Do not Frighten Your Ebay Customers Away

Author: Dave Bromley

There can be very few people in the English Speaking world who have not heard about eBay. The online auction site has grown at a phenomenal rate since its launch ten years ago. It now provides an opportunity for millions of people around the world to buy and sell goods on the Internet. As a result hundreds of thousands of people rely on eBay as their main source of income.

However, for every person who has built up a successful business buying and selling on eBay there will be at least two others who have failed to make it. There can be several reasons for this and amongst the most common are using poor titles and giving an inadequate or insufficient descriptions for their items. Another common reason is the fact sellers set too high a starting or ""Buy It Now"" price.

There is one factor that can seriously affect your chances of being successful and that is by simply frightening would be buyers from making a bid. How would you feel if you saw something like:

""All bids are final, payment is expected within three days of the end of the auction. Failure to pay in time will lead to negative feedback.""

It is not uncommon to see such comments where the seller threatens negative feedback before anyone has made a bid.

This is hardly the way to start trying to build up a trusting relationship with your customers. You do not have to spend very much time searching eBay to find plenty of examples of this kind of threatening approach.

A further way to frighten off a potential buyer is something as simple as having the wrong User ID. I may seem very funny and a great idea to have an identity such as ""Slippery Trader"" or Rip U Off"" but what kind of impression of you do you think this will give. There are two money saving tactics that some sellers use that frighten away bidders. The first is to refuse to accept a Paypal payment, (to save their charges) or to sell at a low price but with high postage rates (to save on the listing fee). Most buyers these days prefer to use Paypal and by refusing to accept you will get considerably less bids than you might otherwise. Many eBay buyers feel very strongly about excessive postal charges and these will effect the number of bids your listing will receive. Another way of frightening bidder away is to reply aggressively to any e-mail questions sent by potential bidders or even worse not replying at all. Selling is all about communicating and creating a rapport one big issue both parties. This will not happen if your replies are rude or non-existent.

There was the instance of a seller in response to the question, ""What color is the item"", received the reply, ""Blue, it said so in the listing. What is wrong with you Dumbo, can't you read or something?"" Needless to say the sale was not made.

Finally, all transactions have to be based on mutual trust. There will be the odd occasion when this trust is misplaced but these are the exceptions rather than the rule. There are safeguards and procedures in place to protect both buyers and sellers.

By placing obstacles in the way of bidders you may ensure that you are never cheated or let down. Unfortunately it will also mean that you never realise the profits that you could be making on eBay.

About the author: Dave Bromley is a writer and full-time Internet Marketer who specialises in subjects relating to Online Auctions . His website

www.ukauctionline.co.uk contains hundreds of hints and tips about how to succeed on eBay

How To Use Feedback On Ebay

Author: Jason James

As an Internet savvy ebay business owner, you have undoubtedly had a friend or family member come to you at some point to ask whether or not it was okay to purchase from a certain Internet business. You might have found this humorous. As someone who regularly makes sales and payments online, you aren't even remotely afraid of being scammed. If something is a scam, you can spot it from a mile away.

However, to people who are considerably less experienced-- perhaps members of your family or your friends--this is a serious obstacle to shopping online regularly. They will probably think twice and consult a friend before buying anything.

This is why ebay's feedback system must be a crucial part of your strategy as an ebay seller: it gives people the unique opportunity to hear what ebay buyers had to say about your products and service.

If potential customers see anything sketchy, you can bet they will hit the 'back' button and shop somewhere else.

On the contrary, if they see dozens of positive responses from your customers, you will immediately gain their trust as a professional ebay seller.

Luckily for you, keeping your feedback record positive is relatively easy if you adhere to the following rules:

1. Avoid posting negative feedback at all costs.

If you encounter a negligent buyer, do everything in your power before leaving negative feedback. Most disputes on ebay revolve around miscommunication, so make an effort to resolve communicate clearly with the buyer. Even if they still wont respond positively, you are better off leaving no feedback at all than leaving negative feedback, which can prompt retaliatory negative feedback.

2. Create feedback rules (written or unwritten) and follow them consistently.

Many ebay sellers have a written feedback policy. They will only leave feedback after the buyer pays and leaves feedback. If a buyer knows upfront that he has to leave feedback to get feedback, he will be more likely to give you feedback after the transaction (provided he cares about his feedback rating).

Not only will this get you more responses, but it will give you more control over feedback. If the buyer gives you negative feedback, you can use your future feedback opportunity to bargain a withdrawal. Some ebay sellers use an unwritten policy. As soon as payment clears, they respond with positive feedback. When the customer sees positive feedback from the seller, they have a higher chance of posting positive feedback in response, even if they haven't received the item yet.

3. Communicate clearly with the buyer.

As I mentioned above, the majority of problems on ebay are caused by miscommunication. Make sure you create a consistent set of rules, post them with every auction, and follow them to the letter. If you have any problems with a customer, you can point to the rules. At the very worst, they can disagree with your policy; however, they cannot disagree that they entered into a contract with you with fair access to your policies.

In addition to using rules, you should also send follow-up emails after your auction ends. You should thank the buyer for purchasing from you and make sure he knows how to complete payment and when he can expect his item in the mail.

About the author: Jason James website 'The Auction Resource Network' reveals his inside secrets and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 a month on eBay.

Claim your FREE 'Top 10 eBay Selling Secrets' eBook: www.auctionresourcen etwork.com

Avoiding eBay Buying Pitfalls

Author: Nicky Pilkington

As with a real market, trading on eBay is not without its hassles and snags.

First of all, it should be duly noted that eBay is an online market/transaction facilitator. It merely becomes a means for the buyer and the seller to meet.

Because of its online nature, eBay's auction listing provides the buyers with a wide selection of goods. The buyers are also enabled to review the buyer through its feedback rating. This helps the buyer decide whether to pursue the trade or not.

The sellers on the other hand, benefit from a wider audience due to the popularity of eBay because eBay enables them to post easily, quickly, and extensively.

When eBay connects buyer and seller, the transactions truly begin...as well as the headaches.

Even with the automated nature of most of today's transactions, eBay is still built on the basic foundation of trading: trust.

A good deal of trust is involved in eBay trading. The buyer has to trust that the seller is listing a legitimate item, and that he or she will deliver that item when paid. The seller has to trust the buyer to pay fully and without any catches.

Here are some of the problems one may encounter while buying on eBay.

Seller does not deliver product This is the buyer's biggest fear. However, it is also one of the most common snags buyers encounter. Usually, when closing a deal, the seller will email purchase instructions to the buyer. This will most usually include instructions for payment. The seller will then promise to have the item delivered upon receipt of payment.

If the buyer, after fulfilling his or her part, does not receive the item within the agreed upon date, he or she should immediately try contacting the seller. If this proves to be fruitless, he or she should file a complaint with eBay for assistance regarding the matter.

Seller delivers a different/defective product Sometimes the trading is smooth. Everything goes according to schedule. However, upon receipt of the item, the buyer finds out that the item is significantly different from its description on eBay.

What should the buyer do about this?

Good communication between the buyer and seller usually brings about a speedy and satisfying end to any trading dispute. This should always be step one for disputes.

Seller cannot be contacted to close deal or for questioning Most disputes come about due to miscommunication between seller and buyer.

But if the seller can not be contacted, that presents a bigger problem for the buyer - especially if that person has already fulfilled payment of the item.

eBay may help in this regard by furnishing you with further information on the seller.

About the author: Find out more about ebay and online auctions at http://auctionhelper.info

Hot Tips for Ebay Buyers

Author: Nicky Pilkington

Ebay is the world's greatest e-commerce site. With over 147 million registered users from all over the world, it's definitely here to stay. Whether you're a newbie Ebay buyer or already an aficionado, you could always make use of the following tips on buying on Ebay.

Know exactly what you're looking for.

There's no other better way to waste your time browsing on eBay than not knowing what you're actually looking for. If you're not only looking for a single item, it will be helpful to jot down a list of your ""searchable"" items.

Browse like a pro.

In EBay, items are sorted and placed in almost 26,000 categories. If you would like to hasten the searching process, it will help if you look for the same keyword in the titles and captions of the item listings found. Just tick the small box right under the search box on the results page of your first search then hit the search button again.

Make use of your options.

To narrow down the category you're searching in, click on the option box above the results, which is found on the right part of the screen. Then, you can choose whether you would like your results to be focused on ""lowest price"", ""highest price"", ""newly listed"" or ""ending first"".

Inspect on the item.

Checking on the authenticity of an item, especially if it's an antique or a memorabilia is a must. Do your homework by researching more, confirming its condition and not just relying on its photograph. Comparing it with similar items will also improve your chances of purchasing an item that's worth your dough.

