The Center for EBay Education and Training

How Ebay Consignment Centers Work.

2009-01-29T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

You might not ever have heard of eBay consignment centers - don't worry, most people haven't, as they're a relatively new concept. The idea is that you drop off anything you want sold, and then the consignment center will sell it for you and share the profits.

You Can Sell at Consignment Centers.

Just find something to sell and take it to a consignment center - they'll sell it for you on eBay, handling all the listing, description and shipping.

You do, however, give up some profit when you sell through a consignment center, not to mention losing all control over your auctions - and who's to say that you couldn't sell it better than they can? The chances are they will only give you a fraction of the item's real value, to the point where you might as well have just taken it to the pawn shop.

You Can Be a Consignment Center.

A better option is to be a consignment center for the non-eBay-using public in your area. After you've been selling things on eBay for a while and you've told a few people about it, someday a friend will walk up to you and say ""Hey, could you sell this on eBay for me?"" Give it a try - if you like doing it, then why not start up your own consignment center business?

Put an ad like this in your local newspaper or anywhere else you think is appropriate:

""Create Space and Get Money For Doing It! How would you like someone to come and clean out the old stuff in your house that's taking up all your space, and then give you cash for the lot? I am currently looking for things to sell on eBay and I can do this for you. Call me on [your number].""

Go round to a few people's houses and take some things that you think are sellable, giving the items' owners a sensible amount for them - not too much, since they don't know how much they're worth. It's best to try to take things that are part of a set or collection, so you can sell lots of the same kinds of items. You're in a strong position: why would they so no when you're offering them money for things that, to them, are rubbish?

The only requirement to be successful with this is that you need to know what you're doing, and be able to spot a high-value item when you see one, regardless of what it might be. It's also worth opening a new account to sell items you get from other people. You can't guarantee quality as well, and your regular account should only be used to sell the one kind of item that you decided you're an expert in.

One thing many sellers don't realise when they sell items is that they need to change their strategy depending on what season it is - things sell for different prices depending on the time of year. We'll take a look at this in the next email.

About the author: Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/ for more great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.

The Myths And Magic Of Ebay Drop-Shipping Vendors.

2009-01-28T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

If you've never heard of drop shipping, then prepare to be impressed - it sounds like every eBay seller's dream. With drop shipping, you don't have to keep any stock at all. You simply list auctions for what your drop shipper sells, without actually seeing it yourself.

Each time something sells, you let them know, and they deliver it for you - directly to the customer. They'll charge you a near-wholesale price for the item they delivered, you charge the customer whatever price you agreed, and then you pocket the difference as profit.

The Magic.

Just think of the sheer amount of trouble this takes out of eBay selling. You don't have to find space in your house to keep your stock in, or money to buy it with. You don't have to take any risk by buying things that might not sell. You don't have to deal with suppliers. You don't even have to pack or post the auctions yourself. Wow! Can you imagine how good this would be if you could pull it off?

But, as with all things in life, if it sounds too good to be true...

The Myths.

Drop-shippers don't do deals with just anyone - any drop shipper who says they'll take orders from unregistered businesses is likely to be a scammer. They might not send out anything at all to your customers, or you might send out very poor quality merchandise that they will then return to you for a refund.

Also, beware of companies that claim they will put you in contact with drop shippers for a fee - they are inevitably rip-offs. At the end of the day, the best way to find drop shipping companies is to contact them in the 'real world', not by typing 'drop shipping' into a search engine.

Doing it for Real.

If you want to make a profit with drop-shippers, be prepared for it to be quite a small one: you're not going to make sales on eBay at a big mark-up from drop shipping prices. You will also have to accept that you can't inspect stock before it gets sent out, and some of your descriptions might not be as good as they could be.

You should also be prepared for a few frustrating experiences with your drop shipper, as they might not share the same customer service values as you. The first time you'll realise that they never sent something to one of your buyers is when you hear about it from the buyer a week later.

If you can accept all these things, though, and find a reputable drop shipper, then there's money to be made. Good luck!

If you'd like to give up a little more profit and control over your eBay business to save the trouble of doing everything yourself, then you might be interested in eBay consignment centers. You can sell your items at an eBay consignment center by just leaving them there. Stay tuned to these emails for more.

How To Turn Ebay Returns Into Profits.

2009-01-27T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Don't worry, getting items returned happens to everyone eventually. You can't satisfy all of the people all of the time, and occasionally someone's going to want to send something back to you. Turning returns into profits isn't easy - but with a little determination, you can manage it.

Don't refund shipping charges: If followed our advice and you're now making a decent profit on your shipping charges by using cheaper materials, then you might still be able to come out ahead with returns. Just refund the charge of the items but not the shipping. I know sellers who make $1 profit on the sale and $2 profit on the shipping. If they get a returned item then they don't really mind: they still get to keep two-thirds of their profit.

Charge a restocking fee: You're perfectly within your rights to charge a restocking fee, and that's nothing but profit for you. Bear in mind that this will get customers very annoyed, however.

Resell with a better description: Now that you know if there's something wrong with the item, you can write a more honest description. Surprisingly enough, items can sometimes sell for more the second time around, simply because word has had time to spread that you were selling the item and there might be a few people looking out for another.

Take their packing materials: Inexperienced buyers will send back your items using all sorts of expensive luxury packing materials - take them and re-use them the next time you want to give a buyer an extra special service. Incidentally, this also applies when you buy things on eBay - you'll find that you can save a lot on packing when you re-use every piece of packaging that comes your way. Make sure to take off any labels first, though.

You know what they want: Remember that every buyer who buys something from you and then returns it was at least interested in it. They're a potential sales lead, and you should add them to your mailing list to follow up later - if you were nice to them when they returned the item, they might be willing to give you another chance.

Replace with a better model: Finally, if the buyer is returning the item for a replacement, then tell them that the only replacement you have in stock at the moment is a slightly more expensive model - but you'll send it to them if they pay the extra. Again, more profit for you.

Of course, it's up to you whether you want to use these techniques: you might think it's more valuable to refund the shipping on returns as a gesture of goodwill, as part of your perfect customer service. I would tend to agree with you: your reputation is invaluable. If what you're interested in is making as much profit as possible in the short term, then go right ahead - but remember that in the long-term you might be sacrificing some repeat business for the sake of a few dollars.

In the next email, we'll look at the myths and magic of drop-shipping vendors, and what they can do for you.

Your eBay Super Seller Business, Insure It's A Success

2009-01-26T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Kurt Rorbakken

eBay is now the 8th most visited site on the internet and it has just one purpose - sales. With 40 mill visitors per month most ebay sellers are missing a golden opportunity. They are missing the opportunity to cultivate long term clients.

It is a proven fact in marketing that some will continue to buy over and over again from folk and corporations that they know, like and trust. Yet 95% of all internet marketers fail when it comes to the Bay. Most are looking for the fast buck. They have completely miss the opportunity to use the Bay as a lead generation tool. They miss the opportunity to create a list of folk that will be willing to consume the products over and over again.

Lead generation on ebay can be accomplished in several ways. The most popular way is by using the self liquidating ad. A self liquidating ad is one that pays for itself. In other words customer directly pays the advertiser the advertising costs. They purchase from the advertiser, some form of advertising.

Let me give an example of a self liquidating advertisement. Some friends of mine recently saw this in a magazine an ad for a pair of sunglasses. The ad claimed that the sunglasses were free, they just had to pay the shipping and handling costs. Their guess is that the advertiser potentially wasnt making much money on the sunglasses. But they also werent loosing any cash. The shipping and handling most probable covered their actual costs. What they really wanted was something far more valuable, customers contact information and folks permission to market to. In other words they are looking for qualified prospects - prospects that are interested in the products and services they are selling.

Once a concern has a customer's contact information and permission to market to, they will begin to establish a relationship. They will do this in a variety of ways including sending ads for other product and services the customer may be interested in. Over time most customers will be worth many times more than their initial purchase.

Since ebay is purely a commerce site it is a perfect place to do a self liquidating ad. Lets look at an extreme example. Lets pretend that some customer own a car dealership that only sells high end cars. Let's assume that folks average car sells for $65,000. One way the seller could use a lead generation self liquidating ad would be by selling a special report. For example people could sell a report on ebay.com entitled 18 Ways to Drive the Car of Your Dreams for Less Than the Cost of a Yugo.

Does anyone think a report like that would get some attention? The report is really nothing more than an advertisement for a customer. Of course the seller would have to write a report that had real content and offered up ways for the consumer to really do as the title suggests. A report like this however, would cost literally nothing to produce except time, and there would be no overhead, no inventory, and no headaches.

Since this report would be nearly all profit the seller could set a low Buy It Now price ($4.97) to attract a huge number of prospects. The revenue generated would easily offset the eBays seller fees.

In the report the seller could suggest several real ways for folk to drive a luxury car for little money. Seller could also list in the report a resource for them to research. The resource the seller suggest would of course be a car dealership.

The report did not cost the seller anything to produce or sell and it fully paid for itself with each person that ordered. The person buying the report is more possible interested in what seller have to offer and are therefore partially qualified. Anybody that contacts after reading the report is a fully qualified prospect and should be marketed to aggressively.

Once a seller have their name and contact information the seller could send them a weekly hot sheet of cars that they are trying to sell. Once they purchase, he or she could then sell them accessories and branded clothing. And the list goes on and on.

If a seller study the Bay there very few folks using it as a lead generation tool. Yet lead generation and specifically self-liquidating advertising is a proven winner. Nearly every type of business can benefit from lead generation advertising. If done correctly lead generation advertising can actually become another source of revenue for peoples enterprise. Special news are one excellent low cost lead generation tool that people can use. Look at the Bay as more than just a fast buck. Look to the Bay as a way to create long term clients. If worked properly ebay can be the best source of fresh leads and can really explode seller's sales.

About the author: eBay

How to Prevent Disappointing eBay Auctions

2009-01-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Greg Lietz

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about eBay in the following paragraphs. If there's at least one fact you didn't know before, imagine the difference it might make.

The information about eBay auctions presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about eBay or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.

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

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

Another reason for eBay auction failure is pricing. No matter what your reserve price is, your opening bid price should never be more than $50. A low starting price is how you will attract potential bidders to your auction. If you set that opening bid too high, most people won't even click the link to read the description for your item. Another pricing problem is lack of research. Before you set your reserve price, you must determine what your item is really worth, and the price of similar items that have sold in past eBay auctions.

Poorly written descriptions are another cause of failed eBay auctions. Poor grammar and misspelled words drive people away. Failing to post a picture of the item will also keep people from visiting your auction page. Pictures show the buyer exactly what he or she will be getting and give them an idea of the true condition of the item. Make sure that your item description is well written. A well written description with enough detail about your item is essentially your sales copy.

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

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

Those who only know one or two facts about eBay auctions can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you're learning here.

About the author: Greg Lietz is an internet businessman and frequent eBay user. To make a recurring passive income with eBay auction items, Adsense and Clickbank combined visit The Ideal Auction Site .

A Look At Third Party Ebay Tools.

2009-01-24T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

There are plenty of companies out there offering third party eBay tools. Most of them are web-based instead of downloadable, so you pay a monthly fee instead of just buying the software. But do you know what these sites can do for you? It can be hard to get to grips with what's out there using a search engine, so here's a quick rundown of the key players.

Andale ( http://www.andale.com ).

Andale offer lots of small products instead of one solution that does everything: you can take your pick from a lister, image hosting, counters, analysers, a gallery, a checkout and an email manager. The price plans are a bit of a maze, but quite reasonable as long as you don't go and use everything.

Andale's real claim to fame is that they've been doing it for so long - they're not some fly-by-night organisation, and many eBay sellers have been using their free counters for absolutely years. They also have a reputation for being very responsive to customers, and will often talk to you directly on their forums and implement any suggestions you might have for improving their software.

Vendio ( http://www.vendio.com ).

Vendio offer two editions of their software, Sales Manager: a Merchandising edition and an Inventory edition. The difference between the two is that the Merchandising edition is designed to make it easier to list individual auctions, while the Inventory edition is for sellers who sell many of the same item. They offer a pay-as-you go price of 10c per auction.

They also offer software called Tickets Manager, special software for people who sell lots of tickets on eBay - an odd product to have, but useful if you happen to sell tickets. Other services offered by Vendio include web and image hosting, fancy Flash galleries of your products for your listings, and stores.

ChannelAdvisor ( http://www.channeladvisor.com ).

ChannelAdvisor offer their software in three versions: Enterprise, Merchant and Pro. Enterprise and Merchant are both designed for very big businesses, though, and the chances are that the Pro version does everything you'd want. ChannelAdvisor is popular among sellers who want a solution that they know is used and trusted on a very large scale by enterprise-level customers.

It offers all the standard bulk listing and inventory features, as well as the unique feature of being able to create auctions from an Excel spreadsheet of your inventory. The cost is high, though, at $29.95 per month.

And Many, Many More...

eBay maintain a comprehensive directory of third-party software, which you can browse through anytime you have a few days to kill. You can look either for complete solutions or for each part of what you want individually - the choice is so daunting that there's bound to be something out there for you. You can look at their directory at htt p://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SolutionsDirectory .

Once your items have sold and you're about to ship them, you might be a little nervous about whether you can trust your buyer. Our next email will give you a few tips for spotting problem buyers before you send them anything.

Special Rules For Selling Software On Ebay.

2009-01-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Computer software is one of the biggest sellers on eBay - after all, everyone using eBay has a computer, don't they? There can be problems, however, if you try to sell certain kinds of software that eBay doesn't allow. Used software is a minefield, and you could end up buying something dodgy to resell without even realising it.

Here are the various kinds of software that you're not allowed to sell on eBay, and how to spot them. You should always try installing used software before you sell it, as this might give you a few clues.

Pirate Software.

This one is reasonably obvious, but pirate software can be hard to spot. The biggest things to look out for are auctions that don't have pictures or only have pictures from catalogues, unrealistically low prices, and come with no manuals or documentation. Microsoft software comes with a 'Certificate of Authenticity', which you should check. Software that is on recordable media such as CD-RWs is usually pirated.

If you see software that offered for download only, it is often pirated - but not always. Some small software developers allow download licenses for their software to be resold on sites like eBay. Type the name of the software into a search engine, and go to the manufacturer's site to check. Remember that software you download is very unlikely to come with resale rights, though.

Beta Software.

Beta software is pre-release software, issued by companies for testing purposes. Companies generally do not give permission for their beta software to be sold or redistributed, as it won't be as good as the final product. Do not buy anything that says it is 'beta', and return anything you receive that says 'beta' or 'not for resale or distribution' anywhere on the CD or during the install.

Academic Software.

Some companies sell special 'educational editions' or 'student licenses' for their software, which are designed to make it affordable to students and teachers. You can only sell this software if you are a licensed educational reseller for the company, and your buyers are educational users. Academic software will usually say somewhere on its CD or in its installation what it is.

OEM Software.

OEM stands for 'Original Equipment Manufacturer' - this is software that is only supposed to be distributed with a new computer, as it came pre-installed on the computer. The licences for this software usually stop you from selling it without also selling any hardware. Look out for the message 'for sale with a new computer only', or similar. Note, though, that it's usually fine to bundle any OEM software you come across with computers that you sell on eBay.

If you sell any kind of software that isn't allowed, then eBay might shut down your auction, or your sellers might realise what they've bought and leave you bad feedback. It's not really worth the risk.

Now that we've got that out of the way, how about we try to get you a few more customers for the items you have that aren't against the rules. In the next email, we'll take a look at the real power of eBay store newsletters.

You Won That Ebay Auction! Now What Do You Do?

2009-01-22T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

It's a heady feeling when you win your first eBay auction: a mixture of happiness and perhaps just a little fear. After all, there seems to be so much to do before you can actually get your item. What do you do next?

The simple answer is: you send payment to the seller, as quickly as possible. The quicker you pay, the more your seller will like you, and the sooner your item will arrive. But how you go about it? That all depends on how you plan to pay.

PayPal.

PayPal is one of the most popular options for paying on eBay, to the point where eBay decided to buy the company. It allows instant electronic payment across the Internet. Money goes instantly from your credit or debit card to the seller's PayPal account, where they can either use it for Internet purchases or transfer it out to their bank.

eBay offer incentives for using PayPal, and almost all sellers now accept it. Its instant nature makes sellers very happy, and means that they can have your item packed and sent and leave you some positive feedback within a few hours of the auction ending. When paying by PayPal, you will be covered by PayPal's own insurances and guarantees, as well as any that your card might have.

Cheques and Money Orders.

This is payment the old-fashioned way, and will lead to a long wait to your item. You need to post the cheque or money order, then the seller has to take it to the bank and get it cleared, and only then do they send the item. The only reason to use this method is if either you or the seller distrusts electronic payment methods. If you're willing to go to the trouble with these sellers, though, you might get an item very cheaply, as most buyers just can't be bothered.

When you pay by cheque or money order, make sure to print the eBay order confirmation page (it will be emailed to you) and put it in the envelope with your payment. Underline or circle key information like your mailing address and the item number. Finally, remember to be patient: keep in contact with the seller, as it really can take a month or two before everything falls into place and your item turns up.

Money Transfers and Bank Deposits.

Some sellers may ask you to pay them using a wire service like Western Union, or simply give you a bank account number and ask you to pay money into it. Unless you really trust the seller, this is generally a bad idea - these methods are hard to trace and you're unlikely to get any money back if anything goes wrong. Paying in cash, it hardly needs to be said, is an even worse idea.

It's all a lot to take in, isn't it? I'm sure by now you've got a few questions, which is why the next email will be a little eBay buyer's FAQ. Let's hope we can solve any problems you might have.

Ebay Title Writing Tips.

2009-01-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Trying to be help your buyers find your auctions can be a truly daunting task. Most people only search eBay by title, not by description, and that means that you only have those 55 characters of the title to cover all the possible search terms. That's not easy. In this email, I'll give you a few pointers.

Don't bother with eBay clichés: There are plenty of eBay auction titles that say things like ""Super rare camera wow look low price"". These are stupid things to put in your title, as no-one is going to search for them.

Think like a buyer: If you were looking for your item, then what exactly would you type into that box? If you think it'd help, try searching yourself to find someone else selling your item. What were the first things you thought of typing?

Think like other sellers: Keep an eye on which sellers are doing best with items like yours, and try to copy their title styles - if it works for them, it can work for you.

Be specific: You should be sure to write the item's brand and specific model number in the title, as people will often search only for this information. Make sure that you also say exactly what the item is.

A Few Examples.

Here are a few examples of good titles. They're real, and they're on eBay right now, making their sellers money. So what makes them good?

""Dell Latitude Laptop P3 500mhz Notebook PC Computer""

If you know about computers, you'll know instantly what this auction is selling. It has manufacturer (Dell) and product line (Latitude), followed by a few technical specifications (P3 500mhz is the processor speed). Notice also that the title includes the four words 'laptop', 'notebook', 'PC' and 'computer', as the seller wants people looking for any of those words to see his auction.

""OASIS Don't Believe the Truth CD Album (New)""

This auction for a CD is well formatted: it gives the artist name in capital letters, followed by the album name. It then manages to include the two key words 'CD' and 'album', as well as the word 'new' - that means that anyone searching for 'new oasis cd', 'oasis new album' and so on will find this auction.

""1840 Penny Black stamp, certificate, four margins""

Here's a slightly more obscure one, from the exciting world of stamp collecting. A penny black is one of the oldest and most famous stamps. It uses a few key words that collectors will consider important: 'four margins' indicates that the stamp has been cut out with some margins around it and so isn't damaged, and 'certificate' tells you that the item has a certificate of authenticity - it's a real penny black. Remember to use every bit of space to squeeze in as much important information as you can in the title.

So now that you've written a winning title, you need to start on a great description. The next email will show you how.

When And How To Cancel An Ebay Auction Early.

2009-01-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

One day, you might decide that you want to end an auction early. Before you do, though, you should consider why you want to do it: cancelling auctions upsets buyers and upsets eBay, and there might be a better to way to get what you want.

I Want to Change my Listing.

If you just want to revise your listing, you don't always need to end it. For listings that have more than 12 hours left to run and haven't received any bids, you can revise almost everything. You can remove the Buy it Now price or reserve price, change the duration of the listing, or add listing upgrades.

If the listing already has one or more bids, then you can still add upgrades, or add to the description. You add more pictures too, if you want to. Once the listing gets into its last 12 hours, however, what you can do becomes far more limited, even if it has no bids: you can only really add to the description.

It's a very bad idea, by the way, to cancel one listing and ask bidders to bid on another listing for the same item instead. The chances are they'll be annoyed with you, and won't bother.

The Item is No Longer for Sale.

Perhaps you sold the item to someone else, you lost it or it got broken. Whatever happened, if you no longer have the item to sell, you should remove your listing - in fact, this is just about the only situation when eBay allow you to.

However, you need to make sure you get the listing removed quickly - if you leave it to the last 12 hours, eBay will refuse to let you remove it, whatever has happened. This might seem cruel, but it's there to stop people from backing out in the last few hours because they want to try again for a better price.

So How Do I End My Listing Early?

You can do it at this page: http: //offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EndingMyAuction . Just type in the item number and hit 'Continue'.

Now, be very careful. The option you almost certainly want to choose is 'Cancel bids and end listing early', NOT 'Sell item to high bidder and end listing early'. You'll be asked to choose a reason why you ended the listing, and then it will end. Your bidders will be emailed to let them know what happened.

Note that ending a listing early because it looked like it wasn't going to get a good price is against the rules, and eBay could come after you and get upset.

Speaking of breaking the rules, if you're selling software on eBay, did you know that there are special rules that apply to you? Plenty of sellers have no idea, and are being caught out every day - that's why our next email will explain the rules clearly for you, just in case you need to know.

How To Stop Ebay Auction Sniping.

2009-01-19T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Every day, hapless bidders get beaten to the punch by auction snipers who jump in at the last minute. I know how annoying it can be, as I once had it happen to me three times in a row on the same item! The thing is that the only people who can help the poor bidders are us, the sellers.

The Problem.

Bidders will bid on an item and then wait for days until it finishes, only to have someone else outbid them at the last minute. In a traditional auction at a real auction house, this isn't a problem at all, as the auction keeps going until everyone has bid as much as they want to, and the auctioneer double-checks with the classic phrase ""going, going, gone"".

The problem on eBay is caused by the fixed length of time that eBay's auctions last, and the fact that they aren't extended significantly if someone places a new bid in the last few seconds of the auction. Imagine if a real auction house worked that way, letting people shout ""50 cents more!"" at the last second and win an item. It would simply be unfair, and many buyers think it's unfair on eBay too.

The Solutions.

Until eBay decide to fix the problem (and by now it's looking unlikely that they ever will), you're the only one who can do anything for your buyers.

First off, you can encourage your buyers to use eBay's proxy bidding system the way it was intended. The idea of the system is that they enter the maximum they're willing to pay for an item and eBay places bids for them automatically up to that maximum. They're not supposed to come back and bid an extra dollar every time they get outbid.

If your bidders are bidding high enough, then no sniper will even come along and beat them - because they will have set the maximum snipe level in their sniping software to less than the normal bidder's maximum. Changing the way people use eBay is hard, though.

One alternative is to keep an eye on who's bidding on your auction, and cancel bids from known snipers - but this requires you to be around right at the end of the auction to cancel their bids. You might also want to set your auction to end sometime when bidders will be around so that they can outbid snipers themselves. This is good business sense anyway - most of the bidding always takes place in the last few hours of an auction.

An easier way to thwart bid snipers is to offer 'Second Chance' sales to bidders who get outbid by a sniper at the last minute. This is good for you, and for them - they still get to buy the item they wanted, and you've just made two sales: one to the sniper and one to them.

Once you've sold your items, though, you might be upset to find that one of them gets returned for a refund. Our next email will show you how to turn these returns into profits!

Taming The Ebay Search Engine.

2009-01-18T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

If you know what you're doing, you can quickly find what you're looking for on eBay - and the more you know about how buyers find you, the easier you'll find it to be found. Here are a few golden searching rules.

Be specific: If you're searching for the first edition of the original Harry Potter book, you'll get further searching for 'harry potter rowling philosopher's stone first edition' than you will searching for 'harry potter'. You'll get fewer results, but the ones you do get will be far more relevant.

Spell wrongly: It's a sad fact that many of the sellers on eBay just can't spell. Whatever you're looking for, try thinking of a few common misspellings - you might find a few items here that have slipped through the cracks.

Get a thesaurus: You should try to search for all the different words that someone might use to describe an item, for example searching for both 'TV' and 'television', or for 'phone', 'mobile' and 'cellphone'. Where you can, though, leave off the type of item altogether and search by things like brand and model.

Use the categories: Whenever you search, you'll notice a list of categories at the side of your search results. If you just searched for the name of a CD, you should click the 'CDs' category to look at results in that category only. Why bother looking through a load of results that you don't care about?

Don't be afraid to browse: Once you've found the category that items you like seem to be in, why not click 'Browse' and take a look through the whole category? You might be surprised by what you find.

Few people realise just how powerful eBay's search engine is - a few symbols here and there and it'll work wonders for you.

Wildcard searches: You can put an asterisk (*) into a search phrase when you want to say 'anything can go here'. For example, if you wanted to search for a 1950s car, you could search for 'car 195*'. 195* will show results from any year in the 1950s.

In this order: If you put words in quotes ("""") then the only results shown will be ones that have all of the words between the quote marks. For example, searching for ""Lord of the Rings"" won't give you any results that say, for example ""Lord Robert Rings"".

Exclude words: Put a minus, and then put any words in brackets that you don't want to appear in your search results. For example: ""Pulp Fiction"" -(poster,photo) will find items related to Pulp Fiction but not posters or photos.

Either/or: If you want to search for lots of words at once, just put them in brackets: the TV example from earlier could become '(TV,television)', which would find items with either word.

Don't get too tied up learning the ways of the search engine, though: a surprising number of eBay users don't search at all, preferring to look through eBay's category system and save their favourites in their browser. The next email will show you how to make sure these people can find you too.

Understanding The Different Ebay Auction Types.

2009-01-17T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Over the years, eBay has introduced all sorts of different auction types, in an effort to give people more options when they buy and sell their things on eBay. There are many people who don't like the idea that their item might sell for a far lower price than they intend. Equally, there are people who have hundreds of the same item and don't want to sell them individually. This email gives you an overview of the different kinds of auctions and how to spot them.

Normal Auctions.

These are the bread-and-butter of eBay, the auctions everyone knows: you bid, others outbid you, you outbid them, and the winner gets the item. Simple.

Reserve Auctions.

Reserve auctions are for sellers who don't want their items to sell for less than a certain price - a concept you'll know about if you're familiar with real auctions. They work just like normal auctions on eBay, except that you will be told if your bid has not met the reserve price set by the seller. If no-one is willing to meet this price, then the auction is cancelled, and the seller keeps the item.

You can spot these auctions by looking out for 'Reserve not met' or 'Reserve met' written next to the current bid on an item's description page.

Fixed Price ('Buy it Now') Auctions.

Buy it Now auctions can work in one of two ways. A seller might add a Buy it Now button to a normal auction, meaning that you can choose either to bid normally or to simply pay the asking price and avoid the whole bidding process. Some sellers, though, now cut out the auction process altogether and simply list all their items at fixed price. Recently, eBay added a twist to fixed price auctions: the 'best offer'. This means that you can negotiate a price to someone who offers their items using Buy it Now, which could be a great way to get a bargain on things that don't seem to be selling.

Fixed price auctions are easy to spot, as they have a little 'Buy it Now' logo either next to or instead of the current number of bids on the search listings page.

Multiple Item ('Dutch') Auctions.

These are auctions where a seller is selling more than one of a certain item. Dutch auctions can be done by bidding. Buyers bid a price and say how many items they want, and then everyone pays the lowest price that was bid by one of the winning bidders. If you have trouble getting your head around that, then don't worry - everyone else does too! These auctions are very rare.

What is more common is when a seller has a lot of one item, and lists it using a combination of two auction types: a multiple-item fixed price auction. This just means that they say how many they have, and offer them at a fixed price. You can enter how many you want and then just click Buy it Now to get them.

After all this, you might find yourself facing a dilemma: when you have the option, should you bid, or should you just use Buy it Now and save yourself the hassle? That's what the next email will be about.

Turn Your Ebay Shipping Costs Into A Profit Center.

