The Center for EBay Education and Training: June 2006

Friday, June 30, 2006

7 Foolish Mistakes You Should Avoid If You Are New To Selling on EBay

Author: Ben Catt

(1) Keyword spamming

This is a sure fire way to make yourself look like a complete fool.

Basically, keyword spammers list words which are not related to the auction in the title to try and attract more visitors. Often the words they use have absolutely no relevance at all to the product they are selling.

For example:

ps2 the getaway not xbox nintendo pc sega

(from a listing found 1st November 2005)

This particular title is a very bad choice. Why on earth the seller decided to put ""not xbox nintendo pc sega"" in the title I do not know.

Does he think that a potential XBox buyer will suddenly feel compelled to buy a game for another console?

The only result of this is that a huge number of potential bidders will miss this auction.

The seller has overlooked the fact that anyone searching for ""getaway playstation 2"" will miss his auction. And people searching for that term are looking for his product!

A better title would be:

Sony Playstation 2 (PS2) Game - The Getaway - As New

Even worse than those who spam in the title are the sellers who spam in the subtitle. Searches on eBay do not include the subtitle so it is completely pointless keyword spamming in this way.

Instead of spamming, make sure you use the entire character allocation of your title and cram in as many keywords as possible.

(2) Feedback Gathering

One quick way to get to 10 or 20 feedback points is to buy lots of 1p ebooks from other eBay members.

The foolish newbie believes this to be a great way to increase feedback, after all, you can spend £1 and receive 100 positive feedbacks!

The problem comes when they start to sell products and their potential customers look through their feedback. When they see that the seller has purposely inflated their feedback by buying crap, it looks like a scammer's account.

Go about your eBay business professionally from the beginning. If you need feedback, sell some things you don't need from around the house. You'll soon build up some positive numbers next to your username.

(3) Trying to sell ""resale rights"" eBooks

One reasonably well-known information marketer recently made a massive mistake by selling an eBook with resale rights. Within a couple of days her £30 eBook was changing hands for as little as 5p (£0.05).

Resale rights do not work on eBay because as soon as you sell an eBook with these rights someone even dumber than you will undercut your price. Then someone even stupider will undercut theirs. Next thing you know, several sellers are offering the eBooks, along with 10 or so more for 1p. The price drops within 48 hours and there is no real money left to be made.

If you want to sell eBooks on eBay, write them yourself and beware of other people trying to sell your work. Never try and sell someone else's work unless you have purchased the right to do so. You will get sued.

(4) They neglect to give prompt, polite service

When you list an item on eBay you can sometimes get someone who asks a very silly question or makes a ridiculously low offer. Always be courteous to these people, they may be future customers.

At the same time, when you do make a sale, ensure that the product is dispatched as soon as possible once payment is received. eBay buyers are very, very impatient. You may think that sending an item with 2 weeks is OK, most buyers want it within 2 days.

You can, and probably will, get negative feedback for being too slow or by appearing to be rude in email communication. Remember your manners, answer all questions in full and treat everyone as a potential life long customer and you will have an easier time on eBay.

(5) They sell the wrong products

The ideal eBay product is easy to source, easy to post and popular. When first starting on eBay it is a good idea to concentrate on selling small items such as CDs, DVDs, video games etc.

Buy bulk lots from eBay, break them up and list them seperately. Make sure your title, description and photos are clear and show the product for what it is. You will be surprised at the profit you can make just by doing this.

Also, steer clear of huge, bulky items. Selling plasma TVs may seem like a good idea but when you come to post your TV to the buyer, you will soon regret offering it for such a low price.

(6) They try to cheat their customers

New sellers can be very ""wet behind the ears"" and neglect to mention some damage to the item they are selling. If you do not mention a scratch or other significant damage on your item, the customer will return it and expect a refund. You may even receive negative feedback for your troubles.

And, more seriously, never, ever try to bid on your own auction to raise the price. You aren't the first person who thought of it and you won't be the last. Shill-bidding will land you in trouble with eBay and potential customers. A lot of buyers check a seller's previous sales. If they continue to see the same bidder bidding on your auctions they will refuse to buy from you and may even report you. eBay will then ban you.

(7) They over-charge on postage

Be fair with your customers and you will have a lot less hassle from them. Overcharging on postage may seem like a good idea to boost profits but what you will probably find is that any potential bidder will bid less for your item if the postage is too high. Always state your postage in your auction and you will get a higher price than if you do not.

About the author: Ben Catt is an active eBay buyer and seller and runs an eBay Tips and Tricks website found at http://www.BenCatt.com . He also runs a business opportunity information site - http://www.BizOppsUK.com

Steal the Secrets of a Regular Guy Who Made $8 MILLION On eBay Last Year!

Author: Amit Jain

Review: ""The Insider Secrets Of An eBay Millionaire"" by Derek Gehl and Brandon Dupsky

I've just finished devouring the brand-new ""Insider Secrets Of An eBay Millionaire"" by Brandon Dupsky and Derek Gehl, and I've got to tell you, it is by FAR the best system for making a life-changing income on eBay that I've come across!

Don't be embarrassed if you've never heard of self-made eBay millionaire Brandon Dupsky before. After all, he likes to fly ""below the radar"" (which gives him more time to focus on his booming eBay business!)

But what you should know about him is that he's just a regular guy who got his start on eBay by selling a few odd-and-ends he found in his basement...

... and since then, he's refined his techniques to the point where he made $8 MILLION this past year alone!

And what's really great is that Brandon has agreed to team up with Derek Gehl, the well-known Internet marketing expert who is responsible for over $40,000,000 in online sales!

... together, they can show you everything you need to know about profiting on eBay!

I'm talking about information like...

Where to find in-demand products that you can buy for cheap and resell for massive profits!

How to attract TONS of bids and make HUGE profits on every single auction you list!

How to CREATE stunning listings that grab the eyeballs of eager bidders!

How to easily rake in even MORE cash by establishing a glowing feedback rating!

How to eliminate 90% of all eBay headaches by setting up foolproof payment And shipping systems!

Techniques for driving 1,000s of qualified bidders to YOUR auction listings!

And much more!

And if you have an existing Internet business, they can show YOU how you can use your current business to tap into the 2,000,000 visitors who come to eBay every day!

I give this eBay profit system the highest rating possible!

It includes a huge 237-page guidebook PLUS over 4 solid hours of audio instruction on 4 CDs...

... and contains every tip, strategy, and secret there is for getting started on eBay today, earning your first profit by tomorrow -- and making a life changing income of potentially $100,000 or MORE in your first year!

PLUS -- the live recorded conversations between Derek and Brandon are indispensable for explaining in detail the most powerful auction strategies that other eBay ""Power Sellers"" don't want you to know!

I strongly urge you to check out Brandon's eBay profit-generating system as soon as possible! Click here for a FREE preview.

About the author: MatchABid - Auction Guide

Make eBay Selling Better by Building Trust and Credibility

Author: Doug Luthringer

You will need to develop trust and credibility to be successful, not only on eBay but in your business life as well. Trying to build a trusting relationship with someone you've never even talked to is extremely difficult, and this is what you will have to do when selling on eBay. I will cover many ways to develop trust throughout this book, but I will hit on a few simple ways to quickly become a credible source of information in this section. The first is as easy as choosing an appropriate eBay User ID. If you are selling wedding accessories, your eBay User ID should not be crazyjoe_3568. This is not the type of place most people would want to shop at for their wedding. Now if your eBay User ID is YourDay or WeddingAccessories, people are much more likely to trust your products and service over crazyjoe_3568. If people are more likely to trust you, they will be more willing to bid higher for your items.

The lesson here is that the first impression is the most important and to be honest in all your business ventures. If you are comfortable with yourself and the business you operate, then knowing that you provide a high level of service and professionalism will lead others to believe in you also. You might get banged around a little at times, but hold your head high and things will work out for the better. And don't forget, crazyjoe_3568 will have a hard time selling much of anything unless it's CRAZY!

About the author: Doug Luthringer is a certified eBay education specialist who has taught more than 150 students The Basics of eBay Selling course and The Advanced eBay Selling Techniques course. He has been selling on eBay for nearly six years and has completed over 1800 eBay transactions and has over 1150 unique positive comments with no negative feedback. Doug has also been invited to be a guest speaker to talk about how to sell on eBay and the use of Google Ad

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Jewelry Wholesale and eBay Auctions

Author: Glenn J Fournier

eBay is a great place to find almost any item that you can imagine. Jewelry wholesale auctions are quite common on eBay, and in many cases, you cannot beat the deals that are offered here. However, there are also many con artists that operate through eBay, and you have to use caution.

Start by reading all of the fine details about the jewelry wholesale lots that you are purchasing. If you still have questions, send those questions to the seller through eBay's website. Make sure that you keep all of your contact with the seller through the website so that there is documentation.

Check out the person or company that is offering the jewelry wholesale. Look at their ratings and their feedback. Has there been any negative feedback? If so, you may want to reconsider your options and look into other auctions. If the feedback is all positive, and the seller's rating is high, doing business with them should not be a problem.

Make sure that you are clear about shipment costs and the shipment time frame, as well as the payment options offered. Usually, the buyer is responsible for the shipment costs, and this is added to the total and paid before the item ships. In the case of high ticket items, insurance may be required on the item as well. The seller seldom pays the shipping costs.

If the jewelry wholesale is a high ticket item, such as jewelry that is bought in bulk or rare pieces of expensive jewelry, you should strongly consider using the escrow service that is recommended by eBay. If the seller recommends any escrow service other than the one that eBay recommends, you might not want to do business with this seller - it could be a scam.

Beware of sniper's on eBay! Sniping is against the rules at eBay, but a large group of people do it anyway. Sniping is automatic bidding, which is not against the rules, but the software or service is instructed to place the highest bid in the last possible minute of the auction - leaving no time for anyone else to place a higher bid. Again, this is against eBay's rules.

Instead of sniping, place your first bid at the maximum amount that you are willing to pay for the jewelry wholesale lot. Each time the bid is raised, your bid will automatically be raised - until your limit is reached. This is not sniping, and it is a perfectly legal way to bid on auctions at eBay.

About the author: Glenn has been researching and exploring for gold, jewels and treasure for about 16 years. You can get a copy of my new ebook Getting Gold: http://www.island-publishing.com/GetGold/Index.html

Ebay - Avoiding Fraud

Author: Jay Bauder

Everything in E-bay seemed perfect: nice shopping portal, almost complete buyer's list, and a convenient place to do shopping online. In fact, it's too good to be true.

If this is the case, then it's time for the buyer's warning signal to go red alert because if things on E-bay seemed to good to be true, it probably is and may not even be worth the buyer's time and money.

There are lots of frauds and scams?going on in the Internet today and E-bay is not excused. So, it's important for buyers to detect early signs of fraudulent activities before it gets them. Here's how to do it:

1. Buyers should look for the seller's feedback section. If a seller has many feedbacks and almost 50% of it is negative, chances are transaction with this seller will turn out a hoax, even if the seller has provided positive replies.

2. Online shoppers should be aware of emails contending it's from E-bay and certifying some seller as a good one. It's already anomalous in the first place because E-bay does not send emails. Plus, E-bay would definitely not certify a seller even if he or she has a remarkable selling history.

3. Buyer should be aware of sellers that insist on wire transfers like Western Union as mode of payment. In fact, E-bay does not recommend their buyers to use wire transfer services. If the seller insists on it, then, no doubt it's a scam.

4. Buyer should also be aware of ""too-good-to-be-true"" prices. Chances are items that are priced way below their real prices are signs of imminent fraudulent activities.

5. Online shoppers should take note of phishing emails. These are emails that require subscribers to fill out forms provided in the email with warning statements saying the subscriber's account will be closed if the person concerned will not provide the required pertinent information. Once given, anomalous activities are on their way like identity theft.

6. Buyers should also be aware of sellers that let them pay the bid amount to wire transfers directly from the buyer's checking account. Worst, the seller contends that the given bank account is Escrow's.

7. Online shoppers should be weary of institutions claiming they are escrow but ask payments be made to a person instead of a corporation. This is a clear case of scam.

So, to shun away from probable scam attacks, it's a must for every E-bay buyer to keep these tips in mind. It's better to be safe than dumb.

About the author: Jay is the web owner of http://www.the-lowest-prices.com Online Shoppping , a website that provides information and resources on online shopping malls and discounts. You can visit his website at: Online Deals

Ebay Fraud And Risks

Author: Steve Hill

I am one of many people who have had a negative experience on the internet auction website ebay. This article describes how I nearly lost a large some of money from a man who attempts to defraud people out of their hard earned money.

I have read about many people who have had bad experiences on ebay, I hope you are not one of them. I must admit, I was having a great time on ebay, and also making some cash myself until this fraudster ruined it for me.

I had been buying and selling on ebay for a couple of years and even though I was aware of the risks involved, had traded without any problems at all. I was very careful, and if I bought an expensive item, I would always ensure that I met the seller somewhere, normally just off a motorway and I even drove to their houses. I pulled off some great deals and was even thinking that I could make it into a real income. I also pleased the wife as I made money from some of our unwanted items.

Good things apparantly have to come to an end and they certainly did with Ebay.

Where it all went wrong:

I was on the hunt to buy a particular make of mobile phone and thought I had found a real bargain. I saw an advert for a buy it now phone at a price which I thought was quite low. The advert stated that the mobile phone was an unwanted christmas present.

On the advert there was a mobile number which people were able to call if they had any questions. I therefore rang the number and a man called Tony answered. I asked him all the typical questions and he gave all of the answers which I wanted to hear. He sounded very genuine and seemed really nice, however stated that he was unable to meet me as he was as he had yet to pass his test.

As stated previously, in this situation I would normally travel to the sellers house, however he lived a long way from where I did and it was deep into the country. I had a bad feeling about the deal, however reluctantly agreed to pay via a direct bank transfer. He assured me he would post the phone that very day via Royal Mail Special Delivery, to arrive by 11am the next morning. I knew I had taken a risk however believed that everything would go smoothly, how wrong could I be.

I waited in my house the next day and to my horror nothing arrived. For some reason I waited until the next day before contacting him, hoping it would be delivered, but as you have already guessed, it didn't.

I tried e-mailing him, texting and ringing his mobile phone, guess what, there was no reply.

I realised what a fool I had been, however was not happy just to let him get away with it. I therefore decided to report the incident to the police. They were very helpful and half an hour later I had a crime number, I was however warned that it was extremely unlikely I would ever see a phone or receive a refund of the money I had sent.

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:

stammering stuttering therapy

back pain specialist

coach life london

Holiday Shopping On eBay

Author: Ron King

Whether we like it or not, the holiday season has become the shopping season. But there is a way to remove the traffic and hassles from your holiday gift buying -- eBay. Shop in the comfort of your own home, and have fun in the process.

Perfect Gifts

If you know the kinds of things your friends and family like, then eBay's categories are ideal places to get ideas. And then a few clicks later, you're shopping -- at bargain basement prices.

eBay offers a cool way to come up with gift ideas. Think of a recent item that your gift recipient bought for themselves. Type it into eBay's search box and see which category it's in, then click the link to look at everything in that category. You'll immediately have a huge list of things that they would probably love to have. If you know the recipient well, you should have no trouble sorting through the suggestions to find a special and unique gift.

Let History Be Your Guide

You have an extra tool available when the people you're buying for are eBay users. If you know their eBay usernames, you can look at what they've been buying to see the kinds of things they may want.

First, click Advanced Search on the main page, then Find A Member on the left-hand menu to see an eBay user's history. Type in the username and you'll get their user page, which lists the item numbers of everything they have bought. Choose an item number and paste it into the eBay search box to find out what the item was. Voila! You have a nearly foolproof list of ideal gifts for that person on your shopping list.

Avoid Last-Minute Shopping

Don't be tempted to use eBay for your last-minute holiday shopping, though. The prices will be high, and items might not reach you in time.

Every year there's a toy every child wants and all the stores sell out. Suddenly the toy appears on eBay -- at a premium. Holiday shoppers have to pay many times the gift's value, and still don't receive it in time for the big day. Don't get caught in this snare.

'Tis The Season

The holiday season is peak time at eBay because millions of people are shopping there. A good percentage of them are inexperienced eBay shoppers, who drive up prices far above normal. Try not to end up paying too much for an item just because it's the last one you could receive in time, or because everyone else is bidding high. Know when to cut your losses, stop bidding, and just go buy something from the local store.

Keep It Jolly

eBay works best when it's not taken too seriously. Treat it like a game, and you won't be too disappointed if you lose. It can feel somewhat like gambling, but when that really rare gift for that special someone arrives on your doorstep just in time for Christmas, it all becomes worth it.

About the author: Visit Shop Ebay to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer, visit his website at Website

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Have you thought about eBay as a new sales channel?

Author: Doug Luthringer

Small businesses that complain that eBay is taking their business should jump on the eBay train before it leaves them behind. eBay is not only for baseball cards and antiques anymore. Many places have an online eBay Store to supplement their walk-ins during the slow times, and to sell off-season or obsolete inventory. Besides Christmas being a good time to sell just about anything, there are going to be seasonal slow times that will bring your sales to a crawl. Also, especially in any kind of electronics business, the products you are selling today will be very different from what you are going to be selling in six months.

So what do you do with the excess inventory? Sell it on eBay. Most people don't mind not having the next big thing. As long as your thing meets their needs, they will be happy to buy it from you.

Next, you're scared and don't know how to sell on eBay. You don't want to pay someone to do it for you, and your little brother's friend is not the best instructor. Enter eBay's education specialists. These are people who are trained and certified by eBay to teach you The Basics of eBay Selling, Advanced eBay Selling Techniques, and The Basics of Buying on eBay courses. These courses are professionally developed by eBay and the instructors have the latest data and material to help you learn how to sell on eBay.

You may have seen info-mercials, heard radio ads and tried to read eBay for Dummies, but you still aren't getting it or trusting where you are getting the information from. The classes taught by eBay Education Specialists are not designed to make you an overnight millionaire, or get you involved in some scheme that makes them more money than you will. They are there because they love what they do and want to teach others how to do it right. It is a way of strengthening the entire eBay Community to do things right, to treat people right and to know what the right things are to do in order for everyone to succeed.

In closing, do not be scared of eBay but rather embrace it. Learn how to do it right from the right people and you will succeed.

About the author: Doug Luthringer is a certified eBay education specialist who has taught more than 150 students The Basics of eBay Selling course and The Advanced eBay Selling Techniques course. Doug has also been invited to be a guest speaker to talk about how to sell on eBay and the use of Google AdWords to small and medium size business, as well as university students. You can get more information about Doug and his eBay selling book at http://www.Thefastmall.com

Ebay - Online Auction Tips

Author: Jay Bauder

Buying things in an auction is the most affordable way to obtain the item a person wishes to have. That is why even the Internet had provided such sites like eBay in order to provide more affordable items than what the typical market has to offer.

Best of all, net auctions sites like eBay can provide a number of potential profits for the small time entrepreneurs who want to, in some or way or another, earn extra income.

Through eBay, sellers do not have to build a site just to sell. In fact, there's no investment capital needed in order to start the business.

There just simple things a seller has to do in order to come up with a good sale. Here are some things the seller has to know before putting up a sale:

1. The Market Value

It's a must for every seller to do some homework first regarding the price of the item in the market. This is to enable the seller to come up with a price that is reasonable enough to compensate the purchasing power of the buyer and the much-needed profit of the seller as well.

The seller may also look for the other sites that offer the same item so as to give him or her an insight on how he or she should stipulate the price.

2. The item description.

It is important for a seller to come up with a detailed description of the item. That is, the seller should be honest enough to put everything that depicts the items actual state and appearance. It should be based more on information and not just propaganda.

3. The photograph.

Pictures are enough to sell the item. But it takes skill to get the right angle and the perfect aura of the item so as to illustrate the best point of view. If the item is clear enough for the buyer to see its specifications, chances are, the buyer will purchase it.

4. The seller's requirements.

It is an essential thing for the seller to state his or her payment requirements. It's best for the sellers to include everything especially the additional charges that will apply like shipping fees.

5. The customer service.

In order for the seller to close a sale, he or she must be well adept on customer service. That is, the seller should know that it is important to reply on a buyer's inquiry, to answer whenever there is confusion, and to do some follow-ups even if the transaction is finished.

As they say, a happy buyer makes a happy seller.

Ebay - How Sellers Get Paid

Author: Jay Bauder

Today, eBay is considered to be one of the most lucrative auction sites available in the Internet.

However, selling on eBay is not that easy, and the very first thing a seller should do is to find the ways on how he or she will get paid once the item is sold. And so, here are the different ways how a seller can be paid:

1. PayPal

PayPal is the most common and convenient way of sending and receiving money based on an eBay transaction. Here, the payment for the sold item is sent directly to the seller by means of an established bank account or a credit card.

2. Personal Check or Cashier's Check

Sellers may choose this kind of option. However, the drawback of using this kind of payment method is that the seller still has to wait for a number of banking days before the check gets cleared.

3. Credit Cards

Sellers must have a merchant account to be able to accept payments from its buyers through credit cards. This is applicable only if the buyer will be paying directly to the seller. If the buyer still wants to use credit card but wants a safer transaction, he or she may opt to pay the seller through PayPal with the use of the credit card.

4. Bank to bank wire transfers

In this type of payment, the seller can be paid through a bank-to-bank transaction. Here, the buyer will transfer funds from his or her bank account to the seller's bank account.

5. Money Orders/Bid pay

This is one of the recommended payment methods of eBay. This is considered safe because the seller or the buyer can track down the mailing address of the concerned person.

6. Escrow

This is strongly suggested for high-priced item transactions. The escrow service guarantees full protection while the transaction is not yet closed. Through this service, the seller has to wait for the confirmation that the buyer had received the product before receiving payment.

However, sellers and buyers should take extra precautions on dealing with escrow services. There are a lot of counterfeit escrow services lurking on eBay these days. It's best to check if the escrow service was approved by eBay.

8. Cash

Sellers on eBay may receive payments through cash. However, this is a high-risk activity and offers no guaranteed protection.

8. Instant Cash Wire Transfers like western Union and Money Grams

Sellers may opt for this type of payment method. But, they should keep in mind eBay is strongly against this mode of payment and that insisting this to the buyer may result to suspension or termination of account.

Ebay Gift Certificates

Author: Jay Bauder

Now that online shoppers have realized the true potential of online shopping with eBay, they offer their customers a better and easier (not to mention cheaper) way of doing their transactions with eBay. eBay Gift Certificates!

But the customers and all online shoppers must always be careful about the terms and/or conditions regarding the gift certificates. Always be alert and reminded about the expiration date of the gift certificates, this way, customers can always make full use of their eBay GCs. The gift certificates from eBay are wonderful gifts to the people dear to us. With an eBay gift certificate, we share the joys of shopping online through eBay.

eBay gift certificates are available to anyone who wishes to buy one. No eBay registration or eBay membership is required to get your hands on this baby. They can be purchased though PayPal. One of its yet better points is that while paying for your gift certificate, you can choose to sign up for your account at PayPal.

But as anything, there is a catch. The catch is not all eBay gift certificates will be redeemed. Only those that pass the following requirements will be redeemed.

1. The one who sells the item on sale accepts PayPal as one of the ways to pay for their merchandise. 2. The original price of the item on sale must be in Pounds Sterling, Canadian Dollars, Euros or US Dollars. 3. The owner of the GC has ten days after the item on sale has been closed at eBay to pay for the merchandise through PayPal.

There are rare occasions that and eBay gift certificate will expire. Customers or purchasers of the gift certificates are also not required to pay maintenance fees on unused balances of the gift certificate. If the price of the item that a customer is buying cannot be covered by the gift certificate alone, the buyer needs to supply the remaining balance through paying from another fund source at PayPal (which can either be credit card or bank account).

eBay gift certificates can be spent when the customer wishes to buy an item or have won an item at eBay that passes the requirements mentioned above. To do this, when you have chosen the item that you want, select the word Paypal for your payment method. (Don't panic if it reroutes you to the PayPal site, this really happens) Log in to PayPal and write down the redemption codes found in the Check Payment Detail. Look for the Add/Select button and click on that to enable you to use your GC. You redeem your gift certificates this way and the seller of the item receives the payment through PayPal.

Customer Support Relief for eBay Sellers

Author: Steve Hartert

Automated Customer Support Solution First to Integrate Into eBay's 'Ask the Seller a Question'

HostedSupport.com, a leading provider of affordable automated online customer support solutions for web businesses, today announced ezSupport for eBay, its new automated customer support solution customized specifically to the needs of eBay sellers. ezSupport for eBay helps sellers deal with the overwhelming volume of repetitive email questions from buyers by automatically answering 80 percent of incoming questions.

With 135 million users worldwide, eBay has become the standard in online auctions and the vehicle for millions of entrepreneurs looking to build their own businesses. HostedSupport.com has established a unique partnership with the online auction company and is the only developer of automated customer support that has integrated into the eBay API to support 'Ask the Seller a Question.'

ezSupport for eBay is a web-based, hosted solution with no special software or hardware to purchase. Targeted to eBay sellers and ecommerce companies that sell on eBay, ezSupport for eBay enables sellers to focus on increasing sales rather than dealing with redundant customer emails.

""eBay sellers deal with hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of email questions on a daily basis that are redundant and easy to answer,"" said Steve Hartert, vice president of marketing. ""As the volume of email grows, the time devoted to responding to these repetitive questions hinders the sellers' ability to focus on the needs of the business. ezSupport for eBay is proven to respond to a very high percentage of these repetitive emails faster than would be possible manually by the seller.""

Typical questions received by sellers include inquiries on shipping policies, and specifics about products like size, weight and color. Through a set up wizard, sellers develop their own list of questions and answers and ezSupport for eBay can be up and running in less than 20 minutes.

