I applaud their including both buying and selling on eBay and actually starting with buying. It’s a great way to learn the system, build up a little feedback and then ease into the money-making side. My family often checks eBay for items before we shop offline, and several of us make additional money selling there (some are businesses, some individuals). You can read just the buyers’ sections and use eBay as your bargain-hunting ground, or scour your attic, neighborhood and hobby room for items to sell.

Whatever you hope to gain from eBay, you will find detailed instructions on how to do so. With this book, you can actually be buying and selling online in no time at all. And, in a few weeks, this book and a bit of practice can level the playing field, quickly making you an expert.

This book cover security questions thoroughly, too and while there is no guarantee, education and a healthy dose of caution will certainly help beginners feel more comfortable. Media hype and urban legends can make online selling seem like a snakepit of cons and a surefire way to lose your shirt, and the public needs to know that it’s actually safer than that.

eBay and other online auction sites can be quite helpful to small business owners or to families who need a little extra money. This book can help you learn the ropes in an easy-to-comprehend manner.

Rating: 5 / 5

A perfect gift for anyone looking to put a distinctive, individual stamp on their home decorating plans, whatever your budget — and it’s full of stunning photos that bring all of Gugggenheim’s ideas to vibrant full-color life.

Rating: 4 / 5

Every few years I run across a book I can give to almost anyone, and be sure the recipient will enjoy it. This year it’s Barbara Guggenheim’s Decorating on eBay. Some of my friends already swear by eBay as a decorating source, and will treasure this book as a validation of what they’re doing, and an expansion of their knowledge of what’s available at bargain prices. For others, the book will open up a new way to shop, and perhaps point out lots of new things to buy.

Guggenheim makes the process sound great – even for those (like me) who hate to shop. A simple quotation sums it up: “I could go online at home on a Saturday morning in my pajamas with a cup of coffee…or I could be bidding after work with a martini in my hand.” Everyone will love the ravishing photographs of the newly decorated rooms, the objects discovered, and the art consultant-author-decorator at work.

Recommendation: Buy.

Rating: 4 / 5

Most of the software packages on the CD are trial versions. Nothing innovative or new is included.

The descriptions of the ebay sandbox and API are very superficial – enough to get you started but little else. The chapter on office development tells you that “serious”

experience is required and little information is availible from the ebay development site and advises the reader to concentrate on PHP – not bad advice but it takes 7 pages to get there.

Conclusion: the scope of the book is overambitious. It results in a good description of how to prepare listings, some useful tips and a superficial introduction to the ebay API.
Rating: 2 / 5