GUNG-HO EBAY.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

Wearing a polo shirt embroidered with her eBay user name, "it-girls," Valerie Sharr popped up from her chair to start the first meeting of 2006 for the Oregon Region eBay Sellers Group.

"First, happy new year," Sharr said to about 12 members of the group she started three years ago. "I hope you all had a resolution to welcome change with ease and a smile."

The eBay site is constantly changing. That's partly why Sharr, who lives in Creswell, started the group of like-minded individuals who share information and support each other. They meet the second Tuesday of each month at the Emerald People's Utility District, often with invited guests offering free appraisals, sharing tips in digital photography or giving eBay-related tax information.

Sharr said there are 187 members from all over Oregon, of whom about 30 will be present at any meeting. The only requirement for membership is to be an Oregon resident who has sold at least one item on eBay.

"There's always something new to learn," said Michael Boland, who sells recreational vehicles and die-cast vehicles online. "These are experienced sellers. It's fun to come in and listen to their stories."

Group members commiserate over eBay minutia such as unreasonable "negs' - negative reviews - or the hassle of international shipping.

Shipping to other countries - even nearby Canada - can be a challenge. Canadian customs often holds goods for weeks or months, putting sellers at risk of receiving the dreaded negative reviews from buyers.

"(The group) is kind of a good place to come together with people who are dealing with the same stuff," member Mike O'Neil said.

Sharr has similar feelings after getting involved in eBay, first as a buyer of Cabbage Patch Kids in 1999 and later as a full-time business. She now sells commercial clothes hangers there and has quit her job as a travel agent, with eBay as her main source of income. "I found many facets of my life revolving around eBay," she wrote in an article that appeared in an eBay newsletter. "My thoughts were eBay related, my computers were on all the time, and it was very difficult for me to hold a conversation in `the real world' without talking eBay.'

It occurred to her that eBay retailers could network their businesses the way she networked as a travel agent.

"I am so pro-community that I wanted to bring it somewhere to a local level," she said. "When I talk to my husband about eBay, his eyes glaze over. He has no interest."

She started with a list of Oregon users that eBay provided. Some were onboard instantly and became regulars at the meetings and, later, on the group's private online forum. Others, some of whom have since joined the group, said they didn't want to give away their secrets.

"They think they learned it all the hard way and everyone else should, too," Sharr said.

DeLise Dirks said she and her husband, Cal, were so successful on eBay that they opened their own store in Veneta because their inventory had taken over their home. Dirks said her eBay store had $300,000 in sales last year.

Dirks said she isn't worried about sharing information. "The more people are successful, the more it helps everyone," she said.

Dirks and her husband sell everything from soap-making supplies to Department of Transportation tape through their username saving*grace* supply*llc. They plan to start offering eBay how-to classes soon at their store, Saving Grace Supply, on Territorial Road.

Dirks and others said they benefit from the knowledge shared during meetings, but also from the social support.

"It's nice to have the sounding board for other people experiencing the same types of frustrations," she said. "When eBay does change and upgrade, it's nice to have someone to say, `Is anyone having this problem?' '

BEST TIPS

Oregon Regional eBay Sellers group offers these hints.

(To join, e-mail GroupEbay@ aol.com.)

Read the rules before you put your first item online.

Make sure descriptions in listings are informative, truthful and include any flaws or other pertinent details.

Research your products. Different categories may bring higher prices.

Post cropped, uncluttered photographs.

Let buyers know when you receive payment and when you are shipping. Give potential buyers your name and phone number. Respond as soon as possible.

Put delivery confirmation or tracking on all packages.

Use eBay's "Selling Manager" tool to facilitate communication with buyers and save time.

Print shipping labels through PayPal.

CAPTION(S):

Valerie Sharr leads a discussion at a monthly meeting of online entrepreneurs who get together to "talk eBay." Members say they appreciate having a sounding board for many of the issues they face.