By Mark Kenny
Running your Ebay business has never been easier, or more rewarding. However many businesses trading online or on ebay do not succeed straight away. If you decide to start your own eBay business, there are several factors that will help to determine whether or not your venture is a successful one.
These basic factors, are often where errors are made so take care to ensure you don't put yourself at a disadvantage as soon as you start.
- Promotion, Promotion, Promotion! Do as much promotion as you can. Free publicity is always the best, especially for new businesses launches or those on a tight budget. Normally this include press release submission to websites, emailing existing customers, and informing friends and family.
- Always offer excellent customer support & service. Make it a policy to answer any emails within 24 hours.
- Communicate to your buyers, instructions about making payments, delivery and your refund policies. Buyers shouldn't have to go out the way to look for this information.
- Always offer tracking numbers for deliveries. This improves a buyers confidence & also gives them some indication of when they can expect to receive the item. Additionally, it protects you as a seller as you have proof of delivery in case the buyers claims the item never arrived.
- Do be polite to customers & potential customers at all times, whether in person, via telephone or by e-mail. If someone seems to have a legitimate concern or reason to complain, try to handle it with patience & professionalism. Some instances, which may require extreme patience, would include an item that has failed to arrive after shipment, a misunderstanding regarding a return/refund policy and/or a dispute over a damaged product. When you operate a business, there are a number of misunderstandings that can occur between the customer and yourself, but always be respectful and handle every situation professionally.
Written by Mark Kenny. Join http://www.AuctionCUT.com - the online auctions and ebay forum. Come and discuss your eBay or online auction goals, with Mark and other members. AuctionCUT offers adrevenue sharing for members and an exclusive dropshipping report.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Kenny
Tuesday
How to Make Money Selling on eBay - The Simple Truth: It's About Serving Your Customers!
By Bob Hamilton
We’ve all heard it before; customer service is important. In fact, none of those who know how to make money selling on eBay would ever think of challenging the need to provide outstanding customer service. In fact, there are some prospective sellers who would do well to reconsider even starting on eBay as a result of their low regard for the importance of customer service.
There is a fundamental need for great customer service in any business that provides products or services to its customers. Sure, you can choose to ignore customer service. Sure you choose to provide the absolute minimums in terms of customer service. But if you are looking to have a healthy and growing business, the customer is absolutely vital to achieving the highest levels of success.
An eBay business is no different. If you want the secret to how to make money selling on eBay, then start with customer service. Start with the basics. This includes things such as providing immediate responses to all communications from potential buyers. Immediate means the same day, and within hours whenever possible. That communication includes answering questions, as well as providing additional information and photos that are requested. There is nothing more frustrating to prospective buyers than to have an unanswered question about an item and to see that question remain unanswered even as the auction comes to an end.
Start by being willing to do the little things to make buying from you a positive experience for every one of your buyers. That includes keeping buyers informed as the packing and shipping process moves forward. Those who know how to make money selling on eBay know that it also involves carefully packing items for shipment to avoid damage. It involves including a ‘thank you’ note with the items which have been purchased.
It is true that you will be able to maintain some number of your customers irregardless of the quality of the customer service that you provide. However it is also true that you will have a lot less repeat customers. Since repeat customers are the key to continued business growth, this is a major mistake to make. Repeat customers are also the key to increased profitability. In fact, those who know how to make money selling on eBay know that repeat customers are the key to long term online auction success.
For those who know how to make money selling on eBay, repeat customers will make extra purchases from our eBay store. They may make an auction purchase or a ‘Buy It Now’ purchase, and then they quickly proceed to buy items for your eBay stores.
Repeat customers become the loyal customers who come to you first whenever they are seeking products that you sell. Repeat customers ‘Buy It Now’. Repeat customers make extra purchases after winning an auction. They know that they save on shipping by combining products at that time. One of the keys regarding how to make money selling on eBay is customer service. Remember that happy customers spend money!
To Your eBay Success!
(c) 2007 Bob Hamiltonhttp://www.onlineauctionsmadesimple.nethttp://www.openingadollarstore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hamilton
We’ve all heard it before; customer service is important. In fact, none of those who know how to make money selling on eBay would ever think of challenging the need to provide outstanding customer service. In fact, there are some prospective sellers who would do well to reconsider even starting on eBay as a result of their low regard for the importance of customer service.
There is a fundamental need for great customer service in any business that provides products or services to its customers. Sure, you can choose to ignore customer service. Sure you choose to provide the absolute minimums in terms of customer service. But if you are looking to have a healthy and growing business, the customer is absolutely vital to achieving the highest levels of success.
