Is Ebay 'Evilbay'?

Ebay is a on-line auction site where you can buy virtually anything from anywhere in the world. This huge market place is of interest to scale modellers as a source for model kits particularly the out of production ones and is also a good source for collectors of  militaria.

As a ebay user over the last 6 years I've purchased a wide variety of items but only about a quarter of the purchases have been for myself! The rest have been for friends and militaria collectors (in the over 50 age bracket!) I know who are not computer users and simply don't like the idea of bidding in cyberspace.  They've heard all the horror stories and testimonials from people who describe ebay as 'evilbay'. In my experience the dangers of bidding are all greatly exaggerated and can be overcome or at least significantly mitigated by remembering a few basic rules.

Before you sign up for a username and starting bidding read all the information on buying and selling ebay have on their site. Even if you have used ebay for a while its worth reading or re-reading this information again. Before you buy anything do some homework and make sure you know alot about the item you wish to purchase. Have a look at what sale price similar items have achieved and then determine your maximum bid. This is absolutely critical to success because if you don't set your limit and stick to it, you can quickly get yourself caught up in a bidding war where only the seller wins. Another point that is easily overlooked is postage costs. Always check the postage costs, this is especially important if you are buying from overseas and postage is via airmail.

After doing all of the above you should feel comfortable enough to place your bid and watch the auction tick down to a close. If all goes well you will win the item and after sending your payment have the item sent to you in the post.