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eBid Knowledge Base
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This is a compilation of tips and tricks picked up from using eBid plus tutorials for some common tasks. It is an attempt to cover
some of the most often asked questions by users. Any suggestions for new topics to be covered or corrections to the current
topics are welcomed and may be emailed to me by clicking
here.
This page is not affiliated with, sanctioned, or supported by eBid in any way.
Any issues regarding it should be addressed to
me
and not to eBid.
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Feel free to link to this page from your own site if you wish.
Not found your query covered here? Then you could try:
| eBid's Help Pages | This should have been your first port of call. | |
| eBid's Forums | Please do a search to see if the question has been previously asked and answered before posting. | |
| Kimbo's FAQ and Guides | A series of help texts by eBid user bykimbo. | |
| Raindropsies Online eBid Help | Information pages for eBid users by raindropsies. | |
| eBidInfo | Information pages and some useful tools for use with eBid. | |
| Huddy's eBid Promo Site | Various eBid related topics. | |
| Jewel Effects Promo Site | Various eBid related topics. |
If all else fails then contact user support at eBid. Please appreciate that they are kept very busy - so do at least try to find the answer yourself before contacting them.
eBid proudly claims that it is free to list items for sale on the site. That is true but that should maybe be amplified to make clear that it is true as long as you only use the basic listing formats. If you add features or extras to the basic listing formats then fees can become applicable on listings. Free to list does not also mean free to sell; fees may be payable on successful sale of an item. With Seller Plus Lifetime 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 other auction sites.
Ebid, like eBay, declares itself to be only a venue. While that is clearly false on eBay it is as true as is possible on eBid. Apart from a few rules, which are mainly to keep the site 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 and 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 available:
| Buyer: | Suitable for those who only want to use the site to purchase items. Free. Registration required. |
| Seller: | Suitable for those who sell only occasionally or in low volume. Free. Registration and verification required. |
| Seller Plus: | Suitable for those who sell regularly or in high volume. Recurring subscription fee payable for various periods of time or a one off fee for Seller Plus Lifetime membership. Registration and verification required. |
eBid's user forums are a great place to while away some time between sales. They are both friendly and helpful. If you have had a bad experience using forums on other auction sites then don't let that put you off joining in here. If you have a problem, a query, or just fancy a chat then 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.
( Wherever the name eBay appears substitute the name of any other online auction site as is appropriate. )
eBid is NOT eBay. Accept that basic fact and life will 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...you wouldn't 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.
You are encouraged to put forward suggestions you feel would improve eBid but 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.
It often feels harder to learn something familiar 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 how it works. You may just find that eBid's way of doing things is better once you are familiar with it.
Back to Topic IndexThere 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 and find the answer for yourself.
If after the above you still need help, then to contact eBid's user support:
Click on the Help tab available on almost any page on eBid.
On the resulting screen select the Contact Us tab.
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; check it hasn't been 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).
In all cases be polite when communicating with the support team. Apart from it being common courtesy - you will not help yourself by ranting and raving at them about the problem you are experiencing. Do not alienate the people you are looking to for help.
Back to Topic IndexAll members who wish to sell on eBid must 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 merely a mechanism that enables eBid to verify your given details with your card issuer.
Verification goes towards ensuring that you are who you say you are and reduces 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.
Bottom line... No Verification = No Selling on eBid.
Back to Topic IndexIf the above does not help then you will need to contact user support; they are the only ones with access to the account information needed to follow up any problem.
Back to Topic IndexIf you go to your My eBid > My Fees area any fees levied will be detailed - including what they were for.
The two most common causes of unexpected fees are:
Generally the answer is: No. You may only have one selling id on eBid.
If you have a real need for more than one selling id then you can apply to user support and make your case. They may make an exception if they agree the need justifies it.
Always get eBid's consent before trying to create a second selling id. Without that consent all your accounts will be suspended.
Back to Topic IndexIf 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 two reasons.
- If the details you provided were false then the hold on your account will not be removed.
- If you believe the details you provided were correct and the hold is not removed then contact user support to try and resolve the problem.
It can be worth fully logging out of eBid (don't just close your browser) by clicking on the Logout link (arrowed) adjacent to your username at screen top-left and then logging back in again. This can sometimes trigger an update of your status.
