eBay university sells top skills

eBay university was taking place at the University of Manchester

Wannabe tycoons were being schooled in the art of internet selling at "eBay university" in Manchester.

The auction site launched the service in the city to teach traders how to make their fortune online.

The firm says more than 10,000 of its 11.2m UK users make a significant part of their income by trading full time.

Spokesman Matt Pridle said the event was designed to "inform, educate, enthuse and empower" members of the eBay community in the city.

Top seller skills

Margaret Harding, from Manchester, now runs a full time business on the site just a year after starting to trade.

"Our business has grown phenomenally since we started trading on eBay and attending eBay University has been an integral part of that journey," she said.

"We found it an excellent way to learn simple but effective lessons from other traders and meet fellow friendly eBayers."

There were two courses on offer during the workshops at the University of Manchester on Saturday.

The first - beyond the basics - was aimed at anyone who wanted to improve their eBay selling, including marketing, scaling and managing sales.

The second - top seller university - targeted more experienced sellers and covered tax, VAT and business plans.