I'm probably a pretty typical eBay buyer and have been on eBay for many years. If you are selling chips on eBay (and obviously many of you are), I'd like to give you a bit of a buyers perspective to help you get the most from your auctions. (I am currently actively bidding on or watching more than 100 chip auctions).

1) Don't use "reserve". Nobody likes to bid on those auctions. If you have a minimum price simply start the auction at that price and cut out the crap.

2) Sign up and use Paypal even if you don't like it. The fact is that I will never intentionally bid on an auction that requires a check or money order regardless of how great a deal it is. I haven't used paper checks in years and getting a money order is a pain in the a$$. I want the item shipped immediately and that is only going to happen if I can instantly transfer the payment to you.

3) Offer to combine or reduce shipping. A refusal to combine or reduce shipping on multiple items means it will be the last time I buy from you. Shipping is supposed to be shipping and not "extra profit" for the seller. I am aware that many sellers try to cover the listing fees as part of their "shipping" to reduce the initial price but that is a deceptive practice.

4) Excessive shipping cost means no bid even if the item is still a good deal. Price the item correctly and stop trying to hide the cost in the shipping like nobody will notice. If you list a single chip with a shipping cost of $5, I won't bid no matter how badly I want the item or how good the price.

5) Don't make me "hunt" for the shipping cost and never require insurance. Insurance should always be at the option of the buyer and if I have to e-mail you for the cost to ship I will more likely just pass on the auction.

6) Paying extra to "highlight" your items on eBay is a waste of money.

7) The scan or picture is far more important than the detailed description and hyping it doesn't help. A Borgata chip is neither "rare" nor "hard to find" and saying as much is a direct reflection of the seller. Flashing graphics, huge letters, music, and all the other crap is just annoying and does nothing to help sell the item.

8) Classify your items correctly and take care with the key words. When I search for chips I have to add -poker to eliminate all the poker sets (don't you?). Thus if your description contains the word poker, you're hosed. "A rare poker chip" or "Set of 5 Chips" are lousy descriptions and will not come up on many targeted searches (what demoninations? what citites? what casinos?)

9) Always inform the buyer specifically when the item will ship. Most buyer frustration comes from simply not knowing if the item has actually shipped.

10) Leave feedback immediately after the buyer has paid. I do not generally leave feedback for sellers that have not first left it for me. If you are waiting to see what the buyer says first, then something is wrong.

I've reached 10 so I'll stop and call it my top ten. Good luck on eBay and I hope to be bidding on your auction soon!