An eBay business is no different. If you want the secret to how to make money selling on eBay, then start with customer service. Start with the basics. This includes things such as providing immediate responses to all communications from potential buyers. Immediate means the same day, and within hours whenever possible. That communication includes answering questions, as well as providing additional information and photos that are requested. There is nothing more frustrating to prospective buyers than to have an unanswered question about an item and to see that question remain unanswered even as the auction comes to an end.
Start by being willing to do the little things to make buying from you a positive experience for every one of your buyers. That includes keeping buyers informed as the packing and shipping process moves forward. Those who know how to make money selling on eBay know that it also involves carefully packing items for shipment to avoid damage. It involves including a ‘thank you’ note with the items which have been purchased.
It is true that you will be able to maintain some number of your customers irregardless of the quality of the customer service that you provide. However it is also true that you will have a lot less repeat customers. Since repeat customers are the key to continued business growth, this is a major mistake to make. Repeat customers are also the key to increased profitability. In fact, those who know how to make money selling on eBay know that repeat customers are the key to long term online auction success.
For those who know how to make money selling on eBay, repeat customers will make extra purchases from our eBay store. They may make an auction purchase or a ‘Buy It Now’ purchase, and then they quickly proceed to buy items for your eBay stores.
Repeat customers become the loyal customers who come to you first whenever they are seeking products that you sell. Repeat customers ‘Buy It Now’. Repeat customers make extra purchases after winning an auction. They know that they save on shipping by combining products at that time. One of the keys regarding how to make money selling on eBay is customer service. Remember that happy customers spend money!
To Your eBay Success!
(c) 2007 Bob Hamiltonhttp://www.onlineauctionsmadesimple.nethttp://www.openingadollarstore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hamilton
Monday
Most Watched Items on eBay Pulse: Are They Really the Most Popular Products?
By Ruth Hendrickson
The eBay Pulse web page shows the top 10 “Most Watched Items.” It also shows the top 10 “Most Popular Searches.” Of the top 10 searches at this writing, four are keywords in the computer video gaming category, and five are in the digital audio category. Among the top 10 “Most Watched Items,” all 10 at this writing are ebooks about the subject of making money online.
It is interesting to note that all 10 items on the “Most Watched Items” list are listed with gallery pictures, and all 10 items are listed with a subtitle. Not one of the “top 10” includes a picture of the ebook; instead, 5 out of 10 include a gallery picture of two young people, and 4 out of 10 include a gallery picture of money. All 10 are listed as Buy It Now auctions. At this writing three listings have less than 10 purchases, which is much less than you would expect of a product that is listed as one of the top 10 products watched out of millions of products listed on eBay. One item has a mere three purchases. Considering these observations, one must come to the conclusion that the top 10 items listed on “Most Watched Items” are not necessarily the most popular products on eBay.
The theory behind getting one’s product listed on the “Most Watched Items" list is that if a Seller can get his item listed there, he will then have millions of Buyers see his listing -- Buyers who otherwise would not see his auction if it was not on the “Most Watched List.” Therefore, these Sellers get lots of free advertising.
The eBay Pulse feature is a great way for Sellers to determine what is selling best on eBay, and with some skill Sellers can pick out lucrative niches in which to sell products.
There are questions, however, surrounding the “Most Watched Items" list and exactly how it helps Buyers and Sellers, other than to allow some Sellers to have the benefit of getting their products listed there and obtain a massive amount of free advertising.
The “Most Watched Items" list can be viewed by clicking here. Scroll towards the bottom of the page to view the list.
Ruth Hendrickson is the publisher of "What's Selling on Ebay" which can be found on her website http://www.redmeow.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ruth_Hendrickson
The eBay Pulse web page shows the top 10 “Most Watched Items.” It also shows the top 10 “Most Popular Searches.” Of the top 10 searches at this writing, four are keywords in the computer video gaming category, and five are in the digital audio category. Among the top 10 “Most Watched Items,” all 10 at this writing are ebooks about the subject of making money online.
It is interesting to note that all 10 items on the “Most Watched Items” list are listed with gallery pictures, and all 10 items are listed with a subtitle. Not one of the “top 10” includes a picture of the ebook; instead, 5 out of 10 include a gallery picture of two young people, and 4 out of 10 include a gallery picture of money. All 10 are listed as Buy It Now auctions. At this writing three listings have less than 10 purchases, which is much less than you would expect of a product that is listed as one of the top 10 products watched out of millions of products listed on eBay. One item has a mere three purchases. Considering these observations, one must come to the conclusion that the top 10 items listed on “Most Watched Items” are not necessarily the most popular products on eBay.
The theory behind getting one’s product listed on the “Most Watched Items" list is that if a Seller can get his item listed there, he will then have millions of Buyers see his listing -- Buyers who otherwise would not see his auction if it was not on the “Most Watched List.” Therefore, these Sellers get lots of free advertising.
