Trading Assistants are experienced eBay sellers who sell other people's items for a fee.

If you want to sell items on eBay, but don't have the time, you can work with a Trading Assistant in your local area to do it for you. Benefits include:

• Save time and effort. The Trading Assistant handles every aspect of selling your item on eBay, from listing the item to shipping it to the buyer.

• Take advantage of selling expertise. All Trading Assistants have experience selling on eBay and are in good standing in the eBay Community. Many of them specialize in certain categories and know how to sell your type of item for maximum value.

• Make money. When your item sells, the Trading Assistant passes the profit on to you (after taking out fees).

If you are interested in becoming a Trading Assistant, learn more about the requirements, benefits, and how to sign up

Finding the right Trading Assistant

You can search in the Trading Assistant directory for Trading Assistants located near you. Once you've found some candidates, review their information carefully, including:

• Trading Assistant profile. Click on the Trading Assistant's user ID in the search results. You'll get information the Trading Assistant has provided about their specialties, fees, requirements, and other terms (such as drop-off schedule). Some Trading Assistants will sell in any of the thousands of item categories on eBay, while others have expertise in particular areas and prefer to sell only in those categories. Look for Trading Assistants who will sell the type of item you have.

• Member profile. Like all eBay members, Trading Assistants have a running record of feedback from people who have traded with them in the past. How the Trading Assistant has dealt with buyers and sellers is a good indication of the experience you'll have with them as a Trading Assistant. Within their Trading Assistant profile, click on the "Member profile" link to see this information. (All Trading Assistants in the directory have experience selling on eBay, a feedback score of at least 100, with at least 98% positive at all times.)

• Selling experience. Within the Trading Assistant's member profile, click on the "Items for Sale" link to see items they're currently selling, or click on item numbers to see items they've sold in the past. This will give you an idea of their approach to selling and indicate whether they have experience selling your type of item.

When you've narrowed down your list of candidates, contact them using the information provided in their Trading Assistant profile. Be sure to discuss any fees, terms and procedures in detail. For example, how and when unsold items are returned and how you will receive the money from sold items. You can also ask them to provide references from past clients.

Things you should know about Trading Assistants

The following key points will help you understand the role of Trading Assistants.

• Trading Assistants are neither employees nor independent contractors of eBay Inc. Each Trading Assistant runs his or her own independent business so you should apply the same standards in selecting a Trading Assistant as you would in hiring anyone to perform a service for you.

• eBay does have selling activity and feedback requirements for a seller to be listed in the Trading Assistants Directory, these requirements must be maintained.

• Some Trading Assistants choose to sell in certain categories or specialties and state this in their directory profile.

• A Registered eBay Drop off Location is a Trading Assistant that has a physical store location. Both will list your item on eBay.

• Expect a wide range of fees and services because each Trading Assistant and Registered eBay Drop off Location is responsible for setting their own fee structure.

• Trading Assistants are responsible for ensuring items listed on eBay are legal to sell and that the services they provide are legal.

• eBay has additional requirements for Trading Assistants that sell certain types of items including vehicles, real estate and charitable items.

For more information, see Trading Assistant Program Frequently Asked Questions

To discuss Trading Assistant issues, concerns and ideas with other Trading Assistants, visit the Trading Assistant Discussion Board