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What is eBay?

eBay is the world's online marketplace; a place for buyers and sellers to come together and buy or sell almost anything!

Here's how eBay works:

  • A seller lists an item on eBay, from antiques to cars, books to sporting goods. The seller chooses to accept only bids for the item (an auction-type listing) or to offer the Buy It Now option, which allows buyers to purchase the item straight away at a fixed price.

  • In an online auction, the bidding opens at a price the seller specifies and remains on eBay for a certain number of days. Buyers then place bids on the item. When the listing ends, the buyer with the highest bid wins.

  • In a Buy It Now listing, the first buyer willing to pay the seller's price gets the item.

Buying and selling on eBay is easy and it's fun. Best of all, you'll never know what you can find.

The following Learning Centre tours will show you the basics of buying and selling on eBay and will help you get going.

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