2009-01-16T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

You might think that shipping costs are simple: surely you just add up the price of your item's postage and the price of packing materials, and charge that - right? Well, you could do that, but there are better ways to make your shipping costs work for you.

Find Cheaper Materials.

The key to making profit on shipping is to use the cheapest materials you can get for packing, without compromising on quality. The great thing for you is that many eBay PowerSellers have made a business out of providing sellers with quality packing material in bulk at really low prices.

To get an idea of what's out there, take a look at this category: Business & Industrial > Office, Printing & Shipping > Shipping & Packing Supplies. You might also try paying a visit to a big-box office supplies store.

Buy in Bulk.

Always buy hundreds of the same sized packing boxes at the same time. Since you should be selling the same items over and over again, you'll need the same sized boxes each time. You will always be able to get discounts for bulk - if the place where you're shopping won't give you any, go somewhere else.

Streamline Your Packing.

Try to pack every time using the same amounts of the same materials in the same way, so that you don't need to think about it too much. Have all the labels for the packages printed up in advance, and do the items in that order. The less time you spend on the packing, the more profit it is for you.

Round to the Next Dollar.

Let's say you're buying items for $2, and selling them for $4 + $1.50 shipping. Rounding the shipping to $2 would make you an extra 40 cents on each sale - considering you're currently only making $2 profit, that's a percentage profit increase of 25%!

You see, this extra money will be far more important to you than it is to the buyer, because it's on the margin. For you, it's extra profit for nothing, and for the buyer, it's too small an amount to bother caring about. Everybody wins in this scenario.

The Ideal Price Point.

Find out what your rivals are charging for shipping, and try to just undercut them while still making a profit. If you managed to buy some cheaper materials, this shouldn't be too hard for you - most of the sellers on eBay are buying envelopes and boxes one-by-one, which is a very expensive way to do things. If you work things out correctly, you should be able to offer shipping at a price point which makes your rivals look silly, and still be making a good profit on it!

If you're running the kind of operation where shipping is a big concern, then the chances are that you're listing a significant proportion of your items using 'Buy it Now', instead of going through all the trouble and uncertainty of using real auctions every time. But wait! Using 'Buy it Now' isn't always the right thing to do. Our next email will give you a few tips on when to do it and when not to.

Safeharbor; Ebay's Own Scotland Yard.

2009-01-15T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

SafeHarbor are the eBay police department. If you break the rules, commit fraud or try to buy something you're not supposed to, they'll be after you.

When You Don't Pay.

This is the most common rule buyers break - it's all too easy to just change your mind and try to get out of the auction. eBay regards every auction as a contract, and will punish you if you don't go through with your end of the deal. If you decide not to pay then expect to get a few nasty warning emails from eBay threatening you with banning if you do it again. Not to mention, of course, that you'll get a big negative 'DID NOT PAY' feedback comment from the seller.

So There Are Things You Can't Buy on eBay?

Yes, there are: more things than you'd expect. It makes sense that you can't buy firearms, for example, but you also can't buy fireworks - eBay are worried about the risks of sending them in the post. Laws in many countries mean that you can't buy alcohol or tobacco. You can't buy illegal or prescription drugs, stocks and shares, or lottery tickets. No underwear, either. You can't buy any little pet puppies or kittens, as animals are banned. If items infringe on copyright, like pirate CDs or software, then they're not allowed either.

eBay's policy is controversial, not least because it is somewhat random in its enforcement - and there have been accusations that they're more responsive to the copyright concerns of big businesses than to auctions for items that might actually be dangerous. If they do decide to go after you or the seller, though, they will cancel the auction and may also suspend your accounts.

Fraud.

eBay runs remarkably well considering how unregulated it is, but there are still fraudsters. If you are a victim of fraud - for example, you pay for an item that never turns up - then SafeHarbor will investigate for you. eBay's standard purchase protection will give you up to $200 back if your claim is successful. Be aware, though, that this can take a few months.

In addition, if you paid by PayPal, then they can usually reverse the transaction relatively easily and get you more (if not all) of your money back. This is another reason why many buyers prefer to use PayPal. Some sellers are a little scared of the effectiveness of the refund system, as they can send out items in good faith only to find that their buyer was fraudulent and the transaction has been reversed. If you're worried about fraud, as a buyer, you should always use PayPal.

What's that? You don't know how to use PayPal? Well, luckily for you, the next article is all about using PayPal to improve your eBay life.

I Sold It On eBay!

2009-01-13T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Tony Williams

If you are of the opinion that eBay is just a giant online flea market , then you could be overlooking one of the most powerful promotional tools your business could ever find.

eBay is described as the world's biggest Internet auction site, and recent statistics quote 2.6 million visitors daily. That's a heck of a lot of visitors to a flea market ! Many people are making a full time living from eBay, and previously small localised retail shops have embraced the huge worldwide market accessible only on the World Wide Web.

If you have recently set up a retail website you will know how difficult it can be to draw visitors in any great volume, and you will also be aware of the huge fees charged by professional SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) experts. But the great thing is that you can use the enormous pulling power of eBay to drive targeted visitors to your own website. After learning a couple of canny tricks it is child's play to generate repeat sales and ultimately a loyal customer base.

So how is it done?

It's all quite straightforward really. You will need to develop your own eBay presence and become a regular auction seller. It's not a difficult process and will in itself generate revenue for your business. However, this is by no means the end of the story...

After the sale of each item you should email the buyer with a courteous 'thank you' message detailing your payment and delivery terms. This is of course good business practice and your customers will love you for that personal touch - they should also see the URL (web address) of your business website at the foot of your email, so don't forget to include it.

You should then follow up with another email when the item has despatched to advise the customer when they should expect to receive their purchase (remembering again to add the all-important URL footer). Finally, include in the package a simple advice slip thanking the customer once again and of course quoting your website URL.

This simple and free promotion of your website will help to establish and build a customer base that could have cost a huge investment in advertising costs.

So it can be seen that by using the world's biggest flea market to your advantage, the phrase ""I Sold It On eBay"" can mean a lot more than initially meets the eye!

About the author: Tony Williams is a musician, writer, and self-confessed eBay fanatic. Check out the best FREE eBay tips, tricks, and more at www.easyprofits.co.uk and make Easy Profits With eBay !

How To Choose The Right Ebay Product Category.

2009-01-12T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Some people think it's easy to choose the right eBay category, and often it is. Sometimes, though, it might not be quite clear exactly what to go for.

Why is it Even Important?

Plenty of people use the category system to find items, when they're not looking for something specific. If your item is listed in the wrong category - or you've just given up and listed it in 'Everything Else' - then these people aren't going to find your auction.

Also, listing items in the wrong categories is against eBay's rules, and eBay say they will remove any auctions that are wrongly categorised. They don't often actually do this, but it's not worth the risk - especially since breaking any rules can cause them to penalise your account, including losing PowerSeller status if you have it.

So What Can You Do?

eBay will suggest categories for you when you sell your item, if you type in a few words to describe the item on the category selection page and click 'search'. You can make the best of this feature by typing in exactly what your item is, with brand name and model number (if any), so that eBay can find the best category for you.

If that doesn't work for you, then search yourself for items like yours, and pay attention to which category most of them seem to be in (you can see this near the top of each item's description page). Try different words and see which ones come back with the most results. You can also browse through all the available categories from eBay's front page.

Remember that the more specific the category is, the better - use as many subcategories as are appropriate. Don't just list your HP laptop in the 'Computers' category, for example - list it in 'Computers > Laptops > HP'. Don't worry: your item will still appear in the 'Computers' category, as well as 'Computers > Laptops', because items listed in subcategories are always listed in every category above.

Take some time to look through all the categories and get familiar with the way eBay as a whole is laid out. After all, that's better than getting a few months down the line and finding that you still think of eBay's category system like it's some kind of scary jungle.

What if More Than One Category Fits?

Don't worry, eBay have you covered. For a small extra fee, you can list your item in an extra category, to increase the number of potential buyers who will see it. This isn't always worth it, though - some items only really fit properly in one category, and listing them in extra categories is just a waste.

Once you know where to list your item, the next step is to write your auction's title. The title is the most important thing about your auction - the difference between a good title and a bad title can be the difference between $10 and $100. That's why I'll take you through the dos and don'ts in the next email.

How To Avoid Being A Victim Of Ebay Buyer's Fraud.

2009-01-10T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

From everything you've heard about the risk of fraud on eBay, you might think it's only buyers getting scammed - but you couldn't be more wrong. Here are a few common scams that sellers fall for every day.

The Rubber Cheque.

This one obviously isn't limited to eBay - it's been going on for years in all kinds of business. It works like this: a buyer sends you a cheque that they don't have the funds to cover and you pay it in your bank. You then send the goods right away, only to find out a few days later that the cheque bounced.

The solution to this is simple: don't send anything to a buyer until their payment has cleared, no matter how quickly they might say they need it. Advise them to pay electronically if they don't want to wait so long for their items. Then again, if your items are quite small, you could just take the loss from an occasional bounced cheque. Think of it as a small price to pay for faster and better customer service.

'I Never Bought Anything!'

This is one of the riskiest scams to fall victim to. In this case, the credit card's real owner still has control over it - no-one has stolen their details. They have realised, however, that they can phone up the bank who issued their card to say that it's being used fraudulently and they never bought any such thing, and the bank will often reverse the transaction without even investigating. The only way to beat this scam is to make all your sales through eBay, as they keep a record of transactions.

The Unconfirmed Address.

It is quite easy to steal PayPal accounts from inexperienced users: all you need, after all, is their email address and password. PayPal tries to protect against credit cards registered on stolen accounts being used to buy things by listing a 'confirmed address' for each buyer - an address that matches what is registered with their credit card issuer.

What many scammers will do is ask you to ship to a different address - unless you're very sure of them, this is a bad idea, as they could be trying to commit credit card fraud. Be especially suspicious of anyone who wants to pay a higher price and get overnight shipping, especially if not even to the same country as the confirmed address. The fraudster is trying to make sure the item reaches them before they are discovered.

It's up to you to take responsibility for fraud on PayPal, as eBay's favourite way to refund fraudulent payments to their rightful owner is to just reverse it from you! This is considered an occupational risk of PayPal usage, and sellers who get burned severely sometimes go as far as moving to a rival electronic payment service. See http://www.nopaypal.com for more.

In the next email, we'll take a closer look at PayPal, and ask: should it be the only kind of payment you accept?

Ebay Auction Starting And Ending Day Strategies.

2009-01-09T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

It's usually when auctions are about to end that they get half their bids - sometimes they even get their only bids. If you want your item to sell for a good price, then, it makes no sense to let it finish on a day and time when no-one's going to be around to care.

Selling to Business.

If you're selling business equipment and have mostly business customers, you should really aim to have your auctions finishing between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. It is worth, however, trying to avoid mornings and avoiding the 'lead-in' and 'lead-out' that takes place on Monday and Friday themselves.

Selling to Home.

If most of your sales are to private customers having it shipped to their own home, then you want your auctions to finish when these kind of customers will be around. Unfortunately, these times are the opposite of what they are for the business customers. The ideal time to catch a home customer is on a Sunday evening.

List for Durations.

In order to get your listings to end on a particular day, you can simply change the duration of your auctions depending on what day it is. For example, if you mostly sell to home customers and the day today is Thursday, then your auction needs to run for either 3 or 10 days to hit a Sunday. If you sell more to business and the day today is Friday, then:

a 1 day auction would be bad (finishing on Saturday), 3 days would be alright (Monday), 5 days would be good (Wednesday), 7 days would be good (another Friday), and 10 days would be alright (Monday again).

You could draw up a little timetable of when you should and shouldn't be listing depending on the days of the week - make it red, amber and green, traffic light style, and stick it on your wall.

Schedule Listings.

Of course, if that all sounds like too much trouble then there is an easier - if more expensive - way of doing things. Simply use any of the many tools that let you schedule listings (almost all listing programs and sites do) - you can set the start date for any day and time you feel like.

Be aware that you might have to pay a few cents per listing for this if you do it through eBay. With some software, you may also need to leave your computer on all the time, so the software can start the auctions when it's supposed to. The advantage of this method, however, is that there will be no per-listing fee, since the auctions were scheduled through your computer and not through eBay.

If it's the home market you're after, then you might not have realised what one of the most powerful things to sell on eBay is. I'll give you a clue: it's not consumer electronics, or media products. It's what eBay is famous for. Check out the next email for more.

Tips for Selling Collectibles on eBay.

Yes, collectibles! Collectibles are where eBay started, and they're still one of its biggest areas - however much they might want you to believe they're not. eBay's most hardcore and long-time users are almost all collectors of something or other - it is quite common to post what you think is a mundane item, only to have collectors suddenly go to war over it because it is somehow linked to something they collect.

Collectors are the people on eBay who really do pay top-dollar for things that seem like junk to you and I - not to mention to the people you'll be getting your stock from! That's why you can make so much profit on collectibles. Here are a few tips.

Go to people's homes. People's homes are full of things that someone out there collects - they are the best and cheapest source of collectibles out there. Sure, you might find something if you hang around at enough garage sales, but you'd have competition. Getting invited to people's homes to look around should be a dream for you, and one you're doing your best to make a reality.

Buy on other auction sites. You'll be surprised how much money you can make if you buy the collectibles that people sell on smaller auction sites like Yahoo Auctions, and then list it on eBay. These sellers will often be perfectly knowledgeable about their item, but simply getting a lower price because they serve a smaller marketplace. Sometimes you can almost double your money.

List in non-collectible categories. If your collectible doesn't have a category of its own under 'collectibles', you might prefer to list it in a category that has something to do with the item but nothing to do with collecting. What you will often find is that people browsing a category for their favourite thing will pay more for your collectible than actual collectors would.

Do lots of research. Never list something you think might be valuable without searching and searching to dig up every piece of information you can on it. Everything you find out is likely to be useful when you come to list it.

List every tiny, tiny detail. Remember that collectors really care about the most seemingly insignificant things. An item from one year can be worth thousands while the one from the year before is near-worthless, or an item that is one shade of a colour can be worth far more than one of a subtly different shade. It's not worth puzzling over and it's not worth trying to pass your items off as something they're not - just make sure you put absolutely everything you know in the description.

When you are listing items that require close research and description down to the tiniest detail, however, don't be tempted to steal someone else's work! Whatever you do, don't take another seller's description and try to pass it off as your own, as this could have all sorts of consequences for you. Our next email gives you a guide to eBay's policy on 'description theft'.

How To Market Your Ebay Business.

2009-01-08T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

So you want to market your eBay business? Well, you probably won't have too much luck with traditional marketing methods - they're just not targeted enough. The best way to do things is to pay for targeted advertising, which comes up when people search for keywords you specify: they're looking for exactly what you're selling, and so many of them will click on your ad.

On eBay.

You might not have noticed that eBay offer this kind of advertising, but they do. You can pay them for a small ad that will appear above the search results (next to the banner ad) for any keywords you want. Buyers will then be able to click through and get to your eBay store - and you only pay for clicks, not for views. You can also set a budget for how much you want to spend, and your ads will simply stop if they go over-budget.

If you do this, it is best to create very targeted ads for specific products. Buy a specific model of something as your keyword, and write how much you sell it for in the ad - this will be more effective than just advertising across the name of a whole category.

There are some products that this approach simply doesn't work for, though, and you might be better off spending your money on a more visible Featured Plus listing for your item, especially if you're trying to advertise on valuable keywords.

Search Engine Ads.

If you want to market your business more widely, then you can try to bring in business from outside eBay. The best way to do this is by buying keyword-targeted ads on search engines. With Google AdWords, for example, your ad will appear in their 'Sponsored Links' section when someone searches for your keywords. Again, you set a maximum budget and only pay for clicks.

This can be very effective, as you've just taken your products to the world outside eBay - imagine someone going to a search engine, typing in what they're looking for and seeing your store right there! What's more, if you target this approach to specific models of a product it can be very cheap. Most advertisers try to get as much traffic as they can instead of targeting their ads as specifically as you will be, meaning there won't be much competition for the keywords.

eBay benefit from this as well as you, since it drives new buyers to eBay as a whole, not just to your site. They actively encourage sellers to go and advertise on search engines by offering you 75% of your final value fee back for each item that someone finds and buys this way. On expensive items, that's probably enough to pay for the advertising to begin with!

If you'd really like to try a little marketing in the real world, though, you might want to make some flyers. Did you know that eBay can do this for you automatically? The next email will tell you how.

How to Be Successful Selling on EBay.

2009-01-07T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: houston bruce

If you want your own EBay business here's a quick start guide to selling on EBay.

Decide What You Want To Sell. Spend awhile watching others to see what sell's and how they go about selling. Make note of what items sell the best. You will see the couple of items that always sell very well. This will be your business do your research.

Before You Spend Your Hard Earned Money. Once you have chosen your product watch your competition closely. Watch for any era in their auctions. This way you can improve your strategies and avoid the same mistakes.

Finding Your Product. Find a supplier for your product. Search several different sources. If you can find one that has an auto ship you can save a lot by not having to stock inventory. If the product is selling higher on EBay than what the supplier wants your ready.

Do not Try And Start Too Big. Start slowly learn what works and what doesn't. You do not want to throw a lot of money into it right away. It doesn't cost much to try even the strangest ideas on EBay and the strangest may be one that works.

Just Keep Testing. Do not be afraid to try different ideas. You just need to find that one niche that works and then keep doing the same thing over and over.

Any Business Needs A Plan. Develop a good plan then stick to it. It doesn't have to be anything formal. Just a simple outline. Your market your strategies and your budget.

Expand Your EBay Business. Once you have found your product and niche and some success now is the time to put more of your time and money into it. Set easy goals then keep increasing them slowly as you reach each one.

Official Business. Once you really get rolling you will want to register as a business. It's not expensive or hard to do. An attorney can help you through the process.

Make It Easier. After a while you will find that you are doing the same things over and over. Software such as auto responders can help with things such as e-mails and item descriptions. They can be used with whatever message you provide.

Most Important. Do not give up.Even when it looks like the end, And everything is going wrong. If you just keep working you may find the break to turn it into the EBay business to make you A nice Income.

About the author: Houston Bruce has been selling on the Internet since 1998 and has studied and tested many opportunities. To learn more about selling on EBay visit. HTTP://startworkin.com/Ebay

How to Get eBay Coupons

2009-01-06T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Karen Walker

You have to be very lucky to be one of the chosen few who receive an eBay coupon by email. These coupons are just like cash that you can use towards anything you buy on eBay - the only conditions being that you pay using PayPal, and that you are using eBay in the USA, Canada or the UK.

There are two ways to get eBay coupons.

Wait for that Email.

Of course, if you just wait, you'll be waiting for a long time. You have to do something to make yourself look like the kind of person eBay would want to tempt back with a coupon. If you open an account, buy a few medium-value things and then suddenly stop, the chances are you'll find yourself with some kind of special offer - but still, not always.

Go Searching.

The better way, of course, is to go and find the coupons that are out there on the web. This is quite hit-and-miss, as eBay don't always have an offer on, but when there's a valid code you can guarantee that it'll be everywhere within a few hours. Just type 'ebay coupon codes' into your favourite search engine, but be prepared to pick through some rubbish. You might find you have better luck if you use a more obscure search engine, where people haven't taken the trouble to game the results.

If going through search engines is too much for you, then just keep an eye out at any community forums you frequent, where someone might just post one. You probably have the best chances if you make a few friends on eBay's own forums at http://hub.ebay.com/community. It can be fun and educational to chat to the regulars there too, so you really have nothing to lose.

How do You Redeem Coupons?

A coupon is basically a code, with some being quite long. All you need to do is pay with PayPal as usual for the item you want to use the coupon towards. After you choose PayPal as your payment method, you will notice a heading that says 'Coupons, Gift Certificates and eBay Anything Points'. Type the coupon code in here: they can be long, so you should use copy-and-paste to make sure you get it right. Just click 'Redeem', and it's good to go.

Don't worry about causing problems for sellers by doing this, by the way - they have no way of even telling that you used a coupon, as eBay just pay them for the item as usual. Coupons are good for sellers as they attract more buyers to eBay, meaning that they get more bids on their auctions. After all, why would they object to getting more money without you actually having to pay it?

Since you're interested in making your eBay shopping more affordable, you might be interested to know that you can now buy eBay items on credit. For more information and for all the details of eBay's new 'Buyer's Credit' program, Click Here .

About the author: Karen Walker assists entrepreneurs, network marketers, and independent professionals grow their business to their first million within 5 years so that they may live the life they want, fulfill their passions, and achieve their dreams! Visit her informational web sites at: Cash Flow Quest | Income Directory

Using The Ebay Anything Points Program.

2009-01-05T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

eBay Anything points are a loyalty scheme, just like you might get in a shop. The buyer earns points on their purchases, which they can then redeem for money off when they pay for items through PayPal.

Buyers can also earn eBay Anything points when they use the eBay credit card, or exchange their frequent flyer miles for eBay Anything points. People think it's really great to take frequent flyer miles they're never going to use and get stuff on eBay for them.

How to Offer Points to Your Buyers.

Go to http://anythingpoi nts.ebay.com/offer.html and click 'Log In to Offer Manager'. Enter an item's number to offer Anything points on that item.

How Does it Work?

You choose how many points per dollar you want to offer to your buyers when they pay you with PayPal. Each point costs you 1c, and is worth 1c to the buyer - eBay don't take anything out along the way.

For example, if you sell an item worth $500, and you offer 2 points per dollar, then the seller will receive 1000 eBay Anything points - the equivalent of $10. You only pay for the points when the buyer actually receives them, and you can offer points on as many or as few listings as you like.

Each listing you add will get a big banner below the description, saying ""X Anything Points per dollar of the final price for buyers who pay with PayPal"". Buyers can click it for more information on the scheme.

Why Would You Want To?

Really, most sellers who offer points are doing it to get around a condition of their contract with their supplier. Many sellers only get access to goods at wholesale prices provided they don't list them for sale below the manufacturer's MAP, or minimum advertised price. The points allow them to offer the items at the MAP and then give their buyer money back in the form of points. It's a bit like a virtual rebate.

The eBay Anything points scheme is good for you and for eBay, as it encourages buyers to use PayPal instead of more cumbersome payment methods. eBay are keen to promote PayPal, and obviously thought this would be a good way of doing it - not to mention that it keeps buyers coming back, to spend their points. You will also get to be listed on the 'Earn Points from eBay Sellers' page, which is here: http://anythingpoin ts.ebay.com/earn.html .

Here's another advantage for you: if you buy things from sellers who offer Anything points, you can then use those points to pay your own seller fees. Another seller gets to pay your fees for you! All you need to do is go to My eBay, then Account Management, click the Pay button, and then choose the option to use your Anything points to pay.

If you're going to offer points, then you want your auction to end for as much as you can possibly get - let the buyer pay for their own points! All you'll need is our next email, all about strategies for when to start and end your auction.

Ebay Description Writing Tips.

2009-01-04T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Once you've drawn the buyers in with your title, the next thing to do is to tell them all about your item with the description. But just what should you write in your description?

At its heart, your item description is an ad. Without making it too obvious, you should be writing sales copy. You're trying to get buyers excited about your products, and that's usually hard - but on eBay, if you have the right thing to sell and give enough details, the buyers almost excite themselves.

Technical Details.

Include every technical detail you know, including the item's manufacturer, its condition, how big it is, where and when it was made, its history, and anything else special about it. Don't be too boring, though: the best descriptions are written in friendly, conversational language, and show a real knowledge of the item. Whatever you do, make sure you tell the truth!

Remember that most of the people who'll be buying your item will be just as knowledgeable about it as you are, if not more - this is their hobby, and they're experts. Don't feel like you need to explain the basics of the item: just go into as much technical detail as you can. As a rule, don't write anything in the description if you don't know what it means, as the chances are someone will, and if you've got it slightly wrong then you'll look like you don't know what you're talking about.

Interesting Details.

You might find that you enjoy writing a few things about how you got the item, why you're selling it, and who you think might like it. This isn't strictly necessary, but it gives your auctions some character and a personal touch, and can make people more likely to trust you. People might wonder what you're doing selling 500 CDs all at once, and if you tell them the reason, then they'll feel reassured that nothing dodgy is going on. If you're selling them because you're having a baby and you need the space, just say so.

Write as Much as You Can.

Leave nothing out of your description, even if that seems to you like it makes it cumbersomely long. There is no way you can be too thorough: someone, somewhere will appreciate that you took the time to write the extra information.

Don't assume that anyone who wants extra information will email you to ask a question: many buyers are shy and won't do it. Think of questions that buyers might have and add the answers to your description, as people generally tend to ask the same questions over and over again.

Each time a buyer does email you with a question, you should both answer their question and update your description so that it will include the answer next time. If people ask questions that are answered in the description, try putting these parts of the auction on a line alone, or in bold, to make them easier to notice.

In the next email, we'll focus on increasing the number of buyers who respond to your auctions.

Tips And Tricks For Using Ebay Search

2009-01-02T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: John Maxim

If you know what you're doing, you can quickly find what you're looking for on eBay. Here are a few golden rules.

Spell wrongly: It's a sad fact that many of the sellers on eBay just can't spell. Whatever you're looking for, try thinking of a few common misspellings - the chances are that fewer people will find these items, and so they will be cheaper.

Get a thesaurus: You should try to search for all the different words that someone might use to describe your item, for example searching for both 'TV' and 'television', or for 'phone', 'mobile' and 'cellphone'. Where you can, though, leave off the type of item altogether and search by things like brand and model.

Use the categories: Whenever you search, you'll notice a list of categories at the side of your search results. If you just searched for the name of a CD because you want to buy that CD, you should click the 'CDs' category to just look at results in that category. Why bother looking through a load of results that you don't care about?

Few people realise just how powerful eBay's search engine is - a few symbols here and there and it'll work wonders for you.

Either/or: If you want to search for lots of words at once, just put them in brackets: the TV example from earlier could become '(TV,television)', which would find items with either word.

So once you've found your bargain item, bid for it and won it, what if it all goes wrong? Don't worry - eBay has a thorough dispute resolution procedure, and we'll cover it in some depth in the next article, so you'll be prepared if the worst happens.

About the author: John is an Ebay Powerseller. He's published a blog listing his best resources and articles. His blog can be found at http://www.auctionblogonline.com.

How To Use The About Me Page On eBay

2008-12-31T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Ian D. Major

No matter what you sell online, or how you sell it, you will need to build a measure of trust with your customers. When selling through eBay, building that trust can be quite difficult - people worry about being scammed quite a bit.

However, eBay sellers can use the 'About Me' page that comes with their eBay seller's account to start building that all-important trust.

The 'About Me' page on eBay will allow you to tell your potential customers more about you, your products, and your business. This page allows the potential bidders to see that you are indeed a real human being, and there is even a forum included which will allow you to have personal communication with potential customers.

You can use this page to provide information about why you want to sell various items, how you got started on eBay, and any other information that you want to share that might help build trust. The 'About Me' page can also be used to show your trading history on eBay. Having the ability to show that you have no refund requests - or very few - and that you've honored all requests is vital.

eBay is a lot of fun - for both buyers and sellers - but when it comes down to the wire, it is a business, and it should be operated as such.

The 'About Me' page on eBay is similar to the 'About Us' page that you see on the websites of major corporations. Corporations use their pages to give a brief company history, a brief explanation of their mission and standards, and vital information about the people running the company. Your 'About Me' page should have no less.

It is important to note that eBay does not make the 'About Me' page very accessible to sellers - in terms of finding the page and how to add information to the page. To find the page and get it set up, simply go to: http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?AboutMeLogin and sign in with your user ID and password. You will be taken through the steps to get your 'About Me' page all set up.

You will be allowed to use an HTML page that you have created yourself, or to use the easy form that eBay provides. By using the form, you can enter information about yourself or your business, upload pictures, add your website links, allow your current offerings to show, and allow your feedback history to show.

Once you've finished creating the page eBay will email you the URL. You can share this URL with friends, family, and website visitors. You can even have it printed on promotional items.

While eBay will allow you to add outside links to your 'About Me' page, there are rules that must be followed.

Those links cannot point to any site that sells items outside of the eBay website. It may point to a site that offers more information about the items you are selling on eBay, as long as those items are only available through eBay - not through the website.

Breaking this rule will result in removal of your 'About Me' page, listing cancellations, limited account privileges, account suspension, loss of eBay fees on cancelled listings, or loss of PowerSeller status.

