eBay Glossary and Guide
to Common Abbreviations

Here is a glossary of common terms and abbreviations you often see on eBay and in emails between users. I have also included some common wholesale terms and a few common internet terms.

The individual terms and definitions are obviously not copyrighted, but the entire document is. You may share this or give it away for free, but you may not sell it.

Active User: An eBay member who has bought or sold merchandise at least once in the last twelve months.

ADDY: An abbreviated term for e-mail address.

Adwords: Google’s term for pay-per-click advertising.

AG: An abbreviation for the term about good, used to describe the condition of an item.

a.k.a.: An abbreviation for also known as.

A/O: An abbreviation for all original, an auction term used to describe the condition of an item. All original is best used in the auction title to save space.

as is: A term identifying auction items that are sold without warranties as to the condition of the property. Items sold without warranties may be damaged or have missing parts. See also caveat emptor.

ASAP: An abbreviation for as soon as possible.

average selling price (ASP): The average price at which an item sells, or the average price of all items sold by a particular eBay seller in a given period. When calculating ASP, only count items that have actually been paid for; do not count sales to nonpaying bidders.

ATM: An abbreviation for at the moment.

auction: The standard selling format on eBay. A seller offers one or more items at a set starting price; buyers then visit the listing and bid on the item during an established period of time. When the auction ends, the high bidder (or bidders) buys the item from the seller at the winning bid.

bid increment: The amount by which you must increase your bid over the current high bid in order to win an item at auction. The bid increment is established by the current bid price.

bid rigging: The unlawful practice whereby two or more people agree not to bid against one another to deflate an item’s value.

Buy It Now (BIN): The BIN option allows a seller to set a purchase price that, when selected by a bidder, ends an auction immediately and sells the item on the spot.

BIN Rate: The percentage of items sold with BIN or any fixed-price format.

B&W: An abbreviation for black and white.

BC: An abbreviation for back cover.

BTW: An abbreviation for by the way.

blocked bidders: A seller’s list of specific eBay members who are prohibited from participating in that seller’s auctions.

calculated shipping: A seller’s option that posts a shipping calculator in an auction description. When buyers enter their zip codes, the calculator estimates applicable shipping costs.

Caveat Emptor : A Latin term for “Let the buyer beware;” also a legal maxim stating that the buyer takes all the risk in a transaction.

COA: An abbreviation for Certificate of Authenticity; a legal guarantee that an item is genuine (usually certified by an expert).

CONUS: An acronym for the continental United States (not including Alaska and Hawaii).

Collusion: (See shilling)

consignment selling: An arrangement in which one sells merchandise on eBay on behalf of the item’s owner, and in turn receives a commission for his or her efforts should the item sell. See Trading Assistant

conversion rate (CR): The percentage of auctions closed successfully (i.e. with items sold) out of the total auctions listed.

DBA: An abbreviation for the term doing business as. This is the legal term for using a business name instead of your real name. For example, you incorporate as John Jones, Inc. but the name you do business as is The Sell More Company.

deadbeat bidder (DBB): A winning bidder who fails to complete a transaction.

dingbat bidder: A bidder who doesn’t yet understand how eBay works; known to send e-mails with basic questions such as “What does new with tag mean?”

Dispute Console: The eBay service that allows members to report and track all transaction problems. For instance, sellers can report the auction winners who have neglected to pay for their items, and buyers can report the sellers who have failed to ship the items they’ve purchased.

DNR: A listing that starts at $1 with no reserve (Dollar no reserve)

DOA: An abbreviation for dead on arrival; a term used when the item you just purchased doesn’t function properly upon receipt.

drop-shipping: A business model in which a seller hires a wholesale vendor to ship products directly to the seller’s customers. With drop shipping, the seller lists the item on eBay at a price that is higher than the drop shipper’s wholesale price. Once a sale is made, the seller collects the payment and shipping fee from the buyer, and then sends a payment to the drop shipper, who in turn ships the item directly to the seller’s customer.

DSL: An abbreviation for digital subscriber line; a high-speed Internet connection through a special phone line.

Dutch auction: An auction format for selling multiple quantities of identical items in one auction. Bidders indicate the number of items they want to buy while placing their bids. Naturally, the highest bidders win; but the final price is determined by the lowest bid among all the winning bidders. For example: if ten belts are selling at a Dutch auction and the top ten bids range from three dollars all the way up to twelve dollars, the ten winning bidders pay the lowest successful bid price—in this case, three dollars per belt

eBay Store: An individualized “mini” Web site on eBay where sellers can market their products to eBay members at fixed prices. Sellers list their merchandise in an eBay Store for varying periods of time—from 30 to 120 days, with an option to renew the listing when time is up.

emoticon: A specific group of characters used to form facial expressions in e-mails. For example, :-) is a smiley face.

escrow: A buyer’s deposit or fund entrusted to a third-party that will hold the payment until the seller makes delivery of merchandise to the buyer.

