods.
3.2.5.3. Unspecified or mismatched item location.
3.2.5.4. Eager to sell.
3.2.6. Taking Matters into Your Own Hands
Hack #26. Snipe It Manually
3.3.1. With Seconds to Spare…
3.3.2. Contingency Plans
3.3.3. See Also
Hack #27. Snipe It Automatically
3.4.1. The Catch
3.4.2. Put eSnipe on Your Toolbar
3.4.3. Alternatives to eSnipe
3.4.3.1. Bidnapper.com.
3.4.3.2. JustSnipe.com.
3.4.3.3. StealthBid.com.
3.4.4.
Hack #28. Snipe It Conditionally
3.5.1. Contingency Sniping
Hack #29. Keep Track of Auctions Outside of eBay
3.6.1. Using eBay's Tracking Tools
3.6.2. If You Want It Done Right…
3.6.2.1. Limited number.
3.6.2.2. No long-term history.
3.6.2.3. Can't watch closed items.
3.6.2.4. No prioritization.
3.6.2.5. No customization.
3.6.3. The Link
3.6.4. The Code
3.6.5. Running the Hack
3.6.6. Hacking the Hack
3.6.6.1. Add some spice.
3.6.6.2. Add more levels.
3.6.6.3. Add more links.
3.6.6.4. Add more users.
3.6.6.5. Add more information.
3.6.6.6. Speed things up.
3.6.6.7. Customize the pop up.
Hack #30. Take Advantage of Bid Increments
3.7.1. Outbidding the High Bidder
3.7.2. Taking It One Step Further
Hack #31. Manipulate Buy It Now Auctions
3.8.1. Start with the Obvious
3.8.2. Undercut the Buy It Now Feature
3.8.3. Let's Make a Deal
3.8.3.1. "Do you have a Buy It Now price for this item?"
3.8.3.2. "Would you consider adding a Buy It Now price to this auction?"
3.8.3.3. "Would you be willing to end the auction early for $250?"
3.8.3.4. "Would you sell me the item for the current bid price?"
3.8.3.5. "I'll give you 50 bucks for it."
3.8.3.6. "What would it take to end the auction early?"
3.8.3.7. By the book.
3.8.3.8. Become the high bidder.
3.8.3.9. Under the table.
3.8.4.
Hack #32. Retract Your Bid Without Retracting Your Bid
3.9.1. By the Book
3.9.2. Getting Help from the Seller
3.9.3. Getting Out of Your Obligation
Hack #33. Send Payment Quickly and Safely
3.10.1. PayPal
3.10.2. Credit Cards
3.10.3. BidPay
3.10.4.
Hack #34. Pay PayPal's Seller Fees
3.11.1. A Little Light Math
3.11.2. Let PayPal Do It
Hack #35. Use PayPal Without Depleting Your PayPal Balance
3.12.1.
3.12.1.1. PayPal Balance.
3.12.1.2. Instant Transfer.
3.12.1.3. Credit Card.
3.12.1.4. eCheck.
3.12.2. Paying Without Using Your Balance
Hack #36. Access eBay from a Cell Phone or PDA
3.13.1. Let eBay Know You're on the Road
3.13.2. Send a PayPal Payment from the Road
Hack #37. Smooth Out International Transactions
3.14.1. View Auctions on Your Native eBay
3.14.2. Enter the Babel Fish
3.14.3. Paying and Shipping over Great Distances
Hack #38. Save Money on Shipping
3.15.1. A Little Knowledge Can Be Dangerous
3.15.2. Excuse Me While I Take Over
Hack #39. Estimate Transit Times
3.16.1.
3.16.1.1. Payment instructions.
3.16.1.2. Sales tax.
3.16.1.3. eBay Shipping Calculator.
3.16.1.4. Ask.
3.16.2. Get Transit Times
3.16.3. Search for Local Listings
Hack #40. Deal with Disappointment: Getting Refunds
3.17.1. Diplomacy Tactics
3.17.2. Sending Things Back
3.17.2.1. Send it to the right place.
3.17.2.2. Don't dawdle.
3.17.2.3. Use a tracking number.
3.17.2.4. Communicate clearly.
3.17.3. If All Else Fails…
Hack #41. File a Dispute
3.18.1.
3.18.1.1. PayPal buyer complaint.
3.18.1.2. eBay Dispute Console.
3.18.1.3. eBay fraud claim.
