What’s on this page:

 

1. The Savvy Seller Blog Posts

2. How to Tell if You’re Addicted to eBay

3. Terapeak Auction Title Tool

4. Photos with Uncle Griff! 

 

How to Tell if You’re Addicted to eBay! 

There are a number of common personality traits that can be indicative of an addiction when taken to the extreme.

These common personality traits are:
1 -Low Tolerance for Frustration
2 -Being Anxious
3 -Grandiose Thinking
4 -Perfectionism
5 -Justification
6 -Isolation
7 -Sensitivity
8 -Impusivity
9 -Defiance
10-Dependence.

If you’re an eBay Addict you may identify with some of these situations:

1 -Low Tolerance for Frustration - You’ve learned everything about the new SYI form. You go to create a listing but, Guess What? The form looks different!! How can this be? The sound of your fist hitting the desk top is a sure sign that you are frustrated.

2 -Being Anxious - You feel something is about to happen. You don’t know what it is or when it’s coming, but you don’t feel good about it. Perhaps that was you – last month - when the new eBay fees were announced.

3 -Grandiose Thinking - You’ve done your research and see that items similar to yours are selling for $25. But that means nothing to you. You know that YOUR item (identical to the ones selling for $25) is going to sell for at least $50.

4 -Perfectionism - You will accept nothing less than 100% positive feedback with 5.0 on all 4 DSRs. You strive for the impossible and are frustrated (see #1) when your buyers don’t ‘get’ shipping fees.

5 -Justification - You do crazy things but are able to convince yourself that they’re perfectly reasonable. Of course you need to get up ten times during the night to check your listings, and your Paypal & Commission Junction accounts. The money might disappear if you don’t check your computer every hour on the hour!

6 -Isolation - You find that you and your computer are BFFs (Best Friends Forever). Your family members stay away because they fear you may try to sell them on eBay. Family pets flee when they see you heading for the computer. It’s lonely - just you and the sterile, glaring light of the monitor.

7 -Sensitivity - Since you and your computer are now BFFs (see #6) you’re hypnotized by the low droning sound of the hard drive. Normal sounds, like ‘You’ve Got Mail’ make you jump. Your sensitivity is wide ranging - you feel unloved if your item doesn’t sell.

8 -Impulsivity - You search for items that are only sold with a BIN and you purchase the first one that catches your eye.

9 -Defiance - Your significant other asks why you didn’t research your BIN purchase (see #8). Despite the fact that the seller has only 50% positive feedback, you defend your position like a pit bull and use your vast knowledge of eBay lingo to emphasize your position.

10 -Dependence - When your computer crashes, the first words out of your mouth are: ‘My Life is Over.’ Unable to check on your eBay listings, your world spins out of control. The adrenaline rush of the bidding war is gone. You must wean yourself from your technology dependence cold-turkey. 

 

If you experience any of these symptoms, don’t feel alone. You can visit with others who may identify with you. Your first stop should be the OSI Rock Star forums where you will receive very friendly help and sage advice. 

Author: The Savvy Seller



This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

 The photos below are me (Marlene) with Jim Griffith, better known as ‘Uncle Griff’ - Dean of eBay Education and lead instructor of eBay University.

Griff is also the author of The Official eBay Bible and host of eBay radio. These pictures were taken during eBay Live 2007 (Boston).