FAQ: An abbreviation for frequently asked questions; a list of common questions and their answers made readily accessible for new and inquiring users.

feedback (FB): Short comments posted by parties in an eBay transaction regarding their satisfaction with the sale. A feedback comment becomes a permanent part of a member’s reputation and is public viewing for the eBay community.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP): A method of exchanging files over the Internet.

Final Value (FV): An item’s final selling price without shipping costs.

Final Value Fee (FVF): The eBay seller’s fee upon making a successful sale.

Fixed Price listing: An item for sale at a Buy It Now price. There is no bidding with a Fixed Price listing; buyers can purchase items immediately at the set price.

flame: A series of angry e-mails or posts to a message board.

Free On Board (FOB): A term indicating that goods will be placed onto shipping transport without a loading fee. The FOB location is the point at which the buyer obtains ownership of goods while they are in transit and, consequently, when the buyer becomes responsible for shipping charges. For example: If I quote a price for a pallet of goods as “FOB Trenton, NJ,” the buyer’s total price includes the cost of freight from Trenton to the delivery location.

Gently Used: A term indicating that an item was previously owned, but shows little wear.

gross merchandise sales (GMS): The total dollar value of your sales over a specified period of time.

HP: An abbreviation for home page.

HTML: An abbreviation for hypertext markup language.

hyperlink: A clickable photo or line of text on a Web page that takes you to another page on the Internet.

IE: An abbreviation for Internet Explorer.

IMHO: An acronym for the phrase in my humble opinion.

IMO: An acronym for the phrase in my opinion.

internet service provider (ISP): A business or organization that offers users access to the Internet and related services. Well-known ISPs include Earthlink, AOL, MSN. and some telephone companies. Sometimes called Internet access providers.

JPEG: An acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group; the preferred file format for pictures on eBay (pronounced JAY-peg).

keyword spamming: The practice of putting popular keywords in your auction title and description that are designed to get clicks on your auction but where you don't really have these items for sale. Also used is someone is selling a knockoff of a brand name item. For example, if you were selling knockoff Guccci sunglasses and your title had the word Gucci in it, that would be keyword spamming and eBay will cancel your auction. Do it three times in a 90 days period and eBay will suspend your account.

link: See hyperlink.

LOL: Laughing out loud (sometimes seen as ROFL, for rolling on the floor laughing); this abbreviation is used frequently in e-mails to and from buyers and in posts on the eBay message boards.

lot or lots: Similar items sold in bulk quantities. Lots are normally sold at discount or wholesale prices.

LTD: An abbreviation for limited edition.

Mint: An item that has never been used and is in perfect condition.

MIB: An abbreviation for mint in box.

MIMB: An Abbreviation for mint in mint box.

MIMP: An abbreviation for mint in mint package.

MIP: An abbreviation for mint in package.

MNB: An abbreviation for mint no box.

MOC: An abbreviation for mint on card.

My eBay: An eBay page that displays your ongoing auctions, their status, and your auction history.

NARU: An acronym for not a registered user (a suspended user).

NBW: An acronym for never been worn.

NC: An abbreviation for no cover -- a book missing its dust

newbie: A term for someone who is new to eBay.

NM: An abbreviation for near mint. (This is a very subjective term.)

NPB: An abbreviation for nonpaying bidder. (See also deadbeat bidder.)

NR: An abbreviation for no reserve; used frequently in auction titles to indicate there is no reserve price for the item being auctioned.

NRFB: An abbreviation for never removed from box.

NWT: An abbreviation for new with tag.

OEM: An abbreviation for original equipment manufacturer.

OOP: An abbreviation for out of print.

PayPal: The payment service owned by eBay; more than 75 percent of eBay users are registered with PayPal, and it is the only payment service that is integrated with the eBay checkout system.

PayPal Verified buyer: A buyer that has confirmed his or her address and account information though PayPal. This status qualifies a user for the PayPal fraud protection plan.

Phishing: A spoof Web site, typically made to look like a well-known branded site (such as eBay or PayPal), but with a slightly different URL. In a typical scenario, you receive a counterfeit e-mail that appears to come from eBay, PayPal, or your bank, and contains a link leading you to its fake Web site. This tactic is used to deceive online shoppers into disclosing their credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords, and other personal information.

PM: An abbreviation for Priority Mail.