There is another possibility. This is that you have had your account suspended for bad selling/buying practices or for breaking the Terms & Conditions you agreed to when you signed up to eBid. I'm 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.
The usual reasons for this are:
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 infractions of eBid rules may result in the suspension of your account.
These are 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.
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 via My eBid > My Subscription.
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 £49.99 and you have already paid for 3 x 30 day subscriptions at £6.99 each (a total of £20.97) you can upgrade to Seller Plus Lifetime for only £29.02 (£49.99 - £20.97).
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 heath). 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. Many extra listing options and features also become available to you. For a comparison chart illustrating the differences between the different account types see here. For a list of fees for the different types of Seller accounts see here. Seller Plus status also brings the ability to create and run 5 stores for FREE. 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.
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. 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.
Back to Topic IndexAny feedback you have gained on eBay is the property of eBay (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 on eBay and not on eBid.
If you wish to reference any feedback earned on other sites, including eBay, I can recommend Repatoo.com as a solution as I use it myself. Their 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 didn't 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.
Once you have set up a Repatoo account and linked and verified it to any/all selling accounts you have (don't forget to include eBid) then it is possible for eBid to import the amalgamated feedback from Repatoo and display it against your eBid user name. See here. This import of feedback from other sites is a one off to get your feedback score going on eBid. It does not continually update your feedback score on eBid with any you may receive for future sales on sites other than eBid. If you wish to display up to date total feedback across all sites that you sell on then 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.
Here is an example of Repatoo in action:
Go create a Repatoo account now. It's FREE.
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 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.
Back to Topic IndexTo list an item on eBid you must have either a Seller or Seller Plus account.
Before listing make sure you have read and understood the posting rules. Failure to abide by these can lead to ALL your listings being deleted without notice and your account being suspended.
To create a new listing click on the SELL tab 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 as 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 that from top to bottom and read the help text 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 available characters. If you have space left after entering your title then 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. If selling to overseas consider any alternate spellings that may be used e.g. jewellery (UK) and jewelry (USA), grey (UK) and gray (USA).
Photo: If you upload a picture to your My Gallery area for use in your listing then, after uploading, you need to select it for use by clicking on the use this picture in my auction link (arrowed) adjacent to the image in the Your Uploaded Images 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. See here for an issue affecting basic Seller account holders.
The optimal size for your images is a maximum of 500 pixels wide or high. Anything over that will cause eBid to resize the image to fit the 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. If you do not have a suitable application to do this then IrfanView is a very good and free (for non-commercial use) package.
Seller Plus members are now allowed 5 free images in each listing.
Section 2: Shipping & Timing
Close Auction: While you might be tempted to list items as Run Until Sold or n days from First Bid, doing so pushes your listings right to the bottom of search results - where they will remain. Consensus appears to be that the best tactic is to list items for 8-10 days and set Auto Repost to 10. This will allow items to rise to the top of search results 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.
Auto Repost: A great feature but watch out if you have added any features or extras to you 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
Fixed Price: Watch out for the setting of this box. If it is ticked then 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 unticked then you are likely trying to create a biddable auction listing with Run Until Sold; the two cannot be used together as the combination is illogical - the auction would never end.
Minimum Feedback to Bid/BuyNow: Unless you have a really good reason to do otherwise leave these set to New Users
(0 - +4 Feedback). Setting them higher will restrict your sales.
Section 4: Featured & Extras
Auction Type: Make sure 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.
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 Button:
Note well the name of this button. Clicking this button shows you a PREVIEW of your listing only. When the preview is being shown a translucent bar will remain on screen as you scroll your listing. Move your mouse pointer over the bar and it becomes opaque and displays any fees applicable to the listing and buttons to either Submit your listing if you are happy with it or to return and Edit Auction Details further. Until you click on the Submit button your listing will not be created on eBid.
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 bidding sale format.
A Dutch Auction is listed stating how many of the items you have to sell 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.
An example: A seller has 20 identical items to sell and lists them as a Dutch Auction with a starting bid of 1.00 each.
At the end of the auction:
Excuse me for repeating this but it really is important... All winning bidders pay the
same price per item regardless of how much they bid per item. That price is the price bid by the
lowest successful bidder. In the above example everybody would pay 1.50 per item
- even those who had actually bid more. |
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.