Know your seller.

Your seller might be continents away from you. It would be a wise move on your part to check on your seller's credibility. Seeing his feedback rating is one way to accomplish this. It's a number that's followed by a star. Reading the item's description carefully may also help in ensuring that you won't get ripped off. The return policies, mode of payment, and postage costs must be noted well. Also, the ""ask seller a question"" option is not placed there just for any reason. Make the most out of it.

Be the Best Bidder.

If an item you value a lot is auctioned and you want to jump in, go stick to your maximum bid. Bidding higher without really analyzing the item's worth commonly happens. Better consider that since you're the one buying, you call the shots on where your money will go. Sniping services can also help in this endeavor.

About the author: Find out more about ebay and online auctions at http://auctionhelper.info

I Bought My House over eBay

Author: Nicky Pilkington

The coupon strategy works well to promote sales of items on eBay. And just like its cardboard counterparts, the eBay coupon is fast, easy, and convenient to use.

Selling real estate over the internet may sound like an awkward idea. However, the mileage the real estate receives over such a widespread media like the internet is every realtor's dream.

Can eBay be used to market real estate? The answer is a resounding 'yes!'

eBay provides functionality that is clearly adaptable to the needs of a realtor. It provides a widespread medium of advertisement for the real estate. It is also an inexpensive method of advertising such.

The best thing about selling real estate on eBay is that it markets to the whole world, not just a local area. eBay makes the property available to more than 100 million potential buyers, including those from other countries. Visitors can browse through the property details 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - all without the realtor having to explain the details to every single prospect that drops by.

Advertising Your Real Estate on eBay When one has a house or other real estate to sell, he or she may list it for auction on the eBay Real Estate site which is found at http://www.pages.ebay.com/realestate/. If the realtor seeks to sell the estate at a fixed price instead of having the property go through an auction, he may request eBay to display a real estate listing in a format much like a local paper.

eBay's Real Estate page has three selling formats: there is the auction, fixed price selling, and the traditional real estate listing.

From here, the user furnishes additional information regarding his or her property. These details include lot size, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, type of property, year built, and others. One also furnishes the auction listing period. He may choose to run a 1-, 3-, 5-, 7-, 10-, or 30-day auction, or a 30- or 90-day non-auction listing.

eBay Real Estate charges fees for both listing and final values. Charges for a 1-, 3-, 5-, 7-, or 10-day auction listing is $100. 30-day auction listings cost $150. A non-auction listing costs $150 for 30-day listing, and $300 for a 90-day listing. Timeshares and land fees are slightly lower. The final value fee for timeshares and land is $35 while residential and commercial real estate have no fees. Selling real estate on eBay is growing popular as the internet stretches to more countries. Although nothing beats direct and personal inspection of a property, the convenience of having eBay connect seller and potential buyer is definitely appreciated.

About the author: Find out more about ebay and online auctions at http://auctionhelper.info

The Day A Crook Tried To Defraud Me On Ebay

Author: Steve Hill

I have been reading lately about many cases of people, who are the victims of conmen on the internet auction website Ebay. I myself had a negative experience a number of years ago when a man tried to steal £170 from me. I was one of the lucky ones as I managed to get the money back.

I had been having lots of fun buying and selling on Ebay for a number of months, without any problems at all. I regularly sold second hand mobile phones and was making a fair amount of money for very little effort. If I ever bought anything that cost over £100, I would always meet the seller somewhere, normally just off the motorway. I managed to purchase what I felt were some real bargains and also sold off many items which I no longer needed or wanted.

This fun and easy way of earning cash was soon to come to an end. Maybe I am a bit of a fool, but it came as quite a shock when it happened.

On one particular day, I was scouring ebay, looking to purchase another second hand mobile phone, which I would then re-sell, hopefully for a profit. I eventually found an advert for a buy it now phone, with the asking price low but not extremely low. It was available for only £170, I believed I could quite easily make a profit of at least £50 at this price.

On the advert there was a mobile number, which I could phone if I had any questions. I duly did this and a man calling himself Tony answered. I asked him the general type questions, which he was happy to answer. He sounded and seemed really nice, however stated that he was unable to meet me as he was unable to drive, as he had yet to pass his driving test. The alarm bells should have started ringing, but for whatever reason, they didn't.

As his house was a long way from where I lived, I reluctantly agreed to pay via a bank transfer. He assured me he would post the phone that very day via Royal Mail Special Delivery to arrive by noon the next day. He seemed very genuine, they always do your thinking and that was that.

As you will no doubt have guessed, no phone arrived the next day or in fact any day.

I tried contacting Tony via e-mail, text and by phoning his mobile phone, there was no reply.

I realised what a fool I had been, however decided to go to the police. They were very helpful and about half an hour later I had a crime number, however was warned that it was very unlikely I would ever see a phone or receive a refund of my money. The police advised me to be very careful as they regularly have complaints from people who have been defrauded on ebay, I was not alone!

Outside the police station I sent Tony a text with the police crime number. To my shock he phoned me straight away swearing at me but eventually agreed to refund me the money, if I stopped the police action against him.

I was very lucky, I am sure many other people as the police stated, never get their money back.

About the author: Stephen Hill has a number of websites including:

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botox center

From Seller to Buyer: Shipping Details for eBay Auctions

Author: Nicky Pilkington

Shipping details for purchases over eBay is actually a misnomer. eBay is not responsible for the shipping details of an item.

First of all, it should be duly noted that eBay is an online market/transaction facilitator. It merely becomes a means for the buyer and the seller to meet. It is also a regulating body that helps develop fairness of trades among parties.

However, the terms and details of the trade are subject to the agreement of both buying and selling parties.

For most cases, the details of a trade - the payment modes, conditions, and shipping details are specified by the selling party. Taking note of, and understanding such is important to avoiding disputes over shipping details between buyer and seller.

If the buyer does not pay attention to the terms stated here, he may find himself on the losing end of a trade. He must, therefore, be vigilant in studying the terms before agreeing to a trade.

The buyer should also note that shipping is usually exclusive of the bid price he may have agreed to on the auction. He should weigh in the costs of shipping and handling when considering trades.

Sellers on the other hand should ensure that the mode of delivery he specifies is convenient, cost-efficient, and attractive to most buyers.

Buyers should review the shipping details for an item listing. He must specifically take note of insurance, shipping and handling charges, sales tax and return policy.

In the case of insurance, if the seller does not specify any details for such, the buyer should discuss the possibility of including one in the purchase. One walks on the safe side if he does not assume that all will go well on the delivery.

The buyer should also inquire about the return policy - the rights available to a buyer if desires to return an item for whatever reason may it be dissatisfaction, damage, etc.

Depending on the size of the item and its location, shipping costs can add significantly to the total cost of the item. The buyer should make sure the shipping details are clear and fair before agreeing to them.

The buyer should also take advantage of the safety mechanisms available to him. The buyer and seller should agree upon such and contact their shipping company of choice to request measures to address their delivery concerns.

Again, the key component to considering the shipping details of an item over eBay is good communication.

In the end, one could say that shipping plans over eBay items can be safe - as long as one takes great pains and meticulous methods to ensure a hassle free delivery.

About the author: Find out more about ebay and online auctions at http://auctionhelper.info

Paypal eBay Vouchers

Author: Bill Holder

Have you ever used a eBay/Paypal voucher code, if not then you are missing out on saving lots of money. They come out every so often and dont last long. We have came up with a way for you to get an email once new paypal/ebay codes come out. So if you want more information then visit here: http://www.ukwebmasterforums.com/t308-current-paypal-ebay-codes-n ew-codes.html or

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The eBay Survival Guide

Author: Dave Bromley

When I was in the Armed Forces we were always being issued with ""Survival Guides"". How to survive in the Jungle, the Desert, and the Sea are just 3 titles that I remember. But if there is one environment that has been crying out for a survival guide it is eBay.

So I was intrigued when I got my hands on Michael Banks latest book ""The eBay Survival Guide"". I soon realised that it was a cut above many of the recent eBay books. As the webmaster for UK auctionline I comes across literally hundreds of books and reports about online auctions every year. I expected this would just be another expanded version of the eBay site map. But I was wrong; this book is an informative and riveting read.

It is a fact that it is possible to make a very good living selling products through eBay. However, it is equally true that if you either go about it in the wrong way or in some cases are just plain unlucky you can lose money. One of the biggest causes of this happening is the person not fully understanding how the market place works or knowing what to do if things go wrong. After reading the ""The eBay Survival Guide"" you should be much better equipped to tackle the day to day business of buying and selling on eBay.

