One of the keys to success on eBay is to carry out thorough research on your market. There are numerous software programs and online tools to help you do this but recently the San Francisco Publishers No Starch press came out with a new print book that serious eBayers will find very useful.

The eBay Price Guide by Julia L Wilkinson covers every category on eBay.com and in its 570+ pages with examples of prices achieved for many thousands of articles. In each sun category around 15 items are listed showing the highest prices achieved and another 15 showing the average prices.

In addition to the prices there is a useful introduction to each category, which gives a useful overview of that category. And there is an interesting section at the end of the book containing lists of eBay facts. For instance the 6 most expensive things sold on eBay or the 50 sellers with the greatest number of feedbacks.

As someone whose main market is not ebay.com but eBay.co.uk I initially wondered how relevant the price information was going to be. But these days we live in a global market and these days it is not unusual for someone living in Germany or the UK to buy an item from eBay.au (Australia) and to resell it on eBay.com. The potential for this type of International trade is growing all the time. Also included with the book is a companion CD that contains a demo version of Hammer Taps Deep Analysis software program which is an essential tool for any serious eBay marketer.

Also on the CD is an e-booklet (and that is a new phrase on me) called The eBay Appetizer which describes how to get started on eBay as well as The Sellers Guide and The Auction Accelerator which contains lessons from some of the major Internet businesses coaches. These bonuses alone are worth the purchase price of the book

My one concern when I first saw this book was that the information would quickly become out of date. But the publishers have launched a web site at www.nostarch.com/ebaypg.htm in which they are going to add updates and other information. Currently if you go to this site you can view a sample chapter of the book and see a full list of the contents.

Compared to many of the eBay related items on offer at present the less than $30 price tag for The eBay Price Guide seems good value to me. If you are serious about your eBay business this is definitely an investment worth making.