Lovin Ebay - How to Articles

Sell vintage and thrift store items on eBay® for High profits.

2011-06-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

New Fun eBook! This book shows the top thrift store vintage items to sell on eBay® for outrageous profits. Actual auctions shown, amazing tips and tricks. Zero investment information and handy shopping guide included. Click Here!

Fishing For Niches - Creating Your Own eBay® Hot Item List

2011-06-09T22:43:00.000-04:00

What if you could quickly identify 10 Hot selling products in 10 different eBay® categories in Less Than 30 minutes? What if I told you that all these products were easy to source locally, had plenty of buyer interest and sold for top dollar on eBay®? Click Here for info NOW!

Beginners Make Money on eBay - Two Keys to Your Success

2007-05-21T09:44:00.000-04:00

By Max Suther

If you are new to selling on eBay don’t worry. There are plenty of tutorials and eBooks on how to sell on eBay. I have been selling on eBay since 1997 and there are two keys to my success.

Key One - You must find a reliable supplier of product or become your own supplier. If you are like me you don’t have time to make your own products to sell. I started selling baseball cards on eBay and then moved to information products and children’s bedding. I realized early on that I didn’t have enough baseball cards and junk around the house to keep selling. I then began to look long and hard for a reliable source of products. I did endless searches on the internet looking for wholesalers and drop shippers. Unfortunately the internet is full of people and companies that call themselves wholesalers. It took several months before I found true wholesalers who could give me the lowest priced products and a reliable supply. The first key to your success is to find a reliable wholesaler of products.

Key Two – Focus on selling products not inventory and shipping. Most people who are new to eBay don’t understand how much time you spend in listing the items, answering customer questions, inventory issues and shipping the product. It didn’t take long for me to understand that I can’t focus on selling products if I have to inventory product and ship it. It is better to find companies that will take care of the shipping and inventory for you. These companies are called drop shippers. These companies will allow you to sell their items for the price you desire and then they will ship the product to your customer. This method keeps you from having to buy the product first. Having a good drop shipper allows you to test which products sell well and which don’t. All you have to do is create the listing and pay the eBay listing fees. If the product sells then you place an order with the drop shipper. If it doesn’t sell then all you lost is the listing fee. You must have a good drop shipper if you want to sell on eBay.

For a free beginners eBay course, try visiting http://www.website-for-free.com/make_money_ebay_beginner.htm, a popular website that offers eBay selling tips, advice and resources to include information on how to make money online on eBay and the best free list of eBay wholesale sources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Max_Suther

The Necessity of Starting Your Own eBay Store

2007-05-15T09:40:00.000-04:00

By Joshua Watson

According to eBay, "over 75% of eBay store owners say that opening an eBay store has significantly increased their sales" (eBay, 2007). Quite simply, if you buy and sell on eBay, either as a hobby or full time job, you are falling behind if you do not have your own eBay store.

Of course eBay charges a nominal fee of $15.95 a month however, the tools as resources you get access to can more than justify the cost. In fact, many of the tools can be used to help your non-eBay store related sales!

Build Your Store: The entire process is done through an easy to use interface that allows you to customize your store with very little effort. You can categorize your products and manage your inventory, all with the click of a button. In addition your store design will assist in your branding efforts. eBay offers great customer assistance, should you run into any difficulties.

Control Sales: Another benefit to starting your own eBay store is having access to the eBay sales management tools. You can easily adjust prices on the fly and offer limited time only sales. It's all about marketing your products and if you have an easy way to get new information to your customers, you will be one step ahead of the competition.

A Complete Package: In addition to the features listed above, an eBay store comes with a host of in-house marketing tools. Each tool is designed to help you drive traffic and increase your sales. Add that to the built in tracking system and you are looking at a set of resources that you would be crazy not to make use of.

There are a host of testimonials available on eBay to "entice" you into opening your own eBay store. Unlike most added features on other products, starting your own eBay store is actually a good idea and in the end you are only out 15 dollars. Opening your eBay store cannot hurt or decrease your sales in any way.

If you have not tried to have your own eBay store, it's never too late to begin. The process is simple and user friendly. If you are serious about starting an eBay store, click on "Sellers", then "Open a Store" once you are on your eBay home page. There are 8 basic steps in setting up your store:

Choose a color theme.Click continue.Enter your store's nameGive a description of your store.Choose a few graphics to help the appearance of your store.Click Continue.Sign up for the basic store ($15.95 a month).Click the supplied link to further customize your store.

Joshua Watson is the webmaster and author of Starting an eBay Store and Making Money Online with eBay. He had also authored a great How To Guide Website and is looking for article submissions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Watson

Drop Shipping on eBay

2007-05-02T09:29:00.000-04:00

By Corry Cummings

Drop shipping on eBay is one of the most common ways to sell on eBay. It’s very simple to get into, and the upfront cost is very little. For those of you who don’t already know drop shipping is just another way to get eBay products. The idea is that you would join a drop shipping company and you would in return get thousands of products at wholesale price to sell online, or on eBay. If you were going to sell them on eBay you would list whatever it is you want to sell before you buy it. That is the best feature of drop shipping, you never have to buy eBay products up front. You only buy what you have already sold.

Once your item sells, you go to your drop shipping company and order the eBay product that you have already sold. With most drop shipping companies, you can pay for the item through PayPal. So you take the money that the buyer sent to your PayPal account to purchase the item, then you keep whatever is left over as profit for yourself. Then there is the next greatest feature of drop shipping. The drop shipping company will ship the item straight to your buyer, so you never have to do any shipping or packaging yourself. So it’s no wonder that drop shipping is so popular among eBay sellers.

As easy as it sounds to use the technique to make money on eBay, it really isn’t that easy. It takes a lot of work, and a lot of research. Many people don’t have the right mindset to sell this way on eBay. It isn’t as easy as just signing up for a drop shipping company and then throwing stuff up on eBay; that just won’t work.

The first, and most important thing to understand about drop shipping is to realize that you are not going to get anywhere unless you find a GOOD drop shipping company. The majority of the drop shipping companies are complete rip offs. I have joined a few myself, and I must confess that I have had my share of getting ripped off by these companies. I guess that is what I developed my eBay Mysteries website for though; to make sure that other people don’t have to make the same mistakes as I have in my dealing with eBay.

Things to look for to find a good drop shipping company

Money-Back guarantee. Make sure the company offers a money back guarantee, so if you don’t like what you get from the service you can get your money back. You deserve to know what the service is like, before you get stuck with it.

Phone Support. Make sure there is good customer service and phone support. Many drop shipping companies don’t have phone support and have terrible customer service. Never go with a company that has no phone service.

Good wholesale prices. The prices for the products will not be as cheap as large bulk wholesale suppliers, but they should definitely be cheaper then your local retail store. (Remember, do the research)

Fast Shipping. Make sure the products will get shipped in a reasonable time. I had a drop shipping company one time that took an average of two weeks before they even shipped the item out.

Quality Products. Make sure the products you are going to be selling are brand named products. Sounds simple, but you would be surprised.
United States Based. For those of you who are from the United States, and are primarily targeting US customers, make sure the company is based in the United States.

The next most important part of running a successful business on eBay using drop shipping would be to find your niche. Like I said before, don’t go and just throw stuff up on eBay hoping to make a quick buck. It takes time, and work. Once you get it going, it takes very little work and a minimal effort. Until you get to that point, expect to be doing some work. Now lets back up a little bit, I mentioned not throwing just anything up on eBay a couple times already. What you do want to do is pick a category to sell in, and stick to it. I wouldn’t suggest going into consumer electronics either, because it’s way to crowded and you won’t be very successful. Stick to what you know and love. If you don’t know anything, then learn. Pick something that you enjoy and become an expert of your field. For example, if you enjoy poker the way that I do, you may want to consider selling poker supplies. Whatever it is, just stick to that and offer the best products and services. You will be much more successful taking this route.

Although drop shipping is one of the most popular ways to go, and can be a competitive field on eBay it is still a good way to go. Many more people end up giving up before they even have a chance to do well, then those who succeed. If you have what it takes to do well with drop shipping, then you can create a good source of income using drop shipping companies. Visit my site to get details on my suggested drop shipping companies.

Visit my site to get more information about eBay, and dropshipping on eBay. From visiting my site you can learn about the top dropshipping companies in my opinion. With these companies there is no way to get ripped off. http://ebaymysteries.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Corry_Cummings

The Best eBay Selling Tips

2007-04-06T10:02:00.000-04:00

By Milos Pesic

There are literally hundreds of places out there that will list out eBay selling tip after tip. Complicating a process that’s pretty simple, the many eBay selling tip ideas out there might be good, but they don’t top the most important eBay selling tip by a long shot.

The key to being successful in selling on this online marketplace falls squarely in the lap of a single eBay selling tip: be honest!

For those who think lots of visuals, long descriptions or even spectacular, trendy and brand new merchandise are key, think again. The number one eBay selling tip is honesty for a whole lot of reasons. Let’s look at why this scores as the top eBay selling tip in a lot of successful sellers’ books:

· Reputation building. Since eBay is an online community in addition to a marketplace, it’s important to build a good reputation here. If a reputation is bad, customers won’t come. Reputations are key in this community, making this a huge eBay selling tip. The fact is reputations can be made or broken pretty quickly if honest is questioned by buyers or a tarnish is put on reputation due to a bad transaction. This reason alone is enough to make honesty the biggest eBay selling tip out there, but it’s not the only one.

· Repeat business. While dishonest people can and do sell on this site, they tend not to get the repeat business those who follow the number one eBay selling tip do. Since reputations are everything and feedback is easy to give, it’s important to follow this eBay selling tip can keep honesty as a virtue.

· Dispute resolution. Even the best eBay sellers will find themselves with dissatisfied customers from time to time. If the main eBay selling tip is followed, settling disputes will likely go much smoother. It’s even possible for those who follow this eBay selling tip to turn lemons into lemon aid as far as feedback is concerned.

· Higher bids. While this won’t always pan out as a result of this eBay selling tip, it can. Buyers are more apt to bid higher amounts if they truly believe they can trust a seller to deliver what he or she says. If the main eBay selling tip is followed, this potential is unlocked. Think about it, would you bid $500 on a trading card from someone with no prior reputation, or worse, a person that has a reputation for not delivering? No! And, neither do the people on eBay, in most cases.

There are a whole lot of different eBay selling tip ideas out there, but the one to hold tightest is honesty. If you approach selling with integrity, rewards very often come on this site.

Milos Pesic is an eBay powerseller who runs a highly popular and comprehensive eBay Marketing web site. For more articles and resources on eBay Niche Marketing related topics, eBay selling tips, eBay business ideas, eBay software and much more visit his site at:
http://ebay.need-to-know.net/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milos_Pesic

How To Flip Products On Ebay

2007-03-29T10:57:00.000-04:00

By Jay Marx

Ebay is a huge wholesale marketplace, used by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. Buyers search for bargains at extremely cheap prices which means sellers need to get their goods for below wholesale value if they want to make profit. As current trends have it, people flip real estate and houses by buying them at below market value and reselling them to hungry consumers. The same can be done on a smaller scale on Ebay.

There is one great way to easily source and resell some great bargains on Ebay which few people know about. If you want an easy yet fun way to make money, read on because this clever strategy has been proven to work time and time again.

How to Find Bargain Basement Items

There is a tool which you will find at auctionlotwatch.co.uk/auctionspeller.html. You use this tool to type in a search term, for example “Ericsson” and straightaway up comes a screen to show all the Ebay listings for Sony Ericsson products. You will have all the “Ericson”s and “Erricsen”s and so on. The great thing about the misspelled words is that hardly anyone else will find these products on Ebay, making it easy for you to grab yourself a great product at a fraction of its retail price. Many people spell badly or don't bother to proofread their advertisement, having no idea that their item will sell for a much lower price because of this. A lot of well-known designers have hard to spell names. Try doing a search on Gucci or Tag Heuer or Luis Vuitton and see what you get.

How to Flip these Items for Profit

Once you have your bargain, you need to sell it. Create a listing of your own (trying to spell the item correctly, of course) and you will almost definitely sell it for more than you paid. Do some research to find out how much similar items sell for. The more you sell on Ebay, the more your feedback goes up. If you communicate well with buyers and sellers, pay on time and package your items properly, you will get good feedback. The higher your feedback is, the more people will trust you. The more people trust you, the more likely they are to buy from you. That's how Ebay works.

One thing you have to be careful about is product authenticity. Your misspelled “Techniks” mp3 player might not be a Technics player. It might actually be a dubious Techniks player from Taiwan. Most Ebay listings have a photo of the item in the listing, so a quick look at that will let you know what the product looks like, what condition it is in and the make. This would be a rare exception and 99% of time, misspelled words are just misspelled words and if the item in misspelled in the title, the odds are good that there will be bad spelling right through the listing.

If you use this handy tool, try to search every day for newly listed misspelled items. You never know what fantastic bargains could be yours today!

Jay is invested in helping others sell on Ebay efficiently. For more information on selling tools and techniques, visit http://www.jayzcloset.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Marx

How to Build a Store on eBay

2007-03-21T09:49:00.000-04:00

By Jason Griffith

eBay can be a very lucrative marketplace. You need to know that when you build a store on eBay it is not as simple as registering and creating your eBay store pages. There is a lot more involved if you want to achieve success.

Before you even go to the eBay website to open your eBay store and build it, you need to know what you are going to sell. However, even that is not enough.

You need to know how well your items are going to sell. It's no use going through all the effort of building your store on eBay, and it brings in no sales.

For this you do need to do market research and determine what kind of demand there is for your products, what the competition is like, and what competitive pricing would be.

The next thing you need to consider is your eBay feedback rating. eBay buyers are very wary of eBay sellers with a very low number of feedbacks against their name.

If your eBay id has only a few feedbacks, then spend some time buying and selling items on eBay without an eBay store until you have built up a solid feedback score.

Once you've done this, you are ready to build a store on eBay.

The next step is to register and open your eBay store on eBay. Once your store exists, you need to add what they call store inventory auction listings. These are auction listings that do not expire like regular auction listings. Consider those like items you would always have on display on your virtual product racks until someone buys them.

Once you get to this point of building your store on eBay, it is not the point to sit back and wait for sales. You might wait forever and get zero sales.

This is the time that you need to jump in and furiously market and promote your eBay store.

There are several ways you can market your eBay store. One way is to always have regular eBay auction listings that appear in the eBay searches. Always include a link to your eBay store in those auction listings.

Another way of marketing your eBay store is to put out a press release, which you can do free of charge on several websites. Yet another way is to advertise in your local community via flyers, business cards and classified ads.

Another way is to start your own blog where you write about topics relevant to your eBay store and types of products that you sell. You would then include several links back to your eBay store from your blog.

I hope you see that how to build a store on eBay involves much more than following the step-by-step instructions on the eBay website. That is the easiest and quickest part of building your eBay store.

The most work and the secret to your success lies in what you do before and after you have built your store on eBay.

Jason Griffith recommends that you review this very helpful tool to enhance your eBay selling success. Jason also writes eBay Store reviews for BestAuctionStores.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Griffith

Earn Money With EBay

2007-03-21T09:48:00.000-04:00

By James Penn

Who in the world can claim not to know what Ebay is today? That’s right, it is that multi-billion dollars worth auction site that has managed to have thousands of customers and suppliers happily hooked on it.

You’ll find everything you can possibly imagine on sale at Ebay. From Bikinis to baroque paintings from Britney’s shredded locks to fancy court wigs. You name it and you’ll get it.

But don’t just stop at buying things off its racks, Ebay offers you the opportunity to not just buy good stuff for yourself and your loved ones but also make a few decent bucks from the site yourself. How, you ask? Well, simple really, start off by creating your own account. Once that is taken care of, take a look at the “Seller’s Central” pages to get a hang of how you can earn through Ebay.

There are plenty of books in the market that attempt to teach you how to make money with Ebay, but you don’t necessarily need a book to teach you how to do it, because, frankly, it isn’t rocket science! Make a start by deciding what you want to put up for sale. It can be anything (even stuff that is pretty useless to you or your family) all kinds of people line up at Ebay and they want all different sorts of things. So what you might think is useless may be of great value to someone else. So rummage through your garage and closets and get your hands on a few stuff you think might look good up there.

Make sure you weigh your stuff right before putting it up for sale. Also try to be punctual about shipping your goods to the buyers. Reputation is everything at Ebay and the more you satisfy your customers, the greater the reputation you will be earning. And that isn’t just a matter of speaking. At Ebay, a customer’s satisfaction is everything so they get to come back and give their feedback about doing business with you.For every good feedback you get, you add one point to your rating. Needless to say, the higher your rating the greater your credentials. So make sure to take every transaction really seriously.

Over and above everything, however, Ebay expects and respects honesty and reliability, that is what earns good customers and makes you that neat stack of money. Nothing can be a substitute for good business ethics and at Ebay, nothing helps you go laughing to the bank besides that.

James Penn is an experienced eBay seller & has assisted many eBay sellers to help them make money on eBay in 2007 and for many years to come. Discover many of his other eBay selling tips that will help explode your eBay sales & grab a selection of free eBay eBooks by signing up to his free eBay newsletter.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Penn

Make Money on eBay - About eBay Pulse

2007-03-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

By Bob Hamilton

One of the benefits of being a seller within the eBay community is having access to so many quality tools for support. One of those tools is eBay Pulse. For the seller who wants to make money on eBay this tool provides detailed information the most popular searches on eBay.

eBay Pulse can be found at eBay > Sell > Top Buyer Searches > eBay Pulse. Once at eBay Pulse, sellers will find a wealth of information that can help them make money on eBay. There are literally pages and pages of details about the most popular searches in almost all categories.

Do you know the top ten most popular searches on eBay? The top ten most popular eBay searches can be found on eBay Pulse. This information is based on the total number of searches and is important to those who want to make money on eBay.