One area that Michael covers in full detail is a subject that other books hardly mention and that is how to get the most out of the eBay search function. There are two detailed sections on buying and selling on eBay. The ""Do's and Don'ts chapters for both buyers and sellers not only show you the correct way to approach the task but also the traps to avoid.

The book is written in an easy to read no nonsense manner and you will find plenty of useful tips. One in particular that I liked was Michael's suggestion on how to react to a customer who claims that a sent item never arrived. To find out what it is you will have to buy the book.

There are two chapters that everyone who buys or sells on eBay should read. They are ""Shills, Sleazes and Seller Scams"" and ""Bogus products and Money making Scams"". Being forewarned is being forearmed and after reading these chapters you should be able to avoid the pitfalls that can trap the unwary.

The book covers a wide range of subjects including effective bidding strategies, buying stock to sell a dhow to create compelling listings. Whether you are new to online auction or an old hand this is one item you should definitely add to your eBay Library. This 260+ page paperback is published by No Starch and is available from Amazon.com for $13.57 (£7.99). And whether you are a new comer or an experienced eBayer I think you will find this book interesting.

About the Author:

About the author: Dave Bromley is the webmaster and publisher of the UK Auctionline web site and newsletter.This is an information packed site for all users of eBay. You can register for his newsletter and 6 part mini course at http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk

Find Bargain Items On Ebay Easily And Conveniently

Author: Susan Dean

To find bargain items on ebay is certainly easy and convenient. You will find many different types of things being sold this way including computers, household accessories, autos, pictures, clothes, in fact just about everything and anything that your heart desires can be found this way, often at great discount prices.

All you need to do is take your time and have a look at what is on offer and if there is anything that takes your fancy then you just need to bid. That's right just bid. Most things advertised on ebay are up for auction. That is why it is easy to find bargain items on ebay.

Of course you do have to know your prices before you start to bid so you will know if you are getting an item for cheap or not. Bargains are only such if you get them at a reduced price. You will find that there are individuals who want to sell their used goods this way and then there are those who run businesses and sell their goods at below cost. Whatever you are after you will no doubt find it and at a great price to boot.

Then again you may not necessarily be looking for a bargain but looking for something that you may want as a collectors item and are willing to pay top dollar. If this is you then ebay is still a great option.

Of course not only can you find bargain items on ebay but you too can also make some money selling this way as well. You may have one item or many that you could sell. Think of how much easier and less time consuming this way of selling is. Why keep your home cluttered with things that you do not use anymore when you can sell them and use the money on something that is more worthwhile.

About the author: Susan Dean is the webmaster and publisher of http://www.hot-deal-finder. net Visit her site for insider information on buying and selling on ebay.

Insider Secrets of an eBay Millionaire - Reviewed

Author: Mary Hanna

""The Insiders Secrets of an eBay Millionaire"" is a thorough study of the techniques to making a generous living on eBay. Derek Gehl and Brandon Dupsky have teamed up to produce a detailed eBay success system on how to navigate eBay, find the right products, enjoy profitable online auctions and become a Power Seller. Every tip and trick that Brandon has used on eBay to generate 8 million dollars in sales last year, are revealed to Derek Gehl.

The only part that was difficult for me is the length of time it took to study and digest the material included. There is so much information you will probably have to revisit the books until they become second nature. Derek and Brandon's claim that you will be up and running on eBay in the next 24 hours is a little ambitious. Take your time and really let the information sink in.

Let me supply a little background on Derek and Brandon. You may have heard of Derek Gehl CEO of The Internet Marketing Center, a company with over 40 million dollars in internet sales. Brandon Dupsky on the other hand tends to fly under the radar. He is a regular guy from Nebraska that started selling a few odds and ends from his garage. Brandon then turned the internet business into one with sales last year of 8 million dollars. These two guys know what they're talking about. Derek convinced Brandon to spill his secrets on how to become an eBay entrepreneur and I found this a very enlightening learning experience.

This work is loaded with tips and tricks that anyone interested in eBay auctions as a hobby or a home business must have. It will show you how to start from nothing and expand into a profitable eBay business. Many people spend years learning what works and what doesn't work on eBay. Derek and Brandon have drastically reduced the timeline it takes to become an eBay success.

The course materials are vast. Their heart is a 237 page manual and four audio-CD's, all filled with useful tips on building an eBay business from scratch. Each audio-CD has a read along transcript with margin notes to build on key points. The margin notes are excellent since they highlight the most important topics that were addressed on each page. There are also four bonus CD-ROMs with tips on more advanced eBay buying selling techniques. These CD-ROMs answer the questions of how to attract lots of bids on your products, how to create stunning listings that bring bidders to your auction, and how to set up foolproof payment and shipping systems. These steps are crucial to establishing yourself successfully on eBay. If you already have an internet business, Derek and Brandon will show you how to tap into some of the 2,000,000 visitors who come to eBay each day.

""The Insiders Secrets of an eBay Millionaire"" delivers on its promise to teach you all of the fundamentals needed in order to grow into an eBay expert. It logically and easily takes you through the steps, from finding a product to completing an auction. This resource will be something that you refer to time after time and I suggest you take notes as you go along.

If anything, you may have to read all of the books again before you will be able to absorb the subtleties of using eBay profitably. Brandon and Derek go into so much detail that I was amazed at what they revealed.

In Derek's introduction, he tells you that you can't afford not to have this information and I totally agree with him. For me, this was the ultimate source to learn more about eBay and I am making the most of it.

Some people have asked me if there was some way to improve on this product and I can honestly say NO. I was astounded about the secrets that I learned from Brandon because I have been selling on eBay since 1999.

The only question I have is how Brandon manages his various weekly auctions. I would have preferred an in-depth study on how he accomplishes this very involved task.

If you are interested in growing an eBay business, this is the comprehensive course you should have. I give it my highest rating. For more information on this subject please visit: ebay-insidersecrets.com.

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

About the author: About the Author Mary Hanna writes eBooks, Software Reviews (for people who are technically challenged like her) and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.eBay-InsiderSecrets.com http://www.CruiseGold.com and http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com or contact her at mary@webmarketingreviews.com

ebay and Buying Adsense Websites

Author: Tom Dean

You can get a good deal from purchasing an adsense website on ebay but...

* You should use some caution *

I have seeen the same exact design sold on ebay everyday of the week. You may get 30 or so of these sites bundled (different topics) for about $99. The 30 sites total 6,000 pages.

Similar sites are also sold daily (in multiple quantities) on ebay like ""Huge Adsense Empire - 100+ sites 16,500 Pages""

Imagine 150 of these sold and posted w/out change. 2,475,000 duplicate pages on the web.

Just look at the site for sell then check the sellers feedback from ""buyers"" - most are private listings. You will see that they may sell 1 to 3 per day!

Many new buyers purchase these and are unfamiliar with editing or adding content to a php site and get frustrated.

Now, there are some excellent sellers - sites and good deals to be found on ebay but you need to take a good look at the site and the number sold.

Also be sure the articles include the author's resource box with a live link. Many sites chop off the end of some of the articles or do not display the authors ""clickable"" link (a no no).

Check the ""page title"" at the top of your browser. A page titled ""New Page"" or ""Untitled"" is not a good sign.

Look at the source code by right clicking your mouse and choosing view source to see if there are any meta tags or keywords in the page header.

Don't confuse most of the ""ebay mill"" sites with sites you may see for sell that have limited numbers like 25 - are made with private or original articles & have support forums or excellent instructions.

These are Great for new users who need help and they provide a way to learn about the site.

The ebay mill sites typically are not in the same league.

Some of the better sites that are sold on ebay are in limited numbers and include an admin panel where you can easily add your own links - and your own content before and after each article page - giving you some uniqueness. Look for these even if they cost a little bit more

Not all ebay sites are an unwise purchase - I was a power seller a few years ago & sold websites - you can find a good deal and a good site.

Just do your research. With adsense the number two search term on ebay pulse under websites for sale, sellers have really jumped on the popularity of these sites.

About the author: Tom Dean is a Work at Home Dad who runs multiple websites including The Dean Report. A site for Newbies Get Your Free Adsense Website and eBook Visit - The Dean Report

http://tomdean.net/VMN ewsletter.htm

eBay Listing Tips

Author: Jennifer Clason

Believe it or not, the success or failure of your eBay Store comes right down to your listing practices. Listing your items for sale seems like tedious work, however you must take your time and do it correctly to maximize your sales potential. By using these strategies, you will be able to get a larger audience to your eBay Auctions and the potential to gain more sales and higher ending bids!

