Auction Selling Revealed

Targeting Your Ebay Audience

2008-05-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Targeting an audience is quite necessary for an ebay seller or a Powerseller. You may say ebay shoppers are my target audience. Yes, it’s true but it’s not enough. You need to narrow it down to specific audience. You need to consider a few things first. Are you selling local or international. If you target local customers, you may need a bit of research on how you are going to reach these customers. As sellers, you will probably want to drive buyers to your auctions from outside ebay. Today, this requires a website with someone commercial educational content along with links to your auctions or ebay store. Your success with both buyers and sellers will be determined by how well you get to know them. Who are they? Which group is likely to become repeat customers? Knowing this will change your approach to reach them. Once you have defined your audience you will be smart enough to change the appearance of your ebay listings, business cards, signage, location and everything in your ebay store.

Why Would You Choose To Sell Digital Products On Ebay?

2008-05-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

People who shop online will always consider selling at ebay. Although some people think ebay as an online store that sells junk. Yet ebay is undeniably the best place to shop cheap items compared to the local stores. People now have become more practical that they would consider buying cheaper and slightly used products in good condition than buying expensive items.

Digital products are very salable at ebay. If you try to look ebay’s most sold items, digital products are always first in the list. Although competition is quite tough but if you try to look at it, ebay has so much traffic and there is a big chance that your product will be noticed. As long as you display quality items with a good photo shot and detailed description, people will always buy it.

Selling on ebay is always an advantage than having your own store especially for new sellers. Many of those who build their own online store outside ebay has always started selling at ebay. If you are new to selling digital products, the best way for you to start is on ebay. You may start by trial and error. Be an ebay member; understand the fees and the auction styles. If you are successful with the few products, there is a great chance of making it a stable home business and later on be a powerseller.

Business In A Garage Or Basement

2008-05-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Home-based businesses like ebay are done in either a room or if things get crowded, in a garage or basement. A 200 square foot space is a good way for you to start rolling. It is important that you organize the place and make it like a real ebay store. Be clever when designing a garage space so you’ll keep enough of the garage door area clear so that you can open it and easily move parcels in and out when the delivery folks arrive. It would be practical to make your own shelves. Consider using tall shelves to scrounge as much vertical storage space as you can. Build a shipping table which needs to be a little lower than a regular workbench or desk as most shippers prefer this. You can visit the UPS facility shipping table if you want to make sure of the height for your shipping table. Provide a desk for photo editing and somewhere you can do your photo editing. A Photo table is very important. It can be at least four feet wide. Reserve some sturdy shelves empty store space and for oversized items. Lastly, install smoke detector, extinguisher, heater and air conditioner if necessary.

Ebay’s New Feedback Changes Launched Today

2008-05-19T22:39:00.000-07:00

Today is the launch of new ebay feedback policy. The changes includes: (1)no negative feedback for buyers only for sellers (2) feedback lasts only 60 days from date of transaction (3) no more feedbacks for suspended members or if buyer fails to respond to unpaid items (4) members will get credit for weekly repeat feedback. (5) Positive feedback percentage will be computed after every 12 months and requires Powersellers 98% feedback.

Ebay stated the reason for the change is they think buyers were prevented from leaving honest feedback since they feared retaliation from sellers if they left a negative feedback. Though sellers has bombarded ebay for making ebay pro seller instead of being neutral. Powersellers even so react negatively with the changes, especially those who are Trading Asssistants and Ebay Educators. A positive feedback of 98% is too much as a requirement and credits not enough for repeat feedback.

How Powersellers Starts A Bid Price

2008-05-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

To decide on a starting bid price is one of the most difficult tasks an eBay Trading Assistant has to decide. Imagine how you expect to get $1500 from a starting price of $0.00. Powersellers of course have some tricks on how to they are able to meet the expected price. It is more difficult for an Ebay Trading Assistant to sell items of other people than selling his own. It is always good to start at low price. Most auctions that start a low bid price ended high as you would expect. The trick is, never start an item at more than one-third of the expected ending price, and lower if possible. But when you are selling obscure items of high value, with very small following, start the item at a price you will be comfortable taking if only one person bids.

2008-05-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

In ebay selling, it is important that you avoid selling junks. Powersellers never do this. Obviously, junk won’t sell for much, so you will get a little if no profit from selling it. But something else happens. When potential buyers get interested in you, they will often click on your “View Seller’s other items” link. If they find a lot of junk there they will think less of you as a seller. And all that junk will make it harder for interested bidders to see the good stuff you are also offering. Still, selling junks consumes eBay and PayPal fees that could be better spent. As an ebay seller, you have to set a minimum dollar value for each item you list. If you think an item can sell profitably for that minimum value, don’t list it. Do not compromise your business reputation. Selling good quality products will keep you in ebay business.

Take Photos Of Your Ebay Items Using A Digital Camera

2008-05-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Digital cameras have become very useful to ebay sellers. Different models are coming out in the market and varies from pixel to pixel. Here’s a list of things I think you should look for in a camera:

A mnimum of three megapixels
A good close-up capability for small objects and details
The biggest LCD display you can afford
An efficient way to move images from the camera to your computer such as the USB port.
A way to run the camera on AC, or removable batteries, so you can recharge one set while using another.

In using a digital camera for taking pictures for items to sell on ebay is a very easy task. Just remember these few tips before you buy one.

What Is An Ebay Trading Post?

2008-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

If your garage is getting too full and crowded, powersellers or trading assistants may think of moving to a commercial space. Some ebay sellers rent a warehouse or a retail shop called eBay Trading Post. Trading Assistants usually have their own trading posts. These assistants are ebay sellers who help folks who don’t want to become ebay sellers to sell their items on eBay. They take the customer’s items and do all the selling for them - list, collect the payment, ship the item to the buyer, and soon. Trading posts are the best place to make transactions with these customers. A properly located retail store with a visible sign will attract a lot of attention, and therefore a lot of potential customers. Ebay sellers with trading posts need to sell a lot of other people’s items in order to keep the business going because of the small portion they get from the items they sell. They need to consider the space rentals, advertising & PR, utilities, telephone insurance, office supplies, taxes and licenses and labor if they prefer to have a selling assistant.

Tips On Choosing Your Ebay Store Logo

2008-05-07T19:35:00.001-07:00

Logos signify your company name. It carries the company’s reputation. It’s a visual representation of the nature of business you have. Logos are one of marketing strategies of every company. For example, if you see a check sign, you will easily remember the Nike brand or when kids see an M, they will think of Mc Donald’s restaurant. Make it simple and easily recognized. You want your store to be recognized quickly. When people surf through tons of auctions you want yours to stand out. You want people to remember your store. Be creative without spending much. Logos need not be expensive. You can make a simple and creative logo through MS word, fireworks or photoshop. Be creative. Choose a good color or image or letter. Play with it. Come up with a logo that best signifies your ebay business. Make a consistent look and style. It’s not enough to splash your logo all over town,; you also want it to look the same everywhere. Since it is your trademark, it must be authentic. It must have the same look and style when placed in brochures, business cards, letterheads or any other ads.

Effective Title For Your Ebay Listings

2008-05-07T00:46:00.000-07:00

Powersellers should know how to make their title look attractive to buyers. An effective title could drive traffic to your site. You need a few easy tricks to do this.

Capitalize Title
An all-CAPS title makes your item more readable and will catch buyer’s attention. It is a very effective trick to drive traffic to your ebay store and your ebay listing.

Bold Title

Bold title makes your title darker in eBay search results lists. This is another important trick to make your item stand out from the rest of the listings.

How To Advance To Powerseller Level

2008-05-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

To advance to powerseller levels you will need to continue to comply with all of the PowerSeller program criteria. Your sales and DSR will be evaluated for 3 consecutive months. The first powerseller level is the Bronze Powerseller with a minimum monthly requirement of at least $1000 in sales or 100 items per month, for 3 consecutive months. A powerseller is required to achieve an overall Feedback rating of 100 and at least 98% positive rating. You must be an active member for 2 months and your account must be in good financial standing. You must have maintained an average of 4 monthly listings for the past 3 months. Ebay will automatically notify and congratulate you when you reach the next level. If your selling success falls below the level for your current tier, you will automatically receive an alert email. You will be given 30 days allowance to bring your account back to compliance. If after 30-day grace period, you account still falls below the criteria, your Powerseller status may be demoted or may eventually lose the ebay Poweseller status.

What Are Ebay Powersellers Program Benefits?

2008-05-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Powersellers are folks who sell at least $1000 per month on eBay, maintain 98% feedback rating and provide high level of service to buyers. Ebay rewards powersellers with the following:

Prioritized Customer Service

eBay provides priority customer support and technical assistance to powersellers. This includes priority customer support through email, phone or directly calling your dedicated account manager during business hours. Priority email and Telephone support is also provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can email or call you queries pertaining to Trust and Safety such as feedback removal, non-paying bidder, ended listings or suspension. Use of Skype an online phone system where you can call your customer directly from your computer. All you need is to download the Skype software and a headset.

