By Dave Bromley

When I was in the Armed Forces we were always being issued with
“Survival Guides”. How to survive in the Jungle, the Desert, and
the Sea are just 3 titles that I remember. But if there is one
environment that has been crying out for a survival guide it is
eBay.

So I was intrigued when I got my hands on Michael Banks latest
book “The eBay Survival Guide”. I soon realised that it was a
cut above many of the recent eBay books. As the webmaster for
UK auctionline I comes across literally hundreds of books and
reports about online auctions every year. I expected this would
just be another expanded version of the eBay site map. But I was
wrong; this book is an informative and riveting read.

It is a fact that it is possible to make a very good living
selling products through eBay. However, it is equally true that
if you either go about it in the wrong way or in some cases are
just plain unlucky you can lose money. One of the biggest
causes of this happening is the person not fully understanding
how the market place works or knowing what to do if things go
wrong. After reading the “The eBay Survival Guide” you should
be much better equipped to tackle the day to day business of
buying and selling on eBay.

One area that Michael covers in full detail is a subject that
other books hardly mention and that is how to get the most out
of the eBay search function. There are two detailed sections on
buying and selling on eBay. The “Do’s and Don’ts chapters for
both buyers and sellers not only show you the correct way to
approach the task but also the traps to avoid.

The book is written in an easy to read no nonsense manner and
you will find plenty of useful tips. One in particular that I
liked was Michael’s suggestion on how to react to a customer
who claims that a sent item never arrived. To find out what it
is you will have to buy the book.

There are two chapters that everyone who buys or sells on eBay
should read. They are “Shills, Sleazes and Seller Scams” and
“Bogus products and Money making Scams”. Being forewarned is
being forearmed and after reading these chapters you should be
able to avoid the pitfalls that can trap the unwary.

The book covers a wide range of subjects including effective
bidding strategies, buying stock to sell a dhow to create
compelling listings. Whether you are new to online auction or
an old hand this is one item you should definitely add to your
eBay Library. This 260+ page paperback is published by No
Starch and is available from Amazon.com for $13.57 (£7.99). And
whether you are a new comer or an experienced eBayer I think you
will find this book interesting.