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.
How it works:
You see an item listed on eBid that allows bidding for that item (rather than a pure BuyNow price). You decide you would like to buy it and 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's how...
If you see that 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 and 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.
Back to Topic IndexNot at present. There was a project named ‘Ninja Lister’ that had been in development for some time. That failed to materialise and eBid terminated the contract with the developers. The project has now been placed in the hands of a new development team who have started again from scratch. This means the arrival of the ‘Ninja Lister’ may still be some time away. The only in-house way of doing bulk uploads of listings currently is by using eBid’s Bulk Uploader spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet may be downloaded from your My eBid page by selecting My Bulk Upload from the menu at screen top-right. Fill in the details of your items according to the enclosed instruction and upload back to eBid.
Back to Topic IndexFirst go to your My eBid screen and select My Buddy Points from the menu at right. Part way down the resulting page is an entry captioned Your Buddy Link is - copy the entire text below it (arrowed) to your clipboard.
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:
Highlight the text that you want to act as the link e.g. the words Join here...
Click on the insert/edit link icon (
)
at the top of the editor.
In the Link dialogue box that appears:
On the Link Info tab:
On the Target tab:
On the Advanced tab:
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.
If you are using eBid's HTML Plain Box editor or editing your own HTML templates then the following HTML code will achieve the same effect.
Copy and paste the code into your own code. Replace the text INSERT_YOUR_BUDDY_LINK_HERE (leave the
quote marks in place) with your own buddy link referred to earlier.
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<font size="4"><b>Not a member of eBid yet?
<a target="_blank" title="Link to eBid Registration Page" href=" INSERT_YOUR_BUDDY_LINK_HERE "> Join here...</a></b></font> |
A very good tutorial to this has been created by eBid user JewelEffects. Rather than me reinventing the wheel click here to view that tutorial.
Back to Topic IndexTo open a store on eBid you must have a Seller Plus account. A Seller Plus account entitles you to create and run up to five stores at no cost.
To commence creating a store go to your My eBid page and from the My Account menu at top-right select My eBid Stores. From the resulting displayed page select Click here to open a new eBid Store.
There are three sections that 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.
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. Click here for details on creating a suitable image if you have not already done so.
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:
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Once you have completed all the fields click on the Update Section 2 button to save the details.
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Section 3. Define store parent categories and optional subcategories in which to place your items for sale. Adding store parent categories. You now need to create some parent categories under which to list items in your store. While you could just chuck everything in a heap under one heading it benefits both you and potential buyers to divide your stock into logical groups. If you walked into a high street store and found everything thrown in a pile in the corner you would likely walk straight back out again. Buyers will do the same if your eBid store looks like that.
You can have a maximum of 30 parent categories in each store. Continuing with the bookstore above
we will add two parent categories (Fiction and Non-Fiction).
Enter the titles of your parent categories and click on the Add Category Now button.
Adding store subcategories. While you could list all your items under the parent categories; it often makes sense to further divide your stock into subcategories of the parent categories. Keep your store shelves tidy. It looks bad if everything is all mixed up together. It may help to imagine how you would organise and present your items if you were displaying them in a real store. You can have a maximum of 15 subcategories under each parent category of a store. For this example we will create three subcategories (Humour, Romance and Science Fiction) under the Fiction parent category created earlier. Select the parent category from the drop-down box under which you wish to create subcategories. If you want to add more than one subcategory at a time; click on the button marked with the plus sign to open up as many additional fields as you require.
Enter the titles of your subcategories and click on the Add Category Now button.
If you have some listings created prior to opening your store you can, if you wish, edit each one and select from the now available drop-down boxes into which store/category/subcategory the item is to be moved. Alternatively you can use the Bulk Edit facility to move your items into a store en mass rather than one at a time. |
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.
Back to Topic IndexStores only appear in the list of stores on eBid 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 only carried out twice a day (see here); until such time as the next count is made the store will not appear in the list.
You don't - 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.
The count of listings in a store are only updated twice daily - once at 01.00 hours and again at 13.00 hours (UK time). 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 then the store will be taken offline. This prevents empty stores cluttering up eBid and giving users a bad experience.
