The Center for EBay Education and Training: February 2008

Friday, February 29, 2008

The eBay Blacklist

Author: Nicky Pilkington

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

Thursday, February 28, 2008

eBay Data and Research - How Important Is It?

Author: Mark Flavin

eBay is a business anyway you look at it. Sure, it is a great deal of fun for both the buyers and sellers, but when you look at it from another view point, you will see that it is a business from the seller's point of view, the buyer's point of view, and eBay's point of view. 40 million dollars a day travels through eBay. Selling items on eBay successfully is an art, and eBay offers many different forms of Data and Research to ensure that you are selling the right items, to the right people, in the right way.

Some of the data and research is not free, but much of it is. The available resources include hot items by category, eBay Pulse, merchandising calendar, sales reports, marketplace research, buyer behavioral report, and the eBay solutions directory. These tools are quite easy to use, and the information that can be gleaned from them is extremely valuable.

The Data and Research tools are all accessible through your seller's account, by clicking on the 'Advance Selling' link. Learn to use those tools, and get your piece of that $40 million eBay revenue each day.

About the author: Mark Flavin can show YOU how to""Steal"" the Secrets of a Regular Guy Who Made $8 MILLION On eBay Last Year!! A guy just like YOU & me. Find out his secrets below NOW before its too late:

==>>> http://www.unorthodoxtraffic.com/recommends/eBaySecrets

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Getting Started on eBay

Author: Mark Flavin

You've probably heard about how much money can be made on eBay. With dreams of quick riches and easy money, you are probably ready to jump in with both feet - right now! The best thing you can do if you are serious about making money with eBay, however, is to slow down. In fact, just stop for a minute. Don't rush straight in. Take your time, and do it right.

eBay has over 100 million members. Think about that number for just a minute or two. When you get your eBay business set up, that is how big your customer base will be - instantly. 100 million people - 100 million people who are just waiting for you to get set up and running so that they can throw money at you! Well, not quite. It is true that there are over 100 million members, but at this point, they don't know that you exist. In fact, no matter how well you do on eBay, most of them will never know that you exist. 100 million is a very large number.

The most successful eBay sellers started out as buyers - and you should too. This will give you a sense of how everything works. It will also show you how things are from the buyer's side of the fence. Let's call this period of time 'consumer research.' You are literally studying how eBay works, from a customer's point of view. You may not realize this, but this eBay buyer experience will actually make you a much better seller - right from the very start.

Really pay attention to the customer service you receive from the buyer. Think about how you want to be treated as a buyer, and take notes. Take your time during this process. Interact with the sellers. Get involved in hot auctions to see what they are like. In your spare time, start making notes about the hot items that you see. These notes will come in handy later.

eBay works just like any other business. You have to determine what people want to buy before you can hope to be successful. There are very specific items that sell really well on eBay - you just have to figure out what those items are. There are many resources for finding out this information. Start with the lessons that eBay offers to their sellers. Strongly consider attending the eBay University as well. This is the next step in the process. After you have had the eBay buyer experience, it is time to learn how to be an eBay seller.

Read all of the information eBay provides for you at the site. The information is free and you will learn a great deal from it. Take full advantage of this - before you start setting up your first auction or your eBay store! By reading through all of the resources, you will avoid making numerous mistakes that so many before you have made. This is another step towards building a successful eBay business. Once you've made it through the learning process, you should know everything you need to know to get started with a money making eBay business of your very own.

==>>> http://www.unorthodoxtraffic.com/recommends/eBaySecrets

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

eBay Gift Certificates - The Gift Solution Suitable for

Author: Mark Flavin

We all know one. There is at least one in every family, and one in every circle of friends. There is even one in every office! There is always that one person that you know who is absolutely impossible to buy a gift for! These people either have everything, or want nothing. They don't drop hints at all, and when asked, they simply say that they don't know, they don't care, or they don't want anything.

Well, now you can buy a gift for that person. The solution lies in an eBay gift certificate! This will allow your loved one to essentially buy anything that they want, in a very exciting way. eBay gift certificates can easily be purchased through paypal, in varying amounts.

There are things that you should point out to the gift recipient, however. For instance, eBay gift certificates do expire. eBay gift certificates will not be accepted for all auctions either - they can only be redeemed for those auctions that accept Paypal as a form of payment. Other than that, your loved one should not have any problems redeeming their eBay gift certificate!

==>>> http://www.unorthodoxtraffic.com/recommends/eBaySecrets

Monday, February 25, 2008

Wholesale Dropshipping For eBay Sellers!

Author: Ron Keegan

Ebay is the 'BEST' opportunity you can use right now to make money online in the dropshipping business from the comfort of your own home.

Thousands of people just like you use eBay auctions on a daily basis to sell and buy products on the Internet; now it's your time to START your own dropshipping home-based business and succeed in the eBay auctions 'game'!

There are no special skills required for this dropshipping business, all you need is a computer, Internet access and some basic computer / Internet knowledge.

Dropshipping is when you sell products on the Web, forward the orders to the dropship supplier and, in return, the dropshipper ships the product to your customer (buyer).

You act as the middleman between the dropshipping supplier and your buyer. You can take orders by credit card, fax or any other method you can think of. You can sell via your own Web Site or even through e-mail.

Your profit is generated on the difference between your selling price and the price the dropshipping supplier charges you.

Thanks to dropshipping you can start making money 'instantly' without any investment in inventory, warehousing, shipping, equipment, employees or office space.

How do I find something to sell on eBay?

Of course, finding something to sell isn't hard. Finding something at a ""Low enough price"" to make a profit on eBay is much more difficult. That's because eBay is a price-driven model and buyers expect a bargain. If they don't get one, they're not buying.

So, the REAL question is:

How do I find something at a 'low enough price to sell profitably' on eBay?

Answer: THE LIGHT BULK WHOLESALE DIRECTORY

1. WWB has an entire research section in their Florida office that 'personally interviews' each and every wholesaler and dropshipper. Without an interview, no one gets into their directory. No one.

2. They have 'Very Exacting Criteria' for being listed. If the source doesn't meet those criteria, they aren't listed. For example, they must be 'genuine wholesalers' and they must be willing to Sell to eBayers in Low minimum quantities.

Most wholesalers want to sell to big retailers with huge budgets, so finding dealers willing to work with the little guys that's us isn't so easy. And, as you probably know, way too many so-called wholesalers are only 'middlemen'.

That won't happen with the new Light Bulk Directory.

Having products drop shipped by suppliers, allows you to concentrate on truly important aspects like advertising, sales and promotion.

Pay attention! There are lots of companies claiming to be 'Drop Shippers'. However, a legitimate drop shipper is a factory-authorized wholesale distributor, or sometimes the actual manufacturer of the product. A legitimate drop shipper should not charge you an 'account setup fee' or ask you to place a 'minimum quantity order'.

Make sure you find some legitimate drop shippers who have the product(s) you want to sell, talk with them on the phone / by e-mail and let them know that you are truly serious about doing business with them.

Customer support counts in the dropshipping business, so don't hesitate to contact some dropshipping suppliers before you want to work with them.

This will help you decide if you really want to do business with a particular drop shipper or not.

To succeed in the dropshipping business you'll have to LOOK for hard-to-find products that people desperately need and want to purchase.

The key is to sell products with little or no competition.

I suggest you RESEARCH for quality products & legitimate dropship suppliers, MONITOR the eBay auction listings to see if there's any competition and TEST the market (e.g. find out if people really want to spend CASH on the product you want to sell)

Remember! Dropshipping makes it EASY for you to start and run your own home-based businesses on a shoestring budget; and eBay is the 'perfect' MEDIUM to expose your product to potential buyers all over the globe!

By Ron Keegan Megastar Distributors http://www.megdis.com

About the author: Ron Keegan runs http://www.Megdis.com an eBay Information Web Site with lots of *FREE* Resources, Tips & Reports on DropShipping & eBay.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

eBay. Are they the Best Option for Collector Cars?

Author: Shane Corliss

eBay is the largest online auction site in the world. You can find anything from Wind Captured from the Katrina Hurricane to Rare Antiques. They have made millions putting buyers and sellers together and pioneered consumer and dealer based online auctions. I decided to take a good look at the over 1,000 collector car auctions that were posted on eBay in the last two weeks. I think you may agree that my findings are a bit startling.

