eBay Secret Weapon

Tips For Improving Your eBay Business

2010-08-21T22:49:00.000-07:00

Is your eBay business not performing as well as you had hoped? Are you having auctions that do not sell? Maybe the auction is not getting noticed as well as it could. There are some simple tips you can use to improve your eBay business.

Title of the auction.

The title of your eBay auction is what draws a potential customer to click on your ad. If the title does not catch their eye they will move on to the next ad. If you are selling a baby outfit you might put a title like ‘Girls Baby Outfit’. This title does not tell you what size the outfit is, or if the outfit is for summer or winter. A customer would probably skip this ad over and go for one with more information. A better title would be something like this ‘Adorable Baby Girl Summer Outfit size 6 months’. This catches the eye with adorable and gives the information a customer would need. It gives the size and tells the outfit is for the Summer. A customer would know if this is something they are looking for by the title. The title will bring the customer in to look at the item your eBay business is offering.

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures.

We have all heard the phrase a picture can say a hundred words. This is very important for your Ebay business. A customer is ten times more likely to click on an ad that has a picture. While you can describe the item terrifically a picture can seal the deal. A picture lets the customer know exactly what to expect with the item. You will want good clear pictures of the items you are selling. This can be a huge improvement to your eBay business. Simply adding a picture or two of each item you have listed can increase the number of sales you have. If an item has a defect like a stain or hole take a picture of it. This will save you from problems with an unhappy customer later. Take pictures of all angles. Most people want to see an item before they buy it. No matter how good your ad sounds if a person can not see the item they will most likely pass it up. Adding pictures is a simple improvement for your eBay business.

The description.

The description is the next thing a customer will see when looking at your auction listing. The description will need to be very accurate to keep good feedback for your eBay business. If you do not list any problems there are with an item you can be sure the customer will when they leave your business negative feedback. They will also never return to buy from you again. The ad needs to be clear and concise. If the item you have for sale is clothing you need to tell what size it is. Is the item new or used? Sometimes people want to know if the item came from a house that had pets, or a smoker due to allergies. The customer will want to know how much the shipping will be for the item you are selling. They want to know how long they have to pay if they win the auction, and what methods of payment you accept. The customer will want to know how long after payment will you ship the item. These are all great bits of information to include in the description.

Improving your eBay business does not have to be hard. Just follow these simple tips and your Ebay business will be booming.

Another great tool is Item-Alarm. This unique FREE search tool allows you to set up specific search terms, keywords, phrases, etc of items that you want to find on eBay. Once a posting is listed on eBay, Item-Alarm immediately sends you an email letting you know that a "match" was found. Strike first, don't snipe last! Be first to get those Buy-it-Now (BIN) items before anyone else knows they are listed. http://item-alarm.com

Spotty's Big Catch - Get Your Big Catch on eBay

2010-07-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

Spotty the Toad, my grand children's pet toad loves to eat crickets. As I watched him, as soon as a cricket is dropped into his habitat, he immediately strikes. He doesn't wait around, he strikes first.

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/g714ShtUJhYb0302e783b685c270c89db889d50b348.htm">LinkedTube</a>

That reminded my of buying on eBay. I prefer to "strike first" rather than waiting to the end and trying to snipe an item.

So, the secret is to "strike first and not snipe last".

How can this be done? Glad you asked. I discovered a new online search tool called item-ALARM. Item alarm works by allowing you to set up "search criteria" for specific items that you are looking for. As soon as an item gets listed on eBay, you will be notified by email of that item listing.

Think about how many times you found a great deal on an item you were looking for on a Buy-it-Now (BIN), but as soon as someone puts a bid on that item, then the BIN goes away. What if you could be the first one to be notified as soon as a BIN item was listed, you could be the first one to purchase that item.

Check out http://item-ALARM.com and get started TODAY! It's absolutely FREE! No cost or obligation.

My eBay selling secrets

2010-07-04T01:08:00.000-07:00

It seems everybody and their dog are selling things on eBay these days. Although it is very simple to get up and running with an eBay sellers account, there are so many listings that could be vastly improved upon. Some of the most important secrets to eBay selling are a lot simpler than one would think.

First and most important thing is to do your homework. Find out what is selling, what is hot and what items are selling and what prices they are selling for. You can do that with Terapeak eBay Research. Watch a Terapeak eBay Research Demo.

What are the eBay selling secrets that so many ordinary men and women use to make themselves a full time income (or significantly more) on eBay these days?

It is obvious that you will have to be serious about your business if you are going to make it big on eBay - just like in any other business activity. As such there are a lot of things to consider, like a good business proposition, marketing, customer service etc.

However, for anyone trying to sell anything on eBay there are actually two "secrets" that will make a world of difference.

The eBay selling master knows that...

I remember hearing a Chinese story once, about a master doll maker; His most talented apprentice had become a very skilful doll maker himself. But, although his dolls where technically just as good as the masters, there was still something missing. Something so obvious that anyone could tell the difference, yet no one could put their finger exactly on what made the masters dolls so much more impressive.

Finally, on the masters deathbed, the apprentice asked the master what his big secret was. The master then took one of the dolls that the apprentice had made, gave it's face a gentle push so that the mouth and eyes lifted into a friendly smile.

This was the whole secret.

Now, like I said there is obviously more to it than this when it comes to selling professionally on eBay. But the two most critical elements to any eBay auction are:

The item description

A good picture of the item

Getting these right sounds simple enough, but as a customer you will still se a great deal of poorly written descriptions and non-representative images, or no image at all. This will, in most cases, make you as a potential buyer think twice before placing any bids with this particular eBay merchant.

An item description that sells

The most important part of any eBay listing is the description of the item. Get this right as a seller, and you have already won half the battle.

It is easy to understand that the description should "sell" the item for you, but don't go overboard and write a "shopping channel" style sales pitch. In fact, the most important thing is that the buyer gets as good a picture as is possible about the product, without holding it in his or her own hands.

Think about it for a moment, if you where going to bid a lot of money on something. you would definitely want to know that it's wort bidding for in the first place - right?

You want to know exactly what model, year, manufacturer etc. the item in question is. Is it used or brand new? Perfect condition or slightly damaged? If it's some kind of clothing, is it definitely your size etc.?

For whatever you are selling you want to place yourself in the customers shoes and ask yourself: "what would I want to know about this product?". Then be as thorough and honest as possible about your items peculiarities in your description. And if someone emails you with a follow-up question, be quick to respond. If you are selling a certain type of product on a continuous basis, it is naturally also a good idea to keep track on what additional questions you get, in order to further improve your item descriptions.

A great description will bring you the right kind of customers, who feel comfortable with buying from you. Make a really cryptic or outright deceitful description and you risk end up being regarded as another eBay con artist.

A picture sells more than a thousand words?

As an eBay professional you will definitely want to brush up on your skills in photography. A good picture will by no means cover up for a poor item description, but it will definitely help tip the scales even further in your favour. Leaving the picture out is simply not an option in most scenarios. Trust me, the additional effort spent on this will pay you back in spades.

It is no coincidence that most eBay PowerSellers are also pretty skilled photographers. Buing that shimmering dress or antique vase feels so much better, after having seen a picture of tha actual product.

The only situation where you could use some type of stock photo, is if you are selling some kind of brand new product that will look the same no matter where the customer buys it. Still, if the manufacturer can't provide you with attractive and detailed photos, you might want to take your own pictures anyway.

Good digital cameras are cheap these days, so every eBay entrepreneur should definitely have one.

If you are aiming for long term success on eBay, there are definitely many other things you will need to learn. But mastering the item description and photo will definitely be one of main the goals on your journey towards eBay selling mastery.

Remember to do your homework. Get eBay Research Now!

Another great tool is Item-Alarm. This unique FREE search tool allows you to set up specific search terms, keywords, phrases, etc of items that you want to find on eBay. Once a posting is listed on eBay, Item-Alarm immediately sends you an email letting you know that a "match" was found. Strike first, don't snipe last! Be first to get those Buy-it-Now (BIN) items before anyone else knows they are listed. http://item-alarm.com

The Best Kept Secrets of eBay Merchants

2010-06-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

eBay has spawned some wild stories of rags-to-riches wealth. Some of those tales are true, but instant Ebay millionaires are far outweighed by the legions of eBayers who make a decent living doing something they enjoy. (And isn’t that good enough?) Still, so many of us can’t help but look at these top power sellers and wonder what they know that we don’t. What’s the secret to their success?