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.
Back to Topic Index
A forum signature is a block of boilerplate text that is automatically added to the end of each post you make to eBid's forums. It can be used simply as a signature or also carry links to your stores, listings and About Me page. It may also contain an optional signature logo which may be your store logo or something entirely different.
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 - say to your eBid store - by substituting a
different URL as the link's destination. We will stick with your eBid my All About Me page for now though.
First click on your username (arrowed) at the top of the screen to display your my All About Me page.[1]
Copy the URL that appears in the address bar of your browser to the clipboard.
If the above icon does not show then you have the wrong editor set in your forum options. To correct this select Edit Options
from the Your Control Panel menu at screen left. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Enhanced Interface - Full
WYSIWYG Editing from the dropdown box under Message Editor Interface. Click on the Save Changes button just
below and then return to editing your signature.
In the Hyperlink dialogue box that appears - paste in the URL that you copied to the clipboard earlier and click the OK button.
First note that there are some limitations on the image you can use to create your logo. These are a maximum image size of 500 x 100 pixels and a
maximum file size of 19.5 KB. If either of these limits are exceeded then
adding your 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 eBid's forums and from the menu bar near the top of the screen select User CP.
From under Settings & Options in the menu at left of screen select Edit Signature.
Upload your prepared logo. Either:
Enter the URL (be careful not to enter the http://part twice) to its location on the web into the box provided (Option 1).
Click the Browse button 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 link captioned
Insert Signature Picture (arrowed below). Remember this - you will need it in a moment.
If the above link does not show then you have the wrong editor set in your forum options. To correct this select Edit Options
from the Your Control Panel menu at screen left. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Enhanced Interface -
Full WYSIWYG Editing from the dropdown box under Message Editor Interface. Click on the Save Changes button
just below and then return to editing your signature.
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 link. You should now see [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
appear in the editor box.
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If you wish to make your signature logo into a clickable link...
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Click on the Preview Signature button. If all is as you wish then click on the Save Signature button.
The signatures on all existing and future forum posts by you will display your new signature with its logo.
If you don't already know then avatars are small pictures that appear under your username to the left of any posts you make to eBid's forums.
Note that there are some limitations 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 10.0 KB. If either of these limits is exceeded then creating your avatar will fail.
First create the image you wish to use in accordance with the above limits.
Log into eBid's forums and from the menu bar near the top of the screen select User CP.
From under Settings & Options in the menu at left of screen select Edit Avatar.
Ensure the Use Custom Avatar option (arrowed) is set.
Upload your prepared image. Either:
Enter the URL to its location on the web into the box provided (Option 1)
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 post by you to the forums.
Back to Topic IndexeBid carries out an upload of all eligible listings to Google Base (formerly known as Froogle) shortly after them being created 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 to Google as no listing details change and therefore Google does not require updating for such items.
Eligible listings are those that meet all the following requirements:
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, and also after 90 days[1] 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.
Notes:Multiple image files for use in listings can be uploaded to your My Gallery area by
enclosing them in a ZIP file. A ZIP file is a container for multiple files and
can optionally be compressed both to reduce the size and decrease transfer
times. eBid recognises this type of file from its .zip
extension and extracts the individual image files from it after the file is
uploaded and places them 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 the Windows internal ZIP file handler.
To create a ZIP file of images with those versions of Windows that can handle ZIP file internally:
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.
Back to Topic IndexIt is eBid policy that if you have several identical items to sell that they should be sold using a multiple item listing or a Dutch Auction rather than as a series of individual 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 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) in order to circumvent this rule is not acceptable and likely to get your listings deleted.
The above does not mean that you cannot list an identical item as someone else - just not identical to one you currently have listed.
A listing created with an initial quantity of one item and a listing created with an initial quantity of more than one item are two different types of listing. The first is a single item listing and the second is a multiple item listing (what eBid insists on calling a 'Dutch Auction' for some unknown reason). You cannot change one type to the other by changing the quantity. You can change the quantity in a multiple item listing to another quantity (max 25) - but not to one.
The easiest way to get around this is to close your original listing and re-list it as follows:
Display the listing you wish to alter.
From the Auction Options menu at screen top-left select Edit/Close This Auction.