The Statistics

Most searched for term on eBay: Xbox 360

Most Watched Item: One Owner 1942 Vintage Martin D-45 Guitar Hmm. No collector cars here!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Ten Tips for Finding Great Vintage Clothing on eBay

Author: Mary Kincaid

I've been buying and selling vintage clothes on eBay for five years. It's fun...and sometimes frustrating. Here are some tips to help you find the best vintage clothes on eBay.

1. SEARCH REGULARLY

Ebay allows you to list auction or fixed price items for 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10-day periods. Most sellers choose longer periods because they are buying more advertising for their money but I'm finding more and more 3-day auctions. So try to do your searches at least every 3 days.

2. SEARCH MISSPELLINGS

It's easy to misspell Furstenberg and to type Pulizter instead of Pulitzer. If you can find a quality designer item that has a misspelling in the title, you will probably compete with a much smaller pool of buyers for the item.

3. DON'T JUST SEARCH THE VINTAGE CATEGORY.

Not everyone offering vintage clothing is a vintage dealer. Sometimes people are just clearing out Aunt Anna's clothes from the attic and don't have a lot of experience with either vintage clothes or selling on eBay. Often you'll find these items buried in the Women's Clothing category which appears before the Vintage category in the eBay listing process. So search for VINTAGE VICTORIAN BLOUSE in the Clothing & Accessories category rather than VICTORIAN BLOUSE in the vintage category.

4. SEARCH TITLES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Not all sellers include the word VINTAGE in their auction titles. To be sure you find all the VINTAGE VICTORIAN BLOUSES, be sure to check the box under the search field to search both titles and descriptions.

5. GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR SEARCHES

It's easy to find high-end vintage by searching for a designer's name but you can also find high-quality items by searching on fabrics (brocade, velvet, mink, cashmere), searching for high-end department store names (Saks, I. Magnin, Bonwit Teller) or searching for ESTATE SALE buried inside auction listings.

6. USE AN AUCTION SNIPING SERVICE

Sellers, of course, want you to bid on their items as soon as possible. Their hope is that several bidders will become interested in the piece and bid up the price. Smart buyers take a different approach. Instead of entering their highest bid early, and watching it get bumped up by other bidders over the next few days, they wait until the final seconds of the auction. Even better, use an auction snipe service. For a small fee, these companies will place your bid in the last few seconds of the auction and you don't even need to be at your computer! No more forgetting that you wanted to bid on something--the snipe service does it for you. I like these services because if I enter my highest proxy bid too early, someone can keep bumping up the bid trying to discover what my highest bid was. If I enter it in the last few seconds, I may end up getting the item for a lot less than if I bid in the first few hours of the auction.

7. ALWAYS CHECK SELLER FEEDBACK

Again, not everyone offering vintage clothing on eBay is a vintage clothing dealer. If someone has great feedback but has been selling auto car parts, it might be wise to ask the seller a few specific questions about the item before bidding. What you think of as Mint condition and what they're calling Mint condition could be vastly different. Also, as a seller who talks to other sellers, I know that sometimes negative feedback is left for sellers that is unwarranted. Or things like Katrina happen and your auction item never gets sent. A negative feedback or two every couple of years is not a big deal. What you should be wary of is a pattern of recent negative or neutral feedbacks. Drill down and read why they were left. If you are unsure about a seller's responsiveness, send a simple question to them and see how quickly and accurately they respond.

8. KEEP A LIST OF YOUR FAVORITE SELLERS

You can add a seller to your list of Favorite Sellers by clicking on the link in one of their auctions. You can also sign up to be emailed when your favorite sellers add new items. You're never out of the loop and it makes browsing a lot more fun when you are looking at items that you consistently like.

9. BROWSE, BROWSE, BROWSE

Browsing eBay can be just as much fun as browsing at the mall. Looking for bargains? Browse through vintage by Lowest Price First. Want to see the crème de la crème? Browse by Highest Price First. If you have lots of time, do what a friend of mine does: every day, EVERY day, she browses the Newly Listed vintage category items and stops when she reaches the first listing she saw the day before. She wants to make sure she never misses out on a great item.

10. PIGGYBACK ON ANOTHER BUYER

Do you find you keep losing auctions to the same buyer? Do you find that the same people seem to be bidding on the same auctions as you over and over? Piggyback on them by doing a SEARCH BY BIDDER. Enter their bidder ID and you will be able to see a list of all the items they are currently bidding on. Chances are good that they have found a great vintage item that you missed!

With these tips you should be able to find all kinds of vintage clothing and accessories on eBay. One final tip: be sure to pay for your items quickly and establish good feedback of our own so you can continue to buy vintage bargains on eBay.

Mary Kincaid has been buying, wearing, and collecting vintage clothing for over a decade. Visit Zuburbia , her Vintage Clothing Blog, to see her Vintage Pick-of-the-Day and get tips, info, and insights on vintage clothing.

About the author: Mary Kincaid has been buying, wearing, selling and collecting vintage clothing and accessories for a decade. She is the editor of Zuburbia , a Vintage Clothing Blog that features her Vintage Pick-of-the-Day (VPOD) and tips, information and insights for current and future vintage fashionistas.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Sell Like an eBay Powerseller

Author: Michael Ellis

There isn't a week that goes by without someone asking me how to sell products on eBay. It's a great question! And I enjoy talking about the topic quite a bit, but my answer is always the same - sell like a Powerseller! Here's what I mean...

An eBay Powerseller is someone that generates $1000 or more in sales for three consecutive months. You don't have look too far on eBay to realize that the place is literally crawling with Powersellers.

I've spent over 5 years studying eBay, as well as, buying and selling products under several eBay IDs. I noticed that there are two types of eBay Powersellers: 1. Niche Powersellers

2. On-Demand Powersellers

The Niche Powersellers specialize in a particular area - like antiques, coins, dolls, etc. This particular area is a hobby to these people and they are very good at finding products at a low enough cost within this market to sell for a nice profit. These Powersellers are hard to imitate.

One the other hand, the On-Demand Powersellers are not very familiar with the products they sell, but they are very familiar with what the eBay community wants and how they can go about getting it. I call them On-Demand Powersellers because they seek out products to sell based on the level of demand inthe eBay community. These are the Powersellers that you should try to follow.

A common misconception that new eBay users have is thinking that all Powersellers are large retail outlet doing business on eBay. This simply isn't true. The majority of the Powersellers that I know typically run their business out of a basement or garage. Ebay has a great way of leveling the playing field in this respect. For example, a student can open an account and create ads that are just as enticing as any large company that happens to be selling the same products on ebay.

So how can you do business like On-Demand Powersellers?

That's actually an easy question to answer; obtain a seller's permit, find a demand for a particular product, and then find a wholesale supplier for that particular product.

A seller's permit will allow you to purchase products for wholesale from wholesale venders. This is the first thing any legitimate wholesale company will ask for, and if you don't have one, they could very likely not do business with you. You can obtain a sellers permit at http://www.businessnameusa.com You can find the demand for numerous products on eBay by using the eBay 'Hot Items' resource (in link below). This resource consists of (among other things) a 40+ page pdf document that lists which items are hot sellers in the numerous categories. The data is usually for the previous 2 months. Find out 'What's Hot' on eBay at http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/whatshot.html After you've identified which items were hot sellers, go to eBay's Advance Search and conduct a search for those products to make sure they're still hot sellers (have plenty of bids). Also do a search for the same product with the 'Completed Items' option in the Advanced Search checked. This will show you which auctions sold and how much they sold for.

Once you have a product in mind, do a search on Google for the manufacture of the product. When you get to the website, look for a contact number, or a 'Dealer inquiry' number. This information is also usually on the box of the product itself, so it may take a run to your local store if you don't have any luck on the web.

Give them a call. Inform them that you run a business and are interested in becoming a dealer of the product. Most are very helpful in getting you setup. However, be aware, some may have a minimum purchase order. Never the less, if you did your eBay research correctly, you'll know how much these items have recently sold for, and how much they are currently selling for, thus, you can be pretty confident that the money will be made back.

I recently came across two Powersellers that are extremely successful doing with this process. One Powerseller had sold over $100,000 worth of those little robotic-vacuuming-Frisbee thingies in 60 days! The other Powerseller does extremely well selling dog chews. Both Powersellers simply identified the demand for these products, then sought out the manufactures and became dealers... the rest is history.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

About the author: Michael Ellis is an Internet technology expert that specializes in marketing products and services online. Be sure to visit Michael's website http://www.VictoryKey.com for FREE Internet Marketing articles, tips and discussion forums .

