Start Your Ebay Business Today

Author: Jason James

Would you believe me if I said you could start a business on ebay and profit by the end of the year? What if I said you could profit by the end of the month? Or the end of the week?

What about the end of today?

You probably wouldn't believe me if I said you could start an ebay business now and make money by the end of the day, would you?

You wouldn't, but it's true.

Over 500,000 people currently sell on ebay to make a full time income. Not all of those 500,000 are experts. Many of them started making money on ebay selling junk from basements and attics. They saw the ebay marketplace in action, recognized the profit potential, and decided to launch an ebay home business.

There are a number of good reasons for this. Ebay affords both sellers and buyers certain advantages that are not available in anywhere else.

One advantage is that your marketplace--where you sell your goods--is already established. That means you don't have to build and optimize a website to bring in traffic. You can simply place your item on sale in a marketplace with millions of potential buyers and get prospective customers immediately.

This is why I say you can start an ebay business and make money on the first day: you can literally put an item up for auction and sell it within one day.

You're probably saying ""yeah, that's great. Other people can do that, but can I?"" The answer is yes, but there are a few important things you must do first.

The first thing you must do is get in the right mindset. If you talk to any successful business owner, she will tell you that mindset is one of the most important parts of being successful. And this is where you must start: you must tell yourself that you can make money on ebay. If you don't start with this step, you will give up when you encounter the first obstacle.

After you convince yourself that those 500,000 sellers who are already making money on ebay have nothing on you, you must commit yourself to learning how to sell on ebay. It isn't tricky, but there are a couple basic things you must know--and you can learn most of it in a matter of hours, not weeks, months, or years.

You can do this by selling junk from your attic and basement, like the ebay sellers I mentioned previously.

Start by going to ebay.com and registering as a seller.

Next, find some junk in your house that could potentially be useful to someone else (i.e. an old radio or tv). Take this ""junk"" and setup an auction on ebay. Continue selling household junk until you understand pricing and listing strategy.

Once you understand how to sell on ebay, you will be ready to open your own store.

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

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

Spotting Fakes and Frauds on eBay

Author: heidi chartier

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

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

Be Vigilant

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

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

Authenticate

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

Look at the Feedback

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

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

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

The Price Theory

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

About the author: Heidi Chartier has a website about creating Home Based Businesses. Download the Brand New E-Book ""Dotcomology"" revealing a PROVEN step by step process for creating and running a successful Online Home Business: www.makingmaximumwealth.com/dotcomology.html

Why A Selfish Jerk Is 100% Guaranteed To Fail On eBay

Author: Sydney Johnston

Tens of millions of people are trying to earn money on eBay these days and most of them will make only small amounts and eventually quit trying and drift away. Most of those millions will wrack their brains, trying to figure out how to win riches from eBay, and never really understand why it didn't happen. Sometimes it's easier to observe failure and know what NOT to do.

This email is from a man who is guaranteed to fail and the reasons aren't hard to figure out. Here are his exact words ...

- - -

Hello Sydney,

I can't afford any investment in more marketing programs right now. I could use some promotion for the ones I have a lot of time a fair amount of money invested already.

I also haven't been able to produce with eBay!

Please visit my links: (3 URLs here)

Also, if you'd really ('really' is in bold type and italics) like to help, please encourage others to visit my sites as well. I haven't been able to make a dime on the Internet yet. I also am having great difficulty finding a job as well;this is no money from anywhere!

I have child support to pay and if I go much longer without paying, I'm looking at 1-3 years in prison for non-payment. Yes, debtors prison is still alive and very well here in Northern Michigan.

So, I'm asking you to please help me in this way and I won't have any problem with rewarding you handsomely!

- - -

(1.) There are so many issues here that it's hard to know where to begin, but the best place is with his three websites:

His first site is about:

* Bookkeeping * Personal Income Tax * Classic Rock & Roll * With ""links to eBay, Amazon & more!""

Who, exactly, is his audience? There is no clear focus and no defined audience. Those searching for information on rock and roll are unlikely to be interested in bookkeeping.

What's even more amazing is that there is absolutely nothing at all about bookkeeping or income tax, except for a comment on the home page. There are a couple of links to rock and roll sites and one to the front page of Amazon. How is he hoping monetize this site?

His second site is about how to make ""Explosive"" income with his ""revolutionary home based business"". This from a guy who admits he hasn't made a single cent on the Net, yet he isn't bothered about selling others a program that obviously isn't working for him.

The third site is about auctions and the home page says, ""CLICK TO ENTER"" ... but when I do absolutely nothing happens. A completely blank page opens and remains constant. There isn't even a 404 message.

(2.) He wants my help, yet has total disrespect for me and my business. What he is truly saying is, ""I have spent all my money in other places, and now that I have none left, I want you to help me"". Where will I get the time to help him? It will have to come either from my own business or I will have to take time away from my students who pay for my help. He says he ""won't have any problem with rewarding you handsomely!"" Very generous of him, I'm sure.

(3.) He wants me to send traffic to his sites. But he says nothing about how my customers and students would benefit from what he has to offer. Does he really believe I would betray their trust by sending them to three absolutely worthless sites that offer them no benefit whatsoever?

And even if I shared his moral character, why would I do such a thing? If I don't mind betraying others, it would have to be for personal gain and I will not make money by sending him traffic.

(4.) Worst of all, he displays no concern whatsoever for his children or their mother who is trying to care for their children without any financial support from their father. He says, ""Yes, debtors prison is still alive and very well here in Northern Michigan."". He's not in trouble for debt - he's in trouble for not making his child support payments. As well he should be.

The entire focus of this email is me, me, me. The author cares nothing about anyone else and obviously doesn't understand the top three rules of marketing, which are:

#1: Focus on your customer #2: Focus on your customer #3: Focus on your customer

I used to take the time to help people see that a major reason for their lack of success is that they aren't putting the needs of their customers first. Generally, though, their response is to argue with me that once they're making money, then they can afford to care about others. It doesn't work that way.

Does this mean that all caring and decent people are certain to succeed while selfish ones are certain to fail? No, but offering value to the customer is definitely the starting place of success.

Sometimes I do help people who are down on their luck and can't pay me anything, but this guy won't be one of them. His callous disregard for others is repulsive. My delete key is the perfect response to this selfish man.

About the author: Sydney Johnston has been an eBay seller since 1996 and is the originator and teacher of the famous 'Auction Genius Course'. She offers an 11 Day Course that teaches how to sell on ebay: http://auction-genius-course.com/11days.shtml

eBay Issues New Digital Product Rules

Author: Michael Nalbone

Acknowledging higher demand for digitally delivered products, Mara Holian, from eBay's Product Marketing team said that eBay is tightening the rules for egoods in an effort to ""improve the way these items are bought and sold on eBay"".

Sellers will now be required to identify digital items during the listing process and provide additional information about each product.

Listings for digital products will now include:

*System Requirements. *File Size. *File Format. *Details about any additional software that may be required to use the digital product, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader for .pdf files.

I know what you're thinking: ""Shouldn't the listings already contain this info?""

Of course. But, have you ever browsed auctions for an ebook? Some sellers in fact, do not make this basic information prominent in their listings. Buyers will now find the relevant info in the same place and format in every listing, instead of it being scattered about or omitted altogether.

According to eBay's site, sellers of digital goods are now required to use a ""PayPal Verified Premier"" or ""Verified Business"" account or eBay's ""Checkout Redirect functionality"" in order to collect payments.

Does this mean that you can't sell digital products unless you use PayPal or set up complicated software using eBay's API?

Probably not. Third-party services may still be an option.

An inquiry to one of the largest auction checkout & payment services, Andale, was not immediately answered. But they, and others, are likely to make updates which include this new, required functionality.

eBay also said that buyers will no longer see ""unnecessary information, such as shipping costs"". Which leads one to believe that the days of a 99 cent ebook with $12 in ""shipping and handling"" charges are gone.

Some sellers have been known to list digital items with unnecessary charges like these, and many buyers, in their enthusiasm to purchase one of these products, overlook these fees only to be disappointed upon checkout.

In addition, sellers will now be required to state that they are ""legally authorized"" to sell the product.

Research shows that everything downloadable: ebooks, mp3 songs, whole music CDs, even movies, are being offered as illegal downloads via online auction services.