Consider multiple auctions for spelling variations - If you have multiple quantities of the same items for sale, consider having two or more listings with different spelling variations of the product in the title. For instance you could either be selling ""tshirts"" or ""t-shirts"".

Include only keywords in your title - Never waste your space by including the words like ""LOOK"" or ""WOW"". No one searches for those terms and you are just using up space instead of your valuable search phrases. Make sure you keep your title using the major searchable keyword phrases only.

Include keywords in your description - A lot of people search by description too so make sure you repeat your keyword phrases in your description as well. However make it easily readable and not just a bunch of random words lumped together.

Include lots of details in your description - People want to know exactly what it is you have for sale. Include ""too much"" information just to be sure, otherwise you could lose a potential bid! Even things like dimensions, wattage, color, and details like that are very important! Don't make the seller chase you down by having to ask a question, it's very frustrating to them.

Learn to use HTML or an HTML editor - Listers who lump all of their text into one paragraph sell 30% less than people who break their paragraphs up and make it more readable. Also avoid using all capital letters and just make it all around easy on the eye.

Talk to your potential bidders as a friend - These people are bidding on an item from a total stranger. Don't talk to them with ""business talk"" in the description, talk as if you were chatting with a friend. It builds up trust.

Add color and graphics - Don't go overboard with too many things that takes the listing too long to load, but adding some color and graphics will enhance the listing and make it more appealing.

By using these very simple techniques, you will have a better eBay Auction. You will get more bids, thus driving your sales higher and you will have a higher chance of success in your eBay Auction Business!

About the author: Jennifer Clason is the site owner and operator of http://www.mommyjobs.com. She has been running a full-time home-based Internet business for several years now and owns more than 10 different Internet Sales websites.

How to price your ebook on ebay for maximum profits

Author: Dan Lim

I'm sure you know it is getting more and more difficult to sell any kind of information products on ebay. Gone are the days when you could buy the resale rights from a product creator, put it on ebay and wait for the cash to roll in. It just doesn't happen anymore.

Before I go into how to price your ebook or any kind of information product on ebay, let's first examine the reasons why it is so hard to sell. In my opinion, there are two major reasons.

Reason 1 : Every man and his dog is selling the same stuff on ebay.

I'm sure you have seen this on ebay, the same product can be found selling anywhere from $50.00 to less than $1.00. 99 per cent of people selling information products on ebay are resellers, meaning they brought the resale rights from either the product creator or from other resellers.

What 90 per cent of them will do is to list the products and start pricing them as low as possible to undercut each other on pricing. This happens so much to the point where it is no longer profitable at all. The other 9 per cent of them will bunch up all the ebooks, software they could find and start selling them together. Their main selling point is you could get as many as 10,000 ebooks for a low price. The problem of course is that they will undercut each other again so much that the prices start to look really ridiculous. I meaning selling 10,000 ebooks for $1.99? To buyers, it probably means junk.

Reason 2 : Ebooks have a low perceived value than hard-cover books

Many people seems to think because ebooks are digital in nature, therefore should be priced lower compared to hard-cover books. In fact, many people I know thinks ebooks should be free! Well, there's nothing much you can do about it anyway. However there are some ways to tackle this problem as I will discuss later. Read on.

Now that we have determined the two main reasons why ebooks do not sell, here are a couple of my tips that will boost the price of your ebooks.

Tip 1 : Jack up the price of your ebook

I know this may sound like crazy but people do perceive value with price. The higher priced your ebook, the more valuable your information will be in the eyes of your prospective buyers. There is just a thing you need to take note. You need to bundle it with other good quality ebooks. The ideal is include other ebooks that you would buy as 'standalone' products. I can't emphasize this enough, when you jack up your price, make sure the information is of high quality or you'll get tons of refund requests.

Tip 2 : Pack them into theme packages

More likely than not, you probably have other products that will compliment your ebook. Package them together. Write a new sales letter and bam, you will have a unique product that nobody else is selling. The idea here is to bundle them together into a theme product. For example, I'm selling an ebook on dog food. I have a software that I have resale rights called pet medical recorder that allows pet owners to record their dogs medical conditions. I also have another report that outlines how to train your dog in 7 days. I bundle them together, write a new sales letter. See how it raises the perceived value of the product.

Tip 3 : Add audio or video with it

Audio and Videos helps to increase the value of your products. There are some software and companies that will help you convert your ebook into audio either in cassette tapes or as mp3 files. Do make sure you have the rights to convert it into audio first. What I usually do is to make a video of the product I am selling. For example, if I am selling a pet medical recorder software, I could make a series of videos explaining how to use it.Sort of like a video FAQ.

If you implement the above tips I have mentioned, you will have a unique product to call your own and can demand higher prices for your products.

About the author: Dan Lim is an avid ebay fanatic who has been quietly earning a comfortable living online. For more ebay selling secrets and strategies, visit bestnzb.com

The Marketing of Affiliate Success: eBay - ezine Advertising Coops

Author: BW Griggs

Introduction & Boilerplate

What does it take to successfully market a software product using only the Internet? This is the question I was faced with in January 2005. I had just completed development of my Affiliate Success: eBay software and now all I needed was a couple of thousand sales I would be happy. I quickly realized that developing my software was just the first step. I knew this all along but I had not really put any energy into marketing while building my product.

As I began researching various marketing avenues I made the decision to share my marketing trials and tribulations with the world. The decision to do this was driven in no small part by a discussion I had with a certain super-affiliate who shall remain nameless at this point in time. Every series needs a little mystery and intrigue right? There are tons of books about emarketing and some even provide real-world examples but wouldn't it be fun to actually come along for the ride? To learn as I learn? To see the real deal, blemishes and all? And so, the series The Marketing of Affiliate Success: eBay was born.

Each installment is this series will be posted on my website as well as on several article directories, and will also be available via newsletter subscription. Each installment will focus on a specific marketing channel or approach. A few examples: marketing using ezine ad coops, marketing using Adwords, joint ventures, forum marketing, and website advertising, and niche newsletter advertising.

The Marketing of Affiliate Success: eBay - ezine Advertising Coops

This first installment of The Marketing of Affiliate Success: eBay is concerned with ezine advertising coops. At some point while searching for advertising opportunities I ran across a website that offered advertising within an ezine ad coop. The focus of the ad coop was home business related - a perfect fit for my product. My original plan was to do some focused ezine advertising but when I discovered I could have my ad placed in dozens of ezines I figured this would be a great deal. I must admit I was slightly suspicious when I noticed that they required me to subscribe to each newsletter but after another hour of research it was clear that all ezine ad coops had this requirement. Well, I thought, it does make sense that I should be a subscriber since then I will be able to verify that they actually run my ad.

The Concept Behind the Ezine Advertising Coop

The general idea behind an ezine advertising cooperative depends on your perspective. For ezine publishers, membership in an advertising cooperative is a great way to build their newsletter membership. Remember, in order to run the ad I had to become a subscriber to a bunch of ezines. The more subscribers a newsletter has, the larger the potential financial return on marketing activity and these guys are all about marketing.

From the advertiser's perspective, the value proposition is that for a minimal cost the advertiser can get his message in front of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people. Ideally, the coop will be focused on a niche that the advertiser's product fits into but this doesn't always have to be the case. Bottom line - the cost per pair of eyeballs appears to be very, very low.

My Campaign Begins

The sum required was minor - around $30. Not a big deal considering my ad would run in dozens of ezines with a total combined readership of well over one million people. So, although I was suspicious of the subscribing requirement, I figured I couldn't lose on the deal. Look, I thought, if only one person purchases my software I have paid for the ad and put $70 in the bank (before taxes.) It seemed to be a very favorable value proposition.

So, in a great flurry of activity I created an ad, revised it, threw it out, and created another! I worked feverishly to perfect my ad. Night became day, day became night and finally, I was done. Here is what I ran -

I Made $29,000 Last Year On Just One Of My Websites. So Can You! I will show you how you can make thousands of dollars on your website using my software and one of the leading affiliate programs on the net today. One guy calls my software ""Adsense on Steroids!"" without the Adsense! No website? Build a 27,000 page website instantly. http://www.shrubsoft.com/ase-ez1.php

I will grant that it's a little cheesy but those $$ titles really pull clicks. My thinking was that since the ad cost was limited to my initial outlay, I could afford to pull all potential traffic - even unqualified traffic. My reasoning behind such a generic ad approach was that I felt it would be very challenging to pull any traffic if my ad referenced eBay Web Services and PHP. These words and concepts are alien to many people. I planned to use my sales letter to convert people with little technical sophistication. My approach and my ad copy was different when I entered the world of pay-per-click but that is the topic of another installment.