Thursday, February 21, 2008

eBay the new revolution

Author: Tristan Jud

I am probably a bit slow on the uptake of this but it is something that really hadn't interested me until not too long ago when I started to hear things about that some people are going to ask me some advice on how to use eBay to their advantage. I'm not just talking about the average Joe that wants to have an auction I'm talking about someone who wants to make money out of it, just like a normal online store.

So it wasn't until today that I set out to discover if eBay could really be more then just an auction site.

I had a few theory's that I had come up with about eBay a before I set out to find out what was on offer.

1. If you were to make any kind of money you would want to have a store which had a permanent address. 2. You would need some kind of product that consumers would want to buy online.

So what did I learn, well quite simply I was correct there is such thing as an eBay store. From my knowledge of online marketing this would have to be the best way to get ahead from everyone else on ebay.

This way you would have more chance of repeat customers and you could use your URL to advertise outside eBay itself. This is the ultimate option for anyone considering eBay as a means of making money online.

From what I can tell while looking around it is not just physical products sold on eBay. Closer to my home, web design, there are a few people offering their webdesign services over ebay.

I am not sure how successful that is but I have decided that I will give it ago. That is really the only way to find out how it is going to work isn't it. So tomorrow I will start and auction to see where it leads me.

So is eBay the new revolution in online selling? Well if you think about it the amount of people that seem to use it could only mean that it has to work.

About the author: Able Net Design, located in Perth, Western Australia, Able Net Design provides web design and development solutions for both large and small clients, from complete website design to basic site maintenance. Able Net Design - web design perth

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Jewelry Wholesale and eBay Auctions

Author: Tony Robinson

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: Tony Robinson is a Jewelry Enthusiast, International Author and Webmaster. Check out his Jewelry Cleaning advice at http://www.officialjewelrycleaner.com/

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

How I Made A Fortune On Ebay Using Dropshippers... And Then Lost It All

Author: Kevin Nobleman

My name is Kevin and I'm 24 years old. This is the true story of how during the summer of 2001, I made $40,000 selling dropshipped goods on ebay only to lose it all and end up with $4,000 of debt. Read my cautionary tale to prevent yourself from making the same mistakes that I made.

I first found out about dropshipping back in June of 2001 a little after I started a not-so-profitable business on eBay selling cell phone accessories and such. I saw dropshipping as an all profit method of business. You don't pay for shipping. You don't pay for inventory. You basically just advertise the product on auction websites such as eBay, take orders, collect the money, and pay the set amount for each item to the dropshipper keeping the remaining amounts for yourself as profits. I now realize that it is only that easy when you're dealing with the right person.

I first started dropshipping with a guy named Chris. I was selling Nike Air Jordans on eBay. I saw that Jordans are real popular on eBay and people pay huge amounts for them. I've seen some pairs go for $1,000+. Chris only charged me $67 a pair. So, I basically just doubled the price and sold them on eBay for $134 a pair. I sold about 20 pairs of shoes within a week giving me a profit of $1,340. I suddenly became happy with the success I had because obtaining over $1,000 in a week at the age of 19 is pretty rare. So, I wanted to start putting up way more auctions so that I could make way more money. Unfortunately, this is when Chris became unreliable. He never returned any of my e-mails and never got back online. Plus, he only had shipped half of the 20 orders I had. So, I decided that I needed a replacement quick before I started to have some unhappy customers on my hands.

This now brought me to dropshipper #2. I talked to the guy about the situation and he said that he would be able to handle it. I paid him for the remaining 10 orders I had left and he shipped the shoes off to my customers. I respected the fact that he picked up right where my previous dropshipper had left off at and took care of business. So, I assumed that this guy was all about business and was a very reliable and legitimate dropshipper. So, I started to put up more buy it now auctions and these shoes were selling faster than I could put them up for auction. This is the unbelievable part. I had sold 250 pairs of shoes in a matter of 4 days. I collected over $40,000 in 4 days. That's $10,000 a day! This came as an amazement to me especially since I was only 19 at the time. I've made some people's yearly salaries in a matter of only 4 days. Little did I know though that I was in over my head. I got a little too greedy and started to splurge on money that wasn't even mine yet; buying clothes, shoes, and even put a $1,000 down payment on a new car. My dropshipper shipped my first 30 orders only to find out that he had shipped off nothing but all wrong sizes and wrong colors. So, I had a lot of complaining customers. Some even went straight to PayPal to complain causing PayPal to limit access to my account. So, now I had over $40,000 sitting in my PayPal account that I had absolutely no access to and over 200 orders that need to be shipped off. So, my only option was to refund everyone their money back to get my PayPal account back to regular standing, which brought me to my next dilemma...

I spent almost $4,000 of the $40,000 I thought would be mine to keep. So now, my Paypal balance was negative $4,000 and I needed to come up with that $4,000 quick before PayPal took legal action to get that money. I thought the only way to get me out of this mess was by the same way that got me into this mess. This is what brought me to dropshipper #3.

I stumbled upon a guy named Jarell. I found him through a legitimate business website so I decided to sell enough pairs of Jordans to make up the $4,000 and then I'd call it quits because this was too much for someone so young. Everything went smooth and I was able to make the $4,000 using my girlfriend's PayPal account. Unfortunately, PayPal then limited access to her account also finding out that she was linked to me. This then aggravated me because now I had 15 orders that I in no way could pay my supplier. If I had shipped to my customers it would bring more complaints and negative feedback which was very bad for business. That was then, this is now.

After reviewing my whole experience with dropshipping in hindsight, I realized all of the mistakes that I had made. For anyone who is looking into working with dropshippers, please pay close attention.

1. Before going into business with someone who is going to be dropshipping merchandise for you, be sure to get to know the person really well. Don't go by instinct. Have a few converstations with the person before you start anything. Collect all methods of contact of the dropshipper for emergency contact.

2. I suggest that you do not start off having the dropshipper ship the merchandise to your customers. Order some of the merchandise for yourself and examine it thoroughly before you go into business. I started to recieve e-mails from angry customers stating that the Jordans were of terrible quality when I was told by my dropshipper that they were of authentic quality.

3. Don't bite off more than you can chew. As stated previously, I sold 250 pairs of shoes in 4 days. Within those 4 days, I had to deal with about 600-700 e-mails which is almost impossible for only one person to deal with that also has school to worry about. Patience is the key to success.

These were a few of the mistakes that I made dealing with dropshipping. I had a price to pay for my mistakes. I owed $4,000 to PayPal and I had a $2,000 eBay bill that I ended up working during the summer to pay off. My purpose in writing this is for everyone considering going into business with a dropshipper to take precautions and use the tips I provided. I would also like to say that even though I had a bad experience dealing with dropshipping, that is not always the case. I know there are some people who have become successful and wealthy off of dropshipping.

Five years have passed since I began my journey in this industry. I finally did pay off all of my debts that summer and have made it my mission to educate and inform people of the scammers out there waiting to ambush the inexperienced and naive. I wrote this article because I don't want anyone else to go through the experience that I did. There were times where I felt hopeless and bitter for falling into a trap that left me feeling depressed. Needless to say, I have learned from my soul-crushing mistakes and now make a decent living selling on ebay.

About the author: Kevin Nobleman has researched and uncovered numerous scams in the corrupt online drop ship industry. He has written special articles to help people avoid drop shipping scams. Kevin has discovered over two dozen legitimate dropshippers, wholesalers, independent suppliers and buyer/seller communities. Read about it at http://www.restaurantandbar.org/

Monday, February 18, 2008

Don't Let Negative Feedback On Ebay Get You Down

Author: Stephen Pope

Remember the student in school who complained (or even cried) because they only got a ninety-nine percent mark on an assignment or test. Meanwhile, some of us were relieved (if not ecstatic) to have merely passed.

I actually witnessed one case where the math student insisted that he was not wrong. On rechecking the test, the teacher realized the answer sheet was wrong and not the student. The student got one hundred percent correct.

Realistically, however, most of us lesser mortals can't expect to get a perfect mark or score every time.

First of all, none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes.

