Your nephew just bought an Xbox 360 on eBay and your ex-girlfriend used eBay to buy replicas of every type of shoe she saw worn in Sex in the City. Needless to say, you are more than tempted to go on eBay and figure out what hidden treasures are waiting for you. There is only one problem: How do you get started?Get out your pens and pencils and take note – these simple rules and suggestions will have you armed and ready for deployment in world of online auctions in no time.

Sign Up for PayPal

After you sign up for your eBay account, turn around and sign up for a PayPal account. It is pretty much a necessity when shopping on eBay as it is the most commonly accepted form of payment.

Paypal is a service that allows you to utilize your bank account and your credit cards to fund your eBay purchases. It makes the transactions a hundred times easier. Just make sure to read all the fine print before signing your soul away.

Types of Items

Pretty much anything. Well, anything legal and sometimes things that are questionable. Everything from jewellery to arcade machines.

There are a lot of neat finds on eBay that you cannot find anywhere else. I once scored a collection of miniature reproductions of the artwork of Japanese woodblock artist Hiroshige.

I find the best items usually revolve around media content and collectibles. New and used DVDs, music, books, comics, and videogames can usually be found for a great deal as long as they aren’t new releases or really rare.

One of the great things on eBay is that in the case of music and movies, sellers are not trying to sell their item to gain a profit but rather they are selling them because they have enjoyed their item and no longer need it taking up shelf space.