One example of an eBay seller that found himself bogged down in the volumes of buyer emails is Bob Allen, co-founder of MyGolfBallStore.com. MyGolfBallStore.com is an online retailer of sporting goods and an eBay platinum power seller. Allen and his customer support team utilized email, spreadsheets and paper files to attempt to track customer issues. As the business grew, this manual process became too time-consuming, complex and costly. Allen turned to HostedSupport.com to automate his customer support process and adopted ezSupport for eBay.

According to Allen, ""HostedSupport.com was the answer to my prayers. We were suffering severe growing pains trying to keep up with our customer support workload. Since using ezSupport for eBay, 70 percent of our workload has been eliminated by the system, and our customer relationships have never been better.""

Allen now uses two HostedSupport.com products - ezSupport for eBay and ezSupport Pro for his stand alone website, and has realized the following results: - Less than 10 emails per day require manual review and response - 75 percent reduction in buyer phone calls - 70 percent reduction in overall customer support tasks - No need to hire additional support staff to manage high volumes of emails - Improved customer communications channels resulting in greater customer retention. - 90% of buyer emails automatically answered.

ezSupport for eBay is priced at $9.95 per seat per month and is available on a month-to-month subscription basis. ezSupport for eBay supports Windows and Macintosh and is compatible with Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Opera and Safari web browsers.

HostedSupport.com offers two products customized to eBay - ezSupport for eBay and ezSupport Lite for eBay, a free introductory solution that also integrates with 'Ask the Seller a Question.' HostedSupport.com also offers ezSupport and ezSupport Pro, their automated online customer support solutions for any online business. ezSupport and ezSupport Pro feature auto-answer email, FAQs, ticket tracking, live chat, advanced reporting and POP email importing, as well as free training and set-up assistance. Pricing is $49.95 per seat per month for ezSupport and $79.95 per seat per month for ezSupport Pro.

About HostedSupport.com HostedSupport.com is a leading provider of affordable customer support automation for web businesses. Its easy-to-use system can be set up in 20 minutes and eliminates many of the support ""pains"" involved in answering and tracking customer questions and problem tickets. Businesses using HostedSupport.com's products automate most customer support tasks while improving customer retention. HostedSupport.com is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Its clients and partners include: eBay, PCMall, E! Online, TicketWeb, NetMagazines.com, Salesnet, Yahoo! Search Marketing, BrandMuscle, MyGolfBallStore, eBoz, Roving, Bravenet, and ePublicEye.

About the author: Steve has more than 20 years of marketing management experience. His professional background includes running his own marketing consulting firm, where he worked with clients such as The Walt Disney Company, Blue Cross of CA, and ABC Television. He recently served as the marketing director for an electronic cash card project in Sydney, Australia. Steve has a BS in Communications from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and an MBA in M

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Ebay - Finding The Hot Items

Author: Jay Bauder

In so many instances, people would always want their food hot: hot coffee, hot-of-the-grill burgers and steaks etc.

That's why even on eBay people would rather go for those items that are selling like hot pancakes, so hot that they almost burn!

Basically, eBay categorize these items as ""hot"" whenever it obtains bids more than 30. Then after, eBay would classify them as ""hot items"". There are a lot of items that are already considered hot on eBay, though; things vary depending on what category these items fall. So, to know which things are considered hot items on eBay, here are some of them to give new customers an idea:

1. Domain names.

Because of the escalating development of the Internet these days, more and more people are getting ""hooked-up"" on the Net. That's why domain names sell like hot cakes on eBay. To-date, a domain name that has only three letters on it got 109 bids. That is really a hot number considering the usual number of bids that go around eBay.

2. Computers and other high-tech gadgets.

Still an information technology aftermath, more people go rage whenever they see computers, mobile phones, PDAs, laptop or notebooks, and digital camcorders are being sold on eBay. It seems that everybody just wants to be wired and hooked-up with the latest gadgets these days.

3. Jewelries.

And to think that most of the buyers are not just women. Jewelries especially if it has diamonds in it are so popular and in-demand. But people must consider when mulling over on this items - they are just too hot to handle.

4. Books.

Books also are also hot items on eBay these days especially those that fall on the interest of young adults like the Harry Potter series, The DaVinci Code, and those that are geared to give tips and tricks to businessmen and entrepreneurs.

5. Clothes.

Clothes sell hot too, and it's the fad that keep them reaching the top rank in the hot items category on eBay. And because brand names do matter nowadays, more people are vying on items that are branded. Some of these items also include perfumes and other garments.

These are just a few of the hot items being sold on eBay. This just goes to show that eBay is, indeed, the best place to get most from a bargain especially if the items are in-demand on eBay.

Ebay - Electronic Discount Coupons

Author: Jay Bauder

There a novel idea afoot nowadays: electronic discount coupons.

This only goes to show that most good marketing ideas can be adopted for the internet. Instead of cutting coupons out from newspapers or carton boxes, eBay gives out electronic copies of such that are fast and easy to use.

eBay routinely sends out coupons that members can use to pay for items that are payable via PayPal. These coupons signify specified discounts to purchases made with PayPal.

Using Coupons

To use an eBay Coupon one must buy an item where the seller accepts PayPal as a payment method. Upon payment of the item using PayPal, an opportunity will be given to the buyer to enter a coupon redemption code and receive the discount.

Sharing Coupons

Some coupons from eBay can be shared with other people. Some can be used only the owner. If the coupon indicates that only a specific email address may use that coupon, it may not be shared.

Coupons and your eBay and PayPal accounts

To use the coupons the owner must have a PayPal and an eBay account. If the owner does not have these accounts, he or she must sign up for them to avail of the discounts. PayPal lets you pay securely over the Internet using a credit card, checking account, or a PayPal account balance.

Important restrictions

Upon winning an eBay auction, one is required to purchase the item even if his coupons are invalid for that type of sale.

Also, coupons can only be used one at a time. This means that Gift Certificates, single coupons, or eBay Anything Points are valid for one time, one at a time.

One more restriction is that the coupons cannot be used for Half.com purchases.

Items must also meet all coupon requirements and must be paid for in ten days from the closing of the auction on eBay.

Coupons have expiry dates. The owner should take note of the expiry dates noted on the coupons.

Sellers may also configure their listings to accept coupons. To accomplish this, the seller must accept PayPal as a payment mode. If a coupon is used in the purchase of one of the seller items, the value of the coupon is forwarded to the seller as its equivalent in regular currency.

eBay University...Rah, Rah, Rah

Author: Barbara Snyder, M.A. Ed.

Remember pom-poms, megaphones, and cute cheerleading outfits from your school days. If you decide to take an eBay class, expect the opening of the course to bring about that kind of ""rah, rah"" feeling. However, eBay does have a lot to cheer about. In just 10 years eBay has become a worldwide marketplace, purporting to be the most popular and largest on the Internet. It boasts that eBay makes over 50 million items available online, with more than 5 million items added everyday, not to mention that eBay has single-handedly boosted digital camera sales. After all you can't be a profitable seller on the site without having one.

Don't get me wrong; the ""rah, rah"" business is not necessarily all bad because the instructors come to that position quite honestly. They have been very successful sellers; many of them power sellers, on eBay. They enthusiastically speak from their hearts and their own experiences. However, the eBay party line is a dominant theme during the introduction to the class and borders on being overkill. In all likelihood people would not have signed up for the class unless they were already serious about learning how to be buyers and sellers on eBay.

Despite my reservations about eBay touting its own praises, I still recommend that you do take a class on the eBay basics. One day of your time will be well worth it. You can find classes in your area by going to ""Community"" on the eBay home page. From there click on ""Community Calendar"" and then ""eBay University."" The eBay University page provides information on eBay Basics or Beyond the Basics classes.

If you decide to attend a class, act fast because eBay classes fill up quickly. Why? Stop and think about it. There are more than 1.2 million registered eBay users, and more than 25,000 members make five figure income as full time eBay entrepreneurs. In addition, more than 250,000 part timers make several thousand dollars a year of supplementary income. This has gotten the attention of many, and the many are flocking to the classes to learn how to get started right away.

The six modules that the eBay Basics course will deliver are:

1. The History and Safety Features - The history and background of eBay is designed as a welcome to new users. It is the ""rah, rah"" part to which I have been referring. It is interesting to have that in the booklet that follows along with the PowerPoint presentation for the class, but this could be read later if anyone is interested in that. The safety feature was an important part in the first module because it offers peace of mind to know that eBay has a safe environment with a success rate for transactions of 99.999%. There are more than 600 reps available 24 hours a day, but they do need more when you look at the ratio of users to tech support personnel. The eBay safety features include: feedback; buyer protection program; PayPal Protection; third party dispute resolution; and a security and resolution center.

2. Setting Up an Account and Researching the Marketplace - To set up an account the students learn how to register for eBay and how to set up a Seller's Account. They also learn how their ID becomes verified. In the research part of the module students are prompted to select an item to sell and guided on how to research the market value of the item. Included in module number 2 is information on restricted items that cannot be sold through eBay.

3. Enhancing Listings - This module covers the topics of pictures, pricing strategies, and PayPal. The recommended way to put pictures in a listing is to use a digital camera although using a traditional camera or a flat bed scanner are other options. There are some funny examples of what not to do when using a digital camera. The pricing strategies include starting bid; reserve price; buy it now, fixed price, and Dutch Auction. A most important aspect of this module was the information on PayPal. It is a safe and easy way to receive payment from buyers. PayPal is accepted in approximately 90 percent of the listings.

4. Detailed Listings - With this information students are shown how to choose a good title and write a good description for an item they hope to sell. The goal is to make an effective listing by including information that is honest, concise and professional. This is also where the students learn about packaging and weighing items; payment options; shipping; and returns.

5. Completing the Sale - This module guides students through the process of monitoring listings and what to do after the listing closes. It emphasizes that communication is important because a seller must be ready to answer buyers' questions on a daily basis. It necessary that a seller look at hits, bids, and email queries. When there are questions, the seller needs to be professional and helpful with responses. An easy way to monitor listings is to use My eBay. It makes a consolidated listing of all the particulars of the items which are listed. The other areas of interest in this module are the fees that are charged for the various details in the listing and the feedback information.

6. The Appendix - The materials in the reference section of the course booklet is invaluable. The samples included are: selling examples; tips on photography; item descriptions; HTML tips; basic fees summary; and a glossary of terms.

Selling products and services from a home based business can be an exciting, and profitable enterprise. To get a solid foundation on how to efficiently use eBay consider a course offered by certified eBay instructors. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with new users. Three cheers for eBay and its class offerings...hip, hip, hooray...

For more information on eBay visit the How to Sell on eBay Resources Page at http://www.sbmag.org/howtosellonebay.html. While you are there, click on the eBay banner and then on ""register"" at the top of the page and its just that easy to be up and running. Oh, and don't forget your pom-poms!!

Copyright usage: No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot links included.

About the author: Barbara Snyder, M.A. Ed. is a retired California Distinguished School Principal & Coordinator For Human Resources. She has a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She holds elementary education, secondary, community college & administrative credentials. She is currently the publisher of http://EducationResourcesNetwork.com, co-publisher of Strictly Business Magazine, http://www.sbmag.org and Student Teacher Supervisor at Chapman University.

How Can You Defeat Ebay Snipers?

Author: Ron King

If you're bidding for items on eBay, sooner or later you'll end up having your bid beaten at the very last second by a ""sniper"". This can be a frustrating experience. In theory sniping is against the rules and you can report it to eBay. In practice, however, they never do anything about it.

The best way to beat the sniper is to become the sniper. Once you understand the process of sniping, you can use it to win more auctions, more often, and at a lower price than you would otherwise pay.

Sniping Manually

If you have a lot of time to spare and a reasonably fast Internet connection, sniping manually is not all that difficult. Make a note of the time when the auction you are bidding on will end. Then make sure you're sitting in front of the page at that vital last minute. Then just outbid the current winning bidder, or defend your own winning bid.

Here's a valuable tip to remember for manual sniping: make sure you set your maximum bid quite high. Otherwise you risk being automatically outbid, and the auction will have ended before you can bid again.

It's not worth your time to compete against someone who is using an automated sniping service. If their service is any good, they will always manage to outbid you. In the sniping arms race, you need to find a sniper on full auto.

Sniping In The Age Of Automation

If you enter ""ebay sniping"" into your favorite search engine, you'll find a long list of online services that will snipe on your behalf for a small fee. They usually offer a free trial, so give it a go.

If you don't want to pay each time for an online service, then you can buy sniping software outright -- for example, SnipeRight or ISnipeIt (just add a "".com"" to the name to find them on the internet). You pay once and use them as much as you want.

After you've installed the software on your computer, you tell it which auctions you want sniped and the maximum amount you're willing to pay. The software then places your bid in the last few seconds of bidding. One drawback to this method is that you need to be able to leave your computer on nearly all the time, or you might miss the end of some auctions.

An Alternative To Sniping

If you're reluctant to lower yourself to ""playing dirty,"" then there is another, more low-tech way to get around sniping. You can just email the seller and say that you were sniped at the last minute, but would really like the item. If they have another unit to sell, chances are they'll agree to sell it to you for the price at which the auction closed.

Good luck, good sniping, and good shopping.

About the author: Visit Shop Ebay to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer, visit his website at Website

Ebay Bidding Tips

Author: Jay Bauder

With the dawn of the new era of technology, the Internet has evolved in such haste that people find shopping online an alternative. That's why eBay is considered as a viable place to bid on things that they want to acquire.

The nature of eBay is based on the bidding concept of shopping. People need to bid on the item first before they can have the rights to purchase it. To make online shopping a lot more convenient, eBay uses an automated bidding system that facilitates the auction. The bottom line is that the highest bidder gets the chance to buy the item.

Shopping on eBay is relatively easier than when doing it on a traditional market. However, it could be a little more complicated especially if the bidder doesn't know how to do it properly.

Hence, it's a must for every bidder to know the process and equip himself with the principle of creative bidding.

The first consideration when bidding on eBay is the item itself. Bidders should be aware of its composition from the price down to its technical details. This is to assure themselves that what they are trying to obtain is worthy of their money.

Bidders should also take note of the descriptive details of the item. They should assess themselves if they can tolerate any blemish on the item such as scratches, slight cracks, or dents.

It's also a must for every bidder to do a little background investigation on the seller based on the seller's feedbacks, demographic profile, and the other items that were already sold on his or her behalf, if there's any. This is to ensure the buyer if it's safe enough to proceed with the bidding process.

Consequently, the potential buyer should contemplate on the item first before bidding. The buyer should make it a point that he or she is ready to purchase the item in case he won the bid. This is because the bid is already deemed as a contract that will bind the buyer to an agreement that he or she would have to buy the item in the event that they got the highest bid.

The buyer may also opt to wait until the wee hours of the listing period before bidding, that is, if he or she is really determined to get the product.

Bidding on eBay could be an exhilarating activity while shopping online; yet, it could also be a buyer's worst nightmare if done inappropriately. So, it's a must that a buyer takes bidding on eBay a serious matter to avoid any trouble.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Ebay - Buying eBooks

Author: Jay Bauder

On September 1995, one of the most prestigious online shopping sites was founded. eBay is unique because it allows online shoppers, either as individuals or as a group, a wide variety of merchandise that they can buy, sell or trade within their community, their nation or even other with other countries.

eBay's merchandise reaches to 44 million things on sale at any given time and is added with more than four million of other things to be sold everyday. Their categories include antiques, collectibles, photography, computers, art, toys, electronics, stamps, jewelry, magazines, comics, pottery, e-books and many more.

Electronic books or more popularly known as e-Books are text materials designed to be portable. They are special books that uses a program that enable readers to read it through their hardware devices - like Personal Computers, laptops, palmtops and/or even mobile phones. They are so accessible and can be transferred from one computer to another using a network.

Since e-Bay is one of the country's leading online shopping site, they also provide a selection on must have e-Books. Shopping for e-Books is fairly easy, but one must need some basic online shopping knowledge before they are able to do so. A great recommended book would be eBay Bargain Shopping for Dummies (can be found at eBay) by Marsha Collier. This book would help all online shoppers who to discover the treasure of eBay shopping. Her book spills the beans on how to outwit and outbid your competition - which is a good way to find discounts on all the items up for grabs.

e-Books can be ordered online and delivered electronically to your computer (or mobile phone). This way, there is no shipping and tax expenses and you get your e-Book at a very low price. There are numerous sites that sell e-books in this manner On the other hand, Instant e-Books do not require additional software or other readers for customers to be able to immediately start reading their e-Books after installing it. And aside from that, there are many free e-Books and other articles written by ""eBay gurus.""

With eBay, e-Books are just a click away. What could be greater news to all book lovers out there?

Ebay Shipping Tips

Author: Jay Bauder

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.

Ebay & PayPal

Author: Jay Bauder

E-Bay and Paypal are two giant firms which are involved in sales transactions of customers. E-Bay is an online portal in which buyers could auction and bid items for sale. On the other hand, Paypal is the most popular online payment system used through credit cards. The teaming up of both firms is inevitable because E-Bay provides the goods to be purchased while PayPal provides the resources to be used.

E-Bay has indeed grown as the number one destination of online shopping through auctions. E-Bay offers a variety of choices when it comes to books, food, gadget, technology stuff, and many others. The variety and diversity of E-Bay makes it the most visited site whenever buyers are thinking of something to purchase. It is also a favorite destination for online shoppers who want to have a quality bargain of the items they want to buy. On the other hand, Paypal is the most reliable online payment system utilized whenever holding transactions. The firm claims that they have 16 million users worldwide. Despite of such successes for both firms, there are still many criticisms regarding the nature of both businesses.

E-Bay is often criticized as a portal that is not pro-buyers instead, it some people consider it as pro-sellers. Some buyers accuse E-Bay as not being true to their business and does not really live up to their word. On the other hand, Paypal does not really receive a lot of complaints but when it does, no one seems to mind. This is because their customer service department does not do their job well. No one really assists the customers and when they reply, it seems like the customer waited for 20 years before an action was done.

Due to the partnership of these two companies, many speculated that E-Bay would acquire Paypal. Many people were not in agreement to this deal because they believe that once E-Bay had acquired Paypal, the rotten service of the firm would eventually be more than worst. Aside from that, competition would also diminish in the market. Despite the said speculations, both firms deny that a joint venture or acquisition between the two companies would happen. Both firms insist that they would continue each other? operations separately and not as a joint company. Both firms also expressed that their partnership between each other is solid but not to the point of collaborating with each other.

Ebay Getting The Sale

Author: Jay Bauder

Since its inception, eBay seemed to be godsend entity to many especially those who want to find a lucrative way of earning a living. A lot of people contend that it is only with eBay that they were able to supplement their finances and extra necessities.

But the question of the majority still remains. Do people really need to sell something first before they can profit from eBay?

The answer is, undeniably, yes! Here some facts about eBay to support the answer:

The nature of eBay is focused on one thing: ONLINE MARKETING.

The concept behind eBay is the fact that it is an auction website. Therefore, to gain profit in a site like eBay is to sell something. It involves monetary transactions and deals, a niche market, and some strategies that can be commonly found in a typical market site.

Hence, a person that has no intentions of selling something on eBay does not actually have any business on eBay.

However, others may contend that buying a quality at the same time affordable product can also be considered as a profit. But nevertheless, taking a closer look at what profit really means, all of these boils down to the fact that whoever earns money benefits more.

Everything is a commodity.

Nowadays, everything seems to be a commodity, from mobile phones to even ideas. With an increasing rate on financial crisis, everybody seems to be finding ways how to earn a living. This goes to show why there are people who sell even the weirdest thing on eBay.

Some may assert that these things may not be true at all. But the question is, what if it is, indeed, true? What if there is really somebody out there who is in dire need of money and that there is nothing that he or she can trade but his or her own virginity?

These things may seem like too nuisance and may seem cheaper than what they had bargain for, but when necessities butts in, it's down to a now or never battle in life.

Indeed, the realities of life are clearly manifested on the kind of transactions that goes on in eBay. In fact, what eBay has on its context is the same as what goes on in real life. Like eBay, life is like an auction, there are those who win and there are those who lose.

With all these facts, the concept of whether a person has to sell something first just to profit from eBay breaks down to two realities in life: money, thus, makes the world go round, and that profit is claimed where there is money.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Ebay - Appraising Items

Author: Jay Bauder

How Much Is It Worth? Estimating Your Items Value for Sale on eBay

Proper pricing of items to be listed for sale on eBay is one of the most important aspects of generating interest in one auction listing.

If the price is too high, interest will be low, and the possibility of a sale decreases.

If the price is too low, the seller generates enormous traffic, yet the final bid might be too low to satisfy the sellers need for a profit.

The following are steps that will aid in that process.

Step 1: How Much Was this Item Originally Worth

First of all, one must find out how much the item was when it was bought. This helps the seller set realistic goals as to how much he will expect to profit from that item.

The seller must remember that the going price for that item nowadays will be different from its original price. And depending on the demand for that item, he may get a price that is better, or worse than the original price.

The seller must also come to an acceptance of the fact that the buying power of today $1 is different from that of ten years ago.

Step 2: Do a Little Research

Sellers should research on the current price of similar items. This gives them a good standard as to how much they should price their wares. Searching eBay for successful auctions of similar wares is the best way to do this.

Step 2: How Much Has the Item Depreciated?

The seller must check the item for damages and other irregularities from a mint conditioned item of the same kind. He must then deduct a reasonable amount from his asking price. Wear and tear tends to bring down the price of an item considerably. It is wise to make sure the items are repaired, or spruced up before being auctioned.

Step 3: Start It a Little Lower than Usual

It is wise to start an auction a step or two (or even three) lower than a sellers intended price. This generates interest in the item. It may be hard to believe, but auctions that start lower than its intended price actually have a better chance at overshooting that intended price.

Professional opinions are available if the seller is in doubt of the value of his or her item. Third party appraisal companies help in this regard. A list of such is available at the Authentication & Grading link under Protection and Authentication on eBay.

Basics of Shipping on eBay - Tips to Start Strong

Author: Mason Hipp

1) Always Pack the Item Properly

The biggest mistake you can make when shipping an item is to go lighty on the packaging and send an unportected item. Buyers will instantly leave negative feedback if the item arrives damaged due to bad padding. Make sure you look into the proper packaging for the item you are shipping - a book is different then a china doll, and both require proper materials.

2) Never Pay For Packing Materials

Right behind improper packing is over paying for shipping materials. There are far too many sources of free boxes and free padding to need to buy them. I have been a powerseller on ebay for 4 years and not once have I paid for packing materials. EBay and USPS offer free boxes, UPS offers free shipping labels. Local retailers will generaly have old boxes lying around also - this is perfect for those large items.

3) Ship Promptly After the Auction Closes

So you've just spent $400 on the newest game console - purchased it from an eBay Seller. Do you want to wait a week just for the seller to ship the item? Neither do your customers. Visit this website for more informaton about eBay shipping Always ship the item as soon as possible after the ebay auction is closed.

4) Box the Product Before the eBay Aucton is Over

It is a good habit to get into packaging your items before the auction is finished. This makes it exceedingly easy to ship within a day of the buyer paying. Shipping quickly will grab good feedback more than anythign else.

5) Use UPS Ground Shipping for Large Items

It is generally the best to use UPS ground for anything that weighs more than 10lbs. It is very inexpensive to ship large items with UPS. Though slower than USPS, it is far more cost effective on larger frieght.

6) Use USPS Priority Mail for Sending Small Items

Anything less than 10lbs is best shipped with priority mail. Priority mail is very fast, and very inexpensive for small things. Shipping with priority mail is also very good for your buyer, as it will get them their item quickly and effectively.

7) USPS Media mail is Best for Shipping Media Items

If you are shipping a book, cd, dvd, or any other item that fits in the media catagory - it is probably best to ship with media mail. This is a very cheap service, and is great for the items it is meant for. If your item is expensive, however, it may be better to use priority mail to please your buyer.

8) Include a Thank You Note in Each Package

This is one of the most overlooked methods of creating return customers. You need to ship the package anyhow, why not attempt to get another eBay purchase out of each customer? Almost all of the big players on eBay use this tactic.

9) Use Paypal to Print Shipping Labels

Printing eBay shipping labels from Paypal is one of the easiest and most time saving features availible to new sellers. Larger eBay sellers might want to look into furthor automation, but for everything under 50 packages per week - electronic labels from Paypal are the way to go.

10) eBay Shipping Takes Getting Used To - Don't Quit

Not everyone gets into a rythm immediatly. Shipping on eBay can be a trying task - but keep going and you'll soon be rewarded with happy customers and efficient practices. It is important to learn and rethink and establish you're own personal best practices. With time, anyone can ship like a PowerSeller.

About the author: Mason Hipp has been spending the past two years helping young eBay Sellers get to powerseller level. He has written many selling guides and articles aimed at helping new sellers. More information about shipping on eBay can be found here.

Ebay - The Power Of Words

Author: Jay Bauder

It is a known fact that a business could never be successful without the aid of advertising. In fact, it is considered as the lifeblood of almost all kinds of businesses. That's why sellers and entrepreneur wannabes on eBay understand the impact of an effective advertising technique on their items listing.

Basically, the sale of an item on eBay is dependent on the so-called eBay keyword program. This program asserts the fact that the probability of an item to be sold is based on the keyword used by the seller.

The eBay keyword program suggests that the maximum number of keywords to be used in an eBay ad is 100, the least is 50. This is because the essence of the description of the product or the ability of the ad to promote the item against a thousand similar items is lessened.

This does not necessarily mean that the sellers will also limit the amount of keywords that they will use. The eBay keyword program further suggests that the number of keywords should be congruent to the identity of the product. That is, it should be very specific even down to the last details of the product.

For example, one seller may make his or her descriptive title and ad using the word ""mobile phones"". Then, another seller posts the same item but used the words ""Sony Ericsson mobile phones"". And lastly, another seller does the same but used the words ""Sony Ericsson k700i"". Applying the keyword principle, the third seller will most likely gain more exposure than the other two, such that when a person search for a Sony Ericsson k700i, that person will most likely be lead to the third seller's listing.