Secondly, unlike math, some subjects are more subjective in nature. In certain subjects, the answer to a question may not be simply right or wrong. The teacher may have more latitude in how your grades are calculated. The teacher may even (consciously or subconsciously) increase or decrease your grade based on whether they like you (or your attitude) or not.

Similarly, in business, you can't please everybody all of the time.

In eBay or other Internet auctions, you will not be able to satisfy everyone. Even if you have one hundred percent positive feedback on eBay now, eventually it must fall.

Not all of your customers will be happy with you all of the time. You might make a mistake resulting in an unhappy customer. Sometimes factors beyond your control (such as a lost shipment) may result in a negative feedback.

Occasionally, you might even get a customer who is unreasonable. If he leaves you negative feedback, sometimes all you can do is leave a negative feedback in return. This is not so much as an act of retaliation; it is more a matter of presenting your side of the story.

Sometimes, a customer has a legitimate complaint. Other times the customer has jumped the gun and hasn't given you a fair chance to resolve matters. It is even possible that your customer is a sadist who takes delight in tormenting others.

Regardless, you can make the offer to mutually agree to withdraw negative feedback from each other.

If you both agree and follow eBay's procedure, the negative feedback will be removed from both of your total scores (thus improving both feedback ratings). The negative comments themselves won't be removed by eBay but neither will your response to defend yourself.

Even if this tactic to remove negative feedback is not successful, at least you tried. Don't let your pride stand in the way of trying to make peace with the customer and reversing any negative feedback.

If the customer won't agree, at least you've told your side of the story. Let your prospective customers decide if they want to do business with you or not.

I personally like it when I see an eBay seller with a perfect feedback rating. Realistically, however, I realize that you simply can't please everyone. Even if you did everything perfectly, there are still people who are just not reasonable.

Thus, even if a seller has some negative feedback, if the overwwhelming majority are pleased with him, I tend to discount the few dissidents. I suggest you do the same in evaluating others as well as yourself.

About the author: J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. To learn more about Internet auctions and other profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/auctions.html

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Use eBay to Generate Website Traffic

Author: Michael Ellis

If you're looking for a way to market your website, and you haven't considered using eBay, then you could very well be missing out on one of the lowest cost website marketing options around. Let me explain...

Everyone is looking for a way to generate targeted website traffic at the lowest possible cost, but it seems that a whole lot of people are overlooking an awesome website marketing tool that is probably already book-marked inside their browser - eBay.

EBay has over 65 million registered users buying, selling and browsing all kinds of products around the clock. Just think, what if we (website owners) had a way to funnel some of that traffic off onto our website? Well, we do, and we can do it relatively cheaply!

The key to accomplishing this is the eBay 'Me' page. The eBay Me page is sort of a profile-like page that you setup for your eBay ID. When potential customers look at your auctions, and your ID, they will see a little 'Me' icon graphic that links to your Me page. And it's very important to note: your Me page can link to your website.

Let's see how this could work with an example. Let's say you have a website that sells a course on how to make money using Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search engines and you want to get traffic from eBay to this website.

A good way to go about doing this is to create a small report on PPC Advertising that you can market on eBay. This report should contain useful information, but it should also pre-sell your main product - your PPC course on your website. Your PPC report should be something that you're willing to give away or sell for very little, in the following example, you'll be selling it for 99 cents.

You then need two more things: an enticing auction advertisement, and an enticing Me page that drives visitors back to your website.

You're now ready to open your auction. The particular auction you're going to create should be a Featured Plus auction, which means it is displayed at the top of the auction listings before the non-Featured auctions (regular auctions). You will also want the auction to be a Dutch auction, which means you can sell multiple items from the same auction. A Featured Plus auction will cost around $20.00 to post, along with about $5 - $6 of miscellaneous posting fees including the Dutch auction fee. So your cost for selling a low-cost report in this manner will typically be about $26.00.

Now, I hate to go over figures because there's just so much that contributes to the outcome of those figures, but let me throw out some typical scenarios as I experienced them.

If your auction has an enticing title, you could very possibly get 100-300 visitors to your auction. I've personally seen auctions that sell home business informational products get up to 1500 visitors! Let's say you get 150. Of that 150, about 20% will visit your website through your Me page, which works out to about 30 visits, again my experience.

Of the 150 visits to your auction, you will generate some sales for your report. If the auction copy is good, it isn't uncommon to get 10% - 20% sales, especially at the 99 cents range, which works out to 15-30 purchases. Let's say you generate 15% sales, which works out to 22 sales (rounding down).

Now let's tally everything up. At the end of the auction, you've spent $26.00 on the auction itself. You made $22.00 on the report sales. And you generated 30 website visits. If we do the math, you came out paying about 13 cents for each website visitor ($26.00-$22.00/30 visits). Plus, you have a copy of your report in the hands of 22 hot prospects (remember your report pre-sells your website PPC course). Can it get better than that? The answer is yes! I've been conservative with these figures. The fact is, you can actually make money and drive traffic to your website with some practice/tweaking.

Interesting to note, at the time of this writing, Overture was charging anywhere from $0.51 for the tenth place position and $2.55 for the number 1 place position for the ""PPC"" keyword. In our example, we generated 30 visits for 13 cents per visit from 1 auction. What if you had 10 or 30 of these types of auctions running?

Granted, I realize that this example may not fit everyone's situation, but you should be able to apply it to some extent.

The formula is really quite simple: 1. Sell something that pertains to your website that you can give away or sell for very little. Information is the perfect product.

2. Then make sure your auction (and auction title) is extremely enticing - try to drive as much traffic to your auction as possible.

3. Then make sure your Me page drives the visitor to your website (maybe offer something free, like another report). Give it a try... you may have to tweak it here or there... but the formula does work.

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Find Out The Key Ebay Selling Tips

Author: Chris Fox

Ever wondered how to get the most out of eBay? First off here are some practical eBay selling tips:

You need an eBay account. Then, take note of this step-by-step guide for setting up an auction. This is the core of eBay selling tips that you need to know.

Before you sell anything on eBay you should be guided by the eBay selling tip of researching first to make sure that you are going to get the best possible result. There might be better ways to sell your items in the research what sells on EBay section of the eBay.

Auctions with pictures almost always sell for more than those without pictures. You'll eventually want to invest in a digital camera, but for just getting started, you can take pictures with a regular camera.

On eBay selling tips regarding listing of products, one of the big mistakes when it comes to selling on eBbay is not listing the item at the right time and not for a long enough duration.

Try to write a clear and concise description and title. This will help save you time by cutting down the number of questions from potential bidders. If you do get questions, you should try to answer them promptly.

Research closed auctions to get an idea of what you might expect your item to sell for, and to figure out what to set your starting bid at.

The eBay selling tip on the best time start your auction is during weekdays so that it will finish on the weekend. The main reason for this is that most people are home on the weekends and have the time to sit and wait to the last minute to make their. Try to have your auction end by Sunday evening. This eBay selling tip is very advisable and have been experienced successful by most sellers.

About the author: Read the rest of this article by going now to

http://www.ebaysellingtips.net/ebaytips/The-Key-Ebay -Selling-Tips.html

Friday, February 15, 2008

eBay feedback - Establishing and Maintaining Your eBay Reputation

Author: Ryan Bowman

If you think of eBay as a social forum, Feedback is your popularity rating. For every transaction that takes place on eBay, buyers and sellers have the opportunity to rate eachother by leaving Feedback. Also before engaging in a transaction with a buyer or seller, eBay participants can view a buyer or seller's previous ratings in their Feedback Forum, and based on previous ratings and comments, determine whether or not they wish to do business with a particular buyer or seller.

So how does feedback work??

Each feedback rating consists of a positive, negative, or neutral rating, as well as a brief comment left by the buyer or seller. These ratings and comments allow other eBay Community members to get a good idea of how that rated individual does business and how previous customers who have bought or sold from them have been treated in the past.

Feedback ratings are cumulative, adding 'points' to your Feedback score. One point is added for a positive rating, a point is deducted for a negative rating, and a neutral rating has no effect on the score. eBayers with a score of at least 10 are given a yellow star, and as you accumulate points you receive various stars of various colors, up to a score of 100,000 which gets a red shooting star. These stars are symbols of trust and reliability which other eBay members can use to evaluate you.

Why would I get negative feedback?

