Whatever you are looking for, auction's are bound to have it listed! To get an idea of just how big the top auction's are, look at these facts...

• Five million items for sale daily
• 22.5 million registered users and growing
• 150 million website hits/views per week
• Millions of bids resulting in 9 million in sales since inception

If there's something you need to buy, there's probably someone selling it on an auction! There are many other online auction sites out there, but eBay and uBid are by far the largest and most popular. The main online auction sites are based in the USA, but there are now auction sites in many countries including the UK. Buyers can use any foriegn auction site since many sellers will ship their goods worldwide.

Anxious to get to your favorite category? It's a good idea to register first. It is a simple process and takes only a few minutes. Once done, wait for a temporary password (via e-mail) and then go back and browse through one of the categories on the Home Page. Click on your favorite and proceed. Collectibles might be a good one to start with - it has an additional 47 subcategories and more than 100 sub-sub categories from which to choose. The rest is easy!

To get a better feel for things, you can always take a tutorial, available on both auction sites. They have been very carefully planned to answer any questions you may have about auction's, all of the Rules and Regulations, how to become a registered buyer, how to become a registered seller. It will definitely ease your shopping trip and help you to become a successful buyer, seller, or just plain browser.

If you plan to buy regularly focus on being trustworthy and responsive in your transactions with sellers. Auction's have a buyer and seller rating system and its vital to be rated well if you want to be successful. A buyer can obtain a high rating by:

Getting Started on Using Auctions
Register when you first visit an auction. You can't bid until you've registered and there's nothing more frustrating than seeing an item you desparately want and missing out on it because you failed to register. Registration only takes a few minutes but if the bidding is about to close on the item you want, you'll kick yourself if you miss it!

When searching an auction website for the item you need, use several search words/phrases i.e. disc camera, disc cameras, disk camera. Also search across all categories since the seller may not be selling their items through the obvious category.

Check under "ended items" too (see image above). Here you will see what items have sold for previously so you'll know what price to expect to pay.

Always check the ratings by clicking on the number alongside the seller's name (see above). A high rating with few or no negtive comments will provide the best chance of a transaction proceeding smoothly.

Before you bid ensure the seller will ship the goods to your part of the world and check out their payment terms. (see example above)

Be sure to email the seller if you have any questions before you start bidding.

Beware of "sniping" Sniping is when buyers bid in the final seconds before an auction closes. Always place your bid at the maximum you are willing to pay. You will probably pay less than your maximum but it protects you from sniping. On the other hand, you can use sniping yourself to your own advantage! There are no rules against it.

Stay focused when using an auction. There are lots of other online auction sites but they're usually much smaller than eBay and uBid. That means you'll get less bidders and they are taken less seriously by buyers. You may have success at other auction sites but uBid and eBay are definitely the essential online auction site to use.