2bid eBay Bid Bot is a free Twitter service that allows you to use eBay via Twitter.

With 2bid you can:

* Check current eBay item details
* Place bids and purchase items
* Get reminded before auctions end
* and more...

If you have any questions or comments, please email me. My name is Ty. I'm here to help.

2bid Basics

To use 2bid you must first follow @2bid on Twitter. Here's how:

Command: follow 2bid

@2bid will automatically refollow you. Fair is fair, right?

You should also authorize 2bid on eBay. This allows you to place bids, purchase items, and receive your auction details via 2bid.
Once you follow @2bid, you receive a direct message with a link to authorize 2bid:

If you do not receive this message, please use the login command.

All communication with 2bid is done via Twitter direct messaging.
You send direct message commands to @2bid and receive instant responses.
There are two ways to send direct messages to @2bid:

1) Prefix your command with "d 2bid" and send from any Twitter update box:

2) From direct message screen, choose 2bid from drop-down box and enter your command:

2bid can be used with all Twitter software for mobile phones, desktop computers, and more.
Please email me if you need assistance.

Check eBay item details

A basic feature of 2bid is looking up details of eBay items.
Simply direct message an eBay item ID to @2bid to receive current item details:

Command: d 2bid <eBay item ID>

You receive:

Let me explain the response format using the example above:

Shortcut (see below)	!1
Title	NEW Apple iPod classic 6th Generation Black 160 GB MP3
Current price	$129.88
Minimum bid	Min bid: $132.38
High bidder	g**i
Number of bids	18 bids
Time left	6h 44m
Link to eBay item	http://bit.ly/ledFc

Different auction types and conditions slightly change this format. See more examples.

You can request details for multiple auctions with a single command. Simply list eBay item IDs separated by a space:

Command: d 2bid <eBay item ID 1, eBay item ID 2, ...>

This command generates three separate direct messages, one with each auction's details.

Shortcuts

Twitter is about brevity. Typing long eBay item IDs is far from brief.
Shortcuts begin with an exclamation point (!) followed by a few numbers or characters (or underscores or dashes, case-insensitive).
2bid automatically generates a new shortcut when you use a new eBay item ID.
Shortcuts are interchangeable with eBay item IDs in all 2bid commands.
In the example above, eBay item 260424824959 was assigned shortcut !1. We can now use !1 in place of 260424824959 to retrieve item details:

Command: d 2bid <shortcut>

You again receive:

Since shortcuts are the same as item IDs, you can request multiple item details with shortcuts in a single command. Simply list shortcuts separated by a space:

Command: d 2bid <shortcut 1, shortcut 2, ...>

You can even mix shortcuts and eBay item IDs:

Command: d 2bid <shortcut 1, shortcut 2, ..., eBay item ID 1, ebay item ID 2, ...>

This command also generates three separate direct messages.

Adding and changing shortcuts

2bids assigns new shortcuts in sequence (!1, !2, !3). Short but boring. You can create your own meaningful shortcuts.
To assign a new shortcut, enter a plus sign (+) before a new shortcut followed by an eBay item ID:

Command: d 2bid +<shortcut> <eBay item ID>

You receive item details for your new shortcut:

Your new shortcut can now be used to lookup this auction.
You can also create new shortcuts with old shortcuts:

Command: d 2bid +<shortcut> <shortcut>

Note: 2bid does not warn or prevent you from overwriting old shortcuts.

Bidding on eBay Auctions

First a bit about currency on eBay...
If you regularly bid on or purchase items from sellers outside your eBay home country, please see these examples of how prices are displayed in 2bid.

The most powerful feature of 2bid is the ability to bid on and purchase eBay items via Twitter.
You must authorize 2bid to use this feature.

To bid on an eBay auction, use the following command:

Command: d 2bid bid <eBay item ID> <bid price>

You can of course also use a shortcut:

Command: d 2bid bid <shortcut> <bid price>

Important: Bids are placed in the currency of the minimum bid shown in item details. If no minimum bid is indicated, currency of the current price is used. Do not include currency symbols. Bid amounts follow the currency formatting of your home eBay (e.g., 10.20 for US, 10,20 for Europe & others).

If all goes well, you receive a confirmation message:

Read this message carefully! It shows the amount and currency of the bid you are about to place.
If the price is correct, send the command specified in the message to complete your bid:

Command: d 2bid confirm <confirmation code>

The response is the eBay item details reflecting the changes directly after your bid is placed:

If you are the current highest bidder, the bidder field displays "WINNING!". Otherwise, the new current price and/or minimum bid is displayed.

Skipping confirmation

Since bidding is competitive and time-sensitive, you may choose to skip the confirmation step and place you bid directly.
Simply append "now" to the end of your bid command to directly place your bid:

Command: d 2bid bid <eBay item ID/shortcut> <bid price> now

Warning: Be careful when making direct bids. There is no safety net, and your bid is final.

Purchasing / Buy It Now

Purchasing fixed-priced items or eBay auction via Buy It Now is similar to bidding:

Command: d 2bid bin <eBay item ID/shortcut>

All purchases/BINs produce a confirmation message:

Read this message carefully! It shows the amount and currency of the purchase you are about to make.
If the price is correct, send the command specified in the message to complete your purchase:

Command: d 2bid confirm <confirmation code>

Your response is eBay item details updated directly after your purchase is completed, usually a closed (sold) item.

Alerts

2bid can send updated item details before auctions close.
Specify a number of minutes and 2bid sends eBay item details when this many minutes remain.
Setting an alert at 10-minutes remaining, looks like this:

Command: d 2bid alert <shortcut/eBay item ID> <alert time in minutes>

The response confirms the alert is set at the specified time:

When the item reaches the specified minute before close, updated eBay item details are sent:

Only one alert can be set per eBay item at a time. New alerts overwrite the current alerts.

Other commands

Authorize 2bid to use eBay (required for bidding, etc.):

Command: d 2bid login

Click the link in the response to begin the 2bid authorization process (takes only a couple minutes):

Unauthorize 2bid and clear all bids/purchases awaiting confirmation:

Command: d 2bid logout

Change your home eBay country (also clears bids/purchases awaiting confirmation):

Command: d 2bid country <country code>

Country choices are (use full name or abbreviation):

Australia (AU)
Austria (AT)
Belgium Dutch (BENL)
Belgium French (BEFR)
Canada (CA)
China (CH)
France (FR)
Germany (DE)
Hong Kong (HK)
India (IN)
Ireland (IE)
Italy (IT)
Malaysia (MY)
Netherlands (NL)
Philippines (PH)
Poland (PL)
Singapore (SG)
Spain (ES)
Switzerland (CH)
United Kingdom (GB or UK)
United States (US)