When a customer is dissatisfied with a purchase, or the way they were treated, this can result in negative feedback. Also, when a seller is unhappy with how a buyer behaved in the transaction, negative feedback can result as well. Things that may result in negative feedback are:

-failing to make a payment for an auction you won, making payments late, or ignoring that you won the auction

-misrepresenting a product you sell by lying or using a false picture in your item description

-taking too long to ship a product to an eBay buyer, or failing to send the product although payment has been made

-rude or offensive business practices

-making a payment that is fraudulent, or making a payment with a check that is not good

-anything that basically makes the buyer or seller unhappy with the transaction

How can I avoid negative feedback?

Negative feedback is an ugly thing, and no one really likes to see it or get it. Fortunately there are several things you can do to ensure to your best knowledge, that you are doing everything on your part to avoid negative feedback. This simple and practical advice can save you a bad reputation, and ensure your eBay success:

-Make sure the items you are selling are honestly represented in your item description. If you are using stock photos, make sure that it is EXACTLY what the item looks like. Do not fail to mention damage, malfunctions, or falsify factual information the customer needs to know

-Be sure to mail all items and payments ON TIME. No one likes to be kept waiting, and late payments/shipments are a sure bet that you'll probably never transact with that party again.

-Respond to all correspondence and questions IMMEDIATELY. Online customers usually do not like to wait more than 8 minutes for an email response. While this response time may be a little extreme for some people, keep in mind that the faster you get back to a potential customer, the greater the chance that they will bid on your item once their questions are answered. This is why it is important to have a thorough item description which can answer any possible questions the customer may have.

-It may seem like common sense, but it you receive a payment for an item, MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THROUGH! Either mail out the item within 24 hours or refund the customers money immediately.

Hope this was helpful! Good luck and Happy eBaying!

About the author: Ryan Bowman is an experienced eBay member and webmaster for www.ebay-portal.net , your portal on the web for ebay success .

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Move into the top 1% of all eBay Sellers - Accepting the Best Payment Methods

Author: adam ginsberg

eBay is becoming a more competitive environment to make money these days. As such, there are certain things that you can do as an eBay seller to separate yourself and distance yourself from your competition.

As you set up your eBay selling systems, make the commitment to accept all methods of payment. If not, you'll lose out on potential customers.

The following short list should be considered your preferred method of accepting payment on eBay:

1. PayPal

Paypal, owned by eBay, now has over 100 million members and is the most accepted payment method online. While some sellers don't like the 3% PayPal fees - remember that 97% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

PayPal is simple (and free) to set up - you are only charged a fee when there is a transaction. PayPal makes it easy for every seller to accept credit cards safely online without the time and expense of setting up a typical merchant account.

Many people shop on eBay for convenience. PayPal provides the simples and most convenient way for a buyer to pay. You can register for a free PayPal account at: http://www.paypal.com

2. Money Order or Personal Check

Some sellers don't like accepting a personal check for fear of the check bouncing. 99.9% of all checks are good. As long as you follow the basic strategy of not shipping your item until the check clears you have nothing to lose - even if the check is not good.

Remember that there are some buyers who don't have a credit card. If you make them go to the bank to get a money order, they may simply buy from someone else who takes a personal check.

I would suggest NOT taking checks from International Buyers as it simply takes too long for the check to clear. Reminder: In your payment terms in your auction, you'll need to disclose your payment policies - and be sure to specify whether you'll accept a personal check or money order from an International Seller.

3. Cash

While it's not the best method of payment, some eBay sellers do accept cash payments. It's not likely that a buyer will send you cash for their purchase.

4. Escrow

For a high-ticket item (car, real estate, jewelry, etc.) escrow is a safe and secure way to accept payment for the simple reason that the escrow service will guarantee full protection prior the close of the transaction. NOTE: With escrow, the seller has to wait for the confirmation that the buyer has received the merchandise prior to receiving payment.

Safe Payments Policy

Recently, eBay instituted a ""Safe Payments Policy"" in an effort to continue the safe and secure transactions on their site. eBay evaluates various payment methods to insure that transactions are safe within the eBay marketplace.

As such, their recent policy states that sellers may accept the following methods of payment: -PayPal -Direct Credit Cards (for those sellers with a merchant account) -Bank Wire Transfers -Personal Checks, Money Orders, Cashier's Checks and Certified Checks

Not permitted on eBay.com: Sellers may not solicit buyers to mail cash. Sellers may not ask buyers to send cash through instant cash transfer services (non-bank, point-to-point cash transfers) such as Western Union or Moneygram. Sellers may not ask buyers to pay with Stormpay, Greenzap.com or e-gold payments. Finally, sellers may not request payment through online payment methods not specifically permitted in this eBay policy.

About the author: Adam Ginsberg is an author and educator and has built a small fortune selling on eBay. Adam has discovered a system for generating wealth in the eBay marketplace. He has personally sold over $20,000,000 on eBay. Adam is the author of the bestselling book How to Buy, Sell & Profit on eBay.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

EBay Business 101 for Newbies

Author: Ralph and Liz Henderson

Are you somewhat new to eBay business? Or just planning to enter the world of the eBay profession and evaluate its waters? You've not anything to dread. Here are simple startup tips for you, newbie.

Entering the eBay vocation means that you are opening up shop on eBay and becoming a merchant. It is easy and risk-free. All you are required to own is a computer, an internet connection and an inventory of items to vend. No startup costs are expected of you. Even if you're at your house, you can monitor your eBay profession easily enough. You can also do business online, right within eBay.

Starting out As a newbie merchant, you possess a somewhat adequate chance of succeeding in your eBay occupation by starting out with items that you understand and have experience with. Take it from the experts, when you begin by marketing in what you are knowledgeable about, you are right on target regarding its value. However, if the items you are supposed to start with do not fall in the line of your knowledge, there's no reason for worry. You only have to a little research about the items you possess to understand their value. There could be some odds and ends in your house that are sufficiently in good shape but not needed anymore. Or you might know of relatives and friends who have assets they want to get rid of. You can also buy discounted goods, seasonal and unusual items and crafts then resell them. The eBay profession has no limit on what market you could sell, as long as there are buyers attracted to what you have.

Have a photo, make a sale

Once you have set-up shop in the eBay area, start the ball rolling by letting clients know of your stock. Do this by taking pictures of the goods you are putting up for sale. The photo alongside your item listing is free. A 35-cent paid photo post of your item is offered by eBay - it's called Gallery. It works by having a concise photo of your product along with its listing on the search results. Understand that most customers in the eBay profession favor to see the photo of the item for sale. Most often, your listing will get hits largely because of photo attachments. People require to know they are buying something that exists. You may encounter that once you upload additional photos for each of your product listing, the demand for your products increases. Close-up and high-quality photos of your products are likely to bring you enormous sales outcome.

Price 'em good

Besides seeing your product, the next thing budding buyers on the eBay business look up is the cost. Note that in the eBay business, it is necessary to remind you not to price your article too elevated, or else buyers may lose interest. With a reasonable starting price, you only require to have two bidders to set off a higher price.

The principle in the eBay PowerSeller, with regards to setting up the starting price, is that the lower you set the price, the more likely buyers bid on it. You can even get them so connected to the item and inspire a need to be the bidder who gets the item.

For how long do you list up your product?

As a seller, listing a product in the eBay business involves meeting qualifications to use one-day period listing and paying necessary fees for 10-day listings. There are a few factors to know how long you should list an item in the eBay business: - Longer period listing gives potential buyers additional time to see your item and place bids - Listing relaying on your traffic volume. - Restricted period of listing if you are selling products related to certain events Additional things which sellers in the eBay business need to do to generate more profits:

- Regularly checking out the hit list for your items to know if you are obtaining more traffic. Additional traffic means more buyers. - Have a detailed product description on your listing to minimize numerous buyer inquiries - Proper directing of payment and shipping. Be aware that 3 out of 4 buyers on the eBay business prefer paying with PayPal. - Keep your buyers, delighted and satisfied with your products and overall service. - Lastly, keep tabs on other eBay sellers' experiences in the eBay business for you to understand and succeed.

Thank you, Ralph and Liz Henderson

About the author: If you are looking for more information on becoming an eBay PowerSeller make sure you visit ebay powerseller and remember to sign up for the FREE 5 day ecourse.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Ebay The Exciting World Of Trade

Author: Ruth Bird

Are you just starting off to buy and sell on eBay? Then read this article first. There are tips, ideas and hints on how to improve your EBay experience.

