Now when you're waiting to find out if you've bought an item on auction at eBay, you can be out and about with your phone and receive text updates on the sale. E-mail updates have long existed, but the text option may be preferable if you don't have an Internet-enabled phone, you're already paying for flat-rate texting, or you just find it simpler to read a text than an e-mail on your device.

When you click on the link to receive notices via SMS (text message), you'll be asked to identify your carrier and then put in your phone number: There is a 25-cent fee for up to 10 notices per item. You can set whether you want to receive messages every time there is an alert or only between certain hours.

Once you sign up, eBay will send a text message asking you to reply to confirm your registration. A few more messages will arrive and then you can monitor your bids on the go. When you want to stop receiving the messages, you can simply text "STOP" or go to the Personal Information page within My Account on eBay. Under "Email and Contact Information" unsubscribe from the "Mobile phone number for SMS alerts" option.