While the legitimate online auction marketplaces police these types of listings and remove them promptly when they are reported or noticed, occasionally an item may slip through leaving those involved open to legal action by the copyright owner.

So, will eBay's new policy have the effect of eliminating piracy on the auction site?

Don't bet the farm.

Often, sellers mistakenly believe that they have purchased ""resale rights"" to the digital products they're offering for sale. So naturally, they will agree that they have the ""legal"" authority to re-sell the product.

Many egoods do not contain a copyright notice or resale agreement.

An inexperienced or hasty ebook publisher may unintentionally omit the information or a ""pirate"" may have removed or edited the author's copyright/resale notice.

While the new guidelines are certainly not a foolproof solution to digital piracy, eBay should be commended for taking a step in the right direction.

For more information on eBay's new digital goods requirements, see: http://pages.ebay.com/choosingformats/digitalitems/faqs/

About the author: Mike Nalbone is the publisher of ""The Essential eBay Seller's Guide"" which is a FREE, complete e-course that gives those who wish to sell successfully on eBay a great head-start. For more information, or to sign-up, visit: http://www.thewholesaledetective.com/ecourse.html

Used Cars For Sale On eBay

Author: Sydney Johnston

There are thousands of used cars for sale on eBay every single day. In fact, eBay Motors is the most profitable sales division on eBay and naturally there are many entrepreneurs who are interested in jumping into this market. For instance, eBay claims it sells an SUV every nine seconds and is the biggest online car dealer in America, exceeding the traditional car companies. In fact, there are 15 million cars sold over the Internet each year - and growing.

The recent rapid growth of the consignment business model has made the used car market even more enticing. Many sellers are able to sell cars they have never even seen and with no more risk than the cost of the auction listing. Some negotiators even persuade the car owner to pay for the ad, thereby risking no more than their time.

The biggest single issue for this business model is the trust of prospective buyers. After all, paying thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for a car sight unseen is an awesome leap of faith. Even buying for a plane ticket to go see a car before paying causes buyers to be uncomfortable.

The best way sellers can overcome this fear is to use an escrow service. eBay has a preferred service, and it's easiest to use that one.

An escrow service acts as a neutral third party. In an exchange of merchandise, the buyer sends his money to the escrow service and the seller ships the product to the buyer. The buyer usually has two days to inspect his purchase, and if he is happy, he notifies the escrow company who releases the money to the seller, minus its fee. If the buyer is dissatisfied, he returns the undamaged merchandise to the seller, and after the seller receives his merchandise back (in satisfactory condition), the escrow service returns the buyer's money. Thus both sides in the transaction are protected. The buyer almost always pays the fees for this, although sometimes buyer and seller split the cost.

eBay's offers a ""Vehicle Services Division"" specifically for dealing with the used cars, trucks, SUVs and almost anything else with wheels and a motor. The buyer can request a 160 point inspection performed before agreeing to the purchase. This is an inexpensive service and certainly will save the purchaser many headaches.

* The buyer pays a $125 fee that is non-refundable * The seller is contacted and the inspection is carried out * The buyer receives a report * The buyer chooses to go ahead with the purchase - or not

Another choice for the buyer is to deposit his payment with the escrow service and then take delivery of the vehicle. The seller ships the car after he knows the money his secure. The seller must provide tracking information, which is then verified.

The buyer has between one and 30 days to thoroughly inspect his new purchase (the period is negotiated between the two parties ahead of time). If this time expires and the escrow company has not heard from the buyer, it assumes he is happy and gives the purchase price to the seller.

The buyer may return his vehicle if he isn't happy and sometimes buyers and sellers work out partial payment agreements, the buyer being satisfied with some parts of the transaction, but not with others. If a dispute arises, it is settled by the American Arbitration Association.

The fee for this service is:

* $0 - $7,500 = value of vehicle: $125 * $7,500.01 to $15,000: $170 * $15,000.01 to $30,000: $200 * $30,000.01 to $50,000: $275 * $50,000+ = 6% of the value

Once both parties have agreed, the title transfer process begins and the escrow service will guarantee this too, for a fee of $95. The fee, naturally, doesn't include any transfer costs - it is only insurance that the title will be expedited to the satisfaction of both parties.

eBay's escrow service also offers a service that will ship cars almost anywhere in the world and will gather an auto history report to inform sellers if their new chariot has been salvaged or stolen, suffered flood or hail damage, been in a fire or accident, has had an odometer rollback or has been used as a police car, a rental or a taxi.

Anyone considering offering used cars for sale on eBay would be well advised to thoroughly learn the escrow services available and offer those to prospective buyers. The trust factor will skyrocket and your chances of completing sales will dramatically increase.

About the author: Learn how to sell on eBay with 16 hours of online instruction taught by a 10 year eBay veteran. Own an eBay business instead of an eBay hobby.

How To Find Top-Selling Ebay Items

Author: Jason James

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is the best Duration for an eBay Auction?

Author: Brian McGregor

On eBay you run your auction for a specific duration. Currently, the options are 1, 3, 5, 7 or 10 days.

But which duration is best for your auction?

In this article, I'll give you some pointers designed to assist in answering the question.

You might wonder why you would ever wish to have less than the maximum exposure i.e. 10 days? Surely running your auction for the longest time would give bidders more opportunity, and therefore a higher sale price would result? Certainly eBay.com would appear to think so, as they currently charge a fee of $0.20 for the privilege of operating a 10 day auction.

However, if you have a very popular item or if you have many identical items to sell, it may pay you to have a shorter auction duration. Also, it pays to consider the end point of your auction very carefully. In addition, if you are running a Fixed Price auction, there's a little trick you can employ to give you extra exposure.

So, let's review the elements to consider in the setting of your auction duration.

a) Start/end day of auction

In my experience, for most categories, the weekend is by far the busiest viewing period on eBay. I would estimate that around 50% of views of my auctions take place on Saturday and Sunday. In setting auction duration, therefore, the weekend peak could be important to your success.

If you can arrange to end an auction on Sunday night, you get the benefit of those who wait until the end of the auction to bid, plus the enhanced viewing traffic numbers which appear during the weekend.

This means if you're posting an auction on Tuesday night, a 5 day auction could be good.

Having said that the weekend is the busiest for most categories, some could benefit from a midweek closing date. Items in this category would include those in which goods are offered for business users. If your item is targeted at businesses, you want people to bid for your item while they are at work. In these instances, make sure your auction covers working days, and concludes during work time. It has also been found that office equipment and supplies sell well in the morning.

Be conscious of the time when you post your auction, as this is the exact time it will finish a number of days ahead. There's potentially a great deal of difference between an auction closing at 10 o'clock on Sunday night, and 10 o'clock on Sunday morning. If you can pitch your auction to be the former, you could benefit significantly from those extra weekend viewers. (Note the section on Time Zones later.)

b) Known popularity of the item

If you know your item is very popular, and your past experience shows that you will always sell at or more than the price you want, even outside of normal peak periods, then a 1 or 3 day auction could be appropriate. The benefit of a 1 or 3 day sale is that you can sell more items, more quickly.

c) Awareness of eBay sort facilities after searching

Whenever eBay's search is used by an eBayer, the default is that it returns auction titles in the order of how long auctions have left to run. Auctions which have minutes, or seconds to run, will appear first in the returned list. Auctions which have 9+ days to run will be at the end. And the list may run to many, many pages.

Experience has shown that eBayers tend to look only at one or two pages in returned lists. This means it is important you get your auction onto these first two pages at some point in its life - another reason why a 1 or 3 day auction might be better than a 7 or 10 day duration.

Be aware too that a high proportion of bidding activity takes place towards the end of an auction. This is natural. Buyers are on the lookout for bargains. If they can nip in with a bid at the end of the auction, they might get the item at a good price and there may not be time for others to top their bid. (Buyers can also use ""sniping"" software, designed to place a bid at the latest possible time on auctions which are of interest to them.)

However, the searcher can easily re-order the returned titles list. A popular option is to re-order the list into ""newly listed"" sequence. The top of the list will now show auctions which have been newly added to eBay. This is why there is sometimes a blip of bidding activity at the beginning of an auction as well as at the end.

d) Time Zones

eBay's default is to commence your auction from the time you submit it. As you know, this means it will terminate at that exact time, the number of days ahead that you select as the duration. However, if you're offering your item internationally you should give consideration to the time zone you're aiming for in terms of auction finish point.