At the bottom of the resulting screen click on the Close This Auction button (do not click the Delete This Auction button).
Allow the eBid system a little time to process the closure of the listing and then return to My eBid and from the My Trading menu at screen top-left select Auctions I Ran (unsold).
Display the listing that you have just closed by clicking on it.
At the very top-right of the listing is a link captioned Repost This Auction. Click on that link.
This will give you all the listing options including the option to change the quantity.
Make your changes, re-check all the other details, and submit your modified listing.
Warning : If the original listing was created using any extras chargeable at time of listing (e.g. Featured) then these will be charged again if still selected when the listing is reposted.The above routine can be used to change any listing particular that is not editable by the normal means.
(Developed from an original post to forums by Gothicina)First off...Thumbnail images in search results do not form a part of free 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 to most features normally only available to Seller Plus members for that listing.
As a Seller Plus member you need to create at least a Gallery type listing to get the thumbnail in search results. Gallery listings incurs a fee of 2% on the sale price of the item .
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 can then please let me know)You cannot make any changes to an active listing that would impact on any fees payable for that listing.
You will need to close, edit and repost the listing following the procedure detailed here.
Update: As of 06 April 2009 you are allowed, as Seller Plus, five free images rather than just the one free image in your listing. The following still applies if you want more than 5 (or 1 as a basic Seller) images without paying extra or if you wish/prefer to place extra images in the description field of the listing.
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/website 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/website you should already be conversant with the format and use of URLs.
To insert an image into your listing using the 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) and a
dialogue box will appear as shown.
Fill in the details as shown 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 then recheck that your URL is correct. Finally click on the OK button and your image will now be in 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.
Yes. eBid released a copy of their logo with permission for its free use. Click here to download it. You may need to re-size it for use as it is quite large.
Click here to download copies already reduced in size: The .zip file contains each of 50x50 pixels, 100x100 pixels, 200x200 pixels.
Click here to download a copy in Paint Shop Pro format that is fully resizable, and has a transparent background and drop shadow layers.
eBid also released a series of static and animated banners of various styles and sizes (example below) for use on you web pages or listings. Get them here.
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.
Back to Topic IndexIt is easy to do but for some reason many new users seem to have trouble discovering how it is done. To carry out a search on closed listings:
Carry out a normal search for the item you are interested in.
On the displayed page of results there is a search box at screen right titled Refine Your Search.
Tick the box captioned Search Closed?
Click the Search button below that box.
The results from that search will consist only of closed listings matching your search keyword(s).
Closed listing are retained on eBid for 90 days.[1]
Notes:
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Notes:
1. Click here to download a Microsoft Word document to print 21 labels on an
A4 sheet (Avery® label sheet style reference: J8560 - 21 x 63.5 mm x 38.1 mm).
2. Click here for a 6 x 4 inch (15 x 10 cm) eBid advertising image suitable for printing on to postcards.
3. 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 the thread] the 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 a bump). Do not plug your auctions 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.
The forum software (vBulletin) is a bought-in, bolt-on package to eBid. It has its own logging in system.
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 vBulletin then it may be more productive to contact the authors at http://www.vbulletin.com rather than eBid.
Back to Topic IndexThere are 5 levels (excluding admin posts) of forum poster. The levels are based simply on the number of posts made to the forums.
| Level: | Number of Posts: | |||
| Newbie | 1 | to | 49 | |
| Lurker | 50 | to | 399 | |
| DieHard | 400 | to | 1,499 | |
| Master | 1,500 | to | 2,999 | |
| Saint | 3,000 | & | Over | |
They mean absolutely nothing beyond the number of posts made. Quantity does not necessarily equate to quality (check out some of my posts for proof of that). You could risk assuming 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.
Back to Topic IndexWhen 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:
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.
Back to Topic Index
If HTML is like a foreign language to you then getting the badge that links to your Repatoo account into your listings/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 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:
The above is mine. Yours will be similar but the number after lookup&id will be different to link to your own Repatoo account. Copy all of
this HTML code from the box to your clipboard (Maybe also save it to a text file for future use).
Create or edit a listing, a default or your 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). It really doesn't
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) to change to the HTML/Source editor:
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Look for the marker text that you just input (XXXXXXXX). Don't concern yourself about any of the other stuff around it - apart
from don't alter any of it.