Powerseller Discounts

eBay offers discounts on final value fee to powersellers. You need to go to the Seller Dashboard to know how much can be discounted from your final value fee. The percentage will depend on your DSR rating.

Expanded Seller Protection Program From Paypal

In expanded seller protection program, powersellers are provided with unlimited coverage of Seller Protection Policy with paypal transactions. The coverage limit of ebay seller is worth $5000 per year. As a powerseller this comes unlimited with no more confirmed address where customers can choose any shipping addresses. Also, coverage is extended to more countries in the world. Powersellers need to register to Expanded Seller Protection to paypal before they can avail of such service.

Increase Visibility In Best Match Searches

Powersellers who maintains no less than 4.6 DSR ratings in the last 30 days will have a 5% to 25% advantage of visibility in Best Match Searches than the average ebay seller. This is a new feature ebay has added to Best Match. Not only does the search depend on keywords but also considers the seller performance factors.

Exclusive Networking

Powersellers can participate in discussion boards and forums and share ideas and selling with other members.

One of the most attractive benefits from ebay is the access to additional product sources in eBay Reseller Marketplace. Powersellers get the chance find great values for excess inventory directly from manufacturers, liquidators and wholesalers. Powersellers can buy in bulk for resale by small and medium-sized ebay business.

Celebs Auction Baby Items For Charity On Ebay

2008-05-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Johnson & Johnson sponsors a worldwide charity program, babycause.com that supports all the babies in the world. One of its projects is the ebay’s “Johnson’s Celebrity Hand Me Down Auction” an auction of baby items donated by celebrities starting April 29 to May 9. Stars like Matt Damon, Jeri Ryan, Julian Moore, Elisabeth Hasselback showed their baby products in auction selling for a cause.

How to Improve Your Categories To Drive Traffic

2008-04-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Categories play an important part in your ebay store. This will guide buyers to search for a particular item in your store. Sellers have must take time to improve ebay categories in order to provide buyers convenience in finding products from the ebay store. If buyers find your ebay store convenient you can actually drive traffic to it. Improving your category is pretty much easy to do. First, make sure that you choose “Show store listing header and the left navigational bar in your listings at the Listing Frame Options found at “Manage My Store” section of My Ebay.

How You Can Save On Shipping Ebay Items

2008-04-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

It is easy to ship items on ebay and if you are smart enough, you can save a lot. You just need to know a few strategies to do it. First, you need to know the weight of the item that you are suppose to ship. Second, you need to visit USPS.com where you can calculate postage online. You will have to choose one of the 3 categories: domestic, international and business postage. You can save at USPS.com because of reasonable shipping price. Choose the type of package you want depending on the number of days you the buyer will receive the item. Remember that to profit on ebay, you need to deliver items at the soonest possible time. Choose for priority mail. Most ebay sellers prefer online postage because the price is lower than the post office price. You may also ship your ebay items at stamps.com, endicia.com or to your local post office.

A Life For Sale On Ebay

2008-04-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today, as I am browsing the news on ebay, I stumbled on this report at ABC news: A “Divorced Man Sells His Life on Ebay”. My first reaction is to laugh. It’s absurd, don’t you think so? The man named Ian Usher offers to sell everything he owns in one package. Everything will be in auction including a house with all its contents, a car, a motorbike, a jetski, a kite surfing gear, his friends and even his job! It will be a 7 day ebay auction and will start on June 22, 2008 up to June 29, 2008 Australian Western Standard Time. The auction will be in Australian Dollars and starting bid price will be AU$1.00 to a maximum of AU$ 402,000.

eBay UK To Check Computers Regularly Used By Buyers And Sellers

2008-04-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ebay UK announces to check computers regularly used by buyers and sellers in order to prevent unauthorized access of ebay account. There have been too many cases where an eBay account is being used by another person. This time, eBay will use some new technology that will link the ebay user ID with the user’s computer. When eBay finds out that the computer does not match with the one regularly used by the seller or buyer, they will require you to provide some more information to confirm that you own such account. The account owner is required to update eBay with his/her personal information otherwise, there may a delay of transaction. It is no problem if you are using more than one computer. EBay will be able to track down all the computers you are regularly using. Account theft has always been a problem in ebay selling and any other auction selling business. Ebay continuously introduces new programs to protect its members.

Starting An Ebay Club In Your Community And Profit On Ebay By

2008-04-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

If you are running a good ebay business the best way to profit on ebay is to start an ebay club in your community. Many people wants to sell on ebay but don’t have any idea how. You can make use of the opportunity by giving free lessons and encouraging people to buy or sell on ebay. Make yourself known in the community as a casual ebay seller. Provide a business opportunity for them on ebay. Share your expertise, your experience and how you get started with your own ebay business. You can also make use of the opportunity of starting a consignment business on ebay or a drop off store. Provide them with your contact number, your ebay store name and encourage further consultation. By sharing your skills to others, you get the chance to open an opportunity for others while promoting your own business.

Do I Pay Taxes For My Ebay Business?

2008-04-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

When you are new to ebay selling, you may wonder if these people ever pay taxes. The answer depends on whether you are having an ebay business where you pay for the items to sell on ebay. Then you are required to pay taxes. Just like any ordinary business, you are require to pay your taxes. But when you are not into ebay business and just selling stuff that you want to get rid of from your own home, then you don’t have to pay taxes since this is not considered as a business but a loss. As an individual, you need to apply for a sole proprietorship using your SSS ID under the self-employed category. For sales tax, get a tax ID from your state for collecting and submitting taxes from buyers who live in your state. Online business requires taxes but you may reduce taxes by stating necessary expenses with your transactions. Some of these include, office supplies, office and equipment, phone charges, car gasoline used for business, online advertising, inventories, shipping fees and even ebay fees. These are tax deductible expenses.

Dutch Auction In Ebay’

2008-04-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ebay sellers have been using Dutch auction for multiple items listing. It is an auction-style that offers multiple identical items for sale. Unlike ordinary auctions, dutch auction have many winners. For example there are 10 cellphones displayed for dutch auction.

1.) Bidder A bids 3 items at $8

2.) Bidder B bids 6 items at $7

3.) Bidder C bids 3 items at $4

4.) Bidder D bids 2 items at $9

In this case, the lowest successful bid is $7. What happens is, Bidder D turns out to be the higher bidder and will win 2 items at $7, Bidder A wins 3 items at $7 and since there are only 5 items left, Bidder B wins only 5 items at $7. If you notice, the lowest successful bid which is $7 becomes the price of each item. In dutch auction, the winners may refuse partial quantities which usually happens to the lowest successful bidder. If in this case, bidder Bidder B refuses to take only 5 items as compared to his bid amount which is 6 items, Bidder C has the chance to become the lowest successful bidder. Dutch auction selling, the winners are determined under certain circumstances. If you play well, you get lucky.

Ebay Sellers Benefit From Skype Unlimited International Calls

2008-04-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

Skype is going to sell unlimited international calls for $9.95 a month Yahoo Finance announced yesterday, April 20, 2008. This is the 3^rd time that skype offers unlimited international calls. Ebay sellers avail of the skype services on transactions made with customers from computer to landline phone. This is the easiest way to communicate with buyers. There have been news that ebay will give up skype if it does not meet its target profit. This is obviously the reason for lowering of fees which is a great advantage to ebay sellers and those making profit on ebay. In ebay business, sellers need to contact buyers and vice versa. Unlimited calls will help communication more open to both parties. Transactions are done smoothly and processing of payment and other online inquiries may be entertained well.

How To Build Positive Feedback Before You Start Your Ebay Business

2008-04-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ebay sellers need to build a positive feedback before starting an ebay business. But the question is how. You may try first by getting good reputation as a buyer. Shop for some items on ebay, pay promptly and leave good feedback to sellers if possible. Participate in forums and make yourself known in the community will be an advantage. Remember, buyers are less likely to buy from a stranger or sellers with no ebay history at all. You need positive or negative feedback on your ebay transactions whether you are buying or selling. Second, you may also try selling a few items and establish a good DSR (detailed seller ratings). With DSR, buyers are allowed to give sellers ratings from 1 to 5, the score of 5 being the highest. The DSR rating is based in four (4) criteria: item description, communication, shipping time and shipping and handling charges. Having a good feedback rating will not only drive buyers to your ebay store but also you may give a better pricing to your products.

Make Money On Ebay By Being A Trading Assistant

2008-04-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

New ebay sellers need as much help in selling their products because to too much competition. This is a great opportunity for more established ebay sellers because they can take advantage of selling other people’s products. Trading Assistants charge fees for their services. To become a trading assistant, you must be an ebay member with a good standing sales and good feedback. You are required to have sold at least ten (10) items on ebay within the last three months. Your feedback rating must be at 100 or higher and and 98% or more of your feedback are positive. As a trading assistant it is your responsibility to display these items and provide description at the same time, ensuring that the listing adheres with ebay’s Listing Policies. The only thing you have to remember is that, ebay charges fees on Trading Assistants and holds you responsible to communicate with your client as to how much you will charge them. If the item don’t sell, it is still your responsibility to inform your clients. Ebay recommends some of the taglines for your trading assistant store:

Drop Off Your Stuff and We’ll Sell It on eBay
You Drop It Off—We Sell It on eBay
We Sell for You on eBay
Drop Off Your Items—We Sell Them on eBay
Bring Your Items to Us—We Sell Them on eBay

Along with the responsibilities, taking full control in charging clients is how ebay sellers are profiting on ebay as an trading assistants.

