Studying the eBay “Lingo”

Do you’ve trouble sometimes understanding when people discuss eBay? Don’t worry, some of the jargon is really obscure, and you can’t be expected to understand it until someone’s told you what it means. Here’s a bit list of some of the most valuable lingo to know, but you don’t need to memorise it – even the most usual jargon is only used relatively rarely.

Words.

Bid: telling eBay’s system the maximum price you’re prepared to invite an item.
Dutch: an auction where more than one and only of an item is available.
Feedback: positive or negative comments left about other users on eBay.
Mint: in perfect qualify.
Non-paying bidder: a bidder who wins an auction but doesn’t then come on to buy the item.
PayPal: an electronic payment formula accepted by most marketers.
Rare: used and abused on eBay, now totally meaningless.
Reserve: the minimum price the seller will accept for the point.
Shill bid: a fake bid placed by a seller trying to drive up their auction’s cost.
Snail Mail: the post, which is obviously very slow equated to electronic mail.
Sniping: bidding at the last 2nd to win the item before anyone else can outbid you.

Abbreviations.

AUD: Australian Dollar. Currency.
BIN: purchase it Now. A fixed price auction.
BNWT: Brand New With Tags. An item that’s never been applied and still has its original tags.
BW: black-and-white. Used for films, photos etc.
CONUS: Continental USA. Generally used by sellers who don’t prefer to post things to Alaska or Hawaii.
EUR: Euro. Currency.
FC: 1st class. Type of postage.
GBP: Great British Pounds. Currency.
HTF: Hard To Find. Not quite as abused as ‘rare’, but getting there.
NIB: New in Box. Never opened, still in its original box.
NR: No Reserve. An item where the seller hasn’t set a reserve price.
OB: Original Box. An item that’s its original box (but might have been opened).
PM: 1st-class mail.
PP: Parcel Post.
SH: Shipping and Handling. The fees the buyer will pay you for postage.
USD: USA Dollars. Currency.
VGC: Very Good Condition. Not mint, but finish.

The chances are that you’ll find more specific jargon related whatever you’re selling, but it’d be an impossible task to cover it all here. If you can’t figure one out from your knowledge of the subject, then type the term into a SE, followed by the word ‘ebay’. The chances are that someone, somewhere will have seen accommodate to explain it.

While it’s good to be able to understand others’ jargon, avoid using it unless you really need to (e.g., if you run out of space in an item’s title). Many people on eBay are not experienced buyers and you’ll lose them if you write a load of gobbledegook complete your auction.

By now, you’re well prepared for eBay life, and you’re probably ready to get began with that first auction. In the next email, we’ll show you how to dive in and get going.