If you have questions that eBay does not answer about creating your 'About Me' page, there is a discussion board set up for this very purpose. This forum is easily accessible when you are creating your 'About Me' page, and you will find all of the answers that you are looking for here. You may also choose to view other members 'About Me' pages to get some ideas.

Just remember that the 'About Me' page should be used to build trust between you and your potential customers. You should avoid making it look too 'corporate,' but at the same time, avoid making it look like an amateur home page as well.

About the author: Ian D. Major makes it easy to understand and use eBay, quickly and easily. Learn all you need to know by visiting

http://www.ebay-articles.com

Seasonal Selling Strategies for eBay

2008-12-29T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Paul Duxbury

When you sell on eBay, it's important to know how to take advantage of the kinds of markets you encounter in the different seasons. As a rule, the summer months are slow and the winter period is fast, but there's more to it than that.

It Depends What You're Selling.

Your sales won't necessarily be slower in the summer than in winter - they might just be different. If you're selling sports equipment, for example, you'll probably find that surfing gear sells in summer while skiing gear sells in winter. You should make sure you are aware of any seasonal variations there will be in your particular market, and plan in advance to take advantage of them.

Selling in Peak Season.

The holiday season is eBay's peak, and the best time to be selling on eBay - the December rush is relatively short, but if you play it right then you could make half your year's profit over those few days.

In the holidays, people are looking for presents, and eBay run more advertising than usual targeted towards buyers, not sellers. Target your auctions more towards new users than experienced ones, writing easy-to-understand descriptions. If you have any items that are in demand, try listing some at auction and some with high But it Now prices, to see what works best.

The chances are you'll be surprised when the Buy it Now auctions go almost instantly and the auctions rack up bids like nobody's business. It is important to remember, however, that most of these buyers will only buy from you once.

Selling Off-peak.

For the rest of the year, the market is far slower. Don't worry though - you can still make money. It's a little like being a stockbroker: you can make money whether the market is good or bad, if you know what you're doing.

Remember that your target market is a little more 'expert': you're mostly selling to people who know what they're buying, and know what they want to pay. Cater to this by providing a service suitable for these customers. Show that you know what you're selling and sell things consistently and you'll have people coming back again and again.

Here's one extra tip that you might try. If you know of items that have a consistent value, it might be worth buying up as many as you can cheaply in the summer, storing them for half a year, and selling them during the winter rush. If you're willing to give over a little space for storage, you can make a lot of profit for little effort. After all, you don't even have to take the items out of the packaging the last seller put them in.

About the author: Paul is Head of Training for a major UK Charitable Organisation with a wealth of experience in personal development, management development, e-learning and operational management. In addition he owns PK eBooks (http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk) two sites specifically aimed at those who want to successfully sell on eBay http://www.ebay-profits.co.uk and http://www.info-entrepreneurs.co.uk

Five Simple steps to your first eBay sale!

2008-12-28T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Paul Duxbury

It's surprisingly simple to get started posting your very first auction on eBay. Here's what you need to do.

Step 1: Open an eBay seller's account.

If you've bought things on eBay, then you already have an account - just log in with it and click 'Sell' in the toolbar at the top of the page, then click 'Create a seller's account'. If you've never used eBay before, then you'll need to open an account first using the 'register' link underneath the toolbar, and then click 'Sell' and 'Create a seller's account'. The eBay site will then guide you through the process. For security, this may involve giving card details and bank information.

Step 2: Decide what to sell.

For your first little experiment with eBay, it doesn't really matter what you sell. Take a look around the room you're in - I'm sure there's something in there that you're not all that attached to and could put in the post. Small books and CDs are ideal first items.

Step 3: Submit your item.

Click 'Sell', and you're on your way to listing your item.

The first thing you need to do is choose a category - it's best to just type in what the item is and let eBay choose for you. Next, write a title and description. Include key words you think people will search for in the title box, and all the information you have about the item in the description box.

Now set a starting price. A low price £0.01 or $0.01 is the best starting price, as it draws people in to bid who otherwise wouldn't, and items will almost never finish at such a low price. The next thing to set is the duration of the auction: 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. This is up to you: longer sales will usually get more bids, but will also seem to drag on forever. If you've taken a picture, add it now - items with pictures always sell for more. Finally, tick the payment methods you will accept (just PayPal is best for now), and where you will post to (limit yourself to your own country to begin with). Submit and you're done!

Step 4: Wait for it to sell.

This is just a matter of sitting back and letting eBay do its thing - buyers will find your item and leave bids on it. Some bidders might email you with questions about the item, and you should do your best to answer these questions as quickly as you can.

Remember that if your item doesn't sell then you can list it again for free once.

Step 5: Collect payment and post it.

eBay will send your buyer emails guiding them through the process of sending you payment for the item. Make sure you have the money before you send anything.

Once you've got the payment, all you need to do is pack the item for posting (make sure to use some bubble wrap), take the buyer's address from the confirmation email eBay sent you, and write it on the parcel. Put some stamps on, post it, and you're done!

10 Reasons To Become An eBay Trading Assistant

2008-12-26T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Mark Kenny

Many eBay sellers are finding additional revenue in signing up to be a Trading Assistant. This program is beneficial to both sellers and people who wish to sell their items but, for reasons of time or technology, aren't capable. When that's the case, they turn to a Trading Assistant to help market their wares. There are many reasons that someone may choose to become a trading assistant and, in turn, why someone would want to hire one.

Reason 1: When sellers become an eBay Trading Assistant, they increase their inventory without investing any money. The client will provide his/her items to be sold and the Trading Assistant will not have any out-of-pocket expenses for the new items.

Reason 2: If a business has a large selection of merchandise, it will attract more customers and generate even more revenue. The more variety that you can offer, the wider your consumer base will be.

Reason 3: As a Trading Assistant, sellers can earn extra money based on the fees that they charge. Selling someone else's product is a service and most sellers charge a fee for that service. As a Trading Assistant, it becomes your responsibility to photograph and accurately describe the item, list the auction and take responsibility for completing the transaction. Each Trading Assistant decides what fee, if any, they wish to charge their clients.

Reason 4: Each Trading Assistant will be listed in eBay's Trading Assistant Directory, which will give added publicity to your business. And, best of all, it's free!

Reason 5: If you take on the task of selling a client's product, and do a good job, then he/she will likely return to you for future selling needs. In addition, your client may refer his/her friends to you. Word of mouth, when it's positive, is the best kind of publicity.

Reason 6: When you become a Trading Assistant, sellers may want to consider submitting a press release to local newspapers. Because it's a new development within your business, it's considered news. Press releases are one of the best ways to get free publicity for your business.

Reason 7: The eBay Trading Assistant program provides sellers with access to special training programs and other education reference materials. Knowledge of sales and marketing are always an asset to any business.

Reason 8: As a Trading Assistant, sellers can take pride in knowing that they are providing a service that is earning money for their customers. By signing up for this service, and taking on clients, sellers are helping people to earn extra cash while also clearing some space.

Reason 9: The Trading Assistant program offers a seller the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in a wide variety of fields, including marketing, buying, sales, customer service, business management, order processing and fulfillment. Each of these tools are extremely valuable in today's job marketplace.

Reason 10: The more you sell, the more feedback you will receive. If the feedback is good, customer confidence will grow based on your reputation as a seller.

Now that you know 10 reasons to become an eBay Trading Assistant, I'll bet you can't think of one reason not to. Happy trading!

About the author: Mark Kenny creates profitable turnkey websites at http://trading-web-solutions.com. This article is taken from his eBay maximum profits mini-course showing you how to get the most out of eBay. To subscribe send a blank email to taebay@aweber.com

How to sell more on eBay by studying your competitors

2008-12-24T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Paul Duxbury

If you've a savvy businessperson, the chances are you've already taken a look at your competitors' auctions. What you might not have realised is just how much you can learn if you know what you're looking for.

To begin with, don't bother looking at listings that haven't ended yet - you don't know what's going to happen with them. Instead, use the advanced search page to search for listings that sold. Just go to the advanced search page, type in the keywords that you know will find your competitors' items, tick 'Completed listings only' and set the minimum number of bids to 1. Set it to sort by 'Price: highest first'.

This will show you auctions competing with yours that have recently finished, starting with the ones that sold for the most (ignore any with prices in red - they didn't sell). Go through and take a look, paying special attention to the following points:

Titles. What information do the top sellers of your item put in their titles, and what do they leave out? If your titles are very different to theirs, it might be time for a rethink.

Descriptions. You'll probably notice that the highest sellers haven't just copied text from the company's website or an Amazon.com review - they've gone to the trouble of writing a little about the item, and about themselves. Learn from their example.

Pictures. I can almost guarantee you that the listing will have very nice pictures - not catalogue quality, but good enough to see what you're getting. With items of any significant cost, you'll probably find more than one photo from different angles.

Style. Is it written conversationally, or in terse businesslike language? The way you should write entirely depends on what the market seems to like - and the market seems to like what the top sellers wrote.

Time. It's pretty easy to ignore this as a factor without meaning to, but pay attention to when the top selling items' auctions began and ended. This might give you a few clues about the best to catch buyers who will bid highly on your item, and then you can schedule your items accordingly.

Price. If your competitors are selling using Buy it Now, you can see what the maximum is that they've managed to sell for recently, and set your own Buy it Now price slightly below that.

Shipping. Look around to see the sweet spot for shipping. If you can figure out a way to get your shipping costs lower than the highest sellers, then this is a great opportunity to differentiate yourself in the market.

Once you see what works, you can start to emulate your competitors - of course you can't just copy them completely, but you can structure your auction similarly and make sure it includes the same information.

Creating Ebay Selling Opportunities By Communicating With Your Buyer

2008-12-23T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

One thing many eBay sellers neglect is to actually communicate with their buyers - not with some automated 'suggestion' system, but with actual person-to-person contact. If you can be friendly and sound nice, then you can make them think you're doing them a favour while you make a few extra sales.

'I Could Throw In...'

When you receive an order for an item that costs a lot for shipping and needs some kind of equipment, this is an ideal opportunity to make a 'friendly' extra sale. For example, if someone has just bought a computer, you could send an email like this:

""I'm just emailing you to ask if you'd like a mouse or a keyboard - since you're buying a computer from me, I can throw in any accessories you want without charging any extra shipping. If you're not interested though, then don't worry about it - it was just a thought.""

Note how informal this email has to be. It can't stink of sales, or the whole 'communication' thing will be ruined. Would you rather buy something extra from someone who says ""you might as well, since you're paying shipping anyway"" or from someone who says something like ""our valued customers will also love our GREAT DEALS on mice - check it out!"" I know what my answer is.

Know Anyone Else?

Here's a simple thing to try: when you thank your buyer, simply say that if they're pleased with you then you'd really appreciate it if they could spread the word. Many eBay buyers feel like they've got a real bargain, and combining this with good customer service could be enough to make your customer go out and start writing down your eBay store's address on pieces of paper for their friends. If you notice a lot of orders coming from the same town, then you'll know that this technique is working.

Any Problems?

If you contact the buyer a few months down the line to ask if their product is still working fine, you might find that they're having a problem you can fix, by sending a spare part or an upgrade. This is another opportunity to make a sale - not to mention helpful for them.

Anything to Sell?

If you've just sold them a brand new item, ask your buyer if they have an old one that they might like to trade in. They will often be delighted to take you up on your offer, since they were wondering how they were going to get rid of their old one anyway. Give them a fair price for it and offer to pay their postage and you won't believe how happy they'll be - and the chances are you can make a good profit on what they send you.

When everything is going to plan with your buyers, it's nice to be able to spend a while every week leaving them all big chunks of positive feedback. But how do you make this feedback the best it can be? We'll take a look at the dos and don'ts of leaving feedback for buyers in the next email.

You Sell On eBay And You Don't Have Your Own Website? Are You Crazy?

2008-12-18T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Ian D. Major

Whether you sell items on eBay as a hobby or for a part time income or even if you earn a full time living on eBay, not having a Website of your own to augment your eBay sales is like throwing money down the drain.

Look at it this way.

Lets say that over a 10 day auction, 200 people visit your eBay Sales Page and one of those visitors buys your item.

Then what?

What do your 200 visitors do now? Where do they go?

Well, if your not directing them to another buying opportunity then you have probably lost them for ever.

Now, if you had a Website that promoted products similar to those that you sell on eBay, you would be able to direct them to that site and give them another opportunity to make a purchase.

And it's so easy to do!

On your eBay Sales Page you place a link to your AboutMe Page.

On your AboutMe Page you add a link to your Website.

eBay wont tolerate you sending visitors to a Website from your Sales Page, but they are perfectly happy for you to direct visitors to your AboutMe Page.

eBays's policy on the use of the AboutMe Page is that you can direct visitors to a Website outside of eBay as long as that site provides further information on the item you are auctioning or selling.

More information about eBay's AboutMe Page and Sales Pages can be found at http://pages.ebay.com/services/index.html.

So, lets go through a brief scenario!

Let's suppose that your selling ""How To"" CDs and DVDs on eBay.

You set up your Sales Page for a particular ""How To"" CD or DVD .

Let's assume in this example that it's a CD or DVD that teaches people ""How To Grow Award Winning Roses"".

After describing the DVD you would add a line or two to your Sales Page explaining that the visitor can find out more about gardening ""How To DVDs"" by visiting your AboutMe Page . Then you would include a link that will take them to your AboutMe Page.

It's a good idea to include this information at the beginning, middle and end of your Sales Page.

AboutMe Page

Ok. So you've set up your AboutMe Page to briefly describe some of your other product titles.

You could include an opt-in form here to help build your mailing list. You would definitely include a link to your Website.

Hopefully your eBay Sales Page has done it's job and you have sold the ""Award Winning Roses"" DVD at a good profit.

But what about those visitors that didn't buy? All 199 of them in this example.

Perhaps that particular DVD wasn't quite what they were looking for.

Not to worry!

You have offered those visitors an alternative and some will visit your AboutMe Page to see what other products you have,

Some will click on your link and visit your Website.

Some of these visitors to your Website will see products that they are interested in and buy.

Even if this only happens with 2 out of your 200 visitors you will have made more money than you would have done if you didn't have a Website.

WEBSITES and DOMAIN NAMES How do I get a Website?

It couldn't be any simpler to get your own Domain Name and Website than it is nowadays.

WYSIWYG You could go for a WYSIWYG EDITOR (What You See Is What You Get) site builder where you fill in the ""blanks"" with your information. See www.ephox.com/default.asp for a WYSIWYG Editor

LEADING EDGE EDITORS You could use one of the leading edge brand products such as Dreamweaver at www.macromedia.com or MicroSoft FrontPage at www.microsoft.com/frontpage/.

DIY CODING You could learn to write HTML (Hypertext Mark Up Language)if you wanted to. A good tutorial can be found at www.htmlgoodies.com/.

A good HTML Editor can be found at http://www.evrsoft.com/1stpage2.shtml (this is what I use and it's free).

OUT SOURCE You could pay someone else to do it for you and a good place to find someone is www.elance.com/

DOMAIN NAMES You will want to choose and register your own Domain Name.

A word of warning here. Don't use a free hosting account for your Website.

You will not be able to use your own domain name and if you want your business to look professional and be taken seriously you must have your own Domain Name.

You can buy a unique Domain Name for as little as $8.00 per year and you can find out if the name you want is available by carrying out a search at most hosting sites for example Namecheap at www.namecheap.com

HOSTING There are many hosting sites to choose from and a search on your favourite search engine will bring up many.

The most important thing here is that you get what you pay for.

By now, most people are aware of free web space. I'm all for getting something for nothing but a time may come when you choose to promote products or services belonging to you and this is where the need for you to own your own Website becomes paramount.

A Website belonging to you is a must if your business is to be taken seriously.

WHAT WILL IT COST Website hosting can cost from nothing to upwards of hundreds of dollars but I would suggest that a good average fee would be about $20.00 a month for Hosting.

The monthly fee will largely be dependent on what services and optional extra's you need, my advice would be to start out with an inexpensive package and upgrade when you need to - but remember, you ""get what you pay for"".

If you think that you may need technical help, or you might have questions that you need answering, be sure to pick a hosting company that can provide that level of support.

You will have to decide how important this is to you.

My minimum requirements of a hosting company would be one that backed up it's servers on a daily basis (that way my precious information is protected) and provided secure server access so that my customer's details such as credit card details etc were kept confidential.

FREE WEB HOSTING SERVICES Why pay for hosting when there are so many free Websites?

The main problem with free Website providers is that you will not be able to use a Domain Name belonging to you, and as we have already discovered, your very own Domain Name is a must if you are considering running a business on the Internet.

10 Tips For Selling On eBay

2008-12-17T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Mark Kenny

Many people have chosen a work-at-home career and, thanks to today's technology, it's easier than ever. One such opportunity for entrepreneurs is available at internet auction site, eBay. The concept seems simple enough, but having an edge over the competition is always a good idea. For those who already sell, or who are considering a new business venture, a little knowledge can go along way. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Tip 1: Many eBay sellers accept PayPal, also an eBay company, as a way for buyers to quickly pay for their auction purchase. Payments are done immediately and are deposited directly into the seller's PayPal account. It's very important to make sure a buyer's address is confirmed, which is a method PayPal uses to verify the identity of the customer, before shipping an order. In addition, sellers should purchase tracking numbers whenever possible so that they may confirm delivery of an item.

Tip 2: If you have a refund policy, make certain that your terms are clearly noted in the auction description. Consider the conditions under which you will accept a return, how long the buyer has to return an item, whether or not you are willing to refund the original shipping price and who will be responsible for the return shipping. Do not leave anything open to interpretation because it's very important to describe your refund policy in a clear and concise manner. If you do not accept returns, it's helpful to note this in order to avoid confusion.

Tip 3: The most important part of an auction is the description. Describe your item clearly and in detail. If it's new, let your buyers know. The description should contain everything from the condition of the item to the cost of shipping, payment methods that you accept and payment due dates.

Tip 4: When possible, include a color photo of the item you are selling. On eBay, the first photo that you include is free of charge. Buyers generally want to see the item they are considering, so avoid the 'sight unseen' scenario if possible. If you do not have a digital camera or scanner, purchase a disposable camera at your local supermarket.

Tip 5: Always be polite and respectful to your customers. It's extremely important to keep the lines of communication flowing. If possible, notify your buyers immediately when they win your auction and answer any questions throughout the process.

Tip 6: Sellers should consider the best listing options for their product. Unless you are selling a very expensive item, avoid the higher priced listing upgrades. Keep in mind that, if a bidder wins and fails to follow through with payment, sellers can request a final value fee credit. However, sellers will be stuck paying for the listing fee - even if the bidder doesn't honor their bid.

Tip 7: Show appreciation to your customers. If possible, include a free gift with every purchase. Whether it's a small picture calendar or other gesture, buyers will love the added surprise.

Tip 8: After the transaction is complete, buyers and sellers should always exchange feedback for one another. Everyone loves to increase their reputation and build trust within the auction community.

Tip 9: If a buyer fails to follow through with payment, contact them to see what happened. It may be a simple mix-up, so be polite in your letter. After your contact, if the buyer still refuses to honor their bid, sellers should promptly send an unpaid item reminder. This option is available seven days after the auction closes. The last step, after an additional 10 days have passed, is to file a request for a final value fee credit and relist the item.

Tip 10: If an item doesn't sell the first time around, don't be discouraged. Through a new relist policy, eBay refunds all relisting fees if your item sells the second time. In order to qualify, you must not increase the price or change other important auction information before relisting your item.

At the end of the day, internet auctions can be a terrific way to earn extra cash or as a full-time career. Where else can you earn money 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and even when you're sleeping? Happy auctioning!

Understanding Ebay's VeRO Program.

2008-12-16T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

'VeRO'? What on Earth is that? Well, it's a very scary eBay program that can get your auctions shut down, that's what it is.

VeRO stands for 'Verified Rights Owner'. It is the eBay policy that deals with complaints about your auctions from companies who own copyrights, patents or trademarks on the items you are selling. Unfortunately, it is often abused to remove items from eBay that are perfectly legitimate to resell, simply because the copyright owner doesn't want people getting their hands on them.

If the copyright of something you're selling is owned by one of eBay's 5,000 verified rights owners, be prepared for trouble. eBay have given these companies the right to remove any auction from eBay that they see fit, and, say eBay, ""eBay cannot require the rights owner to provide you with the exact reason of the request to remove your listing"". Worse, eBay may even suspend your account, or give your real-world contact details to the company in question.

Why Do eBay Do This?

Basically, they do it to avoid getting sued, or even getting threatened with being sued. There is a law called the DMCA (digital millennium copyright act) that means that eBay must either take these auctions down when it asked to or take full responsibility for them from that point on. eBay doesn't want to take any responsibility for your auctions.

It's not worth worrying too much about it - 99% of the VeRO program is aimed at stopping fake brand-name goods or pirated media being sold through eBay. Big companies also seem to get quite upset when eBay sellers take the company's ad copy, logos or professional pictures and use them for selling on eBay.

If you'd like to take a slightly patronising quiz about copyright to help you understand eBay's policy, go here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/tutorial/verotutorial/intro2.html

So Who Are These Companies?

There's a complete list available here: http: //pages.ebay.com/help/community/vero-aboutme.html . This list includes everything from the Microsoft and Adobe to Chanel and Nike, not to mention the RIAA (recording industry association) and MPAA (motion picture association). Most of the companies, understandably, deal in software, media or fashion.

eBay Say I Violated VeRO and I Want to Appeal.

Use the link at the bottom of this page:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/vero-removed-listing.ht ml . That'll get you to eBay's VeRO Seller Appeal Form, where you can put your case to them directly. You are supposed to take it up with the company that complained about you first, however - and sometimes you might find that they just back down, which makes the whole thing a lot easier.

If you have no luck getting any response from eBay by email, it's not really worth trying to phone them - you'll find they're most responsive if you use the 'Live Chat' feature or write them an actual, real-paper letter. You're best off being nice to eBay: they have absolutely no obligation, after all, to ever let you sell anything at all.

On a happier note, have you ever heard of eBay Anything Points? No? Well, you're not alone. The next email will explain what these little-used points can do for you.

An eBay Seller's Checklist for Success

2008-12-15T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Paul Duxbury

Being a seller is a lot of responsibility, and sometimes you might feel like you're not doing everything you should be. This simple checklist will help you keep on top of things.

Have you found out everything you possibly could about your items? Try typing their names into a search engine - you might find out something you didn't know. If someone else is selling the same thing as you, then always try to provide more information about it than they do. Do you monitor the competition? Always keep an eye on how much other items the same as or similar to yours are selling, and what prices they're being offered at. There's usually little point in starting a fixed price auction for £100 when someone else is selling the item for £90.

Have you got pictures of the items? It's worth taking the time to photograph your items, especially if you have a digital camera. If you get serious about eBay but don't have a camera, then you will probably want to invest in one at some point.

Are you emailing your sellers? It's worth sending a brief email when transactions go through: something like a simple ""Thank you for buying my item, please let me know when you have sent the payment"". Follow this up with ""Thanks for your payment, I have posted your [item name] today"". You will be surprised how many problems you will avoid just by communicating this way.

Also, are you checking your emails? Remember that potential buyers can send you email about anything at any time, and not answering these emails will just make them go somewhere else instead of buying from you.

Do your item description pages have everything that buyers need to know? If you're planning to offer international delivery, then it's good to make a list of the charges to different counties and display it on each auction. If you have any special terms and conditions (for example, if you will give a refund on any item as long as it hasn't been opened), then you should make sure these are displayed too.

Have you been wrapping your items correctly? Your wrapping should be professional for the best impression: use appropriately sized envelopes or parcels, wrap the item in bubble wrap to stop it from getting damaged, and print labels instead of hand-writing addresses. Oh, and always use first class post - don't be cheap.

Do you follow up? It is worth sending out an email a few days after you post an item, saying ""Is everything alright with your purchase? I hope you received it and it was as you expected."" This might sound like giving the customer an opportunity to complain, but you should be trying to help your customers, not take their money and run.

Being a really good eBay seller, more than anything else, is about providing genuinely good and honest customer service. That's the only foolproof way to protect your reputation.

5 Simple Steps to Posting Your First eBay Auction

2008-12-14T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: James Mahony

Here is a short introduction to a subject many hundreds of readers are eager to learn more about.

In response to a growing demand for quality content on the topic, we commissioned a group of expert writers to create this article specially for you. Let's get right into the content.

Its surprisingly simple to get started posting your very first auction on eBay. Heres what you need to do.

Step 1: Open an eBay sellers account. If you've bought things on eBay, then you already have an account just log in with it and click Sell in the toolbar at the top of the page, then click Create a sellers account.

If you've never used eBay before, then you'll need to open an account first using the register link underneath the toolbar, and then click Sell and Create a sellers account. The eBay site will then guide you through the process. For security, this may involve giving card details and bank information.

Step 2: Decide what to sell. For your first little experiment with eBay, it doesn't really matter what you sell. Take a look around the room you're in Im sure theres something in there that you're not all that attached to and could put in the post. Small books and CDs are ideal first items.

Step 3: Submit your item. Click Sell, and you're on your way to listing your item. The first thing you need to do is choose a category its best to just type in what the item is and let eBay choose for you. Next, write a title and description. Include key words you think people will search for in the title box, and all the information you have about the item in the description box. Now set a starting price. $0.01 is the best starting price, as it draws people in to bid who otherwise wouldnt, and items will almost never finish at such a low price. The next thing to set is the duration of the auction: 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. This is up to you: longer sales will usually get more bids, but will also seem to drag on forever. If you've taken a picture, add it now items with pictures always sell for more. Finally, tick the payment methods you will accept (just PayPal is best for now), and where you will post to (limit yourself to your own country to begin with). Submit and you're done!

Editor's Note: I came across this article quite by accident - through a friend. He was reading a website - and the articles on it captivated him. He mentioned it, fortunately we managed to convince the author to agree to share this valuable content with others, and now you're reading it!

What you've learned has the potential to change the way you view this topic in the future. And there's more to come...

Step 4: Wait for it to sell. This is just a matter of sitting back and letting eBay do its thing buyers will find your item and leave bids on it. Some bidders might email you with questions about the item, and you should do your best to answer these questions as quickly as you can. Remember that if your item doesn't sell then you can list it again for free.

Step 5: Collect payment and post it. eBay will sent your buyer emails guiding them through the process of sending you payment for the item. Make sure you have the money before you send anything. Once you've got the payment, all you need to do is pack the item for posting (make sure to use some bubble wrap), take the buyers address from the confirmation email eBay sent you, and write it on the parcel. Put some stamps on, post it, and you're done! I hope you enjoyed selling your first item. Now that you're starting to get into it, the next article will give you a checklist of things you need to do to be a successful seller.

Now that you've learned something about this topic, maybe you want more information or need greater detail about certain specific issues.

I encourage you to explore this site, read a few more articles on related topics, and get even greater insight into the subject.

And if there's any way I can help you, please write. We welcome feedback and thrive on your support.

An eBay Sellers Checklist

About the author: James Mahony is the founder of Online Auction Handbook - Learn How to Make Money on eBay

Make Money on eBay

How To Turn Ebay Bidders Into Long-Term Customers.

2008-12-13T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Once someone's bought something from you on eBay, you suddenly have all sorts of details on them. In marketing terms, this information is gold dust. If someone's bought from you once before, then the chances are that at some point in the future they'll want to buy a similar item, and you can take advantage of this to market to them directly.

The simplest form of direct marketing is the email newsletter - and it's one that is still oddly underused on eBay. Simply ask people who buy from you if they'd like to be added to your mailing list, and then send them a monthly update on your new items. You should also include some information you think might be useful to them, to give the email more value.

For example, here's a newsletter you might write if you were selling DVDs.

""Here are the dates for this month's new DVD releases:

[list of release dates]. If you want to pre-order anything on this list, just click here [your website/email] and let us know.

Meanwhile, we've got some great deals for you this month! [links to your best ebay auctions]

You are receiving this email because you signed up for my newsletter when you bought an item from me on eBay. To unsubscribe, hit reply and type 'remove'.""

Isn't that simple? As long as you can remember to do it once a month, people will come to like your information, and perhaps take a look at some of the things you're offering.

It's all about building up a customer relationship, and making the customer feel like you are providing them with some information they wouldn't otherwise have. Make your email a useful service to them, whether they buy anything from it or not.