3.18.1.4. Dispute the credit card charge.
3.18.1.5. Squaretrade.
3.18.2. Sleuthing Tools at Your Disposal
3.18.2.1. Start with the obvious.
3.18.2.2. Find contact information.
3.18.2.3. Whois search.
3.18.2.4. IP address.
3.18.2.5. Google.
3.18.2.6. eBay forums.
4. Selling
4.1. Hacks 42–69
Hack #42. What's It Worth?
4.2.1. Investigate the Market
4.2.2. The Empty Restaurant
4.2.2.1. Limited appeal?
4.2.2.2. Use Buy It Now.
4.2.2.3. Listing fee considerations.
4.2.2.4. Be a little devious.
Hack #43. Create a Listing
4.3.1.
4.3.1.1. Online Auction.
4.3.1.2. Fixed Price.
4.3.1.3. Store Inventory.
4.3.1.4. Real Estate.
4.3.1.5. Category.
4.3.1.6. Title & Description.
4.3.1.7. Pictures & Details.
4.3.1.8. Payment & Shipping.
4.3.1.9. Review & Submit.
Hack #44. To Bundle or Not to Bundle
4.4.1. Leveraging Dutch Auctions
4.4.2. Multiple Listings of Identical Items
4.4.2.1. Spread it around.
4.4.2.2. Use shorter durations.
4.4.2.3. Add some variety.
4.4.2.4. Make it someone else's problem.
4.4.3. See Also
Hack #45. Reserve Judgment
4.5.1.
4.5.1.1. No guesswork.
4.5.1.2. Limited appeal.
4.5.1.3. Artificial ranking.
4.5.1.4. Buy It Now preservation.
Hack #46. The Strategy of Listing Upgrades
4.6.1. Statistics and Research
4.6.2. Off-Site Research
4.6.3. Upgrade Analysis
4.6.3.1. Buy It Now.
4.6.3.2. Gallery.
4.6.3.3. 10-Day Listing.
4.6.3.4. Subtitle
4.6.3.5. Additional Pictures.
4.6.3.6. List in Two Categories.
4.6.3.7. Scheduled Listings.
4.6.3.8. Bold.
4.6.3.9. Picture Show.
4.6.3.10. Supersize Picture.
4.6.3.11. Gift Services.
4.6.3.12. Reserve Price.
4.6.3.13. Picture Pack
4.6.3.14. Listing Designer.
4.6.3.15. Border.
4.6.3.16. Highlight.
4.6.3.17. Featured Plus!
4.6.3.18. Gallery Featured.
4.6.3.19. Home Page Featured.
4.6.4.
Hack #47. Use Keywords Effectively
4.7.1. Title Don'ts
4.7.2. Make Space with a Subtitle
4.7.3. The Description
4.7.4. Item Specifics
Hack #48. Schedule Your Listing for Optimal Exposure
4.8.1. Choosing a Duration
4.8.2. The Best Day to End Your Listing
4.8.2.1. Sunday.
4.8.2.2. Monday.
4.8.2.3. Wednesday.
4.8.3. Choosing a Start Time
4.8.4. A Little Research Goes a Long Way
4.8.4.1. Successful Listing Duration Lengths
4.8.4.2. Hourly Analysis
4.8.4.3. Search Trends tab.
Hack #49. Track Your Exposure
4.9.1. Where Is an Item?
4.9.2. Count Traffic
4.9.3. Analyze Your Own Traffic
4.9.4. Watch the Watchers
Hack #50. Master Expectation Management
4.10.1.
4.10.1.1. How new is it?
4.10.1.2. Is it used?
4.10.1.3. How used is it?
4.10.1.4. Where has it been?
4.10.1.5. Is it broken?
4.10.1.6. If it's dirty, clean it
4.10.1.7. Smoker?
4.10.1.8. Measuring tapes are cheap and plentiful
4.10.1.9. NWT, MIB
4.10.1.10. Focus, please?
4.10.1.11. Don't say "the photo says it all."
4.10.1.12. Be clear
4.10.1.13. Be nice
Hack #51. Sell a Broken VCR on eBay
4.11.1. A Case in Point
4.11.2. Why Bother?
Hack #52. Format the Description with HTML
4.12.1. Rapid HTML Primer
4.12.2. HTML Quick Reference
4.12.3. Images
4.12.4. Links
4.12.5. Tables
Hack #53. Prepare Your Listings with a Web Page Editor
4.13.1. Fixing Broken Images
4.13.2. Unclogging Microsoft Pages
Hack #54. Clarify Your Payment and Shipping Terms
4.14.1. Getting into the Heads of Your Customers
4.14.2. The Solution
4.14.3. Jump to the Description
Hack #55. Customize Auction Page Backgrounds
Hack #56. Frame Your Listings
4.16.1. The Table
4.16.2. The Images
4.16.3. Putting It Together
Hack #57. Override eBay's Fonts and Styles
4.17.1. Override Other Sellers' Hacks
4.17.2.
