When you click an item title (for example from your search results list), a seller's listing page displays. From this page, known as an item page, you can watch an item, bid on an item, or purchase an item.

As a buyer, you should thoroughly read the item description and make sure you understand the seller's description, shipping terms, refund and return policy, and other terms and conditions. Learning a few things about the seller as well as the item before you commit to buy the item will help make your buying experience more enjoyable.

On the item page you can.

• Read the summary that includes the title and the eBay Item Number

• Learn about the seller

• Find out how to buy safely including how your purchase is protected

• Bid on or buy an item

• Read about item and listing details including shipping and payment methods

• Take other actions including watching the item, adding an alert, emailing the listing to another person, printing a listing, reporting a listing to eBay, or selling a similar item

Note: If you have any questions about the listing, you should contact the seller using the “Ask seller a question” link

Summary

The top of the item page has a summary area that includes a title for the listing, a subtitle (if available), and an item number. The summary section also includes other information, such as the price, end time, shipping costs, where the seller will ship to, and the item location, (see A below).

If the listing is an auction, this area of the item page shows the current bid, time left in the auction, and the bid history. If a “Reserve not met” link appears below the current price, the seller has a minimum price that they will accept for the item. As a buyer, you cannot see the minimum price, but you can be aware that it is there. For more information on Reserve Price Auctions, see Auction-style Listings. 

If you see a Buy It Now price listed on an item page, the seller gives you the opportunity to purchase the item right away without waiting for an auction-style listing to end. For items that have a Buy It Now price only, there is no bidding and you can purchase the item right away. For more information, see Buying with Buy It Now.

Meet the seller

This area of the item page gives you information about the seller’s feedback, experience, and contact methods (see B above). You can get a sense of your seller’s reputation by reviewing the following:

• The seller’s Feedback rating – The Feedback Score is the number in parentheses next to the member’s User ID. Buyers and sellers can rate each other for transactions by leaving feedback. Next to the Feedback Score, you may see a star. Feedback stars are awarded to eBay members for achieving 10 or more Feedback points. The Feedback percentage represents the percentage of positive ratings left by other members. For more information about feedback, see Evaluating a Member's Reputation.

• How long the seller has been a member – For example, if a seller registered in January 1999, you would know that this seller has been on eBay a long time.  

• The seller's other activities – For example, the seller may have icons after their User ID, such as a PowerSeller icon, or About Me icon. Other seller icons also may appear in the area, such as an eBay Store icon. When you click an icon, you can see what else the seller may want to share with the community or have to sell. To learn more about evaluating a seller, see Knowing Your Seller.

You can also get to know a seller if you:

• Contact the seller by email. Click the “Ask seller a question” link to send an email through eBay's My Messages.

• Receive email newsletters and other information directly from the seller. Click the “Add to Favorite Sellers” link to store your favorite sellers in My eBay.

• Visit the seller’s eBay Store or view the seller’s other items to see what else the seller is selling and if the seller specializes in certain types of items.

Buy safely

To help ensure a successful trading experience, you should take the following precautions, (see C above).

• Review the seller’s reputation – In addition to the Feedback Score and the Feedback percentage, you should also read what other buyers have written about the seller by clicking the “Read feedback comments” link.

• Learn if your purchase is protected – This area has information on any buyer protection programs. For example, when you pay with PayPal for an item covered by PayPal Buyer Protection, you may receive coverage up to $2,000 at no additional cost. To see if an item is covered, look for the logo in the Buy safely section in the seller's listing, and click the "See eligibility" link. This section also shows if the seller allows returns.

Bidding and buying

After you have reviewed information about both the seller and the item and have decided you want to purchase the item, you are ready for the next step, (see D above).

Remember, each bid you place enters you into a binding contract. All bids are active until the auction ends. If you win a listing, you’re obligated to complete the transaction.

If it is an auction-style listing, enter your maximum bid and then click the Place Bid button. (For more information, see Bidding on eBay). If the seller has a Buy It Now option and you want to purchase the item at the Buy It Now price, click the Buy It Now button.

If you are interested in an item, but are not ready to bid on or buy that item right away, click the Watch This Item button to receives alerts that you are watching the item (see E above). 

Note: For items that have both a bid price and a Buy It Now price, the Buy It Now option may disappear if a buyer places a bid. For more information, see Buying with Buy It Now.

Tip: During the last 15 minutes of a listing a “Refresh” link displays on the item page. Using this link makes it much faster for you to refresh the most important information at the top of the page: current bid price, bid history, time left, and high bidder.

Listing details

The listing details include the title and the eBay item number. Other information includes the price, end time, shipping costs, where the seller will ship to, and the item location, (see F below).

• Description – The description contains information from the seller about the item or items for sale and any additional photographs the seller has included. Some sellers may also include shipping, payment or other terms in this section.   

• Shipping and handling – Read this section carefully for information on where the seller will ship to, shipping discounts, shipping insurance costs, choice of shipping methods, and handling time.

• Return policy – Check for a return policy including time limits and who will pay for the shipping of returned items.

• Payment details – Before you bid on an item or use Buy It Now, make sure that you can comply with the seller's payment options. Important factors you should consider include convenience, traceability, security, and liability coverage in case something goes wrong. For more information, see About Payment Method.

Note: Sellers may not solicit you to mail cash, and you should not use Western Union, MoneyGram or other Instant Cash Transfer methods to pay for eBay purchases.

Remember that if you have any questions about the listing, you should contact the seller using the “Ask seller a question” link.

Other actions

In addition to bidding on or buying an item (see D below), there are other actions (see E below) you can do: 

• Watch an item – Sometimes you are interested in an item, but are not ready to bid on or buy that item right away. When you click the Watch this item button, the listing is “bookmarked” and is saved to your Item’s I’m Watching list in My eBay. Saving an item to a watch list saves you time because you don’t have to re-enter the same information again and again to check on the status of the listing. You can manage your watched items in My eBay. For more information, see Managing Buying with My eBay.

• Add alerts – You can set notification preferences and eBay can alert you about them, such as a watched item listing ending or when you have been outbid on an item. You can receive alerts using text messaging (SMS) or instant messaging (IM). For more information, see Adding Alerts.

• Email the listing – If you want to send a message with a summary of the listing information to someone, for example, an item description for items they collect, click the “Email to a friend” link near the top of the listing.

• Report the listing – If you want to report a listing that you believe to be in violation of eBay rules and policies, such as listing a prohibited item, click the “Report this item” link located at the bottom of the listing. For more information, see Rules for Sellers Overview.

• Print the listing – To print the listing for yourself or others, scroll down to the bottom of the listing and click the “Printer Version “ link. A new window appears: use your browser’s print capabilities to print the listing.

• Sell one like this – If you want to start your own listing, you can click the “Sell one like this” link. The Create Your Listing form will start out in the same category as the item page you were viewing.