The eBay Pulse feature is a great way for Sellers to determine what is selling best on eBay, and with some skill Sellers can pick out lucrative niches in which to sell products.
There are questions, however, surrounding the “Most Watched Items" list and exactly how it helps Buyers and Sellers, other than to allow some Sellers to have the benefit of getting their products listed there and obtain a massive amount of free advertising.
The “Most Watched Items" list can be viewed by clicking here. Scroll towards the bottom of the page to view the list.
Ruth Hendrickson is the publisher of "What's Selling on Ebay" which can be found on her website http://www.redmeow.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ruth_Hendrickson
Wednesday
How To Have More Successful eBay Auctions
By Linda Tanner
Many first time eBay sellers have one thing in common-they are less successful than they had hoped they would be. Many sellers just can't seem to figure out why others seem to get better bids for what appears to be similar items. They do hours of research looking for the perfect item to sell, get the auction set up, and wait for the bidding to begin. Hours go by and no bids are placed. Days go by, and there are still no bids-or there are very low bids. Finally the auction ends, and it turns out to be a total failure. Considering the huge number of sellers who run eBay auctions, there are specific things you must do, and specific things you must not do if you are to be successful.
There are many reasons why auctions fail. The most common reason is that the item is not in high demand. This problem can be avoided by doing the necessary research to determine which items sell well, and which items should be avoided. This research takes a great deal of time-but in the end, you will find that it is time well spent.
Another reason for the lack of success on eBay is pricing. You need to do some research to find out what similar items have been selling for. This can be done by going to the eBay completed items section. You just type in a search for the item you are thinking about selling, go to the completed items section and find out what that same type of item has sold for recently.
You can certainly put a reserve price on your auction, but make sure your opening bid price is low. This 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. If you have done the proper research, you will have a pretty good idea what other items similar to yours have sold for. Start the bidding out low to create some interest.
When writing the title to your item, use as many keywords as you can that relate to the item. Think about what words you would type into the search area if you were looking for the same item to buy and use those words. Most buyers use the search line to find what they are looking for so put some thought into the words they might use to find your item. If no one can find your listing, they can't possibly bid on it.
Poorly written descriptions are another cause of failed auctions. Poor grammar and misspelled words drive people away. Your description is essentially your sales copy so it must be well written. If you need to, type your description into your word program and use the spelling and grammar check. When you have corrected the errors, just copy and paste it into your listing form. It will more than pay for the little bit of extra time you will spend. If there are a lot of errors in the listing, people will wonder if you will be able to fill out their address correctly and just move on to the next listing. Failing to post a picture of the item will also keep people from visiting your auction page.
Shipping prices scare people away from auctions if they are too high. Find the lowest shipping prices that you can find, and consider paying for the shipping yourself if it won't cut into your profits too much. Do not charge handling fees.
Offer great customer service for all of your auctions, and ask your buyers to give you feedback. If the items that you sell are everything that you said they would be, and you offer great customer service, you can expect wonderful feedback-and this feedback will help a great deal in your future auctions.
Linda Tanner has bought and sold items on eBay for many years and enjoys sharing what she has learned with others. If you would like to find out more information on buying and selling on eBay and other online auctions check out our website at http://auctioninfo.smmsite.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Tanner
Many first time eBay sellers have one thing in common-they are less successful than they had hoped they would be. Many sellers just can't seem to figure out why others seem to get better bids for what appears to be similar items. They do hours of research looking for the perfect item to sell, get the auction set up, and wait for the bidding to begin. Hours go by and no bids are placed. Days go by, and there are still no bids-or there are very low bids. Finally the auction ends, and it turns out to be a total failure. Considering the huge number of sellers who run eBay auctions, there are specific things you must do, and specific things you must not do if you are to be successful.
There are many reasons why auctions fail. The most common reason is that the item is not in high demand. This problem can be avoided by doing the necessary research to determine which items sell well, and which items should be avoided. This research takes a great deal of time-but in the end, you will find that it is time well spent.
Another reason for the lack of success on eBay is pricing. You need to do some research to find out what similar items have been selling for. This can be done by going to the eBay completed items section. You just type in a search for the item you are thinking about selling, go to the completed items section and find out what that same type of item has sold for recently.
You can certainly put a reserve price on your auction, but make sure your opening bid price is low. This 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. If you have done the proper research, you will have a pretty good idea what other items similar to yours have sold for. Start the bidding out low to create some interest.
When writing the title to your item, use as many keywords as you can that relate to the item. Think about what words you would type into the search area if you were looking for the same item to buy and use those words. Most buyers use the search line to find what they are looking for so put some thought into the words they might use to find your item. If no one can find your listing, they can't possibly bid on it.