Next, I went to the website that offered the ezine ad coop service, filled out the form, and PayPal transferred the cash to the owner of the coop. I quickly received a response from my new ad agency and it had some very interesting information contained within it. I had to subscribe myself to over a dozen of the ezines. But it wasn't simple. Yahoo Groups hosted one ezine, several required I send emails to listserv machines, and in several cases I had to go to websites and fill out a form.

Ezine Ad Coop Campaigns Are Hard Work

One hour later I was regretting my decision to forego the slightly more expensive option of advertising without the need to become a subscriber to all those newsletters, but that was only the beginning of my regrets. I next had to confirm my subscription to various newsletters - double opt-in and all that. One of the ezines actually had me wade through 15 pages of surveys and ""would you be interested in this offer"" pages before finally confirming my subscription. I then found that the ezine had been dormant for seven months!

Finally, after confirming that I was successfully subscribed to all the ezines, I sat back and let out a sigh of relief. In the coming days about half of the ezine owners sent me notes informing me when my ad would run. The ad runs were spread across the next six weeks.

Am I The Advertiser?

With the ezine ad coop business behind me, I returned to my marketing research with the revised thought that if only two sales resulted from the goat rodeo I had experienced I would be satisfied. Within a few days the newsletters started arriving, and not just newsletters but plenty of highly valued and very important solo ads that were filled with text like this:

F.ree mo.ney for you. No effort required. Easiest MLM pro.gram ever!

They have to insert those periods or the SPAM filters will flag the messages every time. Why? Because the message is SPAM! Okay, I understand that SPAM filters are sensitive and sometimes you need to insert a period or two to lower the SPAM Assassin score of your broadcast message but these solo ads had a punctuation density so high that the messages approach being unreadable; I began to think I was reading Morse code.

For the uninitiated, a solo ad is an advertisement that is sent in a single email without other newsletter content to subscribers of a newsletter. Generally this would be considered SPAM but the subscriber agreement you accept for these types of ezines contain language stating that you agree to receive such communications. I like to call it opt-in SPAM.

It continued like that for six long weeks. They were easily six of the most painful weeks I have ever lived. It was interesting to note that many of the ezines were not delivered via email. The list owner would instead simply send a broadcast message informing me that the newsletter could be viewed on their website. Interesting thing though, the solo ads were delivered directly into *my* mailbox.

eZine Advertising Coop Campaign Results

The result of my ezine advertising campaign was 89 referrals from various newsletters in the cooperative to my ezine destination URL. I know because I created a specific URL with redirection code so I could track the click-through performance of the campaign. While I have no way of tracking each individual source since some newsletters were delivered via email, I did know the aggregate results and 89 click-throughs was not the level of success I had expected. More importantly, 89 click-throughs and zero sales.

The campaign was an unmitigated disaster. Of course the deck was stacked against me from the start. I quickly noticed that 95% of the ezine publishers had dozens of ads in each newsletter issue. There was generally a top, middle, and bottom sponsor ad and these ads were generally demarcated very well and they probably received decent response too but they were for ""their"" advertisers. I generally found my ad near the bottom of their newsletters in a special section for the ad coop. In many cases, the newsletter belonged to multiple ad coops so there might be 40 ads and five coop sections in each issue! The slickest trick I found was the publisher that actually had a special edition of his newsletter filled with ads. Yes, filled with ads. Sure he also threw in a syndicated article that he grabbed from one of the article sites but it was rather clear that his normal readers ignored the ""special edition"" of his newsletter each week. I know I would. If Adsense has taught us anything it's that ads are most effective when they are integrated into the text on a page. These guys segregate ads so their subscribers don't need to bother ignoring them within the main body of their newsletters.

Worse though was the quality of many of the ezines. The only original authorship in some of these ezines was the editorial and by the time I made it two or three sentences into that it became obvious why! If you believe we live in the age of universal literacy you are wrong. It wasn't all bad though. Several of the newsletters actually provided some decent content but more often than not content came in the form of articles culled from the article sites. I don't have a problem with article sites but I expect a newsletter to provide significant original value.

Lessons Learned

I did learn some things though. I know that a HYIP (High Yield Investment Program) is a really cool way to turn $10 into $20. I found that I really needed an e-gold account if I wanted to achieve financial freedom. I learned that the government *doesn't* want me to know about the secret banking system, that my money was not at risk even though they didn't have FDIC insurance, and that I could truly take part in a risk-free investment that would double my money and pay me interest every single hour of the day. I learned that people apparently fall for this crap.

I learned that I could buy ""make money at home"" leads by the thousands, import them into my autoresponder, and then SPAM these leads. Apparently it's okay though because the nice folks on the list I have purchased filled out a survey and expressed an interest in making money from home. I learned that people just don't understand what double opt-in means.

But most important of all, I learned that ezine ad coops exist for one reason only - to dupe people into joining a bunch of marginal ezines so they can market their crap to you. I discovered that the insult is that much more powerful because I gave them $30 for the privilege of being assaulted day after day with SPAM in the form of solo ads and substandard newsletter content. I suppose if you need to market your new HYIP, sell some red hot ""work at home"" leads, or push your latest get-rich-quick scheme you will find kindred souls in some of the ezine ad cooperatives operating today but if you need to market a legitimate, quality product you should look elsewhere.

Final Conclusion

If you want to advertise in ezines, locate ezines in your niche, subscribe, and once you are sure that they publish to high standards, toss them a couple of bucks. Ask the publisher what his subscriber count is. Inquire as to click-through rates on previous ads. You also need to insure you know where your ad will be published within the newsletter and when it will be published.

Don't bother with ezine ad coops especially when their home page feels like a trip back to 1999.

Rest assured, most installments in this article series will be informative *and* upbeat. This ezine ad coop episode represents an ugly departure from what is generally proving to be an exciting, profitable, and informative learning experience. And please don't misunderstand my message. I obviously did not work with *every* ezine ad coop so I can't with conviction say that they all operate in this way or that they are all comprised of solo ad slinging, no original content newsletters.

About the author: BW Griggs is a software developer and active affiliate. He is the author of Affiliate Success: eBay, a nifty piece of software that takes advantage of eBay Web Services.

Learn more about Affiliate Success: eBay here: http://www.shrubsoft.com/ase-details.php

Read new articles in this series here: http://www.shrubsoft.com/blog/published-essays/

Ebay Ebook Success Tips: Avoid Spoof Emails!!!

Author: Tom Parker

One of the things I have noticed as I have increased my sales volume on eBay is the increased volume of spoof emails I have received claiming to be eBay or PayPal. They do this to try and gain access to your eBay or PayPal account, and sometimes even to try and get your bank details. I therefore felt that my next article should be on spotting and avoiding spoof email as it will surely be a problem that all you ebook sellers are going to have to deal with too.

Spotting spoof email can initially be quite tricky. After all the address appears to be a PayPal or eBay one and the often use eBay and PayPal graphics to make the emails look even more authentic. However, once you have had a reasonable amount of spoof email come your way, you soon realise that they all generally stick to the same format. Below are some of the most common spoof emails.

1) Ebay / PayPal Account Suspension:- These claim that your account will be suspended by a certain date if you do not take action. Some look more genuine than others. They ask you to click a link which directs you to a false eBay login screen where the spoof company then tries to steal your eBay Username and Password. These are relatively easy to spot because you are unlikely to receive an email on this subject from eBay or PayPal unless you have committed a serious violation of policy. Even if you believe you have been suspended it's always best to be safe and logon to eBay manually through your internet browser.

2) Ebay / PayPal Unauthorised Access:- These claim that someone has been making attempts to access your account from another IP address. Some even give false IP addresses and locations from where your eBay account was apparently accessed. These are obvious spoof emails because the fact that you have accessed your account from a different IP address does not constitute someone else trying to access your account. It could simply be you accessing your account from a different computer.

3) Unpaid Item Reminder:- These send you an unpaid item reminder for an item you haven't even purchased. For example a few days ago I received one for a $2000 camera. Surely I wouldn't forget if I had purchased an item like that. If you click on the links in this email you are directed to a false eBay page which tries to steal your eBay Username and Password.

4) Question about Ebay Item:- These are one of the trickier spoof emails as it is likely that you do receive questions about the item. Some even have an eBay ID link embedded in the email so that they look more authentic. However, most of the spoof emails do not state which eBay item the query concerns. Furthermore, the questions often do not make much sense and include phrases such as ""How much is your last item?"" The best way to make sure you do not get caught out is to log into eBay manually and then answer the question through my messages.