Remember that it's not a newsletter without the news, and send out the best things you can think of: you might even try writing an article or two. Think of it as a free gift for your customers: the gift of useful information. Apart from anything else, it's quite fun to have your own newsletter.

If you sell items that a seller is likely to need more than one of, like auto parts for example, then you can even try highly targeted emails like this.

""I'm sending you this email because you bought a [item name] from me a while ago - I hope you were happy with it. This is just to let you know that if you ever need another [item], I'm currently doing special offers on them. [link]"".

You would probably want to automate this, though, as it could quickly get tedious to do it manually.

Of course, that brings us on to our next subject: eBay stores. eBay stores offer you an easier way to sell your items than having to list them every time on eBay, and they have built-in facilities for targeted direct marketing. You can read all about it in the next email.

eBay auction pricing strategies that really work!

2008-12-12T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Paul Duxbury

If your items aren't selling, then you might have a bad pricing strategy. There as many pricing strategies in the world as there are buyers - if you look at two businesses selling the same thing, often the only difference you'll be able to find between them is pricing.

The 'Few Dollars More' Strategy.

Here's something you might not have thought of. If you set your auction's starting price to what you would usually charge for Buy it Now, while setting the Buy it Now price a few dollars above, you can make a profit by setting off an interesting psychological reaction in the buyer's mind.

Here's what they'll think. They want the item, but why should they bother bidding for it? After all, they could use Buy it Now for just a few dollars more, and be sure of getting it! Doing things this way makes the value of the Buy it Now option extra clear to the buyer, and makes them more willing to pay extra for the privilege.

The 'One Dollar Less' Strategy.

This is simple, but requires you to keep an eagle eye on your competition. As soon as they start a Buy it Now auction for an item you stock, start an auction for one of those items yourself. Match the title closely, but price your item one dollar less than theirs. This will mean that your auctions will sit together in the search results, and who's going to see both and go for the one that's a dollar more expensive?

The 'Free Shipping' Strategy.

Buyers really hate paying for shipping. With Buy it Now, you might find it easier to incorporate the shipping cost into the main price of the item, and then write ""free shipping"" in the auction's title. You'd be surprised how many buyers would prefer to pay one price including shipping for the auction, instead of having shipping added on at the checkout. Again, this is psychological: they pay the same at the end, but it doesn't feel like they've paid an unnecessary 'extra' cost for Internet shopping.

The 'Go for It' Strategy.

If you'd like a slightly more risky strategy, try this. List your item for the maximum duration (ten days), starting the listing on a Thursday so it goes across two weekends and finishes on a Sunday. Set the starting price to the minimum (one cent).

What you're trying to do here is give bidders as long as possible to discover your auction, so that they push the price up themselves. Pay for a few upgrades like bold and highlight, to give them a helping hand. If you do this right, you can make a much bigger profit than you would have with any Buy it Now price, especially with a medium or high value item.

The 5 Mistakes That Can Lose You Money On Ebay

2008-12-11T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Dave Bromley

I am often asked by subscribers to UK Auctionline web site to have a look at their eBay listings. This is usually because they are not doing as well selling their items as they had hoped. When I go and look at the listing I will often find that they have made one or more of the common mistakes that deter bidders.

1. Too many negatives. Some people, especially newcomers to eBay have a very real fear of being cheated or ripped off. Because of this they apply negatives in their listing. This can be in the form of a long list of types of payments they wont accept or conditions that they apply. Something else I have seen is the warning that thee seller will not be responsible for any item lost in the post. Even worse are threats such as negative feedback if payment is not made within a certain time after the auction ended. These sorts of restrictions and threats are a great big turnover to any potential bidder.

2. High shipping charges. Most reasonable people are happy to pay something over the cost of postage to cover packing materials. But as I saw the other day someone who charging $10 to ship a $4.99CD, that is pushing it a bit. If you doubt how the average bikdder views hyped up shipping costs just go and read the commentgs on any eBay forum and see what buyers feel about it.

3. Not using a Gallery Photograph. I assume that no one who is serious about selling on eBay would consider putting up any listing without a picture. I cannot think of any item that would not benefit from a photograph. But there are still a great number of sellers who do not use the gallery feature to have a photograph next to their listing in the search results. Ebay's own figures show that the use of a gallery photograph can increase the final bid figure by as much as 12%.

4. Setting you opening bid price too high. If you want to attract the most bids and therefore a higher final price for your item you should not set too high an opening bid price. A low opening price attracts casual browsers who place a bid just on the off chance of getting a bargain. Once a few bids have been entered other people start noticing and come to your listing to see what it is all about. Then before you know it, the price is shooting up. However, if you start with too high a price you could end up as one of the many listings that attract no bids at all.

5. Not communicating. I know some eBay sellers who really resent having to answer e-mails. In fact I know some who just do not answer any questions from sellers. How stupid is this? A question from a seller is a great opportunity for you to build up rapport with a potential buyer. A quick and pleasant response will almost certainly encourage bids whilst a curt or a non-reply will not.

The bottom line is that eBay is a numbers game, the more people you can get to bid on your items the higher the price they will achieve. Therefore it is important to do everything you can to encourage bidding not trying to deter it.

About the author: Dave Bromley is a writer and Internet Marketer who specialises in subjects related to online auctions,especially eBay.You can register for his newsletter and free 6 part eBay mini course at his information packed web site http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk

Design Tips For Ebay Templates.

2008-12-10T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

Templates are the design elements that you might have noticed some sellers using on their auctions, like the borders around the edge, and the different fonts. Many sellers who are new to eBay don't bother using them, and you might not have either - generally, a descriptive listing and a good picture will do the job just fine.

If you want to really finish your auctions off and make a really good impression on your buyers though, it's useful to have a good template. Here are a few tips on what to do and what not to do.

Choose something appropriate. The most important part of your template is what you choose in eBay's listing designer (in step 3 of the Sell Your Item process), or the equivalent in whatever listing software you're now using. You might prefer to use third-party software for this, as eBay's designs can be somewhat... unimpressive.

Anyway, the different template designs will usually be themed, with names like 'Computers', 'Toys' or 'Crafts'. Make sure what you choose is appropriate for what you're selling - those flowers might be very pretty, but what exactly do they have to do with DVDs?

Put the photo at the top. The photo of your item is far more important than the text. Put your best photo at the top of the description, followed by the text, and then finally any extra pictures you have. The full-size photo of the item is the first thing your buyers want to see when they click your auction - why leave it for last?

Add your logo. A well-designed logo gives a professional air to your auctions, especially if the colour scheme and look fits in with the rest of the template, and it also serves to create more recognition when people have seen your auctions before. Pay a logo designer a few dollars to do you a logo if you don't have one already.

Don't be afraid of large fonts. Fonts are supposed to be different sizes sometimes. When you have something important to say, don't be afraid to put it in a bigger font, headline-style... just as long as you don't get carried away, of course.

Learn a little HTML. It might sound scary, but there are plenty of books out there about learning HTML, and a little goes a long way. Once you know what you're doing, you'll find all sorts of ways to make your auction look better - you'll be able to put complicated information in a table,

Preview your listing. Remember to click that 'Preview listing' button to see what everything's going to look like when it goes live. Good luck!

One of the best things you can put into your auction template to make it more appealing to buyers is something called a 'SquareTrade seal'. This seal is a promise that you will handle any disputes using SquareTrade, an independent dispute resolution service. We'll take a closer look at what it is and how to get one in the next email.

How To Check An Ebay Seller's Reputation (And Why You Should Do It).

2008-12-08T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

When you buy something from an eBay seller, you are giving them your money and hoping that you will get something in return. However many guarantees of safety eBay might make to you, nothing is certain: if you just give your money to scammers all the time without doing any checks then the chances are you won't get all of that money back.

That's why you should always check the seller's reputation, or 'feedback rating'. This is a quick and easy-to-read summary of their history as an eBay seller, which gives you some idea of whether or not you should trust them with your money. Buying anything is a calculated risk: you want to minimise that risk.

How to Check Feedback Ratings.

On each item's description page, there is a box in the top-right hand corner about the seller, with the title 'Seller information'. This contains the seller's name, their feedback score, and their positive feedback percentage, as well as any stars they have earned.

Different coloured stars are given to eBay sellers depending on their rating, in this sequence: yellow, blue, turquoise, purple, red, green, shooting yellow, shooting turquoise, shooting purple, shooting red. Anyone with a 'shooting' star is an experienced eBay member who you should be able to trust.

If you click on the seller's name, you can get to a more detailed view of their reputation - their 'member profile' page. This page shows the total number of people who gave them a positive or negative rating, as well as a breakdown by time. You can also see a complete history of all the comments that have ever been left about them, with the most recent first.

What to Look For.

You might assume that anyone with a very high number can be trusted, but that isn't always true. It is more important to look at their positive feedback percentage - and you should really consider anything below 99% to be a red flag and investigate further.

Take a look through the first visible page with the most recent transactions: are there any negative comments? What do they say? Take others' experiences into account, as they could happen to you if you deal with this person. Be careful not to punish sellers unfairly, however, if they did bad things in their past on eBay but have improved since. You should look at the breakdown by time and ignore any negative feedback that was left a long time ago. Equally, though, you should sit up and pay attention if a seller seems to have been left an out-of-character amount of bad feedback in the last month or so.

Now that you know who to trust, it is worth learning a little more about how the different kinds of auctions work, so that you don't accidentally slip up and make yourself and your feedback page look bad. Our next email will be about the different kinds of auctions you can expect to encounter during your time on eBay.

The top 10 reasons why auctions fail on eBay

2008-12-06T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Paul Duxbury

Are you finding that auction after auction fails to attract any bidders or buyers? It happens to the best of us sometimes - take a good look at these things to see if any of them could be making your bidders avoid you.

The starting price was too high: People don't want to have to make a high bid before anyone else has - you should always start your auctions low and let the bidders bid them up.

The fixed price is too high: If you're just selling with Buy it Now, then of course your items won't sell if they're too expensive. Try reducing the price a little each time the item fails to sell.

No picture: Most buyers are reluctant to bid on something without a picture, and that goes even more for high-value items. Think of it from the buyer's point-of-view: would you want to bid on an item when you've no idea what it looks like?

You had a reserve: Reserve prices scare away buyers like you wouldn't believe, not to mention costing a percentage of your final sale price. Avoid them like the plague.

Bad spelling and grammar: If your titles are spelt wrongly, then no-one will find your auctions. If your descriptions are incoherent, then no-one will know what you're talking about. Always run your text through a spelling and grammar checker before you put it up on eBay.

Too much for shipping: You might be expecting people to pay more for shipping than they're prepared to. Give them a few cheaper options that will take longer, or use cheaper materials.

Negative feedback: If you got negative feedback on your last transaction, expect things to be slow for a while. Try selling cheap things for a while to get your account back in good standing.

Nasty terms: Don't write things all over your auction like ""I will only accept returns in PERFECT condition"" or ""Serious bidders only, no timewasters!!"" This is entirely unnecessary and just makes you look difficult to deal with.

No PayPal: Many buyers simply avoid any seller who doesn't accept PayPal as a payment method - they can't be bothered with the hassle of anything else. Even if you don't like PayPal, you should accept it if you want to business on eBay.

The items were bad. You will have to accept that there are some items no-one wants - perhaps they were hyped to begin with, but now people had heard that they're useless and stopped buying. Before you come to this conclusion, though, check everything else you can, and check if anyone else is managing to sell it. If you're sure, try to return the items, and buy in some new stock.

Tips For Managing Multiple Ebay Auctions.

2008-12-05T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Kirsten Hawkins

It can be very time-consuming to keep your auctions ticking along, especially if you have hundreds listed at a time. Don't despair, though: there are a few things you can do to take the weight off you.

Use My eBay.

If you want a broad overview of where you are with your auctions, make sure you pay a visit to My eBay occasionally instead of just relying on emails. With my eBay, you can see all your auctions in a big table, and sort by things like the number of bids and the current price. If you want to see which of your auctions currently has no bids, then you can do that.

One of the most useful things about My eBay, though, is the 'Summary' view. If you're not sure what you should be doing next, then this acts effectively as an eBay to-do list: anything you need to be doing will end up here.

Use Selling Manager.

If you're willing to pay the fee of $4.99 per month, you can sign up for Selling Manager, which is a more effective version of the My eBay 'Selling' view. It lets you customise your view more effectively to see the information that's important to you, see useful snapshots of how things are going, make automated responses to your buyers using email templates, and more.

Selling Manager Pro gives you more features: it keeps track of inventory for you, and lets you relist items in bulk. It will even produce a monthly profit and loss report to help you keep track of the big picture. Unfortunately, it costs $15.99 per month.

Use a Listing Tool.

Even though they're called listing tools, much of the software out there lets you manage what you're doing long after it's been listed, with all the features of Selling Manager and sometimes a few more besides. This programs also often have the advantage of being programs instead of websites, meaning they're faster to respond and can do more sophisticated analysis.

Remember the 'Relist' Button.

After your auctions end each time, there's an easy way to put the exact same thing back again: the 'Relist' button. You can Relist items quickly and easily this way, as long as you don't want to change in the listing.

Pay Someone!

Here's something you might not have considered: if you're listing so many expensive items that even automated selling tools take too long to use, then have you considered paying someone to help out, as an employee? After all, you wouldn't try to staff a shop full-time on your own, would you? If you already run a business, you could even give the responsibility to someone who works for you there. Freeing up your own time to do something else might pay off for you in the long run.

When you're managing so many auctions, sooner or later you might need to cancel one of them early. The next email will let you know when and how you can do it.

The Hidden Costs Of Selling On Ebay

2008-12-04T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Dave Bromley

There is little doubt that given the potential audience advertising on eBay can be very cost effective. Compared to other forms of advertising it is relatively inexpensive. However, many eBay users rarely bother to work out exactly what it is costing them to make a sale.

There are the obvious costs such as the listing, enhancements and final value fees. Also you have to add the charges made by Paypal if that is the option of payment chosen by the buyer. But then you should really also consider what I call the invisible costs. Let me explain, if for instance you buy many of the items that you sell from Flea markets and garage sales what value do you place on your time going to such events and don't forget any travel expenses to get there.

Once you have got your items home you will need more time to research, photograph and list your purchases. Now add the time you spend packaging the items after sale and standing in line to post them. You could easily find that each sale you make on eBay could take an hour or more of your time.

If you really want to know how much time you spend on your eBay business you need to keep a detailed diary for a few weeks. Record the time when you leave your home on ""eBay business"" and when you return. Add any expenses other than the cost of any items you buy to sell on eBay. Once you are home log any time you spend listing, photographing and packing items.

Do this for a few weeks and this will give you a good idea of the non costed time you spend on your ebay business in an average week. Next decide what you think your time is worth $10, $20 or $50 an hour, this figure is entirely up to you and represents what you would expect to be paid for an hours work by someone else.

You can then work out how many items you sell a week on average. So your figures might look something like this. Average hours per week 6 at $20 an hour, average number of items sold per week 30. This would mean your time is worth $120 a week to you and if you sell 30 items it has cost you $4 of time per item.

So to work out your true profit on any item you need to add not only the cost of the item but also the other costs. eBay, the Paypal and shipping fees and your time costs. You will now be able to calculate what profit or lose you made on the sale. You should also include something to cover those ""mistakes"" that we all buy that disprove the theory that you can sell anything on eBay. After that you will be able to calculate the true profit that you are making from your ebay business.

I am not knocking eBay, quite the contrary; I think it is one of the best methods for anyone to build a successful online business. The point is that if you are to make real profits on eBay it is important to make sure that you use your time to best advantage. This can mean getting software to speed up some tasks and possibly reviewing how and where you buy the items you sell through eBay.

About the author: Dave Bromley is a writer and internet marketer who specialises in subjects related to ebay and online auctions. You can subscribe tio his newsleter and 6 part mini e course by visiting his information packed web site at http:http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk

The Five Things You Must Do Before Buying On Ebay

2008-12-03T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Ian D. Major

As a consumer, you will find many great deals on items that you want and need through eBay auctions. Many people visit eBay on a daily basis looking for auctions for items that they may be interested in - simply because eBay auctions are so much fun!

However, before you start buying on eBay, there are some steps that you need to take. Here are five things you must do before buying on eBay.

1. You can't buy anything without registering first.

Registration is free and only takes a few minutes. You will be asked for credit card information, and this is required before you will be able to bid on auctions. Your email address must be confirmed before your account will become active, so make sure that you use the correct email address.

You will be given the option to sign up for a Paypal account, if you don't already have one, and you should strongly consider doing so. Signing up with Paypal is free, and many auctions will require you to have a Paypal account.

2. Once you have completed the registration process, you are ready to start bidding on auctions.

However, don't jump in right away. Navigate around the site a bit, and get a feel for things first. Some unscrupulous sellers try to take advantage of new eBay users, and you must be wary of them.

Start by searching for the items that you are interested in. Using the category list, click on the categories that you feel that you are interested in, and start looking at the open auctions in those categories. You should find the items that you are looking for quite easily.

3. Once you have found items that you want to bid on add the auction to your favorites - but don't place your bid just yet.

Instead, go find old auctions for similar items. See how much those items sold for so that you know how high to bid. Research the item as best as you can. Determine what the item would cost if it were brand new, and what you should bid now on the used item, in the condition that it is in.

4. Learn more about the seller.

Remember, not everyone is honest. Avoid buying from sellers who have low reputations. The reputation system at eBay is an important tool for buyers. This will enable you to determine whether or not you can trust the person that you are buying from.

Read their feedback page. Read the seller's 'About Me' page. Get to know who you are dealing with a little bit better by communicating with the seller about the auction.

5. Place your bid.

Once you know what item you want and how much you should bid on it, you are ready to place your bid.

There are two ways you can do this. Some sellers take bids on their auctions, with the item going to the highest bidder. Others choose to use the 'Buy Now' feature, which means that they have a set reserve price that you must meet - but you are not in competition with other bidders. This is a typical option that sellers use when they have multiple identical items to sell, or when they sell brand new items on eBay using drop shippers.

If you are entering into an open live auction - where bids are placed and the highest bidder wins - you will need to watch the auction closely to ensure that you keep raising your bid to win the item. Just make sure that you don't end up winning by paying way too much - unless it is a unique item that won't be found elsewhere!

About the author: Ian D. Major makes it easy to understand and use eBay, quickly and easily. Learn all you need to know by visiting

http://www.ebay-articles.com

Beware: The Dangers of Selling on eBay 101

2008-11-30T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Brad Eden

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

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

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

So, what is the user's recourse? The users of eBay must learn to gather information and take meticulous care in dealing on eBay. Only then can they be less gullible to scammers.

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

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

Fake Escrow Services

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

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

Victims of this fraud find it difficult to reclaim their items. They may, however, appeal to the legal system afforded by the state they live in. They must also contact eBay regarding the matter for any assistance they may be willing to offer.

Deadbeat Bidders

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

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

Trade Dispute

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

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

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

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

Payment Methods on eBay

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

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

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

The following is a list of common eBay payment modes.

Cash On Delivery

Cash is, after all, still cash. This payment method can be done through a third party courier system or by the buyer and seller meeting each other at an agreed place. The advantage of a cash transaction is that the exchange of the item for payment is done in the presence of the buyer and the seller (or the seller's representative). However, some people will not accept the risk present when two strangers meet.

Personal Check

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

PayPal

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

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

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

Escrow.com

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

Wire Transfer

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

Other Payment Systems

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

About the author: Brad Eden is a Entrepreneurial Sciences expert with 14 years of industry experience in real estate, marketing and technical communication. He currently consults with IBM in CA. Brad owns & operates a free traffic resource for entrepreneurs. http://www.americanfreetraffic.com

How you can Obtain Life-long Customers from eBay

2008-11-29T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Partha Mitra

How do you do this?

It's as simple as creating a newsletter you can offer along with your eBay ® listings.

In this article I'm going to briefly cover how you can use a newsletter to do the following:

Turn Your eBay Browsers Into Customers Turn eBay Customers Into Life-Long Customers This article will be a two part lesson. Watch for my next article (lesson) covering the basics of creating an effective newsletter. It can be very simple to create a newsletter following a few easy steps!

1.Turn Your eBay Browsers Into Customers

Remember that although your initial goal is to turn your eBay ® ""browsers"" into buyers, you can't stop there. Many eBay ® sellers assume if they don't have something the ""browser"" is looking for, then they aren't going to sell anything to that person at all. But, that is far from the truth.

You've already overcome the most difficult part, which is getting the ""browser"" to your listings. The important part is to make sure each visit counts. You have to make sure that once you get a visitor to one of your listings, they don't leave until you have tried everything possible to get their contact information such as name and email, to try and convert them to a future customer.

Let's say you sell home décor products and someone visits your listings while looking for a particular window treatment. The visitor views the auction they were led to and also visits your ""other listed items."" This particular visitor doesn't find what the item he/she is looking for. So, he/she leaves your auctions and you never have the chance to do business with this person, right? Wrong!

It would be very simple to invite each visitor to your About Me page, with something like, ""Click here to visit my About Me page and receive free, weekly tips to help you redecorate your home like a professional designer for half the cost.""

Once the visitor reaches your About Me page, you can provide them with simple instructions on how they can receive your weekly newsletter for free to get the tips they are looking for.

Sounds easy doesn't it?

It is and, in just minutes, you can have this set up and will be collecting valuable names and email addresses.

2. Turning eBay Customers Into Life-Long Customers

This is so easy, but SO overlooked in the eBay ® industry. If eBay ® is your business, than you have to treat it as such. Like any ""typical"" business, you try to do your best in every aspect of the sale to ensure your customer will return. However, online it is so easy to get lost in the shuffle.

Once you pick up a customer, you need to be sure to stay in contact with that customer so there is no doubt in your mind that, if they return to eBay ® to purchase something, they will come to you first.

There are auction programs such as Vendio that offer great customer management software. You can easily include a ""join my mailing list"" link to all of your post-sale emails. Remember, once you sell to an eBay customer, they are your customer so you're allowed to email them off eBay ®.

You want to present them with an offer such as, ""Join my monthly newsletter and receive updates on my product line including notification of newly listed items, and member discounts.""

Doing this allows you to stay in touch with your past customers to keep you fresh in their minds. And it also gives you the opportunity to invite them to your auction listings on a regular basis. But, remember you have to treat your customers well. You have to provide them with good offers so they appreciate you and want to return.

Whether you obtain the names and emails of those who are visiting your auctions, or those who have bought from you, collecting the information of those who are in the market for your type of product is absolutely priceless.

If they are on eBay ® to purchase a product ""like"" the products you offer, they are more than likely going to purchase this type of product again in the near future. If you offer them sound information and special discounts, as well as keep in touch with them, chances are they will come to you first for their next purchase.

About the author: Janiece Smith is the author of Internet's top-selling eBook teaching everyday people how to make their own small fortune selling on eBay®. Discover The Secrets Janiece Smith Used To Earn Up To $11,212 Per Month Selling On eBay. Her New eBook allows you to easily and quickly apply the author's secrets of finding and selling products on eBay® to create huge amounts of instant profits! For more details see http://ebay.dotpacket.net

How eBay Plans to Quickly Improve on PayPal's Bottom Line

2008-11-28T03:04:00.000-08:00

Author: har

Recently eBay announced plans to buy VeriSign's payment processing business for $370 million and merge the processor with PayPal's operations. PayPal is already the largest online payment company; however, VeriSign's processor would make for a profitable asset, by enabling PayPal to compete with credit card companies known for raising retailer fees. The merge will also help take PayPal beyond its core auction-based business to now tackle small and medium-sized businesses.

VeriSign's payment gateway software creates a direct connection between web businesses and payment processors. These processors are generally run by major banks, therefore cutting out the credit card business. The addition is expected to add $100 million to PayPal's top line in 2006.

As part of the deal, eBay will also purchase up to 1 million VeriSign security tokens. Each token has constantly changing numbers that need to coincide with a synchronized central server. These tokens can be embedded in computers and other devices that along with a password, create a two-factor authentication system.

Security has always been a costly issue for PayPal as they require a large team to deal with fraud.

This merger is a huge step forward for PayPal. This shift will allow PayPal to process a greater number of transactions through banks rather than credit cards and work with more businesses than individual sellers. This in turn will lead to less credit card fees and potentially a lesser percentage of fraudulent sellers by working with registered business owners.

To know more, visit ebaypaypalblog.com

About the author: None

Bargain Vacations: Your Dream Getaway on EBay

2008-11-27T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: By: George W. Cannata

Do you want to get away from the stress of daily life for a few days but do not think you have the money to do it? Think again. eBay, the largest and most popular worldwide trading website, now offers people the opportunity to purchase vacation packages online at bargain prices.

Stay at a bed & breakfast, a hotel, or rent a house or condo. Purchase a trip to visit the sunny beaches of Florida, the tall mountains of Colorado, or the tropical islands of Hawaii. The possibilities are endless on eBay and chances are that if you have a destination in mind, you will be able to surf the website and find bargain prices for your vacation.

The travel section of eBay offers six sub-categories for vacation seekers to browse through. The airline section features airline tickets that people can either bid on or buy now. The section also includes flight-related items such as passport holders and other items for sale. The section offering cruises is where you will find vacation cruises listed for sale. Take a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas or jump on a boat for five days in the Caribbean. A cruise is a great way to kick back and relax in paradise.

The lodging section is where you will find the greatest variety of vacation destinations for sale. Currently there are 310 listings in the lodging section from everything to a condo for rent in Las Vegas to a four-night stay at a resort in Montego Bay. The highest priced vacation listed was a time share at a luxury resort in Scottdale, Arizona priced at $4,800. From there prices got considerably lower with only about ten other auctions priced at over $1,000. The bargains were extremely evident. A buyer could purchase a four night stay in Tampa, Florida for just $125 - it does not get much cheaper than that.

The luggage section typically has the most auctions and sales listed of all the sub-categories in the travel section. The luggage section is where you will find great deals on luggage to take with you on your bargain eBay vacation. Travel in style to your vacation destination with brand new luggage. The vacation package section features bargain packages for your vacation. Instead of only offering lodging, the auctions in the vacation package section typically offer all-inclusive vacations, usually at resorts or on cruise liners. The final sub-category in the travel section of eBay is the ""other"" travel section. Here you will find all other auctions that have to do with travel but do not fit into the usual travel categories. Some auctions in this section include coupon books, rental car vouchers, and other travel gear.

eBay auctions typically last for seven days but can be arranged for shorter amounts of time such as three days or five days. When you open an auction, it will let you know what day and time the auction ends and it will also provide you with a detailed description of everything the auction includes. If you choose to bid on the auction and you do not have an eBay account you will need to open an account. It is free to open an eBay account and once you open yours, you can bid on any auction you wish.

When placing a bid, the website will tell you the current price and what the next possible minimum bid is. Once you enter your bid, you will either become the highest bidder or you will be outbid by a previous bidder whose maximum bid was higher than yours. If you are the highest bidder at the end of the auction, the vacation becomes yours to enjoy. Buy It Now auctions on eBay allow you to make a purchase right away, rather than wait for an auction to end. The seller lists a set price that you can buy the vacation for at the current time. This method is more like a standard sale of an item, rather than a bidding auction.

For people interested in bargain vacations, take the time to browse through the travel eBay section. For those who have never used the World's Largest Online Marketplace, you will most likely be pleasantly surprised with what you find on eBay. By: George W. Cannata, author and publisher of the web site http://www.caveatemptorus.com

You may copy this article in it's entirety so long as you include credit to the author and links to my web site.

About the author: By: George W. Cannata, author and publisher of the web site www.caveatemptorus.com

You may copy this article in it's entirety so long as you include credit to the author and links to my web site.

Paying for Items with eBay Coupons

2008-11-26T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Dechen Lau

There's a novel idea afoot nowadays: Using electronic discount coupons to pay for items people are interested in purchasing.

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 coupons to purchase merchandise. The coupons are fast and easy to use.

Coupons are routinely sent by eBay to members who then use them to pay for items through PayPal. The coupons signify specific discounts that can be applied to the purchase of items.

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 while some can only be used by the owner. If the coupon indicates that only a specific email address may use the coupon, it may not be shared.

Coupons and Your eBay and PayPal Accounts

To use the coupons the owner must have a PayPay 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, the bidder is required to purchase the item even if the coupons they are holding turn out to be invalid for the auction.