For buyers: If the seller is using a stock photo or didn't include a photo, ask for a current photo of the actual item, unless it's a major seller (in which case fraud should no be at issue) the seller should respond favorably to the request for an image, if the seller does not this is a warning sign. You have a right to ask for contact information once you enter into a transaction. Remember that once you ask for contact information, your transaction partner will also receive your contact information. Make sure you know what you are buying, so that there are no surprises when your item arrives in the mail. Bidding at the last moment doesn't always work; this method is popular, but with eBay's proxy bidding system, it's not necessary. Simply enter the maximum you're willing to pay for the item, rather than bidding a million times.

Of course, sometimes it's a good idea to enter a higher maximum during the last few minutes of an auction, but usually, this isn't necessary. Use the search tool properly when searching for items this is certainly an overlooked tool when it comes to eBay. Remember that sellers are limited in the number of characters in the title of their item, and sometimes sellers write poor titles to begin with. If your search is yielding no results, try doing an advanced search. Check off search descriptions, and you just might find what you're looking for.

For the very beginning seller,

1) Go to eBay, open an eBay selling account. This procedure is very simple. Just follow the steps given.

2) Check out some of the listings already active in eBay.

3) When starting off for the first time, enter your listing, add a picture, and perhaps add a gallery picture. No need to get fancy.

4) Pay special heed to your title, make sure it is explanatory, and catchy, and has enough information for the buyer

5) Make sure in the ""description"" you disclose full details pertaining to your item. Do not hide or try to cover anything. Also, try to write your description in a way that will grab the attention of the readers. Don't be boring in your writing. MAKE the buyer want to buy your product.

6) Do research, it's easy with eBay.

7) Learn, always learn! There are many places on the ""net"" where you can teach yourself for free.

8) Have fun on eBay, try the unusual, you will be surprised what sells. When selling, write a title that accurately describes your item. Use manufacturers name and model number within the title if applicable. Write a detailed description that allows prospective bidders to make a decision about purchasing the item. A basic tip of the description can never be too long as long as it is describing the item. Host your own pictures. By hosting your own pictures, you will save money, and, more importantly, be able to use as many pictures as you need to adequately show eBay bidders your item. This is the simplest thing to do, and yet 70 percent of eBay sellers ignore this simple tip. List your item in the most appropriate category.

Many buyers' only search eBay by looking at listings within categories. If you are not in the right eBay category you will not be seen by lots of potential bidders and you item may end up selling for less than it's worth. Systemize your eBay selling. Using a system to sell on eBay will lower the amount of time spent selling each item, and insure you don't forget any important activities. Know the fair price and your maximum eBay includes an option in their advanced search to search for completed auctions. Use the completed auction search feature to find similar items and their final price.

Search other stores like Amazon.com, overstock.com, and other online stores to see if they are selling it for less than the auction. You can also use sites like Shopping.com and PriceGrabber.com to find existing non-auction deals. And most importantly, know your maximum bid. Determine the price you're willing to pay for the item. If it sells to someone else for a penny more that your maximum, you should be able to think ""They overpaid!"" You should also feel that if you win it for one penny less than your maximum, you can think ""I got a deal!"" Your maximum bid should be your true maximum bid.

Review seller feedback before ever placing a bid, you must review the seller's feedback. The seller should have very few negative feedbacks, if any. With items worth only a few dollars, you can be more lenient with new sellers. If it's an expensive item, be very careful bidding if the seller has a low feedback rating or any number of recent negative ratings.

Is the seller using an anonymous e-mail address (eg Yahoo! hotmail), scammers often use anonymous e-mail accounts. Seller and buyer leave feedback on the same day the auction ended. Feedback left by the buyer and seller the same day the auction ended, often for more then one auction. This might indicate the buyer was a shill. The other side of buying is the selling. Anyone can sell anything on eBay. Open an account, list your product, and wait for the bids to start coming in. There are secrets to being a power seller on eBay. If you have any questions, ask again, a seller who does not respond to your e-mail, is not much of a seller.

About the author: Ruth has been engaged in internet marketing for many years. Pet and People Health are her passions. Ebay has just become a new and exciting and different way of selling for her. She has an eBay home site, http://myebayat.blogspot.com /

Monday, February 11, 2008

How To Apply NLP Techniques To Explode Your Profits On Ebay - Part 2

Author: Dan Lim

This is the second part of a two part article

Applying NLP on your auction description

Using NLP on ebay can be very effective however as with all things, you should use some common sense and not overdo it.

When you write your NLP laced ad description, formulate a plan. The following is an example of the order of operation.

1) Elicit Values

Eliciting Values simply means putting yourself in your customers' shoes and find out their needs and wants. Know your target market.

Some of the questions you can ask yourself are:

- What do they want? - What do they like? - What are they afraid of? - Can my product or service fulfill that need? - How much would they pay for much a service or product?

Some of the answers to the questions above are already there on ebay market research section. Use ebay pulse to find out what they want. Check the completed items on the average selling price of your product or service.

2) Set up mental states, bind them linking to your product or service

I have already mentioned this in the first part of my article. It is called Thought Binding. Since I already talked about it, I shall not go into detail here.

Essentially, it is about building a chain of states, with the first link being the current state they are in now to the final state you want them in.

For example, they are in a state of indifference about buying your product. That is the first state. The final state is you want them to be drooling about your product and whipping out their credit card to buy after reading your auction description.

Using curiosity, intrigue or just paint a picture in their minds how they will benefit by using your product.

3) Presuppositions - Influence the buying decision with 'trick' questions

Presuppositions can be used in ordinary sentences to help someone decide or rather decide for them indirectly. A presupposition is a question in which a person is choosing the path you indirectly set for them. So, in a sense you are not giving them a chance to say yes or no to your product.

One example is the following sentence

""You won't the most out of the product just reading about it, since the best way is to experience it yourself""

Another example:

""Won't it be great after you get (your product) and you can experience for yourself what it can do for you? Then you can just look back, smile that smile of satisfaction and wondered why you hadn't got it sooner""

4) Binder commands

Binder commands or subliminal messages/command is the one of the most sneaky facets of NLP.

An example is ""When you buy (your product) by today, you will also get X amount dollars worth of products free to the first 50 people""

The binder command is Get It Now.

The above order of operation is only an example and may vary from case to case. In most cases, you may need to change the order depending on your product or service.

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

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Move Into The Top 1% Of All Ebay Sellers - Accepting The Best Methods Of Payment

Author: Adam Ginsberg

As you set up your eBay selling systems, make the commitment to accept all methods of payment. If not, you'll lose out on potential customers.

The following short list should be considered your preferred method of accepting payment on eBay:

1. PayPal

Many people shop on eBay for convenience. PayPal provides the simples and most convenient way for a buyer to pay. You can register for a free PayPal account at: http://www.paypal.com .

2. Money Order or Personal Check

Remember that there are some buyers who don't have a credit card. If you make them go to the bank to get a money order, they may simply buy from someone else who takes a personal check.

3. Cash

While it's not the best method of payment, some eBay sellers do accept cash payments. It's not likely that a buyer will send you cash for their purchase.

4. Escrow

Safe Payments Policy

As such, their recent policy states that sellers may accept the following methods of payment:

-PayPal -Direct Credit Cards (for those sellers with a merchant account) -Bank Wire Transfers -Personal Checks, Money Orders, Cashier's Checks and Certified Checks

About the author: Adam Ginsberg is an author and educator and has built a small fortune selling on eBay. He has personally sold over $20,000,000 on eBay and has written the best selling book: How to Buy, Sell & Profit on eBay. You can learn more at adamginsberg.com

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Make Money Online Selling On eBay

Author: Bing Zou

You may know every Internet Giant, from Amazon, Yahoo, to AOL, Google, but not forget eBay. Only eBay is so close that home based business can make money online. It is the easiest way to make money online selling on eBay.

You may not realize it yet, but you are about to begin an exciting new lifestyle! The world of online auctions is not only a very profitable world, but it can also mean a lifestyle change unlike any you could've imagined just a few years ago.

eBay is now the world's largest marketplace and the online auctions model which eBay first brings into business actually allows you the opportunity to make money online quickly. So why not use this to the advantage of your website and your business? By creating an easy-to-use eBay Store and listing some hot, in-demand items at a small discount from the price on your website, you can drive traffic from eBay back to your website as well as creating sales and revenue for your company through eBay. eBay Store's monthly fees is nominal and can easily be paid off from the profit of just a few small sales. eBay Store is set up to where your item can be listed automatically saving your valuable time and making the maintenance of your eBay Store effortless.

