This book is 57 pages long, excluding the title and table of contents. It opens with a brief description of eBay and its history, along with basic instructions on using eBay for novices. Experienced users can skip ahead to page 9, where the real magic starts. Tips are listed for expanding your business: dealing with large volumes of shipping, choosing a user name that won't change, etc. There are step-by-step instructions for the basic processes of selling. This starts with writing a good description, taking good photos (the camera, background, and so forth), and selecting an appropriate category and auction format. Good titles, for example, are key to drawing in buyers -- several pages are devoted to descriptions and titles, with a list of things to include that should probably be taped to the side of your monitor. It concludes with rules that apply to eBay sellers, trading offenses, and even includes the basics on tax liabilities.

There are a number of sections devoted to making life smoother for those already running auctions. There is a list of merchandise that sells well on eBay, along with thoughts on buying it cheaply and of course a list of items prohibited on eBay. This is covered over several pages, with tips on finding resellers and other less-common means of buying goods. The section on building a reputation is one of the more important ones for sellers to consider; the book's suggestions are straightforward good advice. Finally, the Selling Techniques section has pages of hard-nosed advice: if you're breaking these rules, you're probably driving away customers.

The list of salable merchandise is nearly three pages long, and includes examples and instructions for each type. If you're just starting your eBay business, this will be the most valuable part of the book, at least on the first read, because it drives your core business: what sells and what won't.

It also covers shipping issues that might not be evident if you haven't sold the items before. It's easy to sell through eBay, but it can be all too easy to get tripped up in some of their rules without even realizing that you were breaking them. The Definitive Guide to Becoming an eBay Powerseller guides you through the rules, giving lists of prohibited items, behaviors, and other landmines. It also has information on the new user agreement and its implications for you.

Advanced information is covered throughout the book, dealing with topics most will rarely work with. This is why a guide is most important: you won't have experience in these areas, even if they're important for your business. The decision to create an eBay Store Front is a good example of such a topic; pros and cons are given, but mostly implementation tips. This gives you a more professional appearance, better tools for analyzing your sales, and better marketing opportunities. Other advanced topics covered are using the eBay Administrative Services and various toolkits (Baycheck, DeepAnalysis, Turbo Sniper, Bidnapper, and AuctionSleuth).

Overall, this book is an excellent resource for those who want to get serious with eBay. Even if it "only" makes you a few extra sales a month and stops you from falling into "just" one of the common pitfalls, won't it be worth it?