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What is eBay?

In 1995 computer programmer, Pierre Omidyar created an auction web site called AuctionWeb. Today it is known as ebay and includes PayPal, Skype and Shopping.com. Profitable from almost the beginning ebay has an almost magical attraction. Starting out in San Jose, California it is now a world wide company.

With some 276 million registered users and about 1.3 million sellers ebay is massive. Auctions can be found in over 39 markets around the world. Evolving from just auctions to fixed-priced purchasing also ebay generates an astounding $2,039 in sales every second, 24 hours a day.Items includes pretty much anything you can think of.

Starting out auctioning used collectibles and goods, ebay's growth has grown to include all sorts of new products along with much unwanted goods. Ebay thieves on one mans garbage is another mans treasure. Whole businesses has grown out of ebay's auctions.

How quick can you get going?

The following quote sadly is a common opinion of ebay's ease of use. "It is unfortunate that eBay has gotten more and more complicated than when I had first joined in 1999. I have to say, eBay.com was faster, more efficient, and was much easier to use back then. I've spent a lot of time on eBay and you would think that it would get easier and easier to use. However, because they keep adding features, it is actually getting more difficult to use. What a shame."

The site appears to be more complex to use from the seller's point of view which is natural since there is more responsibility involved in advertising and selling an item. One disgruntled seller suggests that the only reason that eBay is successful despite making the process so difficult is that, because they are making money rather than spending it, the user is more willing to accept the complexity of the site.

Personal experience in buying through eBay has been relatively simple. Where the buyer is concerned, once you have registered the biggest problem is finding exactly what you want among the millions of items for sale. Of course, there is always the possibility of fraud and you need to read the advertisements and the seller's feedback carefully to avoid being 'had'.

Summary

The answer to is ebay easy to use. Yes if you are a buyer, all and all it is simple fast and certainly exciting. It is this heart pounding excitement of waiting to see if you won the bid or not that has created such a giant company from an online garage sale.

Have fun, enjoy the excitement of a live auction, just be careful not to get carried away. You want to purchase what you want, not be taken to the cleaners.

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