Do you want to know which items are being watched? Make money on eBay by using eBay Pulse to obtain information about the most watched items. This information is based on the number of watchers.

There is information about the largest eBay Stores. This is based on the total number of active listings for those eBay stores. This is absolutely a goldmine for those who desire to make money on eBay.

To make money on eBay requires knowing the marketplace and the buyers within that marketplace. eBay Pulse is one more tool in the arsenal available to sellers. Invest the time and effort to use this powerful tool as you examine the marketplace for niches and products. Find out what is popular with buyers as a part of your research. Give it a try.

To Your eBay Success!

To read my free e-report "Dropship Facts" check out http://www.onlineauctionsmadesimple.net Bob Hamilton is an entrepreneur, writer and consultant. Bob sold his brick and mortar store to sell on eBay and has been helping others to get started on eBay ever since. http://www.openingadollarstore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hamilton

Make Money on eBay - When Do You Give Feedback?

2007-03-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

By Bob Hamilton

Do you want to get into a controversial discussion regarding eBay? Then try mentioning the right time for a seller to provide feedback to buyers. Those who make money on eBay know that a track record of positive feedback is one of the keys to selling success. There are many strong opinions out there regarding how to get that feedback, and when to provide feedback to buyers. There are also many real stories about experiences that sellers have had with feedback. The good news is that most of those stories are positive.

For every seller who says to provide buyer feedback as soon as payment is received, there is likely a seller who would wait to provide feedback until payment and feedback has been received from the buyer. To make money on eBay for the long term, sellers need to be able to expect appropriate feedback from buyers.

Strategies that some sellers use include asking for buyer feedback, asking for buyer feedback with the reward being that seller feedback will come immediately following receipt of that feedback, delaying seller feedback for a time frame to provide time for the buyer to provide feedback first. Other sellers simply provide feedback upon receipt of payment with the hope that buyers will be fair in their assessment. All of these strategies have benefits and costs associated with them. Make money on eBay by establishing your feedback process and always following that process.

To make money on eBay requires that each seller determine the right feedback strategy for their particular business. Whether feedback is provided immediately upon receipt of payment, or only after receipt of payment and buyer feedback, or anything in between, feedback remains a critical piece of the transaction. Make sure that as a seller you provide feedback before you call the transaction complete.

To your eBay success!

Bob Hamilton is an entrepreneur, author, writer, consultant and trainer. http://www.OnlineAuctionsMadeSimple.net http://www.OpeningaDollarStore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hamilton

Buy at Wholesale and Drop Ship to Customers Without a Warehouse

2007-03-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

By Alan Kirchain

If you've thought about opening a business for yourself, and want to take advantage of that lifestyle so many people strive for, you'll see that as you read through this article you can start you own endeavor and do it without even having products of your own to sell and only a small amount of money up front.

Honestly, who hasn't dreamed about owning there own mail order business. You know the one where you just go out to the mail box and pick up the checks. Until recently, that was really just a pipe dream and a great marketing pitch for many biz-op companies. But today that opportunity is real and probably as easy as it's ever going to get. It has become particularly easy with the advent of the internet and the ability to auction merchandise from your home.

What I'm talking about is purchasing wholesale and then drop shipping to customers without storing inventory. This can provide an easy way for people to quit their regular day job, if they work at it systematically. You can do it without having to put up a lot of money in upfront capital and basically do it from your home computer and desk area.

Drop shippers can send products and merchandise to your customers without you ever having to touch the products. This allows you to offer real products to customers and not have to worry about warehousing and inventory.

There are many different ways you can set up a great drop shipping business. The simplest way is to start an auction on one of the big auction web sites. You can sell products via the auction and ship them to your customers and it will appear as if they came direclty from your distribution warehouse.

This works by you providing the drop shipper with the customer information. They then take care of the fulfillment and follow through with the shipping process. The best part is that they will affix your company information to the package including logos and slogans if you request, and then provide them the material to do so.

When your customer gets there merchandise it appears that your warehouse sent them the products and they have no clue that it came from a drop ship resource.

Besides the obvious benefits this allows you to spend more time on setting up new promotions via auction or regular website, rather than focusing on packaging, and shipping chores. Way more productive and profitable to your bottom line.

Establishing a rapport with several wholesale drop shipping companies will be a key to your success. At first most companies will want you to pre pay in some fashion for products that get shipped. This usually can be done using a credit or debit card.

Getting your merchandise to your customers in a timely fashion should be a primary goal. Ultimately, you should be able to establish a credit line with your suppliers and be billed on terms. This way you will be able to add a new dimension to your business providing even quicker service, thus allowing you to reap more profits.

One central component to a profitable drop shipping business is finding real wholesale suppliers. It’s important to remember that lots of companies claim to be wholesalers and promote themselves as being such. Unfortunately many are not. They are actually middlemen and profit by selling you merchandise above the true wholesale cost.

Finding true wholesalers can be a tedious and painstaking task. Be sure and take your time when researching wholesalers so that you are dealing with the closest point to the manufacturer.

Getting started in a wholesale business and then drop shipping the merchandise can be profitable without a huge financial risk. Do your homework and find out what the best margins are for your particular products. The beauty of this is that you can sell your product without actually purchasing it and then warehousing it tying up precious funds that can be used in different ways.

The wholesale drop shipping business is fun and exciting. It allows you to profit in many cases prior to actually having any capital expenditures of the wholesale merchandise. If your thinking of starting a home based business a wholesale and drop shipping is a good business model to cut your teeth with.

If you would like to discover how smart people locate real drop shippers and manufactures with just the click of a mouse, visit http://www.wholesaleanddropshipdirect.com You can also get additional info on Drop Shipping Wholesale Company
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Kirchain

Make Your Ebay Business Succeed - Part One

2007-02-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

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

How to Make Money Selling on eBay - The Simple Truth: It's About Serving Your Customers!

2007-02-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

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.net http://www.openingadollarstore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Hamilton

Most Watched Items on eBay Pulse: Are They Really the Most Popular Products?

2007-02-26T11:18:00.001-05:00

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

How To Have More Successful eBay Auctions

2007-02-21T16:54:00.000-05:00

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

How to Make Money on eBay Selling Other People's Stuff

2007-02-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

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

Online Antique Auctions

2007-02-19T14:43:00.000-05:00

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

Finding Your Niche on eBay

2007-02-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

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

Using eBay to Sell Old Inventory

2007-02-13T09:43:00.000-05:00

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

Dealing With eBay Store Price Rises Part 2

2007-02-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

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

Dealing With eBay Store Price Rises

2007-02-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

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

Avoiding Identity Theft On eBay: The "eBay" Email You Must Not Answer

2006-10-14T09:57:00.000-04:00

By Chris Bryant

eBay does their best to make communication with other buyers and sellers as painless as possible. Sadly, there are plenty of scam artists that are just waiting to use these features to their advantage. One such feature is the ability of an eBay customer or seller to ask you a question through eBay's "My Messages" service. If they've got a question about one of your auction listings, they can click on "Send seller a message" and send the question straight to your email inbox.

Once you open this mail, all you have to do is click on "Respond Now" to answer their question. After doing so, you'll be asked to enter your eBay username and password combination.

That's where the problem comes in for many eBay buyers and sellers. Legitimate potential customers use this feature, but plenty of scam artists send fake "eBay emails" that look exactly like the ones eBay sends - and when you enter your username and password, you're not even on eBay. You're entering your eBay ID and password on a site that looks like eBay, but isn't, and the scammer can see your username and password the second you enter it.

Common questions in these fake eBay emails include:

"What is the postage to West Virginia?" (Nothing against West Virginia, it's just that one persistent scammer picked that state. No one asks what the postage to their state is.)

"Why haven't you paid me yet?" This question makes you think you forgot to pay someone for an item. Sounds legitimate, but it isn't.

"WHERE IS MY ITEM?????" This sounds like an irate customer, but it could also be a scammer.

You might be asking "How do I tell the real questions from the fakes?" Easy. What I recommend is that you do not use the "Respond Now" button. Just go out to eBay, sign in, and click on "My Messages". If you see their question listed there, it's legitimate. If not - you know someone just tried to steal your username and address. You can report this to eBay, but most likely the eBay ID listed in the fake email is a fake eBay name.

Making money online, especially on eBay, means you have to be on guard against potential scam artists. If you go directly to eBay to log in rather than going through an email to do so, you've taken a giant step toward guarding the integrity of your eBay identity.

Chris Bryant is an eight-year veteran of eBay, and he wants eBay to change your life for the better just as it’s done for him! Visit http://www.freeebayauctiontutorials.com for his latest FREE eBay and eBay auction tutorial! Learn how to make money on eBay. It’s easier than you think!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Bryant

How To Be An Ebay Wholesaler - Legitimate Wholesale List In 3 Steps

2006-10-10T17:03:00.000-04:00

By Brad McCleary

If you really want to work from home and sell products on eBay it’s going to take hard work. Don’t think you’re going to be able to work a couple hours a week and make a living, if you are doing this because you don’t like to work you can forget about it, it won’t happen. If you are willing to work hard however, you can forget about making a living on eBay, instead you can worry about making an absolute killing on eBay!

There are many different options to consider when starting out. First you need to decide what you want to sell. I know we all want to have a complete online store of things to sell but for now you need to pick a couple of products, or one specialized area. For example if you are into fitness, like myself, you might want to start researching stability balls, or dumbbells, or even weight benches. If you stick to an area you know and understand you’ll be able to find better values and write better reviews. The more passionate you are about an area the better you’ll do because people will see you as an expert in the field and trust you more.

Next you need to decide where you are going to get your products. You need to make sure you are getting your products from the manufacture or as close as possible. Every hand the product goes through cuts your final profit margin. So make sure the wholesale you’re looking into is a real wholesaler and not a distributor or you won’t get the wholesale price you want.

There are a couple of different options for legitimate eBay wholesalers. You can drop ship, which means you don’t have to carry an inventory. You list a product and sell it the drop ship source then takes a small percentage and ships it to your customer.

Although this seems like the easy option, there are a couple of disadvantages to drop shipping. First you don’t get to keep as much profit as you may want or need. Second it’s hard for you to guarantee your service, if a product is on back order and the drop shippers doesn’t inform you, you could end up with a bunch of angry customers. You generally have to handle of customer service issues even though you have no control over the drop shipper.

Customer complaints could easily be the end of someone trying to get started. Drop shipping is the best option for someone that cannot afford an inventory, but be aware of the problems that could occur.

Another option is carrying a small inventory so you can guarantee service. The best option if you can afford it and your wholesalers will allow it. The problem is many companies want you to order way more than you can afford or want to carry to get the best discount.

The final option would be to buy in mass quantities receive the best discount and keep the most profit. The downsides are having enough money to pay by the truckload, storing the product, and ensuring that you sale and don’t get stuck with anything.

Now that you know everything there is to know about wholesalers you need to decide which one is right for you. You will need to decide on a legitimate wholesale list. Since you already have an idea of what you want to sell don’t sign up with any “eBay wholesaler.” If you’ve been researching this for a while you understand how hard it is to find a legitimate wholesale list. There are a lot of scams out there so you need to be careful. Many eBay wholesalers are going to make you pay a small fee for their wholesale list but it shouldn’t be an excess amount. My wholesale list cost about $70 for a lifetime membership.

Before you join make sure they have what you need, they should offer you a preview of their merchandise. Also make sure they will cater to your needs as a eBay seller, otherwise you’re business could fail. Don’t let them ruin you.

Brad McCleary makes his living working from his home and on the internet. He takes pride in assisting others reach the same happiness he has found. If eBay wholesale sounds like it might fit your interest you can see the company Brad uses here, www.we-review-for-you.com/rmystershopping.html. You can also check out other employment opportunites at his website; www.we-review-for-you.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brad_McCleary

eBay Arbitrage: The Best Way to Guaranteed Profits on eBay

2006-09-25T09:56:00.000-04:00

By Avril Harper

Arbitrage means to buy an item in one market for the purpose of reselling it soon after for profit. Although the concept traditionally means reselling in a separate market to that from which the product was acquired, the term also commonly applies to buying something on eBay with the purpose of reselling it quickly, also on eBay, for an almost guaranteed profit. This buying on and reselling later on eBay is also called ‘Flipping’, sometimes ‘Leveraging’.

Understanding Arbitrage

Arbitrage begins with one or more of the following basic steps:

* Buy online to resell online

* Buy offline to resell online

* Buy online to resell offline

* Buy offline to resell offline.

As eBay sellers, it’s the first two that concern us most, so let’s see how to make easy money from ‘Arbitrage’ or what’s traditionally known as the ‘Buy Low, Sell High’ technique.

Arbitrage Techniques

Your profit might be based on personal knowledge, for example, where you discover items selling on eBay.com which you know will sell at higher prices on other eBay country sites, good examples being viewcards, books and other souvenirs of overseas geographical locations which almost invariably sell better on their own country site. The same goes for overseas collectibles selling in say, the UK, which you think might fetch higher prices on eBay.com or another eBay country site.

For example, at a local antiques fair I bought eight large photographs of men and machines felling giant Redwood trees in Eureka, California, dated 1880.

These fascinating old pictures had been hanging around in the seller’s box for months, finding no buyers among local visitors to the fairs he attended in Gateshead and Hexham. They were hogging space, in danger of being damaged, so he offered to reduce the price by twenty per cent if I bought all of these items, total nine, pre-discount price £125. So I paid the £100, uploaded them all to eBay’s UK site, priced £39.99 each, total almost £320. One eager buyer, living in Eureka, offered £300 to take the whole lot of my hands, which I accepted and made an almost instant £200 on the deal. I may have reached an even bigger market of Eureka and California Redwood tree collectors and made more money by listing these items on eBay.com but I’m keen on fast turnover and prefer to list items in one sitting, on one eBay site. More than this I’ve never found listing on ebay.com in preference to ebay.co.uk, or vice versa, makes any real difference to my takings.

* Research is another way to find items worth very little in one area and potentially a great deal more elsewhere, either between eBay country sites, or on different eBay categories, even within the same category on which they originally appeared.

* Then there’s the old chestnut of just buying whatever you can, on or off the Internet, which you know presents virtual guaranteed profits on eBay.

There are many ways of using arbitrage for really big rewards especially for anyone prepared to spend time researching ebay for current best selling items and looking elsewhere to buy those very same items sufficiently below eBay's prices to turn a handsome profit on every deal.

Avril Harper is a UK based writer and PowerSeller. Learn more about eBay arbitrage at http://www.publishingcircles.com/arbitrage.htm or download a free guide ‘103 PowerSeller Tips’ at http://www.toppco.com..

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avril_Harper

Ebay And Dropshipping, A Marriage Made In Heaven?

2006-09-14T09:54:00.000-04:00

Looking for a T-shirt Drop Shipper? Click Here

By Ron Keegan

Believe it or not, eBay is the 'BEST' opportunity you can use
right now to make money online in the dropshipping business
from the comfort of your own home.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do some research for product's you want to sell that you think
will have little or no competition on eBay.

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

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

About the Author:About the Author: Ron Keegan runs Megastar Distributors a red-hot Web Site jam-packed with lots of FREE Resources, Tips & Reports on DropShipping & eBay. Pick-up your *FREE* ebook at http://www.Megdis.com to learn more about making-money dropshipping! Read more articles by: Ron Keegan Article Source: www.iSnare.com

eBay Auction Home Business Tutorial: Do Your Research!

2006-09-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

By Chris Bryant

In past eBay auction tutorials, we've talked about how there are people just waiting out there to buy you knowledge, and the best way to sell it to them is through writing ebooks. But whether you're going to sell ebooks or CDs, you need to do some research before diving in and selling. I know you're excited about starting your own eBay home business, but spending a nickel's worth of time on research can save you dollars worth of regret later.

Before you post your first item up for sale, search for related topics on eBay to see what your competitors are selling. If you're going to write an ebook full of fishing tips, use eBay Search to look for other items with "fishing tips" in the title, or maybe even just "fishing". The eBay Search window can be found in the upper right of the main eBay page (www.ebay.com), and on every other page on the site!

Don't be too concerned if there's someone else out there selling the same thing you're going to sell, but if there are 1000 other people selling your item, you may want to come up with another idea. Still, through superior marketing (and creating a superior product!), you can still do well. The idea here is to get an idea of how many people are already selling what you want to sell, and for how much they're selling it for.

While you have to be price competitive, don't make the mistake of selling your goods too cheaply, because cheap prices make potential customers think your goods are cheap, and you don't want that. Don't try to beat the competition by having the lowest price - beat them by having a superior product.

Now that you know what your competition is doing, you've got to sit down and create a plan for what you're going to do. After all, if you were driving from California to Florida, you wouldn't just drive your car out the driveway and aimlessly drive around just hoping you were on the right road, right? Right! The road to success must be planned as well. In my next eBay auction tutorial, I'll tell you what this plan MUST include. Until then, get started with your eBay research, and I'll see you tomorrow with another eBay home business tutorial!

Chris Bryant is an eight-year veteran of eBay, and he wants eBay to change your life for the better just as it’s done for him! Visit http://www.freeebayauctiontutorials.com for his latest FREE eBay and eBay auction tutorial! Learn how to make money on eBay. It’s easier than you think!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Bryant

Make Some Extra Money Selling "Niche" Products on eBay

2006-09-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

By Kerry Mann

I have sold over 1200 items on eBay. I am not at the ranks of powerseller yet, but I have sold my share. A great way to make money on eBay is buy selling specialty or niche products. A few years ago my wife and I traded holding rummage sales for selling on eBay. One item I sold in particular was a luggage cart or book cart. My wife bought this from a garage sale and it sat around so I auctioned it off on eBay.
Luggage cart

I ended up selling it for around $20.00. I thought this was pretty good. My wife being the avid garage sale shopper kept her eyes open for these. Over the course of the last few years I would say I have sold at least 15 of these. They are a prominent garage sale products- Average garage sale price $5.00 average “will you take” price $3.00 . You can also find these at thrift stores for about $5.00 These fold up so they are easy to ship. I sold them on eBay under Travel > Luggage > Suitcases.