Hack #58. Use Media in Your Listings
4.18.1. Video Killed the Radio Star
4.18.2. Some Call It Elevator Music
Hack #59. Put a Shipping Cost Calculator in Your Listing
4.19.1. eBay's Calculated Shipping
4.19.2. Third-Party Shipping Calculators
4.19.2.1. Zonalyzer.
4.19.2.2. Paid ShipCalc.
4.19.2.3. ShipScript.
4.19.2.4. FreightQuote.
4.19.2.5. .netShip.
4.19.3. Pre-Filling Calculator Forms
Hack #60. Advertise Your Other Listings in Your Description
4.20.1. Specific Product Links
4.20.2. Cross-Promotion
4.20.2.1. eBay Stores.
4.20.2.2. Checkout.
4.20.3. Java-Based Galleries
4.20.4. Advertise Your Listings Elsewhere
Hack #61. Allow Visitors to Search Through Your Listings
4.21.1. The Code
4.21.2. Hacking the Hack
4.21.2.1. Custom table.
4.21.2.2. Right-justify
4.21.2.3. Open in a new window.
4.21.2.4. Enable descriptions by default.
4.21.2.5. Default search
Hack #62. Put a Floating Contact Link in Your Listings
4.22.1.
4.22.2.
Hack #63. Make Good Use of the About Me Page
4.23.1. Just Say No to Templates
4.23.2. Referencing the About Me Page
Hack #64. Customize the Checkout Process
4.24.1. Checkout Options
4.24.1.1. Use Checkout.
4.24.1.2. Offer PayPal as a payment method in all my listings.
4.24.1.3. Tell buyers that I prefer PayPal payments
4.24.1.4. Show my buyers low monthly payments.
4.24.1.5. Include my items when buyers pay all their sellers at once.
4.24.1.6. Allow buyer to edit total.
4.24.1.7. Payment Address.
4.24.1.8. UPS Shipping Rates.
4.24.2. Disabling PayPal
4.24.3. Other Settings That Affect Checkout
4.24.3.1. Buyers in countries to which I don't ship.
4.24.3.2. Buyers with a negative feedback score.
4.24.3.3. Buyers with Unpaid Item strikes.
4.24.3.4. Buyers without a PayPal account.
4.24.4. Payment Instructions
Hack #65. Make Changes to Running Auctions
4.25.1. Sneaking in Changes
4.25.1.1. Photos
4.25.1.2. Text.
4.25.1.3. About Me.
4.25.1.4. Answer questions.
4.25.2. Ending Your Listing in the Last 12 Hours
Hack #66. Let's Make a Deal
4.26.1.
4.26.1.1. Forget it.
4.26.1.2. Cancel bids.
4.26.1.3. Wink, wink.
4.26.1.4. Second Listing.
4.26.1.5. Best Offer.
Hack #67. Diplomacy 101: Answer Dumb Questions
4.27.1.
4.27.1.1. Revise the description.
4.27.1.2. Respond publicly.
4.27.1.3. Respond privately.
Hack #68. Keep Out Deadbeat Bidders
4.28.1. An Ounce of Prevention
4.28.2. Being Proactive Behind the Scenes
4.28.3. Canceling Bids and Blocking Bidders
Hack #69. Avoid Buyer Scams
4.29.1.
4.29.1.1. Beware bidders offering to overpay.
4.29.1.2. Hello seller.
4.29.1.3. It arrived damaged, did it?
4.29.2. Check Out Your Customers
5. Working with Photos
5.1. Hacks 70–82
Hack #70. Keep Your Item from Looking Pathetic
5.2.1. Background
5.2.2. Composition
5.2.3. Photographing Collections
5.2.4. Lighting
Hack #71. Master Close-up Photography
5.3.1.
5.3.1.1. Distance from the object.
5.3.1.2. Focal length.
5.3.1.3. Aperture.
5.3.1.4. Extension tube.
Hack #72. Construct an Auction Photo Studio
5.4.1. Backdrop
5.4.1.1. Jewelry.
5.4.1.2. Dolls.
5.4.1.3. Electronics.
5.4.1.4. Toys.
5.4.1.5. Clothing.
5.4.2.