For example, in the USA half of all eBay members reside in the Eastern Time Zone. So an auction ending at 10pm Pacific Time is fine for west coast eBay members, but over on the east coast this is 1am! So you're effectively losing around 50% of potential bidders at a critical point in your auction.

eBay does provide an option whereby you can schedule your auction to commence at a specific time (and on another day). In fact you can set your auction to start at any time and day up to 21 days ahead. This means you can commence your auction according to the timing you believe will attract the most viewers. There is a small fee for using this feature.

This is a useful capability if you want to create your listings in advance, and then have them released onto eBay in a phased sequence.

e) Fixed Price auctions - Single Item

I mentioned a little trick earlier. Well, here it is. With a Fixed Price auction for a single item you could consider managing your auction duration dynamically. You need to be monitoring your auctions closely i.e. throughout the day, to undertake this technique.

When bidders do a search on eBay, you know the auctions with the least amount of time left appear at the top of the returned list. So it is advantageous to keep the remaining time on your auction as short as possible. This is a way in which you get four bites of that cherry for a single listing fee.

1. Start your Fixed Price single item auction off with 1 day duration. Wait for someone to buy.

2. When the auction has just over 12 hours left, go in to the auction and revise the auction duration to 3 days. Yes, you can do this - as long as there is at least 12 hours left. Wait for someone to buy.

3. When the auction has just over 12 hours left, go in to the auction and revise the auction duration to 5 days. Wait for someone to buy.

4. When the auction has just over 12 hours left, go in to the auction and revise the auction duration to 7 days. Wait for someone to buy.

5. When the auction has just over 12 hours left, go in to the auction and revise the auction duration to 10 days. (Don't forget this will cost you a small fee on eBay.com) Wait for someone to buy.

6. The auction concludes naturally.

This might look complicated, but it isn't really once you get the hang of it. Of course, at any point during the above process someone could buy your item and your auction closes automatically. If you have another of the same or similar item to sell, you can re-list it.

f) Fixed Price auctions - Multiple Items

With a Fixed Price auction for multiple items, I would recommend you set the auction duration to the maximum - 10 days, or 7 days if you're not prepared to absorb the extra fee on eBay.com.

When you have multiple items it is not advisable to use the ploy described above for Fixed Price single item auctions. This is because as soon as you receive a bid (in this case it would be a Fixed Price sale), you are unable to modify the auction duration even though you may have many of the multiple items still to sell.

If you sell all your items within your chosen 7 or 10 days, then the auction closes automatically anyway.

g) Value Based Formula

If you are happier using a value based formula in setting your auction duration, here is my rule of thumb for items that I have not tried to sell before:

Min Bid amounts Set auction duration to £5 - £25 ($10 - $50) 5 days £25 - £100 ($50 - $200) 7 days Over £100 (Over $200) 7 - 10 days

If you're selling items which from experience you know will definitely be bought at acceptable prices, then you can reduce the duration.

I hope this outline of selecting the best auction duration proves useful to you.

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

Do Pictures Help Your eBay Selling?

Author: Brian McGregor

I have to admit this is a rhetorical question. There is no question that the vast majority of items will sell better if they are shown in all their glory in the form of a picture or pictures.

There are exceptions of course, but in general I find a picture is worth a thousand words on eBay.

Having established the case, how do you get pictures onto your auctions?

Let's first of all consider how and where to get a picture of your item. There are three options:

a) Use a digital camera b) Use a scanned image c) Use a ""library"" photo

a) Use a digital camera If you have a digital camera, you can photograph your items for auction. You will know that pictures taken by your digital camera can be loaded onto your PC.

b) Use a scanned image If you have a scanner, or access to one, you can take an ""old fashioned"" photo of your item, and scan it into your computer. You may be able to scan the item itself if it is of a certain shape and size eg book, card etc.

c) Use a ""library"" photo If your item is a standard branded product you may be able to search the internet and find images of the product. If you find one that is appropriate, place your mouse pointer over the picture and right click. In most cases you will be able to ""Save Picture As.."", and thus save it on your PC. Be aware that copyright laws apply here, and you mustn't copy any pictures from the internet unless you have the rights or permission to do so. Having now got a picture of your item on your PC, whether by a digital camera, a scanner or a library shot, you can usually improve it by using photo-editing software. You probably already have this software if you have a digital camera or a scanner. If you don't have such software, you can find shareware or freeware versions at sites such as these:

http://www.freewarehome.com

http://freeware.intrastar.net

http://www.tucows.com

http://shareware.cnet.com

PaintShopPro is a popular option. It has just the right balance of ""ease of use"" versus clever features.

You need this type of software to achieve a couple of things. First, to get your picture into JPEG or GIF file format - these are the only two image formats accepted by eBay. Next, to make sure the file size of the image is less than 50Kb - anything larger will result in your image taking an unacceptable length of time to load onto your auction page.

Once you have your picture ready, and stored on your own PC, you can now include it in your eBay listings.

For many items a single picture is fine. If, however, you want to add further pictures to your auction listing, there are two options.

You can DIY multiple pictures onto your auction page by having your images hosted on the internet, somewhere. Your own ISP has probably given you an amount of free web space - you can use this to host pictures for your auctions. Wherever you store them, each picture has its own unique address (URL) and this is the reference you use in your auction description to access your images.

For ultimate flexibility, if you do have web space available to you, and you place some images in this space, you can show these photos anywhere on your auction page. You will need to know HTML coding to achieve this, but it is well worth the effort.

The other option is to use eBay's Picture Service. This is very easy to use, and lets you add multiple pictures to your auction page - for a price.

It's worth learning how to include images in your eBay auctions. It will repay you a thousand times!

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

Top 10 Tips To Selling Successfully on eBay

Author: Jason James

As a successful powerseller on eBay I often get turned to for advice. Since I registered on eBay in 2000, I've ran thousands of profitable auctions which I follow these guidelines. Most importantly always try to be fair with other users who deal with you and never be intimidated by any competition. eBays big enough for us all, and currently there is 1 seller registered to 78 buyers.

1) Low starting Price

Before you list your auction, ask yourself what's the lowest amount you'd be prepared to accept for your item. A low starting price will attract more bids and at a quicker pace - usually within the first day of the listings. Research shows that a .99c starting price will get you bidders within a few hours. Many vehicles and high value items are sold with a low starting price especially by established powersellers - because unless it's an extremely poor week the item will normally end up with hundreds of bids & at a cost that's acceptable to the seller.

Additionally users are more likely to view auctions which already have a successful bid as it generates interest in your item. It's like if you see a market stall with hundreds of people standing around it - your curiosity would tell you to stop & see what's generating all the interest. Use human curiosity to your advantage.

2) No Reserve

Many sellers still place reserve prices on their item. A reserve price is one which unless it is met by your sellers you are not obliged to sell the item. An example would be if you have an reserve of $10, and your item sells for $9.00 you do not have to complete the sale & release the item. Reserve items, although very occasionally may be necessary in the case of extremely high value items or businesses for sale are off putting to bidders. Why would you bid on an item with a reserve price on, unless you already knew were aware of what the reserve was. Personally I'd look for alternative items without a reserve price.

eBay has already removed the Reserve Price option from some of it's site in a move that is largely welcome by the majority of users. It could be a sign that this policy change will be extended to all of it's sites.

3) Images

An Image is worth a thousand words. Take photos of your item to clearly show the condition of it, and any damage or unusual aspects of it. eBay allows you to include one photo free of charge & if you use your own image hosting service you can easily include as many photos as necessary to show your item in a detailed manner. Many powersellers use up to 20 photos for one single item. Ask yourself how many are necessary for your item. & also consider using the gallery option so the image will appear within the search listings.

4) Cross-Promotion

You've worked hard to get users to view your listing, so while their viewing it also include a link to any other items you've available. This is allowed in addition to the already provided link to ""View other sellers items"". You can use commercial services (such as Anadale) to include images & descriptions of your other items.