Poorly written descriptions are another cause of failed auctions. Poor grammar and misspelled words drive people away. Your description is essentially your sales copy so it must be well written. If you need to, type your description into your word program and use the spelling and grammar check. When you have corrected the errors, just copy and paste it into your listing form. It will more than pay for the little bit of extra time you will spend. If there are a lot of errors in the listing, people will wonder if you will be able to fill out their address correctly and just move on to the next listing. Failing to post a picture of the item will also keep people from visiting your auction page.
Shipping prices scare people away from auctions if they are too high. Find the lowest shipping prices that you can find, and consider paying for the shipping yourself if it won't cut into your profits too much. Do not charge handling fees.
Offer great customer service for all of your auctions, and ask your buyers to give you feedback. If the items that you sell are everything that you said they would be, and you offer great customer service, you can expect wonderful feedback-and this feedback will help a great deal in your future auctions.
Linda Tanner has bought and sold items on eBay for many years and enjoys sharing what she has learned with others. If you would like to find out more information on buying and selling on eBay and other online auctions check out our website at http://auctioninfo.smmsite.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Tanner
Monday
How to Make Money on eBay Selling Other People's Stuff
By Joshua Spaulding
Everyone and their brother have things lying around that they no longer have a use for. Many of these things have great value to others. Even though many people know that eBay is there, they do not know how it works or they just do not feel like messing with it, this is where you come in.
We all love to have a little extra money and when we are told that we do not have to do anything for it, it’s even better. That is why this technique is so profitable. The great thing about it is that there is nothing scandalous about it. You can even offer this service to friends and family. This type of marketing is often called ‘soft marketing’.
So what am I talking about? As long as you know how to put up goods for auction on eBay, you can sell other peoples stuff for them. You will of course charge a certain percentage per sale. It is actually extremely easy to pull off. You do not have to pay for advertising or do any other kind of stressful marketing. All you have to do is ask people.
It will eventually turn into ‘viral marketing’. This type of marketing is when one person tells their friends, their friends tell their friends and so on. “Hey, John sold my boat for me on eBay and I got $2,000.00 out of it!” When people hear statements like that, they want to give it a try as well.
As you have probably noticed, this is no mind-blowing secret that I have uncovered. It is actually something that thousands of people do everyday. The great part about making money on eBay by selling others people stuff is that it does not matter how many people do it, it will always be profitable.
There is no reason not to do this. The cost is very limited when compared to the profit potential. A few roles of packing tape and some boxes and you are in business. Just get the word out that you can sell other peoples stuff on eBay and you will be amazed as to how many people are interested.
Joshua Spaulding is an Author and Webmaster providing Proven ways to Make Money at Home through his site at EZ-OnlineMoney.com and his Make Money Blog. Joshua would like to invite you to join in on the Free Online Training by visiting his site or blog today.
Joshua Spaulding is an Author and Webmaster providing Proven ways to Make Money at Home through his site at EZ-OnlineMoney.com and his Make Money Blog. Joshua would like to invite you to join in on the Free Online Training by visiting his site or blog today.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Spaulding
Everyone and their brother have things lying around that they no longer have a use for. Many of these things have great value to others. Even though many people know that eBay is there, they do not know how it works or they just do not feel like messing with it, this is where you come in.
We all love to have a little extra money and when we are told that we do not have to do anything for it, it’s even better. That is why this technique is so profitable. The great thing about it is that there is nothing scandalous about it. You can even offer this service to friends and family. This type of marketing is often called ‘soft marketing’.
So what am I talking about? As long as you know how to put up goods for auction on eBay, you can sell other peoples stuff for them. You will of course charge a certain percentage per sale. It is actually extremely easy to pull off. You do not have to pay for advertising or do any other kind of stressful marketing. All you have to do is ask people.
It will eventually turn into ‘viral marketing’. This type of marketing is when one person tells their friends, their friends tell their friends and so on. “Hey, John sold my boat for me on eBay and I got $2,000.00 out of it!” When people hear statements like that, they want to give it a try as well.
As you have probably noticed, this is no mind-blowing secret that I have uncovered. It is actually something that thousands of people do everyday. The great part about making money on eBay by selling others people stuff is that it does not matter how many people do it, it will always be profitable.
There is no reason not to do this. The cost is very limited when compared to the profit potential. A few roles of packing tape and some boxes and you are in business. Just get the word out that you can sell other peoples stuff on eBay and you will be amazed as to how many people are interested.
Joshua Spaulding is an Author and Webmaster providing Proven ways to Make Money at Home through his site at EZ-OnlineMoney.com and his Make Money Blog. Joshua would like to invite you to join in on the Free Online Training by visiting his site or blog today.