Also, coupons can only be used one-at-a-time. This means that Gift Certificates, single coupons, or eBay Anything Points are valid for only one auction and only one type can be used each 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. Coupon holders 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 it's equivalent in regular currency.

About the author: ----------------------------------------------------- Dechen Lau., is an Author, Speaker and Consultant, specializing in Internet Marketing and Website Solution. http://www.ezinenewsletter.com

Top Ebay Business Secrets Revealed

2008-11-25T03:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Jason James

Ten million-let me say that number again-over ten million people visited the Ebay website last month. With everything from online auctions to drop shipping opportunities, the Ebay business website has something for everyone. If you are thinking about joining in on the hysteria and trying to make your fortune with an Ebay business of your own, here are some of the best things you can do to maximize your chances for success.

Do Your Homework

To begin with, you want to know as much as possible about the items you plan on offering on the Ebay auctions. This not only helps you create more interesting descriptions, but it also helps when trying to answer the barrage of questions that inevitably fly at you from potential buyers. The more knowledgeable you appear, the more likely you are to make a sale!

You also need to know if there is actually a market out there for what you are planning to sell. While you might occasionally hear about some off-the-wall item commanding big money at auction, these are the exceptions and not something to base your Ebay business upon. Run a search on the item and see how many items for that keyword come up to get an idea about your potential market. Chances of success are poor if no one else is selling a similar item.

Keywords and Descriptions Will Make or Break You

People find their way to Ebay auctions by using keywords to find the items they want. Your listing will use keywords to draw people in to bid on your item. If you try employing a keyword that no one uses, then who will come to bid on your item?

There are websites out there that will allow you to type in a keyword and see how many people used that keyword in the past month. These sites are free and a great way to test the keyword you intend to use. Just go to any search engine and type in ""free keyword selector tool"" and a number of sites will come up offering help finding the perfect keyword to attract people to bid on your item.

Once you have the people coming in to look at your item you are going to need a great description in order to get them to actually bid. If you are not the best writer but are serious about succeeding with your Ebay business, you may want to consider hiring a freelance writer to compose stunning descriptions that will awe people into bidding on your item. But, by doing your homework, it is usually possible to write a great description simply by being knowledgeable about the item and simply conveying some of that knowledge in your description.

Post Items During ""Hot Periods""

Anyone serious about succeeding with their Ebay business needs to know when to post items and when to hold onto them. Online auctions offering leather jackets in July may solicit a few bids but they will obviously be lower than they would be had the item been posted in late fall or early winter. If you have an odd item and are not sure what the best time would be to post it on Ebay auctions, try searching for the item on the Internet. Find out what the current buzz is or whether there is any for your item. Also, try finding other sellers on the Ebay business site offering the same item. If you find a lot of people selling the same item now, then clearly it is a good time to post. Timing can really make a difference in the final price you receive for your item.

Now there are of course other things you need to do if you want your Ebay business to succeed such as: post the item in the right category, make buying easy by offering a number of payment options, and keeping your shipping costs to a minimum. All of these are essentials to a successful Ebay business but are not likely to have the same effect upon your chances of success like the other ideas mentioned earlier.

There is no doubt that Ebay auctions are a great way to make some serious money. By doing your homework, using the right keywords and descriptions, and by posting during the hot periods for your items, you significantly increase the odds of your Ebay business succeeding and making all of your financial dreams a reality. So what are you waiting for? Start doing your homework now!

About the author: Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His website ""The Auction Resource Network"" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him earn over $10,000 per month on eBay.

Claim your FREE 14 Day ""Learn How to Sell on eBay"" e-Course Here: http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.com

Seven Secrets to Making a Killing on Ebay

2008-11-24T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Daegan Smith

The world's biggest marketplace is the Internet, and its biggest bargain and auction store is Ebay. Here, sellers put their items up for bid with a starting price of their choosing. Buyers bid for a limited amount of time, while sellers wait until their desired price appears before terminating the bidding. Buyer and seller then agree on how the product will be shipped and paid for.

Ebay gives people a chance to buy anything they want to buy, sell anything they want to sell, and perhaps get rich trying. Everything can be done at home, with very little investment.

Are you ready to earn money through Ebay? All you need are seven simple strategies.

First: Study the market. Ebay is not only an online bidding and shopping center. Some companies actually post their wares on Ebay to see how much people are willing to pay for it.

To market test your product, post it three times with three different starting bids: one comfortably low, another at the price you expect it to fetch, and a third comfortably high. Monitor each product post and see how fast the prices rise with the bidding.

This way, you know how much people will be willing to pay to purchase your product. There is a caveat to this, however: you can incur the wrath of people on Ebay if you choose to terminate bidding of your two other products should you choose to retain and sell the one for which you got the best price.

Second, sell something old but new. Now this may sound strange, but all it means is that you have to sell something that has a use or a following, something that is unique without being obscure. Ebay is filled with hundreds of thousands of people loud and proud of their wares. You can't sell something anyone can find in the nearest grocery store, but you can't sell something no one will know about either.

For instance, you can sell Used Ball Pen Art - it's something you certainly can't pick up at the local Wal-Mart, but it isn't something everyone might be interested in either. If you are unsure, see Strategy Number One. If you believe in your product, however, move on to Strategy Number Three.

Research. Some sellers make the mistake of calling their product certain things: plaid when the pattern is checkered, large when it is actually medium, brand new when it has a tear across its front. Make sure you know everything about your product, so that if someone is finding something specific, they stumble upon your wares. Don't make the mistake of advertising something your product doesn't have. Do so, and your buyers - and everyone else on Ebay - will walk away very unhappy.

Fourth, take a great picture of your product. Showcase its best side, but show any flaws it might have without highlighting the flaws or hiding them. When you have taken the picture, crop it to include only your item, then shrink it down to 72 dpi to make it load faster. This will allow buyers to not only see your item, but see it quickly. If it loads too slow, buyers will turn away in impatience. If you have no picture, you will appear unwilling to sell and wary of showing your product.

So what have you got to hide? Take out that camera and snap those pictures!

At this point, you are ready to get your item onto Ebay, so list your product correctly. What some sellers do is to put their items in the most general category, thinking that more people will see it. This is not true for Ebay, since buyers will be searching for specific things. Put your item in the general categories, and you could miss out on those precious page views.

Sixth, work on your writing. Ebay requires you to have a written description of your product, along with an auction title. Make your written description short and true, and your auction title specific. Remember that some buyers may not have the right Internet speed - and patience - to wait for your picture to load, so you have to grab them immediately with a delicious description.

As a rule, the best descriptions are those which will answer any questions your buyers might have.

Your product is now online and ready to be sold - but how do you sell it right, and when do you stop the bidding? It's all about timing.

Know when Internet traffic is loose so that you can post your item without much difficulty on your part, and know when traffic is high so that you don't terminate bidding when people are actually trying to get through to your site but are stuck in an online traffic jam.

So, seventh, watch your market. Watch TV, so you know when popular shows are on. Chances are, people won't be at their computes during that time. Watch the Weather Channel. In harshly cold or harshly hot weather, people will be indoors surfing the net.

Marketing is all about timing, and in selling, timing is everything. Ebay is no exception, and it can be a great place to earn cash if you strategize and plan.

About the author: Daegan Smith is the leader of the fastest growing team of successful home business enterpernuers on the net. Find out how we're creating financial freedom all across the globe and how to get in on the action FREE =>http://www.comlev.com Team Blog: http://www.turnkeyinternetbusiness.blogspot.com

Passing The CCNA and CCNP: Home Lab Shopping On Ebay

2008-11-23T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

Whether you're just getting ideas for your Cisco home lab or adding to your existing lab, ebay is a great place to get ideas for your lab as well as pick up some great bargains.

Of course, the internet being what it is, there are always going to be a few people looking to take your money while shipping you inferior merchandise, or worse, no merchandise at all. While these ""dealers"" are in the minority, you still need to be careful when purchasing Cisco equipment on ebay. In this article, I'll give you several tips on browsing ebay ads for home lab ideas, and a few things to look out for when purchasing equipment on ebay.

For those of you just starting your Cisco certification pursuit, the idea of purchasing a home lab kit -- a set of routers, switches, and perhaps some cables and study guides -- seems like a good idea. Instead of putting your lab together one piece at a time, these kits allow you to get a head start on your studies.

One thing to watch out for in these kits is outdated equipment, or the inclusion of outdated study guides. Often, vendors will use these kits as a way to get rid of unwanted inventory.

The Cisco 1900 family of switches falls into this category. A recent search on ebay for ""ccna lab"" showed seven different CCNA lab kits that contained 1900 switches. The problem here is that the current CCNA exams do not test on the 1900 switches, which are menu-driven and do not have an IOS. You'll need to be well-versed with switches that do have an IOS, such as the 2950s.

The plus side here is that you will probably save money by using 1900 switches. If you're on a tight budget, having a 1900 switch is better than no switch at all. If at all possible, though, get a Cisco switch with an IOS.

The cables and transceivers included with these kits are generally exactly what you need to set up that particular kit, and this can be very helpful to those CCNA candidates who are new to the various cables needed to physically configure a home lab. Just make sure you're not buying a kit with 10 transceivers (used on AUI ports) when you've only got two routers with Ethernet ports.

Watch out for kits that include outdated study guides. I've seen four-year-old CCNA books included with some kits. If you already have your study guides, feel free to ask the vendor how much the kit costs without the books.

That leads me to the most important point. Get to know the vendor before buying anything. Visit their website and check their ebay feedback. If buying from an individual as opposed to a reseller, find out what conditions the router or switch has been kept in, and make sure to define the terms under which they will accept returns.

There's nothing wrong with buying equipment from someone who's selling their CCNA/CCNP/CCIE home lab, but just make sure you ask the right questions first. Professional resellers generally have their return policy right in their ebay ad; if they don't, ask for a copy.

Building your own CCNA and/or CCNP home lab is a little intimidating at first, but speaking as someone who has climbed the Cisco certification ladder from the CCNA to the CCIE, I can tell you that it is the best investment you can make in your career. Use a little caution, ask the right question, and soon you'll be leaving the world of ""router simulators"" behind - and you'll be developing your skills as a true professional should: On real Cisco routers and switches!

About the author: Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of FREE CCNA and CCNP tutorials , The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. Video courses and training, binary and subnetting help, FREE tutorials, and corporate training are also available.

For a FREE copy of my latest e-books, ""How To Pass The CCNA"" or ""How To Pass The CCNP"", send a request to chri

How To Find Items To Sell On eBay

2008-11-22T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Ian D. Major

When it comes to eBay auctions, many people are unsure as to how to select items to sell - and where to find them. While figuring out which items sell best on eBay may be a little difficult, finding those items isn't difficult at all! You just have to be creative in your search, and keep an open mind!

Start your search at your own home. Clean out the garage, the attic, and the closets. You will most likely be very surprised at the items that you will find.

Don't make the mistake of throwing things out, thinking that they are useless.

What is useless to you may be very useful to someone else, and you should try to auction it off! Of course, items that are worn out to the point of not working are not useful to anyone - but if the item is old, and it still works, it can be auctioned off...in fact, it doesn't even have to be old or valuable!

Offer to clean out the attics and garages of older people as well.

Older people tend to hang onto things for years and years, and as that time passes, those items become more valuable. Offer to buy items that you find in their attic or garage. Most people don't realize the value of what they have, and you will probably pick up many high selling items very cheap. In fact, as a way of thanking you, the items may even be given to you at no charge!

Visit the yard sales and garage sales in your area.

People sell things for next to nothing at these sales. If it is in good shape, and you think you can sell it on eBay, buy it. Even if it turns out to be an eBay dud, you can always resell the item in your own yard sale to get your money back out of it. However, do some research before you start hitting the yard sales. Find out what items and brands are selling well on eBay.

Flea markets are also great for finding items to auction off at eBay.

Keep up with how much you pay for items at the flea markets, and when you post the items for auction at eBay, make sure that your reserve price is not less than what you originally paid for the items!

Go to storage auctions.

Most storage businesses auction off the contents of the storage units when people fail to pay their storage bills. This is a fabulous way to find items to auction off on eBay. Estate sales should also be attended to find high value antique items.

Another option is to use drop shippers for new items.

Setting up an account with a drop shipper is really quite simple. You can auction off brand new items using either the auction feature or the buy now feature at eBay. Just make sure that your reserve price for auctions is not less than what the item will cost you! Once your item is sold, the drop shipper will ship the item directly to your customer.

The most important thing about selling is that you need to make sure the items that you pick are in good shape and are saleable. This doesn't mean that the item has to be in perfect condition - but if it is in less than perfect condition, you need to convey this information when you set up your auction.

Use your imagination, and keep your eyes open constantly for items that you can auction off on eBay. Again, do your research and find out which items and brands do well on eBay. Make a list, and carry it with you wherever you go!

About the author: Ian D. Major makes it easy to understand and use eBay, quickly and easily. Learn all you need to know by visiting

http://www.ebay-articles.com

Estimating An Item's Value For Sale On Ebay

2008-11-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: David Riewe

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

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

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

The following steps will aid in the process of pricing an item for sale on eBay.

Step 1: Determine How Much the Original Item was Worth

First of all, one must find out how much the item cost when it was new. This helps the seller set realistic goals as to how much they can expect to profit when the item is sold.

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

The seller must also acceptance the fact that the buying power of today's dollar is different from that of ten years ago.

Step 2: Do a Little Research

Sellers should research the current price of similar items. This gives the seller a good standard as to how much they should price their item. Searching eBay for successful auctions of similar items is one of the best ways to do this.

Step 2: How Much Has the Item Depreciated?

The seller must check the item for damages and other irregularities from a mint condition item of the same kind. They must then deduct a reasonable amount from the asking price based on their evaluation. Wear and tear on an item will definitely bring down the price of an item considerably. It is wise to make sure that items are repaired, or spruced-up before being auctioned.

Step 3: Start a Little Lower than Usual When Setting the Selling Price

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

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

About the author: Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebooks

The UK Ebay FAQ for Buyers

2008-11-20T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Roger Cater

Here are some for the frequently asked questions I get:

Does eBay have a Customer Service Department that I Can Phone?

eBay are notoriously hard to contact, - it seems like they want the site to run on it's own. You can email them, but don't expect a response, that you will understand easily: go to http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/contact_us/_base/index.html You might have better luck getting an answer from another member, try the answer centre forum: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/community/answercenter/index.html

eBay Power Sellers get a dedicated phone line to customer service. If you really want to look up the phone number try typing in 'ebay [your country] phone number' into a search engine and you'll find some listed. although the chances are you'll have gone to all that trouble for the chance of leaving an answerphone message, or being told to email them.

It might seem cruel, but imagine the number of people who would call eBay each day with questions that are easily answered on the site, if their phone number was freely available.

I just received an Email from eBay, Saying They're Going to Close My Account. What Do I Do?

If this email asks for your password, Then the chances are it's going to be a scam, an attempt to make you give up your access details and steal your account. eBay will never ask for your password or any other account details. eBay say that you should only ever enter your password on pages that start with https://signin.ebay.co.uk/. They even offer a special 'Account Guard' as part of their toolbar, which lets you check that you're not giving your password to a fake site. You can read more here: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebay_toolbar/index.html?ssPageName=UKEEX: HP_overview

How Does eBay Make Money?

For the buyer, eBay is free. Sellers, pay all sorts of fees, As with a newspaper ad, you need to pay this basic listing fee, even if your item is not sold. (If your item sells, a Final Value Fee is charged. They can they pay optional fees for extra services; Buy it Now, extra pictures, reserve prices, highlighting the auction, bold. If Your Interested then checkout the full list of fees at http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/fees.html.

It is worth listing on eBay to the sellers or they wouldn't carry on using eBay.

How Safe is eBay?

All of eBay's safety services for buyers and sellers are handled by 'SafeHarbor'. SafeHarbor deals with fraud prevention and investigation and helps with dispute resolution, also keeping rule-breakers in check via the Vero program. Checkout this page: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/confidence/problems-support.html

About the author: Online auctions and auction sites are my hobby, business and interest. From selling on eBay to giving free advice. Checkout auction news at: http://www.auction-desk.com/news.php which also has rss feed.

Check out the help site: http://www.auction-desk.com

How To Buy A Motorcycle On Ebay

2008-11-19T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: David Riewe

If you want to buy a motorcycle or accessories then the eBay motorcycle section is the perfect place to look. You should look for eBay motorcycle listings of interest by taking advantage of the browse and search features. You can specify the make, model, year range and even color for your search within the eBay motorcycle section.

It is important to use the search functions to their maximum capability when you are looking for an item within the eBay motorcycle section. The more information you can put into your search terms the more likely you are to get the exact result that you want from the eBay motorcycle listings. For example, if you are looking for a red Honda VFR you will get the most accurate results if you search for ""red Honda VFR 750 2000"" rather than simply entering ""Honda VFR"" which may well give you a listing including decals, spare seats, owners manuals and other items for every Honda VFR that has ever been built.

Another point to consider when you search the ebay motorcycle section is to specify the location that you want the motorcycle to be near. Any eBay motorcycle that you are interested in should be close to your home address so that you can go and see the motorcycle before placing a bid. This also makes collecting the motorcycle much easier. The search function allows you to specify that you want the eBay motorcycle to be within a certain radius of a town or zip or postal code.

The eBay motorcycle section is sub-divided into brands so it is a good idea to browse the appropriate category as you may find an item that you have never thought of. For example, if you look in ""Honda"" within the eBay motorcycle section you may well come across a framed print that would look great on your bedroom wall or a Honda team cap that you can wear when you take your motorcycle helmet off.

Most importantly, you need to be particularly cautious when you are searching for an item in the eBay motorcycle section to prevent you from being ripped off by unscrupulous con artists. On no account should you send an advance payment for any item in eBay motorcycle section. It is important to do your research and check the vendor's details and verify that the time for sale in the marketplace is legitimate.

About the author: Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebooks

Payment Methods On Ebay

2008-11-18T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: David Riewe

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

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

The following is a list of common eBay payment modes.

Cash On Delivery

Personal Check

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

PayPal

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

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

Escrow.com

Wire Transfer

Other Payment Systems

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

About the author: Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips http://www.push-button-online-income.com/101ebaytips.zip

My near nightmare on ebay

2008-11-17T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Stephen Hill

I am not sure how many people have had bad experiences on Ebay, I hope not too many. I was having a great time on there until some man tried to defraud me out of £170.

I had been buying and selling on Ebay for a number of months without any problems at all. If I ever bought anything that cost over £100, I would offer to meet the seller somewhere, normally just off the motorway and this was working very well. I managed to pick up some real bargains and also managed to offload some of my unwanted items which I either had no interest in anymore or that I had no longer a need for.

Good things apparantly have to come to an end and unfortunately it did with Ebay.

I was looking to purchase a mobile phone and saw an advert for a buy it now phone with the asking price low but not extremely low.

There was a mobile number to phone if I had any questions. I therefore rang him, his name was Tony and asked him the general type questions. He sounded and seemed really nice, however stated that he was unable to meet me as he was unable to drive as he had not past his test.

His house was a long way from where I lived and reluctantly I agreed to pay via a bank transfer. He assured me he would post the phone, that very day via Royal Mail Special Delivery to arrive by 11am the next morning. He seemed very genuine, they always do your thinking and that was that.

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

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

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

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

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

Stephen Hill

About the author: Stephen Hill runs a speech centre in Birmingham, England. He has a number of of websites at:

stuttering treatment

stammering information

stuttering cure

A crash course in having your Ebay merchandise drop shipped

2008-11-16T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Jason James

Having your ebay products drop shipped sounds like a great idea on the surface but the real question is; can you drop ship ebay goods and realistically count on them to arrive to your buyer on time, having the correct product, and in one piece? Most often the answer is yes, you can.

Having a 3rd party company drop ship ebay merchandise for you ideally works like this: Once you find a distributor to drop ship ebay goods for you then you place those products online in your ebay auction with a full description and a photo caption to go with it.

When your customer purchases this product and the payment is processed, you send the order to your distributor. The distributor in turn will always drop ship ebay merchandise to your customers. What makes it ""drop-shipping"" is that the package should always show that you were the actual shipper with the return label your business name and information without you actually having shipped it out.

If your distributor will drop ship ebay products for you and it all goes smoothly then this practice is a win win for everyone. You do not have to stock ebay inventory and your distributor has no worries of the retail sales end of things.

On the other hand, there are definitely stories of unreliable distributors that will offer to drop ship ebay products for you that you will want to stay clear from. You customer does not care who messes up a job if your distributor is supposed to drop ship ebay products to them and the product never arrives or comes damaged. Can you blame them? No way. If you had ordered a product from Ebay and the product never arrived then the owner of the auction would be to blame, regardless if that person claimed to have distributors drop ship ebay merchandise for them.

The best way to test new distributor is to place an order and have it shipped to a friend or family member so you can see how the shipping procedure goes. You will find out if they will drop ship ebay products for you on time and with the correct labeling. Good luck!

About the author: Jason James is an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His website ""The Auction Resource Network"" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him earn over $10,000 per month on eBay.

Claim your FREE 14 Day ""eBay Selling"" e-Course Here: http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.com

Avoiding Ebay Buying Pitfalls With These Friendly Tips

2008-11-15T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: David Riewe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are a few of the problems one may encounter when using eBay.

- Seller does not deliver product

This is a buyer's biggest fear. However, it is also one of the most common snags buyers encounter. Usually, when closing a deal, the seller will email purchase instructions to the buyer. This will usually include instructions for payment. The seller will then promise to have the item delivered upon receipt of payment.

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

- Seller delivers a different/defective product

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

What should the buyer do about this?

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

- Seller cannot be contacted for questions when closing deal

Most disputes come about due to miscommunication between seller and buyer. But if the seller can not be contacted, that presents a bigger problem for the buyer especially if that person has already fulfilled payment of the item. Contacting eBay may help to resolve this problem and they are sometimes willing to supply further information about the seller.

About the author: Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebooks

Where To Find Products To Sell On Ebay

2008-11-14T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: David Riewe

One key for business success using eBay is sourcing products to sell. The first questions eBay sellers should ask themselves are: ""What can I sell?"" and ""Where can I buy?""

There are two kinds of sellers on eBay, garage sellers and business sellers. Garage sellers are people who sell products they are not going to use any more and that are usually not new. Garage sellers are not profit driven, their main objective is usually to get rid of some stuff they don't need. They will be happy to make some money by selling something that is no longer useful to them. On the other hand, business sellers are people who will buy and sell products for profit, they consider eBay a business and need to earn profit on the products they sell.

The first key to success for business sellers is an old marketing rule, RESEARCH. The products you need to sell are products that eBay buyers will want to buy. Apart from being a massive market place, eBay offers you a cheap source of research that you can conduct without moving from your computer.

If you are a business seller, it is fundamental that you spend some time researching before you decide which products you want to sell. Follow these research guidelines:

1. Search for the categories that are most popular. The first index is the number of listings that exist under each category. In addition, you need to look at how many bids the products have.

2. Look at the ratings of the sellers who are listing products in each category and study their profiles. See how many products they are selling and how many products they have sold in the past.

3. Analyze prices. You need to become an expert in your category and you need to know at which price a product is worth buying as well as the expected final winning price of your auction.

4. Select no more than one or two categories. ""Specialization"" is another basic rule of marketing. It is better to become an expert on something, as this will inspire confidence and trust in your potential customers. Online marketing is all about trust.

For conducting good research, you need time and organization. There are different software programs in the market that can help you save time as well as optimize your research.

Now that you are becoming an eBay expert and have conducted a proper search, you are almost ready to start your business. Before starting to sell, you need to buy! Here are some ideas from where you can source products:

1. Write your own e-book and sell it. If you have any passion or are an expert on a subject for which you can find a niche in eBay, do not hesitate to spend some time on writing your own book. The advantage of this is that after your initial time investment, you can sell and sell copies of the book without having any additional costs. Selling information products is one of the most profitable businesses. Even if you are not an expert writer, you can find other people who can write the book for you.

2. Use drop-shipping. There are wholesalers that will sell you products and send them to the address that you tell them. The advantage of this source is that you do not need to carry inventories, so your investments are minimized. After your auction is finished, you send them your customers address and they will do all the shipping. If you decide to use this kind of source, you need to make sure that your auctions winning price can be higher than the price you will pay for the articles. At minimum you should expect to double your costs.

3. Buy from eBay. Many eBayers success comes from knowing how to buy well on eBay and sell the same products at a higher price. If you know your category very well, you can easily find opportunities that will allow you to buy and resell making profit. Again, solid research is fundamental.

4. Buy Asiatic products. If you are willing to carry some inventories, you can invest on Asiatic products and buy them for a very cheap price. You can easily start importing Asiatic products from the Internet at www.alibaba.com .

5. Sell local products. If you live in an area that produces local products which can be bought at a cheap price and shipped to other areas where people would pay more, you should take advantage of the situation.

Best wishes for your success

About the author: Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebooks

eBay marketplace fraud: How to fight it!

2008-11-13T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: Jason James

Did you realize that online auctions tops the National Consumer League's list of scams perpetrated online? Although the ebay marketplace has a wonderful track record of 99% honest transactions, you still need to be savvy to the sort of criminal activity that does happen within the ebay marketplace and stay clear of fraud from both an ebay seller and ebay buyers.

Below is a list of the top three offenses that happen within the ebay marketplace community.

1. Bid Shielding: This is when a pre-organized group of ebay bidders enter the ebay marketplace and team up to bid on a particular item, thus inflating the high bid to scare off real shoppers. At this point the lowest bidder (member of the scam) then has everyone else retract their bid and comes out winning the auction at at a dishonest low price. If you sense that bid shielding is going on within the ebay marketplace then report them immediately.

2. Descriptions are are totally misleading or photos that are obviously fake: This is an ebay marketplace sellers scam where the auctioneers falsely and unethically distort the description of the products they are selling. This criminal seller within the ebay marketplace will go as low as stealing photos from online and totally create a false product presentation. And when the buyer receives the shipment it is always a lesser classed product then was bought that does not match the auction.

3. Shilling of the Bids: This scam is perpetrated by the sellers of the ebay marketplace and is something that is hard to catch unless you were closely following the seller in question. Simply put, bid shilling is when a seller auctions off a product on the ebay marketplace and actually raises the bids himself in order to draw attention to it and have the price raised. How does one do this? They use multiple Ids or the enlist other separate bidders to enter the ebay marketplace and team up on the scam.

Claim your FREE 14 Day ""eBay Selling"" e-Course Here: http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.com

Selling Children's Items On Ebay

2008-11-12T03:04:00.001-08:00

Author: David Riewe

Selling for a profit on eBay is easy when you have kids. People are earning hundreds of dollars a month by selling kid related items. Here are some general ideas to help you get started.

Kids Items You Can Sell

Clothes, toys and videos are good money makers on eBay.

Go to eBay and look up a ""lot"" of size six girl's cloths. You will find they are expensive! The average price for a lot of 20 good conditioned clothes is about $35.00.

When your kids grow out of their seasonal clothes do not throw them out. Bundle them into different lots by category. For example bundle girls dresses separate from girls play clothes, but only do that if you have at least six of each different type.

Lots of any item sell better than single items unless the item is unique or high priced. For example, a hand embroidered dress that you paid a lot for would sell better by itself instead of bundled with other basic dresses.

The next item to lookup on eBay is toys. Most toys in good condition will sell for a lot of money. One idea that works well is to buy hot items in October at Wal-Mart or Toys-R-Us and sell them on eBay. Busy people are willing to pay extra for the convenience of getting the items delivered to their home. For example, last year a Mega Power Ranger came out in stores around October and sold at Wal-Mart for about $45.00. The same item sold on eBay for up to $65.00 plus shipping. The Yellow Power Ranger is yet another example where the store price was about $6.00, while the same item was selling on eBay for about $20.00.

Have your children ever received duplicate birthday or Christmas presents? You can sell those on eBay also. Look at the eBay listings for items of interest to see if selling on eBay is worth more than returning the item to the store.

Kid's videos and DVDs are also good money-makers. Bundle about three of these together, and you can usually make about $7.00-$12.00 per bundle. Bundle more and the money goes up. Disney movies in hard cases can go for a higher amount. This also works for other types of movies as well.

Save those McDonalds toys. Some Kids Meals toys sell high. Take the new Star Wars toys from Burger King...very collectible. You will find them selling on eBay from $1.00 to $5.00, not including shipping.