5) PayPal payment Sent:- These spoof emails again look a little more genuine. They claim that an unauthorised PayPal attempt has been sent. I received one today saying that I had sent $400 without my knowledge. They then have a link saying if you did not authorise this payment ""Click Here"" which then leads you to a spoof PayPal page where they try to get your User ID and Password. However, when you make a genuine PayPal payment they do not usually mention anything about it being unauthorised. If they did suspect it to be unauthorised they would probably just hold the payment.

6) Ebay PowerSeller Confirmation:- I received a couple of these before I actually was made a PowerSeller. They do look genuine but instead of directing you to eBay to enter your Username and Password you are directed to a spoof website. The best way to make sure the email is genuine is to go to the eBay PowerSeller page and login at http://pages.ebay.co.uk/services/buyandsell/powersellers.html. If the email is genuine you will be recognised as a PowerSeller here. If you are not then you know the email is spoof.

Beware that this is only some of the spoof email subjects you may receive. The people who write them will always be thinking of new ways to steal your ID and Password and as a result new spoof emails are surfacing all the time. Below is a list of the common things to look for in emails to identify them as spoof.

1) Ebay ID / PayPal Name:- If the email addresses your either by your eBay User ID or your actual name it is much more likely to be genuine. Most spoof emails simply address you as the email address to which the email has been sent. For example a genuine email from eBay is likely to say ""Congratulations ebookcavern..."" whereas a spoof email is likely to say ""Congratulations sales@theebookcavern.co.uk...""

2) From Email Address:- Although this is not a dead certain way of identifying spoof email on some it is noticeable. The spoof emails will claim to be from eBay or PayPal and in a large majority of them when you check this out the email address looks genuine. However, some of the from email addresses do not look so genuine. For example I recently received a spoof email claiming to be from the PayPal address: service@paypal.comservicepaypal.com which made it pretty clear that this email was spoof.

3) Excessive use of eBay / PayPal images:- Many of the spoof emails in an attempt to look genuine use eBay or PayPal images in the email. However, some use excessive amounts of these and when compared to a normal email from eBay or PayPal and so can be easily identified by this.

4) The Hyperlink:- This is the link that the email is trying to get you to click on. It is also the best way of identifying whether the email is spoof or not. If you scroll over the link or right-click and view the properties you should find out what the actual link is. If this link is not part of a PayPal or eBay domain then you can be sure it is spoof.

If you identify an email as spoof using the above criteria then you must not click on any of the links inside it. If it is an eBay spoof email forward it to spoof@ebay.co.uk and if it is a PayPal spoof email forward it to spoof@paypal.com and then delete it. Remember it is always better to be safe then sorry so take precautions such as logging into eBay and PayPal manually through your internet browser and regularly changing your password. You can also read eBay's guide to spoof email at http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/confidence/isgw-account-theft-spoof. html Stay safe and Good Luck!!!

About the author: Tom Parker (Owner and Creator of The Ebook Cavern) http://stores.ebay.co.uk/theebookcavern http://www.theebookcavern.co.uk/ http://www.theebookcavernreviews.co.uk/

Feel free to use any of my articles on this website but if you do please include my signature (name and website) from above.

Seven Ways to Make Your eBay Auction Fail

Author: Pamela Bruce

I don't know how many books there are by now that propose to tell you how to succeed on eBay, how to make lots of money on eBay, or how to become a millionaire through eBay. Here are a few of my tips on how not to make money with an eBay auction:

1. Use irrelevant titles. I have actually seen eBay auctions with titles such as ""This is nice"" and the infamous ""L@@k"". I am sure that many people are going to search for such a title! It is inconceivable that something like ""Vintage garden sundial, copper, 1930s"" might lead more potential buyers to your auction.

2. Use ALL CAPS, ALL THE TIME . Everyone likes the equivalent of being shouted at, and long texts in ALL CAPS are so easy to read, aren't they?

3. Show your educashion . Nothing attracts buyers like spelling errors and grammatical goofs. If you really want to impress customers, misspell the name of the item (""Dell latpop for sale"" ""Rare silver doller"").

4. Skimp on your descriptions . Why should you tell the buyer the size, age or specific condition of the item? All those details would just confuse people...

5. Forget Feedback . I am certain that eBay buyers will just flock to your auction for a $3,000 diamond ring, even though you have zero feedback. Some people may slowly build up their feedback by buying and selling before offering expensive items, but who can be bothered?

6. Harsh words sell . Of course every buyer loves terms of sale that contain such phrases as ""Absolutely no returns"" or ""Don't bother me with complaints""!

7. Seeing is believing . Naturally, people love out-of-focus pictures of your items, particularly when photographed against the background of a dark shag carpet. Who cares about the details of that diamond ring - they are going to trust youArticle Submission, arent't they?

About the author: Pamela Bruce lives in Austin, TX. She is the owner of Love Beads Unlimited and sells the sterling silver and Swarovski crystal bead jewelry she designs and creates both in her eBay store (http://stores.ebay.com/LOVE-BEADS-UNLIMITED) and on her website at http://www.lovebeadsunlimited.com, where you can also download the free e-book ""A Consumer's Guide to Buying Bead Jewelry Online"".

Make Money Selling Information Products On eBay

Author: Jason James

At some point, you bumped into a virtual item auction on ebay, where the seller was exchanging a downloadable product for cash. You probably wondered why the seller was offering the product for such a low price--and you probably also wondered how he was making money.

There are two answers to this question: the first answer is that the seller had no idea what he was doing and, in fact, wasn't making any money on ebay.

The second answer is that the seller was highly-experienced and was making hundreds of dollars each day, even though his auctions were only showing one-dollar sales.

This sounds totally bizarre, especially if you haven't sold information before, but it is absolutely true: there is a fortune in selling information--especially on the Internet.

Now, in the case of the ebay seller I mentioned above, she was probably using information products as a ""loss leader"" to make back-end sales. She might sell 10 copies of an ebook for $1 each and might end up being $2 in the red at the end of the day after paying seller's fees.

But she knows this--and this is okay because she now has 10 highly-qualified prospects for whatever product she is using her ebook to sell. If her ebook is about teaching people how to make money selling on the Internet, she might list purchasing a domain name and hosting as one of the steps the buyer must take. To the buyer, this may seem innocent enough; however, when he follows her plan and purchases the hosting and domain name as directed, she will earn a commission on the domain name registration and a recurring commission on the hosting for as long as his Internet business sticks around.

If you want to try this system out, you can search google for ""re-brandable"" ebooks with ""resale rights."" You can also search ebay for similar products. A number of people make money on ebay selling these ebooks.

If the rights permit, you can purchase the product and then sell it as a downloadable product on ebay.

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of this strategy, you should keep prices very low. Your goal should be to use ebay as a medium to disseminate the book for free or for a very low price. Unless you are selling a book that contains no back-end sales mechanisms and no affiliate links, your goal should be to sell a powerful system (contained within the book) to a customer who will use it successfully to make money--and, in turn, earn you a residual income by sticking to a system that earns you money. Want to Learn How to Sell on eBay? Click Here: http://Auctionresource.Opportunity.com

About the author: Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with no business experience how they can make huge profits selling products at online auctions. Claim Your Free eBook: ""Top 10 eBay Secrets for Successful Selling"" below: http://Auctionresourcenetwork.Opportunity.com

How To Gain An Unfair-Advantage On eBay

Author: Mark Flavin

Have you heard about eBay? It has been the greatest shopping mall which started off in 1995 for an intention of being a hobby by Pierre M. Omidyar which now, has been the place for creating auctions by millions and millions of sellers every day.

Having thousands and thousands of competitors in your auctions, how do you stand out and make people choose to buy from you instead of the others? Easy, offer a Targeted free informational product, which leads to, an e-book.

That's all you have to do, offering a free e-book in your auctions that is highly complimentary to your product. This will cause high interest to your potential bidders. People are craving for information every day, that's how e-books became one of the most popular product for sale on the Internet.

So why does this work so well? When you offer a highly targeted or connected bonus, sometimes even valued Higher than what you sell, how could the potential bidders not take it up? They've looked at other auctions in your category - sometimes even selling exact products, but only yours offer this unique informational product that comes along with their purchase. People even sometimes claim that they purchase an auction not for the main product, but the bonus that comes along.

That's eBay, small little things can distinguish between a sale or not. How much does an informational bonus costs anyway? None, it's free, you can send as many as you want, anytime, anywhere you are.

How does it work?

