"eBay - not Your Average Store"

Is your garage running over with junk? Is your ceiling about to fall from the weight of the stuff in your attic? Have you been looking for a door handle for a 1927 Ford Coupe for a very long time? Need a cheaper source for printer ink cartridges?

Well, look no further; eBay is here.

This month you get the dubious honor of having me at the microphone. I have bought and sold on eBay for years, and have been asked repeatedly to do a hands-on class on the subject. The August monthly meeting of the Computer Club of Oklahoma City will be a lead-in to that class, which is currently not on the schedule but due to begin sometime this fall. I will explain how to open an eBay account and a PayPal account, how to buy and sell and various shortcuts and tricks I've learned along the way. Hopefully, I'll be able to answer any questions you might have on the subject.

When I want to buy anything, I price it at the local stores and search eBay. There was a time when most of the items you bought on eBay were used; however, that is no longer the case. Since retail businesses have realized the value of not having to have a "storefront" to sell their wares, many of the products for sale on eBay are brand new, current models just like their counterparts in the retail stores. The difference is the overhead - it is much cheaper for businesses to sell from an eBay site that from an actual store.

Almost every time I want to buy something, I find what I'm looking for at a lower price than retail, even with shipping included (you don't usually have to pay sales tax). Depending on the item, sometimes I don't even care if it's used. When I take an item home from a store and use it a while it's used - so what's the difference? The difference is the price. You can pay $50 for something new off a local shelf or as little as $10 or less for it from an eBay seller cleaning out their aforementioned garage or attic. EBay is like a giant, worldwide garage sale, and I'm a garage sale addict.

So if you are interested in learning more about eBay, please attend our meeting on August 17 at 7:00 pm. Coffee and refreshments will be available. The prizes I plan to give away this month to two lucky members of our Club are an APC Battery Backup and a copy of System Suite 6 Professional Version. For one of our visitors, we will be offering a one-year free membership to the Computer Club of Oklahoma City, and to another visitor will go a package of blank CD-RW's in jewel cases.

See you in August
Doris Collins