The first step toward understanding eBay is to register on the site. It costs nothing and is no more complicated than selecting a User ID and a password. Your user ID is similar to the bidder number that you would be given at a traditional auction. All of your transactions will be linked to this ID. Once your account is established – it takes only minutes – you can watch auctions, bid on items and list them for sale. EBay even gives you a handy page called "My EBay" that helps you keep track of it all.

FINDING YOUR GEAR

The easiest way to wade in is to simply go shopping. On eBay, that means searching for the gear you want, and there are several ways to approach it. The easiest way is to click on the search box and type in a description. If you are looking for Blue Seas marine electrical components, you will likely find some when you do a search on "Blue Seas." However, you will also find that there are many other items that fit the "Blue Seas" criteria, from baby clothes to jewelry.

eBayeBay tracks the most popular searches within a category. Here are the top 10 boat searches on June 29.Try and keep your searches specific, and relax the description particulars as necessary to find what you want. My regular queries range from a general look at anything that contains the word "sailboat" to searches focused on specific components, specific manufactures or even specific model numbers.

Like any web-based search, spelling is important on eBay –misspellings can be a way to find bargains. For example, most people know how to spell "Hobie Cat." If you were looking for parts or accessories, "Hobie" would be your search word. However, a few extra searches might yield items spelled "Hobby Cat," "Hoby Kat," and "Hobbie Kat." The misspellings make these items easy to miss. So, while the average person is bidding on properly-spelled items, items spelled wrong can sometimes be had for much less, because there is less competition.

One nice feature is that eBay allows you to save searches, and will notify you via email when items that match your description arrive on the site. This can be a powerful tool, because it allows you to troll for bargains with very little effort. Say, for example, you were looking for a Raymarine C-80 navigation display. You could setup a search and eBay will notify you when buyers list the item.

You can then track the action on the C-80 by selecting the "Watch This Item" button, which will squirrel away the page in your "My EBay" section for later reference. Watching items has many advantages. It puts you in a position to bid, but it can also be a way to get acquainted with the street price of equipment. If you watch three C-80 units sell for between $900 and $950, you'll know bargains – and inflated prices – when you see them.

EVERYTHING IS AVAILABLE

Whatever your technique, it won't take you long to find many things you need and want – perhaps too many. Don't be surprised if you lose entire nights looking at pages of navigation electronics or night vision binoculars. You'll quickly notice there are differences between sellers. Some are individuals emptying the garage. Others are businesses using eBay to extend their reach beyond the local store. There are also differences in price. The same items in roughly the same condition can carry substantially different price tags, and just because an item is listed on eBay doesn't mean it is a bargain.eBayHere's what a hot auction looks like: 18 bids with 8 hours and 23 minutes left.

Another thing you may come across is large collections of items known as "lots." Often, a seller will have many items that are not worth the time to list for sale individually. Instead, they will sell them in a lot, meaning the winning bid gets the entire trove. Hand tools, CDs and DVDs are often sold this way. Lots are usually a mixed bag, with useful items scattered in a sea of broken, worn or outmoded stuff. But they sometimes yield bargains, because buyers are scared off by the junk. The key is to find lots that contain a few gems – gems worth more than the purchase price – and to get comfortable with the idea that the rest of your new purchase will go into the donation bin or the trash.

With all that enticing gear floating around out there, there are a couple of mistakes that new eBayers tend to make. One is buying something you don't need, just because it is cheap. That's a quick way to clutter your boat and your garage (trust me when I say I know this first-hand). Another mistake is assuming your particular need is too specialized or too obscure, and will therefore never be found.