5) About Me Page

Sell yourself on your About Me Page. This is your chance to establish some credibility for yourself. The biggest reason people will not buy from you online is because you have failed to establish any credibility for yourself. So include details about you & your business. Where are you suituated?, how long have you been registered on eBay?, What do you specialise in? If your a high volume seller you may also want to include a photo of yourself. Have a look at other About Me pages to see what works and what doesn't.

6) Return Policy

Nothing gives buyers greater confidence than knowing that they can return the product if it's not for them. So consider drafting yourself a returns policy.

Will you accept returns? What if the item arrives faulty? How long is the policy valid for?

It may seem like a big risk to offer such a policy knowing that you'll have to incur a cost relisting & reshipping items but only a very small amount of users will return the items.

7) Feedback

Leave feedback for the winning bidder as soon as the item is paid for. Some sellers like to protect themselves by only returning feedback when it is left for you. I consider this unprofessional and your bidders will most likely think the same too. Don't be scared of getting a negative or neutral comment on your feedback record. The majority of users will consider all of you feedback before bidding, not just looking at one or two comments.

Additionally if you deserve any feedback left for you such as if you were late shipping, accept it was you fault. Don't be too worried about admitting it with an apology in response to your feedback. You may also want to compensate your winning bidder with reduced postage or a bonus item to show it was a genuine error on your part.

If you know the there is going to be a delay in completing any transaction, email the bidder and inform them. Apologize with a comment such as ""This is a rare incident that's completely out of my control. I hope by looking at my feedback record you will see this is an completely isolated incident"". Always try to keep on good terms with all your buyers.

8) Instant attention

Give immediate attention to your bidders & prospective bidders. Don't leave a delay of days before responding to any emails or phone calls. And following a successful transaction you may want to email your bidder to tell them when the items been shipped and when it will be expected to arrive.

I know many sellers, some of them powersellers who takes days to respond to a simple email. If you don't have time to respond immediately consider delegating the responsibility to someone else who can respond on your behalf. Never give any bidder reason to doubt whether your a genuine seller or not.

9) eBay Store

Opening an eBay Store is a necessary step for anyone medium sized seller. Not only do you benefit from cheaper & longer listings within your shop, but you can also cross-promote your products easily, send out newsletters and establish a trusted brand for your listings easier. Also you'll gain more coverage (& hopefully bids) for your listings by appearing in the eBay store directory.

10) Shipping

Don't be tempted to over price your shipping costs and try to make a small profit on this. Firstly you can be found out to easily, & it's one of the most unforgiving things for a seller to do. More importantly over pricing your shipping costs is against eBay policy.

If your offering digital goods such as an eBook or special report, you may consider a small handling fee to cover your time and administration costs. If you do make sure it's fair and clearly highlighted within the item listing. The last thing a bidder wants to do is find out there are unexpected costs associated with a purchase they've made.

Good luck with your eBay selling activity.

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

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

Discover the Keywords Secret to Making Money on eBay

Author: Brian McGregor

If there's one thing that dismays me, it's that so many sellers on eBay are simply throwing their listing fees away!

First off, can we agree that there's little point in listing your item unless buyers are going to view your auction? Yes?

In which case, why do so many eBay sellers create auctions which are NEVER going to get viewed? There are millions of eBay sellers who do this.

What many sellers don't realise when they create their auction is that they've wasted their listing fee before they even get to filling in the auction description page.

They make a fundamental error earlier on in their auction creation. And that is in their auction title. The reality is, if your auction title is not effective, it really doesn't matter how good your description page is - your auction won't get seen.

Here are some facts.

If you sell on eBay, learn them well!

1. To find items they want to bid on, 70% of buyers use eBay's search box first

2. Words keyed into the search box are compared ONLY with auction titles

3. Words keyed into the search box are NOT compared with auction descriptions

4. Words keyed into the search box are NOT compared with auction sub-titles

Which all means that your auction title must contain the keyed-in search words used by buyers, or your auction won't get brought back in search return lists.

And if it isn't in the search return list, it can't be clicked on by a potential buyer.

And if it isn't clicked on, how can the item get sold?

The harsh truth is that unless your item appears in search return lists, it isn't going to sell! And that's what will happen if your auction title is not effective.

How do you get your auctions in search return lists more often?

It's simple. You just make sure you put keywords in your auction titles which you believe eBayers will search on.

To decide on the keywords to use, you have to think like a buyer. What words would be used by a person interested in searching for an item like yours?

At this stage, just list them. Don't put the words into a sentence yet. Spend as long as you like on this exercise. The more effective you are with this, the less likely you are to have one of those sleepy auctions that rarely gets a visitor.

Having listed as many keywords as you can think of, you have to decide which are the strongest. Remember, you only have 55 precious characters for your auction title.

Taking your best keywords, you now create your auction title. It's not an English exam, so it doesn't matter if it doesn't scan like a sentence.

You can add a power word or two if you've space. By this I mean words like stunning, limited edition, unique, rare, new, one-off, exclusive, distinctive, dramatic etc. These are words which can influence buyers to click through to your auction description. They aren't keywords searched on by buyers, so use them sparingly. For the same reason, I don't advocate the use of ""clever"" words like l@@k or w0w!

Finally, do the words in your title convey what the item is? If so, that's it. You've created a powerful, compelling and keyword rich auction title. And your auction will appear more often in search return lists. And, that's the key!

Now you know how fundamental keywords are to your auction, why not review your current auction titles today? Get those keywords into your auction title and take it from me you'll get your fair share of the 79 million eBay daily searchers.

About the author: Brian McGregor is an eBay specialist. He is creator of the unique software product eBay Keyword Pro, which tells you the most popular keywords on eBay. Get your free version of eBay Keyword Pro from www.keyword-p ro.com/kpdemoversion.htm

Five Top Tips for Successful eBay Selling

Author: Brian McGregor

Here are five of the best tips I've come across when you're selling on eBay:

1. Keywords in titles and descriptions

When creating an auction for an item, try and catch a bigger audience by including related popular words in your title or description. For example if you're selling an XYZ make of DVD player, in your description you could say something like ""it doesn't matter if you're looking for a Sony, Panasonic, Philips etc, you will find the XYZ competes on all features."" So when people search for a Sony in the description, your auction will be returned in the list.

2. See my other auctions

Although your auction page on eBay provides a facility which lets people click over to see your other auctions, always include a link within your auction description. Many people don't know of the standard links which are at the top of the page, or they immediately click down the auction page to get to the item description.

3. Shoulder the risk

If you think about it, buyers bear all the risk in an auction transaction. They will probably have to pay the seller before the item is dispatched. This risk could be the final reason why someone may not bid on your auction. Think about removing the risk, and see if you can ""afford"" to offer a moneyback guarantee in your auction description. If you are honest and your item is as described, this tactic could be a win/win for you.

4. Save time on repetitive keying

You may have noticed during your auction activity how often you key in the same words or phrases over an over again. You can use a lovely little piece of software called Shortkeys which will reduce this keying by around 95%. You can find out about Shortkeys here:- http://www.shortkeys.com

5. Feedback promotion

If you have a web site, include its address in every feedback you give to your buyers. It's free advertising for you which will grow and grow as your auction business develops. For example, you could use something like this as feedback:

Excellent buyer. Prompt payment. A1 recommended www.more-auction-sales.com

Use these tips, and your eBay business will be greatly assisted.

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

Drive Yourself to More eBay Auction Money - Selling Cars on eBay

Author: Brian McGregor

Big ticket items are increasingly popular on eBay, and cars are probably one of the best examples of this.

In fact, eBay is the largest dealer of used cars in the USA. And eBay's car sales in the UK is also growing significantly. Every 16 seconds, a car is sold on eBay!

If you're an eBay seller, here's an idea you might like to consider to make extra cash.

The vast majority of car dealers don't use eBay. They advertise in the press, usually locally, and their customers likewise usually live within reach of the car dealer.

What eBay Motors has successfully proved is that people will bid on cars from owners hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Why not take your eBay selling expertise, and offer your services to car dealers in your area?

You know how to create auctions, take and upload photos, and manage auctions. The dealers have vehicles which are getting a tiny fraction of the exposure which eBay could offer.

You might decide to offer this to dealers on a no-cost basis. In other words, you bear the cost of eBay's listing and selling fees. The benefit here is that there is no reason why the dealer shouldn't give you the go-ahead. They could get a sale without cost to them and no extra effort on their behalf. That's what I call a no-brainer!