Some foundations of success aren’t secret at all; it still takes good old fashioned hard work and customer service to become a top seller on eBay. That being the case, there are still a few tips and tricks that separate casual hobbyists from serious eBay merchants.

#1. Keyword Managers. Keywords are all the rage these days. Web pages with plenty of relevant words will show up on web searches. Likewise, auctions with relevant, highly searched terms will show up in eBay searches. How do you know which terms buyers are searching for? There are subscription programs such as Keyword Pro and eBay Pulse that generate lists of the most frequently searched terms in any given category. Add some of these terms to your own listings to increase views. (Just be sure that the words are relevant to the actual item. Nobody likes a keyword spammer, least of all eBay.)

#2. Typo Searches. It’s a sad truth that there are some poor spellers on the Internet. When they become online merchants, they lose business because their misspelled items never turn up in Ebay searches. Luckily, www.Fatfingers.Com is a free web site that lets you search for common misspellings on eBay. For example, I searched for the term “scarf”. I was then sent to eBay’s web site, where a search was run for “sacrf”, “sxarf”, and several other typos of “scarf”. It’s amazing how many items you can find at low prices just because they were listed with incorrect spelling. Many sellers capitalize on these misspelled items, buying them low and selling them high. Let this be a lesson to prospective Ebay merchants: proofread your listings. Twice.

#3. Data Analyzers. Offline businesses use data analysis before making their decisions, so why shouldn’t you? Imagine knowing which items are selling like hot cakes and which ones aren’t really taking off. You could minimize your risk by avoiding slow sellers and snapping up soon-to-be-hot items at a discount. There are software packages that actually analyze Ebay’s data to see what’s really selling and what’s not. Hot Item Finder (www.hotitemfinder.com) is one such program. Experts agree that they can save many hours of research each week by using data analyzers. There is also a program called Auction Yen which runs analysis for Want It Now listings. It pays to know what customers really want, so these programs come highly recommended.

#4. Selling Managers. It’s vitally important to keep track of your inventory and auction listings. eBay offers a selling manager for a low monthly cost. This online tool helps sellers track and customize their listings, print shipping labels, and more. Sellers tout this one as another great time saver.

#5. Item-Alarm. This unique FREE search tool allows you to set up specific search terms, keywords, phrases, etc of items that you want to find on eBay. Once a posting is listed on eBay, Item-Alarm immediately sends you an email letting you know that a "match" was found. Strike first, don't snipe last! Be first to get those Buy-it-Now (BIN) items before anyone else knows they are listed. http://item-alarm.com

It’s no secret that you can make a lot of money on eBay. With these tips from the top eBay sellers, you’ll be smiling all the way to the bank.

Sourcing For Cars to Sell on eBay Car Auctions

2010-06-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

Selling high-priced items such as eBay car auctions is getting more and more popular these days. In fact, according to eBay motors, a vehicle is sold very 10 seconds, a car part or accessories is sold every second. Over 10 million shoppers visit eBay motors every month looking to buy cars or car parts.

The reason why eBay car auctions are popular among eBay sellers is pretty obvious since the profits per sale are high. You only need to sell 1 to 2 cars on eBay motors each month to make a handsome profit.

So how do you find cars to sell on eBay motors? Basically I have used 2 ways.

Car Dealers

Believe it or not, there are still a lot of car dealers who are still advertising offline via the usual marketing methods such as advertising in car magazines, posters, tv and radio.

From my personal experience, the main reason why these car dealers do not sell on eBay motors is not because they do not know about eBay. It is because they do not have technical knowledge of uploading photos, putting auction description and such. One car dealer I know of have not touched a computer in his life!

So this is where you can come in and offer your services and in return if the car is sold successfully on eBay motors, you get a commission. I don’t need to tell you even if it is a just 2 percent commission, you could still get a few hundred dollars easily.

Classified Ads

If you flip through your daily newspapers, you can probably find a lot of people trying to sell their cars in the classified ads section. Some of these people have been advertising for quite a while which could mean they did not manage to sell their cars.

You could contact them and offer to sell their car. Since they could not sell their car, it should not be too difficult to convince them to give you a shot at selling it. In return, you arrange with the car owner to receive a small commission for your work.

The above 2 methods have worked well for me. The good thing about both methods is you get to pick which cars you want to sell particularly for classified ads. If you have been on eBay motors for a while, you will realize certain types of cars sell better and more easily than others. Examples are classic or vintage cars. Basically cars that are rare or unusual.

One thing you have to note is most car dealers will probably not give you a exclusive time period to sell the car. Therefore in your auction, always state the car is on sale on other sites or other ways and that you reserve the right to end the auction early.

Be sure to check out Item-Alarm when shopping for cars on eBay. Item-Alarm allows you to enter search criteria for specific year, model, color, price, etc and as soon as a vehicle is posted on eBay that matches your criteria, you are notified by email. Check it out. Its FREE! http://item-alarm.com You can also view a short YouTube video that shows how to register and use Item-Alarm at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veY5xYpKm9c

The Secret To Achieving 100% Feedback On Ebay

2010-06-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how rare it is for high volume eBay sellers to have 100% feedback. It's not like they deliberately scam 1 or 2 % of there 2000 plus customers. They've streamlined the auction process, reduced the risk of faulty products and goods arriving damaged etc.

So why are they still left with angry customers. The truth is some people are just jerks. They will bid on an item and then when you expect them to pay for it they will abuse you.

Sometimes they will be angry if the product doesn't arrive, even though you did everything you could and it was completely out of your control.

Dealing with these people is an everyday occurrence for eBay Powersellers. But there are ways to minimize their effect on your feedback.

In the initial email say something like "sometimes products will get lost in the post. If it hasn't turned up within 10 days email me and I will replace it". This will warm the customer up to the idea that well, s*** happens and there's no point getting abusive.

If the customer backs out of the sale, leave positive feedback. They will appreciate this and give you great feedback, and will be more open toward buying from you in the future.

If the customer doesn't respond to your emails, don't leave negative feedback, leave none. You've already lost the sale so nothing can be gained by you getting abusive.

It's a very rare seller who is able to bite their tongue, but the rewards far out way the small satisfaction of giving them a piece of your mind.

Be sure to register for the FREE eBay Search Tool at: http://Item-Alarm.com

"Item-Alarm™ is Your Secret Weapon to Win More Bids on eBay"

Hot Items for eBay Auctions

2010-06-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

Many people who are trying to start an eBay business spend a great deal of time trying to figure out which items sell the best on eBay. Many of these people have elaborate systems for determining this information, and many others purchase expensive courses that teach them how to find this information as well. None of that is necessary. Everything you need to know is right in front of you - on the eBay website!

Take a look at any category, and you will see the word "hot" beside some items. These items are not marked as hot sellers randomly - there is a method to the madness! Items only get marked as hot when there have been more than thirty bids placed on the item. All you have to do is wonder around the eBay website for a while to find an item that will do well.

However, most power sellers will agree that there is more to figuring out which items sell best than this. In fact, they claim that it is a science. A great way to start your search for items that will result in a successful auction in the future is to do research on the auctions that were successful in the past. You can view old listings that have completed at: http://listings.ebay.com .

A new way to determine what items sell best on eBay is "eBay Marketplace Research." Marketplace Research will allow you to view important statistical information on the buying trends at eBay. This product contains all of the data one could possibly ever need to determine how well - or how poorly - an item will do in an eBay auction. There is a small fee for using the eBay Marketplace Research tools, however.

Another tool that will be very useful in your quest for finding hot selling items for your eBay auctions is the listing of popular eBay search terms that is found on the site. This list can be found at: http://popular.ebay.com/ . This list is divided into categories, which will make it easier to determine how popular your potential item may be.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that an item will do poorly, or that it will do well without doing your homework on the item first. Some of the strangest things sell for the highest prices, while items that would sell quickly in any other environment just sit there. Almost any eBay Power Seller will tell you that the key to a successful auction rests in the amount of research you put into the items you hope to sell.