Joshua Spaulding is an Author and Webmaster providing Proven ways to Make Money at Home through his site at EZ-OnlineMoney.com and his Make Money Blog. Joshua would like to invite you to join in on the Free Online Training by visiting his site or blog today.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Spaulding
Online Antique Auctions
By Eric Morris
According to strict definitions, antiques are objects that have collectible value and that are more than 100 years old. There are a number of auction sites that sell antiques online. Some sites specialize in items from a particular historical period, while others offer a wider range of antiques. While some online auction houses have stellar reputations, a specialist may better serve a new buyer with specific interests. A major advantage of online auctions is that prices for a particular antique tend to be lower than they might be in an antique store or show. However, not being able to see and assess an antique for signs of authenticity can be a drawback.
How can one determine authenticity? It is important to research online auction sites and to find one that enjoys a good reputation. Experienced buyers share certain tips, such as asking for close-up photographs of the base of an object. Even if carefully maintained, most antique objects show some wear and tear at the base. However, in the case of ceramics and glassware, chips can reduce the value of the antique.
To assess if a fair price is being asked, compare the price to that quoted by online auction guides for similar antiques that have recently been auctioned. These guides are usually helpful tools to estimate the value of an antique for both buyers and sellers. Sites should also offer a full refund if you end up with a reproduction instead of the real thing. Some sites only offer refunds for a limited period, but this should give you enough time to have the item appraised. As an alternative, paying a little extra to have an antique appraised before purchasing it online is well worth the cost and the knowledge that what you are buying is genuine.
Online Auctions provides detailed information on Online Auctions, Online Antique Auctions, Online Auto Auctions, Online Auction Sites and more. Online Auctions is affiliated with Auction Services.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Morris
According to strict definitions, antiques are objects that have collectible value and that are more than 100 years old. There are a number of auction sites that sell antiques online. Some sites specialize in items from a particular historical period, while others offer a wider range of antiques. While some online auction houses have stellar reputations, a specialist may better serve a new buyer with specific interests. A major advantage of online auctions is that prices for a particular antique tend to be lower than they might be in an antique store or show. However, not being able to see and assess an antique for signs of authenticity can be a drawback.
How can one determine authenticity? It is important to research online auction sites and to find one that enjoys a good reputation. Experienced buyers share certain tips, such as asking for close-up photographs of the base of an object. Even if carefully maintained, most antique objects show some wear and tear at the base. However, in the case of ceramics and glassware, chips can reduce the value of the antique.
To assess if a fair price is being asked, compare the price to that quoted by online auction guides for similar antiques that have recently been auctioned. These guides are usually helpful tools to estimate the value of an antique for both buyers and sellers. Sites should also offer a full refund if you end up with a reproduction instead of the real thing. Some sites only offer refunds for a limited period, but this should give you enough time to have the item appraised. As an alternative, paying a little extra to have an antique appraised before purchasing it online is well worth the cost and the knowledge that what you are buying is genuine.
Online Auctions provides detailed information on Online Auctions, Online Antique Auctions, Online Auto Auctions, Online Auction Sites and more. Online Auctions is affiliated with Auction Services.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Morris
Finding Your Niche on eBay
By Steve Betsworth
Whilst sitting in Costa Coffee this week, sipping my large cappuccino, I was wondering what money making scheme to write about this week.
As a regular ebay user along with millions of other people around the globe, it made sense to write a few personal tips on using the world's largest marketplace. Of course, as I have already mentioned, millions of people are making money using ebay, from selling old junk from around the house to setting up proper businesses selling furniture, antiques etc.
But to really make money on ebay, you have to specialise in one field and find your niche market, where there is not much competition and the demand for your products is high.
The best way to look for niche markets is to look for specific categories, such as antiques and then look at the sub-categories, such as chippendale cabinets, to find out what sells and for how much. All collectable items, such as china and war memorabilia are very popular items and by looking at these sub-categories more closely you can get a feel for what sells.
One trick is to go to the advanced search link under the main search box on the home page of ebay and then scroll down to the category box. Select a category you are interested in and then input a name in the keyword search box on the right, such as rare books or vintage postcards. You then tick the completed listings only box and then tick the sort by highest first box to see what items went for the highest price. Then you can see what items achieved the highest number of bids and which ones obtained the highest prices.
One niche market that I found on ebay was information products. These products come in the form of ebooks and software. People search for information all the time, so if you can find a product, say on how to stop smoking, or how to create more wealth you can provide that information for them and make some money at the same time. The real beauty with selling information products is that they can be bought really cheaply on the internet, sometimes for free, and then sold on for much more, time after time.
For more information on purchasing information products on-line, please visit a website called Clickbank, whereby many products can be bought online.
Information Products can be delivered electronically, so there is no need for any laborious packaging and posting and once set-up, your business can be run fully automated with the help of some special software.
So you see once you have found your niche market area, you can really start to use ebay to your advantage and stay ahead of the competition and start to really make good money.