5.4.3. The Whole Megillah
Hack #73. Get Photos into Your Computer
5.5.1.
5.5.1.1. Digital camera.
5.5.1.2. Video-conferencing camera.
5.5.1.3. Film camera.
5.5.2. Downloading Images into Your PC
5.5.3. Preparing Images for eBay
5.5.4. Image File Formats
5.5.4.1. GIF.
5.5.4.2. BMP.
5.5.4.3. TIF (or TIFF).
5.5.4.4. PNG.
Hack #74. Doctor Your Photos
5.6.1. Image Editors
5.6.1.1. Adobe Photoshop (www.adobe.com).
5.6.1.2. Adobe Photoshop Elements (www.adobe.com).
5.6.1.3. Jasc Paint Shop Pro (www.jasc.com).
5.6.1.4. The Gimp (mmmaybe.gimp.org).
5.6.1.5. VicMan's Photo Editor (vicman.net/vcwphoto).
5.6.1.6. IrfanView (www.irfanview.com).
5.6.1.7. iPhoto and MS Paint.
5.6.2. Tools
5.6.2.1. Crop.
5.6.2.2. Clone tool.
5.6.2.3. Skew, Distort, and Perspective tools.
5.6.2.4. Drop shadows.
5.6.2.5. Auto levels.
Hack #75. Protect Your Copyright
5.7.1. Protecting Your Image
5.7.2. Disabling Right-Click
5.7.3. Other Ways to Protect Your Copyright
5.7.3.1. Take 'em down.
5.7.3.2. CopySafe Pro.
5.7.3.3. Watermark.
5.7.4. Reporting Image Thieves
Hack #76. Host Your Own Photos
5.8.1.
5.8.1.1. More photos.
5.8.1.2. Larger photos.
5.8.1.3. More photos at once.
5.8.1.4. Better quality photos.
5.8.1.5. Different shape photos.
5.8.1.6. More flexible photos.
5.8.1.7. Photos that can be changed.
5.8.1.8. Photos that can be recycled.
5.8.1.9. Photos that aren't necessarily photos.
5.8.2. Sending Photos to the Server
5.8.3. Filename Requirements
5.8.4. Placing Photos in Your Listings
5.8.5. The Preview Photo
Hack #77. Make Clickable Thumbnails
5.9.1. Preparing the Images
5.9.2. Putting Thumbnails in Your Listings
5.9.3. Hacking the Hack
5.9.3.1. Pop-up windows.
5.9.3.2. No windows.
5.9.3.3. Custom borders.
5.9.3.4. Whitespace.
5.9.3.5. Window dressing.
Hack #78. Customize Pop-up Image Windows
5.10.1. The Code
5.10.2. Running the Hack
5.10.3. How It Works
5.10.4.
5.10.4.1. Make it fool-proof.
5.10.4.2. Title the window.
Hack #79. Construct an Interactive Photo Album
5.11.1.
5.11.2.
Hack #80. Show a 360-Degree View of Your Item
5.12.1. Taking the Photos
5.12.1.1. Stationary camera.
5.12.1.2. Stationary object.
5.12.2.
5.12.3.
5.12.4.
5.12.5.
Hack #81. Create a Photo Collage
5.13.1. Photoshop Shortcuts
Hack #82. Create a Good Gallery Photo
6. Completing Transactions
6.1. Hacks 83–90
Hack #83. Keep Track of Items You've Sold
6.2.1. My eBay
6.2.1.1. Dollar sign.
6.2.1.2. Box.
6.2.1.3. Star.
6.2.1.4. Bubble.
6.2.2. Building the Tracking System
6.2.3. How to Use It
6.2.4. Automation
Hack #84. Send Payment Instructions
6.3.1.
