12 amazing new eBay tools - part one!!

Over the last year, eBay has introduced a wide range of tools for better bidding and smarter selling. Here, we look at 12 amazing new eBay tools.

1 Enhanced site design
If you haven’t visited eBay (www.ebay.co.uk) for a while, the first thing you’ll notice is the new sassier, more modern look. Debuted in January this year, the revamp is an attempt to make the front page more organised by grouping things like eBay Express, Shops and Motors together as well as sticking the Trade Safely section right there on the start page where it belongs. Like all successful re-jigs, it keeps the character of the original while making it easier to use.

2 Add eBay to Firefox
If you’re a Firefox user, scoot over to http://tinyurl.com/2uskaq and download the eBay Companion. It’ll install as an extension and open a new tab that lets you keep an eye on any items you’re bidding on. Occasional auctioneers can get warnings when they’ve been outbid or when an item is due to end, while eBay pros can tick off items as they sell, one by one. It’s still in beta, but stable and very useful.

3 eBay To Go
‘Showcase your favourite eBay discoveries directly on your website or blog!’ says the blurb for http://togo.ebay.com. It lets you embed a widget in your home page, displaying single or multiple items (up to 10) or a set of search results that visitors can then view, discuss and bid on. Helpfully, eBay provides detailed instructions for MySpace, Blogger, WordPress, TypePad and other popular services, so you don’t need to be a web wizard to make it work.

4 eBay meets MySpace
Not literally, but that's what it feels like. Go to http://myworld.ebay.co.uk and you can create a MySpace-style eBay home page that includes a biography, blog, items for sale and your feedback score. It's all part of eBay's efforts to make itself more like a community and less like an international car-boot sale.

5 eBay's best sellers
Still in beta but perfectly usable, eBay Pop is a kind of portal page, combining news, gossip and instant polls. It also includes a regularly updated list of what's selling best on eBay. Select a category – say CDs and DVDs – and eBay Pop will display a Billboard-style top 10 of the biggest movers, listed by percentage, along with the most popular items. Go to http://tinyurl.com/264rrq and see whether it's worth selling that old copy of Pirates of the Caribbean.

6 New Feedback System
Whereas in the past you've only been able to rate eBay sellers via the blunt instrument of 'Positive', 'Neutral' and 'Negative', you can now use the new detailed seller ratings to score their performance in terms of the item description, communication, promptness of delivery and – that old eBay bugbear – postage and packaging charges. At long last the sneaks who sweeten the deal for themselves by overcharging on shipping can get their comeuppance.

For more amazing new eBay tools click here