Sellers Must Beware Of Spam Emails Using Ebay’s Name

2008-04-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

There have been many incidents about spam emails sent not only to buyers but to ebay sellers as well. The emails seem to be legit at first glance but remember scammers do their best to make these letters genuine and authentic. These people just master the act of fraud. In some cases, they are using different accounts and different company names. Don’t be a victim of this scam. Be alert and vigilant. Remember these people don’t choose their victims. Be meticulous with the details of your emails. Check if it uses the correct email address. Usually scammers require urgency of transactions. Do not give in to their wishes or respond to their emails. Think three or more times before you take any action. If you think the email seem to be fraudulent, forward the email to spoof@ebay.com . You will get a response from ebay in a few minutes. This is one problem with online business but if you are smart you will be fine.

How Can To Find A Missing Listing On Ebay?

2008-04-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

You have listed an item on ebay and after a few hours, you expect to it to show up with the keyword searches you used for the item. Unfortunately, you cannot find it. If this happens to you, don’t panic! It will take a few hours or more before your listing will be displayed. Generally, your listing is searchable within 24 hours but may take longer. What you need to do is to check your listing format, end time, keywords, categories, price and shipping cost, feedback and detailed ratings. Consider these factors before you make a complaint to ebay. Try finding your item with the following type of searches.

Search item by typing your item number

If the item number is not in displayed at the Sort By dropdown list, you may click the Customize Display and add Item Number To it. Then you will be able to see the item numbers displayed in your search. If you have no idea of what your item number is you may check you listing's confirmation email or on your My eBay page.

Search by Seller

Most common mistakes ebay sellers do when listing an item on ebay is typo error. Remember no special characters ((for example, *, !, /, @) are allowed in the title of your item. Make sure you put space in between words. Combining words together may affect search error. Also, make that you search for the same keywords you typed in when you made your listing. Check for if you have violated ebay rules such as display of offensive materials. Ebay clearly state its rules: “Sellers may not list items that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial or religious intolerance, or items that promote organizations with such views.” If after doing all these, you still don’t view your item listing, you may now air your complaint to ebay.

Check Your Price Before Selling

2008-04-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Now you have an item to sell but the problem is how much are you going to sell it? Take time to check price of items sold similar to yours. What is the going rate in the market? If your projected price is higher than what is currently ongoing rate of the item, you may hold back the item or lower its price. In ebay, you may find the ongoing rate of items if you search at advance search section. It is at the upper right side corner of the ebay site. The link will bring you to a search bar below where you can type in any item you want to check the price.

Make sure to check the option completed listings only. Analyze and compare these prices with your own item. As expected, there may be prices lower or higher than yours. Check the detailed description and the specifications. Usually electronic gadgets differ in prices because of features. The more features the item has the higher the price. Look for prices with similar features as yours. This will help you decide how much you will sell an item on ebay.

Ebay Sellers Uses Web 2.0 To Make Money Online

2008-04-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Since the introduction of Web 2.0 in year 2000 the web becomes a new platform in business world. Web 2.0 adopts the idea of socialnetworking, blogging, podcasts, rss and the use of user friendly dynamic web pages which were not evident on the era of Web 1.0. These tools made ebay sellers use web 2.0 to make money online. Web 2.0 allows interaction between ebay buyers and ebay sellers. Imagine selling an item with only pictures and description displayed in the internet. Because of the new web-based applications the web has become more user-friendly that people just do business in the internet. Inside ebay, there are more software programs that help sellers manage their ebay businesses just like the Selling Manager Pro that handles accounting and even analysis reports. Promotion and marketing are done with search engine optimization (both on-page and off-page).

Ebay Sellers Love Squidoo

2008-04-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

Squiido is one good site to promote your business. It is free and it offers you a page to talk about you and your business. Many ebay sellers promote their ebay business on squiido. With squiido, ebay sellers can impart knowledge on their expertise and share it to other people. You can write anything from learning how to sell or what to sell on ebay. Be creative. Provide pictures, links to your ebay store and always update your squiido lens. Always find something new and apply it to your lens you can always change the way it looks. Everything is written under one page like a summary.

Why Would You Choose To Sell On Ebay

2008-04-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt online business is getting much attention these days. So, if you are planning to sell something online, it is important to choose a good place to sell. Ebay is the most popular selling place on the net. You may wonder why people choose to sell on ebay. There is no doubt ebay gets the most traffic than any other auction sites online. There are about 200 million buyers checking on ebay everyday. If you have a potential item to sell and you list them on ebay, there is a good chance that it will be sold in less time. Ebay has a user friendly environment. Sellers don’t need to know much about computer to sell on ebay. All you have to do is to familiarize yourself with the ebay window. Follow instructions carefully and read community, faq, forums, tutorials, payment method, help index in order to gather more information. Good sellers always study the market first. Research makes you more competitive in the industry. It’s easy to research on ebay. Everything is laid out to you. Ebay provides you with developer’s software that helps you manage your business well. You can avail of Selling Manager Pro and some new marketing Tools. Despite of the increase in fees, ebay remains to be the sellers choice because of these features.

Sellers Must Beware Of Spam Emails Using Ebay’s Name

2008-04-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

There have been many incidents about spam emails sent not only to buyers but to ebay sellers as well. The emails seem to be legit at first glance but remember scammers do their best to make these letters genuine and authentic. These people just master the act of fraud. In some cases, they are using different accounts and different company names. Don’t be a victim of this scam. Be alert and vigilant. Remember these people don’t choose their victims. Be meticulous with the details of your emails. Check if it uses the correct email address. Usually scammers require urgency of transactions. Do not give in to their wishes or respond to their emails. Think three or more times before you take any action. If you think the email seem to be fraudulent, forward the email to spoof@ebay.com . You will get a response from ebay in a few minutes. Online auction often has become too risky today, but if you are smart enough, this may give you a stable and more comfortable life.

A Sneak Peak At Ebay's Selling Manager's Pro

2008-04-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Ebay offers features that will help sellers manage their business effectively. Ebay developers continuously enhance software and release newer versions. The newest software ebay has developed is the Blackthorne 3.2 version which has just been released. The Blackthorne is downloadable software helps medium to high volume sellers. It has a monthly subscription price of $24.99. It comes with the Selling Manager’s Pro which can be viewed online and shows the summary of your monthly sales. On the Productivity inventory, you will notice it shows you if you are out of stock or low of stock. The SMP will help you evaluate the current status of your business and serves as reminder of the things you have to take care of in your ebay business.

Cancelling An Auction

2008-04-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

The seller can cancel bid or cancel an auction for any reason. Cancelling a bid or auction is to end selling before their time. Many sellers do this when they choose not to sell to a particular buyer. Let’s say you want only to sell items to buyers with higher feedback and somebody else with no feedback bids on your item. Or maybe you have not been satisfied with the way your auction is going and you decide to put an end to it. A few more reasons like losing the item and an error in the listing or in starting price. You are allowed to cancel bids if there are any. When you cancel a bid you still need to pay the charges such as insertion fees. You need to have more than 12 hours from before your listing end time in order to do this. When there are 12 hours or less, you will not be allowed to retract your auction listing because it will be a bad experience for buyers that are expecting to win the auction.

Promoting Your Ebay Store

2008-03-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ebay sellers do their best to promote their ebay store. But with thousands of stores generally listed in ebay, how will you be able to get noticed? There are a number of effective ways where you can promote your ebay store. There are only two places online that you can do this, inside and outside ebay. Inside ebay, there is a blog space where you can write articles. As an ebay seller, you write your own articles. You can always try to get the services of freelance writers but if you really want to put your business ahead, there’s no one else who can do the job better but someone who knows your products very well- YOU. Do SEO both inside and out side ebay. Search for good keywords, select a good category, blog or write articles related to your product, comment on other blogs, make yourself known in the market. Remember, the best way to promote your product online is good quality article content and a little research. Outside ebay, make use of wordpress and blogger to promote your store. Submit articles to ezine because you can leave your urls there and since it is one of the trusted directories, it would be easy for you to be listed in google. You may start writing ten(10) 250-word articles and submit to ezine articles. They will review the quality of your articles and when it is approved, you may add more of your articles to them as you go along. Submit as many articles as you can because the more articles you have, the more traffic and higher pagerank you will get. Another way to get traffic to your site is to install as many social bookmarking widgets in your blog and register to each of those social bookmarking sites where you can read, comment and bookmark other blogs as well as your own blog. Join Blogcatalog, mybloglog, squidoo, ning, myspace to name a few. Broaden your network of friends. The more friends you have online, the more you will get notice and so is your business. Join and comment on forums. These are just some of the several ways in promoting your ebay store.

