What are you looking for?

Julia Wilkinson (English ’87) admits she’s hooked on eBay. She bought all her kids’ school clothes, got a great bargain on a new copper faucet for their bathroom and is selling off some of her collections through this popular Internet auction site. And, like many who turn their passion into paychecks, Wilkinson also writes about “the world’s online marketplace.”

In her latest book, “eBay: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks,” Wilkinson offers fellow eBayers guidance on making the most of their journey through the maze of products and services — new and used, serious and quirky — available through this virtual thrift store.

“I was freelancing, writing articles about the online auction industry for [the online newsletter for auction users] AuctionBytes Updates,” Wilkinson explained. “[Publisher] John Wiley was looking for someone to write this book, and my editor at AuctionBytes recommended me.”

The book, one in Wiley’s “Visuals” series, reproduces actual computer screen images to direct readers workbook-style through various tasks on the Web site that can enhance their eBay experience. Wilkinson’s text offers an insider’s view of the multifaceted eBay experience. To find great bargains, for example, she recommends looking for items that are misspelled. They won’t come up on a direct search, so they won’t get as much traffic and can be gotten at a surprisingly good price.

Other chapters outline marketing suggestions for sellers and strategies for bidding, third-party software tools that work along with eBay, sniping (sneaky ways to win the bid) and how to become an eBay insider.

“eBay is a cultural phenomenon,” Wilkinson said.

Like perusing yard sales and thrift shops, cruising through eBay’s Antiques, Art, Books, Cars, Clothing, Collectibles, Home & Garden, Jewelry & Watches, Music, Pottery, Real Estate, Tickets, Toys, Travel, and Everything Else listings is the greatest entertainment for many people.

eBay not only serves to hook people up with the things they crave but also is a place to hook up with people who have similar interests. “Hobbyists can meet and talk on message boards,” Wilkinson explained. “People hang out there, and a lot of them establish relationships and even arrange to meet offline.”

“A lot of people make a living this way,” Wilkinson added, “and the message boards are like their water cooler. They’ll come to the boards the first thing in the morning and say, ‘Hey, how’s everybody doing today?’ It’s like a community.”

Wilkinson even tells the story of a couple who met through the site and, this June at eBay’s annual convention “eBay Live” in New Orleans, got married.
“eBay truly is a global marketplace,” Wilkinson said. “People from all over the world come here. The whole idea of a global village is coming true on eBay more than anything else, because it brings people together.”

“eBay: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks” is Wilkinson’s third book. Her first, “My Life at AOL,” is a self-published memoir of her experiences from 1988 to 1997 working for Quantum Computer Services, a small, little-known high-tech company that grew exponentially during her tenure to become America Online. In “Best Bang for Your Book” Wilkinson offers her lessons learned from that publishing experience.

Hard at work on her next book about eBay, Wilkinson continues to freelance for AuctionBytes Updates and The Washington Post and publishes an email newsletter, Yard Salers and eBayers. She lives in Alexandria, Va., with her husband and two children. 

“It’s what I wanted to do with my English major,” she said. “I always thought it would be fun to be an author.”