There are many items that fit this profile. Baby clothes is another item that can be found at rummage sales and sold on eBay. Collectibles and books are great as well.
In the past I hated it when my wife would waste her time at rummage sales but now I don’t mind as it is a money making event.

This article is brought to you by http://makemoneyideasblog.com. Our goal is to deliver cutting edge, innovative and creative money making ideas to you daily. We are now offering our acclaimed "Blog Marketing and Revenue Plan" as a FREE Download. If you have a website or blog you need to read this. Just visit our "Behind the Scenes" category. http://makemoneyideasblog.com

Free Traffic To Your Auction Listing With eBay Blogs!

2006-08-29T15:32:00.000-04:00

By Chris Ryerson

eBay has recently jumped on the blog bandwagon. They have opened a new section of the website called eBay blogs. This allows a registered eBay user to sign up for and maintain a blog. This is a wonderful new feature and if you are serious about growing your eBay business then you should definitely consider signing up for an eBay blog. It is a very simple process that almost anyone can navigate through and easily set up your own blog. You do not have to have any special html knowledge. Just go to the following url http://blogs.ebay.com/ and click on the large button that says “Start Blogging”

What Are Blogs

Blogs are basically an online journal. They provide a place where you can easily write news and information about yourself and your auction sales on a daily basis. The word blog is a combination of web and log smashed together to make a new word called blogs. They are one of the latest crazes on the internet because they allow anyone to easily publish their own thoughts and content on the internet.

Blogs are also wonderful for creating a ton of extra traffic and visitors to your auction listings. If you frequently post great content to your blog it will quickly be picked up by the search engines which will create more visitors to your blog and your auction listings for free.

What To Blog About

Many sellers will instantly see the benefit of having a blog. It provides an easy way to interact with your customers. You can provide updated information about your auctions, the products you sell and general info about your business. It might take a little while tog et used to blogging but typically it is very addictive and once you start writing a blog it can easily become a fun daily activity. To get the most from your blog you want to think about writing content that is useful to your customers. For example a eBay sellers that typically sells in one category or one type of product can provide more information about what thy sell. For example a seller who specializes in model cars might take some time to write a few articles or posts about building model car tips. Another seller who sells wedding related goods might write blog posts about wedding planning. The point is you want to make the content useful to your customers so they will come back often. The more you write good quality content and inform your customers the more they will want to purchase products from you. In this way you can quickly establish yourself as an authority on the subject.

One thing you will want to stay away from is having a blog with very little useful content and a lot of sales ads for your auctions. Sure you can occasionally write a blog post to plug a new item you have up for auction but if that is all you do no one will visit your blog. eBay is a very community oriented platform and the more community friendly information you provide the more potential and past customers will come to your blog and possible visit your auction listings.

Promoting Your Blog

Like any other site on the web your blog will have its own unique url or website address. You will want to make sure that you keep this hand and start promoting your blog. There are a variety of ways that you can promote a blog. Some of these would include submitting your website to major search engines, and blog/website directories. You can easily further promote your blog by taking the content or articles that you write on the blog and submitting them to some of the major article directories like this one.

Blog Comments

Another great way to promote your blog and build traffic to it is to comment on other people’s blog. You want to be a little careful about this and only post to other related blogs and post meaningful comments. If you start leaving a bunch of random comments that have nothing to do with the blog or the post in general then people will see this as blog spam also known as splog content.

Blog Tags

Another useful feature that eBay has added is blog tags. When you first set up the blog there are some options to leave details about it. You can also select tags that people will use to find your blog. These tags are basically keywords that people might use to search for your blog. Using the example from above of the seller that sells wedding related items the seller would want to use common wedding keywords in their tags section. They could include tags like wedding, invitations, cake toppers, and wedding planning. Then when another eBay user searches for wedding related blog this blog will show up in the listing and again bring some free traffic to the blog and potential to the seller’s listings.

So if you don't already have a eBay blog now is the time to get started.

Chris is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Auction Power Seller He provides more Auction selling tips and tricks on the website. To Learn more about Auction Listing Tips and other eBay help you can check out his website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Ryerson

Beginners' Guide to Making Money on eBay

2006-08-28T09:31:00.000-04:00

By Justin Power

As John Paul Getty, the oil billionaire, once observed the only way to become seriously wealthy is to own your own business. Easy if you are entrepreneurial by nature, less easy if you are not. There is, however, one sort of business that can be set up without much capital and with little or no risk yet which has the potential to turn anyone into a multi-millionaire. A business, furthermore, that doesn’t require experience or specialist skills and which can be started at home on a part-time basis. In fact, all you need to get this business going is access to a computer with a broadband connection and a digital camera.

Ever since eBay was launched in 1994 the media has been full of stories about how ordinary individuals have become richer than their wildest dreams of avarice thanks to the online auction site. Only this summer, for instance, Entrepreneur magazine carried a feature on ten young entrepreneurs (none over the age of 30) who have built up vast, international companies on eBay. A good example is Tiffany Tanaka, 24, who sells things via eBay on behalf of other people (www.wesellthings4U.com) and is currently turning over US$2.7 million a year. Another is David Wirtenberg, 28, who built up a US$10 million jewellery business (www.outrageousdiamonds.com) from the sale of a single, diamond ring on eBay in 2003.

What makes eBay such a fantastic money-making opportunity is its simplicity. Essentially, it allows anyone, anywhere in the world, to buy or sell just about anything. The scale of the operation is mind boggling. It sells a car every two minutes and a CD every 7 seconds. Last time I checked there were over 10 million items on offer and more than 168 million buyers. You could be selling to those 168 million buyers within minutes of finishing this article for, literally, a few pounds. And, selling for a very substantial profit, too.

What could you be selling? Most new eBay entrepreneurs get started by auctioning unwanted items from their home. This can prove to be remarkably lucrative (I have a friend who has made over £3,000 since Christmas selling off unwanted clothes, books, children’s toys and china) and also provides an opportunity to understand how eBay works. After you have the hang of it the secret is to find a product area that interests you. Different ideas include:

Dealing in something you know a lot about. Many people choose products related to their hobbies – everything from fishing rods to model trains.

Selling something you can source elsewhere (possibly on the internet) for less.

Selling for other individuals. Many of the most successful eBay sellers are simply selling other people’s unwanted items on commission.

Selling for other businesses. For instance, you could sell unwanted stock for local retailers.

As you become familiar with eBay you will start to see potential everywhere. Favourite categories include clothes and shoes, musical instruments, electronics and collectables - but the choice of products is endless. The most expensive item sold on the site to date was a Gulfstream aircraft for £2.5. Recently, Ronan Keating's leather trousers went for £5,000.

Getting started, by the way, couldn’t be easier. All you need do is log on to www.eBay.co.uk and complete the online registration which will ask you for a user name, password, e-mail address and a credit or debit card for verification purposes. This process won’t cost you anything.

The next stage is to create a seller's account online, for which you have to provide credit/debit card details and bank account information for verification purposes. You then follow the listing instructions, giving product details, the duration of your listing - from one to 10 days - and the starting and reserve price if you want to set one. You have to pay a listing fee, which depends on the item's value and is a maximum of £3. If the item is sold, you pay eBay a final value fee which will be around 5.25 per cent of the closing price.

Once you’ve joined, you can sell anything with a few clicks of the mouse. To list your item you log in to the website with your personal ID, choose a category for your item, type in a description, details of how you propose to send the item to the buyer and a price and you’re ready to start your auction.

You really need to include a digital photograph of the item and the better your sales copy, the greater the price you are likely to get. Once an item is listed all you have to do is sit back and wait for the buyers to start bidding.

Most auctions last seven days and the bidding can be fierce – with much of it taking place in the last few minutes of the sale. If you want to optimise your chances of success you should always:

Be honest about what you are selling.

Write eye-catching advertisements and copy.

Set a realistic starting price or offer an item without any reserve price at all.

Keep your buyer well informed.

Don’t despatch the goods until you have received payment.

Speaking of payment, eBay make it easy to collect money via credit card thanks to their own online payment system, which is called PayPal. In fact, of the best things about eBay is that it provides its sellers with plenty of support and advice. There is an eBay university, for instance, that holds both real and virtual courses. Also, an eBay ‘community’ where you can pick up information and tips from eBay ‘power sellers’. Their most useful resource is probably something called Seller Central which is to be found at http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral. If you have a question about selling, the chances are that it will be answered here. This portal is divided into a handful of main categories including getting started, best practices, advance selling and news and updates. Another useful sales advice section on the eBay site is to be found at http://pages.ebay.com/startselling.

Justin Power

http://www.powerreport.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Justin_Power

eBay's Rate Increases Goes Unchallenged

2006-08-24T10:04:00.000-04:00

By James Newton

Today, August 22nd is the day of the new eBay store listing increases. I am betting, that last night, you saw a heavy increase in listing traffic to get one month of listings at the old rate. eBay store owners staying up late to get all the new listings in place prior to the new rate increases, or increasing the cost of their merchandise in an attempt to absorb the rate increases. Will any stores shut down? Will we see a decrease in the store listings? Will we see prices driven up? Will buyers have smaller selections? The next 45 days will tell.

Auction format is the fuel that moves the eBay machine. Auction format is what eBay started with. Auctions, and selection are what brings the shoppers to eBay. Shoppers jump in the auction in hopes of getting merchandise at a ridiculously low price. Store owners would often take a loss on an auction item as a strategy to promote their store listings. Relying on impulse buyers to use the buy it now button. This may no longer be a profitable strategy.

Devina Mehra, a lead analyst at First Global Securities, wrote a note to clients in which she voiced support for the rate hike. "We believe eBay is moving in the right direction towards restoring its growth trajectory," she said, as reported in a Seattle Times article.

"Under the new fee structure, a $50 item sold through the store will generate $4.46 in fees for eBay, up from $3.27 before the change," wrote Ben Charny, the author of the article. "Under the old rules, store items cost 27 percent less to list than auction items . . . . As of Tuesday, however, the difference will be just 3 percent."

eBay hopes to encourage high volume sellers to go back to the auction listing format, or, at least collect the full revenue no matter how the item is listed or sold.

This move has caused one group to call for a boycott of eBay, and another group has reportedly written to Google in hopes of them getting an auction site up. There in lies the problem for sellers, no viable place to migrate to.

The timing of this move was perfect. The busiest time of year is just starting. Back to School, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the ever profitable Christmas season is just starting. Merchants have to sell during this time of year in order to make a profit. From September to December is the make or break quarter for most merchants. If they don't make huge profits during this quarter, then they are not likely to have the finances to carry them through the remainder of the year.

The question then is, will they still be able to generate a profit? A 27% loss in profit is a big hit. Let's say I am a merchant that deals in Woman's Clothing. I want to sell a $50.00 dress on eBay. I have to purchase that dress for $25.00. That is a typical mark up of 100% . In order to offer a selection, I have to purchase each size. Small, Medium, Large, and Extra-Large, and each color, Blue Red and Green. Seven dresses so that a shopper can find the one dress in their size and color. That's $175.00 invested in hopes of doubling my money. Now I pay for store fees, picture storage fees, listing fees, promotional fees, a fee if I want a gallery picture, and when it sells, I get hit with final value fees, and Pay Pal fees. Let's say I sell 4 of the 7 dresses in a month. That's $200.00. Wow, I'm up $25.00.. No, the Store fees alone were $15.00 for the most basic store. And after all the other fees, you are very likely to be out of some cash.

At this point, as a merchant I have three choices. Get out of business, increase my prices, or find a place to sell with a lower overhead. The places to sell with lower overhead do not have the traffic (yet). So I increase my prices. If I increase my prices, then why buy my product on-line? You can find it for the same price in a retail store, and you don't have to pay for shipping. So, my sales are likely to go down anyway.

Has everyone forgotten the benefits of selling and buying on-line? Large Selection at better than retail pricing. Selling with low overhead means better profits, and reduced prices to the buyer.

One blogger wrote "I think you have it upside-down when you state:

The success of their initiatives will be measured by the actions of their sellers.

The actions of the buyers is what is driving eBay. As long as the buyers show up, the sellers will follow."

eBay got to where it is today by first attracting sellers. Buyers come for the large selection, and the impression of low prices. When they start finding out they can get it cheaper somewhere else, sellers will follow the buyers, and eBay will start scrambling to solicit sellers back.

The next 45 days will tell. If we can get MSN, Yahoo, Google, Amazon, or some other large player in the game, then auction format shopping will continue to dominate e-commerce, and eBay losses it's monopoly. If not, then the way people shop on-line will switch to specialized web sites, and auction based shopping no longer dominates e-commerce.

Jim write for and is the current owner of http://www.neutronmarketing.com a company dedicated to helping others achieve success on-line. Every thing from affordable domain registration, web site design, and hosting to e-books, promotional kits, premiums and free programs and tools to help you get the job done. Come by and register to receive many free programs, and tools to get you on the way to making money working at home.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Newton

Tips For Online Coin Auction Enthusiasts

2006-08-21T10:43:00.000-04:00

By Lee Dobbins

Coins are fascinating mementoes of history, sentiment and art. Coins vary in sizes, shapes and design. Art-lovers love to paint on it. Scientists love to tinker on its material, which are usually tough and long-lasting. Kids love to hear the ringing sound when it collides with their piggy banks and trinkets. Some people make galleries out of it. I even find some ancestors lovingly giving them through the generations of family members just to give a memory reminder from their not so distant past.

There are coins which are just meant to be treasured and not exchanged for any monetary value. But apparently, even the most rugged and sentimental looking coins which no longer has economic monetary relevance has still not lost its money-generating charm, thanks to the influence of online coin auctions.

Believe it or not, a lot of people would be more than willing to trade wads of paper bills just to get a piece or two of the more exotic finds in the coin depositories available in antique shops online and offline. A good question to consider: How would you know if it’s worth it? That is a question of discernment and of quality.

I can't blame coin aficionados who take their collection to the next level. And there's no telling how far they would go just to be able to make their much-anticipated and regulated quest for the exotic pieces. There are actually online coin auctions available for the most enthusiastic coin seeker. And online is the best place to connect all tribes and regions and thus, have more opportunity for variety, competition and quality.

In participating in any online coin auctions, knowledge of the household rules is a must. It varies from site to site and just like shampoo for your particular hair type, you would need to do a bit of searching for the site which will best suit your coin fancying needs. There are different subcultures in the search for old and new coin galleries. Some would prefer the European coins over the Asian ones. There are different specific markets for every website. Every coin collecting online bidder must be willing to search through various threads in order to get to the right auctioning group.

Of course, one rule of thumb is that if something is too good to be true, then it most certainly is. Be very aware that some scammers can get very deceptive and lead you to give more information in exchange for nothing but sugarcoated promises. This is where proper use of available information comes in. If there is not adequate information regarding the person or company that you intend to do business with, it would be most ideal to hold your horses and tough it out in the online coin auction scene than set yourself out for disaster.

In making use of coin auctions online, being specific would definitely save you lots of precious time. If you already have an idea on the make, grade and size of the coins you are looking for, searching for the perfect group which caters to that particular type would not be so hard.

Also check for latest updates on the website. If it seemed like a considerable amount of time since the website was updated, you might think twice about trying to avail some coins from there. Some websites are just abandoned and without any formal announcement whatsoever that it stopped its operations. The best bet for any beginning online coin buyer is to find that site where there is always an update or it is bustling with activity. It would also help to build a network first before investing. Advice from the pros to the business might be more than helpful than any other information from write-ups combined. Besides, not all bidding rules are written out for you to read. There are some unwritten norms that you will have to fish out from the people involved before you take the plunge.

Coin collecting is a very rewarding hobby, as proven by coin collectors who convene and stay together online to continually improve and modernize this age-old trading industry. True, you may be trading coins as extinct as the dinosaurs, but your savvy in bidding and scoring the best of the best among the various coins need not be as extinct.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://auctions.pagechic.com where you can learn more about buying and selling at auction.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins

Need Products To Sell On Ebay? Get a Steady Supply By Learning Arbitrage As A Comprehensive System

2006-08-17T09:55:00.000-04:00

By Don Hoppe Jr.

Arbitrage, in its simplest form, is to “Buy Low and (re)sell High”.

One of the biggest hassles of selling on ebay is product sourcing. Finding a constant supply of profitable items to sell on ebay has to be one of the most talked about challenges most sellers have to deal with – ask any of them, or just read about anything that’s been written about selling on ebay. Being skilled and prolific at ebay Arbitrage alleviates this problem - Permanently. Not only does the ‘lack of supply’ problem disappear but substantial income can also be made this way. In addition, it’s a rather enjoyable endeavor!

Arbitrage aside, below is a brief review of some typical ways (and associated problems) of acquiring inventory while moving up the ebay volume ladder:

Items around the house – This is a great way to get started and learn about selling through ebay as one goes, but supply eventually runs dry.

Garage sales – Finding the right items that will sell for enough money is a skill in itself. It can be very time consuming, and not reliable for a steady flow of goods. Garage sales should not be ignored as a supplement though – great finds can sometimes be found nowhere else as easily.

Dropshipping – A great concept but certain hurdles include low profit margins, handling fees, supplier reliability, and heavy competition.

Liquidation/Surplus – Some hefty profit potential exists here but so do some unwelcome obstacles such as logistics, storage, inventory control, shipping, manifests, disposal, repairs, etc.