Every time when you list your auction, simply have a note some where visible, at the top of your auction or below as long as you catch your visitors' eyes when they visit your auction. Let's take an auction which sells gardening tools for example. A short one like, ""**Important - All buyers of my product will also receive an e-book on How To Plant An Apple Tree. This sells on my website at $12, but it comes with your purchase for Free.""

Gardening tools are cheap, and with this boost it'll cause a high increase of response. This is a unique selling tip and it doesn't matter what you're selling, one simple technique can shift your business from below right up to the top.

So where can you find these e-books you can legally offer as part of your auction? Of course, you can't simply purchase an e-book you liked and offer it as a bonus, you need to get e-books with resell rights. Still, make sure it's targeted and somehow goes with the auction you have, it's the most important thing.

What are Resell Rights? They are products with rights that can be purchased by people so they can sell the same product as well without being called stealing. It is similar to buying Tagheuer, Nike or Adidas watches and selling them in your own shop. You have the rights to selling it as you've purchased the rights for them. For digital products such as e-books or software, you can duplicate as many of them for being sold/downloaded so it's a great deal.

Other than offering the free bonus to only the successful bidders, offer the other bidders as well with the condition that they opt-in to your subscriber list. In any ways, do it politely! You'll be having an unfair advantage than your other competitors simply by giving and receiving.

About the author: Mark Flavin Is An Expert On Making Money Online & All Work From Home Topics. Find Out How Mark Makes His Living Online At http://markflavin.com/index.html

Use Your Ebay Store To Double Your Sales

Author: Ali

If you don't have an eBay store you could be losing money big time.

Why?

When eBay stores first came out they were a flop. They actually wanted you to pay big time listing fees to put items in your store for up to 30 days but store items don't appear in the regular eBay searches.

Because eBay stores were not doing that well eBay added ""Good Till Canceled"" listings. The listing fees are only 5 cents every 30 days which is a total bargain. But the big problem again is eBay store items don't appear in regular searches.

So how can you still make money?

Simple, list a ""Good Till Canceled"" item and then PROMOTE it using you regular eBay auctions. Put a section at the bottom of your auctions with ""mini ads"" directly linked to your eBay store items.

You are not breaking any rules because you are linking to your own eBay auction which is allowed. Because eBay stores items are so much cheaper to list, it's an excellent way generate higher profits.

There are three different store subscriptions for an eBay store; eBay Basic, Featured, and Anchor, in order of price. Of course, you would want to start out with the Basic Store ($15.95 p/month) rather than Anchor ($499.95 p/month), but you might want to upgrade to the Featured option ($49.95 p/month). With a featured store, you get $30 of free eBay keywords every month, meaning that you can place your listing at the top of the page for the keywords you choose. This means, more exposure, and can also significantly increase your store sales.

Owning an eBay store will not only bring you more sales, but it'll cost you less by using it in the long run. These are just some of the many advantages of owning an eBay store. Once you own one, you'll wonder why you didn't go for it sooner.

Try this method out. It could make you a lot of money.

About the author: If you would like to find out the 7 dirty tricks eBay doesn't want you to know, which will help you tremendously in your ebay selling , check out http://www.i4unow. com/ebay/articles.asp today

Avoid These eBay Mistakes and Make More Sales

Author: Daniel MacDougall

When Marie and I first started selling on eBay we made some very common mistakes. Experience has taught us a few things.

Many first time sellers have one thing in common - they often fail. Many of them fail time and time again, never understanding what is going wrong. They do hours of research looking for the perfect item to sell, get the auction set up, and wait for the bidding to begin. Hours go by and no bids are placed. Days go by, and there are still no bids - or there are very low bids. Finally the auction ends, and it turns out to be a total failure. Considering the huge number of sellers who run eBay auctions, there are specific things you must do, and specific things you must not do if you are to be successful.

There are many reasons why auctions fail. The most common reason is that the item is not in high demand. This problem can be avoided by doing the necessary research to determine which items sell well, and which items should be avoided. This research takes a great deal of time - but in the end, you will find that it is time well spent.

Another reason for eBay failure is pricing. If you set that opening bid too high, most people won't even click the link to read the description for your item. Another pricing problem is lack of research. Before you set your reserve price, you must determine what the item is really worth, and the price similar items have sold for in past eBay auctions.

Poorly written descriptions are another cause of failed auctions. Poor grammar and misspelled words drive people away. Failing to post a picture of the item will also keep people from visiting your auction page. Make sure that your description is well written. This is essentially your 'sales copy.'

Shipping prices scare people away from auctions if they are too high. Find the lowest shipping prices that you can find, and consider paying for the shipping yourself if it won't cut into your profits too much. Do not charge handling fees.

Offer great 'customer service' for all of your auctions, and ask your buyers to give you feedback. If the items that you sell are everything that you said they would be, and you offer great customer service, you can expect wonderful feedback - and this feedback will help a great deal in your future auctions.

About the author: Daniel MacDougall is an writer, speaker, and artist. He and partner Marie, make their living online. http://earnmoneywithauctions.com . Go to http://attracting-wealth.com and learn more about how you can have all the wealth and abundance you desire in life. Free newsletter available.

Start your own profitable ebay business TODAY!

Author: shane

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Insider secrets of an Ebay millionaire

About the author: None

Selling Problems on eBay and Their Solutions

Author: Nicky Pilkington

eBay provides internet users with an online flea market where buyers and sellers from around the world meet to conduct trade.

However, like most traders who are faced with an innovation of this sort, the first question will always be: It is safe?

The answer is yes, but devious scammers are daily plotting means to take advantage of eBay's power to forward their dastardly schemes.

The user's recourse...information and meticulous care in dealing on eBay. Only then can he be less vulnerable to the scammer.

The common consensus is that bidders are often scammed by sellers. But it is possible for things to be the other way around.

Here is a list of the common problems sellers encounter and the means to handle them.

Fake Escrow Services

A winning bidder may request that an escrow service be used to assure both parties of a fair transaction. Unfortunately, the seller is sometimes duped into using a fake escrow system.

To avoid such, the seller must always verify the authenticity of an escrow service. eBay recommends the use of escrow.com. If the bidder insists on his or her escrow service, chances are, that person is a scammer.

Victims of such find it difficult to reclaim their items. They may, however, appeal to the legal means afforded by the state they live in. They must also contact eBay regarding the matter for any assistance they may offer at that juncture.

Deadbeat Bidders

Deadbeat bidders (a winning bidder who doesn't pay for an item at the auction's close) are more common on eBay. If the winner of your auction does not pay, you may leave that person a negative feedback.

As for the listing fees the seller shells out, eBay lays out a four step procedure sellers can use to potentially recover lost selling fees. If the sellers complete the process to eBay's satisfaction, they will receive a Final Value Fee credit and a relist credit. Filing an Unpaid Item dispute is the first step toward eBay reimbursing those fees. One can report an unpaid item up to 45 days after an auction's close.

Trade Dispute

This occurs when the seller and bidder disagree on some terms of the sale. This may also happen if there is a purported violation of any of these agreements.

If communication between both parties does not help, they may consider availing of a third-party dispute resolution outfit to help. SquareTrade.com is one of these outfits eBay recommends.

Prevention is Better than Cure

A seller's life may be made terrible because of the constant scamming attacks unscrupulous individuals undertake. But, with proper information and care, he or she can continue trading on eBay with relative safety.

About the author: Find out more about ebay and online auctions at http://auctionhelper.info

Finding a Good eBay Seller and How to Spot the Bad Ones

Author: George Peirson

EBay is possibly the largest online market place, with millions of transactions happening every day. You can find just about anything imaginable on eBay, from that toy you remember fondly from your childhood, to cars and houses. But along with this huge selection and resource there are dangers as well.

The core of the eBay experience is the auction concept where individual Sellers put items up for sale and Buyers can then bid on these items. Here in lies the danger. Who are these Sellers? Can you trust them? Will they send you your item after you have sent your payment? Will they supply customer service after the sale in case something goes wrong?

Many times you will have nothing to go on and you will have to place your trust in the eBay Seller. This is especially true of new Sellers and Sellers who only sell a few items and never build up a track record. But there are several ways that you can get a sense of the Seller before you bid on an item, especially from Sellers who have been on eBay a while or who sell a large number of items.

EBay has some useful tools to help you qualify the Seller ahead of time. The first and most valuable of these is the eBay Feedback system. Whenever a transaction is made on eBay both the Buyer and Seller have the opportunity to leave a short comment about the transaction. EBay calls these ""Feedbacks."" The feedback can be labeled as Positive, Neutral, or Negative. Then a comment of about 80 characters can be left to further describe the purchase experience.