Be sure to register for the FREE eBay Search Tool at: http://Item-Alarm.com

"Item-Alarm™ is Your Secret Weapon to Win More Bids on eBay"

Make A Living Selling On eBay

2010-06-03T00:26:00.000-07:00

Customer service is important on eBay. Buyers rate their satisfaction with sellers, and your rating can make a difference on whether potential customers are willing to buy from you.

Customer service strategies on eBay start by providing an accurate product description. Displaying clear pictures and describing any imperfection shows the buyer what to expect. It's much better for customer satisfaction if the buyer receives a product in better shape than he expected than if you oversell and disappoint your customer.

Customer service strategies on eBay include acknowledgment of the winning bid and prompt shipping information. Use an automated response to let the buyer know you have received his bid. Acknowledgment payment quickly. Ship immediately, and inform the customer when the product is shipped. Customer service strategies include providing a tracking link to the product whenever possible.

Some eBay sellers offer free shipping as a customer service strategy. If you charge for shipping, don't charge much above shipping costs. Customers notice the postage cost and will likely complain if the shipping and handling is several dollars over. They understand the cost of materials, but they don't want to pay for your time to package the product.

Customer service strategies on eBay include a return policy. It is worth it to accept returns any time a customer asks. You can probably resell the item, and receiving a good rating is worth the cost and hassle.

Customer service strategies on eBay are not any different than traditional online stores. Make sure the product is as good as you say it is, don't inflate shipping and handling, ship quickly, and have a liberal return policy. This is the way to achieve high customer service ratings.

Getting your products at the lowest price is the best way to profit from selling items online or anywhere. The difficulty is in finding true wholesale product suppliers.

It's difficult finding true wholesale product suppliers online. Sometimes it works to contact a company you are interested in and ask for a list of distributors, but be prepared to give them a company name when you do this. They don't want to sell wholesale to individuals. Often a manufacturer's website will have the name of distributors.

If you are searching online, try narrowing down to a specific product to search for. This is more effective than looking for general wholesalers because you will not be overwhelmed with too much information.

Contact another seller, one who will not be in competition with you. Ask him how he found his sources.

eBay lists wholesalers. Some users have success with this way, others say the prices are still too high. If you look on eBay, look for wholesalers with high approval ratings.

It's not always necessary to get the absolute lowest prices. You just need prices low enough so you can make a substantial profit. You can find some very low prices by searching for clearance products in online stores or your own hometown.

Finding true wholesaler product suppliers is very difficult. Your best chance is by registering as a business and contacting the manufacturers you are interested in. Make sure there is room for enough markup to make your business worthwhile. If you find a supplier you are happy with, stick with them and make some money.

Be sure to register for the FREE eBay Search Tool at: http://Item-Alarm.com

"Item-Alarm™ is Your Secret Weapon to Win More Bids on eBay"

How to Find Your Niche Market on Ebay

2010-05-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Many of us dream of working from home by selling products on eBay. But what would we sell? And how would we know if a market exists for the items we have? To avoid listing items that nobody wants, or items within an already flooded market, some research is in order. The goal of this research is to find your niche on eBay.

Many eBay sellers provide their goods within one niche. Others have a handful of niches that they specialize in. The key is to find a group of products that you're already familiar with. Perhaps you've been a collector of antiques for many years. If so, you probably know when you come across an item that could potentially sell for a good amount of cash. Likewise, you have a good idea of which items are likely to collect dust on your shelves. You can put this knowledge to work for you on eBay. Your expertise with antiques gives you an edge over many competitors.

Once you have a good idea of the niche you wish to fill, it's time for the second half of your preliminary work. Start a spreadsheet that lists the different types of items you would like to sell. Then add a monetary value to each entry. This reflects how much you can expect to purchase the item for. Be realistic; you want to lay out an accurate portrait of how much money you will be spending to build up your inventory. Optimism won't help in this circumstance.

Expand your spreadsheet to include other niche markets, just in case. These can be items you enjoy working with, have expert knowledge of, or something you've always had an affinity for and think you could be successful with. Remember: no matter what your niche is, someone will buy from it as long as you list quality items at reasonable prices. Estimate the initial cost of each item, including shipping and sales tax. Then prepare to immerse yourself in eBay as your research begins in earnest.

Go to eBay and search through the completed auctions. This allows you to see the actual price that items similar to yours have sold for. Is the average price something you could live with? Remember to factor in shipping costs. Also, pay attention to the quality of the sold items when deciding whether this niche is something you wish to pursue. Items in “mint” or “like new” condition will bring considerably higher prices on eBay than worn, scuffed items.

Now reflect on your findings. Did the completed eBay auctions fetch your target price, or were the closing bids uniformly low? Did any of the items fetch a surprisingly high amount? If you were unimpressed by your findings, go back and consult your spreadsheet; it’s time to start researching another niche.

If your observations were mostly positive, you may have found your eBay niche already. In that case, go out and start building up your supply. Don’t go overboard; you’re still in the testing phase. Purchase a dozen or so items at fair prices. Then list them on eBay.

For many sellers, waiting is the hard part. But you’ll need patience for this phase of your niche-finding project. Monitor your listings and see how they perform. If they do well, you can build up your stock even more and increase your listings. If they don’t quite live up to your expectations, you can go back to square one. Pick another niche from your spreadsheet and start researching it.

The key to finding your niche on eBay, as with many challenges in life, is simply to never quit. If you have a wide variety of interests, you’re more likely to find a profitable niche that you will enjoy filling. Think of all the things you enjoy doing, making, or collecting. Then come up with a list of ten items related to each. This sort of brainstorming is a sure-fire remedy for pushing past your seller’s block. Let your imagination roam, and you’ll carve out your eBay niche in no time.

Be sure to sign up for Item-Alarm.com -- It's FREE! Automate your searches and win more bids.

Scouting Local Auctions & Classifieds for Products to Sell on Ebay

2010-05-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

If you have never sold products on eBay before, I would suggest that you start with your own household items that you are ready to part with. You probably have things in storage, items in the back of your closet, or things you don’t use anymore. You can generally get a lot more for them on eBay than you can by having a yard sale.

Once you get your feet wet with the selling process, and exhaust your personal resources, you can look to local auctions for more products to sell on eBay. Many local auctions specialize in property, personal estates, antiques, Nascar and other collectibles.

Sometimes you can even find large lots of inventory or product types, and purchase the entire lot for a discount or wholesale price. You can then sell the products individually through online auction, and flip your investment into a nice little profit.

How do you choose which products to buy, and how much should you bid?

The goal is to buy low and turn a nice profit. What I have done in the past, and would highly recommend, is that you team up with your spouse or with a friend. One stays at the computer while the other attends the local auctions, and you stay connected by cell phone. You want to keep your method under your hat by the way, so step outside to make the calls or be as inconspicuous about text messaging as you possibly can.

When you find a product that you are interested in, or that you think may do well on eBay, make a note of the model number or any specific product information. Pass this on to your "invisible partner" so that they can research the product for you.

They can look up the product to see how well it has sold on eBay in the past, and the price range that it usually brings as a high bid. This helps you to bid more accurately at the auction, instead of guessing at how well it will do online and bidding in the dark.

Your partner will need to be quick on the keyboard and familiar with eBay. You need to know how many auctions are currently running for that item, and whether the market is already flooded with sellers. They can also search the Completed Auctions to see what the high bids were when the most recent auctions ended. After a few trial runs, you can get your teamwork down to an art.

Without this Invisible Partner you may bid too high for an item that brings a lower price on eBay, or that doesn’t sell well online. Unless you know your product, and know your market (super well), it pays to have someone checking on things behind the scenes.

You can usually find out about Local Auctions by checking the newspapers. There is also a great site called http://AuctionZip.com where you can find live auctions in your area as well. All you have to do is put in your zip code, tell it how far you are willing to travel (within 30 miles, for example) and it will give you a calendar of auctions in your area.

A quick search at AuctionZip.com tells me that there are 9 local Auctions going on in my area this weekend (and I live in a very small town). Some of them are for properties, others are entire personal estates (ie estate auctions), and some of them specialize in antiques & collectibles.

