Internet auctions were one of the web's earliest successes and the benefits are clear - no more tiny classified ads, no more unwinnable arguments with second hand dealers and no more musty collector emporiums. They are also, you should be warned, very addictive.
While some publicity has been attracted to merchant auctions such as the bit by bit sale of Wembley Stadium by www.qxl.com, the classic, original and still most popular internet auction is the one that lasts seven days, held between ordinary members of the public and typified by those at www.ebay.co.uk.
Common auction logic says that your first step should be as a buyer. The buyer has less to do than the seller and through their first auction gets a feel for the greater responsibilities of the seller. Before you can place a bid though there are some legal niceties. Unlike the seemingly pointless chore that is the registration page at internet shopping sites, at auction sites this page binds you to a contract, which states that any bids placed on the site must be honoured.
There is also the business of finding your self a user ID. My own instinct on this is that a sensible or even a dull name is more likely to inspire confidence in those looking to buy, say a £500 laptop from you. This theory can of course be junked if you consider that Parrothead88 is the user ID of the most prolific internet auction user ever - 26,500 auctions completed at www.ebay.com.
Now you are ready to bid, which is the easy part. Check the descriptions and photo carefully and the shipping costs. If anything is unclear, use the "ask seller a question" link before, and not after, you bid.
As a buyer you will have a natural anxiety over sending a cheque in the post to someone you know very little about. Why shouldn't they just take the money and run? This is possible, but unlikely. Firstly, every auction user should have the number of successful trades they have completed next to their user ID. Anyone with at least 20 of these feedback points is a good bet.
Secondly, trust your common sense over what looks suspicious. Most internet auction frauds concern the sale of fake luxury goods particularly Rolex watches.
A third safeguard is provided by sites such as www.iescrow.com, www.tradesafe.com and www.paypal.com which provide escrow services that ensure no money is handed over until the goods arrive. QXL runs its very own escrow service, while www.ebay.com is shortly getting round to providing such a service too.
Lastly, as extra insurance, eBay, Amazon auctions and QXL all offer a compensation scheme for those who are conned out of amounts up to £120 at eBay and £150 at QXL and Amazon.
If this has reassured you, now place your bid by clicking on the link provided: it is at the bottom of the page at eBay. Again, anxiety about getting yourself involved in some whirlwind bidding war can be allayed. Many auctions will only attract a single bid; others at the most usually three or four bids.
If you decide that the item on view must be yours come what may, you should make use of your auction sites automatic bidding device. This works by letting you state in secrecy the highest amount you are willing to spend. Each time you are outbid, the Auto bid as it is often known (at eBay it is called proxy bidding) will up your bid by a prearranged increment. Even if you do not use this, most auction sites will email you whenever you are outbid.
Lastly, for buyers there is another nifty tool that eBay pioneered called the Personal Shopper page, which can be found under the buyer and seller services link. This is for those looking for anything that they cannot see on the website. Tell the "personal shopper" what you are looking for and they should email you automatically whenever something of that description is listed for auction.
Meanwhile, selling requires more strategy and work. Unlike the speedy process of bidding, setting up your own auction, especially your first, takes time and patience.
Most grief is caused by putting photos on to an auction - so much so, that many forgo them altogether. Yet while it is possible to sell items without a photo, the lack of one will lose you bids and a good sale price.
Your first step is to get the image onto your desktop. A digital camera is ideal, though a scanner can be used for flat items and conventionally taken photos. You could also try your photo developing service, most of which should be able to put your photos onto a disc or park them on the web. This latter service is handy as photos put on your desktop by a digital camera, scanner or disc next have to be put on the web. eBay offers a cheap and speedy service for this, though I have always found the free service offered by www.auctionwatch.com quite adequate.
Price your item slightly less than what you hope to get for it: 10-20% less is recommended. A low price will attract more bidders who may bid up your item to your ideal price, if not above. Include in the price your shipping and packaging costs, which should be broken down in your description. Bear in mind also the small charge or percentage taken by the auction site.
When writing your advert always put in a few emotive words and phrases - such as, for example, good as new, rare, shiny, in original wrapping, bonus and free - where they are warranted. Write the ad before going online and cut and paste it onto the site.
Now click the Submit button and your auction is underway. To keep up with it easily on a daily basis, go to your auction page and right click with your mouse on the "create a shortcut" option to creatre a direct link to this page on your desktop.
Do not get dispirited if you receive no bids for several days. It is quite common to receive most of your bids on the final day, and sometimes in the final hours of an auction. eBay's current spin on the number of successful auctions is that at least a half of all auctions on their site find a buyer, and this is the highest ratio for any site. This will, however, depend on what you are selling. The hottest categories are in collectables and computers. Household appliances, in my experience, sell very poorly.
Once the auction ends, the onus is on the seller to contact the buyer with their real world address and phone number. The worst problem a seller faces is a recalcitrant or deadbeat bidder who is slow or reluctant to complete a deal.
Be warned: disputes at this stage must be sorted out by yourself. The auction site does not have the manpower or the inclination to deal with this.
Once payment from the seller arrives, send off your auction item promptly and wait for the glowing feedback to arrive.
• David Rowley is the author of The Virgin Internet Auction Guide, £5.99.
Auction websites
www.auctionwatch.com
Auction help site, that provides photo hosting, lively chat pages and the sort of news that eBay would rather you did not know.
www.ebay.com
The original auction site from the USA and vastly bigger than the UK version.
www.ebay.co.uk
The best UK site, with strengths for collectables, computers and cars.
<A HREF="http://www.qxl.com"" TARGET="_NEW">www.qxl.com
Many promotional B2C auctions as well as C2C auctions.
<A HREF="http://www.firedup.com"" TARGET="_NEW">www.firedup.com
B2C auctions only.
www.auctions.amazon.com
Good for books, videos and CDs.
www.auctions.yahoo.com
Low tech, but for the time being, free auctions.
www.sothebys.com
Good for some surprisingly cheap and popular collectables items.
www.ibidlive.com & www.theauctionchannel.com
Take part in live auctions at Christies, Bonhams etc through a computer link.
www.holidayauctions.net
Cheap package holidays
www.loot.com
Best for practical items or ordinary online classifieds if you prefer.
