eBay are running a promotion for SMS text alerts for September waiving the normal charge of 12p per message. You’ll be able to receive free alerts when watched items are about to end as well as place and raise bids on eBay auctions.
If you’ve not already subscribed for SMS alerts you’ll need to register for the text messaging service. When you add an item to your watched list, or place a bid, click the link to add text alerts and messages will be sent to your mobile when you need to take action. From then on to place or raise a bid simply reply to the alert message with the amount you’d like to bid along with the item number.
If you have a 3G Internet capable mobile phone you may prefer to browse to eBay rather than use text messaging. To access eBay simply browse to ebay.co.uk and you’ll be directed to the mobile eBay site. If you prefer you can switch to the classic view of eBay which is the same view you’ll be used to on your computer.
Although most modern mobiles now support 3G coverage can be patchy in certain areas of the country. Text messages are often more reliable and have the advantage of providing a timely prompt, rather than relying on memory to log on to eBay.
If you’re bidding on an eBay auction sign up for SMS alerts and try the service for free this month.
3 Responses
I’ve found browsing eBay in the past on the mobile web to be quite temperamental due to the relatively high bandwidth usage – the standard browser on an N95 tends to crash out if the page is over 750kb, which most My Summary pages seem to exceed.
I’ve installed Opera Mini on my N95 which downloads a low-res version of standard webpages, then enlarges each section as it is needed. The eBay summary pages takes about 20 seconds to download on a 2G network, or about 5 sec with a 3G signal. Most functionality is available, except for some flash parts such as the seller dashboard, and advanced search pop-ups that use Java.
But surely if a buyer places their first bid, they will be sat next to a PC and not need a text confirmation..? I can understand maybe for auto-proxy bids, or outbid notices though.
I’m wondering why a text service for sellers is not yet available though, rather than having to refresh browsers/email clients throughout the day, a text with the winning bid and payment received details would be nice!
#1 I’d say it’s more important for a buyer to be notified that they’ve been outbid and given the chance to place another bid than for a seller to receive a zillion text messages at 12p/time as their day’s listings end.
Just because a buyer is sat at their PC when they place their first bid doesn’t mean they’ll be there when they’re outbid at the last minute. Plus it’s great for people like me that add an item to their watched list buy don’t want to place a bid until the dying seconds of the auction. After all if you bid early it just encourages someone else to outbid you. Bid high and bid late is the best way to win at the lowest possible price, but forgetting to bid at all is my biggest downfall 😀
I don’t know many who use thier phone’s to check eBay. But if it’s free, maybe ppl will start?