There are so many things to do online -- chat, surf the Web, read news articles, send e-mail, and shop.

Then there is eBay. Even if you've only been online for a few days, chances are you've heard of it.

eBay is truly a global marketplace, where individuals worldwide come together to buy and sell from one another. It is not uncommon to hear about eBay users in Japan buying items from users in the US, or users in Australia buying from others in France. Users on eBay represent over 150 different countries.

Currently, eBay has country-specific sites in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Australia.

Perhaps you already knew that eBay is an online auction that offers people from all over the world the chance to buy and sell thousands of items in every conceivable category -- art, games, autos, collectibles, furniture, and books.

You still may be saying: "So what's the big deal?'' One reason people are so excited about eBay is that it is one of the few dot-coms that is making money, because so many people use eBay. And why do so many people use eBay? Bidding is fun and you can easily find what you are looking for.

But I do not love to shop, so I did not care about eBay. Here's how I became an eBay buyer. My nephew went to visit a cousin who had a Sesame Street Fisher Price dollhouse with all the Sesame Street characters, like Cookie Monster and Big Bird. He had such fun playing with it, he said it was all he wanted for Christmas, but Fisher Price no longer makes this toy. My sister spent the rest of the summer searching second-hand stores without much luck. I said I would look on eBay.

On the first page, or home page, of the eBay site at www.ebay.com there is a search box which says, "What Are You Looking For?'' With little faith, I typed in, "Fisher Price Sesame Street toys'' and then clicked on "Find it''. In less than three seconds I received the following message: "78 items found for the search `Fisher Price Sesame Street toy'.'' And since some sellers list more than one toy as an item, the actual results were much higher. In three seconds I was able to find what hours of secondhand searching failed to yield. So this is what all the excitement is all about! Making a Bid At the very bottom of each item's full listing page, there is a bidding form. To the right of that form are great step-by-step instructions called "How To Bid''. They go like this: 1. Register if you haven't already.

I hadn't. I clicked on the hyperlink "Register''. It then took me about five minutes to fill out a simple form with basic information.

The user name of "michelle'' was already taken so the computer suggested several other options for me to consider. Very easy. After I had completed and submitted the form, I immediately received a confirmation via email from eBay, telling me I was ready to go.

2. Read feedback comments left by others about this seller.

If you click on the hyperlink "this seller'', you can read about the experiences of other buyers who have previously purchased items from this same seller.

3. Read payment and shipping terms, as well as the item description.

4. Contact the seller before you bid if you have any questions.

5. Make a bid! I went back to the five listings with items that fit my nephew's wish list.

After clicking on the first item, I scrolled down to the "Bidding'' section and was asked to enter my maximum bid. This amount is not necessarily what I will end up paying for the item, but is the maximum amount that I am willing to pay if the bidding steadily increases.

When you bid, you first specify the maximum amount you want to spend. That amount is kept. The eBay system will bid for you as the auction proceeds, bidding only enough to outbid other bidders. If someone outbids you, the system immediately ups your bid. This continues until someone exceeds your maximum bid, or the auction ends, and you are the auction winner. Setting a maximum bid is beneficial for two reasons. It eliminates the need for constant auction monitoring, because eBay will, if necessary, raise your bid for you, and it sets a limit so that the buyer doesn't go crazy in a moment of auction frenzy.

In a fiscally responsible manner, I entered a maximum bid amount in each of the five auctions. I quickly received email messages from eBay confirming my bids.

In a few days I received a series of e-mail messages from eBay.

Unfortunately, they all said: "Heads up! Another eBay user has outbid you on the following item.'' What? Someone else wanted a Sesame Street dollhouse and its little figures of Ernie and Bert enough to pay more than my maximum bid of $20? How dare this person outbid me? Suddenly, this was no longer an online auction, this was war. I was going to get those toys -- never mind fiscal responsibility. I frantically clicked on the link that eBay provides just in case I wanted to up my maximum bid. I did, and then upped it on the other three auctions where I had also been outbid.

To make a long and story short, the combination of the frenzy of the auction and love for my nephew caused me to send a user named "Silver-Star'' (a very nice woman who made the transaction quite pleasant) a money order in the amount of $83.10, for a Sesame Street dollhouse and five little Sesame Street figures. This eBay business can certainly become addictive.

How to Sell On eBay Who are these people who sell their treasures on eBay and what motivates them to participate? I asked "Silver Star'', the seller who sold me the Sesame Street dollhouse.

Silver-Star said: "I started as a bidder on eBay. I'm sure you noticed the feedback system, and since I (along with everyone else who is starting out) had zero feedback by my user ID, I decided to build up some positives (as they say) by buying some stuff first. I believe that all buyers are just a little nervous about sending money to someone who hadn't yet proven himself.

"After I reached my gold star, my husband decided he would sell part of his video collection. We started by putting one video up at a time, and from then on, we were hooked. It was so much fun to check the auction daily, and to actually receive money. Anyway, he kept selling his videos, and we told our family about eBay and our auctions. They live all over the US, so it was fun for them to see what we were doing. They watch the auctions and e-mail us.

"Then, I decided that I needed to clean out some boxes in the garage. I had things set aside to give to the Salvation Army, but my son saw all these give-aways and said that I should at least try to sell them on eBay. He tutored me in some basic HTML to spice up my ads. Well, I sold all sorts of stuff from my basement, and was truly amazed at what people were interested in (Cliff Notes, sheet music, you name it). I still give a lot of "junk'' away that I don't think anyone would possibly want to buy, or is just too difficult to list or ship.

"And then Garage Sale season started. I picked up items that I thought would be fun to sell. Every weekend I listed different auctions. My goal was not really to make money, but to at least get back what I paid for each item. I kept a spreadsheet to keep track of the paperwork. I just love watching my auctions, especially when there is the occasional `Gold Mine'. I bought all those Sesame Street toys for about $10 at a garage sale.'' "What do I get out of eBay? The sort of roll-the-dice excitement (almost like gambling) and the communication with people from all over the world. I never want to make eBaying a full time business, however. I think it would take all the fun out of it. I want to be able to list or not list, bid or not bid.'' That makes you want to clean out that messy closet, doesn't it? Ready to get started? It's very simple -- all you have to do is register, fill out a short form, and sit back and watch the auction action! eBay provides great resources to help you get started at http://pages.ebay.com/help/sellerguide/.

Am I disappointed to find out that I paid Silver-Star $80 for Sesame Street toys, which she originally picked up at a garage sale for $10? No. In my mind they are worth every penny that I paid. And therein lies the wonder of eBay.

The junk in your closet that means nothing to you may very well mean the world to a woman in Pittsburgh, a man in Paris, or even a couple in Portugal.

If you're looking for a needle in a haystack, chances are someone on eBay has that very needle.

Michelle Swartz's column appears on the first and third Wednesday of every month in The Royal Gazette's Personal Technology section. She can be reached at michelle qchristers.net Going, going . . . :The secret of eBay's success is simplicity.