Highlight that marker text and paste in (i.e. replace it with) the HTML code for your Repatoo badge that you previously copied to the clipboard.
Click the Source icon again.
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 don't 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 auction description field of your
listings, your my Defaults or into your About Me page.
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TIP Once you have placed your Repatoo badge into one listing, or onto your About Me page, you can do a simple copy and paste into a WYSIWYG editor in future and not bother with the above.
The above may not work with the Firefox browser (and maybe others) due to security restrictions on accessing the system clipboard. The following does appear to work using tabbed browsing in Firefox and allows the copy.
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| Cancelling a user's bid should not be done without very good reason. Ideally it should be by mutual agreement between both parties to cancel the bid. Once a bid has been received that exceeds any reserve you have set on an item (i.e. a winning bid) then you have entered into a contract to sell that item to the bidder if they beat all other bids - just as the bidder has entered into a contract to buy the item from you. You leave yourself open to trouble if you unilaterally terminate that contract. |
With the above in mind; to delete all bids made by a user on all your items proceed as follows:
Go to your My eBid page.
Select my Blackball from the menu at screen right.
Enter the username of the person whose bid(s) you wish to cancel.
Tick the box captioned remove current bids?
Click the Add button.
If you want the user to be able to bid on your items in the future then remember to remove
the blackball by clicking on the link (arrowed) against their username.
Yes. There is what is called a 'Holiday Notice'. This can be used for any time, not just holidays, that you are going to be unavailable to process any sales of your items. This is a relatively new feature and the following is my belief of how it works. I would be interested to hear of people's practical experience of this feature if it differs from that given below.
With a 'Holiday Notice' in place:
To enable the 'Holiday Notice':
Go to your My eBid page.
Select my Notices from the My Account menu at top-right of screen.
Either create a new notice or edit an existing one as shown below. Create your message text, tick the Holiday Notice? and Set As Default? boxes and finally click on the Save Notice button.
Your 'Holiday Notice' is now in place. Don't forget to remove it when you come back.
Note that taking your store(s) offline will not work as any listings in an offline store simply revert to being normal listings outside of any store.
Notes:You can't do this yourself; you will need to contact eBid user support and ask them to do it for you. Provide them with your old username and the username you wish to use in the future.
Back to Topic Index
You need to contact eBid user support and let them know the size of T-Shirt you require.
Sizes available are:
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 overseas members.
Back to Topic Index
eBid's Terms and Conditions as at 29 July 2009. Check
here for the latest version.
eBid Terms and Conditions
eBid is designed to create an open and enjoyable experience, but it also has limits and risks that you should understand before participating.
Please help us to keep eBid an enjoyable and positive experience. If you see a listing that violates the rules below, please let us know by contacting us through the eBid contact desk.
eBid' Rights To Terminate.
You agree that eBid, in its sole discretion, may terminate any auction or use of the service immediately and without notice if (a) eBid believes that you have acted inconsistently with the spirit or the letter of this Terms of Service or (b) if eBid believes you have violated or tried to violate the rights of other users.
Your Conduct.
You are solely responsible for the contents of your transmissions through the service. You must ensure that your participation in the selling or buying of items does not violate any applicable laws or regulations. By this we mean that you must check that you entitled to sell or buy the relevant item and that you are not prohibited from doing so by any law or regulation. In particular, you may not sell or buy property which requires a written contract, which is illegal, which requires a licence to buy or sell (for instance firearms, alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs) or which requires you to obtain an export licence.
You must not transmit through the service any unlawful, harassing, libellous, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, obscene or otherwise objectionable material. You must also not transmit any material that encourages conduct that could constitute a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable law or regulation.
If either you or we terminate your membership, you will continue to owe us any money which you owed to us before termination.
eBid prohibits the use of another internet service to send or post spam to drive visitors to your site hosted on or through the eBid system, whether or not the messages were originated by you, under your direction of a related or unrelated third party.
Eligibility for Membership.
Our services are available only to individuals who can form legally binding contracts under applicable law. We require your full address and telephone number contact information on registration. Without limiting the foregoing, our services are not available to minors. If you do not qualify, please do not use our services.
eBid is only a Venue.