How Promotional Items Helps Sellers

2008-03-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

Promotional items are items given free for buyers. Surely these goods attract buyers. It is a marketing style of sellers in order to make a product sell. When deciding what promotional items to give, sellers need to consider the price. Promotional items need to be inexpensive and its main objective would be to attract buyers and drive repeat sales. Sellers need to limit spending on promotional items and need to find a good supplier that can bear the name of your store on these items. Although, these items need to be cheap, yet quality must not be taken out of consideration. Especially, if these items are toys, food, or any other items that hazardous or may cause health problems. Having the name of your store in your promotional items is one marketing strategy. Always personalize the item. You may even display your logo in there. Pencils, pens, pocket calendars, chocolates, coupon or anything that will help buyers remember your store and may opt for repeat buying.

Ebay’s Robert Kagle Announced Not To Go for Reelection as Board of Directors

2008-03-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

It’s in the news (Cnet and Rueters) today that a long-time board member Robert Kagle announced not to go up for reelection at the stockholder’s meeting this coming June but will continue to serve as board of directors until the meeting. Kagle, age 51, served as Director of ebay since June, 1997 started an investment to ebay of $5 million and $7 million as partner with Benchmark Capital, to where he was also a member since its founding in 1995. On the other hand, Philipp De Paul will take charge as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer effective April 14.

Internet Companies Mostly Falls On Shares But Ebay Remains In Good Standing

2008-03-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yahoo Finance reports that due to disappointing economic data, most internet software companies’ shares decline. But ebay remains in good standing showing a rose of 7cents to $29.47. This is supported by a report from Seeking Alpha saying that the current quarter is tracking well. Analysts from citigroup say that QTD shows growth improvement of about 13% tracking ahead of the estimated target which is 11%. While analysts from Jefferies notes ebay’s move to change pricing last February has helped the company produce a positive effect of 9% growth. Remember there was a Shop Victoriously promo for shoppers. On the seller’s part, Ebay adjusted fees from February 9 to 10 on ebay motors, lowering insertion fees to $1 per listing following reduced prices on ebay motor parts and accessories. In summary, these tweaks in prices and marketing strategies made ebay market healthier and even more competitive in the market.

Ebay Sellers Reacts To Digital Dowloadable Goods in Ads Format

2008-03-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ebay announced that starting March 31, 2008, digital downloadable goods (ex. ebooks, ecards, music animation templates) must be posted in the Ads Format with a charge of $9.95 for each template in a 30-day listing. David Burke, Ebay’s Director of Feedback Policy says “Digital goods are often reproduced at little to no cost to the seller. On eBay, this creates the potential for Feedback Manipulation.” On ebay’s part, the new policy will prevent feedback manipulation since ad listings do not go through ebay’s feedback. But ebay sellers are not satisfied with that explanation and thinks that the policy cannot answer the feedback manipulation problem in ebay. The new policy will only give more financial burden because of the the 30-day Ad fixed price charge.

Ebay Now Accepting Nominees For Ebay Developer’s Award

2008-03-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Ebay is now preparing for the 6^th Annual Ebay Developer’s Conference which will be held in McCormick Place West Chicago, Illinois on June 16 to 18, 2008. One of the highlights of the event is the announcement of the winners for the Star Developer’s Award. Nomination is now open for five categories namely: eBay, PayPal, Shopping.com, ProStores and Skype of which will be assessed according to:

Most Innovative Application
Early Adopter
Service to the Community
Best Design
DSR Rockstar (improving customer service).

Ebay invites you to send your nominations via email not later than April 11, 2008. You must include “DevCon Star Developer Award” and the category in the subject line of your email. You also need to state the following information:

your name and contact info
the nominee’s name and contact info
the award category, and a brief explanation as to why you think the application is worthy of consideration.

Since this is the event for developers, there seminars will be conducted for on the latest technologies for developers on four tracks: business and entrepreneurship; affiliate and buyer tools; seller, buyer, merchant tools; web 2.0 and web development.

Finding Real Wholesalers

2008-03-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Most wholesalers can’t be found on search engines. The vast majority of wholesale suppliers do not need to advertise on the internet. For the wholesale supply industry, tere is an entire sales and marketing structure that has been in a place forever, long before the Internet every came to be.

Real wholesale supply companies deal for the most part with large retailers. These wholesale supply companies have entire sales divisions in place. That’s’ the way it’s been done for so long that real wholesale suppliers take a very serious risk of hurting themselves by deviating from that strategy.

They also realize that this advertised web stie approach will attract thousands of very small retailers. That means a large influx of very small accounts; accounts who will only buy a few hundred or a couple of thousand dollars worth of product at a time, not hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time.

How To Open An Ebay Store

2008-03-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Requirements:

Feedback: 20 points or more

ID Verified: $5 charge

Paypal: good standing account

Create a brand and logo.

The first thing you need to do once you qualify for an ebay store is to create your own brand and your own logo. These two features must reflect the description of your business. It is the identity of your business so it is important that you give emphasis to it. Make a simple and unique brand that can easily be identified by buyers.

Design and customize your store.

Ebay store allows you to easily design your store. There are a number of templates that you can choose from depending on the look and feel you want for your store. Create a layout, content and imagery and a buyer- friendly environment.

Manage your store categories.

Ebay allows you to put your products in different categories. The number of categories that you can make for your store depends on the subscription you get from ebay. The higher monthly fee you have for your store, the more categories you are allowed to create for your products. Make use of all categories that you are allowed to have. This will drive traffic to your store.

Always provide something at your markdown manager section.

Your markdown manager is where you put discounted prices. Always offer sale from time to time to get buyer’s attention and give interest to your store.

Kindle – Amazon’s New Revolutionary Reading Machine

2008-03-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Amazon introduced the newest electronic reading machine that stores up more than 250 blogs, in different categories and updated news from different newspapers that you subscribe. This electronic paper is in black and white screen just like reading from an ordinary paper. It is very handy and has a long life battery that can stand for days. If you are a book lover, this thing is right for you because you can read different books in one device. You can search for any type of book you want to read. What I like most with this gadget that you can read outside even under the heat of the sun because its display doesn’t use backlighting. The screen is easy on your eyes because of its electronic paperback paper display that eliminates eye sprain.

This modern book is 10.3 ounces with 250 words where you can check from its built in dictionary. It has access on wikipedia where you can actually see every detail of a particular word. You can also bookmark a book and go back to the pages that you’ve already read. When you delete a book, it has an archive that autorecovers your book. The books loaded in this device are from major publishers. When you download books in less than a minute with this device. You may also change the font size. According Amazon.com founder, Jeff Bezos, “the coolest feature of this book is that you can think of a book and you will have it in a minute.”

Right now, it is selling good at $399. Although Amazon explains the gadget’s main purpose is for reading but I think it serves more that as it is also Amazon’s shopping device. It has features which allow you to shop for your favorite books in Amazon. This revolutionary reading machine is both a reading device and a shopping gadget. Still I think it serves its purpose well.

Liquidation Buying

2008-03-17T00:15:00.000-07:00

When you are doing dropshipping, this term may be familiar to you. Liquation buying happens when products are no longer wanted and the owner decides to sell them with less or little profit.

Sometimes, the products are being liquidated are brand new and manufacturers simply made too many of them. Sometimes they are inventories that did not make a great sale and got stuck with a lot of extras. It might possibly be merchandise that the company wants to get rid of for reasons ranging from overruns, to canceled orders, to mistakes, to returns or bankruptcy or lots of possibilities.

In liquidation buying, you may have to find the manufacturer yourself. Make a list of their contact numbers and use your connections. You may write letters to these companies and check their prices in volumes.

You may also try to be a broker. If you know a lot of manufacturers, you may find buyers and just be the middleman. In this, you will not cash out so much money. You just refer the buyer to the seller and you are out of the transaction.

Your competitors on this business are regular liquidators that manufacturers have been dealing with for years. When you are new to this, you will have a hard time convincing manufacturers to transact with you. But as always, patience pays off. So try hard and persevere. Once you start making business with one manufacturer, that will be a start of your liquidation buying business.

Ebay Top Powersellers Sell Electronic Products

2008-03-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

The most well known ebay stores have one thing in common. They sell high tech gadgets. They offer a wide selection for cellular/Cell phone, iPod/MP3, digital camera, PDA, HDTV (HDMI Cable) accessories. This graph is from topsellerlistlive.com which shows the 4 top powersellers with very high feedback. The graph shows the 4 electronic stores that make it to the top in feedback ratings.

Where to Promote Your Ebay Ads

2008-03-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here’s another reason why I say that you should know what you sell. If you’re selling collectible coins, you know which trade (or special interest) publications you like to read. Why don’t you give those a shot first? If you’re not really sure, or perhaps you’d like to see what other publications are available, go over to Google and search the words magazine, publication, news along with the keyword that describes the items you sell. Go to the publication’s Web site and check out their advertising department. You should plan your ad campaign several months before you’d like the ads to appear. Many publications have a long lead-time between booking and final publishing.

