Another dismal, wet and dreary Bank Holiday.  Right now it seems that the only good thing to look forward to this summer is the release of the new Sex and the City movie.  And it was in this spirit that I found myself this afternoon in the Harrods shoe department (yes I know it's an odd way to spend a Bank Holiday Monday but it's a long story.)  I spent a very happy half an hour amongst the Manolo Blahniks and Jimmy Choos and, without the benefit of windows, was totally cocooned from the endless grey drizzle outside.

Did you know that the IT bag has had its day and that we're all supposed to be lusting after the latest designer shoes instead?  It's true that a pair of shoes is considerably cheaper than a must have handbag but, judging by the price tags I saw in Harrods today, they are still way out of most people's price budget and that's without taking into consideration the credit crunch.

Still lusting after a pair of Carrie Bradshaw shoes but simply can't afford them or justify the expense?  Why not try eBay?  Log on to www.ebay.co.uk and search for Manolo Blahnik shoes.  There are currently 102 pairs listed with bidding on some beginning at a mere £20.  Can't afford the shoes?  Why not buy one of the designer's shoe bags instead?  Ferrariblackhorse has one listed with bidding currently at £2.80.  Personally I have always had a yearning for a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes with their iconic red soles.  There are nearly 100 pairs listed on eBay including a fabulous pair of up to the minute black wedges from yorkwhite with bidding currently at £1.20.  On my trip to Harrods I thought some of the prettiest shoes were from Jimmy Choo and with 182 pairs listed you can be sure of finding some to your taste.  For sheer practicality I was taken by kirstie3792 who is selling a pretty pair of bronze flats.  When I last checked the bidding was at 99p and with a low reserve price of £60 someone is going to get a bargain.  Sadly it won't be me as they aren't in my size.  If you do purchase a pair of designer shoes from eBay remember that you can always resell them for a good price provided they are in good condition.

I have seen some truly awful listing photographs on eBay.  Photographs are frequently displayed sideways on so that you get a crick in the neck from trying to view the item.  I often wonder if it's just laziness on the part of the seller or they simply don't know which button to press to turn the photo the right way up.  Whatever the reason I never buy from these sellers, I just find their attitude too unprofessional.  Another cardinal sin is the item which is photographed against a busy backdrop, hanging in a window for example, with the garden behind, or in the middle of the sitting room with all the family paraphernalia around.  Sometimes the photos are out of focus or the item is only partially in the photograph. 

So here are a few very basic tips for taking the perfect eBay photograph.  Choose a plain background, a white wall (no door handles or paintings in view please) or a plain carpet.  Make sure the light is behind you and spend a minute or so making sure you are happy with the way the item looks in the view finder.  Can you see it clearly?  Is it shown to best effect?  Nothing else in the frame to distract the eye?  Have you managed to include any special features?  Answer yes to all of these and press the button.

I believe that, generally speaking, one photo is sufficient for a listing.  The first photograph is free but you must pay for subsequent ones so, in the interests of keeping your eBay listing charges to a minimum, one should do the trick.  However, if you are selling an item of value you may like to display other photographs to show all the important aspects.  Those Jimmy Choo shoes for example.  A potential buyer is likely to want to see a close up of the heel, the soles and may possibly find a photo of the box, dustbag and receipt extra enticing.

Recently there was a very funny item on the internet which showed a dining table which had been listed on eBay.  In the background of the photograph was a huge mirror and the photographer had unwittingly caught his image in the mirror - stark naked!  You have been warned.

Now in my family I am admired for many things but technical wizardry and photographic ability are not amongst them.  So I delegate.  My husband is a dab hand at putting photos on to the computer and organising them in a file for me.  My son is very interested in digital photography and is still at an age where he likes to be helpful.  Failing husband or son, my daughter will usually oblige.  If you don't have a family member to help out then ask a friend and get them to show you how to do it.  Once  your photos are on the computer just click on each one and make sure it's displayed the correct way up.  This is such an easy procedure that even I can manage it.

I believe that the key to successful eBay selling is professionalism and presentation.  If you were out shopping would you be likely to make a purchase from the store with the messy window display?  Of course not.  Never forget that there are millions of eBay shoppers on the site at any one time and you want to entice them to bid for your item.  A clear and concise photograph is the very first step to persuading them that you are a professional and business like seller.

A couple of last thoughts ... a good friend of mine, who happens to be a prolific eBayer, takes all her eBay photos with her mobile phone.  And very good they look too.  All you need is a cable to connect phone to computer and transmit your photos, as well as a bit of technical know how, and away you go.

eBay are offering half price insertion fees on Thursday May 29th for one day only.  I must try and find time in a busy half term week to pop some more items on and take advantage of the saving.

Last week I promised to talk about taking the perfect photograph. Since then eBay have announced some changes to online shopping and selling which are important for all eBayers so I am going to use this blog to outline some of the new measures for you. I'll get back to photography in the next blog.

Importantly, the changes which have been implemented will benefit buyers rather than sellers which is obviously great if you regularly shop on eBay. More people buy than sell on eBay so this will be reassuring for many of you as you now have a level of protection which simply didn't exist before.

