The Official eBay Bible

April 28, 2003
An object sells on eBay every 1.7 seconds. Someone buys a digital camera on the site every 90 seconds. And according to the company, more than 70,000 Americans make their living by selling on eBay. The site has revolutionized the way small-business owners run their operations, and in this guide, Griffin, who was the company's first customer service representative and is now "Dean of eBay Education," shows an impressive command of the ins and outs of using eBay, particularly how to set up and run a business selling merchandise there. Griffin, who travels around the country extolling eBay's virtues in lectures and seminars, is a relentless cheerleader, citing loads of examples of eBay success stories. While he doesn't address some obvious questions (e.g., how eBay makes money and what its responsibilities to users are), Griffin dexterously walks readers through the site, with impressive practical know-how about buying and selling everything from cowboy boots to computers. His book is clear, simple and well organized, and while there are many personal observations, they don't obstruct the instructional material. The lion's share of the advice is for sellers, with tips on how to set up an inviting "storefront" on eBay, how to use HTML programming language to enhance it, how to photograph items for sale, how to pack and insure them and how to deal with customers. The depth of Griffith's commonsense knowledge and the clarity of his writing will be worthwhile to anyone with a personal interest in eBay. (On sale June 2)Forecast:This isn't the only eBay book being published this season, but it is the only official one. Ebay will undoubtedly plug the book on the site and at its seminars, which should yield solid sales.