A large number of ebay sellers swear by these methods and do very well, especially if they are in positions to easily take advantage of them. For the majority of others who are in a state of supply acquisition flux, Arbitrage is the solution.

A prolific arbitrageur can find auctions that have many characteristics which prevent them from being bid on by others. By purchasing these items and then re-selling them the proper way, there exists a significant difference between initial purchase price and the eventual resale price.

Many people have already tried ebay Arbitrage by guessing, misspellings, misplacements, or random, aimless searches but simply get lost in all the thousands of listings or just got too overwhelmed to know what to do next. A chronological step-by-step education from start to finish is what’s required to turn anyone familiar with the ebay basics into a knowledgeable and prolific arbitrageur, in a rather short period of time.

Arbitrage is best achieved though bid sniping and is the most recommended way to bid in order to guarantee a win. Among other reasons, sniping is bidding on an auction within the last few seconds of it’s close with the goal of beating other bidders to the punch before the auction closes. Many free and low cost 3rd party services are available to automate sniping so additional auctions can be found and targeted without having to babysit existing ones.

Through knowledge and practice, instincts become sharper and more accurate, and better deals are spotted more often with higher profit potential. This comes without even having to be an expert in any particular item category .

What becomes an addicting and exciting treasure hunt eventually causes one to reluctantly force themselves away from ebay and the dread of missing out on more great finds! Inventory starts growing faster than it can be resold and shipped back out - dry spells are history. It’s easy to see that Arbitrage can easily become a full time occupation.

Most of the original work, like packing, is already done. In fact, there’s really no obligation to have to leave to go anywhere. Most shippers provide supplies and the means to produce and print labels. In addition, packages sold are picked up at the same time sniped arbitrages arrive.

Many established authors of ebay manuals, tutorials, and newsletters refer to Arbitrage in several forms within portions of their work. To date, a dedicated guide strictly focusing on ebay Arbitrage itself has been missing. As a result, the author of “eBay Arbitrage – The Complete Guide to Flipping” has taken experience and practice to put together as much material as possible - in one book – about ebay Arbitrage alone.

How else can one work at their own pace, answer to nobody, and have complete control over what’s going to be sold, how much it cost, and how much profit can be made?

Copyright © 2006 Don Hoppe Jr. - Hog Mountain Wholesale, LLC

All Rights Reserved

http://auction-arbitrage.comThe Most Comprehensive System on How to Find, Buy, and Re-Sell Products on eBay for Profit.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_Hoppe_Jr.

Ebay Australia

2006-08-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

By Alastair Harris

What has made each succeeding civilization, 'civilized', is not so much the great monuments they build, empires they conquered but rather how they provided goods and services to improve the daily lifes of their citizens. Whereas previously the merchantial class was often limited to an elite thanks to the internet anyone and I mean anyone with a computer and an internet link can start their own online business.

One of the shining beacons of this new world of online commerce is ebay. Despite is being existence for a number of years and being used by millions of people the surprizing thing is the number of people who have still not given it a go. Until this year I had yet to ebay. Now its at least a weekly if not daily addiction. Why?

Firstly ebay has a number of advantages. Its a worldwide marketplace with ebay in most countries around the world. The shear number of items for sale is massive - on ebay Australia alone at any given time there are at least two millions items for sale (this doesnt' even include multiple lots). Thus the variety available is massive. If you want it, its probably for sale on ebay. Cars, collectables, clothes, gadgets, you name it. One of the few things they don't sell is animals, livestock, something I argue they should.

Another advantage is most items you can pick up at a substantial discount to the retail price. Half price and even bargins at 10% or less of the going rate. How can people make a profit selling at these rates. Well, they don't have retail overheads, no rental, storage, staff, etc and in the case of second hand stuff, they really are not too fused on the price so long as they get something. This makes ebay a great place for buyers.

Some people would think that it is then not worthwhile to sell on ebay, nothing could be further from the truth. 95% of all people on ebay are buyers, that is a great ratio. Also your only cost is the ebay listing fee and the % they take from the sale. This mean so long as you can source your product cheaply you don't need the 100%-1000% mark up the retail stores require for a profit. There are average people who have become millionaires by selling on ebay alone. Many others are making $100,000 a year. All that is required is an in demand product that you can acquire at a price that still allows a profit on ebay. Although pick up is an option on ebay, most successful items are sold via the post so have to be lighter enough and small enough to go through the post. Thats why items like mobile phones, computer games and clothes are such hot sellers.

In your own house ebay estimates you have $2000 worth of products that you no longer use and are likely to throw out. I know this is true because my wife and I sold $2500 of stuff around the house that would have been thrown out - old computer games, old baby clothes, etc. So long as you have looked after them there is no reason someone else won't get good use from them. Got unwanted gifts - convert them into cash.

I will admit that it takes a little while to learn how to list on ebay and even longer to learn all the tricks but anyone of average intellegience can do this with ease. I reccommend going in through an established banner link so that you go to the real ebay site (yes success always breeds counterfeits and frauds) see the link below and you will find an ebay banner which goes to ebay, then go the country link at the ebay site to go to your own countries site.

Why ebay rather than the many other trading sites on the net. Well firstly its size. It is currently the biggest. Secondally with paypal you have the option of a security net to protect the buyer and seller. Another advantage to ebay is that it is an established company and is not going anywhere soon. With some of the smaller trade sites thats not such sureity. Ebay also has a well defined set of rules to deal with problems. My only criticism is as a seller that you have to wait a couple of weeks to get your listing fee back from non-buyers, but I find if you ban anyone who has less than a 10 feedback this gets rid of anyone who's not a serious buyer. The feedback rating is another good ebay benefit. You can go back through a person history to determine if they are someone you want to ebay with. Not every person is suited to ebay - if you can't wait a week for the product to come in the mail, then don't ebay, if you prefer to bragg about how expensive something you brought was, then don't ebay, if you don't like searching for a bargin, then don't ebay.

http://www.getfinancialfreedom4u.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alastair_Harris

Ebay And Dropshipping, A Marriage Made In Heaven?

2006-08-09T10:01:00.000-04:00

By: Ron Keegan

Believe it or not, eBay is the 'BEST' opportunity you can use right now to make money online in the dropshipping business from the comfort of your own home.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do some research for product's you want to sell that you think will have little or no competition on eBay.

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

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

About the Author:

About the Author: Ron Keegan runs Megastar Distributors a red-hot Web Site jam-packed with lots of FREE Resources, Tips & Reports on DropShipping & eBay. Pick-up your *FREE* ebook at http://www.Megdis.com to learn more about making-money dropshipping!

Online Auction - Tips to Buy Homes

2006-08-08T10:42:00.000-04:00

By Pradeep Agarwal

Buying a home through online auction? I was scared out of my wits when I first heard about it. But gradually it dawned on me that it is not that difficult a task, as most people believe it is.

My research in online auction business in general and buying homes at online auctions in particular has resulted in innumerable points, I thought would be beneficial, if I could share with you all.

The new millennium ushered in technology at our doorstep making life comfortable to live. And to live we all need a home. With the advancement of technology, real estate business or property buying and selling over the years has undergone a dramatic change with at the click of the mouse you can see amazing homes around the country. What more, homes like any other household products are available at online auctions. The popularity of buying homes at online auctions has grown to such proportions that more and more homebuyers than ever before are buying homes at auction.

Buying a home is a tedious task, more so when it’s done at online auction. But with some meticulous planning and carefulness you could well end up buying one, which could save a lot of money, time and effort.

First and foremost, before the auction, you need to know your budget and have it in your bank account ready. Then come the location, size, and condition. It’s important to check the ownership history of the proposed home. Making comparison is a great idea, compare the cost involved with similar homes in the area, the number of rooms. Also look into the price difference due to decks, carpeting, windows and treatments.

Probably you won’t be able to make an inspection, perhaps buying home ‘as is’. If the repairs work or can’t hire it done within budget, you may not end up getting a good bargain at the end. This needs to be remembered.

And finally when you make it to auction, don’t succumb to temptations in the ‘bid war’. Stay within your budget limits. Remember you came to buy a home and make savings not to ‘defeat the other guy at bidding’. If you are not successful this time, there is always a next home next time.

Prior to actually bidding for a home at, make a check list of all the cost details including loan balance (if foreclosed), any back taxes owned, legal fee and other expenses in foreclosing the proposed property. This helps you get the facts right and know exactly the total costs involved.

Be careful and with proper planning, you could well end up getting your ‘Dream Home’ and make great savings.

Pradeep Aggarwal is the creator of Auction Spectrum the online auction hub. This site is dedicated to helping people start and run a successful online auction business by providing Internet Marketing Tools to build profit making websites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pradeep_Agarwal

Online Auctions - Discover 6 Myths Surrounding Them

2006-08-07T09:46:00.000-04:00

By Pradeep Agarwal

Online Auctions are unmistakably among the hottest e-Sourcing technologies on the Internet business today. But what exactly is an online auction anyway and what are its benefits? According to The Pocket Oxford Dictionary, fourth edition (1942), an auction is a "public sale in which articles are sold to the highest bidder." And if done on Internet it is online auction.

Online auctions create a competitive advantage because they make it relatively simple for
Procurement managers to negotiate on all corporate purchases and create better deals.

Let us see some common myths surrounding online auctions:

MYTH #1: Only very familiar, particular or consistent items can be auctioned:

The myth came into being because no one understood how to measure criteria other than price. Total cost auctions take price and no-price factors, such as delivery time or customer service, into account, and they allow a customer to weight each factor accordingly. This is only a myth because when someone with sourcing expertise takes a creative approach to defining or breaking down the item in question, that item or its components can generally be auctioned.

MYTH # 2: Auctions are only effective when there is a level playing field:

This is false since a level playing field simply doesn't exist. And, not all suppliers are alike. Face-to-face negotiations have long proven this fact. Procurement managers can now normalize for differences (e.g., customer service, warranty terms, delivery cost, etc.) using Web-based technology. In effect, these technologies measure total cost allow customers to compare apples-to-oranges.

MYTH #3: Only Internet-savvy suppliers can participate in an Online auction:

Today, the majority of legitimate suppliers have access to computers. The myth that only internet-savvy suppliers can participate in an online auction is wrong. In order to participate in an Internet based online auction, the suppliers merely need to be able to log on to the Internet, log in to a web site, and log their bids. It's just very simple. Suppliers don't have to know how to navigate the World Wide Web or use any sophisticated search engines to participate.

MYTH #4: Maximum benefits could be derived only if large number of suppliers participate:

For any online auction, competition is a must and you must create a competitive environment, no matter if the suppliers is 4 or 400. Internet auctions put the business "up for bid." Incumbents are wise to take notice. Once existing suppliers believe that the buyer really will change where he takes his business, a competitive environment is created. Thus concrete results for online auctions occur irrelevant to number of suppliers.

MYTH #5: Only products are auctioned?

Not true - in fact, services are also auctioned. Services such as Telemarketing services, Cellular phone services, Security services, and temporary labor services are all good examples. For example, a particular auction site held an auction for telemarketing services that resulted in an 18% cost reduction. The auction involved over 60 suppliers and more than 700 bids. The study shows that apart from products, services can also be auctioned.

MYTH # 6:Auctions are carried out only once in a year:

Event online auctions are generally used for categories of goods and services that require a long-term contract (say one year). These will achieve better results if auctioned year (or less). For example, a buyer may auction off the purchase of 10,000 PCs over a two-year period.

It is important for all to expand their concept of what can be auctioned, as long as the value of each item is 'elastic' enough to preclude fixed pricing. Once they have done that, the possibilities are almost endless.

Pradeep Aggarwal is the creator of Auction Spectrum the online auction hub. This site is dedicated to helping people to build Profit Pulling Websites and start and run a successful online auction business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pradeep_Agarwal

Online Auction Boom Creates Shipping Challenges

2006-08-04T10:05:00.000-04:00

(NewsUSA) - As a one-stop shop for purchasing almost anything you can think of, the online auction world is growing at an exceptional rate.

The auction site eBay, for example, has more than 100 million registered members from around the world. According to the online auction giant, it is the most popular shopping destination on the Internet.

Why are online auctions all the rage? From collectible toy trains to custom-built furniture, you can find a variety of extraordinary items not found at your local mall.

And for those putting their large, bulky or fragile goods up for bids, selling is easy compared to figuring out how to get the items shipped to their new owners.

Seeking solutions to these and other shipping hassles, many online auctioneers are turning to professional packing, crating and shipping services, such as Pak Mail Centers. They can ship anything anywhere in the world with ease.

Pak Mail Centers provide an extended menu of services. For instance, they can build custom wooden shipping crates to fit your oddly shaped, heavy or bulky items. In fact, they have been known to ship such items as church pulpits, a manhole cover and even a dinosaur egg.

Pick-up service is available at most locations. They can also provide estimated shipping costs for most items, which allows an online seller to know ahead of time how much to factor in for shipping before listing an item for auction.

And for the do-it-yourself shipper, Pak Mail Centers also carry a large selection of packaging supplies.

For more information, call (800) 778-6665 or log on to www.pakmail.com .

Online Auctions - 10 Secrets You Should Know Before Bidding

2006-08-03T15:45:00.000-04:00

By Pradeep Agarwal

Online Auctions are the best thing that has happened with the advent of Internet. It makes business online that much more easier and simple. Before you jump into the bandwagon, it is very important to know the facts about online auctions.

And the next time you decide to bid for a product or a service, do remember these vital online auctions secrets and tips.

1. Important to know the value of the product you plan to bid. Product is new? Check the price retailers are charging for it. It helps in two ways, you'll know the original cost and helps you to pay way less than the retail value, if it is old or re-conditioned.

2. To ensure that you get a good product, get the complete information and picture of the product from merchant, if the details are incomplete on the site.

3. Decide your maximum paying limit and stick to it lest you may end up caught in the 'bid war' and end up paying more than the actual cost.

4. It is always good to check a few auction sites for you may find the same product at a much lesser price in some unpopular sites simple because of the fewer number of buyers in those sites.

5. Make a note of the auction begin and end time. And the shipping time as well. This helps you to calculate the time when you want the product at a certain date.

6. Payments: Check the various payment modes the merchant offers. If checks and money orders are accepted, the delay in delivery will invariably be delayed for the payment has to clear. If the credit cards are accepted, ensure they have secure server.

7. Find out if the merchant offers a warranty or money back guarantee before the bid. Surely you don't want to be bogged down with a defective or unsatisfactory product.

8. Always good to check the track record of the merchant, if offered one. See if you can bump into any complaints from the past customers.

9. Start your auction early to convey a message to other that you're interested in the product. If someone outbid you, you do the same. Always remember your maximum bid limit.

10. The reason to know the bid time - it helps you place a last minute bid, assuming that other bidders may not have kept track of the bid time

Pradeep Aggarwal is the creator of Auction Spectrum the online auction hub. This site is dedicated to helping people start and run a successful online auction business by providing Internet Marketing Tools to build profit making websites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pradeep_Agarwal

How to Watch Items and Subscribe to Watched Item eMail Reminders

2006-07-31T10:06:00.000-04:00

By Donny Lowy

If you are a registered user on eBay you can watch up to 100 items and if you are a guest you can watch 10 items. If you are a guest on My eBay other users on the same computer system may view and delete your watched items.

For watching an item click on the link ‘watch this item’ at the top right of an item page. Click the link ‘My eBay’ available at the top of most pages to view the watch list. If you are a guest, you can have the watch list only on the computer from which you added the items. For bidding an item from your watch list click on the link ‘bid now’. You may even delete an item in your watch list by selecting the checkbox next to the item and click the ‘delete’ button.

You can get email reminders a few hours before the items come to your watch list end if you sign up to receive the same. For this you should have at least one watched item. For the sign up, go to ‘My eBay’ for guests page, click the link ‘Sign up for Watched Item emails’. Type your email id in the box and click on ‘continue’ button. After this eBay will send you an email to confirm your address. Once you fill up the instructions in this email to confirm, you will start receiving email reminders for the items in your watch list. For each new watched item in the list you need to re-confirm your email id to receive reminder for this new item. You have to be a registered member if you would want eBay to remember your email id for reminders.

Donny Lowy runs http://www.closeoutexplosion.com an online wholesale and closeout business that supplies eBay sellers, retailers, and flea market vendors.

He also manages http://www.wholesalecloseoutforum.com an online wholesale and closeout forum.

Donny can be reached at 718-389-5502.

How to Use the Immediate Payment Feature for Your Item on eBay

2006-07-28T10:59:00.000-04:00

By Donny Lowy

When you have labelled a ‘buy it now’ price for your item you would obviously want the buyer to immediately pay you. This can be done on eBay using the Paypal. This is used mostly when your item needs to be sold within a time frame, for example, football match ticket. The buyer has to know the exact figure of payment hence add all the involved cost and other seller and shipping needs.

When a buyer clicks on the ‘buy it now’ link of your listing he is instantly directed to pay through Paypal. If the buyer delays in doing the payment formalities the item remains open to other buyers to purchase. So the buyer who is able to pay fast becomes the winner of that item. And when the buyer pays, you have to ship the item. With your item having the ‘buy it now’ tag, you can use the instant payment feature on eBay with any selling format as the online auction, store inventory or fixed price.

When a bid is placed or the bid matches with your reserved price in your auction like listing, both ‘buy it now’ and immediate payment tag vanishes. The listing now becomes a regular auction-style listing and the item goes to the highest bidder. This auction-style listing ends with a higher bidder. Paypal remains the only payment mode for immediate payment option. Before the completion of payment if the listing reaches its ending time then nobody wins the item and you are free to list it again.

Donny Lowy runs http://www.closeoutexplosion.com an online wholesale and closeout business that supplies eBay sellers, retailers, and flea market vendors.

He also manages http://www.wholesalecloseoutforum.com an online wholesale and closeout forum.

