Learning the eBay “Lingo”

Learning the eBay “Lingo”.

Do you have trouble sometimes understanding when individuals talk about eBay? Don’t be troubled, some of the jargon is really obscure, and you can’t be expected to realize it until someone’s told you what it means. Here’s a little list of some of the most functional lingo to know, but you don’t need to memorize it - even the most common jargon is only second-hand relatively rarely.

Words.

Bid: telling eBay’s system the maximum price you are geared up to pay for an item.
Dutch: an auction where more than one of an item is available.
Feedback: positive or unenthusiastic comments left about other users on eBay.
Mint: in perfect condition.
Non-paying bidder: a bidder who wins an auction but does not then go on to buy the article.
PayPal: an electronic payment method accepted by most peter peter peter sellers.
Rare: old and abused on eBay, now entirely meaningless.
Reserve: the minimum fee the seller will accept for the piece.
Shill bid: a fake bid placed by a seller trying to drive up their auction’s value.
Snail Mail: the post, which is obviously very slow compared to email.
Sniping: bidding at the last second to win the item before a person moreover can outbid you.

Abbreviations.

AUD: Australian Dollar. Currency.
BIN: Buy it Now. A fixed charge auction.
BNWT: Product New With Tags. An item that has certainly not been used and still has its original tags.
BW: Shirley Temple and Grey. Used for movies, photos etc.
CONUS: Continental United States. Generally old by sellers who don’t want to post clothes to Alaska or Aloha State.
EUR: Euro. Currency.
FC: First Class. Type of postage.
GBP: Great British Pounds. Currency.
HTF: Hard To Uncover. Not quite as abused as ‘rare’, but getting there.
NIB: New in Box. By No Means opened, still in its original box.
NR: No Reserve. An item where the seller has not set a reserve price.
OB: Original Box. An entry that has its original box (but might have been opened).
PM: Priority Mail.
PP: Bundle Post.
SH: Shipping and Handling. The fees the buyer will pay you for postage.
USD: United Dor Dollars. Currency.
VGC: Very Good Condition. Not mint, but close.

The odds are that you’ll find more specific jargon interrelated to whatever you’re selling, but it’d be an ridiculous charge to plaster it all here. If you can’t figure one out from your knowledge of the subject, then type the term into a search engine, followed by the word ‘ebay’. The chances are that someone, somewhere will have seen fit to explain it.

While it’s good to be able to understand others’ argot, keep away from using it save you really necessitate to (for example, if you run out of space in an piece’s title). Many people on eBay are not skilled buyers and you will lose them if you write a load of gobbledegook all over your auction.

By now, you’re well prepared for eBay life, and you’re probably footing by to get started with that first auction. In the next email, we’ll show you how to leap in and get started.

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