Following are a few more tips about advertising your business that you can take to heart:

Preview the publication: If you’ve never seen the publication before, e-mail (or call the toll-free number) and ask for a sample along with the rate card. They’ll be more than willing to send you a back issue! After you get a copy of the magazine, newspaper, or whatever, take a hard look at it and answer these questions: Would people who read this publication be likely to shop at your eBay store? Do you like the magazine? Does it fit your perception of your customers’ lifestyle? Do the advertisers seem legitimate?

Check out the ad rates. With publications, cheap doesn’t always mean best. Figure out what your cost per thousand readers will be and keep that in mind. When the ad runs, use your eBay statistics to see how much of an increase you get in visitors.

Consider running your ad more than once: A one-time ad rarely pulls enough to pay for itself. A consistent advertising campaign of repeated ads (even every other issue) will get the attention of the publication’s readership and build their confidence in you and increase visits to your store. A consistent campaign works much better than scattered ads here and there with no direction.

Start out small with a single publication: That will make it easier for you to track the success of your campaign. eBay maintains a list of qualified newspapers and magazines. It’s a long and ever-changing list, so go to the following for the most up-to-date information: www.ebaycoopadvertising.com/QualifiedPublisher.aspx

Ebay UK Gives Credit For Repeat Feedback

2008-03-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Ebay

now provides credit for repeat feedback for transactions ending from February 19 onwards. For every repeat transaction, both the buyer and seller is entitled for a one point credit feedback. Here is how the credit for repeat feedback will work:

Buyers and sellers will be able to earn up to one Feedback per week from the same trading partner. Today, members may only affect each other's Feedback scores one time, regardless of the number of transactions between the parties. This change will both encourage repeat transactions and reward good service.
Sellers will no longer be able to leave negative or neutral Feedback for buyers. This change will be introduced in May, 2008.
Removal of negative and neutral Feedback left by members who are suspended or who fail to respond to the Unpaid Item Process (UPI).
Positive Feedback percentage will be based on the past 12 months of Feedback, rather than lifetime, since it is most indicative of the seller's recent performance.
Restrictions on when Feedback can be left:

Buyers must wait three days before leaving negative or neutral Feedback
Instead of 90 days, members will be able to leave Feedback for 60 days

Where Do I Find The Merchandise To Sell On Ebay?

2008-03-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

The hardest part in ebay selling is to find out where you get your merchandise to sell. No powerseller will tell you where they get their products. It’s a business secret. The best thing for you to do, if you are new to ebay is to know who’s who in the industry. Know the people that you can negotiate with, the same people that businessmen run after when they need some merchandise to sell. It could be manufacturers, wholesalers, manufacturer’s reps, dropshippers or brokers. These people play a good part in the wholesale game.

Manufacturers. It would be a great advantage if you could go directly to a manufacturer. But manufacturers transact big business. They deliver in high volume. They usually require large minimum orders from retailers. Or you may otherwise find some retail store to share with your order but it may not be a good idea unless you are really in good terms with your partner. For fashion apparels, manufacturers may allow small purchases every end of season when they want to dispose out of season fashion apparels.

Wholesalers: Here’s your first step to finding your middleman. Wholesalers purchase direct from the manufacturer in large quantities. They sell the merchandise to smaller retailers who can’t take advantage of the discounts from manufacturers for large orders. Find a wholesaler who is familiar with

(or better yet, specializes in) the type of merchandise you want to sell. Obviously, someone who specializes in prerecorded DVDs and videos will not have a clue about the fashion market and vice versa. Don’t forget to check local wholesalers, as described in the “Finding merchandise locally” section.

Manufacturer’s reps: These are generally the type of people you’ll meet at trade shows for marts. They represent one or many noncompeting manufacturers and selling their merchandise to retailers for a commission.

Jobbers or brokers: These independent businesspeople buy merchandise anywhere they can at distressed prices. They deal mostly in liquidation or salvage merchandise.

Don’t forget to negotiate. Almost everything in the wholesale merchandise world is negotiable. Although merchandise may have a set price, you may be able to get a discount if you offer to pay on delivery or within ten days. Ask whether they can help you out with shipping costs and perhaps promotions. They just may give you a discount if you promote their product through banner ads. Ask, ask, ask. The worst they can say is no.

Ebay Sellers Strikes Out

2008-03-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ebay has made sellers upset with the constant increase of fees and change in policy. A lot of sellers opt to quit like bargainland, a used to be powerseller of ebay, now sells at overstock.com and bidtopia.com. A few more sellers, like Vintage Fashion Library, Kratom Cafe build their own site. Barker Buckles, a store of stylish belt buckles has made astounding sales at Amazon.com when it decided to leave ebay and is also planning to build its own site. Although, these sites may have admitted that ebay has been a great marketing tool for them they just need to shift gears to keep them to stay in the business.
Just recently, ebay reduced its upfront costs such as listing fees, which dropped from a starting price of $0.20 to $0.15 for traditional auction listings, and made gallery photos free. However, eBay is adding more costs to the back end for many sellers with higher final-value fees, the commission eBay takes after a sale. Top sellers will be rewarded with greater visibility and protections, but - in perhaps the most controversial aspect of the shake-up - sellers will no longer be able to leave negative feedback for buyers.
In order to address this issue, ebay has thought of another strategy. As new company recruit and social media veteran, Richard Brewer-Hay announced the Ebay Ink. “This is the first time we're giving them direct access at the corporate level. I think, with a two-way dialogue, sure - there are going to be changes that will come out from that, because we listen here.”

In this case, the sellers will be given the opportunity to direcly talk to the company which is very much different from the Chatter blog, according to him, “eBay Ink aims to give readers a peek inside eBay's internal operations.” Although it is hard to track down the effect of a one week strike in ebay, this situation makes a bad reputation to the company and it is but sensible to take every possible action to it before the worst happens. Opening lines of communication may help reduce the fire but I guess it is not the real issue, sellers are still asking if they can get back leaving feedback for buyers and stabilize their listing fees and policies.

The Importance of Ebay Management Tools

2008-03-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

Ebay management tools will help ebay sellers when they want to list many items for auction on ebay. At this level of activity, using eBay’s Selling Manager will suit you nicely. But when your eBay business begins to push 100 listings a week, I recommend that you get additional help in the form of an auction management service or software. Whether you use an online service or software residing on your own computer is a personal decision. You may find it easier to use an online system because you can log on to your selling information at any time from any computer. But if you have a slow Internet connection or pay usage fees by the hour, managing your eBay business online can become impractical. Most desktop-based software packages have features that enable you to do your work on your computer and then upload (or download) your data when you go online. If having multiple locations to work from is not important and you run your eBay business from a single computer in your office, you may feel more comfortable with a desktop-based software product. In either case, if your business has reached the level where you need an auction management tool, congratulations!

Setting Up Your Ebay Consignment Business

2008-03-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

Setting up your own business for consignment sales is very risky especially if you don’t have enough idea on how manage it. You need to please both the buyers and the consignors, where you get the products for some commission

1. Design a consignment agreement (a contract), and send it to the owners of the merchandise before they send you their items. Doing so ensures that all policies are set up in advance and that no questions will arise after the transaction has begun. Make sure that you state the percentage commission you get from the final sale and how you are going to take care of the items unsold or inventories.

2. Have the owners sign and give the agreement to you (the consignor) along with the item. Talk and communicate with your consignors. Consider them your valuable assets in the business.

3. Research the item based on past sales so that you can give the owners an estimated range of what the item might sell on eBay.

4. Photograph the item carefully and write a thoughtful, selling description.

5. Handle all e-mail inquiries as though the item were your own; after all, your fee is generally based on a percentage of the final sale.

6. Buy an accounting software that can help you manage you consignment sales records and inventories.

Painting On Auction

2008-03-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

I browsed some items on auction sites that might catch my attention and found this beautiful art painting from artbytes.com. The painting “leaves of grass”, is very simple and very unique. It is a 16 by 20 inch size painting done in acrylic edge canvass. This is another piece of art by Rod Sneider, an American artist working in abstract expressionism, landscape, and still life, in oil and acrylic. Art auction is one of the most profitable auction selling business today.

Ebay Desktop V1.0 – Now A Better Software

2008-03-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Ebay released the Ebay Desktop Beta last year and earned both good and bad feedbacks. Now the company is ready to launch a newer better version of Ebay Desktop. It can be downloaded free at 7 mb size as (http://desktop.ebay.com/). Alan Lewis, Ebay Desktop project manager said that with eBay Desktop you can search and browse, watch, and bid on items, and use new features like feeds and popup alerts. The eBay Desktop interface is slick and easy to use. The best feature is you can download some of the items that you like from ebay and you can browse them from your own desktop. They also added a few new features, such as the "all feed items" option, which lets you see items from all your favorite sellers and searches on one screen.

How's The Market?

2008-03-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

Just as successful stockbrokers know about individual companies, they also need to know about the marketplace as a whole. Sure, I know about the 300 Beanie Babies out there, and so does nearly everyone else. To get a leg up on your competition, you need to know the big picture as well. Here are some questions you should ask yourself as you contemplate making buckets of money by selling items at eBay:

✦ What items are currently hot? If you see everyone around you rushing to the store to buy a particular item, chances are good that the item will become more valuable as stocks of it diminish. The simple rule of supply and demand says that whoever has something everyone else wants stands to gain major profits.