Choosing the best category for the product is another effective advertising technique.

There are those online shoppers who search items on the category first. The reason behind this is that they don't have any specific product in mind. For example, a buyer may be looking for a mobile phone but doesn't know what brand to have. So, it's a must that the seller places his or her item in a category that is active or is frequented by most buyers.

But the most important advertising technique of all when selling an item on eBay is to create a sales pitch that comes from the heart. Clich? as it may seem but, in reality, it is the basic concept of selling. A good seller believes on the product that he or she is selling, other wise, he will have a hard time convincing people of he personally doesn't accept it as true.

Sittin' on the Dock of eBay

Author: Barbara Snyder M.A Ed..

Remember when Otis Redding sang, ""Sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time..."" For those of you too young to remember, suffice to say that it is a classic. It is a catchy tune that drones through your head all day long after you have heard it, and the whistling at the end is habit forming, too. So why would I infer that eBay has anything to do with ""sittin' and wastin' time""?

If you don't know what you are doing as you strive to become a seller on eBay, you could be wasting your time or fooling yourself into thinking that you have found a way to make a fortune. What is it you should know about eBay and the cost of doing business on eBay? This can best be summed up with two things - many kinds of eBay fees and PayPal fees. I bring this to your attention so that you go into an eBay relationship with your eyes wide open.

It would be like having a garage sale at your home and not factoring in the cost of placing an ad in the newspaper and paying your kids to watch and help sell the items. Sometimes you can go to all of the work of having a garage sale, and it can be a bust after you deduct the cost of having the sale. The same goes for auctioning items on eBay. After you pay the eBay fees, sometimes there isn't much left. So you ask yourself as you look at the quarter, two dimes, and a nickel in the palm of your hand, ""Was this really worth it?"" Could be ""yes""; could be ""no.""

The old phrase, ""...nickel and dime you to death,"" comes to mind when I think about the eBay insertion fees, the eBay seller fees, and the PayPal (also owned by eBay) fees. One of the keys to being successful on eBay is to get the most from your listing and minimize the fees that you pay for listing your item. A person needs to do research to come up with a price that will allow for a reasonable profit after the ""cost of doing business"" is subtracted from the selling price. Taking an eBay class would help beginners with making the most out of their listings where the following costs are explained.

Insertion Fees - This is the price that you are charged for listing an item on eBay. When you list an item, the fee is automatically charged to your seller's account. These fees are not refundable. The basic insertion fees follow a sliding scale. For example, if an item is listed for $1.00 to $9.99 the insertion fee is $0.35, and an item listed for $50.00 to $199.99 cost $2.40 in insertion fees. However, there are many other things that can be done to enhance a listing. They all have a cost factor. The first picture is free, but additional pictures are $0.15 each. To supersize a picture it would be $0.75. What if you want a border, subtitle, bold, gallery, 10 day auction, and gift services? Yes, you can do that, but each has a cost factor from $.0.50 to $3.00. It can certainly add up if you are not careful.

Buy It Now - This is the feature that a buyer clicks if he or she wants to buy an item immediately. They are prompted to use PayPal and to pay for the item. To protect the seller the item does remain available to other buyers until the payment is completed. A buyer who is the first to send the PayPal payment through gets the item. This feature can be used with any of the other selling formats. However, the ""Buy It Now"" disappears once a bid is placed (if it is an auction item). Of course, there is a cost for this feature which ranges from $0.05 to $0.25.

Reserve Fees - As a protection to the seller, a reserve price may be initiated so that you don't sell the item below a certain price. A seller reserves the right not to sell below that designated price, and the seller uses this option to motivate buyers to bid. A potential buyer may be discouraged if the starting price is too high, but a low starting price could backfire if a reserve is not preset. There is a fee for this, of course. The good news is that the reserve fee is refunded if the item is successfully sold. The bad news is that the fee is not refunded if the item doesn't sell. Kind of like a double whammy, in my opinion.

Final Value Fees - When your item is sold, eBay charges a Final Value Fee. Even if the sale is not completed the fee will be applied. However, you can request a full credit if the buyer did not buy the item or backs out of the deal. Depending on whether the sale was from a regular auction, a store inventory, or eBay motor vehicles the costs may vary on the final value fee .

Pay Pal Fees - Signing up for PayPal is quick and easy. It is a real advantage for sellers because you are able to receive payments very quickly. There is no monthly fees or set up fees. The other good news is that the transaction fees are less than most merchant fees for taking a credit card. The other positives are that there is fraud protection., and Paypal is all available in 38 countries.

As you can see there are many ways that eBay makes money from the fee structures in place, but they are in business to make money. One rationale that is touted as the party line in the eBay schools is that it would be much more to sell items if a person opened a store instead of using the Internet. We are reminded that there would be rent, utilities, and many other things a store owner would need. Their contention is that it has to be worth something.

Just think about how many times someone has complained about wanting to get rid of some items stored in the garage? And how many times has someone else said, ""Why don't you sell it on eBay?"" It is such a widely known entity and has such a worldwide Internet presence that you just about have to do it. Knowing up front about the various fees and the best way to list your item could help you be successful. You need to plan carefully and work wisely so that you are not ""sittin' on the dock of eBay, wastin' time.""

Copyright usage: No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot links included. Comments or questions can be sent to Barb@sbmag.org

Ebay Shipping - 10 Tips To Start Right

Author: Mason Hipp

There are about as many different ways to ship ebay items as there are ebay sellers. That being said, there are many eBay sellers who don't ship using the correct packaging or the least expensive service. These 10 tips are written to help sellers get started shipping their ebay items correctly.

1) Always Pack the Item Properly The biggest mistake you can make when shipping an item is to go lighty on the packaging and send an unportected item. Buyers will instantly leave negative feedback if the item arrives damaged due to bad padding. Make sure you look into the proper packaging for the item you are shipping - a book is different then a china doll, and both require proper materials.

2) Never Pay For Packing Materials Right behind improper packing is over paying for shipping materials. There are far too many sources of free boxes and free padding to need to buy them. I have been a powerseller on ebay for 4 years and not once have I paid for packing materials. EBay and USPS offer free boxes, UPS offers free shipping labels. Local retailers will generaly have old boxes lying around also - this is perfect for those large items.

3) Ship Promptly After the Auction Closes So you've just spent $400 on the newest game console - purchased it from an eBay Seller. Do you want to wait a week just for the seller to ship the item? Neither do your customers. Always ship the item as soon as possible after the auction is closed.

4) Box the Product Before the eBay Aucton is Over It is a good habit to get into packaging your items before the auction is finished. This makes it exceedingly easy to ship within a day of the buyer paying. Shipping quickly will grab good feedback more than anythign else.

5) Use UPS Ground Shipping for Large Items It is generally the best to use UPS ground for anything that weighs more than 10lbs. It is very inexpensive to ship large items with UPS. Though slower than USPS, it is far more cost effective on larger frieght.

6) Use USPS Priority Mail for Sending Small Items Anything less than 10lbs is best shipped with priority mail. Priority mail is very fast, and very inexpensive for small things. Shipping with priority mail is also very good for your buyer, as it will get them their item quickly and effectively.

7) USPS Media mail is Best for Shipping Media Items If you are shipping a book, cd, dvd, or any other item that fits in the media catagory - it is probably best to ship with media mail. This is a very cheap service, and is great for the items it is meant for. If your item is expensive, however, it may be better to use priority mail to please your buyer.

8) Include a Thank You Note in Each Package This is one of the most overlooked methods of creating return customers. You need to ship the package anyhow, why not attempt to get another eBay purchase out of each customer? Almost all of the big players on eBay use this tactic.

9) Use Paypal to Print Shipping Labels Printing eBay shipping labels from Paypal is one of the easiest and most time saving features availible to new sellers. Larger eBay sellers might want to look into furthor automation, but for everything under 50 packages per week - electronic labels from Paypal are the way to go.

10) eBay Shipping Takes Getting Used To - Don't Quit Not everyone gets into a rythm immediatly. Shipping on eBay can be a trying task - but keep going and you'll soon be rewarded with happy customers and efficient practices. It is important to learn and rethink and establish you're own personal best practices. With time, anyone can ship like a PowerSeller.

About the author: Mason Hipp has been an eBay Powerseller for over 5 years. During the last two years he has dedicated most of his time to helping people learn to sell on ebay. More information can be found at his website. Click here to learn more about eBay Shipping.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

How To Post Your First Auction On eBay

Author: Jason Cooper

It's very easy and simple to get started posting your first auction on eBay. This article will cover the steps you need to follow to get your first auction up.

The first thing you need to do is set up your eBay seller's account. If you have already bought things on eBay in the past, then you already have an account. Just log in and click ""Sell"" on the toolbar at the top of the page and then click ""Create a seller's account"".

If you have never bought or sold on eBay, then you need to create a new account. First click on the ""register"" link beneath the toolbar, then click ""Sell"" and ""Create a seller's account"". From there the eBay website will guide you through the process of getting set up. For security reasons, this may involve including providing your card and banking information.

You can register for your eBay account here: eBay. com

Now that you're registered, you need to decide what you want to sell. It doesn't really matter what you sell, this is just your chance to get your feet wet. Check your garage and attic, I'm sure you can find something that you're not attached to and something interesting. Small items like books and CDs are great for your first time.

Once you have your item picked out, it's time to submit it. Just click ""Sell"" and you're on your way. The first thing you need to do is choose the best category for your item. eBay makes this easy, you just type in your item, and eBay suggests the best category for you. It's usually best to just go with the category that eBay comes up with.

The next step is writing the title and description for your item. You want to make sure to include any keywords that people might use when searching for your item in the title. Include all the rest of the information in the description.

Now you need to set your starting price. In order to draw people to bid on your auction, set a starting price of $0.01. Don't worry because items almost never end up as such a low price. Next set the duration of the auction. You have the choices of 3, 5, 7 and 10 days. This is really up to you, the longer the auction the more bids you are likely to get. Add a picture to your auction because items with pictures always sell for more.

Great, now you're ready to select the payment methods you want to accept, and where you will post to. I would just go with PayPal for now, and limit yourself to the country you are in. Just click the ""Submit"" button and you are done!

Now you can just sit back and let eBay work it's magic. Potential buyers will search for your item and submit bids on it. Some bidders may email you with various questions about your item. Just do your best to answer the questions as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Don't worry if your item doesn't sell the first time. The great thing about eBay, is that if your item doesn't sell the first time, you can list it again for free!

Once the auction closes and you have a winning bidder, eBay takes care of all the work. eBay will send your buyer emails guiding them through the process of sending you payment for the item your are selling. Just make sure you have the money in hand before you send the item.

eBay prefers that you use PayPal to send and receive your payments. PayPal is very safe and secure and you will get your money instantly so it's a good idea to use them. It's also free to create an account with PayPal.

You can create your free PayPal account here: PayPal.com

As soon as you have received the payment, all you have left to do is pack up the item and send it to your buyer. If you're not sure of the best way to get this done, just take your item to your local post office and they can help you. Use the buyers address from the confirmation email that eBay sent you and write it on the package. That's it, you've made your first successful sale on eBay!

About the author: This article was written on behalf of eBayBusiness.net by Webmaster and Internet Marketing Specialist Jason Cooper. Visit http://www.ebaybusiness.net and download 3 Free eBay Business eBooks today! (c) 2005, eBayBusiness.net. This article may be reproduced in all venues so long as the content and by-line are reprinted intact and all links are set live.

How to Make a Full time Income With Ebay Online Auctions

Author: Greg Willis

First let me tell you a little about myself. I'm an eBay Powerseller. I did about $100,000.00 in sales on eBay over the last year. I love eBay, and I regularly preach the virtues of eBay to my friends and family. I even gave out eBay gift certificates for Christmas! I'm also a student of the business. I like finding ways to increase my sales and grow my business. Believe it or not, I went to Barnes & Noble bookstore and dropped about $300.00 on eBay books. Now those were some hefty bags of books I walked out with!

With my eBay experience and knowledge I decided to write an ebook about ""how to make a full time living by selling on eBay"". I researched my ""eBay library"" from the bookstore, and I searched the internet for other resources. What I discovered was a few things... First, the books from my collection of books from the bookstore were generally more out-of-date, and less practical from an entrepreneurial point-of-view in comparison with many online resources. The books contained a lot of valuable information, but often fell short where the rubber meets the road in terms of true money-making ability. The second thing I discovered was that the eBay opportunity is so huge, and so many thousands of people have found success, that many have already written excellent material that covered everything I was planning on writing and more!

I'm not a lazy person; I could have written the book, but I decided my time would be better spent on other endeavors since I would essentially have been repeating the same information already written by others. In fact, since that time, I have written a book on a completely different topic. And with my ambition to spread the good news of eBay I decided to create a website to spotlight some particularly helpful resources.

The reason I've written this article is to warn you that there is a lot of outdated information out there, and much of it that was never good to begin with. Before purchasing an Ebay ""how to"" book, please check out the author's credentials. The best Ebay books are typically written by real Ebay Powersellers--NOT by famous authors or internet marketers.

The next thing I want to make you aware of is that there are many, many ways to make a full time income on Ebay. Some of them require more work than others. Some involve importing, others involve dropshipping. Some involve keeping a physical inventory, and others utilize virtual downloadable products. The ways of making money on Ebay are as diverse as Ebay itself. There are hundreds of categories, and a myriad of different types of people who shop Ebay. All this goes to say: find your niche. If you're new to the business, I do recommend buying a guidebook from a successful Ebayer, but if that author's system is not appealing to you, do not give up and decide it's not for you. Simply find another niche or another system that IS appealing to you.

I hope this article has inspired you to find your own niche and join the millions who have already discovered a life of eBay success!

About the author: Greg Willis is a veteran Ebay Powerseller who left his day job to go full time on Ebay over 4 years ago. You can read all his secrets and recommended resources at www.auctionsprofit.com

How to Bid Smartly on EBay

Author: Kathy Burns-Millyard

In today's hectic world, millions of people have fallen in love with online shopping... and a fun, unique way to shop online is at eBay.

eBay has fast become a favorite destination of bargain seekers everywhere. Buyers get to bid on products they'd like to buy, and bidding is a lot like haggling. Sometimes you get really lucky and score an excellent deal on great items.

At eBay, if you're looking through the auctions, you'll need to actually place a bid on an item before you can buy it. The auction bid system is automated, and other shoppers can come along and bid on the same item you did. Their bid must be higher than yours of course, and if you want to ""win"" the auction, you'll have to place another bid for a higher price. The bottom line is that the highest bidder gets to actually buy the item.

Shopping on eBay is relatively easier than when shopping in traditional auction markets. However, it could be a little more complicated especially if the bidder doesn't know how to do it properly. So it's very important for all auction bidders to learn the process first, and it helps if they learn basic principles of creative bidding too.

The first thing to consider when bidding on eBay is the item itself. Bidders should be aware of everything they can learn about the product: from the price down to its technical details. This is to assure themselves that what they are trying to obtain is worthy of their money.

Bidders should also take note of the descriptive details of the auction item. They should decide honestly if they're ok with blemishes on the item such as scratches, slight cracks, or dents.

It's also a must for every bidder to do a little background investigation on the eBay seller. Take a look at the seller's previous feedback notes and ratings, demographic profile, and the other items that were already sold on his or her behalf if there are any. Doing this helps you as a buyer know whether it's safe enough to proceed with the bidding process.

So think about the item up for bid first, and decide whether you really want it as advertised. Investigate the seller to be sure they're honest and reputable. Only then should you place your auction bid. Bidding on an auction is a promise to pay, so you should never place a bid for an item you don't fully intend to buy.

About the author: ? 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Find the latest auction deals online at Useful-Online-Auction.info

Beware, There Are A Lot Of Crooks On Ebay

Author: Steve Hill

I hope you have not had a negative experience on ebay. I was very much enjoying the site until one day, some freak tried to steal nearly £200 from selling me an item which did not exist. This article explains what happened and also the advice the police gave to me.

As I have already mentioned I was 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 doing very well for myself. If I ever bought anything that cost over £100, I would offer to meet the seller somewhere, normally just off the motorway. I pulled off what I believed was some good deals and also managed to offload some of my unwanted items which I either had no interest in anymore or that I had no longer a need for.

Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end and it certainly did with ebay.

One particular morning I was looking to purchase another second hand mobile phone, which I would then re-sell on. There was an advert for a buy it now phone with the asking price low but not extremely low.

There was a mobile number to phone if I had any questions. I decided to phone the number, his name was Tony and I asked him the general type questions. He sounded and seemed really nice, however stated that he was unable to meet me as he was unable to drive as he had not past his test. The alarm bells should have already started to ring, but me being a bit stupid they didn't.

His house was a long way from where I lived and reluctantly I 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 11am the next morning. He seemed very genuine, they always do your thinking and that was that.

Next morning have a guess what arrived, yes nothing at all, nor the next day, nor the next.

I tried e-mailing him, texting and ringing his mobile phone, guess what, there was no reply.

I realised what a fool I had been, however decided to go to the police. They were very helpful and half an hour later I had a crime number however was warned that it was very unlikely I would ever see a phone or recieve a refund of my money which was £170. 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!

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:

std treatments

natural health cure

arthritis specialist

Shopping Ebay for Plus Size Clothing

Author: Jane Clark

Shopping ebay is a bonanza for plus size women!

Ebay lists over 50,000 plus size women's plus size clothing items every day. You'll find brand new plus size clothing at unbelievably low prices! And you can find large lots of gently used plus size clothing.

Are you a little hesitant about ebay shopping for plus size clothes? Or are you overwhelmed by ebay? Ebay has tutorials for every problem you might have getting started shopping ebay.

With over 1.5 million items listed in Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, you can find everything from plus size jeans, to plus size wholesale lots, to one-of-a-kind plus size sweaters.

Jeans: Plus size jeans are hugely popular and easily transition from daytime to evening. Paired with Sexy high heels, a beaded top, or just your favorite sweater, your plus size jeans can make a bold fashion statement. Ebay has a jeans style guide that will help understand all the terms and style cuts. Ebay has about 4,000 auctions for plus size jeans. You may also be looking for those hard to find plus petite jeans.

Jackets and Outerwear: Few elements are as essential to a fall and winter wardrobe as the plus size jacket. From plus size athletic jackets to plus size wool overcoats and leather or suede plus size jackets to faux furs, you'll find all the latest styles, materials, and most popular jacket designers.

Shoes: Discover the latest shoe fashions and hottest designer shoe bargains, including wide shoes and boots, sizes as large as 12 and 13 and wide calf boots. There's a huge selection of the latest shoes and boots every single day. From comfortable and casual shoes to dressy or fabulous exotic shoes, you'll find just the right shoe to match your style. No matter what your shoe size or shoe width, you will find it when shopping ebay.

Holiday: This is the time of year we start thinking about plus size evening, holiday and formal wear. Or you might be looking for a cute, plus size Christmas top. In need of some plus size slinky pants? Or how about a sparkling plus size evening suit? You will find it at ebay.

Lingerie: BBW Lingerie is the most searched plus size clothing item. Plus size bras can be found in all colors and styles on ebay. Plus size body shapers are essential for some outfits like body clinging plus size dresses. They streamline your silhouette and are great to have in your wardrobe. Plus size nightgowns can be found in sexy styles or cozy flannel. Maybe you prefer plus size pajamas or you are searching for a new plus size robe - some at 80% below retail. How about Plus Size Camisoles? Or Plus Size Baby Dolls?

Pants: Pants give the plus size figure a long, lean look. Plus size pants can fit into the most casual wardrobe or all the way to the dressiest of wardrobes. Plus size evening pants come in crepe, velvet, silk and wool. You can even find plus size shorts in the off season if you are Florida bound or heading out for a cruise. Ebay also has hard to find plus petite pants.

It doesn't matter what you are looking for in plus size dresses, plus size suits, or plus size pantyhose, etc., you may find it at ebay.

If you need help shopping ebay, my plus size searches and information about ebay shopping will help you out. Let me point you in the right direction to get started with your plus size ebay shopping.

About the author: Jane Belle Clark is an expert on dressing by body type. She is the author of Plus Size Bridal Guide, the only bridal guide written for plus size brides. Visit Jane at http://www.MyPlusGal.com Jane has also been an ebay power seller - specializing in plus sizes. http://www.MyPlusGal.com .

Friday, June 23, 2006

Want To Be An eBay Millionaire? Have You Got What It Takes?

Author: Darren Yates

Taking the leap to full-time as an eBay seller is living the dream: earning a real income, working at home, being your own boss etc. It's the promise of a million scams, but it's finally come true, at least for some.

What they don't always tell you in the success stories is that becoming a full-time eBay seller is not for everyone. You really should try it part-time before you consider taking it up full-time, and even then, caution is recommended. Before you go and burn your suit, here's a list of questions you should ask yourself.

How Much Am I Earning From eBay Now?

Calculate how many hours a week you spend working on eBay related things (be honest here), then divide this by the average profit you make in a week. If you were doing full-time hours, would you earn as much as you earn now?

Do I Have a Good Job?

Consider what you might lose if you quit your job to focus on becoming a full time eBay seller. If you're in a well paid job with good promotion prospects then it's well worth reconsidering: you might get a few years down the line and wish you'd stayed in your traditional job, as you'd probably be the CEO by now.

Can I Really Make More Money on eBay?

Unless you're selling a large quantity of small goods, most of what you do on eBay will be waiting for auctions to end and you can wait at work just as easily as you can at home. Whether you would make more money on eBay really depends on what kinds of items you're selling - for low value items, going full-time could be a good move. For high-value ones, the chances are you'll hit the limits of how much money you have to invest in inventory long before you hit the limits on your time.

Can I Handle Working At Home?

Apart from anything else, you might find that your dream of working at home is more of a nightmare in reality. Your family can start to depend on you to get things done during the day. If you have a wife and children then they can resent the fact that you're in the house but refuse to have anything to do with them for large parts of the day. Giving in to them and stopping work for a while will cause your profits to slide.

Would I Survive if it All Went Wrong?

Could you get by if you had a month or two where you sold nothing? Or would you be desperately looking around for a job and cursing the day you ever discovered eBay? That's the real test.

If you are not phased by these questions, then I guess you could be cut out for the eBay seller lifestyle - and even if you were phased, you'd be surprised just how far you can get part-time.

About the author: Brandon Dupsky makes $22,000 a DAY! on eBay selling everyday stuff. Do you think you could too? -

http://www.how-to-make-money-online.info/eBay-millionaire/

This article comes with reprint rights. Feel free to reprint and distribute as you like. All that we ask is that you do not make any changes, that this resource text is include, and that th

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: 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

Being A Smart Ebay Buyer

Author: Jay Bauder

WHEN IT PAYS TO BE A SMART BUYER

When buying things from E-bay, it's the responsibility of the shopper to protect his or her identity and well being. That's why it's a must for every online shopper to keep in mind some rules on how to buy safely from E-bay so as to avoid frauds, scams, and cheaters.

Here are 15 tips on how to buy safely from E-Bay:

1. The buyer should analyze the item list extensively. It's a must that the buyer understands every word written on the item list. Buyers should contemplate on the item and its description over and over again before hitting that bid button.

2. It's a must for every buyers to know the seller's demographic profile, selling history, and the feedbacks tendered by the other shoppers.

3. Buyers should choose payment schemes that provide utmost protection.

4. Buyers should know how much they will pay for the shipping.

5. It's a given fact: If it's too good to be true, chances are the transaction is not worth the buyer's trust...and money!

6. Even without the intention of selling, it's a must for every buyer to know the concept behind e-bay's listing procedures.

7. The ""Ask seller a question"" link is not there just for the heck of it. The buyer should use it in any way possible. It's only one way of analyzing if the seller is trustworthy enough.

8. When sending payment, buyers should first confirm the contact information of the seller.

9. Buyers should be extra careful when dealing with foreign sellers. They should take note of the payment scheme required by the seller. If it's not trustworthy, then it's best not to proceed with the transaction.

10. When dealing with valuable and expensive items, buyers should use a payment scheme accepted by Escrow.

11. Buyers should insure their items. This will provide protection in the event that the transaction slipped off.

12. By all means, buyers should avoid transaction involving wire money transfers. If a seller insists on this method, chances are, it's a scam.

13. Buyers should steer clear of sellers that only accept cash-based transactions. This means that the seller has not yet established a reputation in E-bay because he or she is not capable of establishing an account with Escrow.

14. Buyers should be hesitant when considering offers like off-the-E-bay transactions. This kind of transaction is not being protected by E-bay.

15. Buyers should take note of security signs when visiting secured domains. This applies to payment-related web sites.

About the author:

Jay is the web owner of http://www.the-lowest-prices.com Online Shoppping , a website that provides information and resources on online shopping malls and discounts. You can visit his website at: http://www.citydeals.net Online Deals

Australian online auction upstart takes on eBay

Author: 2Bid.com.au founder, Adam Mulcahy

An exciting new online auction website , 2Bid.com.au is taking on the global might of eBay in a bid to keep a slice of the auction action in Australia.

The site offers all the powerful features of a major online auction website with two significant differences - it is 100% free to buy, sell or trade items, and, it is 100% Australian owned.

2Bid.com.au was started by local businessman Adam Mulcahy who became frustrated with seeing foreign companies collecting huge amounts of money in fees for Australians to trade with other Australians.

""I find it absurd that Aussies are trading direct with each other yet paying fees to overseas companies for the privilege! I started this online auction website 2Bid.com.au so that Aussies could trade with Aussies completely FREE and not lose money overseas with every transaction.""

With 2Bid.com.au it costs nothing to buy, sell, auction, swap or create an online store - there are no commissions, no listing fees and no sales fees. This means 2Bid.com.au has no need to collect members' credit card details making it a safe option for people wary of submitting their credit card details online.