6.3.1.1. Thanks.
6.3.1.2. Shipping cost.
6.3.1.3. Total to pay.
6.3.1.4. Payment methods.
6.3.1.5. Your contact information.
6.3.2. Customize eBay Notifications
6.3.3. Customizing the Notification Email
Hack #85. Protect Yourself While Accepting Payments
6.4.1. PayPal
6.4.1.1. Get a Business account.
6.4.1.2. Verify your account.
6.4.1.3. Send only tangible products.
6.4.1.4. Use tracking numbers.
6.4.1.5. Ship to the right address.
6.4.1.6. Ship only to confirmed addresses.
6.4.1.7. Accept only eligible payments.
6.5. Personal and Business Checks
6.5.1. Money Orders and Cashier's Checks
6.5.2. Western Union Money Order
6.5.2.1. The old-fashioned kind.
6.5.2.2. BidPay.
6.5.3. Credit Cards
6.5.3.1. Ship only to the cardholder's billing address.
6.5.3.2. Always ship with a tracking number.
6.5.3.3. Ask for the CVV code.
6.5.3.4. Be wary of international customers.
6.5.3.5. Don't accept credit cards from newbies.
6.5.4. See Also
Hack #86. Ship Cheaply Without Waiting in Line
6.6.1. Courier Notes
6.6.1.1. United States Postal Service (USPS).
6.6.1.2. Federal Express (FedEx).
6.6.1.3. United Parcel Service (UPS).
6.6.2. Shipping on the Cheap
6.6.2.1. Save the planet.
6.6.2.2. Hot air.
6.6.2.3. Free boxes.
6.6.2.4. Lots of tape.
6.6.2.5. To label or not to label.
Hack #87. Sell and Ship Internationally
6.7.1. Accepting International Payments
6.7.1.1. PayPal.
6.7.1.2. Credit cards.
6.7.1.3. Electronic transfers.
6.7.1.4. Payments by mail.
6.7.2. Shipping to Other Countries
6.7.2.1. United States Postal Service (USPS).
6.7.2.2. FedEx and UPS.
6.7.3. Denied Parties
6.7.4. Expectation Management
Hack #88. Damage Control Before and After You Ship
6.8.1.
6.8.1.1. The proactive approach.
6.8.1.2. The compulsive approach.
6.8.1.3. The "I'll make it up to you" approach.
6.8.1.4. The "nevermind" approach.
6.8.2. After the Fact
6.8.3. Fine Print
Hack #89. Deal with Stragglers, Deadbeats, and Returns
6.9.1. Report an Unpaid Item
6.9.2. Concerning Feedback
6.9.3. Final Value Fee Credits
6.9.3.1. We've completed the transaction and we're both satisfied.
6.9.3.2. We've agreed not to complete the transaction.
6.9.3.3. I no longer wish to communicate with or wait for the buyer.
Hack #90. Issue a Refund
6.10.1.
6.10.1.1.
6.10.1.2. Credit cards.
6.10.1.3. Payments by postal mail.
6.10.1.4.
6.10.2. Relisting and Other Options
6.10.2.1. It's already done.
6.10.2.2. It's advertised.
6.10.2.3. It's free.
6.10.3. Silver Lining Clause
7. Running a Business on eBay
7.1. Hacks 91–101
7.1.1. PowerSellers and the Role of Numbers on eBay
7.1.1.1. Better customer support.
7.1.1.2. More education.
7.1.1.3. Free stuff.
7.1.1.4. Finally, the recognition you deserve.
7.1.2. Staying Connected to the eBay Community.
7.1.2.1. General Announcements board.
7.1.2.2. System Announcements board.
7.1.2.3. My eBay My Messages.
7.1.2.4. eBay Community Newsletter.
7.1.2.5. PowerUp Seller Newsletter.
7.1.2.6. Calendar.
7.1.2.7. Discussion Forums.
7.1.2.8. API forums.
7.1.2.9. eBay Live!
Hack #91. Open an eBay Store
7.2.1.
7.2.1.1. Longer-lasting listings.
7.2.1.2. Lower insertion fees.
7.2.1.3. Private search for your store.
7.2.1.4. Create your own categories.
7.2.1.5. Cross-promotion.
7.2.1.6. Advertising credits.
7.2.1.7. Vacation hold.
7.2.1.8. Build a stable presence on eBay.
7.2.2. How Customers Will Find You
7.2.3. Alternatives
Hack #92. Find a Market
7.3.1. Find Out What's Hot
7.3.2. Now What?
7.3.2.1. Arbitrage.
7.3.2.2. Wholesale lots.
7.3.3. Become a Trading Assistant
Hack #93. Streamline Listings with Turbo Lister
7.4.1. Setting Up Turbo Lister
7.4.2. Creating Listings
7.4.2.1. Categories.
7.4.2.2. HTML preview.
7.4.2.3. Photos.
7.4.2.4. Quick duplicate.
7.4.3. Uploading Listings
7.4.4. Using Folders
7.4.5. Seller's Assistant Pro
Hack #94. Boost Sales with Rebates, Incentives, and Discounts
7.5.1. Offer Anything Points
7.5.2. Offer Shipping Discounts
7.5.3. PayPal Buyer Credit
Hack #95. Streamline Payment Instructions
7.6.1. The Simple Approach
7.6.1.1. Eudora (eudora.com).
7.6.1.2. Outlook or Outlook Express (microsoft.com).
7.6.1.3. eBay/PayPal automatic notifications.