Another great place for bargains is the local classified ads and online classifieds like Craigslist.com. When people are moving or just doing some spring cleaning, they often resort to classified ads to dispose of some of their unwanted or unneeded items at bargain prices. A great tool for finding these bargains on Craigslist.com is a FREE service called Craigs-Alarm.com. Craigs-Alarm allows you to enter search terms or phrases of items of interest to you and as soon as an item that matches your search perimeters is listed, you are notified by email. Getting to these bargains early is the key to making a profit.

When you tap into these resources and get a system down for buying smart, you can flip products from one auction to another for an easy profit!

How You Can Use Completed Searches to Your Advantage

2010-05-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Are you an eBay seller? If so, are you successful at what you do? Perhaps, the better question to ask yourself is if you are making a profit selling on eBay? If you aren’t, there are a number of steps that you can take to increase your chances of making a sale.

When it comes to improving your chances of making a sale on eBay, your first impulse may to be change the way that your eBay items are listed for sale. For instance, it is often suggested that you upload detailed pictures of your items, provide detailed descriptions and such. While you will want to try doing so, you will also want to focus on the items that you are trying to sell. Your problem, with making a profit on eBay, might be the items that you have listed. If you have a poor quality item, you may not be able to sell it, but you would still be responsible for paying your eBay fees. In this case, you will not only be unable to make a profit, but you may also end up losing money.

When it comes to knowing which items you can profit from selling on eBay, there are many sellers who think that it is impossible to do. While it may seem impossible, it isn’t. Before actually trying to list a particular item for sale online, like an old music CD, you can check to see if that item has been sold on eBay before. If that particular item was sold before, you can also figure out exactly how much money it sold for! This will give you a good idea as to whether or not it would be worth it for you to spend the time creating your auction listings and paying eBay’s fees. Although the decision as to whether or not you still want to post your item for sale is yours to make, it may give you inside information; inside information that you will want to take into consideration when making your decision.

To perform a search of completed auctions, you will want to perform an advanced search. The link to the advanced search form can be found by eBay’s traditional search box. The only thing that you will to do differently is check the box labeled “Completed Listings Only.” Your results will include auctions that meet your searching criteria, but that have already been completed. If an item sold, its price will be outlined in green print. If an item did not sell, the asking price will be outlined, but in red print. As previously stated, performing an eBay completed search gives you the ability to tell whether or not you have a good seller on your hands.

In fact, you can not only use a completed listing search to determine if an item you already have is worth money, but you can also use this eBay tool to help you make money. If you are like many eBay sellers, there is a good chance that you are always on the lookout for great deals, bargains, or antiques. Familiarizing yourself with popular eBay items, ones that can be considered “hot sellers,” is a great way to make yourself a profit on eBay. Should you have the ability to do so, you may want to have a partner at home looking up eBay completed listings, while you are out shopping for items to sell at yard sales, flea markets, or thrift stores.

Performing an eBay completed listing search will only take a few minutes of your time. Despite only taking a few minutes of your time, eBay completed searches can help you make money as an eBay seller, not lose it.

Tips to Help Your eBay Items Sell

2010-05-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Are you an eBay seller? If you have been looking for a relatively easy way to make money, there is a good chance that you are. Different individuals use eBay, but many use eBay to make a little bit of extra money or even to financially support themselves and their families. If you are an eBay seller, how is everything currently going? Are you making as much money as you had hoped to? If not, you will want to continue reading on; as some tips are outlined below on how you can help to make sure that your eBay items sell.

When it comes to buying items on eBay, there are many eBay buyers who are the lookout for eBay scams. Before purchasing an item, one of the first things that an eBay buyer does is check the feedback of the seller. Doing business with a highly rated and recommended eBay seller reduces or completely eliminates the chances of getting scammed on eBay. Feedback helps to give you a good reputation, but there is something else that can help you get a good reputation too, an “About Me,” page. This is a page where you are able to introduce yourself and give a little bit of background information about yourself or your eBay business. “About Me,” pages are optional, but there are a number of benefits to having one.

Once an eBay buyer has learned that a seller who has an item that they want for sale is a reputable one, they will then continue to examine the product being sold. This is where your biggest chance of making a sale comes in. First, you will want to make sure that your products are being sold at a fair price. Keep in mind, when making your auction listings that you want to make a profit, but you don’t want to scare off any potential buyers with high prices. Just making sure that your prices are reasonable is enough to increase your chances of making a sale.

Secondly, you will want to make sure that you accurately describe all of your items that are being sold. For instance, if you are selling a lot or a group of childrens toys, you may want to take the time to list the names of each toy being sold. Outline the condition that each toy is in as well. If you are selling toys that require batteries, you may want to state whether or not the batteries are included. Providing a detailed, accurate description of all of your items will definitely increase the chances of them selling.

In addition to a detailed description, it is also important that you have pictures of your items. eBay allows you to post one free picture, but more can be posted for additional fees. Don’t let these additional fees deter you from posting additional pictures, as they are likely to increase the chances of making a sale. In fact, you may want to look into free photo sharing websites, such as PhotoBucket, as they allow you to post additional eBay pictures for free. When taking pictures of your eBay items, you will want to make sure that you take a number of close-up pictures. Also, make sure that the pictures are easy to see and that the lighting is good. Having poor pictures or no pictures at all is one of the many reasons why many eBay items go unsold.

The methods of payment that you accept may also have an important impact on how well your eBay items sell. One of the most common forms of payments used, to pay for eBay purchases, is PayPal. The reason why PayPal is so popular is because it enables shoppers to buy items from you, without having to disclose their account numbers. If you aren’t already accepting PayPal, you will want to look into doing so. Although most eBay buyers use PayPal, you will also want to remember that not everyone does. For that reason, you may also want to accept other methods of payment, including money orders or personal checks. The only thing with personal checks is that you may want to wait until the check clears before shipping the buyer their merchandise, especially with large purchases.

By implementing the above mentioned eBay seller tips, you may start seeing an increase in your eBay sales, even right away. In all honesty, you need to think of it from a seller perspective. Look at your auction listings; would you buy what you were selling?

Learn To Make Money On eBay by Jeff Schuman

2010-05-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

So you want to sell stuff on eBay, but you have two minor problems: you don't know how and you don't have stuff. Not a problem. Keep reading for some tips to get you pointed in the right direction to learn to make money on eBay.

Before you begin you’ll need some basic equipment: Computer, Internet access, digital camera, and some space to put your stuff. That’s really all you’ll need to get started. You’ll also need shipping and packing supplies but that is addressed later.

Next you’ll need to learn how to list auctions. Go to the eBay sellers overview:
http://pages.ebay.com/education/sellingtips/index.html. This will be your lifeline. There is a plethora of information there on everything you always wanted to know and more. Don’t be overwhelmed; just take it one step at a time. You’ll see there is information on listings, on bidding, on photos, on feedback –
it’s all there.

Next you’ll need to figure out what to sell. Before you zero in on a particular niche you need some experience and some feedback. Buyers are generally leery of buying from someone who is brand new and has a feedback rating of less than 10 evaluations. While you are getting your feet wet, look around your own house first. You’d be amazed at what people buy. You could list outgrown clothing, magazines, candle holders, CD,
books, flannel sheets, recipes, the ugly old lamp that was Aunt Mildred’s, all those goofy Christmas gifts sitting in your basement, that old baby gate with a stain on it. Get the idea? You never know what someone will want.

Although you need experience, you don’t want to list something that isn’t likely to sell. Do your research first before you invest the time in putting together a listing. An easy method to use is do a “search” on eBay, then look up COMPLETED ITEMS, then sort by HIGHEST price. Then you’ll see if your Tommy Bahama
shirt is really worth anything. Or you’ll see that your old baseball cards had 23 listings and not one of them sold.