Even with a majority 72% of Australian households having internet connections and 59% of internet users performing buying/selling activities (ACNielsen, 2005), there are still concerns about security and fraud. 2Bid.com.au addresses this issue directly and has opened up online selling to a whole new group of Australians.

Also, because the auction website is only open to Australians it lowers the chance of fraud from overseas users and removes the complexity of international currency and delivery.

""We're taking the global guys on at their own game using the internet to let Aussies trade with Aussies without a slice of revenue going overseas"" said Mulcahy.

2Bid.com.au first opened on 10 November 2005 and has since had 6,797 visitors and 2,435 auctions created by its 185 active members. Having established it as a proven concept with secure and efficient services, 2Bid.com.au is now launching to the mainstream Australian market.

About the author: Australian businessman Adam Mulcahy started 2Bid.com.au after becoming frustrated with seeing foreign companies collecting huge amounts of money in fees for Australians to trade with other Australians.

Selling on Ebay ... Sources of Elegant Mexican Blown Glass, Mexican Tile, Silver & Ceramics at Wholesale Prices

Author: Mexico-Store.com

Selling on Ebay ... Sources of Elegant Mexican Blown Glass, Mexican Tile, Silver & Ceramics at Wholesale Prices BY.- http://www.Mexico-Store.com

Mexican products have become big sellers in every country of the world. The total value of Mexican products that are imported into the US alone exceeds the billion dollar mark by far.

Thanks to their low cost, quality and uniqueness, most Mexican products can be resold for high profits.

It's not uncommon for American and European traders dealing in Mexican art, paintings, silver or exotic leather to harvest handsome profit margins that in many cases exceed a 100% markup when they buy from the right suppliers.

With out a question there is a lot of money to be made by reselling Mexican products. And the cheaper you buy, the better. Just don't expect to get the best possible prices from those Mexican products ""providers"" that you can find on the web for free.

Most of the guys and companies that are ranking at the top of the internet search engines are basically American companies that are reselling Mexican products. So don't think you will get the best possible prices from them. Marketers and other middlemen exist to make a profit. Everybody knows it. It's impossible for an intermediary to sell you at a manufacturer's low price. It's against their business model.

The only way you are going to make BIG cash is by dealing direct with the Mexican sources. Visit http://www.Mexico-Store.com today and discover how you can access beautiful Mexican products at incredibly low wholesale prices that you can easily resell twice as much or translate into GREATER profit margins for your self.

This is your chance to enter a multi-million dollar market with REAL PROFIT MARGINS. You can start a fun and practical business that you can run from anywhere by selling on Ebay or at your location.

Take this opportunity and Visit us TODAY! at Mexico-Store.com http://www.Mexico-Store.com

P.S: Bigger profits just around the corner.

If you already sell silver jewelry, art, leather or Mexican handcrafts, imagine the savings and the immediate extra profits that you can generate by contacting cheaper & reliable Mexican suppliers.

About the author: Mexico Store helps importers & entrepreneurs from every country in the world get access to low cost Mexican products with high resale value at http://www.Mexico-Store.com

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Ebay Getting The Top Bids

Author: Jay Bauder

Making your Item Get the Best Bid on E-Bay

Having a worthy item does not immediately guarantee that you would receive the highest bid. Sometimes, it takes more than a great product to get the top bids in E-Bay.

One of the things that you should consider is the presentation of the product. The product should be presented carefully and gracefully because buyers are often attracted to products that have presentable packages because it promises that it is also a quality product.

Research is always a good thing therefore a little research regarding your product is important because it would help you determine many things in E-Bay like the demand of the product, the price range for the product as well as the quality of your competitors. As they say, keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer and this saying is really appropriate for E-Bay.

Okay now, first things first, make sure that the product is on the right category. This is because most customers browse products online through categories and once you put your product in a different category, chances are customers would only bypass the ad and you would lose your chance of selling or even advertising the product.

The right category is important because it makes your product known in this department and if it is really good then the quality of your product could be known. The second thing that you have to consider in order to have a high bid in E-Bay is to take quality photographs of the items.

A quality picture means that the item should be presentable enough for sale. Though quality pictures suggest a presentable outlook, it does not mean that you should lie regarding the quality of the product. Honesty is the best policy here and for example your items have minor defects like a glitch on the backside.

Be honest enough to admit it and also take a picture if necessary. This would ensure the customers that the damage in the item is only minor and could not affect the purpose and reason of the item. Another thing that you could do is to advertise.

Advertising is really not a bad thing because you give exposure to the items and the longer you expose it, the more potential customers you could have thus giving you the chance to have a best bid of the product.

Getting the highest bid only needs a combination of strategic planning as well as execution. This is needed so that one could maximize the benefits of E-Bay.

About the author:

Ebay Payment Options

Author: Jay Buder

eBay and the Advent of Cybercash

Gone are the days when only cash (or cattle in some cases) was the only accepted mode of payment for trades. As the concept of trading evolves, so does the means of paying for items.

Today's electronic world pushes the envelop further. With the advent of online trading systems such as eBay, many new forms of payment have flourished.

First of all, on eBay, the mode of payment depends on the agreement of the buyer and the seller. Most often, the seller will specify his or her desired payment method. In these cases, the seller often has primacy in the decisions regarding payment modes. However, the buyer may still communicate with the seller regarding a viable alternative if it suits both parties.

The following is a list of common eBay payment modes.

Cash On Delivery Cash is, after all, still cash. This payment method can be done through a third party courier system or by the buyer and seller meeting each other at an agreed place. The advantage of such is that the exchange of item for payment is done in the presence of the buyer and the seller (or the seller's representative). However, some people will qualm over the risk present when two strangers meet.

Personal Check One popular method of payment is personal check. Writing checks is easy and safe. However, many sellers do not like accepting check because they are easy to cancel.

PayPal PayPal is the payment of choice on eBay. In fact, eBay owns PayPal.

Using PayPal is easy, convenient, and relatively safe. PayPal acts as like an internet 'wire transfer.'

After signing up for PayPal, one may send cash over to anyone with an email address using the PayPal system. PayPal also has security features that safeguards against fraud in case there is dispute between the seller and the buyer. This system is best for transactions up to $1000.

Escrow.com Escrow.com is the payment of choice for purchases over $500. Escrow.com holds the buyer's money from the seller until the seller delivers the item. Only then will the funds be released to the seller. This system makes for a very safe, although highly procedural transaction.

Wire Transfer This is the payment of choice for countries that do not carry the PayPal service. Wire transfers are risky because the buyer usually has to wire over the funds before the seller sends the items. The chance for non-delivery of items is high.

Other Payment Systems The number of third party payment services is steadily on the rise. Their systems for payment vary. However, to be successful they must be convenient to use and safe as well.

About the author:

The Ebay Selling Guide

Author: Jay Bauder

How to Guide on Selling on E-Bay

Almost everyone that has access on the internet has heard about the greatness of E-Bay. Despite of the popularity of this internet portal, not many people understand what E-Bay really is. E-Bay is not your traditional website and online shopping/bidding store. In fact, it is way more than the traditional ones because there is no direct person in charge of the whole thing. It more or less resembles newsgroups wherein it links people that have the same interest and hobbies. It is also a place for people to buy and sell their products as well.

If you are interested in the buy and sell part of E-bay, then you have to learn the basics of E-bay. The first thing that you could do is tour E-bay and then research about products that are similar to yours. In this way, you could have an idea about the price, shipping details, and the demand of your product. The next thing that you should do after research is to try and sell one item. This one item could be viewed as a trial wherein the price should not be too cheap or too expensive. The description included in the item should be catchy in order to stand out among the competitors as well as to create an impact to potential customers. Before doing the trial sale, you must already have a set criteria of products that you want to specialize in.

Once the details about the product are ironed out, it is now time to discuss the shipping requirements. This is usually the source of many disagreements because most customers that the shipping is free which far from reality because shipping could be more expensive than the product itself. As the product-owner, you should be the one in charge of explaining to them that the shipping cost would be charged to them. When the shipping matters are settled, then it is time for the product to be shipped. Once the product is in the hand of the customer, encourage the customer to post feedback regarding the item as well as the transaction done with you. The feedbacks of customers are important because it would be the basis of your reputation as a seller in the E-Bay portal.

These feedbacks are important because once you have a lot of good feedbacks; it earns you more points (e.g. 10 positive feedbacks equates a gold star; after 100 a blue star; 500 purple; 1000 red). The more stars you have, the higher the chances of having successful transactions in E-Bay.

About the author:

Ebay Pro's and Con's

Author: Jay Bauder

In today's fast changing world of e-commerce like E-bay, people find shopping online the most convenient way of purchasing items. The fact that a person doesn't even have to drive to and from the store is exhilarating enough.

To date, E-bay is the most celebrated and the most world-renowned online mall today.

However, there are advantages as well as disadvantages when buying on E-bay. So, it's important for shoppers out there to take not of these facts before buying items on E-bay.

THE PROS

1. It's relatively simple and within reach.

Why? Because eBay makes ones shopping spree just a click away.

2. Great access.

With E-bay, buying items had never been this varied.

3. It's twice as fun.

With colorful graphics, unusual items, and weird but quirky listings, entertainment is just around the corner.

4. A viable online price indicator.

Buying on E-bay can give a shopper an insight and update on the present price of certain commodities these days.

5. Money-back possibility.

Most often than not, there's a higher chance of getting back the buyer's money if things slipped up.

THE CONS

1. ""In good condition"" not guaranteed.

There may be a lot of sellers who use the words ""in good condition,"" but because the buyer cannot visually and personally examine the item before purchasing it, most often than not, the items sold were definitely not scratch free.

2. Additional postal fees.

The common delivery method of items bought by the buyer is through mail; additional charges screw up thereby adding hefty charges just for the delivery alone, plus most transactions are on international basis, so international rates applies.

3. Lack of human touch.

There are people who still prefer to go to the mall not just because they want to go shopping but also they want to tag their friends along, have coffee breaks, and chat along the way.

Buying on e-bay may provide an interactive mode of shopping but it's not a form of socialization.

4. Too risky.

If Internet is jungle, then there might be big bad wolves lurking on E-bay ready to gobble probable victims. These refer to scams, frauds, and identity theft.

5. A form of enslavement.

Once hooked, shoppers will never get the hang of it. There were cases wherein people buy things on E-bay almost everyday. After all, with the convenience online shopping and credit cards give, who wouldn't?

Just like any financial decisions, it still pays for shoppers to contemplate first on things before jumping into conclusions.

About the author:

Ebay Pricing Strategies

Author: Jay Bauder

THE MAKINGS OF A SUCCESFUL SELLING PROPOSITION

The secret of a successful online marketing or online transaction lies on a good reasonable price.

The reason why most business owners do not succeed in promoting their product is either they put the price too high or made such a very low bargain.

In order to succeed and make the most of what online shopping, like eBay, can do to online shoppers, the secret lies beneath a sound price mark. Hence, it's a must for every eBay seller to know how to quote his or her prices well. Here are some ways to make that money-raking quote:

1. To start a good bid, sellers must aim for a ten-day listing with one cent per bid increments, with no stored auction. Then, they should calculate how much their starting price would be considering the ten-day/one cent increments. This means that after the ten-day period, the sale must arrive at the desired price of the seller.

This is a good way to start the bid because buyers will be enticed to take part due to a low-starting price.

2. Sellers should consider the target market for the product such as its purchasing power; and the nature of the product being sold.

3. It's also best for sellers to start with the actual selling price of the product instantly, but still on a ten-day listing. The difference is that, the seller should opt for the ""buy it now"" price that is to some extent a little higher than the actual selling price.

The ""buy it now"" strategy will put some stress on the buyer considering the small difference between the two selling price. The buyer might even think that he may even lose the game if immediate actions will not be deployed.

4. The seller should also consider the quotations of other businesses that sell the same item. Sellers should take note that when somebody else sells the same product, it's the price that counts most. So, it's best for sellers, who want fast results, to quote prices slightly lower than the other item with the same description. Though, the seller must take note that quoting prices should be reasonable enough to compel buyers to action - that is, to buy the product.

Indeed, quoting prices for a certain product can be very tedious. The bottom line is: sellers should aim not for gaining profit alone but also target for a ""live by the moment"" attitude of the buyer.

About the author:

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Ebay Selling Making Sure You Get Paid

Author: Jay Bauder

WHEN PAYMENT MATTERS

When everything's settled after the seller has posted a product in eBay, there's only one thing that needs to be accomplished: payment mode.

When selling something, the most important thing a seller must consider is how he or she shall be paid. This is a very risky decision since a lot of fraudulent activities in eBay involve payment.

PAYPAL

This is the most common way of paying a seller on eBay.

PayPal is an online business that facilitates the transaction of transferring a monetary amount between a merchant account and an online buyer. Because it is electronic, it is basically a paperless transaction.

It was in October 2002 when PayPal was purchased by eBay. Before, PayPal was just a choice of most eBay users, whether it's a buyer or a seller. The other choices that time involves eBay's subordinate, BillPoint.

However, due to a relative percentage of PayPal, being the most widely used mode of payment by almost fifty percent of eBay buyers and sellers, eBay had eventually phased out BillPoint and concentrate more on PayPal.

Right now, there is another company that is in the same line of business like PayPal. This competitor is known as BidPay. There had been reports that a number of eBay buyers and sellers resort to this kind of payment scheme.

ESCROW

For high-priced items, eBay recommends that the method of payment should be with an eBay approved escrow service like the one that can be found at www.escrow.com

Buyers and sellers should take note that there are fake escrow companies lurking in eBay. Hence, it's important to detect if the escrow company that the buyer and the seller deals with is approved by eBay.

EBay recommends that sellers, as well as buyers, should only contact eBay approved escrow companies like escrow.com for Canada, U'.S., and U.K. eBay users; escrowaustralia.com.au for eBay users in Australia; escrow-europia.com for eBay users in Spain and Italy; ebay.iloxx.de for German eBay users; and tripledeal.com for eBay users in France, Netherlands, and Belgium.

EBay strongly warns its buyers and sellers not to do transaction concerning wire transfers like the Western Union. This is a very unsafe mode of payment because it does not guarantee the concerned person that the process will be smooth.

So, it's best for every seller and buyer on eBay to opt for the mentioned payment methods so as to be sure of an honest and reliable business transaction. Besides, eBay will protect the sellers and buyers if the transactions were made under these approved eBay mode of payment.

About the author:

Ebay Seller Problems And Solutions

Author: Jay Bauder

Selling Problems on eBay and Their Solutions

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:

Avoiding Ebay Pitfalls When Buying

Author: Jay Bauder

Avoiding eBay Buying Pitfalls

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:

Spotting Fakes and Defective Items On Ebay

Author: Jay Bauder

Spotting Fakes and Frauds on eBay

Fake items abound on eBay, and it takes much effort not to be duped by scammers who peddle these wares. There have been many painful stories relating how a seemingly legitimate item turned out to be either fake or defective.

It is possible, however, to avoid these scams if one is careful and vigilant. Buyers should be wary of any purchase over eBay, and should take steps to ensure the authenticity of the item and to make sure the item is in reasonable condition.

Be Vigilant

Buyers should take the initiative by doing plenty of background research. They must learn as much as possible about the product before bidding on them. If the seller provides pictures of an item, they should not be taken at face value. Comparison of these pictures with the real item helps in this regard.

Many sellers will use pictures from manufacturers that do not represent the item they are actually selling; buyers should ask the seller for actual pictures of his item. If he balks, buyers should refrain from bidding. Collector's items, autographed memorabilia, and historical artifacts are common items that are misrepresented on eBay.

Authenticate

Familiarizing with the various bodies that certify respective items helps in this respect. For example, reputable merchants of autographed sports memorabilia should include a COA (certificate of authenticity) from a trusted third party. Counterfeit or misrepresented items should be reported to eBay. When buying on eBay Motors, one may have an inspection service double-check if the seller is accurately representing his automobile.

Look at the Feedback

One should analyze the feedback rating of a seller. Analyzing feedback is another helpful exercise to prevent scams. Sellers who have an established history of credible sales are usually helpful and professional to deal with. Negative feedbacks should be a red flag as to whether one should pursue a trade with a person. Same thing goes for those who do not have feedback ratings at all.

Buyers must be careful however, since it is possible that a scammer has hijacked an account that has positive feedback.

Read Between the Lines

Buyers should make sure they have read the entire product description on its eBay listing. Things to look out for are disclaimers, damages, current item condition, years of use, and others. If this information is not specified, it would do well for the buyer to contact the seller regarding such.

The Price Theory

If the price for an item is too good to be true, it probably is. Auctions that carry outrageously low prices should be taken skeptically.

About the author:

Making The Most Out Of Ebay Buying

Author: Jay Bauder

SHOPPING ONLINE CAN BE FUN!

Buying on eBay can be a lucrative activity. However, if not managed properly, it can do shoppers more harm than good.

Nevertheless, it's still the most convenient way of shopping online. So, to make the most out of E-bay when a shopper buys things, here's some way to do it:

1. Buyers should know how to buy safely.

Wise buyers should know how to check the seller's reputation by prying on the seller's feedback section. With more feedback, chances are the seller does not do transactions well.

2. It's a must for a buyer to know more about the seller.

It's best not to buy on impulse. Buyers should take time first on knowing the seller's identity first. That way, the buyer will be more assured that it's not just a hoax or something.

3. It's a must for every buyer to shop around.

It pays to compare prices before a buyer gets into closing the deal. Just like any market, e-bay has a wide array of similar items to choose from and each seller will definitely have different price quotations.

4. A buyer has to look for things that sell as well.

This will give him or her insight what kind of things that sell on E-bay. In that way, they will have an idea in case they want to sell something someday

5. Common sense is important.

A buyer should know how to detect fraud on an instant. It doesn't need further explanations or theory. It's instinct!

5. Buying on eBay can be a fun activity.

Shoppers don't have to get out of the browser instantly once they are through with their transaction. They can still amuse themselves by browsing on the seller's name, comments, and the other items being sold.

6. Discrepancies should be clarified first before logging out.

If a buyer has already closed the deal and is willing to purchase the item already, it's best to clarify any discrepancies at once. This is to avoid further misconception regarding the matter or the item bought.

7. It's best for buyers to choose the right mode of payment.

Activities involving money can be too risky. That's why it's important for most buyers to choose a reliable mode of payment. They should never go for wire transfers or any payment scheme outside E-bay rules and regulations. Other wise, there'll be no guarantee that the transaction is a safe one.

With these suggestions, online shopping will never be the same old risky activity again.

About the author:

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Ebay Ebook Success Tips: Auction Listing Design!!!

Author: Tom Parker

This month I have encountered two small problems which have affected my eBay business. If I had spent a little more time thinking about the design of my auction listings, these problems could have easily been avoided and I would have had more time to spend on other things instead of editing tiny mistakes in nearly 100 listings. There have been many similar occasions in the past where a little more forward planning would have avoided me redesigning all my eBay auction listings. Therefore, my advice to you in this issue is to think carefully about the design of your auction listings. More time spent on your listing now can mean MUCH less time spent redesigning them in the future.

Now the two actual problems I encountered this month were the down to my PayPal address and my eBay ID. The first problem was that for some reason the Pay Now button in eBay was not working for all customers. This led to me getting many emails from buyers saying the Pay Now button is not working, or worse many people sending payments to one of my email addresses that was not registered with PayPal. The end result was me having to explain and solve the problem via multiple emails to multiple customers. So how could I have avoided this problem? Well in my actual eBay listing and Payment Policy I made no reference to my PayPal email address but included all my other email addresses. I overlooked including my PayPal email address in the listings simply because I assumed that the Pay Now button would work at all times. Obviously not. I have now amended all listings to include my PayPal email address and thankfully since then I have had no PayPal payments sent to the wrong email address.

So now all seems fine and dandy with my eBay listings when 2 days ago I received an email stating that I needed to change my User ID because the previous one made reference to this website. Now on eBay you can get away with this type of User ID for a while but sooner or later eBay will catch you out and make you change it. I knew this so really I should have chose a more sensible User ID instead of trying to get a little extra traffic to my website. So how does this affect my listings? Well in every listing I include a link to my eBay feedback and eBay About Me page which now needs to be changed. So that means more fun for me as I will have edit all my eBay listings yet again.

So you may be wandering OK but what's the point of this story. Well you (and hopefully me as well) can learn from my mistakes. These two examples illustrate how just a LITTLE forward planning would have saved a LOT of time for me and can do for you too. I will give you a few things to think about when designing your auction listings but you may think of more.

1) Ebay ID:- When choosing an eBay ID you need to think about using one that both reflects your line of business and also sticks to eBay policy. I know that it may be tempting to use **yourwebsitename** as a User ID but that is a violation of eBay policy and they will make you change it eventually. If you have to change your User ID then you have to change every Feedback and About Me link in all your listings. Choosing a User ID which is within eBay policy will save you a lot of time in the future.

2) About Me Page:- Do you have an About Me page? If not you should get one as it is one of the best promotion tools you have on eBay. If you do have one you really should link to it in your auctions as from the About Me page has much fewer restrictions than your other eBay pages (for example you can link to your own website). If you want to promote yourself on eBay the About Me page is the best way to do it and the best way to increase traffic to your About Me page is promote it fully.

3) Ebay Store:- If you have an eBay store then it is essential that you provide a link to it within your auction listings. Many customers who view your auctions will not know that you have an eBay store or if they do they may not know exactly what one is. If you want to maximise your sales potential you need to make as many customers aware of your eBay store as possible. Putting a simple sentence at the top of your auction listings such as ""Can't wait for this auction to end? Then Click Here to purchase it right now from my eBay store"" will give your eBay store maximum exposure in your eBay auctions.

4) Email Addresses:- Make sure that all relevant email addresses are included in your auction listing. Your PayPal email address must be in here to avoid similar problems to the ones I experienced. All the email addresses you wish to be contacted on should also be included as well. For example I include my PayPal email , my delivery enquiries email, and my general enquiries email. Even if you only have one email address which is the same as the one associated with your ""Contact the Seller"" you should still include an email link in your auction description simply because it makes it easier for the customer.

5) Ebay Store Custom Pages:- If you have an eBay store you are allowed to design custom pages for whatever purpose you see fit. If these custom pages are in any way relevant to the auction then you should include a link to them too.

6) Images:- Have you put in all the images you want to use to promote your auction. If not make sure they are all included. What about your eBay store? If you have one then a store logo is a great way to promote your store, make you look more professional, and hopefully increase traffic and sales.

These are just a few of the many things you should consider before listing an item on eBay. I am sure you can think of many more. These rules are especially applicable to ebook sellers on eBay because you will be constantly re-using the same auction listing to sell an ebook because you have an infinite supply. Getting the listing as close to perfect now will save you a LOT of time in the future. 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.

What Ebay Offers Sellers

Author: Jay Bauder

What E-Bay Gets from Sellers

E-Bay has indeed changed the way sellers handle business nowadays. In some cases, sellers in E-Bay are really dependent on the service up to the point that they are financially dependent on the system. Despite of that, E-Bay has a continuous growth rate and appears much bigger and financially capable than before. What do they really get from sellers?

According to E-Bay officials, they act as the middleman for customers and sellers. Their site is a portal in which both the sellers and buyers could meet and have an interaction regarding the items that are for sale. If compared to the more realistic setting, E-Bay is the online version of a flea market and instead of the buy and sale way of transaction, the flea market holds an auction and whoever has the highest big would be able to get the item. This is exactly what happens in E-Bay. The only difference is that the whole world gets to participate in the bidding process. E-Bay usually charges a certain amount to sellers who wish to have a space in e-bay's portal. The terms of payment could vary depending on the intent of the sellers regarding how long they would be able to maintain their business. There are different paying schemes like monthly, quarterly, and yearly. Most transactions are handled online.

Through this system, E-Bay would be able to earn some money before sellers could be able to sell their products and items. Whenever a product is sold, E-Bay does not receive a percentage over any successful transactions. Aside from that, E-Bay also has certain rates for advertising charges. If sellers would like to advertise more their products through E-Bay, they need to buy a certain amount. Advertising products or goods is a good way to sell product because people would be able to see the ad and potential customers could be able to inquire about the product.

On the other hand, E-Bay offers the convenience of online shopping just right at the tips of the buyer's fingernails. This is really a treat considering the busy lifestyles that people have these days. E-Bay offers the sellers a chance to service those people that have money to purchase such items but does not have the time to go out and actually have time to buy everything that they like. The relationship between E-Bay and sellers is actually a mutual and beneficial one which is also the reason why it works.

About the author:

5 Things You Must Know Before Selling On Ebay

Author: Jay Bauder

EBAY SELLING 101: THINGS A SELLER SHOULD KNOW BEFORE SELLING ON EBAY

Nowadays, eBay is becoming a fast increasing market for online shoppers. It gives them the convenience and feasibility of shopping online.

However, it is the seller that benefits most of the time as they find selling things on eBay a lucrative way of earning additional wages. But before a seller logs in and sell his or her items on eBay, there are some things that needs to be done first, here's how:

1. Sellers must know the rules.

It is extremely important for sellers to know first the rules and regulations of eBay concerning items to be sold and the transaction method. This is one way of protecting themselves so as to avoid fraudulent activities.

2. They should know their market.

Before selling, a seller should first contemplate on what type of market is she or he aiming at. If the sellers know who their target market is, it would be easier for them to think of effective words to use on their descriptive title and the details of their items.

3. They should know the selling fees.

It's a must for them to know how much the selling fees of eBay are so that they may include this on the initial price of their item.

4. They should know the available payment scheme.

The sellers should know these first so that they can assess which type of payment mode are they comfortable with. After all, they should stress this out when posting their items on sale.

5. They should know how to make an account.

It is, indeed, important for the seller to know first the basic procedures of creating an account on eBay before selling an item. No one can go start selling an item right away without having an account on eBay.

