Honestly, I started shooting with disposable cameras. My teachers always said you have to learn how to compose pictures without camera help before moving up in equipment quality. Having a higher quality camera wont help if you dont learn the basics first. That said, the very first SLR camera I got was the Nikon D40x, which I liked. Also, its important to try the cameras out before you buy them to make sure they fit comfortably in your hand. 1000 just on the body of his camera and ended up returning it because it was uncomfortable to hold. For ebay then you would likely be taking pictures fairly closeup and indoors. Finally, youll need something that will produce vibrant and correct colours indoors, so you need one with a good white balance indoors as well. 200 on the camera alone. Trust me it is well worth it.

Visit a proper camera store where you can try them out. Expect to have over 30 models to pick from as well as knowledgeable sales staff. Ask them about the types of image stabilization. There are 3, digital, lens shift, and CCD shift. Every camera has digital, whether they advertise it or not. Youll also need a good white balance.

White balance is how the camera interprets colour and varies depending on the type of light there is. The image on the screen should look natural when you try it out, not yellowish, greenish, or blueish. If it doesnt do good colour, you can still set it manually in the camera or tell it the type of light present. Even better, bring something vibrant and colourful with you and take a photo of it.

Nikon tends to be what you would normally see, and Canon varies a little.

Finally, you need a good macro mode. Youll use it for closeups a lot. Bring a piece of graph paper with out, take a picture and see if the lines are still straight and clear for the most part. Beware if the lines curve or become very blurry at the edges. Panasonic, Canon and Nikon usually have good lenses for this. So, now that you know what you need, heres a few I recommend. 200 and is the lowest price camera I recommend. Prices and availability will vary depending on region. Panasonic TZ5 Panasonic FS3 Panasonic LZ18 Panasonic LX2 Nikon S600 Nikon S550 Nikon P5000 Canon SD1100 Canon G9 Just a note on the cameras above.

Since you never told us what else you would use it for, budget, or the type of camera you prefer, I just listed some general options which are compact. Ask the camera store to show you what they have that would work too. Just make sure you try them out before buying. Oh and some eBay picture taking tips. Try to take the photos with natural light. Natural light brings out all the colours in whatever it is you have.

You can host the larger images somewhere else, instead of paying all the obscene ebay picture prices. If the camera you get has an eBay mode, dont bother, just regular mode with MAcro works better.