Pricing is another challenge. Again, you’ll need to do your research. See what they’re going for. Don’t have overly high expectations. You know how you feel when you go to a garage sale and you see a pair of jeans for $15 or books for $4 each. Many people come to eBay to look for a bargain. Consider how much you
have into the item. If you have an item from around the house, you may consider that something is better than nothing, so you may be inclined to start the bidding quite low. If you bought it with the specific intention to resell, you will, at the very minimum, want to break even, so take the price you paid for it and consider other costs, i.e. listing fees, final value fees (all explained in your lifeline – eBay seller overview above).
People are much more apt to bid if the bidding starts LOW. Sometimes though, you will have collectibles that are worth a chunk of money. Don’t give away that vintage postcard that is worth $56! Do your homework.

The next big question is how do you get paid? You determine what you would accept. Online payments such as PayPal (paypal.com) are very convenient. You can also decide that you’ll accept money orders or personal checks. The more options you leave your buyers, the more likelihood you’ll get more bids.

You also need to decide how you want to ship your items to the winners. Many sellers use USPS, others prefer UPS. If you use USPS and ship via Priority Mail, you can get your envelopes and boxes free from USPS. If you ship First Class or Parcel Post or UPS, you’ll have to shop around for deals on boxes or envelopes and bubble wrap or packing peanuts.

Overwhelmed yet? Yes there is a lot to learn, but it’s not nuclear science. Just take it one step at a time. It’s a
learning process. Some yahoo groups (or MSN or AOL, or whatever your preference) are great sources for support and camaraderie with others who are doing the same.

So in summary, if you want to just “start pushing buttons” and learn to make money on eBay on your own, YOU CAN DO IT. If you do better chatting with others, those resources are available too. Use what is available.

About the author:
Team-Schuman.Com contains the best make money online and make money websites available today. If you want to make money check us out here: http://www.team-schuman.com/learn-to-make-money-on-ebay.html

Key Basics About Selling On eBay

2010-05-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Selling products on eBay is an easy way to make money on the internet. This article outlines some basics about selling on eBay, and what you need to do before you start selling products on eBay.

Know the customers you are targeting as well as the keywords for that niche. You will need to describe the products that you sell on eBay, so it is important that you know all the keywords you need to use to describe your products. This will make it easy for customers to find your products if you use your keywords.
Do some research first about what is involved in selling on eBay. Browse on eBay website and check out what other sellers are doing. This will also help you to see products that are in high demand and the prices they are bid for.
Decide the type of products you want to sell. This is very important because you must sell products that are of high quality and for which there is high demand. After you have decided what you want to sell, then you can establish where to get these products at good prices so that when you sell them on eBay you can make a profit.
You must know how to start selling items. You will need to clearly describe the product, list the products under the appropriate category, and know how to communicate with your winning bidders.
Make sure that you understand and follow the rules about trading on eBay. This will make your trading on eBay risk-free and successful. You must also know the fees that are involved in selling products on eBay. It is also very important that you know how to create your account and follow all the required steps in setting up a new eBay account and getting registered as an eBay seller.
You must set up a payment processor so that customers can pay for your products easily and quickly. The most convenient payment processor is PayPal, so you must open a PayPal Account, which is very easy to do.
You must understand the bidding process so that you can sell products successfully.

These key basic facts will help you to start selling products on eBay and earn some profits.

Be sure to register for the FREE eBay Search Tool at: http://Item-Alarm.com

Item-Alarm Launches New eBay Search Tool - FREE!

2010-05-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

Item-Alarm released their new eBay search tool that will help simplify your eBay searches.

Item-Alarm works by allowing you to submit search key-words or phrases and then Item-Alarm will notify you via email whenever an item is listed on eBay that matches your search term or phrase.

Item-Alarm is great for those hard-to-find items, collectibles, rare auto or motorcycle parts and any other items you want to search for on eBay.

Sometimes being first on a Buy-It-Now (BIN) item can help you win the bid and get the item before anyone else knows it has been listed.

Item-Alarm allows you to set your alert times from 15 minutes to 1 week and a variety of times in between.

To register for this FREE search tool, just goto: http://item-alarm.com

10 Sure-fire Ways to Kill Your eBay Business

2008-08-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's surprisingly easy to kill your eBay business, if you're not careful - sure, you can start over from scratch without it costing you anything, but do you really want to? Still, if you want your business to end up dead in the water, here are some simple ways to do it.

Lie about an item: Say it works fine when it sometimes doesn't work. Say it's in perfect condition when it has a scratch. Your customers will hate you!
Post whenever you feel like it: Make sure to leave your customers hanging around, wondering when their item is going to turn up. This makes sure they buy from someone else next time.
Let items end anytime: Few people will be around to care about your auction if it ends in the middle of the night. Why go to the trouble of working out whether auctions will end at a good time?
Don't bother with email: Customers are just timewasters anyway. eBay businesses are supposed to run themselves! Never give informed responses to questions about your item.
Sell rubbish: Really, it's just eBay. You can just sell any old tat from the market for a 200% profit. Let quality be someone else's concern - I mean, really, what do they expect for that price?
Refuse to give discounts: You know what your items cost, you know what your profit margin is going to be, and you're not going to negotiate. Remember that giving customers special deals might make them feel good and come back to you again.
Make your listings ugly: As many colors, flashing lights and animations as possible will really give those customers a headache. Write as much in CAPITALS!!!! as you can. Preferably big, red capitals. Be sure to use the fonts Impact and Comic Sans. For an extra special touch, see if you can figure out a way to add some music.
Don't take photos: It's such trouble, after all. If buyers are picky enough to actually want to see items before they bid on them, then screw 'em, that's what I say.
Write short descriptions: Be as brief as possible, and use lots of mysterious abbreviations. This obviously makes you look very cool. You can even just write the title again in the description box. Think of the effort you'll save!
Use reserve auctions: Now, this is a fairly controversial final choice, but it really is one of the best ways to scare away your customers. They'll see 'reserve not yet met', and click that 'back' button before you know it. Luckily, they can always bid in a normal auction for the item somewhere else.

Now that you know the ten ways to kill your eBay business, how about we explore what to do if you want to do the opposite, and make a success of it? The next email will give you ten steps to successful selling on eBay.

Your Rights as an eBay Buyer

2008-08-08T17:00:00.001-07:00

When you buy things on eBay, you pay the seller before they send you anything. This means that you, as a buyer, are vulnerable to all sorts of problems. You might not get the items you have paid for, or they might be damaged or faulty. Luckily, you have two very important rights when you buy on eBay.

The Right to Receive Your Item

Maybe the seller never sent the item, or maybe it got lost in the post. Whatever happened, you paid for the item. If it doesn't arrive in the post as described, you have the right to a replacement or a refund, whether it's the seller's fault or not.

The fact that you bought something on eBay doesn't mean that you don't have the exact same rights that you would have if you bought it in a shop (these rights are pretty much the same all over the world). Plus, under eBay's rules, the seller isn't allowed to change their mind about selling you the item: once the auction ends, it becomes a contract - you must buy and they must sell, or face eBay's penalties.

The Right for Your Item to Be as Described in the Auction

Sometimes sellers don't wrap items properly, and so they get broken. Occasionally they write descriptions that are misleading or just plain wrong to begin with, leaving out vital details that would have caused you to change your mind about buying. If this happens to you, you again have the right to a replacement or a refund.

So How Do I Use My Rights?

First, you should take it up with the seller - most will be responsive, as do not want to have their reputation damaged when an upset buyer leaves negative feedback for all their future buyers to see. If that doesn't work, report them to eBay.

While eBay don't have many people handling complaints, they do have a relatively effective set of automatic process to handle common problems buyers and sellers have with one another.

Finally, if that doesn't work, then you should seek advice from consumer groups in your country, and as a last resort from the police. You should never have to get this far, though: problems on eBay that can't be resolved easily are extremely rare.

Don't Be Too Quick

Remember not to get too annoyed and be unfair to the seller: nice sellers have agreed to give me refunds for undelivered items, only for me to find out a few weeks later that they were being held for me at the post office! Always try your best to communicate and think of everything that might have gone wrong: eBay works best when buyers and sellers sort out their problems together, instead of reporting each other to the authorities straight away.

More often that not receiving what they paid for, buyers have an altogether different problem: they knew what they were paying for, but didn't realize that what they were paying for was overpriced, low quality or a scam. The next posting will give you a list of tips on how to avoid being ripped off on eBay.