Mostly these feedback comments will praise fast shipping or the successful completion of the purchase. You can usually ignore these comments as they are either automatically placed (using an eBay option) or they are not carefully thought out. But if you look through the feedback comments you should see more specific feedbacks. These can be product reviews after a product has been tried, or they can be complaints.

The most important feedbacks to look for are negative feedbacks. These are easy to spot. First find the feedback page for the Seller you are investigating. Find the Seller name in the auction you are looking at. You will find this in an information box labeled ""Seller Information"" located in the upper right corner of the auction. Here you will find the Seller's eBay name, the feedback rating of the Seller and the Seller's Positive Feedback percentage. If your Seller has a 100% Positive Feedback rating, congratulations, you have found a Good eBay Seller!

If the Positive Feedback rating is less than 100% you should take a look at the actual Feedback Page. Next to the Seller's name you will find a number. Click on this number to go to the Seller's Feedback page. Once you are here take a look at the Recent Ratings box. This will give you a summary for the last month, the past 6 months and the past year. Look for Negative and Neutral Feedbacks. If there are only one or two Negative Feedbacks listed and the Seller has a lot of Positive Feedbacks it could be an isolated problem. But if the seller has more than 10 Negative Feedbacks during the past year, or more than 2 Negative Feedbacks in the past month you should look further.

Next look at the Feedbacks Received section, here is where you will find the actual comments left by the Buyers. Look through this list to find the Negative and Neutral feedbacks and read the Buyer comments. This will allow you to quickly judge the quality of this Seller.

The next thing to look for is the eBay Power Seller logo. This is a logo that eBay awards to sellers who maintain a certain level of sales per month and who also maintain a feedback rating of 98% or more. So a Power Seller will be a Seller who sells consistently on eBay and who keeps their customers happy. It goes without saying that a Seller with a 100% feedback rating and a large number of sales will also be an eBay Power Seller.

Another thing to watch out for is a recent eBay name change or a new eBay seller with little or no track record. In the Seller Information box in the Auction you will see a line stating how long this Seller has been an eBay member. The longer they have been a member of eBay the better, especially if they have a high Feedback Rating. This will tell you that they have not only kept their customers happy, but they have done so for a long time.

Be wary of new sellers, and be very wary of Sellers who have recently changed their eBay name. The easiest way for a Seller to get rid of a large number of negative feedbacks is to change their name. New name, no feedbacks. For the first 30 days of a name change eBay will put a note next to the new name letting you know that the name has been changed. After 30 days you will not be able to tell.

Finally, one of the best ways to judge a Seller is to ask the Seller a question. Good Sellers will answer questions quickly and completely. Bad Sellers will usually take a long time to answer or ignore your question all together. In the same Seller Information box you will find a link to ""Ask the Seller a Question."" Simply click on this link and fill in the simple form. EBay will send the Seller an email with your question. Make sure that your question is specific enough to get a sense of how the Seller will treat you as a customer. If they are good they will answer you back quickly and fully.

EBay is a great market place and one of the most enjoyable places to shop online, but you do have to be careful.

* Look for Negative Feedbacks and be sure to read through them to see what the problems were. * Look for the Power Seller Logo. * Watch out for new Sellers and stay away from Sellers who have recently changed their eBay name. * Ask the Seller a question. There is nothing like communicating directly with a Seller to set your mind at ease, or to convince you to look elsewhere.

There is no guarantee that you will find the perfect seller, but by using these recommended steps you will greatly improve your chances for a painless and enjoyable eBay experience.

About the author: George Peirson is President of How To Gurus and is an eBay Power Seller with a 100% Positive Feedback Rating. He is the author of over 30 multimedia based tutorial training titles. To see training and other articles by George Peirson visit http://www.howtogurus.com Article copyright 2006 George Peirson

How To Find Top-Selling eBay Items

Author: Jason James

Unless you are willing to pay for software that finds top-selling ebay items, you will have to conduct your own research by hand. Luckily for you, there is a simple method you can use to perform market research for ebay.

If you are already selling on ebay, you probably have a general idea of what you want to sell. For instance, you might know you want to sell collectibles, jewelry, or consumer electronics. However, what you might not know is what you want to sell within those categories or what you should be selling within those categories to maximize your profits per sale.

Your goal should be to select products that have both a high demand (high search popularity) and a low supply (number and quality of sellers). In business, this is generally referred to as a ""niche."" If you want to maximize your profits, you should search out a number of niches within your ebay selling sub-category.

You can start this process by going to http://category-keyword.ebay.com/all_categories.html and clicking your current selling category and then sub- category. Drill down and build a list as you go of potential niches by recording the ""commonly searched words"" for each level.

Continue to drill down until you have the ebay search results for a given niche. For instance, if you continue to drill down for jewelry, you can eventually get results for ""white gold rings"" or ""sapphire gold rings."" Spend some time analyzing the raw amount of results (i.e. 4300 results for ""white gold rings"") you get for a given keyphrase, the quality of the sellers within the niche, and the prevailing market rates within the niche.

If supply is low and demand is high for that given ebay selling niche, prices will be inordinately high, allowing you to maintain high profit margins until your niche fills out with more sellers.

In order to assure consistent profits, you should select a number of profitable ebay selling niches and sell within each. When you pick a good niche, your sales will reflect it: your merchandise will move fast and you will consistently sell over the ebay market values.

If you find a good niche, but do not have sufficient stock to sell within that niche, you can simply find a dropshipper or an affiliate program to do all of the work for you. You can sign up at places like www.cj.com, www.linkshare.com, and http://www.megagoods.com for free and immediately start selling items as an affiliate.

About the author: Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with no business experience how they can make huge profits selling products at online auctions. Claim Your Free eBook: ""Top 10 eBay Secrets for Successful Selling"" below: http://Auctionresource.Opportunity.com

The Secret to eBay Store Success

Author: Jason James

If you care to take the time to look, there is more advice out there on the Internet about how to be successful with your Ebay store than you could ever possibly read in a lifetime. Ebay itself offers plenty of advice for newcomers to the world of online auctions that can be quite useful. But at the end of the day everything will really boil down to just one thing: excellent customer service.

Living and Dying by Reputation

When you are first starting out in any business it is absolutely vital to generate positive feedback from customers. This not only helps you get their business in the future, but it also helps generate word of mouth advertising about your company. An Ebay business is definitely no exception to this rule.

A company offering the absolute cheapest product or service possible will still die if it treats customers poorly. Although you cannot please every single person that uses your Ebay store to buy something, it is definitely possible to keep the vast majority pleased with the services you provide.

Accurate Descriptions

Since the customer cannot physically touch or see the actual item you are trying to sell at your Ebay store, descriptions are absolutely critical. Misrepresenting an item may yield you a few dollars more on the winning bid but the negative feedback can absolutely destroy your reputation and any chances of true success using online auctions to make a living.

Also, you want to write your descriptions so that you anticipate most questions a customer may have about the item. You still have to respond to customer questions as soon as possible but you certainly don't want to be bogged down all day shooting e-mails back to people. Try to think of all the questions a customer might have before writing your description so you can write it so that almost all of these questions are answered in the description itself.

Clear Photos

Never be tempted to use trickery or odd angles to misrepresent your item with a photo. Again, negative feedback kills more Ebay business owners and their dreams than you would ever believe. Look carefully at the picture you plan to post with your listing and ask yourself if it accurately represents what you are selling. If it does not, take another picture that does.

Transactions

It can honestly be intimidating for customers to use the Internet to buy the things they want and Ebay auctions can be even scarier. People want to believe that they are buying from a reputable and honest seller who is professional in every respect. You send this very message by making the transaction as convenient as possible.

All of your terms should be clearly listed up front so that there is no chance for confusion. Inform customers about your shipping charges and consider including the Ebay calculator in your listing so that they can figure them out themselves and cut down on questions that you will have to respond to.

Be certain to include your return and warranty policies so that you did everything possible to inform the customer of precisely what they are getting should they decide to buy from you. You may want to consider making an occasional exception to your policies in the interest of avoiding negative feedback, but that is something you, as owner of your Ebay store, have to decide on a case by case basis.

Include as many payment options as you can reasonably accommodate. Fewer options generally means few bids and less profitable online auctions for your Ebay store.

By following these simple guidelines and being sure to make the customer feel as special as possible, you will build a great reputation on Ebay. In the end, this will help grow your Ebay business and keep your business thriving.

Want to Learn How to Sell on eBay? Click Here: http://Auctionresource.Opportunity.com

About the author: Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with no business experience how they can make huge profits selling products at online auctions. Claim Your Free eBook: ""Top 10 eBay Secrets for Successful Selling"" below: http://Auctionresourcenetwork.Opportunity.com