Compare this with the majority of businesses out eBay, which may actually take a year or couples of years before they realize any real profits, you will feel satisfied. Is it amazing to make money online selling on eBay? By simply understanding and knowing what you are doing, you can be very successful doing your online business to make money selling on eBay.

The traffic on eBay is massive, check out the figures for yourself at any source you trust. eBay has a staggering 10 million items on sale at any point in time. The site gets 1.5 billion auction page views each month. This is the key that makes it so easy for ordinary people to make money on eBay. It is simply a matter of taking your products to where the customers are waiting for it. But you need to know what you are doing. It all boils down to getting the formula to maximize your auction effectiveness.

You can be found by more eBay users by being as descriptive as possible in the item description and by using as many keywords as possible that describe your item and industry within the Item Title. Reports show that over 90% of searches on eBay are done using the search facility. What users do not know about eBay search facility is that by default it only searches the item titles - not the descriptions of the items. Imagine building a website that got more than 10 million unique visitors per Day. Do you think you might be able to find a way to make money online selling on eBay? One of the greatest benefits of selling on eBay is this sheer volume of traffic that you automatically acquire as a registered seller of eBay.

eBay allows you to set up an account with only some basic personal information and a credit card for billing. There is typically no up-front investment required! Meanwhile, you can use PayPal as your tool to collect your money from selling on eBay. If you compare this to traditional business, you have to admit this is for your utility.

One of the main concerns that sellers have about trading on internet is: ""How do I know that they are going to pay?"" That is not a question at all.

eBay and

PayPal have protections for sellers and protect buyers also. One protection is ""feedback"". This is simply a recorded ""comment"" (either positive, neutral or negative) left by both the buyer and seller after a transaction ends, telling future buyers and sellers how that particular transaction went.

Just imagine the facts that there are numerous of people making money online. The facts are that there are numerous of people who make money online selling on eBay. So why the next one is not you?

About the author: Bing Zou is the owner of website www.haveatry.com and www.onlyworkonline.com . Haveatry.com is designed for making money at home with a new lifestyle. Onlyworkonline.com recommends opportunities to make money fast. You can contact him at email: infofreetoyou@yahoo.ca

Friday, February 08, 2008

Internet Marketing Research With Google, Ebay And Amazon

Author: Rene Graeber

Internet searches are extremely effective in finding not only how popular your topic is, but how to set up your autoresponder for maximum results.

A vast majority of internet users find what they're looking for by searching, whether they use a general web search engine like Google or a site-specific engine to wade through consumer mega-sites like e-Bay and Amazon.

A quick search on your topic will reveal how many people are interested, and what convinces them to check products out.

Google

Without a doubt, Google is the most popular internet search engine--so much so, its name has become a synonym for the act of running a web search (i.e., ""I couldn't find that site that posts the winning lottery numbers, so I just Googled it."")

Many internet marketers make increasing their site ranking--the ""place in line"" the site appears in Google results using their keywords--one of the key components of their advertising campaigns.

Obtaining a top 10 Google rank (appearing on the first page of search results) is akin to winning an Olympic gold medal in the marketing world.

How can this help you with your market research? By studying the top search results for pages you find through keywords relating to your topic, you can find out what these sites are doing to achieve search engine success.

The following steps will help you run an effective and informative Google search.

1. List keywords and keyword phrases relating to your topic. For example, if your topic is ""working from home"", your list of keywords might be: work from home, working from home, work at home, telecommute, telecommuting, at home jobs.

2. Go to the Google home page and type in your first keyword or phrase, then click on ""Google Search"".

NOTE: If you are not familiar with Google, clicking on ""I'm Feeling Lucky"" will not produce a list of web sites; it will take you directly to what Google has determined the most relevant site for your keyword. But if you're in the mood for a laugh, you might try ""I'm Feeling Lucky"" just for kicks.

When you receive the search results, check out the pages that are relevant to your topic (search engines are by no means exact, and sometimes you will find results that don't relate to your topic--or at least, not in the way you had in mind). The best way to do this is to right-click on the links you want to visit and choose ""Open in new window."" This will keep the Google search results page open so you don't have to backtrack through your browser to find it again.

3. Note the way the sites are laid out (is it appealing and easy to read, or does it make your eyes bleed?), what kind of text is on the front page (does it seem informative, or is it all hype? Are there a lot of spelling and grammar errors?), and whether there is an obvious available product. If there is a site counter, note how many visitors the site has received.

4. Repeat this process with the rest of your keywords. You will often find the same sites showing up in the top 10 for different, related searches. Pay special attention to these; they are the ones you may want to emulate when you create the web site for your autoresponder.

NOTE: If you run a Google search on your topic and find only two or three related web sites before the results turn up unrelated material, it may indicate there is a limited market for your topic. In this case you should either rewrite your keywords and try again, or consider choosing a different topic altogether.

eBay

It's said you can buy anything on eBay, from cars and computers to clothing formerly worn by celebrities.

This massive online consumer marketplace and auction house is a haven for buyers and sellers looking for great deals from the comfort of their own homes.

Searching for products related to your topic on eBay can help you home in on your market. It will also help you determine how much buyers are willing to pay for products related to your subject.

Follow these steps to exploit eBay for information:

1. Sign up for a free eBay account. This personalizes your experience and allows eBay to provide you with relevant information every time you visit.

2. Go to the eBay home page and log in.

3. Choose one of the categories on the left-hand side of the page that's relevant to you topic and browse through the listings, or search for a specific item or topic using the search bar at the top of the page.

4. Make note of the price ranges people are willing to pay for items or products related to your topic. This will give you a general idea of what to charge for yours. Also, note how many products are available related to your topic in comparison to other topics. This is not limited to books: you might find CDs, audio programs, or one of many forms your product can take.

Amazon

Amazon.com, the ""other"" internet consumer giant, is similar to e-Bay in that you can find just about anything you want to buy. Amazon's biggest selection is in media: books, movies and music; but they also have an enormous inventory of electronics, toys, jewelry, clothing and accessories, and much more. Where e-Bay concentrates on selling used products through auctions and classifieds-style advertising, Amazon carries new products along with a healthy dose of independent sellers touting used wares.

Your purpose in using Amazon for market research is twofold: you will identify your competition and find out how popular your topic is, and you will familiarize yourself with how Amazon works, as you will likely want to consider making your product available through Amazon.

Here's how to check it out:

1. Sign up for an Amazon account, if you don't already have one. Like eBay, Amazon will give you personalized recommendations based on your searching and buying history, and keep you updated with the latest available information on your topic.

2. Once you've signed up, go to the Amazon home page and log in (you may be automatically logged in; Amazon really likes keeping track of its customers and often will keep you perpetually signed on, even when you leave the site...)

3. Using the search bar at the top of the page, choose ""Books"" from the dropdown list and type in your topic or keywords. The results you get will be both print books and e-books. Since Amazon deals primarily in new product, you will be able to view the retail price of competitive products.

4. Make note of prices and the number of titles available relating to your topic. Also, you might want to consider checking out the Listmania sections on the product pages you view (you can find this by scrolling down on the page, almost to the bottom). Listmania is an Amazon program that promotes customer recommendations by allowing Amazon users to compile lists of their favorite books on Amazon. Checking out Listmania picks helps you understand what type of product your target market is interested in, and how much they are willing to pay for it.

5. Once you find a product, if you scroll down past Listmania you will find sections on ""similar items by category"" and ""similar items by subject."" You can browse through the available products related to your topic in this way without going back to your search results page.

About the author: Did you know that 99.92% of the people trying to earn a living on the Internet are failing miserably? The problem is the frame of mind that most of the ""dreamers"" are in! If you want to change this make sure to visit the website: http://www.online-marketing-center.com

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Ebay Selling 101: Things A Seller Should Know Before Selling On Ebay

Author: Nicky Pilkington

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

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

How To Get More For Your Car On eBay Motors

Author: Gregg Hall

Everyday more and more people turn to eBay to sell products online and eBay Motors, the branch of the company created to sell vehicles is no different. I have bought and sold vehicles myself at eBay Motors and have had great experiences on both sides of the fence.