✦ Do I see a growing interest in a specific item that might make it a big seller? If you’re starting to hear talk about a particular item, or even an era (’70s nostalgia? ’60s aluminum Christmas trees? Who knew?), listen carefully and think of what you own or can get your hands on that can help you catch a piece of the trend’s action.

Should I hold on to this item and wait for its value to increase, or should I sell now? Knowing when to sell an item that you think people may want is a tricky business. Sometimes, you catch the trend too early and find out that you could have commanded a better price if you had waited. Other times, you may catch a fad that’s already passé. It’s best to test the market with a small quantity of your hoard, dribbling items individually into the market until you’ve made back the money you spent to

acquire them. When you have your cash back, the rest will be gravy.

✦ Is a company discontinuing an item I should stockpile now and sell later? Pay attention to discontinued items, especially toys and novelty items. If you find an item that a manufacturer has a limited supply of, you could make a tidy profit. If the manufacturer ends up reissuing the item, don’t forget that the original run is still the most coveted and valuable.

✦ Was there a recall, an error, or a legal proceeding associated with my item? If so, how will it affect the value of the item? For example, a toy recalled for reasons other than safety may no longer be appropriate, but it could be rare and collectible if sealed and intact. Some people like to go with their gut feeling about when and what to buy for resale at eBay. By all means, if instinct has worked for you in the past, factor instinct in here, too. If your research looks optimistic but your gut says, “I’m not sure,” listen to it; don’t assume you’re just hearing that lunchtime taco talking. Test the waters by purchasing one of the prospective items for resale at eBay. If that sale doesn’t work out, you won’t have a lot of money invested, and you can credit your gut with saving you some bucks.

Tips For The Modest Ebay Investor

2008-02-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

If you’re interested in making money in your eBay ventures but you’re starting with limited cash, follow this list of eBay inventory do’s and don’ts:

✦ Don’t spend more than you can afford to lose. If you shop at boutiques and expensive department stores, buy things that you like to wear yourself (or give as gifts) in case they don’t sell.

✦ Do try to find something local that’s unavailable in a wider area. For example, if you live in an out-of-the-way place that has a local specialty, try selling that at eBay.

✦ Don’t go overboard and buy something really cheap just because it’s cheap. Figure out who would want the item first.

✦ Do consider buying in bulk, especially if you know the item sells well on eBay or is inexpensive. Chances are good that if you buy one and it sells well on eBay, the item will be sold out by the time you try to buy more. If an item is inexpensive (say $.99), I always buy at least five. If no one bids on the item when you hold your auction, you’re only out $5. (Anyone out there need any Bicentennial commemorative coffee mugs?)

As an eBay seller, no doubt you’ll receive tons of spam (unsolicited e-mails) guaranteeing that the sender has the hottest-selling items for you to sell on eBay. Think about this for a second. If you had the hot ticket, wouldn’t you be selling it on eBay and making the fortune yourself? These people make money by preying on those who think there’s a magic way to make money on eBay. There isn’t. It takes old-fashioned elbow grease and research.

What To Name Your Ebay Store

2008-02-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

What to name your ebay store? If you don’t have an existing company name that you want to use, why not use the same name as your eBay store? Register and lock it up now so that you can keep your brand forever.

Name your site with a word that identifies what you do, what you sell, or who you are. And be sure you like it, because once it is yours and you begin operating under it and establishing a reputation. That name stays with you as long as your business exists.

A few Web sites offer wizards to help you decide your domain name. In a small, Web-based form, you input your primary business type and keywords that describe your business. The wizard then displays a large number of options and also lets you know whether the options are available. Before you attempt to register a name, you should check to be sure it isn’t anyone else’s trademark. To search an updated list of registered United States trademarks, go to the following and use the electronic trademark search system.

Is Ebay The Only Option For Auction

2008-02-26T21:33:00.000-08:00

Auctions in ebay have become very much saturated. The population has made regular ebay seller think if it is the only option. You may visit some sites that offers free listing but may charge on the final fees. This is a good way to expand your sales and save you from ebay’s listing and relisting charges. Of course ebay is not the only option. You have the freedom to choose the site that will work best for your auction business. Although ebay undoubtedly is considered the giant auction company and drives traffic much much more than the other sites, it also drives all auction sellers to it that competition becomes very tough. Here are some good auction sites to check:

Why Is It Important To Write Guides For Your Store On Ebay?

2008-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Who wants to be on top of the search when buyers look for products on ebay. Every casual ebay seller is aiming to have their products to be the first in every display. But with so many sellers currently on ebay, the competition is so tough and the chance of making it to the top is so slim. Yet there are strategies why one store makes it than the rest. Of course, it pays to have a name in every marketplace, it pays to have a reputation as a powerseller and it pays to be having a unique type of niche store. But still, ebay sellers can’t stop digging how to become at the top. Recently, ebay announced the changes of the way items are being searched on ebay. Ebay adopt the google’s search strategies where keywords and tags become very important. Now, if you are a neophyte seller, you need to understand that you need to work on these things or your product will less likely to be seen on ebay. And this is not a good sign for your business. As an ebay seller, you need to take time to write a guide. What are guides? Guides are like blogs. This enables ebay sellers to write anything about their business. Through guides, you may be able to share your ideas, tips or any experience you have as a seller. Aside from sharing your thoughts and opinions, you may be able to add important keywords to the content of your article or blog. Use this keywords to link to a category within the product in your store. Remember you cannot directly point the link to the product but only to the category where your product can be found. This category can be found only in your store and not the general ebay category. The more articles you post on reviews, the more keywords you link to your store, the more chances you have to be listed on top of searches, the more chances of traffic to your store and the more profit you will expect from your ebay business.

Making Some Changes Before Bidding

2008-02-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

It is important to check a few detail before listing an item to bid. Take note of the title, subtitle, or description, the item category, the item’s minimum bid price, the item’s buy it now price (or adding a buy it now price) , the reserve price (you can add, change, or remove it) , the duration of your listing, the url of the picture you’re including with your auction, a private auction designation (you can add or remove it), accepted payment methods, the item location, and shipping terms. Here is how you change the listing of your auction as long as it does not end in 12 hours:

Go to the auction page and click the Revise Your Item link.

This link will appear only if you’ve signed in on eBay. If the item hasn’t received any bids, a message appears on your screen to indicate that you may update the item. You’re taken to the Revise Your Item page, which outlines the rules for revising your item. At the bottom, the item number is filled in.

Click Revise Item.

You arrive at the Revise Your Item page which looks suspiciously like the Sell Your Item form.

Click the link that corresponds to the area you’d like to change.

Make changes to the item information.

When you’ve finished making changes, click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.A summary of your newly revised auction page appears on your screen. If you’ve incurred any additional fees, the amount is listed at the bottom of the page. If you want to make more changes, click the Back button of your browser and redo the Update Your Information page.

When you’re happy with your revisions, click Submit Revisions.

You’re taken to your newly revised auction item page, where you see a disclaimer from eBay that says you’ve revised the auction before the first bid.

Ebay Live Auctions

2008-02-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

eBay also holds live auctions, where you’ll find rare and unusual items for sale. You can access the live auction area from a link on the home page or by going directly to www.ebayliveauctions.com. To sell on eBay Live Auctions, you must be a registered, licensed auction house. eBay Live Auctions supply nonstop, live auction action right on your desktop. Joining a live auction is a great deal of fun. These auctions happen in real time; you can see (and participate in) the bidding auction on your screen as it’s happening. Licensed auction houses run live auctions from their locations, which are broadcast worldwide through eBay. You have to register individually for each auction in which you want to participate, and a buyer’s premium is involved. More and more auctioneers are using this format to expand their customer bases. As an eBay community member, you’re able to bid on items featured in live auctions. As a matter of fact, while writing this chapter, I spent a few hours bidding (and buying) in a coin auction! It’s a good way to increase your own stock of merchandise to sell.

Ebay Member ID VerifiedSymbol

2008-02-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

When you browse an item on ebay, you may notice this icon on the upper right hand corner at the “Meet The Seller “section. This icon represents the ebay member ID verified icon. If a seller has the symbol right next to his account name, this signifies that he has successfully completed the ID verification process done by Equifax Company that investigates and confirm members’ identity by cross-checking their contact information using consumer and business databases. Having this icon entitles a member to become a seller, to open an ebay store, bid on ebay auctions and bid above $17,000. It will also entitle the member to list with Buy Now or Best Offer option, list an item with multiple or fixed price format. This icon tells us that the seller’s business address is within US territory and areas nearby such as

Why Private Auction?

