Whatever you want to buy, whether it's large or small, cheap or expensive, everyday or just plain weird, the chances are you can find it on eBay. It's the largest auction site in the world, and when it comes to the variety of what's on sale, size is vital. When was the last time you heard of someone getting a great deal on a weird and wonderful item at uBid or Yahoo Auctions?

People who've got used to eBay don't often stop to think how amazing it is – an online marketplace where you can buy things from all over the world, without leaving your home. You can get things that you would never think anyone would bother to sell, and you can get them cheaply. The powerful search engine means that you can find things you'll like without even knowing exactly what you're looking for.

Not only that, but you can send money quickly and electronically to almost all of these sellers, without worrying about currency conversion or exchange rates or anything else.

If you're looking for rarities or bargains, eBay is an ideal place to buy.

The Case Against.

However much you might dream of a truly international marketplace, international postage costs will always bring you back down to reality with a thud. Do you have any idea how much it costs to send even the smallest thing to the other side of the world?

Then there's the fact that eBay is packed with fraudsters and scammers, preying on the innocent users who've heard that eBay is a great place to buy stuff but don't know the risks. People can lose thousands of dollars, and eBay do nothing. Is that fair? It is hard to even leave negative feedback for the very worst sellers, for fear that they will retaliate and leave a black mark against your own account.

eBay is unfair to buyers when other buyers don't play fair, and unfair to sellers who end up selling things for a very low price, only to have eBay's fees take away the last part of their profit margin.

The Verdict.

Those are the arguments for and against. So is eBay good, or bad? I'll leave it up to you to decide. For me, though, the answer is this: as long as you're aware of the downsides, and you know how to protect yourself from scammers and fraudsters and how to get ahead of the competition, eBay is one of the best places in the world to shop. Having followed us this far, of course, you now know all these things, which means that for you, eBay is a great place!

Now that you know so much about eBay, in fact, why not use it to do your holiday shopping? Millions of smart shoppers from around the world already flock to eBay every holiday season to save on their presents and other holiday stuff – the next email will show you how to become one of those people.