They should know how to register first. They can do this by going to the eBay website and set up a seller's account by entering some pertinent information like a valid credit/debit card account or bank account. Though, they may opt for an alternative if they are not comfortable doing this. They may opt to become ID verified as a substitute.

For payment purposes, they should also know how to open a PayPal account.

Also, they should know first what kind of format to use, the category of the item, how to write the title and the specifications of the sale, item description, how to increase the item's visibility, and how to contact the winning bidder before starting to post an item on eBay.

If all of these things are already clear on the seller, then posting an item on eBay will never be a problem. It's that easy!

About the author:

What makes Ebay Stand Out For Buyers

Author: Jay Bauder

What makes E-Bay stand out for Buyers?

E-Bay is certainly a hit to the market especially for the buyers. The concept of online shopping or bidding for that matter do not appeal too much for buyers but the emergence of E-Bay made a difference to that. Both buyers and sellers are flocking in the site in order to conduct their business there. What is the real reason why E-Bay became a hit for buyers?

Well, one of the reasons for the success is the concept that E-Bay had. Auctioning is a good way to bargain the products but at the same time still have a profitable business. The concept also of people from all over the world makes it more fun. Most buyers are also looking for a sweet deal in the internet because they originally have the original price in their hands. A good yet quality bargain for customers is important because they are looking for their money's worth. Aside from that, E-Bay serves as an online mall or ""internet shopping haven"" for buyers that do not want to be bothered when it comes to hopping from shops to shops. E-Bay offers a variety of choices for their buyers which make it fun. The choices and alternatives that E-Bay offers attract customers who are always on the look out for something new and fresh. On the other hand, the transactions held in E-Bay are safer and secure if compared to other portals. In E-Bay, they guarantee the safety as well as the quality of products once a buyer has purchased it.

When it comes to the design and lay-out, E-Bay keeps it simple and hassle-free which really is a priority for buyers that are not particularly technology sassy. The simple design that graces the computer screen is one of the reasons why people go to E-Bay and purchase what they want online. As others would say it, simplicity is the key and it is indeed a key to the success of E-Bay. Another factor which makes E-Bay click is the communication ability of the site. Both buyers and sellers have the chance to communicate openly with each other. Both parties could exchange views and opinions which could help both parties as well as E-Bay.

E-Bay is viewed by buyers as a refreshing change against the tight grip of big companies towards buyers. In E-Bay there is freedom and choice in every transaction made.

About the author:

Ebay Selling Success

Author: Jay Bauder

Succeeding as a Seller on E-Bay

Being successful is almost everyone's dreams this day and being successful in E-Bay could be a reality once you set your heart into it. Like in any other business, patience and perseverance in the world of E-Bay are factors needed to ensure that you are going to be successful here.

Aside from those virtues, a lot of strategic planning is needed to ensure one's success in E-Bay. The first thing that you could do is to mark your territory. This means that you should be able to determine on what kind of specialization you would like. For example, your area of specialization is books therefore you should focus yourself first in establishing a name in the books category before eventually branching out your items.

This would help you in establishing a name through categories thus forming a solid foundation for your business. In terms of products, remember that a wide margin market is important therefore products should not be too expensive. Products that are easy to dispose of as well as in demand are great investments for people that are planning to be successful in the world of E-Bay.

Customer service also plays an important part in being a successful seller on E-Bay. This is because customers always know if you are the type of seller that prioritizes the needs of their customers. If the first transaction with a seller made an impact to them then the tendency of customers is to buy and purchase again. Aside from that, customers that are truly satisfied with a transaction made from a specific seller would be able to recommend the products as well as the services to other potential customers without paying anything to the customer.

This is a good way to expand your horizons as a seller which could have a great impact to customers. As a seller, you should always seek feedback regarding the transaction that they made with you as well as the state of the product. This is important because customers would feel that they are very important in your line of business. It is important to have more positive feedbacks in E-Bay because most customers would rely on a seller because of their good reputation on the web.

Last but not the least, always hold honest transactions so that people would learn to trust you and in return, you would be able to maximize the benefits of E-Bay.

About the author:

Monday, June 19, 2006

6 Tips For Better Ebay Buying

Author: Jay Bauder

Hot tips for Ebay Buyers

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:

Ebay Buying The Unimagineable

Author: Jay Bauder

SALES FROM THE CRYPT

In today's contemporary society, where everything can be done already over the Net, online shopping is one lucrative activity for the seller and convenience for the buyer.

This is where eBay comes in the limelight. Every online shoppers and online traders can benefit a lot in eBay. But because of its wide diversity, things being sold on eBay had increased to amore wider, broader, and weirder.

Yes! With the wide access and convenience eBay gives to its members, there were reports that even the weirdest things were auctioned and even sold on eBay.

Here are some of them:

1. Ghost in a Jar

There was an actual report about an item, dubbed as a ""ghost in a jar"", being sold on eBay. The seller narrated in his item description how he got the jars (there were two, actually). The seller claimed that the remaining jar contains some ""black thing"" based on what happened to the other jar after it fell to the ground and emitted some sort of black smoke.

The auctioned placed 60 bids during the listing and had reached $90 million. Though, there are no concrete reports as to whether the sale was really closed or who got the item in that amount.

2. Vampire killing kit

This refers to a kit suitable for some ""vampire hunters"". This kit includes an ebony wood stake, a crossbow with four silver-tipped arrows, a variety of surgical instruments, and a large bottle of holy water.

3. UFO Detector

This is a modified magnetometer manufactured by a Brazilian company. It was said on the auction that this item can actually detect an approaching UFO or can spot an UFO activity.

4. Russian Test space Shuttle

It's a spacecraft built by a Russian company. The actual reserve price for this item is $2 million but was auctioned and bid on eBay with only a small percentage from its actual selling price.

5. Serial Killer's Fingernails

This refers to the fingernails of a certain Roy Norris who sailed to Southern California, in 1979, for a killing binge that murdered five people. He was with a certain Lawrence Bittaker.

These fingernails are placed at the back of a Christmas card with Norris' note, signature, and black thumbprint.

These are just a few of the weirdest things that a buyer can get on eBay. In fact, there are thousand others lurking in eBay and are waiting for some eager and gullible bidders.

About the author:

Ebay Buying Something For Everyone

Author: Jay Bauder

CLUELESS

Being clueless on what items to buy on E-bay is a phase.

In fact, it's the very first step to online shopping. With every new day, online shoppers conquer more E-bay buying techniques, and slowly lift off the novice's launch pad.

From then on, online shoppers realize there's more they can buy on E-bay than meets the eye.

Generally, E-bay is comprised of almost all the things a buyer would want and need under the sun. In fact, it seems that E-bay's selling almost everything.

Because of its diversity in items being sold, E-bay categorized each item for easier search. Though, each listing varies from one country to another.

Generally, online shoppers may choose to buy things under the category of antiques. These may include old-fashioned decors; house wares; vintage cars, clothing, and accessories; historic collector's item; and old postcards.

Buyers may also deliberate on buying items classified under the automotive category. These may range from cars to accessories to almost insignificant extras like car stickers, car perfumes, and collectibles.

Those who are looking for computer gadgets, electronic bolts, or printers may look at the Electronics and Computers category of E-bay.

E-bay listings also have the basic necessities like clothes, shoes, and accessories. It also includes different kinds of jewelries like trinkets, charms, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches, and ornaments.

Those who are looking for stamps and other collectables like postcards, old papers, even different kinds of minerals, rocks, and fossils will find E-bay a very lucrative place to do online shopping.

E-bay also caters to people who are into sports. Buyers can find different sorts of sports gadgets, sports get-ups, and tools. Those who are hobbyists may also find practical tools for their respective hobbies like gardening tools, cross-stitching paraphernalia, cooking and baking utensils, or scrapbooks.

Best of all, E-bay offers a great line of entertainment appliances and high-tech gadgets like mobile phones, mp3 players, pc tablets, PDAs, memory cards, flash cards, video cameras, digital cameras, audio recorders, sensors, and camcorders.

Aside from these common items that reflect fads and fashions in today's contemporary society, e-bay has also that special section that consists of ""everything else."" These are the things that do not fall under the basic categories. These are ephemera, costumes, children's themed gift sets, party packages, mobile sim card, and mobile load, even a Google account.

With these things, buyers can be assured of a wide array of things and gadgets that would serve them best provided that it does not fall under E-bay's prohibited list.

About the author:

Things You Can't Sell On Ebay

Author: Jay Bauder

E-bay may seem to have everything a buyer would need or want. However, not all things are provided on E-bay for sale. There are things that are prohibited in being displayed in E-bay due to infringement of some existing laws.

This list of prohibited items should be strictly noted unless it's okay for the seller to be banned from the E-bay listing or his or her account suspended. He or she may even face some criminal charges relative to the violation of the law.

These prohibited items are as follows:

1. School-related software.

This refers to any kind of school-related software that is being sold to students or researchers at marked down amounts.

2. Law-related items like brand names misused just for personal gain; copyrighted materials, unauthorized recording or footage of a live show; beta software or software that are used to test and assess a software's over-all performance; any software or hardware used to extract different audio and video files in a CD, VCD, or DVD; or items that a seller cannot provide proof of authenticity.

3. Wildlife creatures and animals.

Any kind of animals being sold in E-bay is strictly prohibited. There are certain laws that govern the illegality of selling wildlife animals especially those that are classified as extinct or nearly extinct.

4. Tickets or contracts of concerts, shows, or any kind of performances.

Selling of these items is strictly prohibited unless the seller is permitted to do so by an approving officer. Sale of such legal agreements may result to breach or violation of the law.

5. Fake items such as counterfeited currencies. These are not only prohibited in E-bay but are highly punishable by law.

6. Any downloadable media.

These refer to any kind of software that was only made available for certain people. If the seller is not the sole owner of the rights of said downloads, E-bay will not accept such items for sale. In such cases, these items will only be allowed provided that the seller can provide proofs of copyright ownership and that this must be stated when posting the item for sale.

7. Goods that were prohibited from other countries.

8. Signatures, faces, or names of people without the owner's permission.

9. Any kind of ammunition or weapon.

10. Government licenses, identification cards, or any pertinent document related to the government.

Usually, E-bay updates or modifies this list of prohibited items. And so, it's important for every buyer and seller to get hold of an updated copy of the list of prohibited items on E-bay.

About the author:

Ebay Changing Your Mind After Purchase

Author: Jay Bauder

As the old adage goes, nobody's perfect. There are things in this life that people do on one instance only to change his or her mind after a few minutes or so.

On eBay, there are instances wherein online shoppers or bidders may find retracting a bid inevitable due to some unforeseen circumstances. Others find it tricky and sellers may find it maddening. But whatever the point is, buyers may still retract their bids even if they won the item.

As much as the seller would be professional about the matter, buyers should also, by all means, do the most civilized thing to do - inform the seller about the reason why he or she would not push through with the sale.

However, buyers may also do this legally, that is in accordance to the eBay policies. Buyers may declare a ""clear error"" especially when there were things done inadvertently. For example, the bidder mistakenly typed $100 instead of $10.

When things like these happened, the buyer has to make appropriate actions at once. All they have to do is to tick the ""Services"" link situated on top of the navigation bar. On services, the buyer should tap the ""Retract Your Bid"" link found on the ""Bidding and Buying Services"" section. The item number should be placed on the space provided in the Bid Retractions page.

Automated explanations are available and can be used by the bidder. Then, after the buyer had clicked on the ""Retract Bid"" tab, the bid amount will be deleted from the auction.

The eBay management, in reality, is reasonable on things like these. In fact, eBay may accept whatever reasons buyers have whenever they want to pull back a certain bid. But then, it may pose harm on the bidder's reputation in the future.

This can be tolerable especially if the reasons are valid, but nevertheless, it's still a big no-no when doing business on eBay. In the first place, it was clearly stated on the buyer's guide that the bid serves as a contract that binds the buyer to a commitment to make the necessary purchase of the item he or she had won.

What's more, bidders may even lose the credibility and the chance to bid at some point especially if their bidding history were made known to most sellers.

Indeed, retracting bids on eBay is not such a good practice to make, and can be a hard habit to break.

All of these things boil down on one common point. That is, the buyer should never bid on an item if he or she is not yet even sure of buying it.

About the author:

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Things You Can't Buy On Ebay

Author: Jay Bauder

The eBay Blacklist

eBay can be most likened to an online flea market. But, as with most flea markets, there is always the possibility that questionable hawkers lurk around the corners. Therefore, there must be rules in place to insure that the auctions and transactions formed through eBay are legal. Only then can a market - online or not - flourish.

Certain types of items are prohibited or regulated on eBay. eBay reserves the right to terminate auctions that violate its specifications for allowed items on listing. In the case of such, eBay emails the bidder and the seller to notify them of the violation and to explain the need to terminate the auction.

eBay's policies describe items that may not be posted for auction. They fall under three categories: Prohibited Questionable, and Potentially Infringing.

Prohibited This describes items that are not permitted on eBay. This list includes alcohol, tobacco, drugs, animals, human parts or remains, government properties, lottery tickets, and others. eBay contains a complete list of such in their policy statement.

Questionable Items listed as questionable can be posted provided they follow certain conditions. For example, some adult material may be listed for auctioning only if they are posted in the Mature Audiences section of eBay. Event tickets may be sold provided that the auction closes before the actual event itself. The list also includes batteries, artifacts, food, used items, event tickets, weapons and knives, police related equipment, Freon, hazardous chemicals, offensive material, mature audiences material, international selling, and international buying among others.

Potentially Infringing Items listed under this heading may be legal. However, they almost always violate copyright, trademark, and other rights. Some examples of such are: academic software, beta software, bootleg recordings, contracts and tickets, downloadable media, movie prints, OEM software, Replica and counterfeit items, and unauthorized copies.

This list is updated periodically and is incorporated into the User Agreement of eBay. These guidelines do not represent legal advice. It would do well to check with law enforcement agencies, a lawyer, or other legal outlets to verify the legality of a questionable item to be posted.

This policy applies even if you offer to give your item away for free. As long as it is posted on eBay, it is subject to the abovementioned policy.

As a final note, it is stressed that the buyer if subject to liability if he or she purchases an illegal item. It is still the responsibility of the buyers and sellers to monitor the legality of their transactions since eBay is merely a facilitator in the market process.

About the author:

Making Money on Ebay

Author: Hans Hasselfors

You have your business set up, your name chosen; you're signed up and registered. Now what do you need to be making money on Ebay?

When you first start out making money on Ebay you need to decide on a product that you would like to sell. It is suggested that you start by choosing one type of product. This will allow you to become an expert with them so you can advertise and sell them effectively. You will want to expand your product line as you become more effective in online marketing. You can try different selling and advertising methods until you find what works the best for your particular product or products.

You will want to limit the number of items you place on auctions. The goal for making money on Ebay is to sell your items at the highest possible price. If you are selling several of the same things at the same time, it will be much harder to get a high price for them.

Finding quality and unique items to sell for making money on Ebay can be difficult as ebay gets more popular. Some sources are Estate attorneys who get requests from families to help dispose of the deceased items. Taking an ad out in your local paper and offer to take on consignment to sell could be a very good source of items and products. You will want to charge a small upfront fee and or a percentage of the sale. By pursuing this avenue to gain products and items be sure and check your state and local laws to be sure you do not need to have a auctioneers license.

You may also find items from other Ebay sellers who have bought items in bulk or by the lot. They may have items they choose not to sell. If you make other sellers aware you may buy excess items of a certain product, you may have another source of changing items or products.

A couple of important points to remember as you're attempting to make money on Ebay. Make sure you sell only legitimate items. If you are selling illegal or counterfeit items, and the real manufacturer or another Ebay seller or buyer reported you Ebay would cancel all your auctions. Do not allow friends, relatives, or even be tempted yourself to bid against other bidders on your auctions in an attempt to drive up the price. This practice is known as shilling and is illegal. Not only will Ebays fraud department shut you down. In some states the attorney general will bring criminal charges against you with the help of Ebay.

To help you make money on Ebay you may want to promote your auctions. You can do this with a personal web page just to promote you Ebay sales. You can also run a online store with links going back to your auctions. This will give you a more professional appearance on the Internet and helps your customers a better idea of who you are. Finally a very good way to assist in your quest to make money on Ebay is build a mailing list. Send out email to your subscribers on a regular basis and promote your current auctions.

Currently there are approximately 430,000 people who are making money on Ebay. This is because it is a efficient and low cost way to reach 45 million people. You can see there are many ways to for making money on Ebay. It is not a get rich overnight excursion. Do not be fooled into buying guides that claim instant success. Many of these are just bought e-books or some are actually copy write protected articles reproduced without authors consent. Do you homework, expect to have some expenses, make a plan and follow it then you to will be making money on Ebay.

About the author: About the Author: Hans Hasselfors is the founder of http://www.SubmitYourN ewArticle.com . You may find varied Ebay articles in our article directory.

Ebay The Best Site For Sellers

Author: Jay Bauder

WHY E-BAY IS A SELLER'S BLISS

Today, more and more people are gradually opting for eBay as an alternative market site for their items. And the more people try on selling their products on eBay, the more they conclude that eBay is the best market site to sell products online.

So, for people who want to know why eBay had fast become one of the best website for selling items, here are some reasons online shoppers need to know:

1. It is not just a marketing website, it acts like a ""virtual"" garage sale as well.

Usually, a marketing website caters to people who need to sell their products. But most of these marketing websites only allows people who are really into business and that the products they offer should be of high quality.

However, eBay does it differently. It acts like a virtual garage sale, in which, a seller can still sell items that are already old. And so, ordinary people who wanted to make profit out of some old item that still has value or those who want to simply get rid of it, eBay is the only site that can provide such service.

2. E-Bay builds the seller's character.

There are features on eBay that serves as ways for sellers to build integrity at the same time establish rapport.

The ""seller's feedback"" section and the ""ask a seller question"" tab create a solid foundation based on trust among the eBay members. In this way, the buyer gets the feeling of security while doing transactions with the seller. Just the same, the seller's reputation is solidly established.

3. It offers a low investment.

For those who really want to make a business out of selling on eBay, they are guaranteed of a low investment capital. Actually, there is no capital that has to be paid. It's the selling fees that only need to be accomplished by the seller. If compared to charges of other marketing websites, eBay's selling fees are relatively lower.

4. The selling process on eBay is a lot simpler.

E-Bay does not require sellers' additional requirements like trade name, domain name, or any other pertinent documents being asked by other marketing websites. The only thing eBay requires a seller to do before posting an item is to create an account, after which, he or she can already start the posting the items to be sold.

5. It has an ""autoresponder"" system.

This means that the seller do not have to stay online most of the times just to get hold of any response from the buyers. E-Bay eliminates the hard-selling type of sale.

About the author:

How To Sue eBay and Paypal for Unfair Business Practices

Author: Dr. Michael A. S. Guth, Ph.D., J.D.

Consumers who have experienced unfair business practices from eBay and Paypal, e.g., where the companies refuse to live up to their buyer protection programs, may have recourse in a court of law. Typically unsatisfied consumers have bought a product on eBay or pay for it using Paypal only to find that the article is not as represented, is a different color or size than pictured, or arrives in a broken and unusable condition. When the consumer complains to eBay and Paypal and asks for a refund, both of these eBay-owned companies disavow any responsibility owed to the consumer.

This article will present a guide for consumers to prosecute eBay and Paypal for deceptive business practices that harmed them and what they can expect from eBay and Paypal in terms of defenses. At the outset, note that eBay and Paypal have managed to insulate themselves from damages claims through creative wording of their user agreements, which all consumers must agree to accept as a condition for using either eBay or Paypal.

Paypal, Inc., is a subsidiary of eBay, Inc., and the two companies are intertwined for purchasers of goods sold on eBay.com to complete payments to sellers using Paypal.com. The Defendants Paypal, Inc. and eBay, Inc., may be served with process (summons and a complaint) using the long arm statute of the consumer's state. The long arm statute most likely provides for service of out-of-state corporations through the state's Secretary of State. eBay's may be served with process at the following address: eBay Inc.; Attn: Corporate Counsel; 2145 Hamilton Avenue; San Jose, CA 95125.

Upon receiving the consumer's lawsuit, the defendants eBay and Paypal will advise the consumer that his or her user agreements with these two firms require the consumer to file disputes against the firms either with a court in Santa Clara County, CA, or with the National Arbitration Forum. If the consumer does not voluntarily withdraw his suit, then eBay will threaten to seek its lawyer fees to have the case dismissed. At this point, most consumers then drop their suits.

However, the arbitration clauses in the user agreements exclude claims for equitable or declaratory relief. Accordingly, if the consumer files his suit from the outset seeking equitable or declaratory relief, then the eBay user agreement defense will NOT prevent the lawsuit from going forward. With the lawsuit proceeding forward, the consumer can send eBay or Paypal interrogatories to seek discovery. Interrogatories are written questions sent to a party to a lawsuit that must be answered in writing, usually within 30 days. With interrogatories, the consumer can get access to information about the seller, as well as the frequency with which consumers have complained about items being delivered that were materially different from the item pictures on eBay.

The consumer's local state court will have personal jurisdiction over the eBay and Paypal to hear claims for equitable and declaratory relief, because these firms have established substantial contacts the consumer's state. The following non-exhaustive list of activities and contacts by the eBay and Paypal in and with the consumer's state make it fair, equitable, and convenient for eBay and Paypal to defend these causes of action in the consumer's state:

(1) The controversy arose out of the consumer's purchase of some item on eBay.com, which was shipped to him or her at the consumer's address, and which arrived damaged and unusable. The funds used to pay for this transaction were drawn from a bank in the consumer's hometown, and payment for this transaction occurred in the consumer's hometown. The contract to purchase the item and pay for shipping was most likely formed in the consumer's hometown.

(2) For more than 10 years, eBay and Paypal have systematically and continuously advertised their services to the consumer and other Internet users in the consumer's state via advertising and electronic mail. Over the years, eBay and Paypal have collected fees on scores of millions of dollars in payments and seller fees from businesses and residents in the consumer's state.

For circumstances in which a seller refuses to take back damaged merchandise and issue a refund, the consumer can seek equitable relief to bar that seller from any and all further transactions on the eBay and Paypal platforms. The consumer can seek declaratory relief that eBay and Paypal's Buyer Protection Plan submission forms are riddled with computer errors and will not allow users to properly submit claims.

The consumer should also seek declaratory relief that eBay and Paypal's fraud violated the state Consumer Protection Act, which thus gives the consumer a statutory right to prosecute eBay and Paypal independent of any breach of contract claim he or she may have related to the user agreement.

The consumer can also challenge in his local state court the validity of the arbitration clause as unconscionable. A claim that the arbitration provision is unconscionable is a matter to be decided by the courts and not the arbitrator, because it specifically challenges the validity of the agreement to arbitrate irrespective of the validity of the whole contract. If the state trial court determines that the arbitration clause is unconscionable, then the consumer will be entitled to pursue monetary damages against eBay and Paypal. However, it is unlikely that a state court will find the arbitration clauses unconscionable, due to the pro-business tilt of the U.S. court system.

For more information and free legal advice for cases against eBay and Paypal, please contact the author through web page http://michaelguth.com/prose.htm

About the author: Dr. Michael A. S. Guth, Ph.D., J.D., is an attorney at law based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. His practice focuses on enabling people to represent themselves pro se without a lawyer (and thereby save on legal fees), as well as full representation for appellate practice. One area his work has particularly emphasized is child support defense and elimination of the unconstitutional debtor prisons that now saturate our court jurisdictions across

eBay Tips & Tricks

Author: Jamie Snodgrass

eBay Tips & Tricks

There is lots of money to be made on eBay, as well as lots of great deals for shoppers.

Whether you are a buyer or a seller, there are some things you should be aware of before

you venture out.

Just as the police will warn you about purse snatchers when you are shopping - they say be

aware of your surroundings, know where you are going (or at least look like it!).

Unfortunately, you need to be cautious when shopping online as well, on a number of

levels.

There are a lot of techniques, strategies, and facts that the savvy buyer or seller should

know about, so that they don't make a mistake that could have anywhere from minor to

severe consequences.

Exciting Facts About eBay * More than 2 MILLION people visit eBay every single day -- searching for products to buy! * People spend an average of 2 hours shopping on eBay. * 72% of eBay users make more than $50,000 per year! * eBay currently has over 147 MILLION members, and thousands of new members are added

every single day! * eBay processes over $1,000 in sales every second! That's $1,000 up to $86,000,000 a day

-- every single day of the year! * If you have a retail business, a good way to increase your sales is to advertise some of

your inventory on eBay. * If you know where to buy something in bulk at wholesale price, and then sell it on eBay,

you can make a profit. * People make money selling everything from unwanted items of little monetary value, to

brand new and expensive objects such as satellites, motorcycles, and cars. Needless to say, you can certainly see that on many levels you can benefit by doing

business on eBay.

About the author: This article has been brought to you by Ebay Tips and Tricks and Article Search Submit

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Selling on eBay

Author: Howard Young

There are literally dozens of eBay ebooks on the market, which provide professional insight in starting an online business using eBay as your storefront. Some of the best selling eBay ebooks at Fizziebooks will help you start a profitable online business.

eBay Marketing Secrets

This ebook teaches the basics on how to make a successful living buying and selling on eBay. For about $20, this quick start guide will give you some marketing secrets not found elsewhere on the Internet.

www.d irectcess.com/ebay

Make money on Ebay

Bidsecrets.com is lifetime membership site, which provides you a set of ebooks to start and operate your online business. The membership cost is $20 and gives you unlimited access eBay resources. The list of dropshipping suppliers is well worth the membership cost.

www.bidsecrets.com

Calculate your eBay fees and increase your sales with ProfitCalc

Profit calculator is software that computes the auction costs for selling items on eBay. Remember that eBay buyers are looking for the best possible price and your profit margins are sometimes slim. This software shows you ways to cut back on your auction costs to increase your profit.

www.profitcalc.com

Automate Digital Delivery of your eBay eBooks

@utoDigital Delivery is a top-notch digital delivery system that enables you to sell electronic media on eBay. You may have purchased an ebook with republication and re-branding rights in the past. Now you can simply use this tool to deliver it quickly and automated to your customers.

www.autodigitaldelivery.com

How I Made Up To $11,212.00 A Month On eBay

Janiece Smith's amazing new ebook outlines step-by-step instructions to easily duplicate her unique eBay selling system. If you have any doubt of starting an online business, read her inspirational story and techniques on how she made over eleven thousand dollars one month on eBay.

www.expressprofitsonline.com

The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay

The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay continues to be a best seller at Fizziebooks. The theme of this ebook is oriented to achieving Internet traffic using some of eBay's overlooked features. Thrilling insight will help you increase both eBay and offset sales.

www.silentsalesmachine.com

tagTRAX :

ebay selling |

make money on ebay |

selling on ebay | ebay fees | ebay buyers

You have permission to publish this article ONLY if it remains unchanged and you include the copyright, author information, and an active link to the author's Website (Resource Box) at the end.