Thanks for looking and please come back soon for more money making tips and techniques.
My name is Steve Betsworth and I run an online business selling digital information products in the form of ebooks and software on a range of topics ranging from cooking recipes to website design. For more information please come and visit my online stores: http://www.digitalebookstore.co.uk
My ebay Store
My Blog
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Betsworth
Whilst sitting in Costa Coffee this week, sipping my large cappuccino, I was wondering what money making scheme to write about this week.
As a regular ebay user along with millions of other people around the globe, it made sense to write a few personal tips on using the world's largest marketplace. Of course, as I have already mentioned, millions of people are making money using ebay, from selling old junk from around the house to setting up proper businesses selling furniture, antiques etc.
But to really make money on ebay, you have to specialise in one field and find your niche market, where there is not much competition and the demand for your products is high.
The best way to look for niche markets is to look for specific categories, such as antiques and then look at the sub-categories, such as chippendale cabinets, to find out what sells and for how much. All collectable items, such as china and war memorabilia are very popular items and by looking at these sub-categories more closely you can get a feel for what sells.
One trick is to go to the advanced search link under the main search box on the home page of ebay and then scroll down to the category box. Select a category you are interested in and then input a name in the keyword search box on the right, such as rare books or vintage postcards. You then tick the completed listings only box and then tick the sort by highest first box to see what items went for the highest price. Then you can see what items achieved the highest number of bids and which ones obtained the highest prices.
One niche market that I found on ebay was information products. These products come in the form of ebooks and software. People search for information all the time, so if you can find a product, say on how to stop smoking, or how to create more wealth you can provide that information for them and make some money at the same time. The real beauty with selling information products is that they can be bought really cheaply on the internet, sometimes for free, and then sold on for much more, time after time.
For more information on purchasing information products on-line, please visit a website called Clickbank, whereby many products can be bought online.
Information Products can be delivered electronically, so there is no need for any laborious packaging and posting and once set-up, your business can be run fully automated with the help of some special software.
So you see once you have found your niche market area, you can really start to use ebay to your advantage and stay ahead of the competition and start to really make good money.
Thanks for looking and please come back soon for more money making tips and techniques.
My name is Steve Betsworth and I run an online business selling digital information products in the form of ebooks and software on a range of topics ranging from cooking recipes to website design. For more information please come and visit my online stores: http://www.digitalebookstore.co.uk
My ebay Store
My Blog
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Betsworth
Tuesday
Using eBay to Sell Old Inventory
By Eartha Haines
If you own a brick and mortar store, you've probably come across the problem of a few products that just won't sell. This same problem happened to a good friend of mine who owns a retail store in our area. Some products that were ordered just weren't leaving the shelves. There just wasn't a market for the items anymore because customers just weren't interested. I suggested setting up an eBay account and try selling these unpopular items as auctions or using eBay's "buy it now" feature. I helped set up the eBay account and sure enough, these unpopular items began selling lot hotcakes! In fact, her entire inventory of products that she couldn't get rid of, sold out on eBay!
Eventually, she even gained a "Powerseller" status. She still continues to sell items on eBay that she can't sell in her store. It just goes to show that eBay offers a much bigger audience — a worldwide audience that may be in search of exactly what you cannot get rid of in your store.
This concept is also great for people who want to sell on eBay part-time. Go around to local stores in your area and see if you can purchase their old stock for a good price and resell them for profit on eBay. These store owners would probably be more than happy to sell their old stock. Trying it out part-time is a good way to get your feet wet and gain more experience as an eBay seller. Selling old inventory is also a good way to figure out what is hot and what is not. If you get lucky and sell a product that takes off, you can find a wholesaler and purchase more of the same products at wholesale prices.
Many eBay powersellers achieved their status in much the same way. They began part-time selling items from old inventory, garage sales, etc. Eventually they discovered a niche that took off for them. If you have old inventory or access to some, take advantage of eBay's customer base. You never know how successful you can become.
Are you interested in selling wholesale drop ship items? Learn more about the best drop shipping resource by visiting Wholesale Drop Ship Company.
Eartha Haines is the author for http://www.selfemployedblog.com and http://www.homebasedbusinessbliss.com. Both are web sites which share ideas, services, products, and opportunities that may help others move closer to their dream of working for themselves.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eartha_Haines
If you own a brick and mortar store, you've probably come across the problem of a few products that just won't sell. This same problem happened to a good friend of mine who owns a retail store in our area. Some products that were ordered just weren't leaving the shelves. There just wasn't a market for the items anymore because customers just weren't interested. I suggested setting up an eBay account and try selling these unpopular items as auctions or using eBay's "buy it now" feature. I helped set up the eBay account and sure enough, these unpopular items began selling lot hotcakes! In fact, her entire inventory of products that she couldn't get rid of, sold out on eBay!
