Starting an eBay Business for Canadians for Dummies.

Gordon Turner is the author of Empress of Britain: Canadian Pacific’s
Greatest Ship and the editor of SeaFare, a quarterly newsletter on sea
travel.

These two volumes offer an immense amount of practical advice for Canadians who are tempted to buy or sell on eBay. For most people, the first book will be sufficient, but there are some who may see eBay as an avenue to setting themselves up in an online business, hence the second volume.

Using eBay can be complicated, but it does not have to be, and that’s where these books perform a useful service. Each has close to 400 pages; their chapters are arranged in logical sequence, and the layouts are reader-friendly. There is no need to read either book from cover to cover, but it is important to study the tables of contents to see what applies to your situation and to check the detailed index when questions arise.

But eBay is a constantly evolving entity. Thus, some of the information in these books is already out of date. Much of what remains, though, is still applicable. The policies and procedures of eBay continue to change, all presumably to make selling and buying more efficient and to react to market trends and conform to legal requirements. Safeguards are built into the process to protect both buyers and sellers, but occasionally a tainted transaction can occur.

Although eBay is American in origin, it is active worldwide. Some sellers restrict themselves to their home countries, while others sell worldwide, giving buyers and sellers a wide choice. Items for sale are listed under numerous categories: for example, under c are clothing, cars, cameras, and collectibles—as well as much else—and they are further divided and subdivided to simplify the search. These books will assist anyone who hopes to use eBay, either to spend or earn a few dollars or to make selling on eBay a career.