Understanding the Different eBay Auction Types

2008-08-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

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

Normal Auctions

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

Reserve Auctions

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

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

Fixed Price ('Buy it Now') Auctions

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

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

Multiple Item ('Dutch') Auctions

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

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

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

eBay Title Writing Tips

2008-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

A Few Examples

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

"Dell Latitude Laptop P3 500 MHz Notebook PC Computer"

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

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

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

"1840 Penny Black stamp, certificate, four margins"

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

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

Free Email Newsletter Subscription

2008-08-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

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What’s Your eBay Reputation Really Worth?

2008-08-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Your eBay reputation is everything you are on eBay - without it, you're nothing. Your reputation is worth as much as every sale you will ever make.

If you've ever bought anything on eBay (and the chances are you have), then think about your own behavior. Buying from a seller with a low feedback rating makes you feel a little nervous and insecure, while buying from a PowerSeller with their reputation in the thousands doesn't require any thought or fear - it feels just like buying from a shop.

A Bad Reputation Will Lose You Sales

In fact, a bad reputation will lose you almost all your sales. If someone leaves you negative feedback, you will feel the pain straight away, as that rating will go right at the top of your user page for everyone to see. Who's going to want to do business with you when they've just read that you "took a month to deliver the item", or that you had "bad communication and sent a damaged item"? The answer is no-one.

Your next few items will need to be very cheap things, just to push that negative down the page. You might have to spend days or even weeks selling cheap stuff to get enough positive feedback to make anyone deal with you again.

It's even worse if you consistently let buyers leave negative feedback - once you get below 90% positive ratings, you might as well be invisible.

You Can't Just Open a New Account

Besides eBay's rules about only having one account, there are far more downsides than that to getting a new account. You literally have to start all over again from scratch.

You won't be able to use all the different eBay features. Your existing customers won't be able to find you any more. Your auctions will finish at a lower price because of your low feedback rating. Opening a new account is like moving to a new town to get away from a few people who are spreading rumors about you: it's throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

A Good Reputation Will Get You Sales

When a PowerSeller tells me something, I tend to believe them. They can be selling a pretty unlikely item, but if they guarantee it is what they say it is, then I trust them - they're not going to risk their reputation, after all. This is the power of a reputation: people know you want to keep it, and they know you'll go to almost any lengths to do so.

This is true even to the point that I would sooner buy something for $20 from a seller I know I can trust than for $15 from someone with average feedback. It's worth the extra money to feel like the seller knows what they're doing, has all their systems in place and will get me the item quickly and efficiently.

You really will find selling on eBay so much easier, and there's only way to get a good reputation: make sure you please your customers every time. But some customers can be, well, just a little difficult to please. In the next email, we ask: is the eBay customer always right?

How to Use eBay to Grow Your Other Businesses

2008-08-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Most of the people who make money from eBay don't actually make all of that money on eBay. There are all sorts of ways you can use eBay to give your existing businesses a helping hand.

The Supply Side

If you have any leftover stock or used items from another business you run, then why not sell them on eBay? You can make this a regular thing, using it to get rid of things that won't sell for the premium you ask for in a shop, or items that are no longer in demand in the town or city where your business is based.

You can really make a lot of money this way, if you know what you're doing. You will, of course, already be an expert in the items you're selling, as you use them in your business, and you'll know that the items are of high enough quality to be sellable. This is a whole new market for your old inventory!

Not only that, of course, but remember that your good eBay reputation will make you a great buyer! If there's ever anything you want to get for your business, the chances are you'll be able to get it on eBay for a discount.

The Sales Side

Here, though, is where the true power of eBay lies. eBay give you an 'About Me' page, where you can write anything you like and link anywhere you like. This means that you can get traffic to your business' website by linking to your website from your About Me page and linking to your About Me page from each auction.

To create an About Me page, just click on 'Community' on the toolbar, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'Create an About Me page'. You then get the option to either enter your own HTML or let eBay guide you through the process. All you need to do is write a little about your website, link to it, and you're done - you'll notice that more people start to come to your site straight away.

There are thousands of people who swear by this technique to drive traffic from eBay to their website - with a little persuasive sales copy on your site, they say, you can sell directly to buyers, cutting out the eBay middleman. What's more, all the traffic you'll get will be targeted - because the people who click through were interested in your auction to begin with.

This can be a really powerful technique, especially if you've already got an e-commerce site. Even if you haven't, you might find it worth your time to set up a website that does nothing but list your eBay inventory with a few dollars off each item, with a PayPal 'Buy Now' button for each item. Then simply make the link to your About Me page read 'Visit my website for even more bargains!', and you're done.

Now that you've seen how to drive visitors to your website, maybe you'd like a little help getting your auction in front of buyers.

Make Your eBay Business Easy By Using Dropshippers

2008-07-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Dropshipping is one of the popular ways through which people are making money without hassles on eBay. By using dropshippers, you can sell a wide range of goods and you also simplify your business, which leaves you with a lot of time to grow your eBay auction business. This articles outlines some of the main reasons why you should use drop shipping to expand your eBay business.

The main advantage of using drop shipping for your eBay business is that you have the convenience of not worrying about having inventory and also shipping goods to your customers. All that you have to do is to sell your products and when an auction has been completed, you direct the buyer to the drop shipper’s website who will take care of delivery of the purchased products to the customers.
Using dropshippers increases your chances of earning large amount of money on the internet because you have a lot of products which you can sell. Once you have decided what you want to sell, you can choose the dropshippers to work with and then start to sell the merchandise you want. By selling a wide range of merchandise, you can increase your sales by selling to many people.
Using drop shipping also means that you will be able to start selling merchandise and earn money on the internet quickly. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get started.
Using dropshippers in your eBay business means that you can research on the products for which there is high demand and then select dropshippers that sell these products at the best prices. By selling popular products at good prices from the customer’s perspective, you will be able to sell large volumes of products and make huge profits.

If you want to start making money selling merchandise on eBay, you can use dropshippers to make your business hassle-free. Drop shipping is one of the easiest ways to start making money online because they make it easy for you to start selling merchandise on the internet. Many people who are starting a business selling products on eBay start by using dropshippers.

Tips On How To Prevent The Common Risks Of Buying On eBay

2008-07-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today, it possible to do as much shopping as you want on the internet. You don’t need to go to a shopping mall to buy products since you can shop on the internet. You can check out many products and compare prices in the comfort of your own home on the internet. Shopping on the internet has therefore made buying convenient. However, buying goods on the internet is different from buying in a shop where you can touch the product or even try it on. This articles outlines some of the main risks associated with buying on the internet.

The product may not meet your expectations or may be of poor quality. While buying on eBay, you are relying on the description provided by the seller or any photos of the products that are on the website. Because you can’t see the product in real life before you pay for it, sometimes when the product is delivered you may discover that it’s not what you expected.
There is a risk that the seller is not reliable. While buying on eBay, you have to believe that the seller is trustworthy; has the product as described on eBay, and that they will ship it to you after you have paid for it. Although most sellers are reliable, some sellers fail to ship the product to the customer or the product they ship is not exactly what they described on eBay. Of course you can’t be certain that every seller you will deal with is trustworthy, and you simply have to believe that they will be reliable and that they are trustworthy. eBay allows sellers to be reviewed, so if you buy on eBay on a regular basis, you may consider buying from sellers with good feedback.
Some sellers fail to communicate with their customers. It’s possible that after you have paid for something, and if you have questions regarding the product, the seller may not answer your emails.
There is a risk that even if the seller ships the product, your product may be lost in transit to you or may be damaged. Although this risk is minimal, it can happen.

It’s fun and convenient buying on eBay. You must however be aware of these risks so that you can successfully shop on eBay.

Essential Tools That You Need To Start Your eBay Business Selling Products Online

2008-07-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

Selling products on eBay is easy if you have the necessary tools. Selling products on eBay is one of the best ways to start making money on the internet because you do not need a lot of initial capital. This article outlines some of the essential tools that you will need if you are considering starting your own internet based business selling products on eBay.

If you are serious about becoming a successful eBay seller, then it is important that you get the tools discussed in this article as they will ensure that you succeed in your business.