Ebay has a whole section devoted to dolls and bears. If your daughter doesn't want her collectible dolls anymore sell them on eBay.

Kids Crafts You Can Sell

Around the holidays, especially, have your children place their hand in paint and make a print on some quality paper. Add a holiday related poem and you have a great craft to sell on eBay.

Have your kids make gift jars with ready made mixes. For example, hot chocolate mixes in a jar with a plastic spoon tied to it with a ribbon. Dip the end of the spoon with white chocolate.

Baby Items You Can Sell

Used baby items are very profitable. Baby items cost a lot of money, especially in their first year. Any ""gently"" used items are generally good sellers on eBay.

If you have baby coupons that you will never use, sell them on eBay! Left over diapers and formula sell well also. A lot of 35 used cloth diapers usually sells for around $38.00 plus shipping. Four Fuzzi Bunz diapers (cloth diapers with hemp inserts) can sell for as much as $40.00.

There you have it. Plenty of ideas for selling those leftover kids items on eBay...and you can even make a nice profit while you are at it!

About the author: Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips http://www.push-button-online-income.com/101ebaytips.zip

The Five Things You Must Do Before You Can Start Selling On Ebay

2008-11-11T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Ian D. Major

Many people make a full-time living on eBay. This is not only possible but it is also quite easy once you know what you are doing. Some people just make a little extra money through eBay auctions simply because it is fun - it becomes a hobby.

Whether you just want to sell some old items lying about your house, or you want to build a business by becoming a PowerSeller, there are five things you absolutely must do before you can start selling on eBay.

1. You must Register. Begin by registering as a member of eBay.

This registration is free, and it will allow you to participate in auctions - as a buyer. As soon as you have completed your registration as a buyer, you can register as a seller simply by logging into your eBay account and clicking on the 'Sell' tab at the top of the page. The information that you will enter is very basic information, but as a buyer, you will need to enter a credit card number, or sign up for a paypal account.

2. Sign up with paypal.

Paypal has become one of the most popular payment gateways on the Internet. This website allows people to transfer money from their bank accounts or credit cards, and to transfer money from one Paypal account to another. Signing up is quite easy, but you will need to verify your account with a checking account, and you can optionally add a credit card to the account. Paypal is very secure. As long as you don't give your password out to anyone, you shouldn't have any problems.

Paypal is not required to sign up with eBay, but it is highly recommended. This will allow you to give your buyers more payment options. Signing up with Paypal is free.

3. Find items to sell. You may already have items that you want to sell.

For instance, if you have recently cleaned out your attic or your garage, you probably have tons of stuff that you want to get rid of. Some items won't sell well on eBay, while others will sell like hot cakes! So a little research to see what sells well before you set up any auctions.

You can also find items to auction by going to yard sales around your area.

Many eBay PowerSellers sell brand new items through drop shipping companies as well. It is all just a matter of determining how you want to profit from eBay, and what items are hot sellers.

4. Set up your auction. Once you are signed up, and you are ready to set up your auction, eBay has a form for you to fill out.

Here, you will determine how you are going to sell the product. You can choose to sell a group of items, or just one item. You will have a list of categories to choose from, and these categories determine where your item is listed on eBay. Choosing the proper category for your item is essential - this is how people will find your auction.

You must choose a title for your auction. You want to use your title to catch the buyer's eye. Coming up with a great title isn't always easy, and it does require some thought. Look at some past successful auctions to get some ideas. Make sure that you follow eBay's guidelines for titles!

Make sure that you use the form to add as much information about your item as possible.

The more information you can include, the more successful your auction will be.

Look at the history of past auctions for items similar to yours. This information will help you determine your title, your description, and even your reserve price. The reserve price is the absolute minimum bid amount that you are willing to accept.

You will be allowed to include pictures of your items, and it is very important that you do so.

Make sure that the pictures are clear, and take several different shots from different angles. Pictures will help make your bid more successful. Many bidders won't even look at auctions that do not include pictures.

You will also need to determine how long your auction will run. Don't make the auction too short - give bidders time to find your item and place their bids - but at the same time, don't make it too long. Force bidders to act by getting their bids in before the auction closes!

eBay has many upgrade options that will make your auction more noticeable.

Depending on the reserve price of your item, it may be well worth it to take advantage of these upgrades to get your auction noticed more easily.

5. Communicate with your bidders.

Make sure that you monitor your auction, and keep the lines of communication with your bidders open. Bidders will have questions about the item you are selling. Make sure that you respond to the questions and comments in a timely manner.

Think of yourself as a shop keeper, and reply to the bidders just as you would to a customer who was standing in your shop!

About the author: Ian D. Major makes it easy to understand and use eBay, quickly and easily. Learn all you need to know by visiting

http://www.ebay-articles.com

an entirely FREE source of information about eBay.

Why it Makes Sense to be Cool on eBay - Selling the Unusual

2008-11-10T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Brian McGregor

Have you noticed how many people - and I have to admit that includes me - suggest that sellers offer hot selling products on eBay.

It's undeniably true, selling a product that is in demand can be a sensible commercial strategy.

However, there are some potential downsides in concentrating on ""hot selling"" products.

You could be left with stock on your hands, as your hot selling items move out of fashion.

You could find it difficult to shift stock at a profit, as the number of sellers offering identical hot selling products increases.

Now, this may not happen to you. You might find you can make a good living listing ""hot sellers"".

But here's an alternative, or an additional, strategy for you to consider.

We all know that virtually anything will sell on eBay. In other words, you don't necessarily have to offer hot selling products.

Instead of looking for the best selling items, why not study some PowerSellers and see what they offer? You might be surprised.

As an example, there's a PowerSeller who makes an excellent living selling magnets.

Another PowerSeller sells CDs which he creates for specific markets.

There are several who concentrate on selling Public Domain information. One offers prints of house plans from very old properties.

Then there's the seller who specializes in greetings cards of days gone by.

What I find intriguing is that items which I might consider to be uninteresting always seem to have a group of buyers who will bid on eBay.

The message here is that the most successful sellers may just give you an idea of a new market for you.

Don't be afraid to try the less obvious. The hottest items may not always be the best strategy.

Be cool!

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

Storing your categories when looking for ebay auctions in the future

2008-11-09T03:03:00.000-08:00

Author: Jason James

Currently, each month there are over 14 million people whom are looking for ebay auctions online in order to purchase goods and services without having to leave the comfort of their own home. If you are one of those shoppers looking for ebay auctions online then we have some great search tips to help you find exactly what you are looking for when starting your ebay experience.

When you begin to search for ebay and start looking for ebay auctions of your choice you should take advantage of ebay's search features. These tools will make it easier on you when looking for ebay auctions. Some ebay shoppers like to use the search page while other shoppers like to use the browse feature.

Either way you slice it, looking for ebay auctions takes a bit of trial and error to get it just right for your preferences. Always attempt new techniques to help you find the exact products that you are looking for on ebay.

Bookmarking categories that on ebay that interest you is also a great way to save information when you decide to go looking for ebay auctions in the future. You can do this by using your browser tool and saving the particular ebay page in your bookmarks.

Otherwise, if you wanted to go looking for ebay auctions by saving your pages with your ""My eBay page"" then you can. Here is how:

1. Click on the ""My eBay"" button at the top of the page. 2. Click the categories link. 3. Review the information that you see when looking for ebay auctions. 4. Delete any categories you do not want by clicking on the box and then the delete button. 5. You may add new categories to the list by clicking on the Add new Category link (upper right corner) 6. You can store up to four favorite categories that you can return to when looking for ebay auctions in the future.

Claim your FREE 14 Day ""eBay Selling"" e-Course Here: http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.com

Paying For Items With Ebay Coupons

2008-11-08T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: David Riewe

There's a novel idea afoot nowadays: Using electronic discount coupons to pay for items people are interested in purchasing.

Coupons are routinely sent by eBay to members who then use them to pay for items through PayPal. The coupons signify specific discounts that can be applied to the purchase of items.

Using Coupons

Sharing Coupons

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

Coupons and Your eBay and PayPal Accounts

Important Restrictions

Upon winning an eBay auction, the bidder is required to purchase the item even if the coupons they are holding turn out to be invalid for the auction.

Also, coupons can only be used one-at-a-time. This means that Gift Certificates, single coupons, or eBay Anything Points are valid for only one auction and only one type can be used each 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. Coupon holders should take note of the expiry dates noted on the coupons.

About the author: Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips http://www.push-button-online-income.com/101ebaytips.zip

Take care of your eBay customers' needs to grow your business

2008-11-07T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Cristina Diaz

After the auction for your item has finished and there is a highest bidder, you need to ensure that the sale is finalised, you get paid and your customer is happy with the transaction.

This is because to sell successfully on eBay you need your customers to be satisfied as they reflect your service in the comments they leave. This feedback is the way other prospective buyers will judge whether or not to make business with you.

Be prompt in sending the winner of the auction an email to ensure good communication. In this email, it must be clear:

-the item they have won -the total price they are to pay, detailing postage -how to pay for the item and the payment options that you accept -when you will post the item and when they can expect it

It is also a good idea that you offer to be contacted through eBay if they have any questions or problems. This builds trust with the buyer and ensures good customer service on your side.

Once after you have received payment from the buyer, you should send another email thanking them for the payment and informing them of when and how you will post the item, and when they can expect its delivery. Again, offer to be contacted if they need it.

Pack your item neatly and ship it promptly. Inform your customer that you have sent the item; they will be looking forward to receiving it and glad to hear it is on its way.

It is normal that once after the customer has received the item, they post feedback for you. If this is not the case, send the customer an email, requesting them politely to leave feedback for you if everything was all right with the item. Offer to be contacted.

Leave feedback for the buyer in return. Usually everything goes fine and your buyer will have left positive feedback. Give positive feedback as well in return.

If you follow all these steps you are very likely to receive excellent feedback comments from your buyers. Think of how you would like the customer service to be if you were the one buying, and offer even better service. In the end, this is what makes the difference between a good and an excellent eBay seller.

About the author: Cristina Diaz is a writer and co-editor of various websites. Visit her eBay store at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/eBooks-and-Bits

I'm new to Ebay, What Scams Are Out There?

2008-11-06T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: VickieScanlon

I have been looking at the possibility of doing some Ebay trading. And, since I have been on the Internet for a while, I decided that I should see what Ebay scams, if any, was floating about. Why? It is always good to be aware of the good, the bad, and the ugly of any online venture. And since, I've seen all sides - it's wise to have cautious optimism.

Wholesale List Scam

With this scam, the wholesaler gives you a photo of say, a computer monitor or DVD - the buyer is under the assumption that they are buying a monitor or DVD, right? Wrong? You may only be buying a wholesale list. This is what they call a ""bait and switch"". They are hoping that the individual is in a hurry or cannot read English well, and they blindly buy. Rule of thumb: read everything before buying.

Note: Wholesale List scams are very common for monitors, laptops, camcorders, DVD players, flat screen televisions and mp3 players; cutting-edge electronic devices.

Fake Money Order

The buyer sends the seller a fake money order, a bad check - and the seller sends the item before the money order or check has been successfully cashed. Seller is out the item and the money.

Credit Card Chargebacks

The buyer pays with a credit card through Paypal. Once the buyer has received the item, the buyer initiates a chargeback. This is where the novice come in, if you do not have proof that the item was sent - you are out the money, the item, and you have to pay a chargeback fee. Rule of thumb: Send your item through UPS, or certified mail to protect yourself.

Fake Escrow Scam

The scammer says that they want to buy your item, but they want to use an escrow service. The purpose of the escrow service is to add a layer of protection for the buyer. They will hold on to the money, and once the buyer has received the item from the seller, the escrow service will release the money to the seller. This is where the scam comes in - The buyer will request that you use the escrow service that they, so they say, have used with other transactions. The escrow service is a front - set up by the buyer.

Email Ebay Scam The email Ebay scam - is an email that says it has come from Ebay. The email will state that it looks like your account has been compromised and they would like your to verify the information,for your protection, of course. Never click the link. Open a new Internet session and manually type the information to get into your account.

Other email scams, include the fake payment received email. You will receive a payment-received notice, that looks authentic, but be aware, it could have been sent by the buyer. Never send anything, until you have verified that the payment has been received and the info received is valid.

To conclude, when you are looking at any new venture, it is always good to do the research and be aware of what you may be up against. It hard enough to start any business - and you definitely don't want anyone running off with your hard earned money. Being aware - can keep your business moving forward.

About the author: Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and Marketing. Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, affiliate oportunities, and how to info for the affiliate marketer.

How to Create the Best Title for your eBay Auction

2008-11-05T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Brian McGregor

The auction title you use is vital, and you only have 55 characters to play with.

In these 55 characters you have include strong keywords to make sure you are returned in as many relevant searches as possible. Plus you want to persuade prospective bidders to click through to read your auction page.

In effect the title is the heading of your advertisement.

Fifty five characters isn't much when you consider what the title has to achieve.

1. Bidders will use eBay search to find auctions matching their requirements. As you may know, by default eBay's search facility only checks auction titles for the presence of the keywords input by the searcher.

So, the title has to contain keywords which bidders might use to locate auction items such as yours.

(Just in case you weren't aware, eBay's auction search takes no account of capitalization. So a search for madonna would return titles which included madonna and Madonna - and indeed mAdonna, if someone's finger had slipped when typing the title in.)

2. And, assuming as a result of the search your auction has been returned in the list along with many others, the title now has to persuade the searcher to click through onto YOUR auction description page - your sales pitch.

So, in your 55 character title what you're looking for is a mixture of:-

a) Keywords b) Powerful influencing words c) An outline of your item.

Well, that sounds easy, doesn't it?

One of the determining factors in assessing the weight to give to each of those three elements is the item itself.

Branded item with model ID In this instance the title is all about the specific item. Bidders who will be interested in this item will know the make and model they're after.

For example:

Aiwa HV-FX5850 6 Head Nicam Hi-Fi Stereo VCR

There is no need to expand on this title, unless to add the word NEW as appropriate.

Unbranded item with no obvious model ID The vast majority of auctions will be like this. There is no standard brand, model or reference number, so you need to describe the item yourself.

As an example, I was recently selling a tool set for use on mobile phones. This is the title I went with:

Torx Hex Mobile Cell Phone Tool Set - NEW

Mobile cell phones is a ""hot topic"". To work on a Nokia (the most popular make) mobile phone requires a torx screwdriver.

I added NEW, as it is still one of the most persuasive marketing words you can use.

Named item If you have a name to latch onto, this can bring plenty of keyword hits. For example, anyone interested in Hank Marvin and his musical instruments would find this auction through eBay's search.

Rare Hank Marvin autographed guitar STUNNING

Note the use of a couple of power words to encourage the viewer to click through to the auction page.

Additional tips on auction titles

1. Capital letters Many people on eBay now create their full auction title in capital letters. This advice is given in several of the established ""how to sell on eBay"" books. Capital letters do have one significant advantage over lower case - they're larger and therefore take up more line space. So, with all capitals, your auction title is more likely to run to two lines on search returns, giving your entry a bigger physical presence on the screen.

My own opinion is that a mix of capital letters and lower case is a slightly better option. Your auction title will take up more space than all lower case, but it allows you to give emphasis to selected words.

2. Use of underscore If you use underscore between words, rather than spaces, this will make your title physically longer - and therefore look bigger than other peoples'. This is because eBay uses a PostScript font where the underscore character is longer than a space.

3. Power words to optionally use sparingly in titles Be aware that searchers will not normally key in words such as those in the list below. But where a title is returned in a keyword search results list, and it contains one of these influencing words, you could get more click-throughs to your auction description page. Here are some of the words that can help in this respect:

Stunning Limited edition Unique Rare New One-off Exclusive Distinctive Dramatic Striking Vivid Unusual Handsome Beautiful Vibrant Brilliant Mint Exquisite Perfect Quality

Use power words selectively and appropriately in your title, bearing in mind your item.

4. Unusual characters Don't be tempted to use characters in words such as L@@K or save $$$$ or **** see here ****. First of all, it's usually a waste of your precious 55 characters limit and conveys nothing. Second, who searches on 4 $ signs or 4 asterisks? Also, in my mind it portrays the seller as someone slightly suspicious, perhaps unprofessional, who isn't confident enough to let their words do the talking. Finally, think now as a bidder, do you react positively to this kind of device or not? I know I don't.

5. Be creative There are opportunities to think creatively about your item. For example, if you're selling a device which is a nasal hair trimmer, there's not much more you can put in the title is there? Well, whilst the item is primarily advertised as a nasal hair trimmer, it is also useful for trimming ear and eyebrow hair.

So the title could include the words ""nasal hair, ear and eyebrow trimmer"". This way your entry will be in the results of people searching for nasal hair trimmer, ear hair trimmer and eyebrow trimmer.

If you've room in your 55 characters therefore, think ""outside the square"" and try and appeal to groups of potential buyers who may not necessarily have been the immediate target for your item. (The torx hex tool set mentioned earlier is another example of this)

6. It's not an English exam Writing titles is difficult enough without having to worry about grammar. Don't be too concerned that your title doesn't ""scan"", or tell a story. Remember the objective with titles is to be returned on searches, and then to induce a click-through to the auction description page.

Here's an excellent example of an auction title - it contains strong keywords, and also uses humor to tempt the reader onto the auction page.

ANTIQUE BRASS BELL-PULL ""You rang m'Lord?""

By the way, it worked well. At the time of writing the auction was still open. The item had a starting price of 99p (50c), and is now at £117 ($240), having had 18 bids and 240 auction page views.

Spend as much time as you can on your auction titles. It is your best chance of being found by bidders amongst those 1 million other items on eBay.co.uk or 10 million items on eBay.com.

Having decided on your title, the next element is a sub-title.

This is an optional facility which allows you to show more information about your item. If you use it, whenever your auction is returned in searches or is listed via a category listing, your sub-title appears directly under the auction title.

As the name implies, sub-title provides you with a special area to add information about your auction item. You can use this in any way e.g. to mention some specific term or condition such as a moneyback guarantee, or to add further details about the item itself.

Within sub-title, you have the same size limit as the item title i.e. 55 characters.

The downside of sub-title is that it is not searched when a bidder enters keywords into eBay's standard Search Box. For searching purposes, eBay treats sub-title as being part of the auction description.

Also, it is a fixed fee facility. This makes it a more attractive option the higher the value of your auction item. For low value items you will need to weigh up carefully the additional cost of this facility against the likely increased exposure i.e. click-throughs to your auction page.

I hope this article outlining the considerations for auction title creation proves useful to you in your eBay activities.

Ten Tips for eBay Buyers and Sellers

2008-11-04T03:06:00.001-08:00

Author: Brian McGregor

1. Keep secure

Make sure your passwords are really complicated. A mix of upper and lower case letters plus interspersed numbers is best. Use what are termed as ""dictionary obscure"" names too, not obvious ones such as a Christian name.

2. Save time

Whenever you find you are typing the same thing over and over e.g. usernames, use a lovely piece of software called ShortKeys Lite. It's free, and you can download it from www.shortkeys.com

3. Get organized

If you use eBay regularly you will already know how quickly the emails mount up. Get your folders in your email program set up properly now! Don't delay, you will save loads of time in the coming months.

4. Squeeze your graphics

Whenever you put a picture on your auction page you add download time. You can make sure your images are compressed to the lowest file size possible by using SmartSaverPro. You can download a free trial version from www.ulead.com.

5. Quote the auction

Whether buying or selling, always quote the auction number in the subject and body of any emails about that auction. So, whenever you get a query about it from your seller or buyer you can always find the email communications about that auction.

6. Accept credit/debit cards

If you're selling, you WILL attract more bidders if you offer to take credit/debit cards. Fortunately you don't need a merchant account to be able to do this. Just open a free account with PayPal - the most used payment mechanism on internet auctions. With PayPal you can accept all the usual credit cards plus Solo and Switch debit cards. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can instantly create one by going here:- www.workwinners.com/PayPal_application.htm

7. Become a Search expert

When you're looking for items on eBay, don't forget the Advanced Search facility. Next to every search box you will see an Advanced Search link. You can be much more specific, and save yourself hundreds of hits which you have might have to scroll through to find the one item that you really wanted in the first place.

8. Be polite

Whether buying or selling, always try and be polite. As a priority, you want to avoid any negative feedback. Although it might appear that feedback is more important to sellers than buyers, this isn't necessarily the case. Even if you're only a buyer at the moment, you might find sellers exclude you from bidding if your negative ratio is poor. Also, even though you might only buy on eBay at the moment, you could decide to try selling in the future. Your eBay feedback rating remains with you whether buying or selling. 9. Become a Help expert

I recommend you spend some time on eBay Help pages. Hidden in there are jewels like Proxy Bidding. No, I'm not going to explain this for you - have a look in Help!

Finally, you will noticed this is only nine tips, and I promised you ten! Well, my tenth is, if you're looking to sell professionally on eBay you should read my ebook 'The eBay Formula'. This shows you how to create successful auctions on eBay time, after time, after time. You can find out about 'The eBay Formula' at www.more-auction-sales.com

7 Tips for Selling Expensive Collectibles On eBay

2008-11-03T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Sydney Johnston

Recently, a friend asked me to help her brother sell his collection on Lladro glass figurines on eBay. These are expensive glass collectibles and I knew nothing about them - but I don't have to. The principles for selling expensive collectibles on eBay are the same, regardless of what is being sold. Obviously, like any eBay auction, the seller must have a powerful listing with great pictures. This is always true regardless of what the merchandise is. Expensive collectibles offer splendid opportunities, but also need special precautions.

1. Price: decide the lowest amount you will accept for each figurine and set that price as a reserve. Then make your opening bid absurdly low - yes, absurdly.

Example: if you will accept $1,000 - make your opening bid $25. There is no risk in this, because you don't have to sell unless the bidding reaches $1000, but the low price attracts buyers, (assuming there is demand, of course). Looking at completed eBay auctions allows us to track prices, Again and again we learn that starting the price where the seller hopes it will end is not a wise tactic.

For instance, a seller wants to get $750 for his figurine. An opening bid of $750 won't attract nearly as many buyers as an opening bid of $25 and - surprisingly - the lower bid almost always gets higher prices. There is some psychology at work with the cheap price. It may not make logical sense, but it's the reality of life on eBay. 2. Devote space in your auction listing explaining how you will pack your item to ensure safe transit. This is critically important because in the back of every buyer's mind is the dread of receiving a package that rattles. A collectibles buyer will inevitably be thinking of the hassle she will have to go through - and the possible loss of purchase price - if her item is broken. She needs to know that the seller has carefully considered this issue and has a solution.

3. For the protection of both of you, insist that the buyer pay for appropriate insurance. Don't allow this to be an option. You definitely do not want the liability of a broken collectible that costs hundreds of dollars. In fact, if a customer objects to paying for insurance, this might possibly be a red flag. A genuine collector is very eager to add to her collection and wants her figurine to be protected.

4. We can safely assume that every Internet buyer has heard stories of fraud on eBay and elsewhere on the Net. Therefore, anything you can do to prove the authenticity of your collectible is well worth your time. Is there a marking on the bottom? Do you have the original box or other container? Does it have a label? Is there a certificate of authenticity or an appraisal by a respected organization? If the answer to any of these is "yes", then be certain to emphasize your authenticity in your auction. Taking pictures of your proof is especially effective.

5. I don't suggest offering a guarantee except in the most general way - that is, you, the seller, are telling the truth about the product. Anyone bidding on a collectible is knowledgeable and therefore they know what they're buying so there should be no reason for a return. If someone expresses dissatisfaction and mails your merchandise back, there is every likelihood of it being broken. You do not want the hassle of trying to collect on broken merchandise or putting yourself into a litigious situation with someone who refuses to believe that the collectible was broken via return shipping. Also, you don't want to take a loss on your eBay fees, which might be substantial if the price is high.

6. With a really expensive item, always offer the option of an escrow service - at the buyer's expense, of course. They may not take want this service, but make certain they have the option. You, of course, know that your merchandise is legitimate, but the buyer isn't so certain. eBay recommends an escrow service that is available to all members.

7. If you're willing to ship worldwide, you need to take special steps to protect yourself. In the US we have AVS (Address Verification System) which offers some protection. A very large portion of the fraud suffered by buyers occurs outside the United States and you are justified in protecting yourself. Losing the purchase price on a $5 item isn't such a big deal - but a $1,000 collectible absolutely does matter.

Your bank can advise you on the time it will take to verify foreign funds. Be certain to let any prospective buyer know in your auction that there will be a delay if they are outside of your country. Do not let your merchandise out of your hands until you are sure!

If you follow these 'rules', the chances of selling your expensive collectibles at the highest possible prices will be greatly increased.

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.

Sell On eBay: Real Secret to eBay Success: Frequently Asked Questions

2008-11-02T03:03:00.001-08:00

Author: Courtney Park

Want to Sell on Ebay?

Whether you're a new entrepreneur or established business owner looking to start an Ebay business, it's helpful to learn the tricks of the Ebay trade from sellers who have gone before you.

Unlike storefront businesses, there is a whole new world of web commerce and the owners that start-up to sell on eBay must understand in order to be successful. Take some time to read over the following frequently asked questions for some helpful tips and advice for getting your Ebay business going quickly and smoothly.

How do you start an Ebay business?

Every Ebay seller starts to sell on Ebay with a product (or service) in mind. Before you can begin to sell, you must have something or value to your customers, whether it's hand-knit scarves, old books from your garage or clothes that you haven't worn for decades. Not sure what you want to sell? There are two basic tracts for you to follow for product sales: manufacturing and reselling. If you make clothes, purses, desks for anything original, then you would fall under the manufacturing category and will start your Ebay business by manufacturing products.

Most Ebay sellers, however, resell products that they have bought and used or bought and refurbished. To start an Ebay resell business most often comes with more cost than a manufacturing business, as goods are generally more expensive than the materials to produce them.

How do I make my business stand out from others?

Standing out to sell on Ebay can be tough. The best thing you can do if you're starting an Ebay business is commit to customer service and offer high-quality products.

The better you are as a store, the better the feedback rankings will be, which means more customers will be inclined to use your services. In short: excel in product and service to get repeat customers and first-time customers.

Many Ebay business owners have started using Ebay template Web pages to showcase their items. An Ebay template is a very basic Web site or Web page that incorporates elements of design, including your company logo, if you have one. To find an Ebay template designer, simply do a quick Google search or see who your Ebay competitors are using.

What's the potential start-up cost for my business?

Your start-up costs for your Ebay business will depend on your product. Since Ebay does the bulk of your marketing and handles your sales and accounting for you, you should focus any financial resources on ensuring that your products are the best available.

If you want to start marketing your business online and offline, you can always purchase an Ebay template or even devolop some nicely designed postcards announcing the start of your Ebay business.

The costs you will incur to sell on Ebay will really depend almost entirely on the work you're prepared to dedicate towards marketing, as all other business functions are automated and made simple by Ebay.

How much money can I expect to make from my Ebay business?

Factor in the costs of marketing and production to determine your income from Ebay. Because all Ebay sellers differ, it's tough to predict exactly how much money you can expect to make. Set your profit margins high, though.

The mistake many first-time Ebay business owners make is selling products for only a marginal difference. For example: if you sell refurbished lamps and it costs you $10 to make the lamp, then it would be in your best financial interest to sell the lamp on Ebay for a minimum of $10.01. You will most likely want to price the lamp higher, though, in order to account for marketing and profit.

It may take awhile to get a hang of the Ebay business market in terms of how much money people will make available for particular items. Keep an eye on your competitors to see what they charge and for what type of product.

As always, good luck!

About the Author: Courtney is owner of http://www.home-business-web.com For more information on home-based business ideas, and jobs for stay-at-home moms, check out http://www.home-business-web.com/part-time-business-ideas.html and http://www.home-business-web.com/jobs-for-moms.html

Increase Your Response On eBay, Starting Right Now!

2008-11-01T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Jordan Williams

Your auction is up and running. You've got bidders seeing your auction and looking things over. Now you just need to push them over the edge. This article will cover various ways to increase your bids from prospective buyers.

First off, make sure that your display picture is of the highest quality. You might have the best written description in the world, but if your picture doesn't mirror your description that will turn bidders off. Use a digital camera if possible. Create a clean, unobtrusive picture. Take care in the background and lighting of the picture and you should be all set.

Adding an About Me page is a great way to increase your response as well. If your bidders have some personal information about you and your business this goes along way to establishing that trusting relationship between you and your customers. You can also post a few special offers on this page for people who take the time to look at it. Also, ask visitors to sign up for your mailing list as well.