Eventually, she even gained a "Powerseller" status. She still continues to sell items on eBay that she can't sell in her store. It just goes to show that eBay offers a much bigger audience — a worldwide audience that may be in search of exactly what you cannot get rid of in your store.
This concept is also great for people who want to sell on eBay part-time. Go around to local stores in your area and see if you can purchase their old stock for a good price and resell them for profit on eBay. These store owners would probably be more than happy to sell their old stock. Trying it out part-time is a good way to get your feet wet and gain more experience as an eBay seller. Selling old inventory is also a good way to figure out what is hot and what is not. If you get lucky and sell a product that takes off, you can find a wholesaler and purchase more of the same products at wholesale prices.
Many eBay powersellers achieved their status in much the same way. They began part-time selling items from old inventory, garage sales, etc. Eventually they discovered a niche that took off for them. If you have old inventory or access to some, take advantage of eBay's customer base. You never know how successful you can become.
Are you interested in selling wholesale drop ship items? Learn more about the best drop shipping resource by visiting Wholesale Drop Ship Company.
Eartha Haines is the author for http://www.selfemployedblog.com and http://www.homebasedbusinessbliss.com. Both are web sites which share ideas, services, products, and opportunities that may help others move closer to their dream of working for themselves.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eartha_Haines
Dealing With eBay Store Price Rises Part 2
By Ian Mcintosh
When eBay raise the prices of listing on their auction and eBay Stores sites, it seems to have repercussions right around the internet that are second only to income taxes being raised.
It often seems to be the case that when eBay sneezes, we all get a cold. The latest round of price rises were met with a universal groan from almost all eBay Store owners, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are ways to compensate for the rises.
Competition
Rising fees will eliminate some of your competition if you run a store on eBay. Some of these businesses are extremely marginal and any rise at all can be enough to render them unprofitable. Only the strong will survive!
Source Cheaper Items
If you are paying more to list your items, one of the best ways to compensate for this is buy finding places to buy your inventory cheaper. It sometimes takes something like a rise in the fees to shake you out of your comfort zone and make you look for a better deal. You might even find that you can renegotiate with existing suppliers if you’ve been a customer for any length of time.
Buyers Co-operative
Another good option is to get together with your competition and form a buyers co-operative. This only works in some circumstances but if you think outside of eBay towards people selling similar items to you offline, there might be opportunities in your local area to do this.
Get rid of under performing inventory
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this article, getting rid of your inventory that isn’t moving and replacing it with items that sell is one great way to improve your eBay Store’s performance. Paying listing fees and not getting a sale is very bad for business.
Make your listings more compelling
One way to make more money is to convert more of your visitors into sales. Are your eBay Store listings as good as they could be? Do they list all the benefits of the item for your customer? Get thinking and test different listing pages to see if you can improve on what you already have.
Generate more traffic to your store
If you get more people to come to your store, the chances are you will make more sales. More traffic = more profits! Think about everywhere you could use to publicize your eBay Store – both online and offline.
If you are successful with even some of these, you will not only cancel out the effect of the rise in fees – you will actually be better off than you were before the fees were raised.
Discover what the world’s Number One eBay guru Jim Cockrum has called “the most creative use of eBay stores that I've EVER read” at http://www.AuctionStoreProfits.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Mcintosh
When eBay raise the prices of listing on their auction and eBay Stores sites, it seems to have repercussions right around the internet that are second only to income taxes being raised.
It often seems to be the case that when eBay sneezes, we all get a cold. The latest round of price rises were met with a universal groan from almost all eBay Store owners, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are ways to compensate for the rises.
Competition
Rising fees will eliminate some of your competition if you run a store on eBay. Some of these businesses are extremely marginal and any rise at all can be enough to render them unprofitable. Only the strong will survive!
Source Cheaper Items
If you are paying more to list your items, one of the best ways to compensate for this is buy finding places to buy your inventory cheaper. It sometimes takes something like a rise in the fees to shake you out of your comfort zone and make you look for a better deal. You might even find that you can renegotiate with existing suppliers if you’ve been a customer for any length of time.
Buyers Co-operative
Another good option is to get together with your competition and form a buyers co-operative. This only works in some circumstances but if you think outside of eBay towards people selling similar items to you offline, there might be opportunities in your local area to do this.
Get rid of under performing inventory
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this article, getting rid of your inventory that isn’t moving and replacing it with items that sell is one great way to improve your eBay Store’s performance. Paying listing fees and not getting a sale is very bad for business.
Make your listings more compelling
One way to make more money is to convert more of your visitors into sales. Are your eBay Store listings as good as they could be? Do they list all the benefits of the item for your customer? Get thinking and test different listing pages to see if you can improve on what you already have.