Donny can be reached at 718-389-5502

How to Customize Your Invoice on eBay

2006-07-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

By Donny Lowy

You can customize your invoice and provide information using Selling Manager on eBay. When you customize your invoice you can provide your website address that gives you a chance to promote your website to your buyers. You can even add your personal logo to your invoices or an eBay store logo if you are a store seller. The personalized message to your buyers can also be added to your invoice that helps you to give your buyers a personal touch.

Example of a personalized message can be including “Merry Christmas” to your invoice during Christmas time or adding a “thank you” note for buying your product. The telephone number of yourself and the buyer can be added to the shipping label. The email address of self and the buyer can also be added to the shipping label. You can even customize by changing the default size of the paper, either the International A4 size or the US letter size. And this can be done while you are formatting all printable formats.

When you go to the ‘print’ page on eBay click on the link ‘edit invoice template’ Make the necessary changes as discussed above, like, the personal messages and logos. Click on the ‘preview’ button and when you are satisfied with the template customized by you click the ‘save template’ button to save all the changes made.

Donny Lowy runs http://www.closeoutexplosion.com an online wholesale and closeout business that supplies eBay sellers, retailers, and flea market vendors.

He also manages http://www.wholesalecloseoutforum.com an online wholesale and closeout forum.

Donny can be reached at 718-389-5502

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donny_Lowy

How Brandon Dupsky Became an eBay Internet Millionaire by Selling from his Basement

2006-07-26T10:06:00.000-04:00

By Jennifer Carter

The way Brandon Dupsky tells it, he was just an ordinary small town boy growing up in Nebraska where it was all cornfields and cattle.

In 1998 he started selling a few items from his basement – primarily his old record collection and was surprised at how much money he could make from items that were worth so little elsewhere.

Soon, Brandon was buying cheap stuff from garage sales, auctions – stuff that other people considered as junk – and selling it at a profit on eBay. As he really did live in a small town, pretty soon he had exhausted his local sources and needed to find other sources of products to sell online.

His initial approach to the local business community bombed – no-one at his local Chamber of Commerce was interested in selling off their excess stock. However, he got his first opportunity to sell online came from a local businessman who had heard his presentation and hoped to use Brandon to sell an unwanted order of spy equipment. This was his first offer and Brandon wasn’t going to turn it down!

He duly photographed the equipment which was about the size of the truck and put it up on eBay. However, he has also asked this businessman if he had any other stock that was surplus to his requirements and it just so happened that this guy had a few pieces of electronic equipment for sale. Using his eBay selling techniques, Brandon managed to sell all of these and the rest, as they say, is history!

It is a well-document piece of information that Brandon Dupsky, the boy from Nebraska, made over $8 million last year, that’s over $20,000 dollars every day.

With $86 million in sales every day on eBay, and sales increasing at over 60% per year. Not only that, but eBay is not the single largest marketplace online. No-one can afford to ignore this fast-growing internet market!

Yet, despite his success, Brandon is just a regular guy – he’s quiet and unassuming, yet speaks with a passion about his field of expertise in selling eBay products.

Brandon was speaking at the Internet Millionaire’s Protégé Bootcamp in London. You can find out more on setting up your home internet business at, visit home based internet business.

This article was submitted by Jennifer Carter, writer of How to become an Internet Millionaire.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Carter

Having A Backup Plan For The Serious eBay Seller

2006-07-25T09:42:00.000-04:00

By Mark Kenny

Not a day goes past when I here of some seller frustrated that eBay have pulled their auction listing. It is very easy to violate an eBay listing guideline without knowing, the first you’ll learn about it is when you receive an email from eBay.

If it’s a serious violation or a number of smaller repeated violated eBay can & will close down or suspend your account. Don’t be fooled into thinking they need your revenue as a seller, I know of one eBay power seller who paid close to £25,000 per year to eBay in sellers fees & had his account closed overnight.

Firstly and most importantly familiarize yourself with all the selling guidelines on eBay. By doing things right first time, you’ll be less likely to have your auctions cancelled by eBay’s safe harbour team.

But let’s image the worse case scenario, you’re an eBay trading assistant or a professional seller dependant on eBay and overnight eBay close your account, pulling all your listings in the process. Overnight your business will disappear.

Don’t fool yourself that by sticking strictly to eBay guidelines you’ll avoid the hassle. You’ll have many competitors on eBay who will try and report you at some point, even if their accusation is false your listing may be pulled by an overzealous eBay employee.

Leaving eBay listing violations alone there are still potential hazards that may jeopardize your account or account status. Negative feedback, your account being hi-jacked, even forgetting your account password could cause massive delays to your business. If you get too much negative feedback, you may want to abandon the account altogether and start afresh.

eBay does allow you to have more than one registered account as long as it using another email address, so it is essential to have at least one backup account for emergency use. Keep one registered for a spare account and also remember to consider that eBay does not use allow certain selling features (Buy-It-Now, Featured Plus) to be used until your feedback is at a certain level - normally 10 for the most widely used features. It may be worth buying a few low priced items to get your feedback to the required level.

If you are suspended from selling eBay guidelines states the following:

“Members who are suspended are prohibited from registering new accounts with eBay, or bidding or selling on eBay using any existing accounts. eBay reserves the right to suspend existing accounts as well as new accounts opened by anyone in the same household of a suspended user or by any other associates of a suspended user.”

Now I’m sure that 99% of eBay sellers, especially serious sellers (like yourself) reading this would not violate rules to a degree where your account was suspended. And I’m not recommending you to continue selling on eBay even though your were suspended.

BUT, what I will say is in the unlikely event this did happen what would you do?

You have an obligation to your clients, yourself and your business to get things back on track as soon as possible. Having an eBay account registered in the name of a distantly located friend which you can use discreetly may allow you to keep your business long enough to sort out your original problem with eBay.

Some situations can be sorted out within hours, while others carry an automatic suspension for 30 days. Now, no business can afford to stop trading for 30 days & expect to carry on when the suspension is lifted as if nothing has happened. You’ll lose credibility, you’ll lose money and most importantly you will have lost a lot of clients.

Mark Kenny, runs the AuctionCUT forum. The forum is for any eBay or related auction subject. You can also read a number of Marks other articles about Turnkey Website Opportunities here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Kenny

Finding Car Parts (on eBay Motors)

2006-07-24T09:35:00.000-04:00

By Jeff Lakie

Whether you are a backyard mechanic looking for inexpensive car parts to fill your customers' orders, or you own a body shop, or even a chain of body shops, you need to find car parts. However, car parts can be very expensive and can really bring down your profit margin. Especially, as a backyard mechanic, if you are fixing cars for family and friends with a pre-set expectation of a price range, expensive car parts can steal the few dollars you might expect to make for your trouble.

EBay can help you find inexpensive car parts. Using eBay, or some other online auction, you will likely be able to find most of the parts you're looking for at a reasonable cost. And it's a lot of fun. Here's how it works:

You'll need to sign up with eBay and with Paypal, since many people who post on eBay require payment through Paypal. It doesn't cost anything to sign up with either one of these.

Go onto eBay and search for the parts you're looking for. You might be able to find them on the main site at eBay.com (or eBay.ca if you live in Canada) or you can go directly to eBay motors, which is an automotive-specific sister site to eBay.

You can browse by the make and model of vehicle, and you may even find an entire vehicle that you can use for parts if need be.

Once you have found the kind of vehicle parts you're looking for, you'll want to make sure that you are purchasing the auto parts from a reputable seller. You can do this by looking at their feedback, which eBay posts from previous buyers. You'll also want to make sure that they ship to your area. For example, if you are buying auto parts from the US, but you live in Canada, you'll need to make sure that they ship to Canada.

Once you are satisfied that you are purchasing from a reputable buyer and that they will deliver the parts to you, you can place a bid by clicking on the "bid" button.

Part of the fun of purchasing on eBay is to watch the auction draw to a close. If someone bids higher than you, you will need to re-bid on it again if you want another chance to own it.

When the auction closes and you find that you have won, you will need to make arrangements with the seller for payment and shipping. Payment is easy with Paypal, all you need is the seller's e-mail address. Once your payment has been processed, the seller will send you the car part you bought.

The main advantage of using eBay is that it is a fun way to get parts affordably. The main disadvantage is the time factor: For example, you could bid on a part and lose it moments before the auction closes. Still, for the amount of money you could save, this might be a worthwhile option.

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Car Parts Information a website providing information on Car Parts

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Lakie

Find Bargains On Ebay And Resell Them For Profit, Great Home Business

2006-07-21T15:23:00.000-04:00

By Rachel Phillips

Running a full time home base business is difficult, especially when you are trying to give your children the attention they deserve. Most stay at home moms try too hard to balance the family life with their business, and is only thinking of the financial part instead of setting up a plan from the beginning.

This is the reason that so many mothers choose to work at home.
They want to establish some type of financial standings while still being able to watch over their children. Making money online can be a great idea for stay at home moms. It provides a flexible schedule as well as the benefit of little commuting. Some examples of great ways to make money online are: owning a home business, completing surveys, freelancing, and reading emails. Providing mothers with the best ways to make an income online, these opportunities put money into moms' pockets.

Owning an online business can be difficult, but if a person is dedicated it can be very beneficial. Even though these businesses are not an easy task, they will still provide moms enough time with their children. There are many businesses to choose from. Some of the businesses require a fee to provide you with a product to sell. Others, such as Cognigen, will provide products and a website for free, but the promotion of that website can be very time consuming and the effort fruitless if you don't know the in's and out's of website optimization and promotion.

Another interesting way for moms to earn some extra cash is by selling items on Ebay. The trouble is, eventually, the garage is neat and tidy and the attic cleaned out and you have no more items to sell. A little known technique is by buying items on Ebay at rock bottom prices and reselling them for a profit. The catch is to be able to find and buy those items at a lowball price. One way is to find items where the item title has been misspelled in one way or another. Many people post items for sale on eBay and end up making a spelling mistake in the title description.

Unfortunately, at this time, Ebay doesn't offer a way to search for auctions with typo's in the title, so many of the auctions close with few or no bids. The good news is, there is now a free online tool (www.typotool.net) you can use to search for and find these hidden gems.

By using this you will be able to find hidden items at eBay, that you wouldn't have found otherwise by using the eBay search tools. And if no-one can find it then you'll be able to buy it at a bargain price.

You may share or reprint this article so long as no text and/or links have been altered.

Rachel has been involved with the internet marketing business part time for three years. After quitting twice, she finally had some success marketing, and is moving full speed ahead...

Try the new Ebay typo tool at http://www.typotool.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Phillips

Everyone Should Sell on eBay

2006-07-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

By John Thornhill

Many online entrepreneurs focus their efforts on their own websites exclusively. Others may also utilize affiliate programs, ezines, and other tactics to increase online business. Those who want to make a living online, however, should never forget to try to find a component of their overall strategy that can be conducted via eBay.

No other online marketplace compares to eBay in terms of size and scope. It is a market that simply cannot be overlooked. The sheer number of potential customers that can be reached via eBay cannot be matched by any other site or service. Any online seller wants to get his or her product or service in front of as many prospects as possible. Ebay is a great way to do just that. The level of potential exposure is beyond compare.

Additionally, eBay has developed so as to allow sellers to list products in a variety of niche categories, allowing for great prospect targeting. Those who want to find the kind of thing one is selling will find it. Meanwhile, the seller is not required to pay for views by people who have no potential interest in their offerings. Targeted marketing is a key to success and few buying venues allow for the level of targeting provided by eBay.

Everyone is familiar with eBay on some level. Its huge member base and remarkable influence have made it instantly recognizable to millions of people. With that level of awareness also comes a level of trust. Many people who would be reluctant to spend anything at an unknown website are more than willing to make purchases through eBay as a byproduct of their familiarity with the site.

Many of those who use eBay tend to rely on it almost exclusively for online purchases. The ease of the site’s use and its popularity has created an entire marketplace of people who are eBay-only buyers. Those who fail to sell on eBay never have an opportunity to access this potential market.

When one considers the ease of use involved in selling on eBay all of these advantages are multiplied. Setting up a seller’s account is incredibly simple and does not require a great deal of time or effort. The price of listing auctions on eBay is also quite limited. This makes use of the system even more attractive.

Those who are involved in online business must consider eBay when concocting their sales and marketing strategies. To overlook this giant is an error of the largest magnitude. There are few other ways to have such potential reach available for such a low cost so quickly. Many who never felt their efforts would translate effectively into the eBay marketplace have been pleasantly surprised at its strength as a revenue producing component of their business. If you have something to sell online, you simply cannot afford to leave eBay out of your overall marketing and business strategy.

Copyright 2006 John Thornhill

John Thornhill is an eBay powerseller and trades on eBay under the username planetsms. If you really want to succeed on eBay with information products visit http://www.planetsms.co.uk/member_offer.htm.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Thornhill

Ebay Your Way To Residual Income For Life

2006-07-18T09:43:00.000-04:00

By Tommy Moore

Up unto now that's probably where it all ends. You mail the packages off to the winners and start working on your next listings if you haven't already. Pretty routine right? Now, if you're industrious, you may include a business card displaying your website or maybe you even include a catalogue so that each winner may purchase from you again in the future.

Good thinking! But, how about taking it a step further and making an attempt to earn residual income for life from each winner! In case you weren't aware, the "Work At Home" market is exploding right now! Every day, more and more people are looking for ways to work from the comfort of their own homes, commute less and spend more time with their kids and families. Since you are an Ebay seller yourself, it should be easy for you to place yourself in their shoes.

There are numerous "Work At Home" opportunities out there that are legitimate, offer pre-made websites, have free training, provide many powerful sales tools like DVD's, brochures, flyers and business cards that do nearly all of the selling for you. All you would need to do is include a promotional business card or flyer in each package you send out and let these tools do the rest. What have you got to lose? You're sending the packages anyway!

The key to "Ebaying Your Way To Residual Income For Life" is choosing the right "work at home" opportunity, preferably one that has a nice commission structure, pays residual income for multiple levels, (meaning you get paid for anyone who signs up under anyone who is signed up directly under you), also known as "tiers". A "Work At Home" opportunity that provides a way to earn "Multiple Streams of Residual Income" is ideal because now instead of just receiving one check for each person you enlist, you are receiving many.

Now you're ready to make even more money from your auctions! Seek out work at home opportunities and start including the provided sales literature inside your packages and before you know it, you'll be receiving residual income checks in the mail like clockwork. My next article will go into detail on how to select the right "residual building" work at home opportunities for this type of promotion so stay tuned!

If you just can't wait, you can view my personal list of proven residual income building programs at http://www.bricktowntom.com/ebayers, along with a free 154 page eBook, "eBay Secrets Revealed, my personal list of wholesalers and dropshippers, ebay sellers research tools and more

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tommy_Moore

Ebay Drop Ship Business - An Innovative Method to Add Profits from Auctions

2006-07-17T09:59:00.000-04:00

By: Sherry Frewerd

An Ebay drop ship business is a great way for new home business entrepreneurs to get their feet wet with working from home. Selling online has become one of the easiest ways to earn extra income. Websites like Ebay, Yahoo Shopping and many others allow individuals to become online auction sellers. The majority of sellers on eBay are homemakers, college students, and even people who work fulltime but sell their products during their spare time.

Selling on Ebay has become more popular because the costs involved for selling in the basic auction format are minimal, as is setting up an Ebay store. With increasing cost of living expenses, people all over the country are looking for ways to make some extra cash, and since practically everyone has access to the internet, selling via online auctions has become the choice method for selling online.

Once an individual has sold all of the ‘collectibles’ and other stuff they no longer need in their home, how can they still find items to sell online that people want? Drop shipping is a great alternative to traditional wholesale buying. Wholesale buying is when you purchase items at wholesale prices then sell and ship them to your customers. When you utilize drop shipping instead, you do not have to purchase products to sell upfront, and you never have to stock merchandise or ship them to customers. It’s all done by the drop ship resource that you’re working with. Often times, your customer never knows that you use a drop ship supplier because the company will ship using your company name or the term ‘distribution center’ will show on the return label.

With drop shipping, practically anyone can start an online auction business with Ebay or other auction resource. Drop shipping as a merchandise supply source can be very lucrative, and many sellers have become ‘power sellers’ and are very often able to quit their jobs and support themselves totally from auction sales. Risks are minimal if you find a good supplier that you can work with. Keep in mind that like any online business, there are good drop ship suppliers as there are lemons. Thorough research is required to sort through all of the thousands of options available online.

Selling online via auctions is an easy way to supplement or replace your income once you have done the foot work and get the ball rolling. Many stay at home moms are making a good living selling children’s clothing and toys. There are worlds of options available to a motivated person. Get your feet wet with online auctions by using a drop ship supplier.

Article by:

Sherry Frewerd is an avid online auction seller, and has experience developing money-making websites to help your online auction business soar. Learn more about building your professional website yourself and get your hands on free e-books and reports at ‘Website Building Mom’ websitebuildingmom.com

Top 10 Reasons Why EBay Auctions Fail

2006-07-15T16:39:00.000-04:00

By Ricky Lim

Is your ebay auction not attracting any bidders? Do you find it difficult to sell your items with so many competitors. Then you need to take a look at the list below of the top 10 reasons why auctions fail.

1. High Starting Price

Many ebay buyers are looking for a good deal on ebay. If you fixed your price too high, you are probably scaring them away. They will not even look at your auction. Try to lower your starting bid each time the auction fails.

2. Ebay Buyers Can't Find You

With millions of listings on ebay with thousands added each day, buyers may not be able to find your auction listing. That is why your auction title is so important since most buyers only uses basic search function.

3. No Picture

Humans beings are visual animals. We tend to be attracted by images. So it is important to insert an image for every auction you list. Buyers like to see what it is they are bidding on even if they already know the product well.