2008-02-18T19:12:00.000-08:00

You may have heard of the word private auction and you may be asking how it came about. Well, let me give you an idea of what a public auction is. Most wealthy people go into private auction to protect themselves from the public’s eye. In private auction in ebay, the bidder’s user ID is kept confidential and does not appear in the ebay listing or in the listing's bid history. Only the seller is authorized to view the buyer User IDs associated with that listing. Users may not want the world to know that they have the resources to buy expensive items; in this case they go into public auction. It happens when a high-priced item or pharmaceutical products are listed for auction. Private auctions are also held for items from the Adult/Erotica category. Private auction is mainly for security of buyers who do not want to disclose their personal information such as email and protect them from fraud or internet spam.

The No-No's Of Ebay Listing

2008-02-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

There have been complaints of listing an item without selling it. Some does it for personal interest or political agenda and others just for the fun of it. Although some buyers may ignore these ads still, it does affect ebay’s reputation. In the first the giant webstore is suppose to be the place for selling. Ebay prohibits listings clearly states that the buyer has the right to verify the existence of the item upon receipt of the item. This is to prevent sellers from selling items that are stolen or with questionable background. To post personal or political views of a seller is also not permitted. The giant webstore is a place for selling and must not be used as medium of propaganda. For personal views, sellers can post to blogs on ebay community. Signposts are also not allowed such as listing that direct to a seller’s store or other listings. Want ads are allowed only if they are listed on a Want it Now Format.

Presidentiables Compete On Ebay Listings

2008-02-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

Presidentiables compete not only during campaigns but also with their item listings on ebay. Hillary Clinton has made some items for auction on ebay. Some of which are Hillary Clinton dolls with faces exactly the same as the Presidential candidate, her pictures, campaign paraphernalias and many more. As Hillary Clinton makes about 1252 item listings, Barack Obama made about 1250 items behind by 2 points having listed the Obama Jacket, pictures, t-shirts and even pin buttons. John McCain on the other hand, made some 421 ebay listings while his opponent Mike Huckabee having 245 ebay listings.

Why Did Ebay Suspend My Account?

2008-02-11T19:30:00.000-08:00

If you are having trouble with your ebay account being suspended, the first thing you must ask yourself is why and how it happened. First, check if you have any unfinished ebay transactions. Have you paid the items you bought from ebay Have you constantly violated ebays rules and regulations in buying or selling? Or has somebody else used your account that it needed to be suspended for a while for ebay investigate the matter. Such things may need to be considered when you encounter account suspension on ebay. What you need to do first is check your email. Ebay will immediately send you an email stating the reason for the suspension of your account.

Ebay set some rules for buyer that you may need to check on ebay policies. Check the Unpaid Item Policy if you have violated any of its rules. The seller may have filed a complaint to ebay that made your account suspended. But if you are sure that you have made payments on the transaction, you need to send proof of records that shows you were able to pay the transaction and ebay will investigate on the matter. If you have been bidding with no serious intention of buying there is a big chance that your account will be suspended. If you win a bid, you are expected to pay the a product on ebay. Misuse of the bid retraction option to manipulate the bidding process is not permitted. This includes any manipulation of the bidding process to discover the maximum bid of the current high bidder or to uncover the reserve price.

How To Manage Your Ebay Business

2008-02-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

There are a few tools ebay provides for ebay sellers. One of which is the Selling Manager which provides the current summary of the seller’s current transactions. Many sellers rely on Selling Manager to manage their ebay business and keep track of records. Here are some important records you can view at the Selling Manager:

View listing status: You can see which sales activities you’ve completed and what you still have to do.

Send custom e-mail and post feedback: Customize your e-mail templates and set up stored feedback comments to help you run through the post-sales process quickly.

Relist in bulk: Relist multiple sold and unsold listings at once.

Maintain sales records: See individual sales records for every transaction, including a history of the transaction status.

Print invoices and shipping labels: Print labels and invoices directly from sales records.

Download sales history: Export your sales records to keep files on your computer.

Keep track of UPI (unpaid items) and FVF: File nonpaying bidder alerts and final value fee requests.

How to Protect You From Fraud On Ebay

2008-02-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

We heard too many stories of fraud on ebay about having paid for items undelivered, fraudulent escrows and a very timely process of recovering the payback money. Ebay has developed the Trust And Safety Team to investigate disputes between seller and buyer. Ebay seller is given 10 days to respond to ebay once informed by Ebay team. Now, buyers protection has been tightened after which Paypal offered the Buyer Protection free of charge wherein eligible transactions will receive an insurance coverage of up to $200 along with that, if you’ve purchased your item through a PayPal-verified seller, you may be covered for your purchase up to $1000. Once the buyer clicks the Paypal Buy Now button, he is entitled with the Buyer’s Protection. The buyer may also pay for the shipping insurance for additional protection. In this case you must pay the seller the additional charge for package insurance. This will cover your purchase up to the insured amount while in transit through the post office, UPS, or FedEx. Trusted Store seal is awarded to merchants that consistently receive positive customer ratings and reviews. Provide accurate price and shipping information. Honor prices listed on their site without excuses. Hacker Safe seal is awarded to sites that are safe and protected from identity theft and creditcardfraud. These sites are remotely scanned on a dailly basis for vulnerabilities.

Ebay Announced New Policy On Business Address

2008-02-06T18:29:00.001-08:00

All members operating business on Ebay – UK and Ebay-Ie are required to display their business addresses at the “View Item Page”, “About Me” and the shop’s Custom page. According to ebay, they are complying with the Ecommerce regulation that requires businesses to clearly state their business geographical locations. This new change will give buyers the security assurance that all businesses in ebay are registered therefore no fraudulent transactions will most likely to happen. On the part of the seller, this will generate more sales because of the good impression they make on buyers. The P.O Box address is not accepted as it is not considered as a valid business address. Just recently, Ebay UK and Ebay –Ie also implemented the VAT inclusive policy. This new changes will let everyone know that selling products on ebay is a real business.

Quick Ebay Auction Guide

2008-02-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

If you are new to bidding you need some helpful tips that a bidder must know about auctions on ebay. First, make sure you have visited ebay’s community help boards and chat. The help board has a quick tutorial to help you. Go to buyer central and you can read more tips and discussions regarding auctions. But before you even place a bid, remember that unless the item is so rare, you can always bid for another so there is no reason why you should be carried away in winning a bid. Read the sellers feedback, check the shipment price, If you can’t find these information, you may send a seller in “Ask A Seller A Question.” Some sellers start bids at very low bid prices and have high shipping to offset it. Once you start bidding, start not bidding early but bid high and place the bid in odd numbers. Usually with decimal digits placed like for example: 89.01 or 65.99. Remember even a small digits matter. Don’t freak out if you find yourself in a bidding war. Don’t keel over if, at the split second you’re convinced that you’re the high bidder with your $45.02, someone beats you out at $45.50. Watch for item relistings. If you see an item that you want but it has too high an opening bid (or too high a reserve), there’s a good chance that no one else will bid on the item either. Put that auction into your Watch area of My eBay. Then after the auction ends, every so often doublecheck the seller’s auctions to see whether the item has been relisted with a lower starting bid and a lower (or no) reserve.Combine shipping when possible. When you purchase an item, check the seller’s other auctions and see whether you’re interested in making a second purchase. If you see something else that appeals to you, e-mail the seller to see whether he or she will combine the items in shipping. That way, you can make two purchases for a smaller single shipping bill. Try for a Second Chance offer: If you get outbid and miss the chance to increase your bid on an auction item, you’d be smart to e-mail the seller and ask whether he or she has any more. You may get lucky, and the seller can send you a second chance offer for your high bid.

Shop On Ebay And Have A Chance To Dine With Shakira

2008-02-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

A renowned artist, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripol popularly known as Shakira is auctioning concert tickets on ebay which will entitle the holder to be her guest and have dinner with her on a private gallery in Toronto, Canada. At the same time she is promoting her concert and her auction items like guitars from her tours, clothes won from previous concerts and many of her items on ebay. The proceeds will go to the Barefoot Foundation which she founded at age 18. This foundation helps improve the lives of thousands of children. The winners of the auction will be able to help build schools of 1800 children in her hometown, Baranquilla, Atlantico, Colombia.

Shakira is a two-time grammy award winner and Golden Globe nominated Columbian artist. Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide according to BMI.She is also the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart, the United World Chart and the UK Singles Chart.

How To Win A Bid On Ebay

2008-02-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

You may have encountered placing a bid on ebay on the last minute of the auction. You have the highest bid so far and is excited to win the bid but all of a sudden it turned out somebody else won and you don’t know exactly know why it happened. Well it’s simple, you’ve been sniped!

Sniping is the fine art of outbidding your competition in the very last seconds of the auction — without leaving them enough time to place a defensive bid. Sniping is my number one favorite way to win an auction on eBay. When I first touted this method in 1999, it was a fairly new idea. Now everyone knows about sniping, and it’s pretty much an accepted bidding method. Bidders (that is, losing bidders) whine and moan when they lose to a sniper, but they should remember one thing: The high bidder always wins, whether you’re sniping or using the automatic bid system. If you’re going to snipe, assume that the current bidder has a very high dollar proxy bid in the works. Some eBay members consider the practice of sniping unseemly and uncivilized — like when dozens of parents used to mob the department store clerks to get to the handful of Cabbage Patch dolls that were just delivered. (Come to think of it, whatever happened to those collectibles?)

