eBay Talk

Do you speak eBay’s language? Or, do you speak like an eBayer? There are eBay jargons that many people don’t understand still. Here I include a simple list of them. These buzzwords or acronyms can be useful to help draw in a potential buyer but remember to only use them if they are relevant. Many people on eBay are not experienced buyers and you will lose them if your listing is full of jargons, thus, avoid using it unless you really need to (for example, when you run out of space in an item’s title).

It’s good to be able to understand others’ jargon, so let’s learn.

The Buzzwords
Bid- offer an amount of money for something at an auction
Dutch- an auction where more than one of an item is available
Feedback- comments in the form of opinions about and reactions to other users on eBay
Mint- in perfect condition
Non-paying bidder- a bidder who wins an auction but does not then go on to buy the item
Reserve- the lowest price the seller will accept for the item
Shill bid- a fake bid placed a seller trying to drive up their auction's price
Snail mail- the postal mail, as distinct from the faster email
Sniping- bidding at the last second to win the item before anyone else can outbid you

The Acronyms
BIN- Buy It Now. A fixed price at which you can buy the auction
BNIB- Brand New In Box and never opened
BNWOT- Brand New WithOut Tags. An item that has never been used without its original tags
BNWT- Brand New With Tags. An item that has never been used and still has its original tags
BW- Black and White. Used for films, photos etc
CONUS- Continental United States (for sellers who don't want to ship items to Alaska/Hawaii)

FC- First Class. Type of postage
HTF- Hard To Find
LTD- Limited Edition
MIB- Mint In Box
NBW- Never Been Worn
NPB- Non-Paying Bidder
NR- No Reserve
OB- Original Box
OOP- Out Of Print
PM- Priority Mail
PP- Parcel Post
SH- Shipping and Handling
VGC- Very Good Condition. Not mint, but close
VHTF- Very Hard To Find

If you think the list isn't enough, and that you wanna learn more, you may refer to eBay Acronyms or eBay Glossary for detailed breakdown.