Alternatively, you could pass on the fees to the dealer on the basis that they would be spending money anyway on press advertising.

The other commercial arrangements are simple. You could work on a commission, where you get a percentage of the sale price. Or you could agree a price which the dealer will accept for the sale of the car, and anything you can get above that price is your profit. This would work particularly well if the dealer has had a vehicle for some time, and is losing interest in it!

The best types of cars to sell on eBay are those that are unusual for one reason or another. It might be vintage or classic vehicles, sports cars or high value models. You're best to avoid what might be termed ""normal"" cars.

One of the major potential problems is easily handled. You can't expect the dealer to cease trying to sell a vehicle which you have on eBay auction. In every auction you run for a car, you state that the vehicle is also on sale in other ways, and that you reserve the right to withdraw it before the end of the auction period. You will see such statements on many eBay car auctions.

Incidentally, this idea doesn't have to be limited to cars. There are big ticket item opportunities in several categories. You're looking for retail outlets which tend to concentrate on local advertising and local trade. Examples of this would be jewelers, antique traders and real estate operations.

With big ticket items, just one or two sales per week could make a significant difference to you.

Worth thinking about!

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

Latest Ebay Email Scam - Very Tricky

Author: Bernard Peh

I received an email from ebay, asking me to do a simple survey for 20 dollars. Google had conducted similiar surveys and it is not surprising that ebay could do the same. The survey was very tempting because I had nothing to loose and I believed many people would think the same way like I did. The email was written professionally and there was nothing suspicious about the links.

Like the paypal email scam that I wrote earlier, http://www.sitecritic.net/articleDetail.php?&id=89, the latest ebay email scam looked really believable and I almost fell for it. Many people are used to receiving scam emails asking them to update their details but this one is more tricky. I hope this article can prevent unwary internet users from being cheated by unethical people. The email looks like this:

----- eBay's Survey Department

Dear eBay Member,

You have been chosen by the eBay's Survey Department to take part in our quick and easy 6 question survery, In return we will instantly credit $20 to your account - Just for your time! Helping us better understand how our customer's feel benefits everyone. With the information collected we can decide to direct a number of changes to improve and expand our online service. The information you provide us is all sensitive - No part of it is handed down to any third party groups. It will be stored in our secure database for a maximum of 7 days while we process the results of this nationwide survey.

We kindly ask you to please spare 2 minutes of your time in taking part with this unique offer!

To Continue click or copy and paste the link below : http://signin.ebay-survey.com/.ws/ebayISAPI.dll%3fSignIn/index.ht m

Regards, eBay's Survey Department -----

If you click on the link, you will arrive at signin.ebay-survey.com and there is nothing wrong with the site(Ebay logo, header, footer...etc). You might think that ebay-survey.com belongs to ebay. Wrong! If you type in the url ebay-survey.com, you will arrive at a totally different site.

Upon entering signin.ebay-survey.com, you will be asked to do a simple survey, then you are asked to sign in. The site looks real because it actually checks if your userID and password are valid. If you enter the userID as ""blar"" and password as ""12345"", the login will not work. You should be able to login with any fake userID and password (more than 8 characters for each). After that, you will be given a very good reason to reveal your credit card details.

--- Why do we need your credit card information?

Please enter your credit card information linked with your eBay and/or Paypal account. We will deposit the $20 cash back directly to your account within three business days of your next purchase.

The Credit will appear as ""eBay Reward Survey"" on your next billing statement. --

If you enter your credit card details, then ""bye bye"". The fake ebay email uses the popular idea of ""getting paid for doing surveys"" to cheat unwary internet users. The email is tricky, tempting, well-planned and believable. I am pretty sure that this scam is going to claim alot of victims. If you have friends using ebay services, make sure you warn them before it is too late.

About the author: Bernard Peh is a great passioner of web technologies and one of the co-founders of Sitecritic.net Website Reviews . He works with experienced web designers and developers for more than 5 years, developing and designing commercial and non-commercial websites. During his free time, he does website reviews,freelance SEO and PHP work.

How to Profit from Your eBay Business

Author: Jason James

How often do you get to hear this? -- ""Sold! -- to the highest bidder!""

How much do you think eBay has changed the world does shopping?

So much! And from this peculiar way of doing shopping has made a lot of people do business in a more fun way -- auctions.

Auctioning off your service or products in eBay has become one of most profitable businesses discovered by the online world. Now if you're more than enticed by that here's your chance to get in on this retail hysteria-and it's not hard and inexpensive to get started. All you need is your and computer and a product/service people would need or simply want-and you are well on your way to doing business with eBay's $2 billion global marketplace.

Anything could almost be sold on eBay, from the common to the unusual. And any time of the day or night, your business could be ran, which makes this an excellent business to start part time.

Why should you run an eBay business?

a. It's way easy.

Only a little or no capital at all is needed to start an eBay business. If you start one you, as a seller, have relatively little to lose and could gain a lot. Within an hour you can start your eBay business. If you have no marketing skills, good news! You don't really need any. With only a few dollars, you could already get your product listed, and voila!

b. The world market is just a click away.

From anywhere in the world, you can operate your business. eBay has a $2 billion global marketplace and it's still growing.

c. eBay is an established business.

Unlike being a newbie Internet marketer, you don't need to fret on how you should drive traffic to your site since eBay already has all the traffic that you need.

d. You could support your hobby.

Oftentimes, it's the products the come from people's sheer interests that makes their eBay business really profitable.

e. Enjoy the comforts of your home.

With eBay, working from home has never been so easy and fun. More flexible hours and your family within your reach, what else could you ask for? It is one rewarding biz that allows you to have more time for other things that you'd like to do.

f. You're in control of your earnigs.

Depending on your products and services, you can take charge of how much you would like to earn.

g. Save on shipping.

Lots of drop shipping sources could ship the product for you.

h. You don't have to maintain an inventory.

You only have to take orders and of course, payment.

Those are just a few of the invaluable reasons why it is a smart move to start an eBay business. The list could go on and on. However, it is now more important to know the tricks of the trade. Read on to learn more.

Here are the things that you must know to start and do good in your eBay business:

1. Take time to understand all the kinds of online auctions. 2. Know what are the most profitable products/services to sell online 3. How to maximize eBay tools to improve your business 4. Learn the inside secrets from successful eBay entrepreneurs 5. Know how to fully-equip your eBay office 6. Grasp the essential key to eBay success

The top online auctions businessmen of eBay are earning as much as $500,000 annually. Surely, it won't hurt to want to reach that status, right? Just follow the bits of advice above and in no time you'd be raking in big bucks, too.

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

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

5 Handy tips to help you start a eBay business

Author: Jason James

If you want to start a ebay business then it is vital to keep in mind that it is no different than the responsibilities of embarking on any other type of business. Sure you may be able to work from home, in your underwear, and never leave the couch; but it takes a little more than hopping on your computer to start a ebay business.

In today's article we will go over 5 important tips that you can use to help get you moving to start a ebay business.

1. Create an office space or special room inside of your house or apartment for your ebay business. If you want to start a ebay business and make it successful then you are going to want to be able to focus and concentrate on your ebay goals. There is no better way to do this than to have your own office.

2. Write an ebay business plan. This is an important step when you start a ebay business and is most often overlooked by many new online ebay sellers. It is imperative that you put one together, even if your business plan is created on napkins! You will have to include a mission statement, a vision of your goals, your ebay profit and loss estimates, etc.

3. Create a checklist of what items you will need to set up your ebay campaign. Obviously, when you want to start a ebay business you will need to get your products listed and in view of others. Your checklist will include having a photo taken of your item, resizing and cropping your photo, creating your title and description of the ebay auction, and of course - answering your bidder questions when available.

4. Decide on what you are going to sell on ebay. You cannot start a ebay business without a product. This choice is a personal one. You can find ebay products to sell from a wide range of sources. There are a few books on the subject of finding products to sell when you start a ebay business. One of the most popular items to sell are Antiques

5. Learn to budget your time as efficiently as possible. Start a ebay business with extreme time precision. In other words, if you have 5 hours a day to devote to making money on ebay then do not waste any time browsing through message groups, emailing your friends, or pondering an idea too much. Get out, find your product, and start your ebay campaigns NOW!

