GRAY – Michael Mills loves to see a good bidding war when two people try to buy something on eBay.

Especially when it’s down to the wire.

Mills has been buying and selling on eBay for more than four years, and it materialized into a full-time job. He’s also been certified as an authorized education specialist, one of four in the state, periodically teaching courses on buying and selling.

He offers three courses, the Basics of Selling, the Basics of Buying and Basics of Selling: The Next Step through adult education programs at Gorham, Bonny Eagle in Standish and Poland. His classes are listed on the eBay University Web site.

Teaching is only a small part of what he does. He sells items for others, collecting a premium, and resells items he picks up at low prices elsewhere.

He used to buy for others, too, he said, but doesn’t do as much of that anymore because people aren’t as worried about identity theft.

In his courses, he teaches how to get the most money out of items, how to avoid identity theft, how to include digital photos and how to package and ship items.

Some people take the course to learn how to make money, Mills said. Others are looking for an alternative to a yard sale.

“Everyone has this dream of being able to find a gem in their attic,” Mills said.

Mills teaches “The Seven Deadly Sins of eBay” – absolute must-nots of selling.

The first, he said, is not taking PayPal, a Web service that processes credit cards. This is one step that helps people avoid identity theft.

“PayPal works so slick,” Mills said. “There is so much protection… not only for the seller, but for the buyer.”

The next two involve how the item is displayed.

Having enough information in the description is a must, Mills said. Also, one should include multiple, high quality photos of the item.

He said there’s one seller in Vermont who sells maple syrup. The item description takes viewers to browse around his land, showing how the syrup is made.

“To get good bids, you’ve got to have a detail-rich description,” he said.

A seller should then be readily available via e-mail to answer bidders’ questions, especially on big ticket items. Casual sellers should check at least once a day, but Mills said he monitors his constantly.

The fifth deadly sin Mills dubs the “Marine Corps drill sergeant terms of service.”

Many ads will boast in large letters, “all sales are final,” or “no returns.”

Mills said he maintains a “no cause return policy.”

“You need to maintain a polite, friendly demeanor,” Mills said. “Some people – they forget there’s another human being on the other side of that screen.”

Then, Mills said, sellers should keep starting bids low, and let the bidding drive them up. He said he prices items by what similar ones sold for over the last 30 days.

Finally, Mills said, one must make sure they package items correctly, so they won’t break, and send them out immediately.

Mills works out of a home office, which spills out into the hallway and into the living room. He’s in the process of moving into his daughters’ old playroom.

Anyone interested in contacting Mills may phone him at 657-2580 or e-mail him at [email protected].