About the author: Howard Young is a freelance writer and site administrator for Fizziebooks where you can search for online ebooks read reviews and commentary on ebooks.

5 Easy Ways To Make Money On eBay

Author: Dave Bromley

As the editor of the UK Auctionline Newsletter I receive a great number of e-mails from subscribers. Frequently the question they ask is, ""Please tell me an easy way to make money on eBay."" I suppose the answer to this question really revolves around how you define the term easy.

It is my belief that there is no easier way to make money on the Internet than by selling items through eBay. What could be simpler, a straight forward 5 step process.

1. Get something to sell. 2. Photograph it, and write a description. 3. Upload your listing to eBay. 4. Collect your money. 5. Dispatch the item.

What could be simpler than that?

But I suspect what people are really asking is how can I easily get products to sell. From my experience this is what both newcomers and some experienced eBayers find difficult. So in this article I just want to highlight 5 very simple ways that you can get products to sell without even leaving your computer. This I hope that will be easy enough for everyone.

1. What, no photograph? It is my belief that there is hardly an item listed on eBay or any of the other online auctions that does not benefit from having a photograph or image included in the listing. In fact most items that are listed without a photograph that actually sell tend to fetch 20% less than those with. In some categories the figures are even higher. For instance clothing items offered without a photograph average a 78% lower selling price than those with. So it would seem to be pretty easy to browse eBay looking for these ""photo less"" items, buying them and then relisting with a photograph. Money for old rope really.

2. Finding the poorly listed item. There are many reasons why someone's listing fails to attract any worthwhile bids. Bad title, short or poor description, wrong category, poor spelling and so on. You can find these by browsing around the auction site, but I would suggest an easier method.

Select the categories that you are interested in and look down the search feature for items finishing within the next hour. Here is where you will find the bargains that have failed to attract any bids for the reasons we have mentioned.

3. Unsocial hours In any book about eBay you will find tips on when is the best time for auctions to finish. The most suggested times for most items are Sunday afternoon and evenings and Wednesday evenings. Some experts suggest that for business related items Monday or Tuesday during office hours are best. If you accept that there are times when you will get increased bids for your items there must also be times when if your auction ends you will not do so well. I would think if you have an auction that finishes between say 5 am and 8 am on a Monday morning you will not have too many people lurking to place last minute bids to push the price up. Again buy and relist with your auction set to finish at a more sociable time and you could easily make a 20% or more profit for very little effort.

4. Buy Collections One of the easiest ways to make money on eBay is to cash in on other peoples laziness. If someone has say a collection of 10 china dogs, it is a fact that if they put all ten in one listing as a collection they will get less than if they had listed each item separately. But it is amazing how many sellers cannot be bothered to do this. I have in the past bought such a collection and actually made more from one of the items than I had paid for the whole collection.

5. Other online auctions. Over 95% of all online auction sales are on eBay. They have the largest number of registered buyers and items listed for sale. For this reason items offered for sale on eBay get the best prices. So why not search around some of the smaller online auctions, because in many cases items listed with them will not attract such a good prices as could be achieved on eBay. Then all you have to do is buy from them and relist on eBay.

So there are 5 easy ideas for you to consider. Why not give some or all of them a try.

About the author: Dave Bromley runs the http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk web site and newsletter. This information packed web site contains hundreds of articles, hints and tips for getting the most out of eBay.To register for the newsletter and 6 part mini course visit his web site now.

5 Hidden Resources For eBay Users

Author: Jason James

Many thousands of people making a living both buying & selling on eBay. Currently ranked as the 37 biggest site on the net (according to Alexa figures) eBay shows no signs of slowing down, even fortune 500 companies are opening eBay shops to sell surplus & unwanted stock. The following are five resources that I use personally & encourage you to use them to increase your eBay profits with ease.

Reports show that over 90% of searches on eBay are done using the search facility. What users do not know about eBays search factility is that by default it only searches the item titles - not the descriptions of the items. Remember this fact as it will show the significance of some of the resources listed below.

1) FatFingers

How professional a seller are you? Do you check your listings before submitting them or even does someone else proof read them for you? With millions of listings on eBays networks of sites at any one time, a small proportion of these listings contain errors - & a misspelt word is about the biggest error you can make.

Imagine your selling a Sony Television for example. What if you misspell the item as Sony Televisoin. Anyone who searches for the term ""Sony Television"" simply isn't going to be presented with your item. Only those eBayers who search manually though the category will find your items. Needless to say that if people can't find your item, they're unable to bid on them.

FatFingers is a service you can use to find all misspelt variations of a term. Why would you need such a service?

Well obviously if an item has low visibility on eBay it's also likely to have zero or few bids enabling you to snap yourself up a bargain. I've known people use this service to make a full time living, purely buying items cheaply and relisting them without errors.

Details at: http://www.fatfingers.com

2) eBay Pulse

Back to the search facility eBay pulse shows you the top 10 searched keywords in every category. It's a real gem of a service, obviously by looking at the most widely used search terms you can see what eBayers are after. And if your selling in this category, by inserting some of these keywords within your title your items will be seen by more users.

The only thing to watch out with this service is make sure the keywords are relevant to your item, IF NOT DON'T USE THEM. How many times have you saw listings such as ""SONY PANASONIC LG WIDESCREEN DIGITAL TELEVISION GUIDE"", - listings such as these are well thought out to earn high visibility from the way users search. Anyone searching for the items with any of the keywords will uncover your listings.

While it may lead to a high number of views, firstly fellow users will get annoyed if they find your item completely unrevealed to what they searched for, Secondly keyword spamming as it is known, is against eBay policy and will lead to your item being pulled. I use pulse daily with all my listings but make sure it's relevant to your item first.

Details at: http://pulse.ebay.com

3) Keyword-Pro

Keyword-Pro is a commercial subscription service which is similar to eBay pulse. However, the main difference is Keyword-Pro offers a much more in depth list of relevant keywords. It lists the top 50 keywords for every category for both eBay.co.uk & eBay.com. This is a great addition, especially if any of the terms found in eBay pulse are not relevant to your item.

Keyword-Pro is available as both a web service or as a small program that downloads the list onto your P.C. It's data is updated weekly to keep you informed of the latest search terms.

Details at: Trading-Web-Solutions.com/keywords

4) Selling Manager

When you first open a selling account on eBay, options listed under the sell tab of eBay are enough to get you by. However, you can upgrade to a more in depth service known as Selling Manager. As eBay describes the service ""eBay Selling Manager is our online sales management tool for medium to high volume sellers"". It allows you to track every eBay sale, customise your feedback comments, print shipping labels & much more. It saves me about four hours a week tracking orders and watching my sales.

Selling Manager is FREE on eBay.co.uk & has a small monthly charge of on eBay.com (after one a month trial free). Once I moved over to Selling Manager, there's simply no way I would go back.

Details at: Click on services once you've logged into your eBay account.

5) Hot Item Finder

Performing a market analysis is one of the most important ways to maximize your net revenue once you have listed enough auctions to collate plenty of raw data. ""Hot Item Finder"" software program is an unbelievable product to conduct this eBay research. You can extract and analyze licensed eBay data and statistics to virtually ensure your auction success by seeing what has sold, for how much, how many bids it got, etc. Visit the website here: http://www.hotitemfinder.com/auctionresourcenetwork

I hope you find these services useful & time saving in your goal for a successful home business on eBay. Remember, your most important resource is your time when your starting or building up an online business & if you discover any site, person or opportunity that can save you time give it the attention & serious consideration it deserves. Every top Internet marketers constantly educate themselves by purchasing & reviewing almost every new product released. The way I look at it, if an ebook costs $197 and the information within the ebook saves me this or allows me to make an additional $197 it's well worth it - once you can do it once you'll be able to repeat the exercise over and over again making repeated profits. If you discover a precious eBay related resource let me know & I'll consider revising this list for future editions.

Good luck with your eBay selling.

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

Products to sell on eBay

Author: Shawn Sellen

There are millions of items up for auction on eBay at any given time. It is truly amazing that you can find almost anything. Where do all of these things come from? There are several different sources that a seller can use to obtain many items to sell on eBay. In this article I will go over different sources, and also include the pros and the cons of each one. The most important thing to consider is how much time you have to invest and your comfort level with a particular source.

Garage sales: Garage sales are a great place to find items at a good price to resell. It is almost like a treasure hunt because you never know what you will find. The down side to garage sales is that you might have to do a lot of shopping around to come across what you are looking for, or the ""mother load"" Personally I can't resist to stop at a good looking garage sale.

Thrift stores: Thrift sources are similar to garage sales. You may find a lot of good deals, but you may have trouble finding a quantity of ""gems"" to sell. I suggest using garage sales and thrift stores in conjunction.

Estate sales: These are great. You can find a lot of quality items. The trick is, is to watch the newspapers close, and make sure you bring enough money for the high end items that you can sell for even more. If you live in a small community you may have to do some driving to take advantage of estate sales.

Small business: I would suggest that you approach small business owners and offer to sell their overstock on eBay for them. If you get several of these you could do very well. About 25% of the sales is close to the amount you should charge for your service. Make sure you right up an agreement, especially pertaining on the owner not selling anything that you are listing. It is better if you have the items in your possession. The drawbacks of this is that you have to keep your number of clients up, and risk your feedback if the owner sells the item you listed for him or changes his mind.

Drop shippers: The good thing about drop shipping is that you don't have to keep an inventory. When you make a sale you just contact you drop shipper, pay them their cost and they send the product to your customer. The bad thing about drop shipping is that you are depending on another to ship to your customers on time. You are also selling something that is not in your possession. This could be risky for your feedback if the item has to be back ordered, or suddenly becomes discontinued.

Bulk/lots: If you have enough money to by a lot, or large quantity of your product, you are on your way. With this you will have to make sure you have the room to store a large quantity of goods. You also have to have confidence they will continue to sell and not die out in the middle. There are online sources you can use to find bulk items. Use a search engine using the words; wholesale, surplus, bulk, lots, you get the idea. Say you are looking for a quantity of combs, type in the search box combs AND bulk, or another keyword to go with combs. Make sure the word ""and"" is in caps.

EBay: What? Yes, you can find things to sell on eBay on eBay. Look in the lot items and if you can find a good deal on good items, you can buy them and then sell them separate. You can also keep an eye on items you know about and possibly snatch something up for a low price and resell it. This technique takes patience and time. They ""great"" deal does not come everyday.

Family/Friends/Co-workers This is where you sell items on eBay for people that you know, and they tell people that they know, and it goes on. Sometimes it can be tough selling for people you know. They might want to take advantage of you and try and get you to lower your cut of the sales.

The best source is the one you can feel good about, and is trustworthy. If a source makes you uncomfortable, try a different one. There is no reason you have to stick to one source. Branch out a little and see what you can find. You might be able to come across something that will make other sellers green with envy.

About the author: Shawn Sellen is the owner of the auction information website htpp://www.auctionreel.com

Friday, June 16, 2006

How To Get Repeat Sales On Ebay

Author: Jason James

Most people can make one sale on ebay, but very few people know how to make consistent, repeat sales--and even less know how to make those sales using mechanisms other than ebay.

The most important part of making these ""repeat sales"" is building a base of interested customers. This process starts with selling on ebay, but most people who sell on ebay don't know how to do it.

Once you complete a sale on ebay, you should always contact your customer to thank her for purchasing from you and to give her any follow up details she will need to complete the transaction. In addition to this, you should also ask your customer whether or not she is interested in receiving emails from you when your business is offering special deals, item lotteries, or product coupons.

This is where ""building a base of interested customers"" comes in. If you effectively pitch your email list idea to a customer (who has already purchased from you and therefore has a high probability of being interested), you have a decent chance of getting a positive response. If your customer says yes, add her to a database on excel, along with her name, email address, and what she purchased from you.

You will also want to save the email as a record of her response. As unsolicited bulk email is against the law, it is always crucial that you have evidence to prove that everyone you are mailing with offers has specifically asked to be added to your list.

You should continue to do this--make sales and record names and information.

Periodically, you should make special offers on your ebay store inventory. For instance, you could offer 20% off on certain items for one week. Or you could offer 25% off on all lightbulb sales in the future, provided they purchase a lamp within the next two weeks. Or perhaps you could excite your list by raffling of an expensive item from your ebay business, like a plasma TV.

Whatever offer you use to lure them in, just keep your goal in mind--and that is to drive repeat sales by directing them to your ebay inventory on a regular basis.

As I mentioned previously, unsolicited bulk email is against the law. So, along with each notification you send them, you should include a written explanation of how they can ""opt out"" of your mailing list.

One trick you can use to make this method particularly effective is selling low and then reselling high. This simply means that you sell inventory on ebay for low prices, so customers have a low resistance to purchasing it. If they see something interesting for a dollar, they might just grab it because it is inexpensive. You complete that dollar sale--and then use it to get an interested buyer who could potentially purchase something far more substantial in the future.

In addition to using different tricks to maximize your profits with this technique, there are also more effective methods you can use to collect large amounts of personal information and to conduct email correspondence campaigns. Autoresponders, websites, and name capture pages are a few of these tools. Once you become proficient in the simple tactics I explained above, you should spend some time researching the tools I just mentioned.

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

Angry Seller Unfairly Denounces eBay

Author: Sydney Johnston

Recently, an angry eBay seller furiously denounced eBay for cheating him out of listing fee credits.

eBay's stated policy is: ""If your listing ends without a winning buyer or results in an Unpaid Item (UPI), you may qualify for a credit by relisting the item. If the item sells the second time, eBay will refund the Insertion Fee for the relisting.""

Unfortunately for the seller, this notice was all that he knew of eBay's re-listing policy. He should have taken the time to read more thoroughly and he would have discovered that eBay's has limitations on this policy. In fact, he had broken not just one, but two of eBay's rules.

1. eBay automatically credits the second listing fee - but only if the seller uses eBay's official Relist feature. Sellers have the choice to use the ""Unsold - Relist"" links. If they simply recopy the auction and list it again eBay will not know that it's a re-listing and won't credit the money. That is exactly what our irate seller did.

When he demanded that eBay compare his two items and see for themselves that they were the same, in spite of the fact that he didn't use their form, they rightly refused to do so. At any one moment, eBay has tens of millions of items for sale and expecting them to spend enormous amounts of time fulfilling requests for special treatment are not reasonable. eBay is a business with obligations to its stockholders and this use of employee time is not cost efficient.

2. Both his original and relisted auctions were of multiple items, known as a Dutch auction. eBay rules clearly state that refunds of relisting fees only apply to single item auctions, not multiple ones.

There are other restrictions on this policy:

3. Relisting credits are only available in these formats:

* Auctions

* Buy It Now

Store owners cannot take advantage of this feature.

4. The starting price on the second listing must not exceed the original one. That is, if your opening price on Auction #1 was $20, the price on Auction #2 cannot be $25.

5. eBay offers sellers the option of adding a ""Reserve"" to their auctions. This is a set price, declared by the seller. If the bidding doesn't reach this price, the seller has no obligation to follow through on the sale. If the reserve is $50 and the bidding only reaches $48.65, no sale occurs.

* If Auction #1 didn't have a reserve, then Auction #2 cannot have one, either.

* In the event of a reserve, the amount on Auction #2 must not exceed the reserve on Auction #1. If the reserve on Auction #1 was $75, the reserve on Auction #2 cannot be $90.

6. Your merchandise must be relisted within 90 days of the closing date of the first auction.

There is a special circumstance with relisting fees and that is the problem of the unpaid buyer. Sometimes, for reasons that are hard to fathom, there are buyers who bid - sometimes aggressively bid - on auctions, or choose the Buy It Now option, but then never pay for the merchandise they've won.

Naturally, this is a hardship on the seller since they've paid not only to list the item originally, but have paid eBay's Final Value Fees which are triggered in the event that an auction or Buy It Now is successful. Thus, they're out two fees, instead of only one!

In this case, there are several steps to go through, which involve contact between the seller and buyer, and eBay and the buyer. But ultimately, eBay cannot force anyone to pay for merchandise, so the best they can do is refund both fees to the original seller.

And what if you relist your merchandise and it doesn't sell the second time around? Unfortunately, you're out two listing fees, rather than one. That was certainly the case with the furious seller who didn't take the time to educate himself on eBay's rules. The irony is that his losses were under $1. Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call to take more care in his business. After all, if we're going to successfully play the auction game, we must know the rules.

eBay seller tools are useless is you don't know what to do with them. Let Sydney Johnston teach you what to sell on eBay.

About the author: Starting an eBay business is easier with mentoring from an eBay expert. Learn from our offers an 11 Day Course that teaches how to sell on ebay: http://auction-genius-course.com/11days.shtml

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Ebay Auction Arbitrage

Author: Jason James

Arbitrage is the act of purchasing a product in one market for immediate resale in another. Arbitrage can only occur when there is a disparity in prices between one market and another.

If you want to make money on ebay right now and don't have a significant amount of start-up funds, arbitrage may be your best option--at least to raise the money to purchase inventory for your ebay home business.

You can start buy scouting out other auction sites to see if there is a significant disparity in prices between those sources and ebay.

I personally suggest you start with sites like bidz.com, bid4assets.com, and www.firstgov.gov/shopping/shopping.shtml. If you can't find good prices there for the products you want to sell on ebay, you can search Google for ""government auctions"" and ""auction sites.""

You should be able to find a number of online auction sites that are significantly less-trafficked than ebay, have significantly lower fees than ebay, and subsequently have significantly less buyers than ebay.

You should then exploit this market loophole--the disparity in prices--between ebay and this market by purchasing products from your selected online auction site at low prices. You should first check prices on ebay to find out what similar items are selling for. If you can purchase at a significant discount on your selected online auction site, you should do so.

You can immediately turn around and sell these products on ebay for higher prices. You should stress the discounted prices in your auctions and pack them with highly- trafficked keywords, so that it shows up for a number of different keyword and keyphrase searches.

Some people even use this arbitrage technique exclusively with ebay auctions. They buy an item on ebay and then resell it on ebay, using one market within ebay to buy and then two or more to sell.

You can use this technique, too. Search for items up for auction on ebay in popular categories, but with poorly organized templates and bad selling strategies. Purchase these items and resell them with professional templates, better descriptions, and titles that are filled with keywords that pull visitors from multiple ebay markets.

Using this simple strategy and your skills as a professional ebay seller, you can purchase items and immediately turn them around for 200% profit. If you are currently looking for a way to bring in revenue for your ebay business, this could be a quick way to build your inventory without purchasing expensive wholesale lots.

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

Tips on Making Money on eBay Without Selling

Author: Jason James

The eBay business phenomenon has seen millions of buyers and sellers join together in what amounts to the world's biggest virtual flea market. In this world's fast-paced online transactions, that amounts to billions of dollars a day, a person can actually make some money without selling anything he owns. In the world of free enterprise, all it takes is the ability to grasp opportunity and take an educated risk.

Here are some tips on how you can think out of the box with eBay:

1. Promote products as an affiliate. Promote other sites with products. An affiliate program is actually just another way for a company to give its products as much exposure as possible to potential buyers.

Most affiliate programs actually let you join them for free or with a small fee. All you have to do is to list the product, with the highest bidder getting what he wants through you. The company tracks these sales. Depending on the revenue generated, or even the agreement you ad with the company, every sale of a product you make, you get a commission. As an affiliate of a company, you are not an employee or a contractor, receiving no perks nor benefits, except for the commission.

2. Get out there and join the forums. If you are quite passionate about the products you advertise, you can create interest by providing highly relevant content to enthusiasts. Find others like you. You have to let people know you exist. Participate in chats, forums and user groups. Once these people get to know you and your level of expertise in the subject, it gives you a leg up on making ""recommendations"".

3. Drop shipping products. Another variation of the affiliate program, drop shipping involves just passing on to the manufacturer or wholesaler your customer's order letting them take care of the delivery, and you make a profit from the difference between the wholesaler's price and your selling price.

4. Advertise other products when you post. Most veteran eBay sellers know a large volume of customers can pass through their auctions without people actually buying something. So, in order to maximize their marketing space, they advertise other products in the same space through links. Savvy eBay sellers even edit their About Me links to get people interested in other wares.

5. Create a link to other sites. If you are a web programmer, one outfit suggests you make use of the About Me site in another way. When you create the About Me link, there is a way to take advantage of the HTML layout feature. This layout can be edited with HTML syntax to link users to another site, if you so choose.

As a further explanation, when you create your About Me link, choose any format layout. This may sound strange but you will have the opportunity to enter a code on your own. Next, go to the bottom and click on ""Preview"". There, you will go to the bottom of the page again, this time clicking on ""Edit using HTML"". Delete everything in the box and replace it with your own code. If you are not code-savvy, you better hire someone to create the link.

So there you have it, five (out of a lot of) tips to make money from eBay without resorting to selling.

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

5 High Profit Secrets To Write Better eBay Listings

Author: Jason James

How do you make more money on eBay with your current and/or future listings? That's the question that is demanding an answer.

Making money on eBay and selling products through auctions is much like owning your own brick and mortar store. For example, when people come to a store, the most important aspect to selling anything is in the way it's presented.

Big companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars to have people build presentable displays of products so they sell. It's call merchandising.

That's the answer to making more money on eBay. Merchandising.

Or, in eBay auction terms, writing your product listing. Here's five high profit ways you can write better listings.

1. HTML it!

Take some time to learn some basic HTML, or the language the web uses to display websites.

Using HTML you can easily create a very nice looking ""display"" of your product and build a brand for yourself. By keeping the same look in all your listings people will feel comfortable with your position as a seller and theirs as the buyer.

HTML allows you the opportunity to make your listing stand out and be more professional. Use the HTML editor on the product listing page to make it much easier, even if you don't know a lot HTML.

2. Don't Scream At People.

One of the biggest mistakes people with their eBay listing is the use of all capital letters in the title. IT'S VERY ANNOYING!

Using capital letters is a means of expressing surprise, anger, sadness, discouragement, and other sorts of unhappy emotions. Not a great way to instill an emotional response to buy.

Now, notice I didn't say don't use any caps in your title. Just not all caps. A title is just that... a title. Think of a book title or movie title. Capitalize the first letter of each word.

3. Your eBay listing must be clear.

When presenting a listing for your product you must make it absolutely clear what you are selling. Concise descriptions as well as crystal clear pictures will keep your prospective customer interested in the product. If they are unsure about anything, at any time... you will probably lose them to your competitor.

4. True Powersellers go a step further.

It's not enough to make the product listing very clear, but also your terms and conditions. This means your shipping policy and costs, return policy, any warranties that you, or the company, offer, and any guarantees associated with the product.

This goes the extra mile into creating a comfortable atmosphere where the person reading your listing will be more inclined to buy from you.

5. Follow a listing schedule.

Before you ever place the listing ask yourself a question, ""Is this the best time to sell it?"" Even the best, most thought out listing, will fail if the time isn't right.

Create a listing schedule that clearly lists the starting and ending dates of your auction. This will ensure that, if you're selling holiday products or seasonal products, the buyer will receive them on time.

Your listing is a part of your business. This is where you begin to build a long lasting relationship, one of comfort and recognition, that continues for long lasting income.

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

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Keeping records of your Ebay business: Part 3

Author: Jason James

Welcome to Ebay seller business bookkeeping 101. In case you are just now catching up to speed with this article series about keeping good financial records of your ebay company, you may want to check back with part part I and II of this article.

Up to this point we have educated you on a few basic important tips when it comes to keeping good records of your ebay selling business and a detailed journal of your expenses and receipts. You were also given the basics on learning what a balance sheet and an income statement is in relation to your ebay selling business, as well as understanding gross profit and your gross profit margin.

Most importantly, you were also introduced to the cold hard truth about the power of the IRS and what would be expected of you should an audit of your ebay selling business come your way. Your transactions, purchase records, and receipts should ideally be all laid out and ready to be prepared on a day's notice. Forming these kinds of good habits with your paperwork is one of the greatest 'non-financial' investments that you will ever make.

By now you are probably asking yourself, ""Is there a simple way for me to keep track of everything pertaining to my ebay selling business?"" The answer is yes, there is. In fact you are encouraged to read the following information and advice about how to create a system for keeping track of your sales and expenses.

You need a bookkeeping system!

Before you read on it is important to understand that there is no single system that is better than another when keeping records of your ebay selling business. Amazingly, some people can do well enough with just a pencil and a set of legal pads. But for the majority of us we need a little more help then just pen and a blank sheet of paper.

If you are like me, then you need all the help you can get to better organize your ebay seller business. And although I will give you some basic advice on some helpful tools, you will ultimately have to form the paperwork habits then best suites your needs. You may use whatever methods that best keeps you on top of your numbers and properly report the transactions of your ebay seller business.

As a general rule of thumb, you will need the following parts of a bookkeeping system:

1. You will need to keep track of your ebay seller business's list of accounts or categories that you will record in a general ledger. This is called a Chart of Accounts. Some examples of ""accounts"" would be your rent, utility bills, insurance, advertising costs, Internet and home office costs, etc.