Obviously, you will need a computer and internet connection. You can’t start any internet business without a reliable computer and internet access.
Starting and eBay business means that you may need to communicate with your customers and send some documents. It is therefore important that you have your own business telephone line as well as a fax number.
Getting some business cards with your contact details is also important. From the customer’s point of view, it’s professional when you include your business card with your shipments. This also means your customers have all your contact details if they need to contact you.
You will need some money to get you started. Although selling products on eBay doesn’t require you to spend a lot of money to get started, you need some capital nonetheless. You will need this to buy some of the tools discussed in this article.
If you want to earn huge amounts of money selling merchandise on eBay, then you can further enhance your chances of success by having your own website. It is ideal that you have your own domain for your website. To market your products effectively, you can then create links to your eBay store on your website. By driving traffic to your website, you will increase traffic that goes to your eBay store, and this will increase your sales.
As a seller at eBay, you will need to provide useful and accurate description of the products you will be selling. Having photos of the products is also important because potential buyers can see the product. You will therefore need to have a camera for taking photos of the products you will be selling. If you are selling physical goods, it is recommended that you have photos of these products next to the items’ description. You may also need some software that you can use to adjust and resize the photos.

If you get these tools that you can use in your eBay business, you will be able to make more sales and earn more profits from your business. Succeeding in making money online selling merchandise on eBay requires that you take your business seriously and not as a hobby.

Taking Advantage of “Slow” eBay Auctions

2008-07-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

Some auctions get hundreds of bids, but some go much more slowly, getting only a few bids or even none at all for days. Auctions are generally much slower during the summer months than they are in the winter - and sales on eBay are slowing each year, as more sellers than buyers sign up, hoping to get rich quick. There are a number of ways that you can take advantage of slower auctions to get the best price.

Wait to Bid

If you bid, then everyone can see you're interested - and that might make them interested too. Leaving the item alone for as long as you can bear will make it look less popular, and keep the price down so you can come in at the last minute and get a bargain.

Make an Offer

If the seller is selling an item using 'Buy it Now' and it still hasn't sold when the auction is about to end, use eBay's 'Best Offer' service to make them an offer on it. The chances are they've listed the item two or three times before, and they'll be so annoyed at the prospect of re-listing it yet again that they'll accept your offer just to get rid of the thing.

Conspire with Other Buyers

You might not have thought of this, but if there are two auctions for the same item and only you and one other buyer are bidding, why not get together and work out a 'you take this one and I'll take that one' deal? This avoids you raising the price on both auctions just to get one each. If you make a few friends, you can even work together on auctions long-term, taking it in turns to bid.

Be Snobbish

Send the seller emails asking questions about the condition of the item, and making it very clear that you are a discerning buyer and will only accept things of the highest quality. This will make them feel better about selling you their item for less.

Don't Feel Guilty

There really are too many sellers on eBay now, to the point where you can get common items at very low prices. Long-term, this will probably force those sellers out of business, but that's the way a market works - its supply and demand.

Buy in Bulk

When auctions are slow, many sellers will have had the same stock for a long time. If you offer to take ten things off their hands all at once then you can almost name your price - the chances are that they'll fall over themselves to give you a good deal. If you come back again and buy another ten items then they'll love you even more.

The longer you spend on eBay, the more experienced you'll become - and the greater the chances are that you'll stumble across an auction for something very odd, and quite unexpected. In the next email, you'll hear all about the strangest eBay items ever sold.

eBay - Part Time or Full? How to Decide

2008-07-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Going full-time as an eBay seller is living the dream: making a real income, working from home, being your own boss and all the rest of it. It's the promise of a million scams, and it's finally come true - at least for some.

What they don't tell you in the success stories, though, is that becoming a full-time eBay seller is by no means for everyone. You really, really ought to try it part-time before you even consider taking it up full-time, and even then, caution is advisable. Before you burn your suit, here's a list of questions you should ask yourself.

How Much Do I Earn From eBay Now?

Work out how many hours a week you spend doing eBay-related things (be honest here), and divide it by the average amount of profit you make in a week. If you were doing full-time hours, would you earn as much as you earn now?

Do I Have a Good Job?

Think about what you might lose if you give up your job to focus on eBay. If you're in a well-paid job with good promotion prospects then it's well worth reconsidering: you might get a few years down the line and wish you'd stayed in your traditional job, as you'd probably be the CEO by now.

Would I Really Make Much More Money?

Unless you're selling a large quantity of small goods, most of what you do on eBay will be waiting for auctions to end - and you can wait at work just as easily as you can at home. This is why whether you would make more money on eBay really depends on what kinds of items you're selling - for low value items, going full-time could be a good move. For high-value ones, the chances are you'll hit the limits of how much money you have to invest in inventory long before you hit the limits on your time.

Is my Home a Good Place to Work?

Quite apart from anything else, you might find that the dream of home working is more of a nightmare in reality. People can start to depend on you to get things done that need to be done during the day. If you have a wife and children then they can resent the fact that you're in the house but refuse to have anything to do with them for large parts of the day. Giving in to any of these things and stopping work for a while will cause your profits to fall.

Can I Survive if it All Goes Wrong?

In the end, would you be able to get by if you had a month or two where you sold literally nothing? Or would you be desperately looking around for a job and cursing the day you ever discovered eBay? That's the real test.

If you made it through all these questions, then I guess you're cut out for the eBay life - and even if you didn't, you'd be surprised just how far you can get part-time. In our next email, we'll show you how to think like the eBay elite: the PowerSellers.

Essential Tools That You Need To Start Your eBay Business Selling Products Online

2008-07-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Selling products on eBay is easy if you have the necessary tools. Selling products on eBay is one of the best ways to start making money on the internet because you do not need a lot of initial capital. This article outlines some of the essential tools that you will need if you are considering starting your own internet based business selling products on eBay.
If you are serious about becoming a successful eBay seller, then it is important that you get the tools discussed in this article as they will ensure that you succeed in your business.

Obviously, you will need a computer and internet connection. You can’t start any internet business without a reliable computer and internet access.
Starting and eBay business means that you may need to communicate with your customers and send some documents. It is therefore important that you have your own business telephone line as well as a fax number.
Getting some business cards with your contact details is also important. From the customer’s point of view, it’s professional when you include your business card with your shipments. This also means your customers have all your contact details if they need to contact you.
You will need some money to get you started. Although selling products on eBay doesn’t require you to spend a lot of money to get started, you need some capital nonetheless. You will need this to buy some of the tools discussed in this article.
If you want to earn huge amounts of money selling merchandise on eBay, then you can further enhance your chances of success by having your own website. It is ideal that you have your own domain for your website. To market your products effectively, you can then create links to your eBay store on your website. By driving traffic to your website, you will increase traffic that goes to your eBay store, and this will increase your sales.
As a seller at eBay, you will need to provide useful and accurate description of the products you will be selling. Having photos of the products is also important because potential buyers can see the product. You will therefore need to have a camera for taking photos of the products you will be selling. If you are selling physical goods, it is recommended that you have photos of these products next to the items’ description. You may also need some software that you can use to adjust and resize the photos.

eBay Description Writing Tips

2008-07-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

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

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

Technical Details.

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

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

Interesting Details.

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

Write as Much as You Can.

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

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

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

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

Basic Tips For Starting A Home Business Selling On eBay

2008-07-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Selling on eBay is one of the easiest ways to start earning money online. Starting a home business selling on eBay allows you to have your own business and work from home. The main advantage of selling on eBay is that it’s easy and anyone can start their own home business. This article outlines the simple steps you need to make to start making money online.

The first step you need to take is to create an eBay store where you sell some popular products for which there is high demand. You can also have your own website where you list these products and therefore drive traffic to your eBay store through your website. By simply advertising your website, you can direct traffic to your eBay store. The more traffic you generate for your eBay store, the more sales you make and the more profits you earn from your eBay business.

Make your eBay store as user-friendly as possible. Describe the items that you have for sale as much as you can. This will make it easy for customers to find your products. It is also important that you use all the keywords for your products so that if someone searches for the items you sell on eBay, they can easily find the products that you sell. eBay gets a huge volume of traffic everyday, so this means that you are in the right place to get high volumes of traffic.