PPC: An abbreviation for pay per click. An advertising service whereby you pay for each click delivered to your website or your eBay store listing. eBay offers a PPC service on their site.

Primail: An abbreviated term for Priority Mail.

private auction: An auction in which neither the buyers’ nor the seller’s identities are disclosed.

proxy bidding: eBay’s bidding system. A bidder enters the maximum amount he or she is willing to spend on an item. The auction begins at a low starting price and, as it continues, eBay automatically increases the high bid in set increments, until the bidder emerges as the winner or until his or her maximum price is reached.

relisting: The process of listing an unsold item again.

Reserve Price Auction (RPA):An auction in which the seller sets a minimum acceptable price. Sellers sometimes disclose the reserve price to prospective bidders.

Reserve Price: The minimum price a seller is willing to accept for an auction item.

Reserve Not Met: An auction term that means no bid is high enough to match the seller’s minimum acceptable price. .

retaliatory feedback: Negative comments posted by an eBay member in response to another member’s negative feedback. The term is also used when a nonpaying bidder posts feedback in reaction to a seller’s complaints to eBay.

RMA: An abbreviation for Return Merchandise Authorization; a seller’s authorization of a product return. Many sellers require buyers to e-mail them first and get an RMA before returning an item for a refund.

RSVP: An abbreviation for the French term répondez s'il vous plaît (please reply).

Second Chance Offer (SCO): An option that allows sellers to offer identical items to losing bidders after an auction ends—either because the winning bidder was unable to complete the transaction or because the seller has more than one of a particular item for sale.

Seller Central: An area of the site map featuring valuable resources for sellers—from advice on effective selling strategies, promoting your merchandise, and shipping options, to eBay news and updates, to tips on category trends and marketplace research.

shilling: A practice in which a seller conspires with another eBay member to place phony bids that will artificially inflate the price of an item. See also bid rigging or collusion.

SIG: An abbreviated term for signature.

siphoning: The practice of a third party contacting bidders and offering them the same item they are currently bidding on in a ongoing auction—thus drawing bidders away from the legitimate seller’s auction.

site map: A Web page that presents a visual and organizational guide to all features on an entire Web site. The eBay site map offers links to all resources and tools available on eBay.

SKU: An abbreviation for stock keeping unit; a numerical identifier used to distinguish individual items in an inventory. Most auction management systems, including eBay’s Turbo Lister, have a field for SKU.

snail mail: A slang term for ordinary mail delivered via the U.S. Postal Service.

sniping: The practice of bidding in an auction at the last possible moment so that others don’t have the opportunity to place a higher bid. Several companies actually make automated software that will snipe for you if you are not on the computer during the final minutes of an auction.

spam: Unwanted e-mail with a commercial intent; On eBay spam is spammers sending unsolicited e-mail to bidders in auctions with which they have no involvement. eBay will suspend your account for doing this.

spoofs: See Phishing.

TM: An abbreviation for trademark

Trading Assistant (TA): An experienced eBay seller who meets eBay requirements and will sell another person’s items on eBay for a fee or commission. See also consignment selling.

unwanted bid: A bid that does not meet the seller’s terms stated in the auction. For example: A seller states in his or her auction that the item will only ship to U.S. locations; however, the bidder is located overseas. In this situation, the eBay seller may cancel the bid.

UPS: An abbreviation for United Parcel Service.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL): The address that identifies a Web site on the Internet. The URL comprises the protocol of the resource (e.g. http://), followed by the domain name (e.g. www.skipmcgrath.com) and the specific file reference (e.g. /ebaynews/).

USPS: An abbreviation for United States Postal Service.

VeRO: An acronym for eBay’s Verified Rights Owner program, which enforces copyright and trademark laws within the eBay marketplace. If you sell counterfeit goods on eBay, the rights owner can file a VeRO complaint and have your auctions shut down.

VHTF: An abbreviation for very hard to find.

Wholesale: The concept of purchasing a quantity of goods at discount for the purpose of reselling at a (hopefully) higher price.

Winning Bidder Notification (WBN): Notification sent to the winning bidder at the end of an auction. The e-mail may be sent by eBay, PayPal, a seller, or a seller’s auction management system. The WBN typically tells the buyer the final value of the item he has won and the shipping cost, and either includes instructions or provides a link to a payment page.

WYSIWYG: An acronym for What You See Is What You Get; a program that displays what your final HTML page will look like while you’re creating it. eBay and other auction management services provide WYSIWYG HTML editors to help sellers create their auction listings.

Yahoo! Shops (or Yahoo! Stores): A shopping portal operated by Yahoo! (not to be confused with Yahoo! Auctions).