The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group eBay Books - for the bookshelf Major Keary |
Shopping at eBay
There are three eBay titles in the Dummies series; this title, eBay Bargain Shopping for Dummies, focuses on the needs of buyers. Users who live outside north America have effective access to just a part of what eBay has to offer, but it seems that overseas sites are on the increase.
This is a friendly guide for buyers. It is pitched at a North American audience, but the information has international application. One of the smart decisions made by eBay was the acquisition of PayPal, which provides a convenient and reasonably secure service for overseas members. Its operation is described in good detail.
The book begins with the registration process (you can wander about eBay, but must be registered as a member in order to engage in transactions). The author then explains how the bidding process works, the significance of 'feedback', how to look after your own interests, and how to find your way around the site.
A good introduction - especially for novices - to buying on eBay.
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Marsha Collier: eBay Bargain Shopping for Dummies ISBN 0-7645-4080-7 Published by Wiley, 263 pp., RRP $24.95 incl. GST |
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eBay Hacks
A book for eBay users, eBay Hacks contains "100 industrial-strength tips and
tools". The author says, "the hacks .... address the technological and diplomatic
challenges faced by all eBay members .... Essentially, you'll find .... the tools to
help you trade smarter and safer, make more money, and have fun doing it". This
is a very practical guide that covers just about everything users want to know
(and do); it caters for new eBay members through to those who want to run a
business on eBay.
The hacks are grouped under four categories: Hacks for All, Hacks for Buyers,
Hacks for Sellers, and Hacks for Developers.
Even if your interest in eBay is "how does it work", this book is well worth
reading. It also contains much that is relevant to anyone with an interest in
online transactions. An interesting thing about eBay is that its API "lets
developers write applications to communicate directly with the eBay servers.
Perl can be used to write scripts that - among a number of things - will search,
collect auction data, and leave feedback.
Feedback is an important aspect of eBay; it is the basis of the trust that is
essential to its operation. Members each have their own 'feedback profile', and
the first chapter explains how feedback works, how to decipher it, and how to
find the profile for a particular member.
There is even a "Rapid HTML Primer", which condenses the essentials into six
pages, and sound advice on web publishing techniques.
A later chapter, Running a Business on eBay, includes a discussion on accepting
credit card payments (with code for a sample HTML form), and how to extract
detailed accounting data.
An exceptionally well-written text that won't drown readers in technical jargon.
The technical detail is there, but conveyed in plain language. The author says
it is not a hand-holding guide. The kind of book you can browse on the train.
There will be a copy in the library.
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David Karpin: eBay Hacks ISBN 0-596-00564-4 Published by O'Reilly, 331 pp., RRP $55.00 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the February 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