There are a few things that one should do in order to get the best price when selling online however. First, you must detail the car so that it appears as close to perfect as possible and you should not any flaws. This will circumvent any headaches later.

Don't go cheap on your auction description and pictures. It is far better to take many pictures and put them up as a slideshow than to put one picture and say email for more. Many people will not go through the trouble of requesting more photos.

From experience let me suggest that you take pictures of the following:

Start at the driver's side and take a shot at an angle shooting toward the headlight but showing the entire driver's side in the photo then move around the vehicle taking the side, rear, passenger, and then straight on front. Be sure to take close ups of any damage or flaws and point them out in your text as well. Next, take good pictures of the interior including the seats, floormats and under the floormats, the headliner, and the dashboard featuring the odometer to verify the mileage.

Next, you want to take pictures of the engine compartment which is why it is crucial that it has been detailed as well. One little trick I have used that I haven't seen many do is to also take the dipstick out and take a close up of the oil to show that is fresh and clean.

Lastly, this is something I learned from a shopper on one of my auctions. People want to see the underside of the car as well to be sure there is no rust or other damage so be sure to take pics of the underneath as well as the fender wells.

Be sure to answer any email requests promptly and courteously and include your phone number so people can call with questions.

If you follow these guidelines you are sure to get the most for your car.

About the author: Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get the car care products you need to detail your vehicle from http://www.5starshine.com

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

How To Increase Site Revenue by adding self updating Ebay Pages

Author: Ian Simpson

One of the more time consuming tasks of maintaining a website is having continuously to update it with new products and other relevant content. Wouldn't it be nice therefore if you had a website that was self maintaining with automatically renewing content and the possibility of it earning a nice income for you?

There are a lot of savvy netpreneurs who are quietly raking in thousands of dollars each month by joining the ebay affiliate program and building niche websites based on the hottest selling products presently listed on ebay. Others add permanently updating content to their existing website to create more interest.

The first thing to do is to sign up to the ebay affiliate program, by going to Commission Junction.com who administer ebay's affiliate program in America and the UK. You will be sent a user name and password. An important point here is never disclose your log in details to ebay or Commission Junction. Scam emails are still doing their rounds on the web purporting to be from ebay and asking you to confirm your log in details. Always ignore these emails and delete them straight away.

What you will receive from ebay is a welcoming email with links to the various tools and resources that will allow you to build an ebay listing of your chosen subject. The three main tools to create listings are the flexible destination tool, the ebay editor kit and the API Tool.

The flexible destination tool allows you to create links to specific pages on ebay. Simply enter your Commission Junction PID (do not get this mixed up with your Commission Junction account number), the ebay page you want to link to, give your link a title and then generate your link to copy and paste into your web page.

By using the ebay editor kit you can build a whole page of listings of your chosen niche, anything from 1 to 200 listings, although 15 to 25 is a good size page to have. Let's say that you want an ebay page that deals with cars, you could generate a whole page of cars of any make or model or you could narrow it down to a particular make and model, the options are there for you to choose from.

The API Tool is designed for the more adventurous webmaster and allows you to take the ebay affiliate program to greater heights. Unless you have a penchant for developing it is best avoided and left to those that have the necessary experience to use it.

If you cannot think of a subject to build a website about, just visit any ebay home page and click ""Advanced Search"" at the top right of the page and choose a category from the menu to the right of the search box. From here tick ""Completed Listings Only"" and press to continue. If you want to be more specific and narrow down your search, add a description into the box. On the next page select ""Price, Highest First"" from the menu and you will get all the highest ticket items sold in the past few weeks. This is an excellent exercise to conduct if you are not too sure what you want to promote from ebay.

So there you have it, the above process will add updated clickable links to eBay auction listings for whatever you decide to promote. The process makes it simple for you to add future and updated content on your site relating to whatever your site is about and you can add as many pages of auction listings as you like. For more information about starting your own ebay business please visit http://www.deals4-u.com.

About the author: Ian Simpson reviews software and informational products on the internet for their value and usefulness. Subscribe to his free tips newsletter at http://www.information4income.com

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Clever Sellers Scoop Up The Bargains On eBay and Resell For Profit

Author: Teresa Ballinger

Did you know that everyday there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of eBay auctions that have misspelled words in the titles and descriptions? Auctions with misspelled information do not come up on the regular eBay search, so frequently these listings have no bids and can be scooped up at a bargain price. This means you can profit by locating these misspelled auctions before anyone else does!

If you are trying to sell ""jewerly"" instead of ""jewelry"" you are extremely likely to lose out on a ton of potential customers. If someone is an avid collector of ""vintage costume jewelry"" you can bet that the search term they use will be ""jewelry"" not ""jewerly"".

Remember - ""If you can't spell it...you can't sell it!""

The one and only way to seriously earn money on eBay is to take it into your own hands! Find deals whether it be locally or online. You should know a great deal when you see one. If you have trouble recognizing a good deal from a bad deal you may not want to get into eBay selling at all. That's not a slam on you, that's the reality. You have to be a ""natural"" when it comes to finding deals.

I want to share with you a really foolproof and definite way to make profits on eBay. Clever sellers purchase bargains on eBay all day long then turn around and re-sell those same items making a huge profit! This is a unique opportunity for those selling on eBay.

You can uncover these misspelled auctions by using this

free eBay misspelling tool . Simply enter a keyword and the tool will search eBay for matches for you. For instance, typing in the word ""jewelry"" will return tons of active eBay listings with misspellings of the word that may mean profit for you. At the time this article was written, there were 4774 active eBay listings with misspellings of the word ""jewelry"".

Benefits In Selling This Way:

No more shipping supplies to buy. You buy misspelled items, they are shipped to your house in boxes with packaging - do you understand where I'm going with this? You never have to pay for shipping supplies again. As soon as you receive the package, open it, inspect it, close it and re-label it.

Job security. With literally thousands of items per day being misspelled and listed.....even if 1,000 people were doing this, you would still never run out of opportunities and eBay has no spell check and never will.

Low investment. Try this method once and discover for yourself how easy it is. Buy something for $10 and re-sell it in days for $20. This happens ALL the time.

You should be to pick up some true bargains with no one else bidding against you. Just bear in mind thousands of items on eBay are listed with misspelled descriptions and item names, from a single word to multiple words. These items often close with no bids on them as no-one can find them. Use this

free eBay misspelling tool to uncover those hidden gems.

About the author: Teresa has been quietly making money online for 3 years. Try out this free eBay misspelling tool now by visiting http://www.power-buys.com/spelling.php. Do yourself a favor and bookmark this site - it's one amazing tool you will want to use again and again.

The Center for EBay Education and Training

Friday, February 29, 2008

The eBay Blacklist

Thursday, February 28, 2008

eBay Data and Research - How Important Is It?

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Getting Started on eBay

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

eBay Gift Certificates - The Gift Solution Suitable for

Monday, February 25, 2008

Wholesale Dropshipping For eBay Sellers!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

eBay. Are they the Best Option for Collector Cars?

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Ten Tips for Finding Great Vintage Clothing on eBay

Friday, February 22, 2008

Sell Like an eBay Powerseller

Thursday, February 21, 2008

eBay the new revolution

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Jewelry Wholesale and eBay Auctions

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

How I Made A Fortune On Ebay Using Dropshippers... And Then Lost It All

Monday, February 18, 2008

Don't Let Negative Feedback On Ebay Get You Down

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Use eBay to Generate Website Traffic

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Find Out The Key Ebay Selling Tips

Friday, February 15, 2008

eBay feedback - Establishing and Maintaining Your eBay Reputation

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Move into the top 1% of all eBay Sellers - Accepting the Best Payment Methods

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

EBay Business 101 for Newbies

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Ebay The Exciting World Of Trade

Monday, February 11, 2008

How To Apply NLP Techniques To Explode Your Profits On Ebay - Part 2

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Move Into The Top 1% Of All Ebay Sellers - Accepting The Best Methods Of Payment

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Make Money Online Selling On eBay

Friday, February 08, 2008

Internet Marketing Research With Google, Ebay And Amazon

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Ebay Selling 101: Things A Seller Should Know Before Selling On Ebay

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

How To Get More For Your Car On eBay Motors

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

How To Increase Site Revenue by adding self updating Ebay Pages

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Clever Sellers Scoop Up The Bargains On eBay and Resell For Profit

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