4. Reserve Price

Putting a reserve price sometimes scares potential buyers away. Try not to have a reserve price if possible.

5. Bad Presentation

The presentation of your auction needs to be professional. Get a free auction templates from ebay or on the internet. Make it easy to read your auction by choosing a light colored background and 12 size black font.

6. Bad Spelling and Grammar

Run a spelling checker before you list your auction. A bad spelling or grammer auction makes you look bad and doesn't inspire the buyers' confidence in you.

7. High Shipping Cost

Do not overcharge your shipping costs. Most buyers will be able to know if you overcharge pretty easily by using the shipping calculator provided by ebay. A small handling charge is reasonable.

8. Low Feedback

Are you just starting out selling on ebay? If so, it may be quite difficult to sell your auction. My advice is to get your feedback rating up to at least 20. You can buy some cheap items to increase your feedback. It will be easier for you to sell then.

9. No Payment Options

Paypal is far the most acceptable form of payment on ebay. If you do not have it, go and get it. There are also other payment processor such as 2checkout, nochex but they are not integrated into ebay like paypal. Your customers may not know how to pay through those.

10. Don't respond To Questions

There will be times when buyers have questions regarding your auction. You should try to respond as soon as possible or within 24 hours. Take too long and your buyers will run off to buy your competitor's product.

There you have it. This is my list of top 10 reasons why auctions fail to get any bidders. Of course there are other reasons as well which I will highlight on my website but if you can eliminate the points I mentioned in your auction, then you should be able to get bidders.

Ricky Lim is a ebay seller who has been quietly earning a comfortable living online. Visit his site for more ebay selling secrets and strategies
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Lim

eBay's Powerseller Spyware - A Guide to Spying on Powersellers and High Volume Sellers

2006-07-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

By Chris Yarbrough

For anyone who’s ever wondered just how much money a powerseller can make on eBay, there is good news; eBay has a built in spy program. This brief guide will show you how to access the proper pages on eBay to start the spy software, and further, how to use it to identify hot products and price points.

To start with head over to eBay and pick a product you are interested in researching. If you are drawing a blank, type in the following: Gateway. This will pull up several thousand listings. You’ll want to narrow that down a bit. On the left-hand side of the screen is a menu called “matching categories”. Click on the top category which is “Computers and Networking.”

After you have pulled up this category move over to the right-hand side of eth screen and click the button “sort by.” Highlight the option “Price: Highest First.” This will rearrange the listings by price. After the screen has refreshed, scroll down to the page until the vast majority of the listings are laptop and desktop systems. Most of these will be priced from $600 to $1000. Take a close look at the pictures. Ignore any listings that look like they were photographed on a kitchen table, and chose one that looks like a stock photo. Click the auction.

Check the seller’s feedback; the higher the better. You are looking for someone who sells, or at least lists, a lot of items. A powerseller with a high feedback number would be ideal. Under the sellers name is a small menu. Click the button marked “View seller’s other items.” If there is only one item listed, find another seller. Once you’ve found a seller whom you would like to spy on scroll down the menus on the right-hand side until you find one called “Search Options.” The fifth box down in this menu is called “Completed Listings.” Check the box and click the button marked “Show Items” located a little further down.

The next screen that comes up shows completed listings from this seller. The listings with green prices are completed listings, and the red are listings that expired unsold. Take a look at what the seller has had success selling, and the price points. In addition, pay attention to the shipping and handling charges. Once you have finished looking over this sellers sales, chose a few more sellers and do the same thing.

Using this simple guide is the easiest way to determine exactly who is selling what, and for how much. This is one of the most detailed looks at eBay selling, and the best part about it is, it’s free. There is no need to pay a company a monthly fee to tell you what’s hot, and what’s not. You can determine this for yourself using eBay’s tools. While it is unlikely this was eBay’s intended use for this feature, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

Chris Yarbrough writes for Ebay Guides, a free resource site with hundreds of articles and guides. You can view his guides at http://www.ebay-guides.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Yarbrough

eBay Motors : Buy or Sell a Car on eBay

2006-07-13T10:06:00.000-04:00

By John Lenaghan

Are you having trouble finding a great deal on a car in your local area? Well, join the club. Using Online Bidding at eBay Motors can be the perfect answer you’ve been looking for. More and more people are discovering every day how perfectly easy it is to purchase large items over the internet, including cars and other motor vehicles. Skip the runaround you’re going to get at the local car dealer, and start saving money now when you buy and sell eBay.

A car auction on eBay Motors works just like any other eBay auction. You search for what you’re looking for using eBay’s great search engine, then peruse the list of online auctions that look as though they may be offering what you’re looking for. Once you see something that strikes your fancy, you can give it a closer look by examining the listing for the vehicle that you’re interested in.

If the seller has prepared properly, you’ll see in-depth descriptions and well taken photographs that show the item from every angle. You then have a chance to start to bid on whatever items you are interested in bidding on.

Sell Your Vehicle with an eBay Auto Auction

Do you have a car or truck that you want to sell? You might want to take a look at selling it on eBay Motors. You can reach many, many more people, than you can using traditional car sales methods, such as newspaper listings and large used car dealerships. Some people even make their livings entirely off of selling cars on-line.

eBay Motors is the largest seller of used cars in the United States. You can reach people across town or across the country, which would be next to impossible using traditional methods of selling a car. Would you rather park it in front of your house for the people driving by to see, or park it on eBay where millions of people “drive by” every day?

John Lenaghan writes about eBay and other online auctions for the Online Auction Advisor website, where he writes about things such as dropshippers, how to make money on eBay and many other auction-related topics.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Lenaghan

eBay Feedback : How to Grow It and Keep Positive Feedback for Your Business

2006-07-13T10:05:00.000-04:00

By Avril Harper

Positive feedback is vital for growing a business and good reputation on eBay, especially when building feedback to sell BUY IT NOW or open a shop on eBay. Bad feedback can be avoided, even removed, read on to learn how.

eBay Feedback is the process where buyers and sellers rate one another based on actual trading experience. If the transaction is good you can expect positive feedback from buyers and sellers. Neutral feedback indicates room for improvement; negative feedback denotes an unacceptably flawed transaction –

Usually!

I say ‘usually’ because things don’t always go according to plan. Feedback is subjective – some people are more easily pleased than others, some more forgiving while some are more honest. I have seen positive feedback left by people who haven’t even received their product yet, and negative from others who just enjoy being cruel or haven’t even paid the seller. Jealousy, bad hair days, downright nastiness, all contribute to negative feedback which few sellers can avoid.

Positive feedback is vital for growing a business and good reputation on eBay, especially when building feedback to sell BUY IT NOW or open a shop on eBay. Feedback – positive and negative (neutral doesn’t count for % rating) is represented as a proportion of overall feedback. So the lower your feedback rating, the higher the impact negative feedback has, unlike PowerSellers with, say, 10,000 feedbacks, for whom one more negative has little or no effect.

Once feedback is given, even in the heat of the moment, it can’t be changed, so a negative stays with you for life. That’s more or less what eBay says, but the reality is different. Feedback can be retracted by mutual consent (learn more via ‘Feedback’ in your eBay account) and via firms like SquareTrade – www.squaretrade.com – who mediate between members to remove negatives.

It's vitally important to understand why people leave negative feedback and take steps to avoid these most common reasons:

* Delay in sending product. ‘Delay’ for some people is more than a day between paying and receiving their product, for most three or four days is acceptable. Seven days is too long. If there is a delay, be upfront about it, write to buyers, apologize and give an explanation and revised delivery date.

* Sending product badly wrapped. Pack products carefully, using bubble wrap or padded bags. It can be expensive but you are allowed to add packing charges to postal costs.

* Not sending product at all. More than three negatives for this will get you suspended or barred from eBay. Not sending a product is inexcusable and you should only list items you already have or can easily obtain.

* Item not as described. Describe items as carefully and comprehensively as possible and always include a message like: ‘Item described to the best of our ability. Money back on all items with inadvertent listing mistakes or errors.’

* Not answering emails. Often the problem isn’t yours, the other person may have spam filters preventing your email getting through, often they just don’t check before leaving negative feedback. An estimated one-third of emails miss their intended destination, mainly due to spam filters.

But most PayPal letters make it through spam filters and they’re rarely missed by people who’ve binned many of your earlier communications. Virtually everyone opens emails saying ‘There’s money in your PayPal account’. Poor communications can be solved by sending a small amount of money via PayPal with a message ‘You have spam filters in place, contact me asap’. Or similar. Be careful, remember the recipient of money usually pays PayPal a transaction fee. Not so where you partially refund someone paying you through PayPal. Do this by entering the appropriate transaction within your PayPal account, scroll down to ‘refund’, pay a small amount back. The recipient won’t pay but he will get your message. Don’t refund by PayPal for buyers paying you by cheque or cash. They will be charged. The exception is where you send a token amount, plus PayPal charge, to the recipient.

* Charging high postage and trying to make more money that way. You can charge extra for packing and processing but be realistic. Don’t charge $10 for a package costing $3 to post and $2 for packing materials. It's unprofessional and will earn negative feedback and complaints to eBay.

* In retaliation for leaving negative feedback for other eBayers. This is the most common reason for negative feedback and something you must learn to live with. If you're honest and leave negative feedback to warn other buyers and sellers against a member you consider dishonest or untrustworthy you will get negatives. You must decide if warning others is worth the red mark!

* Just Because! You will never please them all and it isn’t worth your time trying.

Getting Good, Avoiding Bad and Managing Problem Feedback

* Retaliatory negative feedback is the most worrying aspect of all for serious business eBayers who, though they know it’s their duty to warn other sellers about undesirable customers, are often too afraid of incurring negatives in return. I only give feedback when it’s already been left for me. In my listings and compliments slip I say: ‘If you have a problem email us at myemailaddress and we’ll sort it out right away. Otherwise, leave feedback to let us know your product has arrived in good order and we will reciprocate within 24 hours.’

* ‘Reciprocate’ is the important word, and if someone leaves positive feedback we normally leave the same; if they leave neutral or negative we contact them to ask why. If we consider reciprocal neutral or negative feedback is warranted, that’s what they get. To my mind it is totally, totally wrong to leave neutral or negative feedback for anyone without first trying to resolve the problem. In this case our negative or neutral feedback isn’t retaliatory, it’s simply to warn other sellers about the buyer’s lack of care and communications skills.

* You can pre-approve bidders, allowing you to sell purely to individuals who have no negative feedback themselves and don’t leave it unnecessarily for others. You might get people to email you before bidding, you check them out, you approve or bar them from bidding. Personally, I can’t see the point.

* You can cancel bids or forbid certain people from bidding. Visit eBay’s Feedback Forum for lots of advice and comments from seasoned sellers.

* A friendly, considerate disposition, and the ability to handle difficult people, all help avoid the ‘Big N*’ which can seriously damage your business. (*Negative feedback!!!). Now let us get real, bear in mind the bigger you get, the more items you sell, the more negatives you might genuinely earn, and the more difficult people you will encounter. Be careful, considerate, communicate.

Learn from earned negative feedback, try to avoid undeserved complaints, and learn to live with whatever else happens.

Avril Harper is a triple eBay PowerSeller and editor of eBay Confidential and webmaster of http://www.publishingcircles.com. She has produced a free guide - 103 POWERSELLER TIPS - which you can download with other free to distribute reports and ebooks at http://www.toppco.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avril_Harper

EBay Buying: How Poor Spelling Delivers Great Bargains

2006-07-11T11:05:00.000-04:00

By Keith Longmire

If you ever want to sell anything on Ebay Auctions make sure you take the time to read the excellent guidance published by Ebay itself.

Fairly high up the list is the pretty commonsense idea that, before you commit to posting your advertisement, you spell check it thoroughly.

Commonsense?

You’d certainly be forgiven for thinking so. But strangely, many people choose to ignore it.

The great news for you, as a street wise ebay buyer, is that this inattention to detail can be source of some incredible bargains.

How so?

Well let’s imagine you want to buy an Armani suit. Chances are you are going to spell Armani correctly. In fact, the chances are most people searching for Armani will use the correct spelling. As Armani is a very famous and popular brand there will be lots of people viewing each of the suits on offer on EBay. Competition will be tight. Prices will be high.

Now a little time ago I had a ferret around on EBay. I found the following spellings for Armani (not all for suits):

Amani

Amarni

Amarne

Armane

Armanie

I am sure if I had spent a little more time that I would have found many more spelling variations.

So what?

Well if most people looking to buy Armani products use the correct spelling, yet sellers occasionally get their spelling wrong, it stands to reason that the auctions using the mis-spelt versions will get fewer visitors. Fewer visitors mean less competition. And, all things being equal, fewer visitors mean lower prices.

Finding mis-spelt words is easy. You can take the easy but time consuming option of just trying a few variations for yourself. To get started this is almost certainly the best option.

However, it’s not true to say there are always bargains hidden in mis-spelt words. Searching out the tastiest morsels would require patience and persistence. Not surprisingly therefore, there are a number of software packages that search out the mis-spellings for you. As you get more advanced you will certainly want to check out one or 2 packages with this feature.

Anyone for Gucci, Guichi, Guiggi,…?

Keith Longmire is extremely enthusiastic about EBay Buying. He has collated his research on his Ebay Buying Blog Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Longmire

Ebay Business Opportunity - Man or Mouse - Get Out of the RAT RACE

2006-07-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

By Maisy Day

What is it about running a business that fears many people - is it the initial start up cost, is it not knowing the business basics or is it the thought of the financial freedom that comes with it because that is exactly what you get after involving yourself with the Ebay Business Opportunity. Financial freedom is there for the taking if you want it.

Two of the fear factors mentioned above are partially behind why people choose to ignore the Ebay Business Opportunity. Not knowing how to run a business and worry about start up costs can be put to the back of your mind right now if you crave financial freedom. This is definitely a win win situation if you want it to be.

There are no large amounts of money to hand over to start up and as for knowledge - well you learn as you go along. This is exactly how other Ebay entrepreneurs began and are still reaping in the rewards
The Ebay Business Opportunity is not just for the hungry who have decided enough is enough and wants out of the rat race - it is also a second income for many people on a budget.

Remember the Ebay Business Opportunity is a risk free venture so what are you waiting for - all that is required from you is sheer determination and a little time. Any knowledge on how to run your Ebay business can be found through the Ebay support system or from fellow Ebay members. Beginners gather information by visiting the forums. You will find many Ebay entrepreneurs willing to share what they know with you but remember if you are competition for them then you may not get the help you need. The internet is larger than life so what you need to know can be found elsewhere online.

If you are new to the Ebay Business Opportunity and money is your biggest worry then fret not - have a trial run selling second hand goods that you may have stored in the loft, attic or garage. What you see as trash will bring in cash. So before you go discarding any old items for the refuse man think on how it may be of use to someone else.

The cost to list items on Ebay can vary thus depending on the size of the item you are selling - for example if it be a car then expect to pay more than that of a salt and pepper set. Your dummy run at selling for the first time can include book sales even an e-book on a hobby of yours - the list is endless as to what you can sell. The Ebay Business Opportunity will have restrictions and guidelines on certain articles or items they allow to be sold on the auctions - as in i.e. offensive materials etc.

What other business besides the Ebay Business Opportunity gives you the chance to change the way you live without taking away your second income if you are already holding down a couple of jobs to make ends meet.

Secrets are best kept to yourself but not at http://www.ebay.webinputbiz.com
Lifes a laugh a minute http://www.jesterminute.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maisy_Day

Buying e-Books on eBay

2006-07-07T11:13:00.000-04:00

By Joseph Then

eBay is the world's online marketplace, that enables a diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses to trade on a local, national and international basis. Founded in September 1995, eBay provides a platform for the sale of goods and services to more than 135 million registered members from all around the world.

Globally, eBay has more than 44 million items listed for sale at any one time, and an additional 4 million items are added daily. There are more than 50,000 categories including collectibles, antiques, sports memorabilia, computers, IT and office, art, antiques, toys, dolls, stamps, comics, magazines, music, pottery, glass, photography, electronics, jewelry and e-books.

Electronic books or e-Books are texts designed to be read solely on a computer screen using proprietary hardware devices, or multipurpose fixed or portable PCs, or palmtops. They provide texts that take up no space beyond that on the hard-drive you store them on, and can be transmitted through a network. The greatest advantage of e-Books is that you can access the relevant information at the press of a button.

Buying e-Books on eBay is easy. However, you need to know some basic things about shopping on eBay. You can get help from e-Books like eBay Bargain Shopping for Dummies by Marsha Collier that offer help to those who want to cash in on the amazing bargains that eBay veterans have found for years. She shares the secrets on outwitting and outbidding the competition, allowing you to find mega-discounts on everyday items.

You can order e-Books online and they will be delivered electronically to your computer. So you save money with no shipping, no taxes, and the lowest prices. You could visit
e-BookMall that has the world’s largest selection of quality e-Books. Or go to Gemstar e-Books that give a new meaning to the term light reading. They have powerful electronic features such as a built-in dictionary, word search, and touch screen for notes, highlighting and bookmarks.

Instant e-Books install instantly and are ready to use with no additional software or eReaders needed. Plus, you can find many free articles and the most useful e-books written by the best eBay gurus. You can also learn the best tips, source your products and learn how to receive payments with PayPal.

Buying e-Books on eBay is a different ballgame altogether. You can order e-Books from the convenience of your home and have them delivered to you instantly. What could be happier news for book lovers anywhere in the world!

Joseph Then operates an ebookstore on eBay and has more than 300+ ebooks priced from $0.23 and above. You can visit us eBay store at: http://stores.ebay.com/NKTHEN-eBooks-Enterprises

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Then

Billion Dollar eBay Products – They're More Common Than You Think

2006-07-07T11:12:00.000-04:00

By Matt Bacak

Ebay does a massive amount of business on a global level every day. Last year, in fact, eBay sold 38 billion dollars worth of goods and services. 14% of all transactions that take place online are done via eBay's auctions. 45,000 people buy products through eBay every day, and it's only growing as eBay expands and enters new markets. Ebay provides a tremendous amount of opportunity to all people of an entrepreneurial mindset.