Our site acts as the venue for sellers to conduct auctions and for bidders to bid on sellers' auctions. We are not involved in the actual transaction between buyers and sellers. As a result, we have no control over the quality, safety or legality of the items advertised, the truth or accuracy of the listings, the ability of sellers to sell items or the ability of buyers to buy items. We cannot and do not control whether or not sellers will complete the sale of items they offer or buyers will complete the purchases of items they have bid on. In addition, note that there are risks of dealing with foreign nationals, underage persons or people acting under false pretence.
There is no agency, partnership, joint venture, employee-employer or franchisor-franchisee relationship between eBid and any User of the service.
You give us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, sublicenseable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise all copyright and publicity rights, in any existing or future media, known or unknown, over the material or User Data displayed in Your listings or bids. For the purpose of this Agreement, "User Data" shall mean all information (if any) submitted by You, (the "User") to eBid with the exception of credit card numbers, bank account numbers etc.
No Resale or Unauthorised commercial use of the service.
You agree not to make any unauthorised commercial use of the service without express written consent of eBid.
eBid makes no warranty that the service will meet your requirements, or that the service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or entirely error free. We do not make any warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of the service or as to the accuracy or reliability of any information provided by sellers or buyers and obtained through the service. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any indirect or consequential loss or damage, or for any loss of data, profit, revenue or business, howsoever caused (whether arising out of any negligence or breach of this Agreement or otherwise), even if that loss or damage was foreseeable by, or the possibility of it was brought to the attention of, eBid.
We reserve the right to provide counterparties with information pertaining to a complaint or statement, written or oral, made against them by you or a
third party acting with or without your consent. Because we do not and cannot be involved in user-to-user dealings, in the event that you have a dispute with one or more users, you release eBid (and our agents and employees) from claims, demands and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, know and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with such disputes.
User agrees that eBid shall not be responsible or liable to user, or anyone for the statements or conduct of any third party on the service.
No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by user from eBid or through or from the service shall create any warranty not expressly stated herein.
You Agree that use of the service is at user's sole risk. The service is provided on an "as is" and an "as available" basis.
You must reimburse us for any loss, cost or expense which we suffer if someone else makes a claim against us as consequence of the use of the service by you or by someone else from your computer.
eBid shall not be responsible for any items sold by Auction, for any damage to items during transit or during the inspection period, nor for misrepresentations and/or breaches of contract by either buyer and/or seller.
eBid shall not be responsible for the cost of procurement of substitute goods or any losses resulting from any goods purchased or obtained.
eBid assumes no liability for the content of the listings. The seller shall reimburse eBid for all losses eBid may suffer as a result of the listing, unless that loss is due to eBid's act or omission.
The right to sell items through our service is subject to the purchasing of a security subscription fee. This fee is to be paid on a recurring basis with payment for the coming period to be paid within 24hrs of the end of a previous subscription period. Users can email support@ebid.net during a subscription period to cancel this billing at any time.
The right to sell items through our service is also subject to the eBid Auction Posting Rules. These are available to view via the "Starting Auctions" section of the eBid Helpdesk. If a user is seen to have broken these rules their account will be held and all auctions removed from eBid without notice. It is at the discretion of eBid if the account will be re-opened or not. Multiple offences will result in a permanent ban being placed on the offending account.
Modification to the service.
We reserve the right to modify or discontinue the service if there is a change in the law or our operational requirements. We will not be liable to you for any loss you may suffer if we have to modify or cease the service for reasons beyond our control if we give you at least 30 days notice. In certain exceptional circumstances beyond our control we may have to change or discontinue the service without giving you this amount of notice. If this is the case we will give you as much notice as we can.
If you do not wish to use the new operating rules or policies you should not continue to use the service after the notice requirement.
Laws.
These Terms of Service shall be governed by and constructed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and any disputes will be decided only by the Courts of England and Wales.
If you wish to fully close your account and remove all trace of yourself from eBid then contact user support and request removal. Be aware that 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 then 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.
Equally 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:
Go to My eBid > My Subscription.
Select Stop My Subscription from the drop-down box captioned Change My Subscription.
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.
Copyright © 2008, 2009
M. J. Warwick. All rights reserved.
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