From May 15th the Feedback System has changed so that buyers can leave honest feedback about a seller without fear of retaliation. Sellers can no longer leave neutral or negative feedback for a buyer so, as a seller, my only option is to leave positive feedback. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that buyers do not always deserve positive feedback but at least I can now block potential buyers from bidding if they have been reported for policy breaches or non payment. The idea behind all this is to make feedback a more accurate differentiation between good and bad sellers - again, a real advantage for those of you who shop regularly on the site.

I have always felt feedback is a bit of a double edged sword, there have been times when I have been tempted to expose a buyer (or a seller) who has behaved dishonestly but have been prevented from doing so by fear of receiving the dreaded negative feedback myself. As a seller, mostly, I am now in the position of still living in fear of negative feedback but no longer in a position to fight back with negative feedback of my own.

Within the Feedback System there is also now an opportunity for the buyer to see how other shoppers have rated sellers with regards to postage and packing charges, dispatch time, accuracy of item description and communication. This is definitely a positive move as it may cut down on the number of sellers who vastly overcharge for postage.

From June 3rd eBay are also implementing a new measure that will require every seller to offer PayPal as one of their payment methods. I will talk more about PayPal in another blog but the most important thing to know here is that, if you pay through PayPal, you will have up to £500 free protection.  If you want to learn more, log on to paypal or take a look at the moneymagpie article on how to pay on the internet - online payment systems.

With all these changes eBay are hoping to make the marketplace a safer place to shop - please just remember to reward your buyer with positive feedback if they deserve it. Feedback is so important to eBay sellers and many buyers just don't bother to leave it. It only takes a minute to click on the box and fill it in and, remember, you are helping other buyers as well as being courteous to the seller.

If you want to learn more about these changes log on to eBay and click on the Site Map and then General Announcements.

The Chelsea Flower Show begins today and, as usual, the skies are grey and the temperature is chilly.  However, the forecast is for much warmer weather towards the end of the week so if you are looking for some inspiration with regard to your own back yard there are plenty of tickets for sale on eBay. Log on to eBay and check out the organicgardener who is selling two tickets for next Saturday for 99p and currently has no bids. Tooley26 is also selling two tickets, they have two bids and the current price is 99p.  These tickets have a much higher face value so you could potentially be looking at a real bargain. Both these sellers have 100% feedback, if you are going to buy tickets for an event do please be extra careful who you are buying from and pay by PayPal to ensure that you are protected in case something goes wrong.

Along with everyone else, I have been lamenting the closure of our local post offices. In my previous home I lost three of the nearby post offices where I would regularly go to dispatch my eBay parcels.  When we moved to a new area about 18 months ago I was delighted to find that we had a large, modern, well-staffed post office just five minutes stroll from our front door. Apart from the fact that I am not allowed to take my dog inside, it has made my life much easier. As for the dog, there is barely a local establishment which welcomes her inside its doors – and we call ourselves a nation of animal lovers!

However, back to matters postal. It’s a really good idea to schedule your auctions to end between six and nine o'clock in the evening as this is the time of day when you find the largest number of eBayers online. And auctions can go wild in the last few minutes with users trying desperately to outbid each other. So it’s really important that your auction doesn’t end at two in the morning when everyone is asleep. I often try and schedule mine to end on a Sunday evening (or even better a bank holiday Monday) which is the optimum time for eBayers to be online. By the way, if you can arrange for that bank holiday Monday to be wet as well, you are likely to have even more interest in your auction. 

Hopefully, once your auction has ended, your buyer will make an immediate payment into your Paypal account and you can start wrapping the item ready to go straight to the post office the following morning. If you are really efficient you may have wrapped it already, just make sure you mark the parcel with a note of what’s inside so you don’t send it to the wrong person and, yes, I was once guilty of making that mistake! It’s all too easy if you have lots of different parcels, so do keep on top of what’s going where. It’s good business practice to send your item off as soon as possible and speedy delivery should ensure that you are given that all important positive feedback from your buyer.

Now have you ever actually tried to use a post office on a Monday morning? I’ve lost count of the times I have stood for half an hour or more in a long queue silently fuming at the complete waste of my time. But now I’ve discovered Business Point - the post office’s fast-track service for posting business mail - and the queues and my bad moods are becoming a distant memory.The system offers small business and e-auction sellers a card which allows them to go straight to a special counter in the post office, present their card, and enjoy a priority service. Put simply, you can jump the queue! The card is completely free and all you need to do is fill in a short form and present it to a member of staff at the counter. Of course, not all post offices offer this service so to find your nearest Business Point, log on to www.postoffice.co.uk and use the branch finder. If you have any questions you can call 08457 223344 or email customercare@postoffice.co.uk.

Next week I am going to give you some helpful tips for taking the perfect photograph to accompany your auction. If you don’t already own a digital camera you are going to have to beg, steal or borrow one. Or better still, why not try eBay? Log on to www.ebay.co.uk and search for digital cameras - you will find nearly 6,000 listings. Have a look at wkms77 who is selling an Olympus digital camera which cost £350 new for £0.01. Or try allygee928 who has an ex demonstration Sony Cyber Shot DSC-S40 for auction at £0.01. Both these sellers have 100% feedback which I think is particularly important when you are purchasing an electronic item.