So what are people buying on eBay?

The truth is that people are buying anything and everything. Of source, there are some markets that are more popular than others. The billion dollar business takes place in the following categories:

· Clothing. In eBay land, an article of clothing sells every three seconds. Much of this clothing is gently used, bought on clearance, or has been sitting in a closet for years. Power Sellers usually buy wholesale and sell below retail.

· Electronics. This covers a lot of technology - televisions, broken equipment for parts, outdated computers. A digital camera sells every minute on eBay - an important thing to know if you're constantly upgrading your own technology at home.

· Collectibles. This is the niche lover's dream. Avid collectors of antiques, artifacts, pop culture, and even used dental equipment swarm to eBay to compete over the next addition to their collection.

· Jewelry. People buy costume jewelry, handcrafted jewelry, wedding bands, precious stones and antiques. The profit margin is usually much better than you will get at an estate sale or pawn shop.

· Sporting goods. Every day somebody throws in the towel and gets rid of that unused ab cruncher, weight bench, or boxing gloves. There always seems to be somebody else that is eager to take that sport or activity on themselves.

· Cars. This is the top grossing category on eBay by far. Ebay sells more cars in a morning than most car dealers sell in a year. This is why many car dealers are taking their hard-to-sell trade-ins and auctioning them off on eBay. Other car sellers on eBay have turned their fixer-upper mentality into a profit by going to local government auctions, replacing parts, and then auctioning the car off to the highest bidder.

No matter what you're selling on eBay, there is a market for your product. These categories will give you an idea of where the most common profits come from, but don't think that you can't carve a niche out in a different category. There is plenty of room to develop, and test, new products on eBay and find your own spot in the market. Just do your research, be creative in your marketing, and make sure your auctions have good descriptions and accurate pictures. And if something isn't selling, you can always change to a new category or change your product lines. In many cases, you can actually change your entire focus overnight! How many offline retailers can do that?

Matt Bacak, Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host became a "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to Retire From Your Job This Year and Still Make More Money Than the Average Medical Doctor... You Can Do It

Once You Know the Proven Steps Outlined here! ==> http://www.internetmillionairemind.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Bacak

Bidding And Buying On EBay: Bonus Or Bogus?

2006-07-06T11:41:00.000-04:00

By Ron King

You're undoubtedly heard about people getting great deals on items they bought through eBay. If you're a bit envious and ready to try your hand, here's your chance to learn more.

Exactly What Is An eBay?

It's an online auction website, in fact the biggest one in the world. You know how an auction works -- someone puts up something they want to sell and then buyers come along and place bids on it. The highest bid wins the item.

Being an online auction makes eBay a bit different, though. eBay accepts almost any item, no matter how small, and will then advertise it on their sites all over the world.

How Does Bidding On eBay Work?

Bidding on eBay is a little more complex than a normal auction. On eBay, you enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for an item, and then eBay places the bids on your behalf. You could enter a maximum bid of $100 for something, and end up paying only $25, if that was sufficient to win.

The best introduction to eBay is to dive in and give it a try. First, you need to go to the eBay website for your country. If you don't know the address, just go to www.ebay.com and you will find it. Once you have the front page of your country's website, you should see a big box marked "esearch." Just type into the box anything that you'd like to buy.

When you enter an item, say an opal ring, the website gives you a list of opal rings for sale, along with how much people are currently bidding for them, and the time when bidding ends for that item. Click on each of the listed items, and you can read the description. If you find an item you want, and are willing to pay more than the current highest bidder, then it's time to enter the fray.

How Can I Buy What I Want?

On the item's description page, scroll down to the bottom and type the maximum you are willing to pay into the box. Then click the "eplace bid" button. At this point you will need to sign in, or go through a quick registration process if you are new.

eBay will let you know if someone else's maximum bid on that item is higher than yours, and you'll have an opportunity to change your bid. Otherwise, you're now the new highest bidder! You can sit back and wait until the end of the auction. Meanwhile, if someone else outbids you, eBay will notify you by email, and you can revise your bid.

Sounds like a fun shopping experience, doesn't it? Well, if you're ready, it's time to jump into the eBay.

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

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_King

Beginning eBay User's Challenge – How to Start Selling Your Stuff Tonight

2006-07-05T10:02:00.000-04:00

By Matt Bacak

Unless you've been living in a hole for the past ten years, you've heard some wild eBay success stories. There was the woman who sold a grilled cheese sandwich that had a burn stained in the shape of the Virgin Mary. (Not only sold it, but grossed a whopping $25,000 for it!) Another man sold a wedding dress way above cost after modeling it on eBay, mostly because of his angry tirade against his ex. Every week, there is another eBay story that seems stranger than the next - usually involving huge sums of money that makes you want to shake your head and ask, “Why would anybody spend money on that?”

While the occasional oddity on eBay creates a great news story, the truth is that millions of items are listed every day in every category - from the mundane to the outright strange. In 2005, it was reported that over 740,000 people had launched their own business using eBay. They're living the American dream. Who are these brilliant people? Single moms, self-publishers, garage sale junkies, retired folks, information brokers, real estate agents, high school dropouts, students, people with disabilities… And just about everyone else! EBay has created a marketplace where there is room for just about anybody. With over 50 million members, there is a market for just about anything to turn a profit. (Not just the ones that find divinity in their kitchen…)

The thing that seems to hold most people back from starting an eBay business is fear or doubt. Most people don't believe that they have anything to sell. They think it can't be simple enough to do in their spare time. They think they don't have the skills, the products, or the expertise to put their stuff online.

This simply negative thinking packaged as skepticism. EBay has grown up a lot since the days of the beanie baby collectors. If you have something to sell, eBay is the place you can find somebody to sell it to. And you can do it tonight!

One man's junk is another man's treasure. It's a cliché, but it rings true. Don't believe me? Take a look on eBay. Type something you would never buy (short of actual trash) into the search engine. EBay buyers are a strange bunch - a quick look on eBay will show you auctions where people buy broken equipment, not-so-gently-used shoes, empty plastic containers and stained clothing. People buy things that Goodwill would throw away. You probably wonder why. So do I! The truth is, it doesn't matter WHY anyone buys your stuff on eBay. All you need to know is that they will.

Here's my challenge to you. If you're considering starting an eBay business, but you're afraid you will fail, for any reason, it's time to set yourself straight. Walk through your house and think about what is in your garage, your attic, or your basement that you simply haven't had the time or will to get rid of. Take a decent photograph with a digital camera, write an accurate description and headline (after your spell check) and put the auction up for a week. Start it out at a few cents. Don't use bold or anything too fancy. (A counter might be handy, though, to see how many people are looking.)

Do this every day for a week. (If you only list one item, you may think it's a fluke if it sells...)Watch the prices go up. Remember that you're selling stuff that you don't think anyone would want to buy. At the end of the week, count your profits. Do you still think that there's no way you can make a living off of eBay? Imagine the results if you're selling something that people actually “want to buy”!

Matt Bacak, Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host became a "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to Retire From Your Job This Year and Still Make More Money Than the Average Medical Doctor... You Can Do It
Once You Know the Proven Steps Outlined here! ==> http://www.internetmillionairemind.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Bacak

Ebay Drop Ship Business - An Innovative Method to Add Profits from Auctions

2006-07-04T12:01:00.000-04:00

Ebay – A Great Way To Create Your Own Business

2006-07-04T11:58:00.000-04:00

By: Nell Taliercio

If you have been looking for a way to make some money from home, you have probably come across the idea of selling things on eBay. You can start an eBay business to make a little extra money to finance the family vacation, or you can turn it into a full-time business that pays all your bills, and more.
Getting started with making money on eBay is pretty simple.

To start with you will need to create an eBay account as well as a Paypal account to make and more importantly receive payments.

Ebay uses a feedback rating system that allows buyers and sellers to indicate and comment on how the transaction went. One of your first tasks of your new eBay business should be to get your first few ratings in. Since the rating applies to both buyers and sellers, you can start by purchasing small everyday items that you would have bought anyway through eBay to get your rating up.

Make sure you pay promptly and when you are ready to start selling make sure your customer service is excellent and your products are what your buyer is expecting from the description or better. You should have a great feedback score in no time, which will go a long way when it come to earning the trust of potential buyers.

The first few items that you put up for sale can simply be things you have laying around the house. Dig through your closet, your bookshelves and that stack of old CDs and DVDs that’s collecting dust. Before you know it you will have a great stack of things to get your eBay business off the ground without spending any money. From here you can start visiting yard sales, or look through the sales racks of stores such as GAP.

Your next step will be to do a little research on eBay to get a feel for how you should set up the auction and how much you can expect each item to fetch. EBay will let you look at recent completed auctions. Take advantage of this great free learning tool. Click on the advanced search link and check the box that says “Completed Listings Only”. You can then enter the search term, what category to look for, what country the item should be listed in etc.

Hit search and you will see all the completed auctions of this item in the last few weeks. Pay attention to which auctions made the most. When where they listed, for how long. What title did they use, what description, what picture. Can you see anything else that distinguishes this auction from the ones that did not do so well? Study the listings and you will quickly pick up on things you can do to make the most of your auctions.

Now it’s time to get your feet wet with your first few auctions. Just jump in there. EBay’s step by step listing system makes it easy and fast. Repeat what’s working for you and continue to keep an eye out for those completed auctions that did well. You’ll be off to a great start.

Article by:
For more ebay tips, suggestions, advice, articles and resources head over to www.mommysplace.net

10 Things You Never Thought to Buy on eBay

2006-06-30T10:07:00.000-04:00

By Jessica Roop

I have to admit, sometimes I get teased by friends or family for what I buy on eBay. There is very little I purchase that I don't at least attempt to buy on eBay first. Why not? There are thousands (if not millions) of eBay listings at any given time -- that's a pretty amazing resource for everything under the sun. For everything you buy on eBay, there's probably at least one other thing you haven't thought of. To start you off, here's a list of ten things you (probably) never thought to buy on eBay:

1. Postage Stamps: Yes, it is possible to get a discount on postage stamps! A lot of times companies or individuals will purchase a mass quantity of stamps for a mailing and end up not using them all. The USPS doesn't buy back stamps, so a good alternative is to sell on eBay. Expect to pay between 80% and 90% of face value, with the bigger discount coming from a larger purchase quantity.

2. Timeshares: Real estate is big on eBay, especially timeshares! As long as you are careful in reading all of the fine print and purchasing from a reputable seller, you can come away with a great vacation at a fantastic value. You can easily pick and choose from a wide variety of locations, amenities, and prices.

3. Over-the-counter medication: Need to replenish your supply of Advil, Visine, Airborne, or Mylanta? I buy nearly all of my over-the-counter medication on eBay. It's almost always drastically cheaper, and you can also search for generic or store brands. I save hundreds of dollars a year doing this.

4. Makeup: There are certain shades and certain brands of makeup I know I will always use. It's easy to search for these on eBay and buy them in bulk or at a discount. It's also a great way to find discontinued colors that you love and can't live without! I set up a search for my favorite discontinued items and save it so I am emailed whenever an auction matching my criteria comes up. I've been able to keep using a certain shade of lipstick despite the fact that it was discontinued years ago.

5. eBay Business Supplies: I see so many people who sell on eBay using padded envelopes or other supplies from the USPS -- not the free Priority or Express mail supplies, but the expensive supplies sold in post offices. If you know you're going to sell more than just a few items, buy your supplies on eBay! Great discounts are to be had on bubble mailers, bubble sheets, labels, and more.

6. Spices: Yes, kitchen spices! I eat oatmeal nearly every morning and use a generous amount of pumpkin pie spice for flavor. I was spending at least $3 every time I purchased a tiny container of it at the store. I found a supplier on eBay and was able to get over ten times the amount for only twice the price!

7. Gift Cards: If you frequently shop at a certain store, it pays (literally) to check out the gift certificates category on eBay. People resell gift cards they aren't interested in using, and you can often get a good discount. Some of the more popular stores sell for nearly 100% of face value, but others sell for 70% to 90% of face value. If you're going to spend the money at the store anyway, why not buy a gift card and save a few bucks? I like to look at it as free money!

8. Food: The food category on eBay is huge. You can buy your favorite overseas candy, soda flavors you can't find locally, fresh baked cookies just like mom made them, protein bars, elegant desserts, and much more. A word of warning though... looking for food on eBay can make you hungry!

9. Massage Appointments: These can usually be found in the gift certificates category. A lot of spas and massage therapy locations will sell gift certificates for massages at discounted rates to gain new customers. As long as you are careful to check that the location is legit, you can find a great deal. I was able to purchase a fantastic one-hour massage for only $35.

10. Magazine Subscriptions: Magazines make money selling ads, and they can charge more for their ads if they have more subscribers. Because of that, they will let go of a lot of subscriptions to brokers for very low prices. A lot of these brokers sell on eBay. Imagine buying a year's subscription to your favorite magazine for only $3! They usually take four to eight weeks to kick in, but it's well worth the wait.

Hopefully these ideas have given you a starting point for the wide variety of ways you can save money on a daily basis by purchasing through eBay. Happy bidding!

Jessica Roop is self-proclaimed "coupon addict" who runs http://www.ShareYourReceipts.com , a site dedicated to sharing the latest in coupon savings and deals to show you how to save money. Share your deals with us and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate to your favorite retailer! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessica_Roop

10 Top Tips For Buying & Selling On Ebay !

2006-06-27T11:39:00.000-04:00

By David Jackson

Almost everyone now knows what Ebay is. For those that don't, it's an online auction website that is massively popular… and still growing. It's great for people looking to pick up a bargain as well as selling things you don't need. It's also great for merchants. Ebay gives you the potential customers and the traffic. All you have to do is create an advertisement and sell your item. Ebay charges you a nominal amount to list your item and then takes a cut if it sells. If it doesn't sell then you can relist it again.

Here are 10 top tips you should follow when buying/selling on ebay. These are my own tips speaking from experience as a powerseller: -

1. Before buying anything expensive, check the merchants feedback. Check that they haven't built up a feedback rating on sand by selling cheap items. Fraud is not common, but it does happen. Do some detective work before committing to buy.

2. Pay by Paypal when purchasing items. If you don't receive your item or you have problems with the seller, you can contact paypal and launch a complaint/investigation.

3. If you have a bad experience on ebay, before jumping in and leaving negative feedback, contact your seller. Communication is everything and small misunderstandings can blow out of proportion.

4. Before listing an item for sale, check to see if the price you are trying to sell it for is realistic. Ebay market is competitive so if you try and sell the really obvious, be prepared to be in competition with merchants that have massive buying power to negotiate deals.

5. If you have an item that isn't selling, ask yourself why. Don't keep relisting it. Check your picture, check your description, check the category it's in and check the price you are trying to sell it for is achievable.

6. When dispatching an item to a buyer that has paid by Paypal, check to see if the address is 'confirmed' or 'unconfirmed'. If it's unconfirmed then you aren't protected by Paypal if anything goes wrong. You could end up being faced with a reverse transaction on your hands!

7. Make sure the picture of the item you are selling does it justice. Always take a picture!

8. If you sell regularly, invite your customers to sign up for your newsletter. Let them know about new products you have for sale

9. Always inform your buyers when you have dispatched their item.

10. If you haven't sent the item after a few days you will start getting emails asking where their item is they have paid for. Don't get into this situation - dispatch things quickly. If you can't do that, then let your customer know when they can expect delivery or they will start to worry.

Article by David Jackson of http://www.ebay-information.com (The Ebay Information Resource For Trading With Confidence) Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Jackson

3 Million Items and Counting, Bidville Becomes Big Business

2006-06-26T11:17:00.000-04:00

(NewsUSA) - Since their introduction, online auction sites have been making e-history as some of the most popular destinations on the Internet. From designer-label clothing to grandma's jewelry to cars and even houses, anything and everything imaginable can be auctioned off online.
People who place items for sale on auction sites are attracted to the prospect of building a business from home with no morning traffic jams and little required capital to start. And bidders are drawn to the unique shopping opportunities and the potential to purchase hard-to-find items from all over the world.

Increasingly, buyers and sellers are discovering the unique benefits of using emerging sites rather than the giants of the industry, such as eBay. Bidville.com is one such site that has been quietly gaining momentum in the wake of eBay's ongoing fee increases.

Bidville started in 1999 primarily as a sports card auction site, but began expanding its merchandise base in late 2003 to take advantage of burgeoning market opportunities. Throughout 2004, its membership base increased to nearly 1 million members and the number of items listed daily reached 3 million. In addition, the site now has more than 600 "storefronts" that sell anything from collectibles to electronics at a fixed price.

Bidville markets itself as "the alternative auction site" because it does not charge listing fees. Rather, sellers pay what's called "final success fees" after their items sell. These fees, at no more than 5 percent of the selling price, are lower than what other sites charge.

So what is the key to Bidville's success? The company is striving to expand its growing community of loyal members and makes it a policy to give them personalized attention. While most auction sites answer questions with an automated reply, Bidville has live customer service representatives who respond to all queries within 24 hours.

In its extensive community section, there is ample opportunity for member interaction via the Member to Member Help Desk, the Bidville Cafe, where members can share stories and make friends, and the Sellers Forum, where members can discuss successful selling tips and offer suggestions for site improvements. A special charity section allows nonprofit organizations to use Bidville to raise money for good causes.

For more information on how to bid, buy or sell on Bidville, visit www.bidville.com.