Making money on eBay is also easy because you can sell anything. You can sell items that you own which you do not need, or you can find some merchandise to sell. This flexibility means that you can easily start your own eBay business.

To get started, set up an account and use PayPal to collect your money from selling on eBay. This makes it easy for you to get paid for the products that you sell.
Another important factor to keep in mind is that you must sell products that are easy to ship and do not cost a lot of money to ship. This will make it easy for your buyers to get the product at a good price after paying for shipping.

Making money online selling on eBay is an easy way to start making money online. You too can start your own eBay business and earn money working from home.

When to "Buy Now" and When to Bid

2008-07-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

You will often find yourself facing the choice of whether to pay a fixed price or keep on bidding. This choice might be presented to you in a single auction, or you might be choosing between different auctions of the different types. So should you use that 'Buy it Now' button or keep on trying to outbid everyone else? It's all a question of weighing up the advantages and disadvantages. Buy it Now.

- The Advantages.

When you use Buy it Now, you know the asking price and you can take some time to decide whether to pay it or not - you can even negotiate. You don't need to keeping your eye on the auction, or get caught up in the last-minute bidding frenzy that is now inevitable on any popular item. Not only that, but the seller will be happy to get a fixed price for their item, and they're likely to nicer to you than usual. Some sellers can be a little resentful when they feel that you got a little too much of a bargain on their item.

- The Disadvantages.

You will almost certainly pay more for the item, especially with more expensive items. Also, it takes some of the fun out of eBay. Aren't you there for an auction, after all? If you want to pay a fixed price then there are thousands of online stores you could be visiting. It's like pressing 'collect' instead of 'gamble' on a fruit machine: it's the boring option. But then, maybe that's what you want.

These rules are relatively constant: there are few times when using Buy it Now would allow you to get something cheaper, or when bidding would be an easier way to do it. In the end, as with so many things in life, it's a simple question of price vs. convenience, and it's up to you.

There are those times, though, when the strategic use of the Buy it Now button can be a useful tool to help you outwit your competition. If the current bid is almost as high as the Buy it Now price, then why bid higher and keep the contest going? Clicking that button is a no-brainer. The same goes for times when a seller has, for some reason, set the Buy it Now price only slightly higher than their starting price for bids. Why bother to go through all the hassle of bidding?

You might also find that there are times when you should leave the Buy it Now button as a last resort: it can be a useful way of ending last-minute contests with a decisive 'this is mine' gesture.

In fact, there are all sorts of tricks you can use on eBay, if you want to get ahead of the game. Remember that most buyers on eBay are casual, and don't know what they're doing: a little knowledge can go a long way in getting you an advantage. Our next post will have a few tips and tricks for you.

Top 10 Tips For Selling And Making Money On eBay

2008-07-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

If you want to start making money on the internet, selling on eBay is one of the popular ways of achieving this goal. Today, many people earn a living and work from home selling products on eBay.

If you want to succeed in your business of selling merchandise on eBay, it is essential that you understand some of the important tips that you should keep in mind.

Describe the products that you are selling as much as possible. Use the relevant keywords and make sure that the description is accurate. Potential buyers rely on your description to provide them with a good impression of the product you sell. It is therefore important that you make the item description accurate and detailed.
Include an image of the item that you are selling. Buying online means that people can’t touch the products and have a feel of what you sell. Proving an image of the item will therefore help potential buyers to decide if they want to buy the product or not.
Use PayPal so that your customers can immediately pay for the products they want.
Communicate with your customers. The success of your eBay business depends on good customer relationship skills. Answer any questions your customers have and be as helpful as you can.
If you are offering a refund policy for any of the products, it is important that you make that policy very precise; otherwise your customers may abuse that policy and return the goods they bought from you even if they are in good condition.
Encourage your customers to leave feedback on the service you provide as an eBay seller. If you have a good feedback record on eBay, many people will be confident to buy from you.
Be patient in developing your eBay business.
Sell products that can be bought by anyone from any part of the word. If you target a global market, you increase your chances of making a sale.
Have a professional eBay auction site. If you project the impression that you are a serious and professional eBay seller, buyers will be keen to buy from you.
Think outside the square and differentiate yourself from other eBay sellers. Be creative, use catchy phrases to describe your products, and think about any other ways that you can differentiate yourself from the rest of other eBay sellers.

Follow these ten tips in your eBay business, and you will achieve your goals of earning money on the internet.

Tips and Tricks for Using eBay Search

2008-07-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

Be specific: If you're searching for the first edition of the original Harry Potter book, you'll get further searching for 'harry potter rowling philosopher's stone first edition' than you will searching for 'harry potter'. You'll get fewer results, but the ones you do get will be far more relevant.
Spell wrongly: It's a sad fact that many of the sellers on eBay just can't spell. Whatever you're looking for, try thinking of a few common misspellings - the chances are that fewer people will find these items, and so they will be cheaper.
Get a thesaurus: You should try to search for all the different words that someone might use to describe your item, for example searching for both 'TV' and 'television', or for 'phone', 'mobile' and 'cellphone'. Where you can, though, leave off the type of item altogether and search by things like brand and model.
Use the categories: Whenever you search, you'll notice a list of categories at the side of your search results. If you just searched for the name of a CD because you want to buy that CD, you should click the 'CDs' category to just look at results in that category. Why bother looking through a load of results that you don't care about?
Don't be afraid to browse: Once you've found the category that items you like seem to be in, why not click 'Browse' and take a look through the whole category? You might be surprised by what you find.
Few people realize just how powerful eBay's search engine is - a few symbols here and there and it'll work wonders for you.
Wildcard searches: You can put an asterisk (*) into a search phrase when you want to say 'anything can go here'. For example, if you wanted to search for a 1950s car, you could search for 'car 195*'. 195* will show results from any year in the 1950s.
In this order: If you put words in quotes ("") then the only results shown will be ones that have all of the words between the quote marks. For example, searching for "Lord of the Rings" won't give you any results that say, for example "Lord Robert Rings".
Exclude words: Put a minus, and then put any words in brackets that you don't want to appear in your search results. For example: "Pulp Fiction" -(poster,photo) will find items related to Pulp Fiction but not posters or photos.
Either/or: If you want to search for lots of words at once, just put them in brackets: the TV example from earlier could become '(TV,television)', which would find items with either word.

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

eBay Auction Buyer's Tips and Tricks.

2008-07-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

eBay isn't just an auction and a marketplace: often it can feel quite a lot like a game. Like any game, you can get ahead if you think strategically, using your head to outwit the other buyers and get the best price. Here are a few things you can try. Shop in the Summer.

This is simple, but effective. Summer is the quiet season on eBay - almost everything sells for less. While everyone else is out enjoying the sun, invest a little time to find some real bargains.

Beat Them by a Few Cents.

Outbid people by a few cents instead of a few dollars - if they don't check back before the auction ends, then you will be the winner. To avoid people using this tactic on you, though, always bid strange, hard-to-guess amounts instead of round numbers.

Play Smart.

If you know when the auction ends, you can get in there at the very last second and outbid your rivals. The chances are that they won't have the time to sit in front of the auction waiting for it to end - as a rule, he who stays wins. If someone else does retaliate at the end of the auction, though, try not to get carried away in those last few seconds and end up paying too much!

Take Risks.

This is a strategy for the braver eBay buyer. All of the advice you will see for eBay beginners tells you to buy items that have good pictures, clear descriptions, trustworthy sellers and all the rest. If you're brave, why not take a risk and do the exact opposite?

Many buyers won't want that item from the seller with a feedback rating of 5, no picture and a one-line description. If you take a calculated risk and bid anyway, you might be able to make a tiny bid and win by default. There are people on eBay who make their living from winning auctions like these, taking good pictures of the item, writing a good description and then reselling it at a huge profit. Be careful, though: do this for long enough, and you will inevitably lose your money at some point. It's especially unwise to try it with very high-value items.

Avoid Bidding Wars.

There are few things on eBay that are so rare that you'll only see them once and never again. There are usually quite a few sellers who have an item. What's more, they will generally have more than one to sell, even if they haven't listed them all at once. Always check your seller's history to see whether they sell your item all the time - and if they do, then wait for the next one instead of bidding to the skies.