About the author: Jason James is an eBay PowerSeller and his website ""Auction Resource Network"" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him earn $10,000+ a month on eBay. Claim your FREE e-Course Here: http://www.auctionre sourcenetwork.com

The Right Wholesalers Help Your Ebay Business

Author: Jason James

Starting up your own Ebay business is not difficult but making it into a successful venture that can help you save towards retirement and achieve your other financial goals can be a bit more challenging. Tenacity, hard work, determination, a bit of luck, and the right wholesalers are all useful in establishing your Ebay business.

Taking the Next Step

Most people enter into the Ebay business universe by selling off some of the things they already have. This is a great idea because it allows sellers to learn the ropes of Ebay auctions while generating some revenue. But, there will always come a point when you don't have any more things from your household that you want to part with.

In order to sustain your Ebay business and grow to the next level, you are going to have to find more things to list in your online auctions. Some people decide to hit the flea market and antique store circuit in hopes of finding rare deals that they can snap up and turn a nice profit on by turning around and reselling the item through their Ebay business.

While this is indeed a viable route to take if you are selling older items or collectibles, there are some drawbacks to this approach. First, this is a time consuming and rather inefficient way to secure the merchandise you need to keep the online auctions rolling. Secondly, there are more and more people using Ebay for the same purposes as yourself so it is getting harder to make a profit using this approach because prices are being driven upward.

This is why you should consider selling new merchandise with your Ebay business. For one, you need not put in the leg work or time that you would trying to make the rounds at smaller shops. All you need to do is place an order and have a place set aside to store the merchandise until selling it.

Finding the right wholesalers can really make the difference between a successful Ebay business and one that only brings in some extra income into the household. There are people who buy dresses and clothing from wholesalers and turn around and sell them on Ebay for very substantial profits.

But to do this, you need to find wholesalers that can supply you with the quality of product you want at the cheapest prices possible. Unlike drop shippers who merely take an order and the money from a customer and pass it on to a wholesaler who turns around and ships the product directly to the customer, you have to take care of the packaging and shipping tasks. Therefore, you need to make as much profit as possible to compensate for your time and effort.

This means that you will not only have to do a lot of homework to find the absolute best deals possible, but you also have to guard the secret of your source so that others conducting their own online auctions don't undercut you. But when you find the right wholesalers-the money just starts rolling in! Just be careful what you wish for because the bigger your Ebay business becomes, the more effort and stress it takes to sustain it!

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

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

7 Tips On How To Buy A Work From Home Website On Ebay

Author: Khemal Dole

Are you looking to buy a ready-made work at home website of business on Ebay? I'm floored at how many work at home ""websites"" and ""businesses"" are listed daily. They all promise to make you a millionaire fast or that you can earn $5000 a month starting right now. Although there are legitimate listings, there are an alarming number of listing that simply scream out ""SCAM!"". Unfortunately many people don't hear it or don't look for the signs. Before you fall victim to such a scam and waste your money, here are 7 tips to help find the right website.

1) Look out for Outrageous ""Income"" or ""Income Potential""

Many listings claim that the website or business makes HUGE amounts of profit or has the ""potential"" of making a huge profit. This is your first sign of a possible scam because if YOU had a website that made $500 a day would YOU sell it? I know I wont. So why is this person selling his or her website? They always list a few ""excuses"" like, ""I have no time to run this website"" or ""I build them so I can sell them"". Honestly, if you had a website that's making you money, you would FIND the time to run it and improve it, not sell it off. Be weary about these claims of HUGE profits. If it looks too good to be true, it just might be!

2) Ask for Verifiable proof of income.

If the website is claimed to be making profit, the seller might show you a PICTURE of his or her income statement. Sadly these PICTURES can be easily altered to say ANYTHING that a person wants to - including showing profits. Pictures of Paypal statements can be easily doctored to show profits. If the profit statements are real, the owner should have no objection to faxing you a copy of the statement, plus statements for previous months. Plus the owner should be able to show DIRECT relations between the website being sold and the statements. Often owners will have multiple websites that tie into ONE paypal address. And they might show you a statement of that profitable paypal account. But the fact of the matter is that the actual profit is from multiple websites and the particular website on sale might not even be profitable. This is a business transaction so make sure you treat it like one and ask for verifiable proof. Don't settle for mere PICTURES on a website as proof.

3) How long has the website been established for?

Many websites are claimed to be ""established"". This means that the seller claims that the website has been around for some time and has regular traffic and customers. Look into the source of the traffic. The seller might have purchase ""guaranteed"" traffic just to make it LOOK like an established website. Demand website statistics for at least 6 previous months and study them. If you see a sudden spike in traffic, then you know something's up. And even if you don't see a sudden increase, where is the traffic coming from? What are the seller's advertising methods used to get that traffic? Once you purchase the website, will you continue to get the same benefits of advertising and traffic? Is the seller willing to show you how to advertise? If so, how much will it cost per month? Do the math and see if the website will indeed be profitable after the costs. Don't buy websites that are new yet claim to be established. Really profitable websites are at least an year old and can show you proof of its establishment. Also use tools such as www.Alexa.com and type in the URL of the website to see exactly WHEN it was established. Alexa's reports can't be doctored by the seller and is a credible source. Do your research before you place your bid.

4) Beware of so-called Millionaires promising to make you a millionaire.

If YOU were a millionaire why would YOU be selling information about how to become one on ebay? If you were that generous, why don't you donate your money to charity? Or better yet GIVE that information away for free? Why CHARGE for information? I see many so called Millionaires selling their ""secrets"" starting at $49.00. If you had so much money what would $49 be worth to you? It's a drop in the ocean. Unless the seller BECAME a millionaire by selling his ""secrets"" for $49 to people who thought they can be millionaires themselves. So if you bought such a website, would YOU automatically become a millionaire? Or would you have to sell the SAME information to others at $49.00 a pop to become one? You'll need to make 20408 sales at $49.00 to become a millionaire. Often, there's always a catch like that in offers by these so-called self made millionaires. They don't love you. They love your money and they ask it upfront. If they were in a charitable mood why don't they just GIVE you the secret and once you make your million let you pay them $49.00 of out it? Ask them that before you buy these websites or ""secrets"".

5) Be weary of instant ""Cookie Cutter"" websites.

Many websites on sale are simply replicates of a site and are put up for sale many times. This means that you are not the only one who's got a website like that. This produces competition and when you are starting out, you don't want to have a fierce completion. These types of ""cookie cutter"" websites lose their identity in the market. Basically the mentality of your visitors would be ""You see one, you've see them all"". YOUR website won't be unique. And you end up fighting an uphill battle. Opt to buy unique websites that aren't sold many times over and over again. You can easily spot cookie cutter websites if you search ebay. You'll see the same theme such as ""legal forms"" or ""paid to drive"" websites. Don't waste your time or money on these. Save your money to buy a unique website. It will pay your back many times over.

6) Beware of Adsense Earning statements

Adsense is the new way of starting an instant income stream. You get paid by Google for showing ads on your website. Many websites claim they have a daily Adsense income of say $50 or a monthly income of say $3000. Work at home businesses that are SOLELY built on adsense are a disaster waiting to happen. Don't get me wrong. Adsense is a very good source of income. But it should NOT be your ONLY income. The Adsense revenue is directly related to your website traffic. If you lose traffic you lose income. If a seller boasts high profits through adsense, ask for verifiable proof of income for previous months and see how much profits were from adsense and if it was the ONLY source of income. Don't put all your eggs in one Adsense basket. It's tempting but you'll be flirting with trouble if your website doesn't have another method of income.

7) Pay attention to the number of bids.

If a website catches your attention don't bid on it until you can get a feel for it's worth. The number of bids on it can give you a rough idea about what kind of an opportunity it is and whether it's worth your time and money. If a website has 0 bids and has a buy it now price of $49.00 it's probably not worth your money. It could well be another cookie cutter website. If the website has many bids and there's still plenty of time before the auction ends, and the price is fairly high then it might be actually worth that price. Remember that you aren't the only person doing research. Many bids means many others have done research and like what they found. Make sure you check out WHO those bidders are and their feedback as well. Don't be fooled by false bids.

