ULV sold on eBay

by Matt Paulson
Sports Editor

Planes, trains and automobiles. No, this is not a John Candy/Steve Martin movie. These are just a few of the items in the 18,000 categories one can find on eBay, the Internet's most successful shopping site.

Founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar in his apartment, eBay was originally created to help Omidyar's girlfriend find and trade with fellow Pez dispenser collectors using the website. Omidyar's mission, according to eBay's website, is "to help practically anyone trade practically anything on earth."

Six years later, the site has sprouted into the Internet's top marketplace. In 2001, eBay boasted $9.3 billion worth of exchanges throughout the year.

The eBay community has also blossomed exponentially since Omidyar's girlfriend frantically searched for a Scooby Doo Pez dispenser. Presently, there are 49.7 million registered users.

EBay is not only a successful business venture dedicated solely to raking in the proverbial dough; it is also highly geared toward philanthropy.

In June of 1998, eBay created the eBay Foundation with the donation of 107,250 shares of eBay common stock to the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, a charity focused on promoting charity and building community.

The goal of the eBay Foundation, according to the website, is "to support organizations that apply technology to provide tools, hope and direction to those who seek new skills" and "that have lasting, positive impact, and maximize the ability to do good in the world."

Since 1998, eBay has contributed more than $2.9 million to more than 75 non-profit organizations.

EBay can be a useful tool to college students that are short on money and have things they would like to buy or sell. Many students and faculty at ULV use eBay regularly for a diverse variety of items.

ULV freshman Ben de Ayora of Merced, Calif. has made around $500 using the Internet service, he said.

He has also bought many items, including turntables for his computer, a skateboard and four posters.

"It's convenient to have if you're low on money, and you have stuff you don't want," de Ayora said.

"It's like having a garage sale at your fingertips," he said.

Senior John Martin used eBay to buy Ohio State paraphernalia for his dad, an Ohio State alumnus.

"I've never really heard anyone complain about it," Martin said. "You can pretty much get whatever you want."

ULV mail clerk Ernie Granillo does not purchase from eBay; instead, Granillo uses the service to check the value of collectibles.

"It gives me a base of how much the value is of the items that are online," Granillo said. "It's very convenient."

Alan Gonick, Office of Information Technology desktop technician, is a seasoned eBay user.

Gonick has bought around 70 items such as t-shirts, computer components and slot cars, he said.

"So far, I've had no bad transactions whatsoever," Gonick said. "[eBay] provides good protection."

One of the biggest advantages of eBay, said Gonick, is the user's ability to remain anonymous.

There are certain factors to watch out for, though, when using eBay, said Gonick and junior computer science majors Brian Santos and Francis Castillo.

"My biggest warning: Watch out for the people you work with," Santos said.

His advice to prevent any problems was to check out the record of each person with whom one works.

Every sale is recorded, and every user has the chance to evaluate every person with whom he or she works.

If the person has received bad reviews, do not work with him or her, Santos said.

Furthermore, Gonick said that email is a useful tool when working with other users on eBay.

If a user is emailed and does not respond promptly, then that person is probably not dependable enough to work with, he said.

Castillo said that if a person is unable to afford the risk of not receiving the item from the auctioneer, "don't buy it on eBay." He said this is because of the chances of a buyer not receiving a promised item relative to buying from an actual retailer.

Gonick also stated that buying overseas was a red flag in the eBay process because of the excessive currency conversion and shipping charges involved.

Santos said that when auctioning something, the seller must be aware of the charges that he or she receives for advertisement.

EBay charges the auctioneer for each piece of advertisement, whether it be a picture, a description or a bold heading.

Not knowing what one is buying can also be a recipe for disaster, Gonick said.

"Buy what you know," he said. "It's just like anything else. If you go in blind, you could get burned."

Gonick's biggest warning is about using PayPal as an option offered by eBay for payment.

PayPal allows the buyer to use a credit card or bank account to send money to anyone with an email address.

"PayPal is too invasive," Gonick said.

He has seen many websites that warn users about using PayPal because people could easily take advantage of the service to steal from users.

When the proper warnings are heeded, eBay is a safe, convenient service for any college student looking to buy or sell absolutely anything.

For those ULV students who are not eBay users, registration is easy.

It involves a simple, three step process.

First, a short form must be completed, including one's name, address, phone number, email address and chosen password.

Second, the terms of use must be agreed upon.

Finally, the last step is to check one's email and confirm registration.

Once this five-minute process is completed, the user is free to buy and sell from any of the 49.7 million users on the Internet's largest marketplace.