Generate more traffic to your store
If you get more people to come to your store, the chances are you will make more sales. More traffic = more profits! Think about everywhere you could use to publicize your eBay Store – both online and offline.
If you are successful with even some of these, you will not only cancel out the effect of the rise in fees – you will actually be better off than you were before the fees were raised.
Discover what the world’s Number One eBay guru Jim Cockrum has called “the most creative use of eBay stores that I've EVER read” at http://www.AuctionStoreProfits.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Mcintosh
Dealing With eBay Store Price Rises
By Ian Mcintosh
Price rises are as inevitable as taxes, everything goes up in price eventually. It’s just the way it is. Ebay recently increased the prices for their eBay Stores – in both listing fees and final value fees - to a considerable amount of uproar from store owners.
While it is perfectly understandable that people don’t want to see their livelihood being threatened or their standard of living disrupted in any way, the only real decision is whether to deal with the rises or give up on the eBay Store. For anyone who is making a profit with their store, the second one is not an option.
Hardest hit were sellers of low value items who depend on a large number of listings for their profits. Their eBay Stores are operated on the basis of a “numbers game” philosophy, post a large number of listings and make a small profit on them. Result: – small profit x large numbers of listings = big profit.
But the relatively high cost of listing compared to the final value fees makes it more difficult to keep making a profit at this end of the scale. Perhaps it is a deliberate move by eBay to try and force store owners away from 50 cent and dollar listings and more into higher value items, maybe they feel that such low value items belong only in regular auction listings.
Ebay Store owners who deal in bigger ticket items such as expensive collectibles, art or jewelry will feel much less financial pain on two fronts; firstly they are making much more money per item on average, but more importantly the percentage eBay takes in its final value fees at the top end of the scale is low compared to cheaper items.
So what should you do if you are feeling the pinch from the rise in your eBay Store fees? In a way it could be a blessing in disguise for Storekeepers who deal in large quantities of listings as they will need to take serious stock of the situation and give their business a good old fashioned spring-clean.
See this as an opportunity to get rid of under performing inventory and replace it with new items that sell quickly. Many store owners get lazy due to the extremely low cost of listing an item and don’t really bother tracking and testing to see what is working and what should be up for review. Go through all your store items and find out what is working and what isn’t.
The bottom line is that eBay Stores are still a very cheap way to get an item for sale on it’s own web page on one of the busiest, most trafficked sites in the world. Prune away the deadwood and let your business bloom.
For some top secret techniques on how to make the most from your eBay Store, as well as a FREE book on the easiest way you’ll ever find to make money from Powersellers, visit http://www.AuctionStoreProfits.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Mcintosh
Price rises are as inevitable as taxes, everything goes up in price eventually. It’s just the way it is. Ebay recently increased the prices for their eBay Stores – in both listing fees and final value fees - to a considerable amount of uproar from store owners.
While it is perfectly understandable that people don’t want to see their livelihood being threatened or their standard of living disrupted in any way, the only real decision is whether to deal with the rises or give up on the eBay Store. For anyone who is making a profit with their store, the second one is not an option.
Hardest hit were sellers of low value items who depend on a large number of listings for their profits. Their eBay Stores are operated on the basis of a “numbers game” philosophy, post a large number of listings and make a small profit on them. Result: – small profit x large numbers of listings = big profit.
But the relatively high cost of listing compared to the final value fees makes it more difficult to keep making a profit at this end of the scale. Perhaps it is a deliberate move by eBay to try and force store owners away from 50 cent and dollar listings and more into higher value items, maybe they feel that such low value items belong only in regular auction listings.
Ebay Store owners who deal in bigger ticket items such as expensive collectibles, art or jewelry will feel much less financial pain on two fronts; firstly they are making much more money per item on average, but more importantly the percentage eBay takes in its final value fees at the top end of the scale is low compared to cheaper items.
So what should you do if you are feeling the pinch from the rise in your eBay Store fees? In a way it could be a blessing in disguise for Storekeepers who deal in large quantities of listings as they will need to take serious stock of the situation and give their business a good old fashioned spring-clean.
See this as an opportunity to get rid of under performing inventory and replace it with new items that sell quickly. Many store owners get lazy due to the extremely low cost of listing an item and don’t really bother tracking and testing to see what is working and what should be up for review. Go through all your store items and find out what is working and what isn’t.
The bottom line is that eBay Stores are still a very cheap way to get an item for sale on it’s own web page on one of the busiest, most trafficked sites in the world. Prune away the deadwood and let your business bloom.
For some top secret techniques on how to make the most from your eBay Store, as well as a FREE book on the easiest way you’ll ever find to make money from Powersellers, visit http://www.AuctionStoreProfits.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Mcintosh
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