2. Your ebay seller business bookkeeping system should have a detailed record of your business's income and expenses, your assets and liabilities, and of course the owner's equity. You can easily keep track of these items with a General Ledger.

3. Any office store will be able to provide you with an Accounts Receivable Statement. This record-keeping tool will help you keep track of any amount of payments that are owed to your ebay seller business for amounts uncollected.

4. No ebay seller business, or any other business for that matter, can be properly tracked without an Inventory Listing. An inventory listing is just a matter of easily keeping track of the items that you have for sale to your ebay customers.

Any of the above types or record keeping tools can just be created with a blank sheet of paper and pencil but it is wise to just invest in the office supplies that are already made for such records. In general, all you want to do is create a system that is easy to use and will make both your life and your ebay seller business as simple as possible. The easiest way to keep track of your sales is to list your totals for each day. Then you will be able to total sales for each month and set goals of your ebay seller business grand total for the year.

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

Succeeding with Ebay Auctions

Author: Jason James

Ebay just seems to be another one of those darling Internet phenoms like Google that just seems to do no wrong. With nearly 15 billion in sales last year and over 10 million visitors every month (and still growing!), it seems like Ebay might be taking on giants like Wal-Mart in a few years. Ebay auctions can be very profitable for sellers but it takes hard work and sacrifice to make an Ebay business successful.

To people first entering into the world of online auctions, the most important thing might seem to be the product itself. The better or more popular the item, the higher the bids should reasonably be. As true as this seems, succeeding with Ebay auctions is actually more complicated.

Marketing is a part of any business and definitely plays a huge role in separating a successful one from those that fail. In every form of marketing, the main point is to inform the customer of the advantage they receive by using your company to buy a product or service.

To make money on Ebay and ultimately succeed, you need to focus on the product description. After all, people cannot actually see or touch the items they are buying using Ebay auctions. All that they have to go on when deciding whether to bid (or hopefully, how much to bid!) is a picture and your product description. You have to inform them about your product and convince them that they are getting more by buying it from you than someone else selling the same thing.

Feature

Product descriptions boil down to three things: Feature, Advantage, and Benefit. An Ebay business must accurately describe the features of a product to the customer or risk negative feedback or even no bids for an item. Describe the features of your item using positive (not inaccurate or overly fluffy) words so that they clearly understand everything about the item but still feel good about it.

Advantage

What advantage does this item have over similar items that may be listed with other Ebay business owners? You have to convince the buyer that your item is superior to others like it and therefore demanding of a higher bid. This may require some creativity on your part but just remember to be honest.

Benefit

Your customers will want to know what benefit they receive by buying this item from you instead of some other Ebay business owner. There are a couple of options here. First, you could focus on the benefits of doing business with you and tell them why you offer superior quality and service compared with your competition.

A return policy is a good idea to focus on and will help your customer feel more secure about doing business with you if they know that they can return the product if it not what they were expecting (of course if you remember to be accurate when describing the features, this should rarely arise and is therefore a fairly safe policy to incorporate that definitely helps build a positive feedback rating).

Secondly, you can also focus on the item itself. How does this particular item benefit the potential buyer? Is it rare or come with some verifiable but interesting history? In all honesty, you can be fairly creative here as well. Just don't promise something that your item cannot possibly deliver upon.

Ebay auctions are a new and rather odd way to buy things. Not seeing or touching the products requires a bit of faith on the part of a buyer. Build that faith and trust with your customers by delivering the best description possible so that they can literally visualize this item and how it will benefit their lives. Your Ebay business will succeed if you remember to incorporate feature, advantage, and benefit in every product description.

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

Remove These Objections and Watch Your eBay Auctions Fly

Author: Brian McGregor

""Objection"" is a term taken directly from sales and marketing training, and it is important you understand the significance of objections to your eBay sales process.

Objections are those points, sometimes small issues, which make a bidder or a buyer think again about going for your offering.

In your auction description you need to remove as many of these objections as you can.

These are the kind of objections which your prospective buyers will have.

Objection 1 Is the seller trustworthy?

The buyer usually doesn't know you. If they're serious bidders they will check you out. How will they do this?

a) A good Feedback Rating will be one way they assess you. Be determined in getting your feedback up, and making it all positive.

b) They might also click through to your About Me page. This page gives you the opportunity to convey your personality and your honesty.

One of eBay's standard About Me page formats lets you display your recent feedbacks - always useful - and also your other auctions, again useful. This is in addition to anything about yourself which helps to show what a sincere and genuine person you are.

And finally, if you have a web site from which you sell products or services, you are allowed to place a direct link to it from the About Me page. (This is in marked contrast to your auction description page, where eBay does not allow direct links to web pages.) So, create an About Me page and incorporate the points mentioned.

c) A prospective bidder may wish to ask you a question. As you will know, there is a standard eBay facility whereby a bidder can ask a seller a question. You should really welcome questions.

Why do I say this?

Well, if a bidder asks you a question, first of all you know they are interested in your offering. They wouldn't have wasted their time on typing out their question to you if they weren't. Also, by asking you a question they are qualifying themselves in as a real prospect. And you now have the chance in your reply to directly influence them. Depending on the nature of their enquiry, you have the opportunity to convey your integrity, honesty, credibility, fair mindedness, helpfulness, expertise, knowledge, other appropriate products etc.

So, if questions are such good things, why not make it easy for the bidder to ask one? Always have some text in your auction description offering to answer any questions, with a link to your email address. If you have a little knowledge of HTML coding you will know how easy this is to do. It is far better than simply relying on buyers finding the standard ""Ask the seller a question"" link provided by eBay.

d) You might consider a moneyback guarantee, if it's appropriate and you can ""afford"" it.

Why would you or should you do this?

Well, when you think about it, in online auctions, the buyer is normally asked to take all the risk. They usually pay the seller up front - before the item is delivered to them. The risk is all theirs that the seller doesn't perform.

To some buyers, particularly on higher value items, this risk is so high that it can cause them to have second thoughts about bidding. You know you are trustworthy, but they don't. By offering a moneyback guarantee you are offering what is known as ""risk reversal"". You are taking the risk off your buyer. In effect you shoulder the risk.

I know this works, because I use it myself. In thousands of auctions I've run, I can count on one hand the number of people who have invoked my moneyback guarantee.

If you can practice ""risk reversal"", it will help your auction success rate, and it is vital on Dutch auctions.

Objection 2 How do I pay?

Always maximize the number of payment options you will accept.

You should provide different types of payment options for your buyers:

PayPal Nochex Check Postal Order Banker's Draft Bank Transfer Cash

You can accept credit/debit cards on your auctions if you open accounts with relevant payment processors like PayPal and Nochex. These enable buyers to pay you with a credit/debit card even though you aren't a business, and you don't have what is known as a Merchant Account.

As you probably know, PayPal is owned by eBay. Therefore eBay make it really easy for you to take PayPal payments from your buyers. But don't forget other payment processors, like Nochex. It might just be that your interested buyer only has a Nochex account.

Opening accounts is free. Paying anyone via PayPal or Nochex is also free - which is why so many auction bidders and buyers use them.

There are charges for you as a seller, however, and these are incurred when you receive money and/or when you transfer money from/to your PayPal or Nochex accounts from/to your own bank account. Check out the respective fees via their web sites.

In my experience, the rates of charges are reasonable for giving you the significant advantage of being able to accept credit/debit card payments on your auctions.

If you are selling low value items, say less than £3 ($6), it may be prudent to add a small sum or percentage to the final sale value to cover this.

Speaking personally, I never ask the buyer to incur additional charges for using PayPal or Nochex. By now, you should have realized why - it's called removing an objection! I take the view that buyers who wish to pay by credit/debit card should not be discouraged in any way - and a surcharge of this nature might just prevent them from bidding or buying.

If you don't have PayPal account and you'd like to create one, go here: http://www.paypal.com

If you don't have Nochex account and you'd like to create one, go here: http://www.nochex.com

As I mentioned, they're free to set up.

Objection 3 Is delivery expensive?

Always fully describe your delivery details within your auction description. Be up front about shipping costs.

If bidders or buyers aren't given this detail within the auction description, they may become suspicious that the seller is hiding something, and therefore decide not to bid.

There is no reason why you cannot say up front how much P&P will be. You can find out the real delivery costs of the company you plan to use. You can get these details from their website.

Once you have the postal costs you can add the appropriate handling and packaging costs, and there you have the figure to let your buyers know in advance that you're not hiding anything.

You have just removed another doubt in your prospective buyer's mind.

Incidentally, there have also been occasions where sellers have sold items at what appear to be cheap prices, but have inflated delivery costs to compensate, or even over compensate. Never do this!

Objection 4 What happens if the item arrives damaged?

In your auction description you should cover your policy in relation to damages and insurance.

If you're selling higher value items you may wish to consider using a delivery service which includes insurance. Remember, even though the buyer has paid for it, the item is your property until it is accepted by the buyer. So if it is damaged in transit, this is your responsibility. You will have to arrange a replacement or a refund, and claim your costs back via your insurance.

Don't forget, if you do need to have enhanced insurance cover, it is perfectly reasonable to include this is in your delivery costs as shown in your auction description.

Objection 5 How professional is someone who has multiple spelling errors?

You might consider it to be very unreasonable for any bidder to pass by your auction just because you have spelling errors.

However, they may believe someone who won't take the trouble to get their spelling correct might be equally unprofessional elsewhere.

You and I might feel their stance to be unreasonable. With spell checkers available, however, there's no reason to have any spelling errors creeping through on your auction page.

So, spell check your auction description page - please.

Objection 6 What do I do now?

It's all very well describing your auction in full detail, but you should always ""ask for the order"". Tell them what to do now. In other words, don't forget to suggest to your prospective buyer that they make a bid today for this valuable, rare, stunning, limited edition item!

And remind them that when they win the item they will be enriched by the strongest benefit you have already identified to them in your auction description.

Objections - Summary

Don't leave these points hanging in your auction for the bidder to ponder and make assumptions.

If you spend time removing these objections, you will be repaid handsomely. I can guarantee you will receive more genuine bids on your eBay auctions.

About the author: Brian McGregor is an eBay and internet entrepreneur. He recently created the 'eBay Master Class' for eBay sellers. For your free copy, please go to http://www.work winners.com/ebm-request.htm

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

On Ebay Aida Is More Than An Opera By Verdi

Author: Dave Bromley

Ask most people what Aida is and they will tell you it is an opera set in Egypt. Ask a marketing person and they will tell you that it is the sales formula that all advertising must incorporate if it is to succeed.The letters stand for:

A Attention

I Interest

D Desire

A Action

It is a formula that can also help you write better ebay auction listings.

It does not matter how well your description is written, how good your product is or what terrific value it represents if no one knows about it. So how do you grab people's attention and get them to read your listing?

We know that the majority of potential bidders will start by going to eBay's search engine. So the important thing is to get as many key words or phrases that they might use into your title. If I am looking for a Rolex Oyster wristwatch I might type in Rolex, Oyster or wristwatch into the search engine. If you have a Rolex Oyster Wrist Watch for sale at £25 I will not even find it if your listing title is something like ""Amazing Value Top of the Range Quality Watch""

The secret is to think like a buyer. EBay offer you some tools to help you gain attention. If you cannot get everything in your title that you want you could pay an extra 50p and add a sub title or go for one of the other enhancements that eBay offer. Only testing will tell you whether these are worth it for your products.

Having gained attention and got people to read your listing you have to get and maintain their interest. The very best way to do this is to answer the question that we all have in the back of our mind when we read any advertising, ""What's in it for me?"" If you description starts by outlining what the item is and then details the benefits it offers you will draw the reader onto the next stage which is to create the desire to own the item. One of the best tools to create desire is visualization. Phrases like ""Just imagine how you will feel wearing a top of the range watch"" or ""Just think as a Rolex owner you will standout from the crowd"".

So far you have done really well in attracting potential bidders attention, getting their interest and arousing their desire but unless you can get them to take some action it will all have been a waste of time. So how do you get them to take action? It is quite simple really you just ask them. ""If you don't want to miss this wonderful watch bid now.""

This has been a brief introduction to the AIDA formula but I am sure if you keep it in mind while you are writing your listings you will see an increase in bidders.is to be successful.

About the author: Dave Bromley is a writer and eBay fan who runs one of the UKs biggest online auction information sites. He also publishes a monthly newsletter and has a 6 part mini course for people who are new to eBay auctions. For more information visit http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk

Have You Got eBay PowerSeller Potential?

Author: Darren Yates

What exactly is a PowerSeller? PowerSellers are the eBay members that have made it, you can recognize them by the 'PowerSeller' badge next to their name. You've probably seen these people across eBay as you go about your usual business - to succeed on eBay, you need to think the way they do.

How do you get Awarded PowerSeller Status? eBay decides who can be a PowerSeller and who can't, and they have strict rules. To get in at the minimum PowerSeller level, you must have a feedback rating of at least 100 (minimum 98% positive) and sell at least $1,000 worth of items every month for three months in a row.

There are different levels of PowerSeller membership as you sell items of greater value: $1,000 is bronze $3,000 is silver $10,000 is gold $25,000 is platinum $125,000 is titanium

If PowerSellers ever fail to meet the required amount of sales, or their feedback falls below 98% positive, then they lose their PowerSeller status. Essentially the only eBay users that get to be PowerSellers on eBay are the users that have been successful for a while and are on track to stay successful.

The Marketplace and the Shop. This is the most important part of understanding how PowerSellers think. They don't see what they're doing as being some random bazaar, or a hobby - instead, they see themselves as a business.

For example, if you run a stall in a marketplace, the chances are that you have a general area of business, but you mostly just sell whatever you can get your hands on that week. If your dodgy buddy got his hands on a job lot of something at a discount, then that's what you'll be selling. This might be fun - and when you have a good week, you'll have a really good week - but it's no way to run a real business in the long-term.

PowerSellers think far more like shops. They sell the same things again and again, every week - regular stock for regular customers. They do 'boring' business things like keep inventories and budgets. They know what they're going to be selling, how much they buy it for and how much they expect to sell for. Just like a real shop, there can be hard times sometimes, but their income is stable and their business can grow slowly.

The best advice I can give you on thinking like a PowerSeller is this: don't take long-term risks for short-term gain. Look after your reputation, manage your selling properly, provide good customer service and the rewards will come to you in due course. And you'll get a little badge next to your name that makes people trust you more!

One option that you may of missed is - What can eBay do for any other businesses you have. Millions of people visit eBay every day - why keep everything separate when you're starting to tap into that kind of power?

In fact $14 out of every $100 spent online is spent at eBay!

About the author: Darren Yates has learned of a guy, Brandon Dupsky, that makes $22,000 a DAY! on eBay selling everyday stuff. Do you think you could too? -

http://www.how-to-make-money-online.inf/eBay-millionaire/

Misspelling On Ebay - Use It To Your Advantage

Author: Thomas Haselhorst

In the ongoing quest to find great deal on eBay or even to find items you can flip, one of the interesting approaches is by looking for misspelled items. One of the most common misspellings was ""labtop"" for ""laptop"". This misspelling is so common that some people listing laptops actually use the word ""labtop"" in their title. Check it out.

You know the topics you are interested in. Look at how the word can be misspelled. For instance, if needlepoint is your passion, try searching for ""needlepoint"" or ""needlepoint"". It is more than likely that you will find a few items under these misspellings. Even better - for you - these items will not have bids on them because people looking for needlepoint will not find these.

As an experiment, I went and tried this just now and found 13 items and not one of these had an eBay bid. Some were from the same eBay seller. You could watch these, buy them at the last minute for the opening bid price which is low, ask for combined shipping and have a great set of items that you can list in your own auction - correctly spelled !

It won't work in the case of combined shipping where all the items will be shipped in the same package but a side benefit of winning these misspelled auctions is that you have them already packaged and ready to reship when you sell them. If you like, you can take a peek inside to make sure it is as advertised and then tape it up again.

Often it is easy to copy the misspelled auction into your word processing program and fix the misspelling and modify it so that it is yours. It will have the basic information such as dimensions and color already worked out for you.

About the author: Thomas Haselhorst is webmaster of http://www.auction-design-for-free.com and runs a new blog at http://www.powerseller-articles.auction-design-for-free.com/wordp ress

5 Tips For Your Ebay Business

Author: Jason James

If you are experiencing serious difficulties selling on ebay, you may be missing some of the subtleties that separate successful auctions from low-bid auctions.

Here are five tips you should always follow when you sell on ebay:

1) Sell at prevailing ebay market prices.

If you try to sell your products for obscenely high rates, you will end you losing profits. Although clever pricing strategy can get higher bids for your product, there really is a ceiling for what you can do selling on ebay. If your products aren't selling, reset the prices to something more reasonable.

2) Sell items that yield higher profit margins.

If you're selling radios from a dropship source that only yields a 2% profit margin per sale, you are in serious danger of losing money if you have to relist items. The easiest solution to this problem is finding another dropship source with lower prices or selecting another item that will yield a higher profit margin.

3) Improve your auction layout and design.

A poor layout and unprofessional design can easily deter potential customers. If you can't honestly say that you would be impressed with your own ebay auction template, you should trash it and make a new one. You may want to ask a friend or relative to give you a honest opinion of your template to help you assess where you should put information, pictures, and links (if it is a store template). This can do wonders to improve your conversion rates as an ebay seller.

4) Improve your store policies.

Offer to give your customers a money-back guarantee if they are not satisfied. Many people are weary of shopping on ebay because they have heard of other people who purchased things from less-than-honest ebay sellers. You should go out of your way to provide your customers with consistent store policies--and then to follow through with them when the need arises. This will boost your credibility, bring in repeat sales, and prevent nasty confrontations and negative feedback.

5) Improve your keyword and keyphrase density.

Most people search ebay using either ""titles"" or ""titles & descriptions."" If your title and item descriptions are not packed with highly-searched topics related to your product, you will seriously reduce the amount of potential buyers you could have viewing your auction.

To reiterate--if you want to make money on ebay, you should set reasonable prices, pick items with high profit margins, use a professional auction layout, set and follow consistent store policies, and pack your titles and descriptions with highly-searched keywords.

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

3 Resources that can help you decide what sells best on eBay

Author: Jason James

Determining what sells best on eBay may take some trial and error if you are not already stocked with merchandise or if you are unable to create your own product. What sells best on eBay for one person may not be what sells best on eBay for another.

So how can you use trial and error to discover great eBay products and/or services to auction off on eBay? Below are 3 tips of places where you can find merchandise, place it online, and then test your sales to determine what sells best on eBay for you.

1. Find items to sell at large wholesale discount stores like Costco. Places like this typically have a huge inventory of cheap items sold in bulk that you can resell on eBay. They offer such good deals on all kinds of merchandise like toys, grills, DVDs, etc. You will have unlimited new products to choose from with wholesale outlets like this in order to determine what sells best on eBay.

2. Dollar stores are probably the best way to buy cheap items and resell with little risk of loosing money when you test to find out what sells best on eBay. The quality of products sold in dollar stores range from very poor quality on up to 'diamonds in the rough'. I have seen the same products that I have purchased in a dollar store sold on eBay or at a swap meet for 10 times the original cost, not a bad profit!

3. Garage sales happen usually every weekend and there is a multitude of products that you can find to sell on eBay. What sells best on eBay from garage sales could range from antique furniture, to new or used video games, on up to old clothes.

Of course the above eBay product sources are just a few of the overall options available to you. They each are stock piled with product ideas that you can help you determine what sells best on eBay for your home based business.

About the author: Jason James is an eBay PowerSeller and his website ""Auction Resource Network"" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him earn $10,000+ a month on eBay. Claim your FREE e-Course Here: http://www.auctionre sourcenetwork.com

Monday, June 12, 2006

Start an eBay Business Now!

Author: Jason James

Home-based business is fast becoming a popular trend in the market today. All you need is a computer and a good internet connection and poof! You're all set for a new business. There are many sites that help budding entrepreneurs start their own businesses. One of which is eBay.

eBay is a very familiar name to people who always surf the net, but what about those who doesn't know much about eBay?

To start with, eBay is a place where most people shop. In short eBay is a virtual shopping center stuck on your computer. It is also one of the biggest shopping sites in the internet with almost 50 million products and services and it's till counting. And of course if there are goods, there are entrepreneurs.

How does one become an eBay entrepreneur?

First thing to do is get to know about the site. Know about how an eBay business shop works. There are help pages available for eBay visitors. For starters there are online guided tours that could best help you navigate and to learn more about the site.

Think of what you can sell. Then make your mind up on the item or service. Many people on eBay sell almost anything they could find in their house. As long as it's still in good shape, someone will be interested.

If you don't have anything to sell, start with something you have a background with. It is advisable that you have an experience with the product.

There are things to consider in starting a business whether online or in the real world. Things like cost, shipping, storage, product life cycle and the season are always to be considered.

Cost is different from price. Cost is the total expenses that go with the product. This will include the actual price of the items if you're buying them in order to have stocks of it, the shipping if it will be delivered to you and to your client, the rent of the storage room and other things.

Shipping is the delivery of the goods. You have to know how much it will cost you to deliver the items to your client. And of course how much will you charge your client of the labor and shipping fees. The condition of your item is also to be thought of. This concerns the physical component of the product. Is it fragile or too heavy?

Storage is the place where you place your goods while waiting for the clients to buy it. You must have a sufficient and safe place to store the goods.

The life cycle of the product means the demand time of the product. You should mull over on how long the product will be able to attract potential buyers.

Season is also a consideration. Items sold on the wrong season might just get a negative response from the shoppers.

Putting a photo of your product is a plus! This will hold the interest of your potential buyer. The first photo you put up is of no charge but the next ones are charged.

Setting up an eBay shop is very easy. Since it has no start up costs, and no time restrictions, eBay is the best place where you could market your goods!

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

Keeping records of your Ebay business: Part 1

Author: Jason James

Are you ready to take your Ebay business to that next level as a rich ebay seller? Would you like to quit your day job to become an ebay seller full time? Can you imagine the freedom you will have from working as an ebay seller from anywhere you please? Want to know the secret?

Good... Now that I have your attention I want to be honest with you. Today's article does not really have any well kept ""secrets"" or magic wands with bells and whistles that will make you a rich ebay seller overnight. Instead, we are going to discuss the importance of keeping a proper paperwork train moving along so that your ebay business can stay strong and thrive based around good record-keeping.

I realize that this topic is a dry one but trust me, keeping good records of your ebay seller business can make or break you in the long run. As boring as it is, the advice you are about to be given is rock solid for anyone like you who wants to become wealthy as an ebay seller. It only takes one time to get audited by the IRS before everything can come crashing down on you and your business as an ebay seller. In addition to the tax law, without proper paperwork tracking, your business has no direction and will ultimately fail.

3 Reasons why it is essential to keep good records:

1. Without keeping records of everything pertaining to being an ebay seller and the sales you have made then how else will you be able to gouge your progress? A detailed paperwork trail will show you how well or how poorly your business is doing. If becoming an ebay seller full time is your goal, then keeping good records is key.

2. Second, the tax law requires you to keep records of your business. Unfortunately the law is the law and there is no choice in the matter, even if you are just a small-time ebay seller trying to make it big.

3. You may need a business loan or other type of loan from a financial institution someday. Many power ebay sellers jump-started their ebay business by obtaining a loan from the bank and you can too, provided you have kept good records as an ebay seller. Most loan applications require a ton of paperwork and all of the details and history of your business.

Tracking your Ebay business is not just for the IRS:

If I were to ask you today how your business is doing as an ebay seller, what would your answer be and what would determine that opinion? It's not enough just to say that you are doing good in your business. Instead, your answer should be calculated from your paperwork records, by tracking specific items.

In other words, keeping detailed records of your ebay seller business is not only for the purpose of the IRS but also to help you create a profitable business plan based on actual facts. For example, do you know which ads are pulling in the most sales? Do you have the history of testing and tracking on the ads that are not pulling in sales? Are your profit margins high enough to cover your business expenses? What percentage is profit?

It would obviously be impossible to accurately answer these questions unless you were the kind of ebay seller that kept good business records. And if you have not started documenting and saving copies of everything pertaining to your ebay business, then it is never too late to start! With a little commitment and self discipline, you can get into the habit of keeping the books up to date immediately.

Taking that first step:

Getting started with keeping the books up to date with your ebay seller business is kind of like doing that big chore that you have been putting off for a long time. You know you can do it, you know it needs to be done, but getting started just seems like a mountain to climb.

Well let's break that mountain into a molehill today and get started with explaining to you about profits margins and gross profit margins.

1. What is Gross Profit? Gross profit is your starting point in order to determine profitability from being an ebay seller. You simply subtract the total cost of your inventory that you have sold from the total revenue that you earned for the sales.

2. What is a Gross Profit Margin? A gross profit margin is a determination of how profitable you are as an ebay seller. You will know this information by dividing your gross profit by your total revenues. The higher the percentage is, the better off you are as a profitable ebay seller.

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

Boost Your Profits On Ebay With One Simple Trick

Author: Jason James

Did you know that the most important thing that separates ebay neophytes from successful ebay sellers and ebay powersellers is how they construct titles and descriptions?

Most ebay neophytes and unsuccessful ebayer sellers--as well as some successful ebayer sellers--have no idea that one title is any different from another. In fact, the difference between a good title and description can be the difference between 15 visitors and 250 visitors--which has huge implications for your bottom line.

So what makes a good title?--Three things: keyword-packing, accuracy, and readability.

Keyword-packing will determine when your auction is pulled up in response to an ebay search. For instance, if you are selling jewelry and use the words ""white gold"" in your title, whenever someone searches for ""white gold"" by titles, your auction will be one of the results that gets pulled up. This is why you should always load your ebay auctions with relevant keywords.

