2) Different ways of selling and buying

There are enormous way of selling and buying. And new and new are appearing today due to new technologies. Let’s dwell upon some of them.

Auction-style format

You bid up from the seller's starting price along with other buyers to get the best deal. You can watch the item to see how the bidding is going.

When the listing ends, the highest bidder wins the item and completes the purchase.

Benefits: Bidding can be lots of fun. You can find some great deals. You can use eBay Feedback and, if needed, problem resolution services.

Considerations: You need to wait until the listing ends to buy the item. You might be outbid.

Buy It Now

You can buy the item immediately at a fixed price. This can also be an option in auction-style listings.

If a seller offers this option, you'll see Buy It Now in the listing and search results.

Benefits: You can buy the item right away. You don't compete with anyone else for the item. Once you buy it, it's yours. You can use eBay Feedback and, if needed, our problem resolution services. Considerations: If you want the item, you have to act fast.

Through the Internet

It is an easy way to keep track of multiple items you want to purchase. Any time you see an item you want to buy, you can add it to your shopping cart. Auction-style items that you bid on are added to your shopping cart automatically. For fixed-price listings, click the Add to cart button and the item will be added to your shopping cart. Buy It Now items can be purchased right away, and paid for in one transaction as long as all the sellers accept PayPal.

Benefits: Lets you keep track of all the items you're interested in buying.

Allows you to pay for all your fixed price purchases and won auction-style listings in a single transaction.

Considerations: Remember that an item in your shopping cart remains available on site until you check out and pay for the item.

Direct selling

This is when the business sells its products or services directly to the customer. Through this method you can build a good relationship with your clients, use your selling skills to communicate the benefits of your offering, and access valuable information through communicating with the customer, for example regarding their needs, their opinion of the product, experiences with the competition and so on.

Selling wholesale

If you’re not selling directly to the customer, you could be selling to a wholesaler or reseller, who then sells the products on to the consumers. If you’re selling to businesses for example, some might prefer to buy only from a large supplier. This is more complicated than direct selling, since you have to think about the supply relationship, how you set prices, and choosing the right wholesaler.

Telesales or online sales

If your products can be bought over the phone or online, the sale is very time and cost efficient. This is a good way of selling to repeat customers, who you have already built a relationship with and who trust your business. Using the telephone means that you can still have contact with the customer to help the relationship develop.