Challenge 2: eBay – What to do

Your second challenge is to buy the most surprising thing you can find on eBay.

What you need to do:
1. Set up your eBay account. This account setup asks for quite a bit of personal data. address, dob etc. We advise you use your real data. But make sure that when it comes to choosing you seller name you use your online identity, or a slight varient. Even if you already have an eBay ID, set up a new account (so that everyone is on an equal footing in terms of reviews).

As part of the signing up process, we’d recommend that you set up a PayPal account, as this is the preferred method for buying payment eBay. The best account for you to choose is a personal one (the default is business) and don't worry about getting the account verified for this challenge, you can always do this later.

2. Search eBay for the most surprising item Keep a record of your purchase, so that you can claim the money back on expenses. Your budget is £15, which needs to cover postage & packaging costs. Remember bidding can take a few days, so get hunting earlier rather than later.


3. Write a post about eBay, on your experience of finding your object and buying it. Themes that you could cover include:

• How trust is created and eroded
  
• The depth & breadth of the eBay community
• Factors for good customer service

You should also include the cost of your item and a photo of it. If you want to score bonus points also include a picture of how the package arrived before you opened it.

4. Task completion
When: Midday, Monday 12th March
How:

• Email game.master@cyber-chase.co.uk (cc’ing Bethan) to notify that you have successfully bid for your item, with the amount spent and the sellers picture of the item.
• Hand in your item to Bethan so that we can put together a public display (this should mean that you have placed a successful bid by Wednesday 7th March, to allow for time for the item to be sent to you. However, this will vary depending on the seller).

5. Judging
The scores will be based on:
Public vote: the most unusual item
Judging panel: the quality of the post
Bonus points: the most individualistic or amateur postal packaging

6. The prize
Will be revealed at our next seminar, as it's dependent on what you buy.

Good luck!