There you go. 7 tips on how to select a work at home website at ebay. I hope that your search will reveal the ideal business for you and I pray that you follow my tips and not end up losing your money. Take care this holiday season and spend your money wisely.

About the author: Khemal Dole owns and operates http://www.PaychecksDirect.com a completely FREE service that teaches many beginners and even experts how to work at home.

Sign up for his FREE 14 day Work At Home Beginner's Course and learn how real people make money from the internet.

Starting an eBay Business

Author: Aaron Jimenez

Most Americans are online now, but even those that are confused when it comes to the Internet still have heard of the online auction site eBay. The eBay website burst forth a few years ago as millions of people found out how enjoyable it was to unload unwanted items online and how fun it was to buy them. Regardless what you needed or just wanted there was someone selling it, and for all your items you wanted to get rid of there was a buyer. eBay quickly became the finest example of what could be possible on the Internet. With that power and influence it didn't take long for industrious entrepreneurs to profit on the site. Each entrepreneur from moms to business people were building businesses on the eBay website. Recently a new eBay business has emerged selling things for others. These

eBay franchises are just stores that list things to sell on eBay, write up the eBay listing and then the franchise gets some of the money from the sale or a fee. Some believe that the

eBay business opportunities and franchises are the best idea to hit the franchise market in over twenty years.

You don't have to look hard to see that there are multiple types of

entrepreneurs that might want to own an eBay franchise. The first type of person that has worked with eBay before and understands the site and knows the potential of eBay. The next type of person is one that has done their time in a retail business. A person that has worked in a shipping franchise in the past or a traditional retail franchise will already know if buying an eBay franchise is something they might like owning.

How Does an EBay drop off store Franchise Operate?

eBay consignment franchises really just the middle man between the two parties. To keep the seller from being forced to take pictures, figure out what best to write about items, and then where to list the item the eBay consignment franchise does it all for them. eBay drop off stores not only profit from eBay regulars, that don't care to deal directly with the website, but they get business from millions of people that are still having trouble with the web. By starting up an eBay business you open up the industry all around you while providing something useful for the community.

So, why a Franchise Opportunity Instead of Starting from The ground up?

Opening an eBay business doesn't appear to be all that daunting when first considered. All you do is take items from customers, then you simply log onto eBay and create the listing, then ship it to the winner and take the money. The actual truth is, there is more to it than that. There's even more to it than than obvious. You should have a store with an efficient system to sell from. Then you need to have an advertising plan to bring in the customers you need to be prosperous. And of course you must know what listing styles on the eBay website are best. The next type of person is one- you need to know goes on and on, and unless you are good at lots of things you won't have the knowledge necessary to operated a profitable eBay consignment business.

There are other advantages to owning a franchise above starting a business on your own. Some of the

eBay franchises will have turnkey packages ready to go. All they have to do is pull a truck to you and get everything set-up. Soon after that, everything is in place and you have a professional and efficient storefront. With this comes credibility based on the franchises reputation. With this valuable name recognition you get existing customers, and this accelerates the time required to build a client base.

OK - Where do I Find out More?

One of the best places to look for an eBay retail biz Opp is online. The Internet is the most unique and usable data source ever. The downside to searching on the net is that periodically the facts is outdated or wrong. To be positive you dig up the top franchise info stick to one top franchise directories . Once you have a few eBay consignment franchises that look good take time to research each of them. One of the biggest mistakes some investors make is not getting enough info on the franchise. Chat with the franchise and to todays and past franchisees. Read over all of the financial books also. You can't learn enough when it comes to an investment of this size.

Being the owner of a business can be scary, but owning your own business is a real way to reach to financial freedom in America. The Internet has allowed for many opportunities and an

eBay franchise is only one of them. Learn all about the eBay franchise you want, and keep in mind that the sole thing stopping you from success in business is you.

About the author: Franchise Online provides a wealth of career information for those seeking to take control of their job future. Use Franchise Online as your career and self-employment center for finding franchises and

business opportunities to change your career path.

Keeping records of your Ebay business: Part 2

Author: Jason James

In part one of this ebay article series we introduced you to the importance of keeping a proper paperwork trail of everything pertaining to your ebay home business profits. We discussed how keeping detailed records of every area of your ebay home business was not only beneficial for tax purposes but at the same time it is the only way to seriously track and tweak your ebay home business for long term success.

Also in part one, we then closed the end of the ebay home business article by explaining the definitions of gross profit and gross profit margin. These two categories of incoming profits are important to help you understand what you are earning and which direction you want those earnings to go in.

Before you get bored again, let me remind you that I know you would rather be talking about selling and spending all of the millions you will make with your ebay home business! But trust me, these dry topics on paperwork, records, and taxes are exactly what you need to become an expert at in order to create long term stability with your ebay home business.

Ok, back to business. In today's article we are going to help you understand your tax responsibilities. If you were like me at the beginning of my ebay home business, then you probably can find any reason possible NOT to go through the trouble of keeping formal bookkeeping records of your ebay business. Unfortunately for us small business people, the IRS tax law overrules whatever reason we have to justify not keeping the books up do date for our ebay home business. The law states that you must keep very detailed records of your ebay income, your ebay expenses, your assets, and even your liabilities.

By keeping these ebay home business records accurately recorded, you will be enabled to properly report on your tax return every bit of income that comes in from that ebay home business. You will also then be able to claim any and all write-offs that are connected to your business.

What are ""Write-offs""? They are deductions that you can subtract when having the tax paperwork completed for your ebay home business. Let me give you an example:

Let's say that you sell Antique products as your main source of income for your ebay home business. Each day you get in your car and drive around town and visit flee markets, swap meets, and yard sales to find hot deals on Antiques. You will then turn around and resell these same Antiques on Ebay for big time profits. Your tax responsibility here is to keep track of the exact mileage you used up in your vehicle. This information can be used as a tax write-off. And of course don't forget to save your gas receipts for extra tax benefits!

Next I'm going to bring up an ugly word that give many ebay home business owners the chills. The ""audit"". If you are unfamiliar with the term audit or have never experienced getting audited then allow me to explain it to you.

As much as you may not like their reach of power, the IRS has the legal right to view all of your ebay home business records if they should ask. This is not an assumption, it is the truth. Should this happen, then you will be what is called ""audited"". And if you are one of those unlucky ones that are audited then you had better be prepared with detailed, complete, and truthful business records. You do not want to have missed important tax claims or filed inaccurate reports in the past because if an audit should happen then those negative actions could jeopardize your ebay home business.

Last but not least, we are going to leave you with understanding what financial type records that you will need to show to a bank if you are applying for a loan to help expand and grow your ebay home business. The first one is called a balance sheet. The second is called an income statement.

Income Statement: An income statement consists of a list of your assets, liabilities and what you have invested into your business. And by the way, any amount of funding that you ""invested"" into your ebay home business is called equity.

Income Statement: This statement is simply a list showing all of the income and all of the expenses of your ebay home business within a specified period of time. This ""specified period of time"" is usually quarterly or yearly, depending on how often you attend to your taxes.

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

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

Paying for Items With eBay Coupons

Author: Nicky Pilkington

There's a novel idea afoot nowadays: electronic discount coupons.

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

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

Using Coupons

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

Sharing Coupons

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

Coupons and your eBay and PayPal accounts

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

Important restrictions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yet Another Example of eBay Ignoring Fraud on its Website

Author: Michael A. S. Guth

The author is a practicing attorney, who has formed a very low opinion of eBay and its subsidiary Paypal, based on the manner in which they permit fraud to occur over their web sites. Recently, I was contacted by another defrauded customer of eBay, Lois Reynolds, and she asked me to tell her story so that others might not be victimized by using eBay.

Lois wanted to outline the details of the situation in which she was defrauded on eBay and $1232.49 has been stolen from her, not to mention the emotional turmoil she is going through. She had never bid on or used eBay before until this time.

Dec 15 2005 - Lois entered a bid on a 2000 Crown Victoria on eBayMotors.com of $1186.00, item number 4596509986. This vehicle was up for bid by Payless Auto 503-777-0012 and eBay member ID reddog4359. Lois was quickly outbidded and did not bid anymore on this vehicle.