Sign up at Square Trade, and display their logo on your auctions. This shows potential bidders that you are committed to resolving any disputes that might arise. Power Sellers always carry this logo on their auctions, and you should too. It makes you look much more professional.

Clearly spell out your terms and conditions making it very visible. Give details of things like shipping times and prices, the refund policy and anything else you want to make your buyers aware of. This also helps create trust between you and your customers. Plus having it all spelled out clearly, helps if any dispute issues arise as well.

Display your good feedback on your auction so that visitors don't have to go looking for it. You can simply cut and paste the text, or create a screenshot image of your feedback. If you have a 100% feedback rating, be sure to make a mention of that as well.

If you have room on your auction title, use NR (No Reserve) at the end of your title. Bidders like auctions that have no reserve, so having this on your title allows bidders to see that your auction has no reserve without actually having to click on your auction link.

Make sure you auction highlights the benefits of your product and not just the features. You want to tell your visitors why your product is good for THEM. You can have all the features in the world, but without describing the benefits of those features many bidders will pass on by.

In order to reach those last few buyers that you might miss otherwise, accept various unusual payment methods like checks or money orders. Many other sellers don't take these forms of payment, but the fact that you do may bring you that extra sale.

Upgrade your auction. Buying upgrades helps get you listed higher in the list of items. This can help a lot if your product is in a crowded category. You might just find out that it's worth the money.

Article Location:

http://www.ebaybusiness.net/ebay-articles/inc rease-your-response-on-ebay.html

About the author: This article was written on behalf of eBayBusiness.net by Webmaster and Internet Marketer Jordan Williams. Visit http://www.ebaybusiness.net today and get started on the road to eBay Business Success.

How To Create An eBay Sales Page

2008-10-31T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Ian D. Major

Writing a sales page is one of the most important things you will do for your eBay auctions - especially if there are many different sellers selling similar items. You have to write a sales page that makes the buyers want to bid on your item, instead of your competitor's items!

There are many different elements to a winning sales page.

A winning sales page starts with an outstanding headline.

The headline must stand out so that it will be noticed when bidders search for particular items. The headline must mention the item that you are selling, but there needs to be more information than that. For eBay, this will be the title of your auction, and when a person looks for a specific item in your category, that title will appear in the search results. Make sure it catches their attention!

The rest of your sales page is written by filling out the form that sets up the auction for eBay.

Again, you want to encourage the bidder to place bids or to buy now. You should outline the features of the item that you are selling, using words that capture the attention of the bidder, and even words that pull them emotionally. For instance, if you are selling an heirloom item, you may want to give some history of the item - information that makes the item even more valuable to potential bidders.

It is important to tell the bidders how they will benefit from the item should they win the bid. Again, this serves to make the item more valuable and desirable to the bidder. What will the buyer get out of it?

The end of your sales page should ensure the bidder that if there is a problem with the item you will offer a money back guarantee.

If you do this, it is vitally important that you do indeed honor your guarantee. Guarantees are generally reserved for new items. Old items are usually sold 'as is' with no refunds offered. However, eBay requires you to accurately describe your item, and they require that the item arrive at the buyers address in the condition that you described. If it does not, you are obligated to refund the money that the buyer paid for the item.

Without putting down other sellers or their products specifically, you need to tell the potential bidders and buyers why they should bid on your item, as opposed to bidding on other auctions for similar items.

There is a fine line here that you cannot cross - putting down other sellers in a public way simply is not to be done! But at the same time, you must let the buyer know why they should choose your auction. Again, this is done by listing benefits and features, and by letting the buyer know that you will honor any money back guarantees you may have.

Adding a good picture of the item to the sales page is recommended.

People want to see what they are buying, and many bidders will by-pass auctions that do not include photographs of the items. Make sure your picture is clear and shows your item in its best light, and add a link to view other pictures of the item as well.

Remember, you are trying to sell something with your eBay sales page.

Use words that will draw the attention of the buyer and make them want your item more than anything else in life! Dress up your words in a way that makes your items more attractive. For instance, instead of saying that you have 'an old beat up record player' for sale, you might say that you have a 'well loved record player.

Successful eBay selling is all about choosing items that people want, and using the right words in the sales page to make the buyer want the item even more!

About the author: Ian D. Major makes it easy to understand and use eBay, quickly and easily. Learn all you need to know by visiting

http://www.ebay-articles.com

Finding Products to Sell on eBay

2008-10-30T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: hamoon arbabi

Do you know how many people in US are earning their livelihood with the help of eBay? According to a new survey conducted on July 2005 by ACNielsen, a leading research firm, an astounding 724 thousand Americans respond that they rely on eBay for their main or supplemental income. Apart from these professional sellers, another 1.5 million people confirmed that they generate additional income by selling goods on eBay. Last year alone, around 150 million registered users have sold over US$ 34 billion worth of goods on eBay. Isn't it amazing? Why entrepreneurs are flocking into eBay? Some of the reasons are quite apparent. * Starting a business on eBay is easy and quick * You don't require large investment * Anybody can start an eBay business, no special skill is required * You can sell virtually anything on eBay * With your eBay business you can have flexible work time * You have a ready-made market of over 150 million people and counting * eBay get 1.5 billion page views each month. You get access to this massive traffic almost paying nothing. So, there is no wonder that anybody with slightest penchant to have their own business will jump into this great opportunity. But, there are two major problems that many of the would-be eBay sellers encounter. The first is what to sell and the next is where to find it. What to sell? According to Forrester Research, a major research company, this year, categories with products purchased by women will have the most growth in online retailing. Some categories are already getting more than ten percent of their overall sales through the Internet, which include: computer hardware and software, tickets, travel, books, consumer electronics, cosmetics and fragrances, toys and video games, and flowers, cards and gifts. While choosing items to sell on eBay, you should also explore the features available on eBay and other places on the Internet that show items people search and items people actually buy. eBay has a complete section called ""Seller Central"" dedicated to delivering utmost information to help you succeed in selling products through eBay. Two links from this section should interest you. One is What's Hot (http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/whatshot.html) and the other one is Category Tips (http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/sellbycategory.html). When you go to the subsection 'What's Hot', check out the following three areas: Hot Items by Category This is a comprehensive report of categories, and products within a category by the ratio of bid to listings growth rate in PDF format. The report gets updated monthly and shows which products have increased demand in comparison to last month. Super hot products, for example, have over 35 percentage point difference between bid growth rate and listing growth rate. According to the latest report, by the way, Sunglasses for men, in particular Prada sunglasses are super hot. eBay Pulse This is another area where you can see the top ten searched categories, ten most widely watched auctions, list of stores with most active listings, and other cool stuffs on daily basis. eBay Summer Catalog This is a new subsection. It's a real catalog with pictures and average price of products. In each category of products there is a list of top ten summer trends. You, definitely, should check this out if you are planning to start selling now. In Demand On the page ""Category Tips"" under each category you will see a link under the name ""In Demand"". This area will show you a list of ten most sold items of this category as well as most searched items for each subcategory. You might also like to see what people buy on non-eBay part of the Internet. The Shopping.com Consumer Demand Index (CDI) (http://www.shopping.com/CDI/cdi.cmp) makes a weekly list of most sought after items. This list could give you the needed glimpse to the future market trend! Where to find items to sell on eBay Your own home If you are just planning to start selling on eBay, your first option is to go through your attic, closets and garage. Find those long stashed items that you will probably never need. These may include: books that you will perhaps never read, CDs that you out grew, gifts that you received but did not like much, the list can go on! Take them out, brush them off and post them on eBay for sell. Flea markets and garage sales Every body knows that garage sales and flea markets can be real treasure troves! Well, now you can look at them from a business point of view. Your sales experience with own home items, hopefully, will help you understand what will sell well and what won't. Don't go for any costly items as yet. Local liquidators and auctions Classified sections of local Newspapers' week-end editions are good place to look for estate auctions. While buying items from local auctions determine what are you going to buy and for what price beforehand and stick to them no matter what! At an auction there is always a risk of getting carried away! Go visit some local business liquidators. These are excellent places to find items for bargain price. Drop shippers (http://ezine.rusbiz.com/article/39) When a manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor or importer, after receiving an order from their retailers, individually pack and deliver the product to the customer of the retailer with retailers address as shipper, this selling technique is called drop-shipping. This is an excellent way to find products to sell on eBay. Drop ship source directory (http://www.worldwidebrands.com/wwb/?8188) is the place to go if you are looking for drop-shippers. eBay eBay itself can be a great sourcing place for you. Check out wholesale items and eBay business marketplace from your chosen fields. In order to find wholesale listing, while searching a product select ""Items listed as lots"". You can buy goods in wholesale and then sell them piece by piece and make decent money. Of course, you have to develop good knowledge of the products before doing this. If your business has grown and you are considering importing products to sell on eBay, read my article ""Importing Products to sell on eBay"" (http://ezine.rusbiz.com/article/52). The bottom line is there was never a better time to start a business. If you feel this is really your cup of tea, just go for it!

About the author: By: Hamoon Arbabi

Source: http://homebusiness.nexuswebs.net

Buying items by the pallet to resell to the ebay marketplace

2008-10-29T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Jason James

Some product suppliers will purchase salvaged merchandise that is in such large quantities that they resell the items to you by the pallet that you can take and flood the ebay marketplace with. This type of transaction is often made by a 'liquidator' and you can go online to fine one nearest you.

This may not be the most secure way to find quality products to resell to the ebay marketplace but if you are willing to take the risk then it just may be worth it. Often times you are rolling the dice when buying a pallet full of stuff because there is no guarantee of what quality is inside.

While you may loose money by selling some of those items to the ebay marketplace, you might also make that money back with other products from your pallets. The key is to make sure that the majority of stock from the liquidator has what you want to sell to the ebay marketplace. This can only be done by working with one supplier for a few rounds and properly checking them out.

Here are a few tips of things to check out when looking for a liquidator:

1. Find out if they are selling to mostly flea markets. If this is the case then you may not want to buy these pallets because the quality may not exist. The ebay marketplace is looking for both quantity and quality.

2. Find out how long the liquidator has been in business. Find out exactly where he gets his products from. If the company does not want to reveal its sources then you may not want to purchase these pallets for resell to the ebay marketplace.

3. Last but not least, check for references. This is an obvious step in deciding to work with most anybody but a lot of people ignore it.

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

Hot As Pancake Items To Sell On Ebay

2008-10-28T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: David Riewe

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

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

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

1. Domain names.

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

2. Computers and other high-tech gadgets.

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

3. Jewelries.

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

4. Books.

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

5. Clothes.

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

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

About the author: David Riewe is a Publisher and Online Marketer. Visit his eBay Blog to Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebayblog

An Easy Guide To Making Money On Ebay

2008-10-27T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Steve Gargin

One way to make money on eBay that a lot of sellers underestimate is by making money on returns. Items get returned to almost every seller eventually as it's impossible to satisfy all of the buyers all of the time. By turning your returns into profits you can make money on eBay without simply selling your items.

If you are going to make money on eBay from your returns then it is important not to refund shipping charges. You will probably make money on eBay from your shipping charges anyway if you are using cheaper materials and have a standard shipping cost for items, regardless of their weight. If you just refund the charge of the returned items but not the shipping then you are going to make money on eBay because you will be able to charge the same shipping cost to another buyer who bids on the returned item when you relist it. As you have already made a profit from the shipping charge the first time, you are going to double that profit the second time you ship the item and be able to make money on eBay from your returns that from your original listing.

To help you make even more money on your returned items you can charge a restocking fee. This is not something that buyers particularly like and it may lead to negative feedback but you are within your rights to charge a restocking fee and it is a surefire way to make money on eBay from your returns. It would be advisable to only charge a restocking fee on more expensive or bulky items to lessen the chance of receiving bad feedback which will have a negative impact on your chances to make money from eBay by reducing your sales.

If you have an item returned then the best way to make money on eBay is, of course, to list it in another auction. However, it is important to take note of the reason for the return to ensure that it does not happen the second time and make it impossible for you to make money on eBay from selling the item as it keeps getting returned. If the item was returned because it was not what the buyer expected then you have to make sure that you write your description more clearly the second time around to maximise your chances of having a satisfied buyer and being able to make money on eBay that you intended to in the first place.

About the author: Steve Gargin is the administrator of http://all-ebay-info.helper-guru.com which is a free resource site totally dedicated to helping visitors use eBay effectively.

Make Money on Ebay ... Selling Mexican Products for BIG PROFITS

2008-10-26T03:04:00.001-07:00

Author: Mexico-Store.com

Make Money on Ebay ... Selling Mexican Products for BIG PROFITS .- By Mexico-Store.com

Would You Like to Resell Mexican Products for Great Profits ?

Would You like to feel what's it like to have excellent profit margins as a retail merchant or wholesale distributor ?

Do you want to start a PRACTICAL business that you can easily run from home?

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

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

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

Business Fact #1: There is no such thing as Free Lunch .-

Thanks to the Internet it might seem that finding low cost suppliers of profitable and fast moving Mexican products is an easy task.

But it isn't. The vast majority of the ""suppliers"" you find on the web are American companies or individuals that are basically reselling Mexican products at high margins.

The truth is that with them as your sources you won't even get close to having the best possible wholesale prices.

To make fat JUICY profits in the import / export business you definitely MUST get in touch with the real - hard - to - find - low - cost - sources. There is simply no other way to make it BIG in this business.

You NEED the Low cost SOURCES. Period. The cheaper you buy, the more competitive and profitable you get.

The problem is that discovering REAL low cost sources can be a difficult, time consuming and expensive mission.

Some information providers on the web are charging $30 per manufacturer profile, while others can charge you more than $1000 per business directory, or even a subscription fee to access their trade leads database.

But who do you think is listed on their databases? The Mexican manufacturers? or just another reseller eager to sell at a nice profit? Exactly!.

Those trade leads databases are mainly filled with lists and lists of intermediaries and marketers that want to make money reselling the product for a heavy profit.

So where do you find the real low cost sources with out spending a fortune and TONS OF TIME?

How do you deal DIRECTLY with the Mexican manufacturers?

In other words, how do you buy cheap and sell high ?

And most of all ... how do you come up with a PLAN that helps you make it happen ?

At Mexico-Store.com you can get access TODAY to these AUTHENTIC, UPDATED & BUSINESS SAVVY sources of information:

1- The Mexican Rustic Handcrafts Manufacturers Directory

2- The Mexican Taxco Silver Jewelry Manufacturers Directory

3- The Mexican Leather Products Manufacturers Directory, and

4- The Business Guide On How to Re-Sell your Mexican Products

These 3 Mexico Trade directories & The Business Guide On How to Re-Sell your Mexican Products are an excellent source for low cost - first class products & practical marketing strategies if you plan to sell & distribute: rustic furniture, forged iron, silver jewelry, colonial art, beautiful hand crafts or exotic leather products at Ebay, on your website or start up a wholesale or ""brick and mortar"" retail operation any where.

It's all about the profits. YOUR Profits! at Mexico-Store.com .-

Don't get us wrong. We don't have any problem with being a reseller of Mexican products. It's totally legal and very PROFITABLE. But being a reseller your self, wouldn't it be better if you could cut the extra middleman and offer a better price to your customers ?

Access the updated Mexico Trade Manufacturers Directories today and start BARGAINING directly with AUTHENTIC manufacturers of thousands of Mexican products that sell incredibly well in the USA and other countries.

Our trade directories contain low cost Mexican manufacturers of beautiful rustic wrought iron, Taxco silver bracelets, earrings and more elegant jewelry, leather briefcases, folk art, leather clothing, blown crystal, luxurious leather furniture, Talavera pottery, textile and gift items, pewter décor, wood hand crafts, leather shoes and exotic boots, crocodile leather, swine, lamb and ostrich, oil paintings all made by skilled craftsmen and RELIABLE suppliers at incredible cheap prices.

Avoid those expensive resellers and get in touch with the real Mexican manufacturers today ! .-

We provide you with all the necessary contact information including email and websites.

Some of these silver jewelry, handcrafts and leather products manufacturers do have a website. But that doesn't mean you can easily find them on the search engines. As we all know, its very hard to make it to the top of the search engine rankings and it can take more than 6 months to even get a website listed with them. That and the fact that most Mexican artisans are not as computer savvy as ""we all think"" are the main reason why you won't find that many websites at all of Mexican manufacturers listed on Google or Yahoo. In many cases their websites are not even optimized for the search engines to list them.

Don't expect to get the best possible prices from those Mexican products ""providers"" that you can find on the web for free .-

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

The only way you are going to make BIG cash is by dealing direct with Mexican sources. Get our updated Mexico trade directories and start getting incredible low prices per silver gram or per handcrafted product that you can easily resell twice as much or translate into GREATER profit margins for your self.

Low cost Mexican products that sell incredibly well world wide at Mexico-Store.com .-

1- With our Mexican Silver Manufacturers Directory you will get great deals on silver rings for men and women in all sizes, earrings, necklaces, bangles, charms, chains and bracelets at incredible low prices per gram !

2- With the updated Mexican hand crafts and rustic furniture manufacturers directory you can get access to thousands of first class Mexican art products with proven high demand in the USA and other European and Asian countries.

Our hand crafts directory contains Mexican manufacturers of beautiful rustic wrought iron, folk art, blown crystal, talavera pottery, textile and gift items, pewter décor, wood hand crafts and oil paintings all made by skilled craftsmen at BARGAIN prices.

3- With the updated Mexican Leather products manufacturers directory you can access ultra low cost suppliers of exotic, luxurious and profitable leather products that sell like crazy at expensive prices.

We are talking about leather clothing, exotic boots and leather footware for men, woman and children, made of crocodile leather, ostrich, goat, swine, bovine and lamb, handbags, purses, elegant briefcases, soccer balls, wallets, leather cigar cases, laptop cases, sport and casual cloths among many more great products.

4- With The Business Guide on How to Resell Mexican Products you will discover powerful marketing strategies that will show you how to get the neccesary exposure among targeted customers.

$ Discover different ways to sell your products either wholesale or at retail locations. How to find BIG or numerous small clients for your products regardless of your location.

$ You will learn how to start your internet business and sell your products online by using proven internet marketing strategies that can help you increase traffic to your website.

$ You will discover how to manage your competition and take advantage of them in practical ways.

$ You will get valuable tips on how to approach and deal with the Mexican manufacturers that can make your venture more profitable and successful right from the start.

$ The Business Guide on How to Resell Mexican Products is your step by step plan for marketing and conducting your business like a Pro !

P.S: Bigger profits just around the corner.

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

Take this opportunity and Visit us TODAY! at Mexico-Store.com

Helping you buy direct from Mexico at real cheap prices!

http://www.Mexico-Store.com

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

How To Tips On Buying On Ebay

2008-10-25T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: David Riewe

Buying things on eBay can be a great alternative for out-door shopping. Shopping on eBay gives the buyers a convenient way of looking for the right stuffs or things that they need. However, it is a must for every eBay shopper to take note of these important reminders before buying on eBay so as to avoid scams and fraudulent activities.

Here are some tips for the buyers:

1. It is important to know the item first.

The eBay management strongly suggests that a buyer should first read and understand carefully the item listing before proceeding to bidding. He or she must grasp the seller's shipping requirements and the fees that are attached to it.

2. Buyer should be aware of the return and refund policy of eBay.

Buyers should know this first before bidding so that there wouldn't be any problems when wishing to do a refund.

3. The buyer should check first the seller's feedbacks before bidding.

Checking on the seller's feedbacks will give the buyer an impression if the transaction is trustworthy or not.

4. The buyer should choose a secured payment method.

The only secured way to get through a transaction on eBay is to make sure that the mode of payment required by the seller is protected. This should be clear on the buyer so as to avoid imminent danger of fraud or scam.

5. The buyer should use the ""ask a seller questions"" section.

It doesn't hurt to ask. It is best for a buyer to use this section first before bidding on an item. After all, it really pays a buyer to ask and clarify things first before proceeding to the bidding activity.

6. The buyer should know, by all means, the seller's contact details before sending the payment. This is one way of protecting one's money.

7. The buyer should take extra precautions on most of the international item listings because this is where most fraudulent activities happen.

8. The buyer should avoid any transaction that involves wire transfers as mode of payment. The eBay management does not approve it and will offer no protection in the event it is a fraud.

9. The buyer should make a documentation of all the transactions and the items purchased on eBay. This will be very handy in case there is a discrepancy in the future.

10. The buyer should be aware and get rid of spontaneous offers and counterfeit escrow services. The eBay management only allows protection for transactions made with eBay-approved escrow services.

About the author: David Riewe is a Publisher and Online Marketer. Visit his eBay Blog to Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebayblog

eBay Auctions and the fear of the unknown

2008-10-24T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Austin Akalanze

eBay Auctions and the fear of the unknown

One of the things that keep people from performing is fear of the unknown. Hosea 4:6 says, ""My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."" The good news is that the unknown can be conquered with good knowledge. And when the veil and the mystic of the unknown vanish, fear dissipates and we are brought out of the darkness of ignorance into the marvelous of light of knowledge. And good knowledge mixed with desire and effort is unstopable. This true with any human endeavor as it is true with eBay auctions.

Now the other issue is where do you find good knowledge. One would think that with the advent of the internet and the sophistication of online searches, finding good information would be a snap. Well, while this is true to a great extent, there is a difference between information and distilled knowledge. It is as established truism that having too much information can be as bad as not having any information. This is because there is the tendency to feel overwhelmed and crippled by this over preponderance of undistilled information. What you have here is some distilled and razor-sharp information about eBay auctions, beginning from the birth of eBay auction to what is possible on eBay in term of income, to the ebay auction types and sign up process.

Breaking the barrier with knowledge.

Who is eBay?

eBay was created in September 1995, by a man called Pierre Omidyar. The name 'eBay' comes from the domain Omidyar used for his site. His company's name was Echo Bay, and the 'eBay AuctionWeb' was originally just one part of Echo Bay's website at ebay.com. The first thing ever sold on the site was Omidyar's broken laser pointer, which he got $14 for. In 1997, Omidyar changed AuctionWeb's - and his company's - name to 'eBay', which is what people had been calling the site for a long time. 1999 saw eBay go worldwide, launching sites in the UK, Australia and Germany. eBay bought half.com, an Amazon-like online retailer, in the year 2000 - the same year it introduced Buy it Now - and bought PayPal, an online payment service, in 2002.

What are your possibilities as an eBay auctioneer? It is not unusual for people to make thousands of dollars per month on eBay.

On your next visit to eBay, take a look at how many PowerSellers there are. You will see that there are quite a few. Now think about this: every single one of these PowerSellers must be making at least $1,000 per month, as that's eBay's requirement for becoming a PowerSeller. Silver PowerSellers make at least $3,000 each month, while Gold PowerSellers make more than $10,000, and the Platinum level is $25,000. The top ranking is Titanium PowerSeller, and to qualify you must make at least $150,000 in sales every month!

These people are a testimony to the income possibilities on eBay auction. The weired thing is that most of them never set out to even set up a business on eBay - they simply started selling a few things, and then kept going. There are plenty of people whose full-time job is selling things on eBay, and some of them have been doing it for years.

You too can do the same. What's more, is that eBay does not care who you are, where you live, or what you look like. PowerSellers come in various shades. Some are very old, or very young. Some live out in the middle of nowhere where selling on eBay is one of the few alternatives to farming or being very poor. eBay tears down the barriers to earning that the real world constantly puts up. There's no job interview and no commuting involved - if you can post things, you can do eBay auctions.

What are the different eBay auction types?

In order to accomodate the different shades of buyers and sellers on its auctions, eBay has over the years introduced all sorts of different auction types. For every seller who doesn't like the idea that their item might sell for a far lower price than they intend, there's another who wants to shift hundreds of the same item quickly. eBay tries to cater to all tastes. .

Normal Auctions.

These are the bread-and-butter of eBay, the auctions everyone knows: buyers bid, others outbid them, they bid again, and the winner gets the item. Simple.

Reserve Auctions

Reserve auctions are for sellers who don't want their items to sell for less than a certain price - a concept you'll know about if you're familiar with real auctions. They work just like normal auctions on eBay, except that the buyer will be told if their bid does not meet the reserve price you set, and they'll need to bid again if they want the item. If no-one is willing to meet your price, then the auction is cancelled, and you keep the item.

Fixed Price ('Buy it Now') Auctions

Buy it Now auctions can work in one of two ways. You can add a Buy it Now button to a normal auction, meaning that buyers can choose either to bid normally or to simply pay the asking price and avoid the whole bidding process. Some sellers, though, now cut out the auction process altogether and simply list all their items at fixed price. This lets you avoid all the complications of the auction format and simply list your items for how much you want them to sell for.

Recently, eBay added a twist to fixed price auctions: the 'best offer'. This means that buyers can contact you to negotiate a price, which could be a good way to get sell some extra stock at a small discount. The only downside to reserve and fixed price auctions is that you pay a small extra fee to use these formats. In general, it is more worth using reserve auctions for higher-priced items and fixed price auctions for lower-priced ones - but remember that you can combine the two formats.

Multiple Item ('Dutch') Auctions

These are auctions where you can sell more than one of a certain item. Dutch auctions can be done by bidding. Buyers bid a price and say how many items they want, and then everyone pays the lowest price that was bid by one of the winning bidders. If you have trouble getting your head around that, then don't worry - everyone else does too! These auctions are very rare.

What is more common is when a seller has a lot of one item, and lists it using a combination of two auction types: a multiple-item fixed price auction. This just means that you can just say how many of the item you they have, and offer them at a fixed price per unit. Buyers can enter how many they want and then just click Buy it Now to get them.

Getting started on eBay

You must register to get started on eBay. To register, logon to www.ebay.com and follow the registration process. It is simple. First click on the ""Sell"" tab . Next fill in your personal information. Choose your username and password, confirm email address and you are on your way to becoming an ebay seller. Who knows you might well be on your way to becoming one of the elite PowerSellers. There is a lot more to eBay auction than this short article can contain. For more information, use the resource box provided.

About the author: Austin Akalanze is a freelance writer and webmaster at Bidwell Auctions and All Voip Center

Start Your Own eBook Business on eBay within 30 MINUTES

2008-10-23T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Mark Benson

POWERSELL Status, the secrets revealed.

If like thousands of people you have been using eBay and wondering how to gain a regular income, and work from home, this article will help you.

Like many, I have been searching for years for that illusive system which will allow me to work from home, and spend more time with family and friends. MULTIPLE INCOME STREAMS are the answer.

What are Multiple Income Streams?

Multiple Income Streams are the Holy Grail of the Internet, those things you hear about but never quite see. The 24 hour a day, 7 days a week income machines.

I have found a very simple technique which has proved very beneficial, and in fact earned me POWERSELLER Status on eBay!!

My secret is simple:

I pick a very popular subject, for example Playstation Repair Guides (eBooks) which are a consistent seller on eBay. First you need to acquire the Guide (from eBay) with Resell Rights. Then you need to think of associated eBooks, which would appeal to buyers of the Repair Guide. I use two such associated eBooks, which are :-

Playstation Cheat Guides (with resell rights) and Repair / Build your own PC (with resell rights)

My reasoning behind the eBooks?

They are connected and will appeal to buyers of the Repair Guide, and anyone searching for either Playstation Repair Guides, Playstation Cheat eBooks OR Repair / Build your own PC guides will come across your Auction. In effect 3 Auctions for the price of one !!!

Other potential pairings would be:

PS Repair Guide, Cheat Guide and Fruit Machine Cheat guide

xBox Repair Guide, xBox Cheat Guide and Repair / Build your own PC Guide

xBox Repair Guide, xBox Cheat Guide and Fruit Machine Cheat Guide

Hopefully the picture should become clearer, and the enormous potential.

What about PRICING?

All of the eBooks mentioned above can be bought for 99p each, with RESELL Rights. Rather than list two seperate Auctions, with two sets of charges, I list one Auction and charge £1.99 for the package. This has a massive impact on your profit.

One Auction for 99p may incurr basic Auction charges of 50p PLUS 25p per item sold, and 25p per PAYPAL Payment received. Leaving you with a profit of 50p, only after sale number two.

One Auction selling the three eBook Package would also incur basic Auction charges of 50p PLUS 25p per item sold, and 25p per PAYPAL Payment received. Leaving a profit in the region of £1 on the first sale, and £1,50 per sale after that.