7.6.2. The Hacker's Approach
7.6.3. The Business Approach
Hack #96. Use an Off-eBay Checkout System
7.7.1. Accepting Credit Card Payments
7.7.2. How to Use It
7.7.3. Checkout Providers
7.7.3.1. Andale Checkout.
7.7.3.2. Vendio Checkout.
7.7.3.3. Marketworks.
7.7.3.4. Selling Manager.
Hack #97. Obtain Sales Records
7.8.1. Quick and Dirty Spreadsheet Import
7.8.2. Sales Reports & Sales Reports Plus
7.8.2.1. Sales Reports.
7.8.2.2. Sales Reports Plus.
7.8.3. Step Up to Selling Manager
7.8.4.
Hack #98. Make Money by Linking to eBay
7.9.1. Creating Links with Commission Junction
7.9.2. Hacking the Links
7.9.3. A Simplified Search Box
7.9.4. See Also
Hack #99. Advertise Your eBay Listings
7.10.1. The Editor Kit
7.10.2. Hacking the Editor Kit
7.10.3. The Merchant Kit
7.10.4. Advertise Your eBay Store
Hack #100. Accept PayPal Payments from Your Own Site
7.11.1. Just a Link
7.11.2. The Form
7.11.3. Shopping Cart
7.11.4.
Hack #101. Process PayPal Payments Automatically
7.12.1. Setting Up IPN
7.12.2. The Code
7.12.3. Hacking the Hack
7.12.4.
8. The eBay API
8.1. Hacks 102–125
8.1.1. How the eBay API Works
8.1.2. Getting Started
8.1.2.1. Individual.
8.1.2.2. Basic.
8.1.2.3. Professional.
8.1.2.4. Enterprise.
8.1.3. Using the Scripts in This Chapter
8.1.4. ebay.pl
8.1.5. config.pl
8.1.6. Why Perl?
Hack #102. Climb Out of the Sandbox
8.2.1. Certification
8.2.2. Certification Requirements
8.2.2.1. Error handling.
8.2.2.2. Efficiency.
8.2.2.3. Compatibility levels.
8.2.2.4. Specific call requirements.
8.2.2.5. License requirements.
8.2.3. Validating Users
Hack #103. Authenticate Users
Hack #104. Search eBay Listings
8.4.1. A Simple Search
8.4.2. Performing a Search
8.4.3. Revising the Robot
Hack #105. Create a Split-Pane Search Tool
8.5.1. The Code
8.5.2. Running the Hack
Hack #106. Receive Search Results via RSS
8.6.1.
8.6.2.
Hack #107. Create Custom-Formatted eBay Search Results with the REST API
Hack #108. Search with PHP 5 and a Web Services Interface to the XML API
8.8.1. Installation and Configuration
8.8.2. Searching
Hack #109. Retrieve Details About a Listing
8.9.1.
8.9.2.
8.9.3. Hacking the Hack
Hack #110. Automatically Keep Track of Auctions You've Won
Hack #111. Track Items in Your Watching List
8.11.1. See Also
Hack #112. Automatically Keep Track of Items You've Sold
Hack #113. Submit an Auction Listing
8.13.1.
8.13.2.
8.13.3.
8.13.4.
Hack #114. List Your Entire Inventory on eBay
8.14.1.
8.14.2.
8.14.3.
Hack #115. Automate Auction Revisions
8.15.1. ReviseItem
8.15.2. AddToItemDescription
8.15.3. Let's Automate
Hack #116. Spellcheck All Your Listings
8.16.1.
8.16.2.
Hack #117. Automatically Relist Unsuccessful Listings
8.17.1.
Hack #118. Send Automatic Emails to High Bidders
8.18.1. AuctionEndOfAuction Notifications
Hack #119. Leave Feedback with the API
8.19.1.
8.19.2.
8.19.3.
Hack #120. Negative Feedback Bidder Alert
8.20.1.
8.20.2.
8.20.3.
Hack #121. Negative Feedback Notification
8.21.1.
8.21.2.
8.21.3.
Hack #122. Automatic Reciprocal Feedback
Hack #123. Make a Feedback Search Tool
8.23.1.
8.23.2.
Hack #124. Queue API Calls
Hack #125. Cache Listing Data to Improve API Efficiency
Index
About the Author
Colophon
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