Dramatically Increase Your Sales In 24 Hours

2006-06-24T11:57:00.000-04:00

Donny Lowy

Every eBay, retail, flea market, and wholesale seller is looking for ways to dramatically increase their sales. Sellers are constantly looking for ways to supercharge their sales. The following sales tips can give you a substantial increase in sales within 24 hours.

Sales Boosting Tip #1

Advertise a loss leader. A loss leader is an item which you are selling at a price that is so low, that you are actually losing money on it. The benefit of having a loss leader is that it will attract plenty of attention from customers. When customers come to buy your loss leader you will have an opportunity to sell them some of your other items.

Sales Boosting Tip #2

Tie in a promotion with a popular fad. Let’s say that there is an exciting movie playing at the theaters. You can sell, or give away, merchandise related to the movie. This type of a promotion works great because it benefits from the high popularity of the movie. In addition to a movie tie in, you can apply this strategy to a popular religious, political, national, or local event. How about a bakery selling a special cake in honor of a national holiday?

Sales Boosting Tip #3

Increase your prices. Sounds strange doesn’t it? You would think that by raising your prices you would turn away business. But in reality, by raising your prices you are telling your customers that your products are high quality and they deserve the higher price.

An interesting spin on this ideas is to have one extremely expensive item for sale. Advertise that your store sells the most expensive cake in the world. Think of how many people will come in to your store out of curiosity to see the cake. Once inside, they can buy your regularly priced merchandise.

Donny Lowy runs http://www.wholesaleblacktshirts.com an online wholesale and closeout business that supplies eBay sellers, retailers, and flea market vendors.
He also manages http://www.wholesalehatsandcaps.com and http://www.wholesaleproductsfromchina.com
Donny can be reached at 718-389-5502
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donny_Lowy

Ebay – A Great Way To Create Your Own Business

2006-06-23T09:46:00.000-04:00

By Nell Taliercio

If you have been looking for a way to make some money from home, you have probably come across the idea of selling things on eBay. You can start an eBay business to make a little extra money to finance the family vacation, or you can turn it into a full-time business that pays all your bills, and more. Getting started with making money on eBay is pretty simple.

To start with you will need to create an eBay account as well as a Paypal account to make and more importantly receive payments.

Ebay uses a feedback rating system that allows buyers and sellers to indicate and comment on how the transaction went. One of your first tasks of your new eBay business should be to get your first few ratings in. Since the rating applies to both buyers and sellers, you can start by purchasing small everyday items that you would have bought anyway through eBay to get your rating up.

Make sure you pay promptly and when you are ready to start selling make sure your customer service is excellent and your products are what your buyer is expecting from the description or better. You should have a great feedback score in no time, which will go a long way when it come to earning the trust of potential buyers.

The first few items that you put up for sale can simply be things you have laying around the house. Dig through your closet, your bookshelves and that stack of old CDs and DVDs that’s collecting dust. Before you know it you will have a great stack of things to get your eBay business off the ground without spending any money. From here you can start visiting yard sales, or look through the sales racks of stores such as GAP.

Your next step will be to do a little research on eBay to get a feel for how you should set up the auction and how much you can expect each item to fetch. EBay will let you look at recent completed auctions. Take advantage of this great free learning tool. Click on the advanced search link and check the box that says “Completed Listings Only”. You can then enter the search term, what category to look for, what country the item should be listed in etc.

Hit search and you will see all the completed auctions of this item in the last few weeks. Pay attention to which auctions made the most. When where they listed, for how long. What title did they use, what description, what picture. Can you see anything else that distinguishes this auction from the ones that did not do so well? Study the listings and you will quickly pick up on things you can do to make the most of your auctions.

Now it’s time to get your feet wet with your first few auctions. Just jump in there. EBay’s step by step listing system makes it easy and fast. Repeat what’s working for you and continue to keep an eye out for those completed auctions that did well. You’ll be off to a great start.

For more ebay tips, suggestions, advice, articles and resources head over to http://www.mommysplace.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nell_Taliercio

Ebay And Paypal

2006-06-22T16:42:00.000-04:00

By David Riewe

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

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

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

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

About The AuthorDavid 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.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Riewe

Things You Need To Know As A Online Auction Buyer

2006-06-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

Michael Russell

Before you start bidding, become familiar with the auction site where you want to bid. There are many auction sites and none of them are the same. Auction sites have different rules and to avoid problems, become familiar with the each site’s rules. It can save you from headaches, frustration, and problems later. Make sure you get informed; it's worth the time and effort.

Find out what kind of protection you have as a buyer. Each site is different and many sites offer guarantees and protection.. If you are not sure of your protection and rights as a buyer, then send an email and ask.

You should always know what it is that you are bidding on. Look at the pictures, read the descriptions carefully. If you still don't understand and are still unsure about what is being offered. Then it may be better to look at another item. If the item has no picture listed, it's better to keep looking and find something else. Always read the fine print, look for words such as off-brand, close out, discontinued, refurbished. Sometimes this information is not even on the auction site. It will sometimes first appear on the sellers online store. If you don't take time to READ, you may order, or bid, on something that you really didn't want to buy in the first place. That's why you need to be sure you know what is being auctioned and not just "pretty sure" you know. All sales are final. When the auction is over, it's too late to start asking questions.

Find out what you can about the seller. Know the person that you are dealing with. Get at least an email address , telephone number, address and full name. Call the number to see if it is correct especially if the item you want to bid on is more than $20. If the web auction offers a rating service, you can always check their history,. If the seller has a good rating, your chances are much better that they can be trusted. Look at other items they are selling. If the seller has an online shop, take a look around at the shop. How long have they been a member of the auction site? How many items have they sold? How good is their feedback?

Here are a couple more short tips: Does the item have a guarantee? Who pays for shipping? Would you get your money back, or only credit to buy something else for them? Do they use known payment companies? Also find out how soon you will receive your purchase.

One thing you need to remember is, "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.” Don't believe every thing you find on the internet, much of it is as crooked as a dog’s back leg. Take time to get informed and you'll be glad you did. Better to be safe than sorry. There are lots of great deals to be found on internet auctions but you should always remember that you have never personally met the seller you are dealing with. Learn to ask questions and stay informed . It will help make your auction bidding an exciting experience.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Online Auctions
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Tips And Help For Online Auction Sellers

2006-06-22T10:05:00.000-04:00

Michael Russell

Many sellers are unaware that an online auction is the same as a normal bushiness. Just like a normal business, there are laws that must be followed. That means that if you don't keep the laws, you could be liable for fines and other legal actions. The federal law says that you must only advertise your services and items honestly and accurately. You are not allowed to make bids on your own items to drive the price up. You are not allowed to make or give false testimonies about yourself at the auction website to make yourself look better. These are just a few of the federal laws, but you should get the idea. An online auction is a business and not a game. If you treat your online auctions like a business, they will treat you well too. The laws are there to protect you and me, and they are meant to be taken seriously. If you aren't ready to do that, then you'd be better off making money some other way.

Here are some tips to that can help you avoid legal problems. Let your customers know if you offer service after they buy. Explain your return policy and make it clear who pays for shipping if an item must be returned. Always include one or more photos. List some FAQ's-- it will help sales and save extra emails being sent to you. Always make clear if the item is new, used, refurbished, or "as is". • Offer a guarantee-- it helps build trust in you and people buy from people they trust. Settle the issue of who pays for shipping and if you ship internationally.

Answer all questions about your items as quickly as possible. Make sure that at the end of every auction you print out the information about the buyer, item, time, date, price and file it. Keep extra records out side of your computer and on paper. Save all the copies of the emails that you receive from your buyers and auction site. They could be a big help in the future.

Make sure that you contact each buyer as soon as the auction is over. Confirm everything again such as the total cost, shipping address, and where they need to make their payment. Don't forget to thank them for their purchase and remember that this is also a good time to invite them to visit your website if you have one! It's much easier to sell something to an existing customer than to find a new one. Treat them well and they will come back again with open wallets!

Run your online auction like a business and watch it grow. The web is full of people who make big time money with online auctions. You can be one of them, but lay a good foundation, be honest and latter you'll be glad you did. You are where you are today because of all the decisions you made in the past. Make good decisions today and you'll have a better business tomorrow. Make sense?

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Online Auctions
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

The Elusive eBay Product Niche

2006-06-22T09:58:00.000-04:00

Simon Slade

There’s nothing more disappointing than doing the research, getting the product, and then finding that no one wants to buy it. It can also be quite a shock.

It’s not unusual to research the item, see it listed in eBay’s hot list, hear everyone talking about it…and still no one buys.

This is one of the most disheartening experiences known to eBay sellers!

So what’s going wrong here? And more importantly, what can you do about it?

First of all, it’s quite likely the niche will already be filled. Electronics are popular – but there are so many suppliers already selling iPods that you will have to come up with a unique point of difference before you can expect to get into the market successfully.

On that note – don’t forget that an eBay business is similar to any other in terms of preparation. You’ve still got to have a point of difference, carry out market research, and define your target audience. If you want to get really serious, write a business plan too. I guarantee that the mere act of putting your business down on paper will give you a much clearer idea of where you are going and what you need to do to get there.

Secondly, experimentation is essential! Always test a product idea with a sample lot first. Never, ever buy in bulk with the assumption that you’ll be able to sell it all – you might have a nasty surprise.

Instead, buy in small quantities and test 2 or 3 different products at a time. Try different pricing points and adding value. For example, rather than selling Frisbees individually, you could try making up a ‘Family Sports Pack’ with a Frisbee, tennis balls, hula hoop, and a jump rope. This is a great way of increasing value and attracting people looking for a good deal.

The most difficult thing of all is not giving up when your first couple of ideas fail. What top eBay sellers don’t often admit to is that they failed a few times before they succeeded. If you ask, almost everyone will tell you about their disastrous first few attempts before they got it right. This is where making a plan can help: if you map out four product ideas at the outset, then you are less likely to give up when the first one doesn’t work out.

Finally, timing can be everything. A product that isn’t selling well now might suddenly become more popular in a couple of months time. For example, a couple of years ago the only people who counted knitting as a hobby had gray hair and wrinkles. But, after a few models were photographed knitting backstage, suddenly everyone’s hunting for specialty wool and knitting patterns.

If I hadn’t noticed a couple of articles in fashion magazines on the increasing popularity of this hobby, then I’d still think of it as a craft appealing only to pensioners. It’s amazing what niche opportunities you can stumble across if you go looking. And once you find them, do something about it! It’s quite possible that knitting will be passé in 12 months time.

Finding a great product on eBay is all about three words: Niche, Persistence, and Experimentation.

Have a look at this inspiring article from Entrepreneur magazine to learn what products some people have made work! http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,327229,00.html

Good luck!

Simon Slade

About the Author:
SaleHoo is one of the fastest growing wholesale websites on the internet. It contactins a database of wholesale suppliers and manufacturers offering thousands of products to consumers at prices considerably less than retail. Located at http://www.salehoo.com, visitors are allowed to sign up for unlimited and lifetime access to the completely searchable database of wholesale products. Deeply discounted brand name items may be purchased directly from the source for the customer's personal use or for resale purposes. Items may be sold at online auctions, flea markets and retail stores. The database is regularly updated, ensuring that the latest retail products are always available for purchase.
Click here for more details http://www.salehoo.com
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Online Auctions and Industry Niches

2006-06-19T16:24:00.000-04:00

By Lance Winslow

If you have an industry portal website then it might make sense to consider having online auctions as part of your website. Many folks may have not considered this on their portal site but if you have good traffic then it does makes sense.

For instance in one of our industries we have a Franchising Website and a Pressure Washing Industry Website. Both of those have significant traffic and adding an online auction for the industry could boost traffic and perhaps raise additional revenues as well.

Consider if you will the amount of used equipment that is out and about in many industries and consider all the buyers out there interested in purchasing such equipment. Bringing the buyers and sellers together makes sense and a small fee could be charged for doing so; perhaps a percentage of the sale.

Think how many industry portal websites are out there and how poor it is to try to find something you are looking to buy on eBay? If everything on your portal website is indeed industry specific and all your traffic is too then online auctions for your industry niche is something you can and probably should add; both to make revenue and increase traffic and repeat visitors.

Online auctions are not expensive to set up and there are many convenient and easy to use programs, which can help you do make online auctions a reality on your website. Please consider this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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Ebay

2006-06-17T17:23:00.000-04:00

By Kent Sayre

But that’s just the beginning. Perhaps the most interesting—and bewildering—aspects of eBay are the wacky things bought and sold. Some of the bizarre items include a single corn flake that made one man a dollar richer, a woman who received a cool $10,000 after offering to tattoo an advertisement onto her forehead (the “Golden Palace” template on her forehead makes her easy to spot in public), a trash can filled with garbage (it was bought by a school teacher; her students wrote essays about the contents of it), a grilled cheese sandwich that was said to resemble the virgin Mary (selling for $28,000).

The one thing that helped these sellers sell their items was in the presentation. A 16 oz. porterhouse on a bed of rice pilaf sounds appetizing—but not if it’s presented on top of a garbage can lid. The same rule applies to eBay auctioneers: the better they present their product with appropriate wording and phrasing, the more alluring and tempting it is for buyers.

And if people can sell their garbage on eBay (literally), imagine what you can sell!

With the assistance of the electronic manual, you’ll learn everything you need to start selling—and keep selling—on eBay. You’ll learn how to write the perfect ad copy that will get your selling items noticed, how to prove your selling items are everything you say they are, why instilling a sense of urgency in your buyers equals big profits, how to keep your potential buyers’ eyes glued to your ad copy, how to perk their curiosity, how to sell out of multiple items you may want to sell, the importance of setting a deadline (and why you shouldn’t bend once you set it), how to gain credibility in the eBay World and much, much more!

http://www.infostormpublishing.com/ebooks/?bk=26

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kent_Sayre

Online Antique Auctions

2006-06-15T17:07:00.000-04:00

How to Use eBay for Front End Sales and Make the Biggest Profits Later

2006-06-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

By Avril Harper

Once you have a buyer on eBay it's vital that you keep that person's name and address and look for additional items to offer them later. Research shows that around one in five buyers ultimately become regular buyers. This happens in mail order, on the Internet, by direct mail, and on eBay.

This means if you don't follow up on past buyers you're effectively losing out on 20 per cent more profits at every marketing opportunity.

Imagine you sell an eBook on eBay, about making money in the property business, for example, and you sell one hundred copies each month. Over the year that's 1200 customers. Of that number 240 are potentially regular buyers of similar or even unrelated products.

Now let’s say you've been selling the book for three months, you have 300 customers, of whom you expect 60 to become regular buyers - IF you offer them something to purchase that is! If you don't offer them something else later, you've just lost one of the greatest resources any business can have - back end selling potential. Repeat Back End Selling Potential.

So, let's say you continue selling that initial book on eBay and let's assume you make $10 profit per sale. That's $1000 a month, $12,000 a year.

Let's see how the figures stack up if you locate a second book about the property business which this time makes you $50 pure profit per sale.

This means from those 60 second time buyers gained over three months you'll make $3000 extra, $12,000 over the year, making cumulative annual profits now of $24,000.

Imagine now that you double sales of your eBay lead book (called 'lead' because it leads to additional sales later - back end selling). Or you could add another lead product to eBay, for the property book or for something different. Either way, all things being equal, that is first time customer numbers stay much the same, profit potential remains constant for each front end and back end book combo, then each new book, with back end seller, adds another $24,000 to your bank account.

Four new front end combinations makes just short of $100,000 a year; forty new lead book and back up package all but hits the ONE MILLION DOLLARS a year mark.

This is the simple step-by-step formula for turning virtually anything you sell on eBay into a fabulous back end earnings source.

This is how to make your first million:

Promote a book on eBay, it can be virtually any subject, any format of book, the most important thing is that it lends itself to back end selling, meaning the subject must be something people want to know more about and to learn more they'll purchase similar subject books later. Niche market titles are especially good for back end selling. So people who buy books about fishing will buy more books about fishing, dog lovers similar, UFO enthusiasts, craftworkers, and so on.

This is what you do next:

1) Keep names of buyers and enquirers to sell to later.

2) Obtain another book that might interest buyers of the first product. Get it from the public domain, or create one from other people's articles (ask permission from them, few will refuse), obtain it from out of print booksellers, etc.

3) Write a sales letter for the second book or send the first chapter free with a link in the back of the chapter for people to purchase the full version. Some email programs let you include your PayPal button for payment in the body of an email containing the sales letter or sample chapter.

That's it, mission accomplished, more money going into your bank account.

More Back End Selling Tips

Here is another great way to adapt this lead generating for front and back end selling process through a string of books, of different genre, different types. This can be accomplished by selling books online, offline, as free sample chapter downloads, and so on.

This is what you do:

1) Ask first time buyers to join your mailing list for future sample chapters of books chosen to interest them.

2) Compartmentalise names and addresses in your email programme, according to type of books people previously bought or obtained as free downloads, etc.

3) Look for new books to interest niche book buyers or general interest books to suit most people. Send sample chapters as appropriate in emails to your past buyers: niche and special interest books to specific buyer categories, general interest titles to all past buyers.

3) Add a payment button inside the email to attract early impulse buys for your full length version. This saves losing potential buyers who delay visiting an alternative sales page for the full length book and change their minds or lose the location of your sales page. The next best way to accomplish a fairly certain sale is to send the sample chapter as a pdf attachment to your email, making sure links for sales page or payment button in the pdf file are active and working properly. Alternatively add a printable order form at the end of the sample chapter giving both online and offline ordering options.

4) Send the complete book to buyers as an email attachment or as a direct link between payment and download page.

Avril Harper is a triple eBay PowerSeller and editor of eBay Confidential and webmaster of http://www.publishingcircles.com/ She has produced a free guide - 103 POWERSELLER TIPS - which you can download with other freely distributable reports and ebooks at http://www.toppco.com/
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