I PREFER TO LIST AT LEAST 5 ITEMS FOR SALE IN EACH AUCTION

When the Auction has finished you just relist, and wait for the sales to come through.

This is just a snap shot of the potential for selling small packages of targeted eBooks on eBay. The opportunities are endless, and very quickly you can build-up 10, 20 and more consistent Income Streams on eBay.

Imagine:

One Income Stream

5 sales per day, making £1.50 per sale = £7.50, £52 a week, over £200 a month

Two Income Streams

5 sales per day x 2, making £1.50 per sale = £15, £112 a week, over £400 a month

Ten Income Streams

5 sales per day x 10, making £1.50 per sale = £75, £525 a week, over £2000 a month

The potential to gain this kind of income is open to everybody willing to put in the work and effort.

Good luck!

Mark Benson

http://www.e-zone.uk.com

About the author: My name is Mark Benson, I am 34 years old and live in Scotland. I have been using the Internet for 10 years now, looking for that elusive Online Business. I have made many mistakes over the years, but importantly I have learnt from these mistakes. After much research I have now compiled a simple, but highly effective, strategy for selling eBooks on eBay. I am a POWERSELLER with a positive feedback approaching 600.

Selling cars and car parts on eBay

2008-10-22T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Jason James

""After I found out what my friend Brian was doing with all of those car parts he was buying from the store and then shipping them off for money, I was hooked...""

This may come as a surprise to some of you but did you know that Ebay has a section devoted completely to cars and auto parts? It is the automotive ebay motor section and it rocks! Who would have thought that there was such an enormous market for automobiles and car parts that ebay had so create an automotive ebay motors section.

One tactic that some ebay sellers use with the automotive ebay motors category is to frequent junk yards and wreckage sites to pull out old car parts. Those people then clean up the junked car parts and auction them off on the automotive ebay motors section for big profits.

Can you sell cars on ebay? Yes, amazing as it sounds you sure can sell cars with the automotive ebay motors section of the website. Since ebay is such a well trusted and reliable source to sell products online most people have flocked to buying used cars from the automotive ebay motors category.

There is also help that ebay provides for you to help complete your car sales and your car parts sales through the automotive ebay motors section. They offer help with calculating insurance needs, one click access to carfax reports, Department of Motor Vehicle and Escrow services, and the automotive ebay motors section also helps you determine vehicle shipping quotes from auto shippers that are dependable.

Make Money on EBay While Others Are Scratching Their Heads!

2008-10-21T03:03:00.001-07:00

Author: Living Free Online

""Aaargh! Why is my competition getting way more hits than mine?""

There are several reasons why, but I hope to explain at least the major reason.

? Poor titles with a lack of highly targeted keywords

The majority of eBay sellers are completely unaware that they are jeopardising their success through lack of knowledge. Knowledge is POWER and the most effective way to power-pack your auctions is to use highly targeted keywords in your auction titles and descriptions...

Let's start with your title ...

eBay estimates that over 90% of users search eBay by using the basic search feature which means they only search the auction titles.

""So what does this mean for me?""

Above all else ... it means focus more on your auction titles first and foremost and then consider integrating those same highly targeted keywords into your auction descriptions.

""So where do you find these highly targeted keywords and which ones should you use?""

The best place to start is with ' eBay Pulse ' and browse through the top popular searches in the category where you would like to list your auction using the Category drop-down box. Jot down the list of the top 10.

Now the number of words allowed in your auction titles is limited so be sure to find several popular search terms that you can easily integrate into your auction title remembering to make it sound interesting also - not just a swag of keywords!

You can generally assume that on average, people search for the same terms on eBay as they do in search engines. In light of this, to see how valuable your chosen keywords really are I suggest using the Overture ""

Keyword Selector Tool "" to see how popular those keywords/search terms are by the estimated number of times they were searched for in all the major search engines for the past month.

Please bear in mind that these results are not entirely accurate, however they will give you an overview of which keywords are the most important and will be searched for the most.

Enter each search term separately and from the results jot down the top 5 search phrase results for each of the keywords.

Another hot tip is with eBay itself. Go ahead and search for similar items to which you want to list and take note of 3 things.

1. The title at the top of the page - here eBay lists other highly targeted words for your item.

2. Underneath the search box (depending on what you have searched for) you will see 'related searches' which can give you more ideas.

3. Be sure to click the check box on the left hand side for 'completed items' and then click the search button and have a look for items that have sold similar to yours. When the results are returned, click the column title called 'price' to sort by final price.

Make note of the most successful sales and look at their titles. (As a side note, it pays to look at what category they listed in and also anything you can learn from their description, layout etc - remembering of course not to copy their text or photos).

Now you're ready to strategically integrate those highly targeted keywords & phrases into your auction titles to drive highly targeted traffic to your auctions.

Remember, as I mentioned earlier, be sure to make full use of the best keywords but the title must make sense and be inviting (not just a list of keywords that will get your auction deleted for keyword spamming) - You need to be creative, after all you may get hundreds of visitors from searches but you still need them to click on your title!

Find out how easy it is to seriously "" Make Money on eBay "". Everything you need to launch your own highly profitable Ebay business overnight ... It's all here from one convenient source at http://www.livingfreeonlin e.com

About the author: You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as you leave the article title, author, body, resource box & links intact, unaltered & active (means NO changes whatsoever).

A Beginners Guide to the Different eBay Auction Types

2008-10-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: James Mahony

How often do you find yourself saying: ""I wish I knew how to learn more about eBay auction types""

Well, we were listening! And this article is the result. Enjoy.

Over the years, eBay has introduced all sorts of different auction types, in an effort to give people more options when they buy and sell their things on eBay. For every seller who doesn't like the idea that their item might sell for a far lower price than they intend, theres another who wants to shift hundreds of the same item quickly. eBay tries to cater to all tastes. This article gives you an overview of the different kinds of auctions and their advantages for you.

Before we go on, a quick reminder... You'll discover some interesting stuff on this website listing informative, educational and entertaining resources, along with other material to help you. Please take a look at them when you've finished reading this article.

Normal Auctions .

These are the bread-and-butter of eBay, the auctions everyone knows: buyers bid, others outbid them, they bid again, and the winner gets the item. Simple. Reserve Auctions. Reserve auctions are for sellers who dont want their items to sell for less than a certain price a concept you'll know about if you're familiar with real auctions. They work just like normal auctions on eBay, except that the buyer will be told if their bid does not meet the reserve price you set, and they'll need to bid again if they want the item. If no-one is willing to meet your price, then the auction is cancelled, and you keep the item.

Fixed Price (Buy it Now) Auctions .

Recently, eBay added a twist to fixed price auctions: the best offer. This means that buyers can contact you to negotiate a price, which could be a good way to get sell some extra stock at a small discount. The only downside to reserve and fixed price auctions is that you pay a small extra fee to use these formats. In general, it is more worth using reserve auctions for higher-priced items and fixed price auctions for lower-priced ones but remember that you can combine the two formats.

Multiple Item (Dutch) Auctions . These are auctions where you can sell more than one of a certain item. Dutch auctions can be done by bidding. Buyers bid a price and say how many items they want, and then everyone pays the lowest price that was bid by one of the winning bidders.

If you have trouble getting your head around that, then dont worry everyone else does too! These auctions are very rare. What is more common is when a seller has a lot of one item, and lists it using a combination of two auction types: a multiple-item fixed price auction. This just means that you can just say how many of the item you they have, and offer them at a fixed price per unit. Buyers can enter how many they want and then just click Buy it Now to get them.

Now that you know about the different types of auctions, you should make sure that the items you plan to sell dont violate eBays listing policies. The next article will let you know whats allowed and what is a big no-no.

Staying Out of Trouble with eBays Listing Policies

Now that you've learned something about this topic, maybe you want more information or need greater detail about certain specific issues.

I encourage you to explore this site, read a few more articles on related topics, and get even greater insight into the subject.

And if there's any way I can help you, please write. We welcome feedback and thrive on your support.

About the author: James Mahony is the founder of Online Auction Handbook - Learn How to Make Money on eBay

Make Money on eBay

Selling Second-hand Books On EBay

2008-10-19T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Stephen Webb

To be able to make a part-time income on eBay you need a steady supply of products that are constantly in demand.

There is a serious problem with obtaining products from wholesalers or drop shippers. Basically, anyone else can also obtain the same products and undercut you pricing on eBay.

It's very hard to regularly make a part time income on eBay with products that can be obtained by virtually anyone. You need a product that is unique to you, a product that would be difficult for anyone to copy.

But you may not have the skills or knowledge to create your own product. So what do you do?

I think that I may have the answer for you. There is a huge market on eBay for second-hand books. Over four thousand are sold each week. That's a big market and you should be able to create a part-time income for yourself.

The great thing about second hand books is that they are readily available but not from wholesalers and drop shippers. So this eliminates the problem of people undercutting your price.

The potential profit on a book can be quite large. For example you may buy a book for $20 and resell it for $40 to $50. That is a big profit margin and I doubt if you can find many other products that match that profitability.

To be able to successfully sell second hand books you will need to get a list of which types of books are in demand. For example is a James Bond book more treasured than an Enid Blyton.book?

You will also need to learn how to identify and describe the condition of each book that you sell. This is vital for creating an advert on eBay that will attract potential buyers. You will need to be able to asses and describe the condition of the spine, hinges, cover, pages, dust jacket and many other aspects of the book.

You'll be amazed at the sort of places where you can buy second-hand books for resell, such as junk shops, thrift shops, charity shops, garage sales, estate sales, car boot sales. You can often buy a book for a very low price at these places and resell for a huge profit.

So, you can see that there is a lot to learn about buying and selling second hand books, but the profit margin makes it all worth while.

About the author: Visit the following website if you would like a free report about how to make money from finding and reselling second hand books. http://www.books2profit.com

You can republish this article in its entirety providing that you do not change it and that you include the authors' biography.

5 Secrets To Make A Killing on eBay

2008-10-18T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Jason James

Secret #1: Find a ""real"" wholesale and drop ship company

Do you know what one of the biggest problem is to be successful on eBay? ""What should I sell?"" I can tell you, I get many emails per day from eBay sellers, asking me what they can sell. Let me explain this more in detail.

Let's take John and David for example. Both are sellers and try to make money on eBay. Let's start with John. He mainly gets his items from garage sales. So, every Saturday morning he gets up very early, hops into his car and drives around the neighbourhood to check out the garage sales. So he went last Saturday. John did not buy anything on the first two garage sales, but on his third garage sale, he found a little treasure. An old book from 1897 - for a bargain price of $10. Bingo! John was proud! ""I can sell this for huge profit', he thought and he went home. He took his digital camera and he made a high quality digital photo. It took quite some time but finally he was happy with the result. Then he had to upload this picture to his computer and he spent some time writing the sales copy. Late Saturday afternoon finally he was finished and launched this book onto eBay. 7-10 days later his item got sold for $75!! John is excited. He packs the item, labels it with the buyers address and then he drives to the nearest post office. Oh no, what a long line. After 15 min of waiting he could finally post this item to his customer! Wow, a lot of work for $65 profit? Don't you think?

Let's look at David. He usually gets up very late - usually at Saturday around lunchtime. He is still in his pyjamas and he makes himself a nice cup of coffee and gets onto the Internet. He logs into his drop ship account and browses through some hot selling product. ""Yes, I can sell that"" - A nice laptop for a bargain price of $550 (wholesale price). But David does not have to pay upfront for this item, so he just downloads the professional digital photos offered by his drop ship company to his computer. ""Oh wait""; David has just discovered that this drop ship company has also a ""ready-to-use"" auction sales letter available. That's really cool ...and David copies and pastes the source code of this letter into his eBay listing and he launches his auction. A Dutch auction, since the drop ship company announced that they have more than one of this laptop currently available. Great, David could sell 6 laptops. He hits the submit button for this Dutch auction of 6 laptops and enjoys his coffee (which is still hot by the way). After 7-10 days David has sold all 6 laptops for $830 each. All what David does is the following: He waits until he gets the payment from his 6 customers in his paypal account, sends the address of the customers together with 6 x $550 (wholesale price) to his drop sip company via paypal. He has made pure profit of 6 x $280 = $1,680 in about 25 min of work - total. That's why David is a smarter eBay seller than John. I think the idea is clear ...drop shipping can be the answer to your problem what to sell on eBay and it can saves you a lot of time too. No packing, posting etc.

Secret #2: Have a professional auction listing

A professional eBay auction site is like your business card. If you are serious selling on eBay you should show your potential customers that you are a professional seller and that you are selling high quality products. Please, don't just upload a photo and type the text in the description box. Do your homework and learn some HTML. Look around there are many professional tutorials and ebooks around helping you in that matter. It's definitely worth it. And you'll be surprised, because if your auction listing looks nice and professional potential buyers stay longer on your site and usually it's more likely that they place a bid.

Secret #3: The money is in the follow up

""Yes, I've heard this before"", you may say. But, this is a very important aspect of your successful eBay career: Follow up with your customers. Send them an email ~10 days after they have purchased the product and ask them how they are going with the product and if everything is all right. Invite them to have a look at your other auctions. (You have to be careful though not offending anyone, but if the products are related and you ask how they went with the product, that's fine). I never got complaints by doing that and your customers are happy to get some ""insider tips"". You'll be amazed how many customers will buy from you again, since they value you as a seller. Keep in mind that it is easier to keep an existing customer, instead of getting a new customer. You could also send them a thank you gift in form of a downloadable digital information product. That's easy for you and they get some valuable information. You'll see that your existing customers will be very thankful and they feel good that they have bought from you and will do again in the future.

Secret #4: Sell internationally

This aspect is often neglected by many eBay sellers: Sell internationally! First, check with your drop ship company in which countries they are shipping and how much postage they charge to send the item overseas. If you have sort out these details, you can go ahead and list your item internationally. You'll be surprised how many more items you are selling when the potential buyers see: Ship worldwide. Don't miss this opportunity or you are leaving big bucks on the table.

Secret #5: Be creative - Be different

How do you think your listing will be stand out from the crowd? Good question isn't it. In my 4 years of being an active Power Seller, I have tried and tested a lot. First have the photo in the gallery; it just costs a bit more to list but these additional cents are well spend. A recent study has shown that people almost ignore listing without a picture in the gallery. So that's mandatory! The next step is your title. Do you know that only the title is spidered by eBay when potential customers are searching for specific products? So, you have to make sure that your title includes as much keywords as possible. But be careful here, eBay does not like ""keyword stuffing"". So, be creative and come up with 2-3 different titles for the same item. Try them all and you'll see what works best.

Pros And Cons Of Buying On Ebay

2008-10-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: David Riewe

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

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

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

THE PROS

1. It's relatively simple and within reach.

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

2. Great access.

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

3. It's twice as fun.

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

4. A viable online price indicator.

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

5. Money-back possibility.

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

THE CONS

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

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

2. Additional postal fees.

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

3. Lack of human touch.

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

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

4. Too risky.

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

5. A form of enslavement.

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

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

About the author: David Riewe is a Publisher and Online Marketer. Visit his eBay Blog to Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebayblog

eBay Pays Four BILLION for New Phone Company

2008-10-16T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Dr. Joseph Mercola

EBay has announced that it will buy the Internet voice service Skype. This move could pit eBay against both phone companies and other voice-over-internet services such as Vonage.

Skype can be used to make free voice calls from any computer running Skype software to any other running the same software, anywhere in the world. For an additional fee, Skype users can also call regular telephones and vice versa.

Although other online services offer free computer-to-computer voice conversations, Skype has grown at an astonishing rate, adding 150,000 users a day, mostly in countries such as China, India and Sweden.

Skype will be built into eBay, allowing buyers and sellers to talk to each other with a single mouse click. USA Today September 12, 2005

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

I know that this is not related to health, but this is a major story that will absolutely affect you in the future. Since you are reading this on the Internet it seemed appropriate to review it.

Without any question, nearly all phone service in the future will be over VoIP. Your traditional phone service will cease to exist.Thereis even a possibility that your phone service may be FREE in the future, and Google will provide it.

This development with eBay and Skype is a major clue that we are in the middle of a radical transformation of the entire communication infrastructure. It is becoming more and more obvious that the Internet will become an increasingly important part of all of our lives.

Ifyou want to know what the future stores for your phone, you simply must read the interview in my favorite blog, Engadget, with Michael Robertson . He sold MP3.com for nearly half a billion dollars, and he truly understands open source. You will definitely be hearing more about his new company, SIPphone, in the future.

About the author: This article is reprinted from Mercola.com, the world's #1 most visited and trusted natural/alternative health website. For a limited time only, you can take the FREE ""Metabolic Type Test"" to help you learn the right foods for your particular body type so you can achieve optimal fitness & health. Just go to http://www.mercola.com/forms/mt_test.htm right now to take this quick test!

Improve Your eBay Auction Selling Technique

2008-10-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Jason James

There just is no doubt that auction selling is a great way to boost your income. The potential is certainly there for you to use Ebay auctions to save for retirement or even as your primary source of income. Like most things, however, there are some subtle techniques that can be used to transform an average Ebay auctioneer into a superstar that is courted by others to sell their wares as well.

Without question, the biggest challenge of auction selling is to get the people to come to your posting and make a bid. The traffic is definitely out there and people are scouring the Ebay business website every minute of the day looking for that next great deal. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind that will help you get the buyers to come to your postings time and time again.

Know Your Product

Any great salesperson is an absolute expert on the products or services that they are selling. They are never caught off guard by a question that they do not know the answer to and customers respect this. A solid auction selling reputation is built upon a sound knowledge of the products or services being sold. So before you post anything, do your homework!

Standard and Simple Sales Policy

People hate to feel stupid so don't have a confusing sales policy with awkward shipping requirements. You don't want someone to think something costs $20 and be surprised by an extra $8 in unnecessary shipping costs. Give the customer some options such as insurance and expedited shipping, but keep your standard shipping procedures as cheap as possible and easy to understand. Auction selling is a somewhat risky endeavor for buyers, so you may want to consider a refund policy to help build trust and confidence.

Customer Service Guru

If you want to be a serious player in the auction selling game, you are going to need repeat customers or at least a great reputation so that word of you and your great deals spreads throughout the Ebay business site. So, if you get a question via e-mail, immediately respond and try offering something a little extra like some history on the product or manufacturer(see, this is where knowing your product will really pay off!). Make people feel special and they cannot help but like you and they will come back time and time again.

Timing Critical to Ebay Auctions

Before you post any listing, do some research. Auction selling is far more profitable if you are not competing against 10 other people offering the same products or services. So, should you learn that the competition in your particular area is intense, wait a little while until they have sold their wares before listing yours. Just a few short days can add up to a lot more money so patience and doing your homework are rewarded on the Ebay business website.

Auction selling is really like any business in that you need to keep the customers coming in if you want to be successful and make any real money. The ideas listed above are certainly not earth shattering secrets nor will they guarantee your Ebay auctions to be a resounding success. But, if you don't take them to heart and apply them to your online auction business, then you will find it almost impossible to be the next great Ebay business success!

Auction Titles: Keywords to Bigger eBay Profits

2008-10-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Mason Hipp

In the world of online auctions, the title is the only way to get more traffic. Traffic equals more bids, more bids equals more money. Sellers who want the most money from eBay will need to learn how to write a good title.

Statistically speaking, the vast majority of bidders will find your auction by searching for it. The search is the primary interface on eBay, and the first step to getting customers. When a user searches for an item, say xyz, all auctions with xyz in the title will show up. Keep in mind that auctions with yzx or x y z will not be there. Each term the users puts in the search (xyz for example) should therefore be included in our title if we want to get the most bidders. More bidders makes for a higher final sale price, and that is what we are aiming for.

This means that you must, no matter what, include as many potential keywords as possible. In order to perfect these keywords we need to first pretend we are a buyer. Particularly, a buyer who would be interested in your auction. You should decide what search terms you would use to find the item. Start writing down a list of all potential search terms. When you feel that this list is fairly complete, we can move on to picking which terms to include in the title.

eBay limits the length of the title to 55 characters, so we have to choose each word very carefully. Deciding which keywords, or search terms, to include can be a daunting process. Luckily for us, there are probably a lot of other people who have sold the exact same item. Why is this a good thing? Because we can search for completed auctions.

Pick a keyword that describes your item and search for it on eBay: you will be presented with a list of items. Now, on the lower left navigation bar select ""Search Completed Items."" This will bring up a new list of auctions that have already ended. There will most likely be a lot of different items showing up, so you now want to refine your search to the point that only the exact product that you are selling shows up. Once that is finished, go to the top of the results. Click on the button that will sort items by price - with the highest prices at the top. What you've just done is created yourself a list of titles, with the ones that work best on the top. Compare the best titles with your keywords, and information about your item specifically (e.g. condition, color), and combine it all into a single line of keywords.

Undoubtedly, there will be more words then space to type them in. This is a challenge that happens with nearly every product or item that is listed on eBay. The key to winning out over the other auctions, and making more money, is to check your keywords over and over again. Keep looking at the completed auctions, you must learn to pick the 'hot' or 'best' keywords for your item. If you have narrowed your title down to the best search terms and it is all under 55 characters - then you are finished! Post your item for sale and watch as the price magically surpasses all of the other items in the category.

About the author: Mason Hipp is an eBay PowerSeller and a regular contributer to: http://www.selladeal.com/guides , http://www.selladeal.com/products and lastly http://www.selladeal.com/insight

How To Stay In Touch With Your Ebay Customers 24/7. Yep, Even While You're Asleep!

2008-10-13T03:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Ian D. Major

What's the one great thing you can do for your Happy eBay Customers?

Sell them something else of course, give them a great deal and make them even happier.

But how do you keep in touch with your eBay customers on a regular basis for various different products and various different deals.

Use an Autoresponder as part of your eBay business, that's how.

AUTORESPONDERS What they Are and How to use them?

You have to know this. They will become your 24/7 sales teams. What is an Autoresponder? Why do I need one? How do I get one and How do I use it?

WHAT IS AN AUTORESPONDER?

An Autoresponder is a bit like Fax On Demand, whereby you dial a certain code into your Fax Machine and receive back a specific document, except in the case of an Autoresponder you send an email to an Autoresponder Address and receive back a pre written email message.

SEQUENTIAL AUTORESPONDERS

A Sequential Autoresponder, as it's name implies is an Autoresponder that can send out a series of pre-written messages.

When someone sends an email message to a Sequential Autoresponder, they will receive back a series of messages spread over a period of time.

Sequential Autoresponders can be set up to send a pre-written message every day - every week - -every month etc.

In fact, any combination of time intervals that suits.

WHY DO I NEED ONE?

Can you imagine the power that your eBay sales campaigns would have if you could automatically contact your prospective customers on a regular basis virtually for free?

It's awesome.

In a recent study, ""Sales And Marketing Executive International"" found that 81% of sales are closed after the fifth contact.

I have seen it reported on other marketing Websites that ""on-line"" customers may need to see the same sales information between 7 and 12 times before they make a decision to purchase.

You can achieve this via an Autoresponder, something that it is important for you to understand whether you're selling a product or service on or off-line.

So lets suppose that you have a Website promoting a product or service and that you get visitors to your site. Some of those visitors will purchase straight away but most will not.

This is quite normal, as most people need time to make a buying decision. However, once they have left your Website the chances are you will have lost them as a customer.

The most common reason for people not purchasing immediately is that they need more information to enable them to make a buying decision.

This can range from more information about the product or service to more information about the company or individual selling the product or service.

Or it might be the case that you have a list of happy eBay customers and you want to inform them of a new product or special deal.

In both of these cases the prospective customer needs more information in order to feel comfortable with their decision to purchase.

THE ANSWER

The solution to the above is to create a way for your prospective eBay customers to have access to that information, and this can be done via a Sequential Autoresponder.

Do you have a database of eBay customers who have purchased from you?

If you have, there is a very good chance that they will purchase from you again ""if"" you can enable them to remain happy with the purchase they have already made and can keep them informed of new products and special offers.

The bigger your eBay customer database, the harder this is to do.

Once again the answer can be found in using a Sequential Autoresponder.

Of course, once your prospective eBay customer has digested enough information to make a positive buying decision they will join your customer database and you can follow up with re-assurance of their purchase and your other products and special offers.

HOW DO I GET ONE

There are many Autoresponder Services on the market, some are free, some you pay for.

FREE VERSUS PAID

I do not recommend the majority of free autoresponder services for one main reason.

In order to generate an income the providers of free autoresponder services will place advertisements within the email messages that your customers receive.

These advertisements will bear no relationship to the product or service you are offering, losing you sales and annoying your customers into the bargain. Some bargain!

There are other reasons.

For instance, it is rare to find a free autoresponder service that will allow you to ""personalize"" your messages.

The one exception that I know off is FreeAutobot.com

I've used FreeAutobot for a long time and they serve me very well.

They do not place advertisements within your messages. You can use personalization tags, you can open as many accounts as you wish and the service is entirely free.

I recommend that you visit their Website at http://www.FreeAutobot.com and have a good look around.

While your there, why not open an account and take an Autoresponder on a test drive? It's quite straightforward; everything you need to know is explained on their Website.

HOW TO USE AN AUTORESPONDER

When someone sends an email to your Autoresponder address not only does it send your pre-written message to them but it also captures their name and email address.

In this way your Autoresponder will build up a database of prospective customers for you.

What if you already had a database of prospective customers that you wanted to include in your FreeAutobot Autoresponder's series of messages?

You could import the information into your FreeAutobot Autoresponder, but only one lead at a time.

Remember, you get what you pay for!

PAID AUTORESPONDERS

If you need an Autoresponder with that kind of flexibility, you will have to pay for it.

One of the problems with most paid Autoresponder Services is that a limit will be put on how many leads you will be able to import into your Autoresponder.

This may not seem like a problem initially, but it can soon become one.

There is a perfectly good reason for this, SPAM or Unsolicited Commercial Email.

Many Autoresponder Service Providers have had their knuckles severely wrapped and some have even been closed down because of individuals using their Autoresponders to send SPAM, resulting, perhaps unjustly, in the Autoresponder Service Provider being blamed.

That is why any Autoresponder service worth it's salt will have worked very hard to build a reputation of not allowing their service to be used for SPAMMING and require their service users to be in possession of the following specific criteria for any email address that they wish to import.

Email Address First Name Last Name Address City Zip Code Phone Number IP Address Date Time Stamp of IP Logging

Clearly, this does not present a problem to the honest user.

HOW TO USE AN AUTORESPONDER cont...

You may recall that we discussed the possibility of providing your prospective and existing customers with more information to assist them in reaching a buying decision or to make an additional purchase.

And the best way I know of achieving this is via a Sequential Autoresponder.

You make it clear on your eBay Sales Page and your eBay AboutMe Page that more information on your product or service can be obtained by filling out a opt-in form.

Visit:

http://javascript.internet.com/forms/validation.html for an example of a web based opt-in form and how to create it.

The form will have ""boxes"" where your visitors or readers can enter their Name and Email Address, and a Send or Submit button.

Once your prospective customer has entered their details and clicked on Submit, your Autoresponder will be automatically triggered to send them your pre-written information.

This might be a series of emails telling them more about your eBay auctions, your products or services or more information about you and your company or both.

This is a fantastic way of selling the ""benefits"" of you, your company and your products or services.

You might send your existing eBay customers a series of messages asking them if they are happy with the purchases they have made from you and informing them of any Special Offers and additional products.

Remember that these messages can be sent daily, weekly or monthly and to as many people as you wish.

An Autoresponder is your 24/7 Customer Service and Sales Team.

You would be wise to use one, even while you're asleep.

About the author:

If your serious about your eBay Business, visit Pr oAutoResponder

Ian D Major is the creator of www.eBay-Articles.com -Subscribe for free to eBay-Articles and get Articles and Reports about eBay delivered to your inbox weekly, just visit:-

eBay Articles

and fill out the form.

Ebay Gift Certificates: Save By Buying Ebay Gift Certificates

2008-10-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

Author: David Riewe

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

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

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

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

1. The one who sells the item on sale accepts PayPal as one of the ways to pay for their merchandise.

2. The original price of the item on sale must be in Pounds Sterling, Canadian Dollars, Euros or US Dollars.

3. The owner of the GC has ten days after the item on sale has been closed at eBay to pay for the merchandise through PayPal.

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

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

About the author: David Riewe is a Publisher and Online Marketer. Visit his eBay Blog to Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebayblog