Hi, a newbie at EK. I am flying my first EK flight soon from Shanghai via Dubai then from Dubai to London. Since I am connecting right away, I seem to be flying a long time.

Any thoughts on how to upgrade my seats to business? I see that need around 80k miles to upgrade for round trips. But since on the way back, I am staying a day in Dubai, I won't be suffering as much as on my way there.

Would one way upgrade be possible or even from Shanghai to Dubai route and is buying mileage (either from Skywards or from someone else) worth it? I see some ebay sort of listing selling upgrades but are they credible?

Thanks in advance.