Dec 18 2005 - Lois received an email in her eBay mailbox for a second chance offer from eBay member redlittlepebble to purchase the vehicle at her bid of $1186.00 because the winning bidder could not complete the transaction. Lois also received this same email on her alternate email address at lois.reynolds@@jamesriverins.com. The email advised what she needed to do to complete the transaction. Lois was told to email the seller directly at ianc1ianc@hotmail.com and that she would need to send a western union money order for her bid amount.

Dec 21 2005 - Lois emailed the seller at the email address given and requested additional info about the vehicle and asked for a payment method other than Western Union. He advised he did not have access to Paypal.com, but to go ahead and send the wire transfer as he had a $20k deposit with eBay.

Dec 21 2005 - Since Lois had never used eBay before and did not want to get ripped off, Lois went into her eBay account and sent an email to eBay's security and resolution department and asked if this was a valid transaction and told them what was going on.

Dec 21 2005 - Lois received an email back from confirm@eBay-info-pay.com that gave further instructions to send the money transfer. Also in a separate email on this day, Lois received another email from the same address advising the transaction was protected by eBay and to go ahead with the money transfer. [Author's note, eBay-info-pay.com is not the same as eBay.com, and this email message was probably sent by a fraudulent company.]

Dec 22 2005 - Lois sent a wire transfer via Western Union to a David Cantrell at the following address: 1105 W. 81st pl, Los Angeles, Ca. 90044-3546. Lois sent all of the payment details to the seller at Ianc1ianc@hotmail.com and sent a copy to eBay at confirm@eBay-info-pay.com.

Dec 22 2005 - Lois received an email from confirm@eBay-info-pay.com advising that the payment info had been validated and that they would contact the seller with instructions on shipping. These emails are signed, regards eBay payment department. The vehicle was due to arrive in Richmond Va on Tuesday 12/27/2005 but did not arrive.

Dec 23 2005 - Lois received an email from eBay Customer Support (mwebhelp@eBay.com) thanking me for reporting the possible fraudulent email and that they will investigate. By this time, Lois had already sent the wire transfer because the car was a Christmas gift for her son. Lois has since received several emails from eBays customer support department advising that the transaction was not an eBay transaction and that Lois was not eligible for any protection services.

Dec 28 2005 - Lois filed a IFCC report and filed a fraud report with the Federal Trade commission. Lois has also alerted Western Union's fraud department of this situation. A police report has been filed with the Henrico County Police Department also.

In summary, Lois was deceived out of money due to her trust in eBay's system. Lois logged into her eBay account and the email that offered the second chance offer was in her inbox. Therefore, without question, eBay opened up its internal email system to merchants who engage in fraudulent scams of unsuspecting members of the public. Lois contacted eBay before she sent the transfer and asked for help. Because of eBay's slow response time, another company was able to send Lois a message with an official eBay logo that advised her it was a valid transaction. Lois feels that this was an inside job or someone hacked into the eBay system and took her money, because how else would the fraudulent company have known that she wrote in just at that particular time and asked for verification. [Note from the author: It is important to close out all windows when contacting a company for verification, because if the consumer uses the same window or a linked address the link may say ""eBay.com Security"" but the actual link may go to another bogus site such as eBay-info-pay.com.]

EBay had responded via email advising this transaction is not covered by any protection services as it was not an eBay transaction. But everything Lois did relating to this transactions was initiated through her eBay account.

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

Make Money On Ebay Without Spending

Author: Jason James

Did you know that you can earn a full time income selling on Ebay without making any initial investment at all? You don't need to pay for your inventory and you don't even need to pay ebay fees until the end of each billing period.

In fact, you can sell on ebay and avoid spending any money at all until you have already made profit from dozens of sales.

One method you can use to do this is dropshipping. Simply find a dropshipper online, such as http://www.megagoods.com/ and sign up for their dropshipping program.

Most dropshippers will allow you to join for free. Some will have better prices than others, so you should browse a number of sites before making your selection. Once you choose a dropshipper and create an account, look for items you could potentially sell on ebay.

After you have selected items from your dropshipper, match the dropshipper's prices against the prevailing market prices on ebay.

For instance, let's say you decide to sell 40GB ipods on ebay. You search ebay and find that the prevailing market price for a 40GB ipod is $329. Your dropshipper offers to sell you a 40GB ipod for $280.

If you calculate that you can sell at the prevailing market price and still earn a significant profit after fees, you should stick with that dropshipper. If not, you should select another item or another dropshipper that will give you a higher profit margin.

Credit is another easy--and more obvious--way to make money on ebay without spending. You can use a credit card or paypal buyer credit to purchase items at a discount from less-trafficked auction sites, such as bidz.com or bid4assets.com.

Simply purchase an item on credit, resell it on ebay, and then use the profits to purchase another item, which you will resell again, restarting the cycle. By the time your credit card statement arrives, you will have far surpassed your initial investment. Not only will you be able to pay off the debt, but you will have enough money to purchase more merchandise without using credit.

You can also purchase items wholesale in small batches online using this same method. If you go to http://www.wholesaledir.com/, you will find a number of wholesale dealers.

Purchase your first batch from an online wholesaler using credit. Break the batch down into smaller groups or into individual items; and resell them at a reasonable markup. By the end of your billing statement, you should have enough money to pay off your bills and purchase a new batch.

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

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

How to Kill Your eBay Business - Avoid Doing This!

Author: Brian McGregor

It's surprisingly easy to virtually kill your eBay business, if you're not careful.

Yes, I know, you can probably start over again from scratch without it costing you anything, but do you really want to?

So, if you want your business to end up dead in the water, here are some simple ways to do it.

1. Lie about an item

Say it works fine when it sometimes doesn't work. Say it's in perfect condition when it has a scratch. Your customers will hate you!

2. Mail your item whenever you feel like it

Make sure to leave your customers hanging around, wondering when their item is going to turn up. This makes sure they buy from someone else next time.

3. Let items end anytime

Few people will be around to care about your auction if it ends in the middle of the night. Why go to the trouble of working out whether auctions will end at a good time?

4. Don't bother with email

Customers are just time wasters anyway. eBay businesses are supposed to run themselves! Never give informed responses to questions about your item.

5. Sell rubbish

Really, it's just eBay. You can just sell any old tat from the market for a 200% profit. Let quality be someone else's concern - I mean, really, what do they expect for that price?

6. Refuse to give discounts

You know what your items cost, you know what your profit margin is going to be, and you're not going to negotiate. Remember that giving customers special deals might make them feel good and come back to you again.

7. Make your listings ugly

As many colors, flashing lights and animations as possible will really give those customers a headache. Write as much in CAPITALS!!!! as you can. Preferably big, red capitals. Be sure to use the fonts Impact and Comic Sans. For an extra special touch, see if you can figure out a way to add some music.

8. Don't take photos

It's such trouble, after all. If buyers are picky enough to actually want to see items before they bid on them, then screw 'em, that's what I say.

9. Write short descriptions

Be as brief as possible, and use lots of mysterious abbreviations. This obviously makes you look very cool. You can even just write the title again in the description box. Think of the effort you'll save!

10. Use reserve auctions

Now, this is a fairly controversial final choice, but it really is one of the best ways to scare away your customers. They'll see 'reserve not yet met', and click that 'back' button before you know it. Luckily, they can always bid in a normal auction for the item somewhere else.

Well, there you are. How to close your eBay business in 10 easy steps.

I know you're not guilty of any of those.

Are you???

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

What NOT to do in eBay Selling

Author: Brian McGregor

There are many places on the internet where you can find out recommended ways to sell on eBay.

I thought it might be useful if I presented some thoughts about what doesn't work, what won't succeed and what to avoid doing.

1. Don't time your auctions so they end on a Bank Holiday.

2. Don't use a negative tone in your listing.

3. Don't waste any of your 55 characters of auction title on words or symbols like ""L@@k"", ""Wow"" or ""Nice"".

4. Don't worry about accepting international buyers.

5. Don't use music, animations, or multicolored background in your auction description.

6. Don't use the term ""As is"" in your listings.

7. Don't try to make a profit out of P&P.

8. Don't fail to identify defects in your item.

9. Don't delay in shipping your item.

10. Don't wait for the buyer to leave feedback first.

11. Don't rush to leave negative feedback for a non-paying bidder.

I'm sure there are plenty more where these came from. Just make sure you're not guilty of any of them!

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