Another important part of writing titles is accuracy. If you use keywords that are highly-searched but irrelevant to your auction, your auction will get pulled up by a lot of searches, but will not end up with a high final price. If a visitor is looking for one thing and finds something entirely different, they will more than likely hit 'back' immediately. This is why you should always write a title that focuses on an accurate description of your product.

The last component of writing titles is readability. If your auction title is not readable and compelling, very few potential customers will open it. To keep it readable and compelling, avoid tossing together a jumble of words that will get pulled by more searches, but wont attract buyers. Also include descriptive, compelling words and phrases to attract buyers, such as ""new"" or ""50% off.""

In addition to writing a good title, you will also need a good description.

A good description should also include keyword-packing. As I discussed earlier, you should include as many relevant keywords as you can in your description; however, you should try to keep this within reason. Don't fill your description with random keywords. Instead, insert them into your description as often as possible without sacrificing readability.

You will also want to write a compelling description. You should consider what separates you from other ebay sellers and focus on those points. For instance, let's say all of your merchandise is brand new. You could make it a point to stress how other ebay sellers often auction off broken and refurbished items--and that they can only be assured that they will receive high quality products if they shop at your store.

The gap between ebay powersellers and ebay newbies is big, but some of the steps to bridging the gap are small. Using better titles and descriptions is one of those small steps. If you follow the methods I outlined in this article, you could easily boost the amount of visitors your auctions receive by a factor of five or ten.

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

4 Easy Ways to Make Money on Ebay

Author: Jason James

Ebay is a haven for people that are into business and the best part about it is you don't have to leave the comforts of your own house while trying your luck for your first million. There are many easy ways to make money on Ebay and this article would certainly guide you in your mission.

These tips mentioned are just some of the easy ways to make money on Ebay. You do not need to memorize this guideline word per word, just digest the important facts and guidelines and let the inner business person in you thrive.

The easy ways mentioned here are just some of the things that you could apply in your own business in Ebay.

Here are the four easy ways to make money on Ebay:

1. Know Your Products

As a seller, you must know your products well and this means its weaknesses and strengths. Through this way, you would be able to sell the product well and defend its weakness (if there is any). By knowing your product, you could also advertise it well in Ebay so that you would be able to have a large target market which is more than the usual. This number one easy ways to make money on Ebay advice suggest that you should invest well in your products.

2. Determine your Target Market

Through determining your target market, you would be able to determine or estimate the number of sales that you would be able to make. Aside from that, you would also be able to know when and where to catch your target market. For example, your target market are students, advertising in sites that are often visited by students could be a worthy investment because the target market is there. This second easy ways to make money on Ebay tip shows that you should be able to establish communication rapport with your target market.

3. Know Your Competition

By familiarizing yourself with competition, you would surely assess yourself if you meet the standards of the product. A competition could be viewed as a friend or foe, depending on the seller's reasoning. It could be considered as a foe when both of you are neck to neck when it comes to selling your products. It could be a friend when you are checking out their latest wares so that you would not be left behind. This third easy ways to make money on Ebay shows that research goes a long, long way in Ebay. Competition is good as long as it is a healthy one.

4. Present Well

Presentation is the name of the game. Be sure that your product is in good quality so that you would be able to make an impression to buyers. Also be sure that this good impression would last even up to the time that your product would reach the buyer's house. A good presentation and feedback in Ebay are considered investments in Ebay. Once the word spreads, there would be no stopping you towards the road of success. This last easy ways to make money on Ebay clearly shows that presentation aims to capture the interest of potential buyers.

These easy ways to make money on Ebay are just suggestions to start your business right. The tips and guidelines mentioned in the article five easy ways to make money on Ebay are not the shortcut for success in any business. You, yourself must be able to make your own easy ways to make money on Ebay guide so that success would land in your hands. Happy Trading!

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

The Secret Power of an eBay Auction Title

Author: Brian McGregor

I get frequent emails from my newsletter readers wondering why their eBay auctions aren't working.

You might have the most brilliant auction description page with a fantastic set of pictures offering a superb item at an incredible price. But the page counter shows after seven days of your auction that it's only been seen by 3 people. Has that happened to any of your auctions?

If it has, I always start at the same point. The auction title.

In 99% of cases, the reason for low viewing figures is that your auction title isn't smart enough.

Here are a few facts. At the end of this small list you'll understand the secret power of eBay auction titles:

a) 79 million times each day buyers use eBay's search box to locate items in which they are interested.

b) eBay's standard search system takes the search words keyed in, and compares them with the titles in its database of 10 million auctions. (Note it doesn't compare them with sub-titles, or auction descriptions)

c) If an auction title doesn't contain the words keyed into the search box, the auction won't get returned in the search results list. And that's another of the 79 million searches you've missed out on!

d) If an auction isn't returned in a search list, it can't be clicked on to have the auction description viewed.

So, the whole of eBay's default search system relies on matching keywords with auction titles. And that's the secret power of auction titles. If your title contains words which buyers are searching upon, your auction will be returned time and again in search return lists. Let's say you want to create a new auction. Remember, your auction title has three functions:

1) To contain keywords. (Number one on this list for the reason you now know!)

2) To persuade buyers to click through to your auction description page

3) To convey what the item is

To decide on the keywords to use, you have to think like a buyer. What words would be used by a person interested in searching for an item like yours?

At this stage, just list them. Don't put the words into a sentence yet. Spend as long as you like on this exercise. The more effective you are with this, the less likely you are to have one of those sleepy auctions that rarely gets a visitor.

Having listed as many keywords as you can think of, you have to decide which are the strongest. Remember, you only have 55 precious characters for your auction title.

Taking your best keywords, you now create your auction title. It's not an English exam, so it doesn't matter if it doesn't scan like a sentence.

You can add a power word or two if you've space. By this I mean words like stunning, limited edition, unique, rare, new, one-off, exclusive, distinctive, dramatic etc. These are words which can influence buyers to click through to your auction description. They won't be searched on by buyers, so use them sparingly. For the same reason, I don't advocate the use of ""clever"" words like l@@k or w0w!

Finally, do the words in your title convey what the item is? If so, that's it. You've created a powerful and compelling auction title. And your title will appear more often in search return lists. And, as you know, that's the key!

If you can get your auction to appear more often in search return lists, more buyers will view your auction description page. The more people that visit your auction description page, the more likely you are to make a sale at an acceptable price.

Now you know the secret power, why not create a new title today for one of your auctions? If you do, believe me you'll get your fair share of the 79 million eBay daily searchers.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

How to properly pack and ship your Ebay products

Author: Jason James

Learning to pack and ship your merchandise is generally the very last step in the ebay product sales process to be considered. Packing and shipping can actually be a learned skill because you must do it right the first time and since your ebay product is being shipped to paying customers, you will only have one chance to make it work and get that product out to your customer in good condition.

If you have the right supplies then the skill of packing and shipping your ebay products can be easily mastered. Here are some points of interest to keep in mind to help you pack and ship your ebay products safely.

1. Your ebay products should be packed very snug and tight within your boxes to avoid being shifted around and broken during shipping. On the other hand, do not overdo it with too much tightness because that also could result in damaged a ebay product.

2. Remember that shipping costs could eat you up if you do not 'think' as light as possible when it comes to packaging your ebay product. Choose the most lightweight of materials that you can gather. You do not want to have all of your ebay product profits destroyed by high shipping costs due to packaging.

3. If your ebay product is considered fragile then the best method of packing this item is to package it inside of a box and then pack that box inside of another. It's the 'box within a box' type method and as you can probably imagine, this heavily reduces the chances of damage to your ebay products.

4. To help protect ebay products that are flat items then try to use cardboard stuffers or padded envelopes. These little packing gems can provide you with that extra peace of mind knowing that your customers will receive their ebay products without any damage.

5. You may not have considered this before but it is important not over-tape your ebay product boxes. I know that sealing your boxes up extra tight and with lots of tape prior to shipping may seem like a great idea but there are cases where the customer has to aggressively wrestle to open up a packaged item and because of that they actually damage the product in the process.

Once your ebay product is ready to be shipped out to the customer then the next thing to do is to go to the nearest shipping carrier's office or authorized shipping center of your choice. Most people have their preference of shipping companies and some just like to stick with the United States Postal Service because it is fairly cheap. Ultimately, it is up to you to determine which service you want to use to ship out your ebay products.

Stay organized with your outgoing ebay products by retaining copies of all of your shipping insurance forms, your package receipts, the ebay product tracking numbers, etc. Not only might you need these documents for personal reasons in the future but they will definitely come in handy in the short run should the package gets lost or the delivery of your ebay product is beyond the promised delivery time. If you have a customer that is very upset because the ebay product that they ordered from you is lost or a no-show then you will need to have the appropriate receipt and documentation to prove it.

Ok, so your ebay product is en route to your customer so what's next? Well most ebay sellers just sit back and do nothing after the sale is made and the item is shipped but I suggest that you take your commitment to your ebay customers one step further. To really stand out and show your customer that you are just as concerned about their ebay products getting shipped to them properly as they are; simply use email to communicate with them every step of the way.

In other words you should send them several courtesy emails along the way. For starters, you can email your customer to let them know that their ebay products have been shipped.

The next email should be to let your ebay customer know that their merchandise is actually 'en route' on the shipping truck. This information can be easily found by utilizing the shipping company's online tracking service.

If you really want to stay in constant contact with your customer and show them that you really care about their ebay products getting to them safely then you can also send a third email letting them know when their item is actually on the truck in their local town and en route to their house or business.

And last but not least, send them an email once you know that their ebay product has been delivered. As stated above, you can find this information out by the tracking features provided by most major shipping outlets.

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

Grab More Time For Your eBay Auction

Author: Jason James

When selling on eBay, time is the one factor that is never on your side. Obviously the longer your item can stop on eBay, the higher visibility it receives & the more bids it is likely to get.

eBay presently offers five different lengths of listings, either a 1,3,5,7 or 10 day listing.

While a 10 day listing will give you the most exposure your item will not appear within the top of the relevant category immediately. Those items which are ending soon are the first to be shown within eBays listings. Generally new items appear at the bottom of the category listings and work there way towards the first page. On a 10 day listing it will take the best part of a week before your listing is shown on the first page of search results.

Therefore anyone browsing the eBay categories will not see your item in the eBay search results. As with search engines, many users will only look in the top two pages of results.

That is why the 1 day auction format offers a few advantages. Your item will be viewable immediately to any users browsing though the eBay categories. However, 1 day may not give many bidders the opportunity to find your item before the item ends.

So, why not get the best of both sides.

There is a way to both, give your item maximum visibility on eBay while also keeping it in the top search results for the category it is listed in.

It's a very simple tactic that anyone can use. As long as your item has no bids & doesn't end within 12 hours, eBay allows you to revise your listing. This revision can be anything, from title to pictures used including Auction length.

When you first submit your listing to eBay select a three day format. This will put it within the top two pages of results in this category. Allow your listing some time, to see if it's discovered and if not after two days just revise it to a 5 day auction. Because your auction will have already been running for two days, when you revise the listing it will show three days remaining, and still be within the top listings for the category.

If it's still not discovered and has no bids, just repeat the procedure for seven and then for ten days. If your able to revise your listing four times, you'll easily gain more coverage than any other listing in the same category. And more coverage should mean more bids!

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

Top of the Game: eBay's Bestsellers

Author: Jason James

With so many products in ebay, which of it are ebay's bestsellers? We could take a look of these ebay's bestsellers through each category. Here are some of the ebay's bestsellers in each category:

Books

In terms of books, there are many ebay's bestsellers books in the different genre of books found in ebay. The most popular genre would probably be fiction and some of these ebay bestseller books include the Harry Potter series, Da Vinci Code, and other popular books that became popular for the past months. On the other hand, these ebay's bestsellers could vary in price, depending on how much the auction went.

Some ebay's bestsellers books need not to be the most popular ones rather; these books are sometimes the rare ones. These are books that you wouldn't ordinary see in ordinary bookstores. This could be an old classic or a book previously owned by a famous person. The auction for this kind of ebay's bestsellers is actually much higher than the previous ones simply because it is rare.

Entertainment

Most of the ebay's bestsellers in this category are also the same when it comes to books. Sales for the entertainment part are a combination of both the classic ones and the new ones. The other half of the ebay's bestsellers in this category belongs to the new releases of DVD. These are movies which were shown just 2 months before the release of the DVD.

On the other hand, other ebay's bestsellers of recent DVDs include the DVDs by TV shows which are being sold per season. These DVDs are considered ebay's bestsellers because some people tend to have an extensive collection of that sort of products. The other half of this category belongs to the classics.

Some of the DVDs in this category are very priceless due to the fact that it is hard to find and in some cases, considered as a classic. These movies or TV shows has a much higher price than the recent ones nevertheless it is still considered as one of ebay's bestsellers in terms of the entertainment industry.

Computers

Computers are now considered as a need and not as a luxuries as opposed before. This is the reason why computers are considered as ebay's bestsellers. Things that are related to computers are considered as a good product to sell because almost everyone needs a computer and alongside with this computer are accessories which make it complete.

Headsets, webcams speakers, and other computer-related gadgets are emerging as ebay's bestsellers. These gadgets are successful because many people are actually interested in a quality buy from sellers rather than a cheap price yet low-quality product. The products found in ebay prove that it is a reputable website which also sells reputable items as opposed to some negative views regarding the site.

The items mentioned in the list are considered as best sellers because of the high demand for them in ebay.

Another reason why these categories are chosen was because the high selling rates obtained by these categories (books, entertainment, and computers). These items are still in demand even up to now and one of the reasons why these are successful is the way it is presented in the market.

In ebay, one could guarantee that purchasing one product never had this kind of fun.

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

Taking Great Product Photos for eBay

Author: Peter Horner

Every eBay seller would like to attract customers and increase sales. Successful eBay sellers know that better product photos could make you more money, because your buyers will feel more comfortable buying items from you. But taking great product photos isn't always easy, read these quick tips to find out how to take great product photos for eBay.

1) Using a digital camera with fully automated shooting modes will make taking product photos much easier. It allows you to instantly preview, upload, and edit your photos with your computer. 2) Use a tripod to avoid blurred images which occur when you handhold a camera. 3) Use proper lighting. Some people find natural outdoor lighting the best, but never use direct lighting such as a flash. Flashes wash out colours, details, and create harsh shadows, especially when doing close-ups. Use soft, diffused lighting to avoid losing detail in your photo and create soft shadows. If you're a serious eBay seller consider buying a photo tent or light box to diffuse the light for you. Alternatively you can use lights and buy white plastic light covers, which will also create diffused light. 4) Find a good backdrop for your product and avoid clutter which distracts the eye. Your product should be the only item you're shooting. If you're using something like a photo tent or light box it's easy, or alternatively you could use a sheet or piece of fabric. Larger items can be more difficult but be sure to cleanup the background so that there are no distracting objects. 5) Avoid underexposing your photos, especially if you're shooting against a white background or outside in bright light. Your digital camera should have an over/under expose button that allows you to compensate and adjust the exposure. When taking pictures against a white background you might want to increase the exposure by +1 so that it lets more light into the camera and the background becomes a pure white. 6) Getting close and filling the frame with your subject will produce a better photo, and also help avoid clutter. Buyers like to see the details of what they are buying. The best way to take good close-up photos is to use your cameras macro setting, which is designed to focus at short distances. 7) Your product should be sharp and in focus. Take care to focus correctly. Auto focus on your digital camera may not always produce the best results as it can sometimes be fooled. In these cases use aperture priority mode, and set an aperture of 8 or higher to ensure that your entire photo is sharp. When you increase the aperture your camera compensates with a slower shutter speed, so remember to use a tripod. 8) Take photos of different parts of your product and try different angles. Photographing your product from many angles helps add depth and avoid a flat online appearance. Pick one main overall shot of the item, but also use other detailed photos or different perspective shots. The more buyers can see, the more likely they will buy your product rather than your competitors. 9) Once you've saved all your photos to your computer, you can optimize your pictures for online viewing. Make sure your images are saved as JPEG files and increase the compression so that your pages will download more quickly on a user's computer. Also crop your photos so that it is composed only of your product, eliminating white space and making your product look better. 10) Edit your photo. Adjust the light and contrast to improve on your original photo. Make your subject stand out by adjusting the contrast between the foreground and background colours. You can also make certain parts of your picture lighter or darker to improve the overall look.

Once you've practiced photographing your products using these tips, visitors will have a better shopping experience and will be more likely to bid on your items.

About the author: Peter Horner is an experienced photographer who co-created the large format printing company DesignerPrint. Using digital printing technology DesignerPrint create canvas prints, block mounts, and poster prints. http://www.designerprint.co.uk

The rules of linking from your Ebay auctions

Author: Jason James

Because ebay is such a busy place of merchandise sales with many various ebay stores and markets selling thousands of items, there must be a few rules that are set in place to insure that everyone is playing fair. Ebay auctions are a gift for us to make easy money without having the overhead or the stress of running other types of businesses so it is ideal that we all adhere to their policies.

Very few other issues will get ebay sellers arguing about the rules no more than the rules on linking to and from your ebay auctions. Ebay has some very firm rules when it comes to liking and it would be wise of you to follow them to insure that your ebay auctions stay online and profitable.

Below are the following links that you may use in your ebay auction description:

1. On your ebay auction, you may have one link to an additional web page for information. This web page is to be used exclusively for further information about whatever ebay item that you are selling from you ebay auction.

2. Your ebay auction may have links to more photo images of the merchandise that you are selling on ebay.

3. If you want your customer to click on a link from your ebay auction that opens up to separate window to send you an email, then that is ok. In fact this little ebay auction email window may increase inquiries of your ebay selling item.

4. Ebay auction links that connects to your other ebay auctions or any of your other ebay auctions stores is also permissible.

5. You may have one link that links to your ebay About Me page. This is in addition to the link next to your user ID that ebay provides for your ebay auction.

6. Ebay authorizes you to have links to your vendors' websites that help you with your auctions. Ebay considers any type of listing services, payment providers, and software programs to be 3rd party vendors.

In addition to the above Ebay linking rules that are authorized for your Ebay auctions there are also links that are not allowed with ebay.

1. You cannot have any links that link to other websites that offers to sell, trade, or purchase merchandise outside of Ebay. This should be obvious but many new sellers to Ebay auctions break this rule.

2. Links to any other websites that encourages ebay bidders to place their bids outside of ebay are not authorized in your ebay auctions

3. Your ebay auction cannot have links that link to outside websites that offers to sell merchandise that is considered illegal at ebay. 4. Links that connect to websites that solicit ebay user Ids and passwords is also unauthorized to have within your ebay auction.

When it comes to linking from your About Me page the ebay rules are pretty much the same overall with your ebay auction. Because ebay gives you this page to self promote your business, then linking to your website from it is allowed.

On the other hand, you need to be sure that the link does connect to other trading sites or to website businesses that sell the same product or merchandise at the same price or lower price than what is advertised on ebay.

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

Saturday, June 10, 2006

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.

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

Start Your Ebay Business Today

Author: Jason James

Would you believe me if I said you could start a business on ebay and profit by the end of the year? What if I said you could profit by the end of the month? Or the end of the week?

What about the end of today?

You probably wouldn't believe me if I said you could start an ebay business now and make money by the end of the day, would you?

You wouldn't, but it's true.

Over 500,000 people currently sell on ebay to make a full time income. Not all of those 500,000 are experts. Many of them started making money on ebay selling junk from basements and attics. They saw the ebay marketplace in action, recognized the profit potential, and decided to launch an ebay home business.

There are a number of good reasons for this. Ebay affords both sellers and buyers certain advantages that are not available in anywhere else.

One advantage is that your marketplace--where you sell your goods--is already established. That means you don't have to build and optimize a website to bring in traffic. You can simply place your item on sale in a marketplace with millions of potential buyers and get prospective customers immediately.

This is why I say you can start an ebay business and make money on the first day: you can literally put an item up for auction and sell it within one day.

You're probably saying ""yeah, that's great. Other people can do that, but can I?"" The answer is yes, but there are a few important things you must do first.

The first thing you must do is get in the right mindset. If you talk to any successful business owner, she will tell you that mindset is one of the most important parts of being successful. And this is where you must start: you must tell yourself that you can make money on ebay. If you don't start with this step, you will give up when you encounter the first obstacle.

After you convince yourself that those 500,000 sellers who are already making money on ebay have nothing on you, you must commit yourself to learning how to sell on ebay. It isn't tricky, but there are a couple basic things you must know--and you can learn most of it in a matter of hours, not weeks, months, or years.

You can do this by selling junk from your attic and basement, like the ebay sellers I mentioned previously.

Start by going to ebay.com and registering as a seller.

Next, find some junk in your house that could potentially be useful to someone else (i.e. an old radio or tv). Take this ""junk"" and setup an auction on ebay. Continue selling household junk until you understand pricing and listing strategy.

Once you understand how to sell on ebay, you will be ready to open your own store.

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

Spotting Fakes and Frauds on eBay

Author: heidi chartier

Be Vigilant

Buyers should take the initiative by doing plenty of background research. They must learn as much as possible about the products before bidding on them. If the seller provides pictures of an item, they should not be taken at face value. Comparison of these pictures with the real item helps in this regard.

Many sellers will use pictures from manufacturers that do not represent the item they are actually selling; buyers should ask the seller for actual pictures of the item. If the seller balks, buyers should refrain from bidding. Collector's items, autographed memorabilia, and historical artifacts are common items that are misrepresented on eBay.

Authenticate

Familiarize yourself with the various bodies that certify respective items. For example, reputable merchants of autographed sports memorabilia should include a COA (certificate of authenticity) from a trusted third party. Counterfeit or misrepresented items should be reported to eBay. When buying on eBay Motors, one may have an inspection service double-check if the seller is accurately representing his automobile.

Look at the Feedback

One should analyze the feedback rating of a seller. Analyzing feedback is another helpful exercise to prevent scams. Sellers who have an established history of credible sales are usually helpful and professional to deal with. Negative feedback should be a red flag as to whether one should pursue a trade with the person. The same thing applies for those who do not have feedback ratings at all.

Buyers must be careful however, since it is possible that a scammer has hijacked an account that has positive feedback.

The Price Theory

If the price for an item is too good to be true, it probably is. Auctions that carry outrageously low prices should be taken skeptically.

About the author: Heidi Chartier has a website about creating Home Based Businesses. Download the Brand New E-Book ""Dotcomology"" revealing a PROVEN step by step process for creating and running a successful Online Home Business: www.makingmaximumwealth.com/dotcomology.html

Why A Selfish Jerk Is 100% Guaranteed To Fail On eBay

Author: Sydney Johnston

Tens of millions of people are trying to earn money on eBay these days and most of them will make only small amounts and eventually quit trying and drift away. Most of those millions will wrack their brains, trying to figure out how to win riches from eBay, and never really understand why it didn't happen. Sometimes it's easier to observe failure and know what NOT to do.

This email is from a man who is guaranteed to fail and the reasons aren't hard to figure out. Here are his exact words ...

- - -

Hello Sydney,

I can't afford any investment in more marketing programs right now. I could use some promotion for the ones I have a lot of time a fair amount of money invested already.

I also haven't been able to produce with eBay!

Please visit my links: (3 URLs here)

Also, if you'd really ('really' is in bold type and italics) like to help, please encourage others to visit my sites as well. I haven't been able to make a dime on the Internet yet. I also am having great difficulty finding a job as well;this is no money from anywhere!

I have child support to pay and if I go much longer without paying, I'm looking at 1-3 years in prison for non-payment. Yes, debtors prison is still alive and very well here in Northern Michigan.

So, I'm asking you to please help me in this way and I won't have any problem with rewarding you handsomely!

- - -

(1.) There are so many issues here that it's hard to know where to begin, but the best place is with his three websites:

His first site is about:

* Bookkeeping * Personal Income Tax * Classic Rock & Roll * With ""links to eBay, Amazon & more!""

Who, exactly, is his audience? There is no clear focus and no defined audience. Those searching for information on rock and roll are unlikely to be interested in bookkeeping.

What's even more amazing is that there is absolutely nothing at all about bookkeeping or income tax, except for a comment on the home page. There are a couple of links to rock and roll sites and one to the front page of Amazon. How is he hoping monetize this site?

His second site is about how to make ""Explosive"" income with his ""revolutionary home based business"". This from a guy who admits he hasn't made a single cent on the Net, yet he isn't bothered about selling others a program that obviously isn't working for him.

The third site is about auctions and the home page says, ""CLICK TO ENTER"" ... but when I do absolutely nothing happens. A completely blank page opens and remains constant. There isn't even a 404 message.

(2.) He wants my help, yet has total disrespect for me and my business. What he is truly saying is, ""I have spent all my money in other places, and now that I have none left, I want you to help me"". Where will I get the time to help him? It will have to come either from my own business or I will have to take time away from my students who pay for my help. He says he ""won't have any problem with rewarding you handsomely!"" Very generous of him, I'm sure.

(3.) He wants me to send traffic to his sites. But he says nothing about how my customers and students would benefit from what he has to offer. Does he really believe I would betray their trust by sending them to three absolutely worthless sites that offer them no benefit whatsoever?

And even if I shared his moral character, why would I do such a thing? If I don't mind betraying others, it would have to be for personal gain and I will not make money by sending him traffic.

(4.) Worst of all, he displays no concern whatsoever for his children or their mother who is trying to care for their children without any financial support from their father. He says, ""Yes, debtors prison is still alive and very well here in Northern Michigan."". He's not in trouble for debt - he's in trouble for not making his child support payments. As well he should be.

The entire focus of this email is me, me, me. The author cares nothing about anyone else and obviously doesn't understand the top three rules of marketing, which are:

#1: Focus on your customer #2: Focus on your customer #3: Focus on your customer

I used to take the time to help people see that a major reason for their lack of success is that they aren't putting the needs of their customers first. Generally, though, their response is to argue with me that once they're maki