One of the greatest and best internet stores out there is EBAY. In case you were burrowed under a ferret for four years, EBAY is an online marketplace similar to that of auctions. People can sell or buy everything including, video games, toys, collectibles, mugs, rugs, cars, and pretty much anything. You could pick some deer shit off the road and sell it on EBAY. That's why, I've decided to dedicate a section of my site to this online marketplace of excellence. The system is pretty simple. People sell items at a starting price, then other interested buyers can bid on the item. There is a closing date for every auction and the highest bidder on the item wins. Of course, bidding isn't as easy as it sounds.

One of the problems I've discovered with EBAY is that many people don't know if they should bid on a certain item. Some items may or may not be worth the price the buyer is bidding. Thus, many people do research before bidding or selling anything on EBAY. So in a sense, EBAY is similar to a business. You have your sellers which try to estimate the value of their item, and then you have the bidders trying to bid the lowest possible amount while winning the auction. It's a very complex process. There are also many dealers on EBAY who constantly sell items during a day-to-day process. Many of these smart traders have special techniques they use to win auctions. While they may not be cheating, they certainly know a few tricky ways to bid/sell past the other competitors. In this section, you're going to find tips and secrets without having to pay $20 for one of those stupid EBAY secrets books. Don't worry, it's entirely free. Below, the headers are split into For Buyers, For Sellers, and For Everyone.

For Taking Pictures
One of the key features to an auction is having the ability to take pictures both accurately and in the best position possible. In a sense, many buyers are practically buying your picture. When someone sees a neat, well-drawn out picture, the item appears more 'perfect' to the human mind and thus allows sellers to get more bids on an item then per say an auction without a picture. If you plan on making money off of EBAY, take my tips and learn how to be great with pictures:

• Get a Digital Camera - This is probably one of the most important things you should follow. Get a digital camera as soon as possible if you plan on selling something on EBAY. You see, digital cameras work very simple. You take a picture just like in any other camera, and then you extract the images onto your computer. From there, you can edit them and make them look perfected. However, if you were to use a normal, flash camera, you'd have many problems. Often, you may mess up a picture, and you'd be force to take another. Another problem is that normal photographs take time to be processed. Not only will you be paying money to have them developed, but you'll have no idea as to what they're going to look like. Simply enough, get a digital camera that has some optical zoom and a decent warranty.
• Experiment - Before you can start taking pictures like a Playboy model shooter, you must learn the basics. Try taking pictures of different objects and see how they come out. You may notice some images can come out blurry, or distorted. Other times, maybe the angle wasn't right, or the lighting wasn't well enough. Get use to taking pictures before you actually think you can.
• Use the Sun to your advantage - As odd as it may seem, sunlight is the best way of getting the ultimate pictures. The sun not only provides a free flash, but it shows the minute details in every item. Many flashes in a camera can't provide enough light to give you that 'holy-aura' effect. My recommendation is that you go out and take several pictures when it's a nice, sunny day.
• Get good lighting - If you're forced to take pictures during the night, set up a designated area where all of your pictures will be taken. First off, take two folding lamps and place them directly across from each other. Have them face 45 degree angles towards the ground thus eliminating any shadows or dark marks. This will illuminate your item to the fullest extent. Try to take the picture at a good angle that doesn't produce any glare on the surface of your item. Still, your best bet is to take pictures outside.
• Make sure you have a contrasting background - Backgrounds are what determine the difference between a good or bad picture. You must contrast the background from the item, otherwise, everything will looked mushed in. What I'd do is take a nice, pale-white towel and lay it down on a flat surface. I usually do this outside on a table where the sun can face directly into it. Then take your pictures and be amazed at the detail. White is probably your best bet for taking contrasing pictures. You may also try a sky blue, but if anything, use a pale color. Never use wood or carpets. The items won't display a shiny glare or hue. If you don't have a white towel or carpet, try using a shirt. Anything will work, it's all up to the user.
• Examples:

Good picture                                                       Bad Picture
 

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