Of course, sometimes a little uncivilized behavior can be a hoot. Sniping is an addictive, fun part of life on eBay. I recommend that you try it. You’re likely to benefit from the results and enjoy your eBay experience even more — especially if you’re an adrenaline junkie.

Sellers Adjusts To Changes In Ebay UK

2008-01-31T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ebay UK recently announced to change its policy regarding seller’s addition of VAT on items for sale. Normally, ebay sellers have an option whether they include VAT in the selling price or add it after the sale at the checkout. Now, ebay UK announced that all registered VAT ebay stores are required to display “inclusive of VAT” to their listings. Payment of VAT after sales is no longer permissible. Ebay UK further announces the closure of Ebay Express. The site encourages sellers to go to the main site instead of going to ebay express site. There will be a new pricing model which offers discount on Final Value Fee of up to 40% to powersellers with registered business on ebay. Sellers who have at least a volume of sales equivalent to Bronze PowerSeller level or above, with a minimum DSR of 4.6 will also get 20% Final Value Fee discount.

How Ebay Sellers Verify Their Ebay ID

2008-01-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

It is important for ebay sellers to verify their ebay user ID to show other members that they are earnest in their desire to become responsible members of the community. For ID verify, you must Be a resident of the United States or U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Guam and you will be required to pay $5.00 which is a one time charge. In cases where you have not completed or passed the verification process, no charge will be debited from your ebay account.

A company like Verisign verifies your identity by asking for the following information: name, address, phone number, social security number, driver’s license information and date of birth. You may need to provide information of monthly payments, credit accounts or installment payments. The questions are meant to protect you against anyone else who may come along and try to steal this information from you and assume your identity.The information you give will be matched to what’s in its humungous database and presents you with a list of questions from your credit file that only you should know the answer to. When your information is verified, they will provide you with a verified icon in your member profile. You will not be allowed to change the contact information you provided until 30 days from the day you were verified. If after 30 days, you decide to change the contact information, the verified icon on your member profile will no longer be displayed.

In order to pass the verification process, make sure that you have the necessary information needed for verification. It must be updated information and provides authentic data of your identity. Ensure that you have the appropriate credit information. Review the information you provided before you submit the form page.

How To Create A User ID On Ebay

2008-01-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

If you want to sell on eBay, it is important for you to register first and choose a username or userID. Your user ID is as important as your password. You need to provide a user ID that is easy for you to remember, easy to type in because you will be using it every time you open your ebay account. Ebay requires short words as your user ID and you can use underscores or hyphens to separate them. EBay doesn’t allow spaces in user IDs, so make sure that the ID makes sense when putting two or more words together. More often, people use their own name, nicknames as their user ID’s.

You can change your user ID once every 30 days if you want to, but I don’t recommend it because people come to know you by your user ID. If you change your ID, your past does play tagalong and attaches itself to the new ID. But if you change your user ID too many times, people may think you’re trying to hide something.

Nevertheless, to change your user ID, click the My eBay link, which appears at the top of most eBay pages. From your My eBay Summary page, click the My Account: Personal Information link, scroll to the User ID area, and click the Change link. Fill in the boxes, and then click the Change User ID button. You now have a new eBay identity. eBay also has some user ID rules to live by:

✦ No offensive names

✦ No names with eBay in them. (It makes you look like you work for eBay, and eBay takes a dim view of that.)

✦ No names with & (even if you do have both looks&brains).

✦ No special characters allowed such as (&,$#%()<>,.:;”’?/).

✦ No symbols, consecutive underscores (__).

✦ No IDs that begin with an e followed by numbers, an underscore, a hyphen, a period, or dot (as in dot.com). Number is allowed only at the end of the user ID.

✦ No names of one letter (such as Q from Star Trek).

When you choose your user ID, make sure that it isn’t a good clue for your password.

Historic Documents Auctioned On Ebay

2008-01-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

Historic documents from New York State Library were found sold on eBay by an Archivist, Danielle Lorello. Investigators found out a lot of missing documents from the library and traced the person responsible for the lost of these state property. One of the documents sold on ebay includes an 1828 letter of former president Vice President John Calhoun, who is now charged of grand larceny, possesion of stolen property. The four-page letter from Calhoun drew bids of more than $1,700 while being monitored by investigators.

Economic Crisis Affects Retailers

2008-01-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

With the ongoing news of economic crisis within the country today, consumers are holding their wallets tighter while retailers are trying to find ways to increase sales during these tough times. It is expected that not only consumers are affected but all people in the business industry most especially. Tendency is, retailers will focus more on hot items that are saleable and are prime commodity because people will be wiser when it comes to priorities in shopping. Retailers will keep a very close eye on which products are actually selling and focus efforts on those items, making sure they have all of the colors, sizes and varieties of the most in-demand goods. Otherwise, they'll be forced into big markdowns on leftover inventory that will further deplete their bottom lines. Even grocery stores, which are losing traffic to discount warehouse outlets, will advertise and push fewer items, according to Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group, a retail consulting firm. More sales promotions will be offered as buyers are waiting for discount items instead of regular priced ones. Stores will opt for budgeted marketing strategies like sending emails and will concentrate more on online adverting to gain customers.

What's New On Ebay: Sweepstakes To Win Promo

2008-01-24T18:42:00.002-08:00

This promo runs only from January 22 to 31, 2008 open to legal residents of US and Columbia and an eligible ebay member. If you make a purchase of $20 or more from any ebay store, it entitles you for sweepstakes that will give you a chance to win $5000 on the final draw. There are also daily draws to win gift certificates. You first need to register at www.ebay.com/shoptowin.. You may then shop on any ebay stores. Make sure to look for the red door as shown in the picture above at the corner of each ebay store. Multiple purchases made on the same day will only result in one (1) entry. The winners will be selected randomly and limits one (1) daily prize per ebay user id, per person throughout the promotion period. Ebay vendors are expecting for an increase of sales this month because of the promo.

eBay Searches Depend On Best Match Keywords

2008-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

We are aware that many times, when we search an item we oftentimes misspell the word we type in. It is important for ebay sellers to take note of misspelled keywords for searches made on ebay. If you pay attention to these keywords, you may use it to so that when buyers search for items, your item will be displayed first out of the hundreds and thousands being displayed. You may also use some misspelling tools to search for possible misspellings. Attach these misspelling keywords to your metatags to keep it hidden. If you have a good price bargain item, you have a chance of being displayed first. Ebay displays only bargains on misspelled words and the lowest price comes in first. If you can find more unique keywords, that would help a lot. Search engines still look for keywords, it may not drive much traffic but if it will work for your ebay business, I think you must need to pay attention to misspelled keywords. Ebay’s newest Best Match focuses more on keyword search much like Google search and pagerank.

Ebay’s CEO, Meg Whitman: To Retire?

2008-01-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

After having announced that ebay has an enormous amount of $934 million loss mainly from buying the online phone company Skype, the company is yet about to face another loss as Meg Whitman, the giant auctioneer’s CEO (Ebay) is said to be preparing to retire on her 10^th year in Ebay. Although there is no official statement coming from Ebay’s CEO, she had made some few statements to the Wallstreet Journal that 10 years is just enough to stay long in a company. John Donahoe, the president of eBay's auction business unit is said to be the best fit as her successor. After ebay announced that it had a strong quarterly performance in auctions alone, this makes John D. a perfect fit for future ebay.

MacBook Air Now Auctioned on eBay

2008-01-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Recently, Apple proudly introduced its new MacBook Air notebook with only 0.76 inch thickness, the company considers it the world’s thinnest notebook today. It has a 13 inch wide monitor and weighs only 3 pounds. The notebook is too small that you could slip it inside an envelope. Inside, it is run by an Intel Core2 Duo CPU at 16GHz or 18GHz. With a maximum of 2 GB of RAM and an ultra portable hard drive of 1.8 inch thick, the sides are tapered and too slim to touch. It has a userfriendly apps similar to an ipod. MacBook Air comes from the line of Apple’s Macbook family (MacBook and Macbook Pro) MacBook Air being the thinnest and lightest of the three. One of the best feature of the notebook is its ability to wirelessly access the optical drive of another Mac or even a windows PC that has the remote disc program installed which allows installation of application from a CD or DVD. Like MacBook, it has a robust video-out feature that will drive a 23inch Apple display as a secondary display. Now, MacBook air is being auctioned at ebay with starting bid price ranging from $566.64 lowest up to $1,999.99. Ebay will be selling more MacBook Air this year.

How To Stop Account Theft On Ebay

2008-01-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

There are instances where sellers are surprised to see their ebay accounts being used by another person. As an ebay seller, it is your responsibility to keep your account’s privacy. Consider your ebay account as your own bank account where passwords and signatures are very important. Beware of sites that ask for accounts including the password for the same account. There lots of frauds and thefts out there who are hungry to take other people’s business. If you encounter this problem it is best that you report the matter to ebay’s chat (https://cschatlb-na.corp.ebay.com). You may address your concern about theft or unauthorized bidding or selling using your account.

Kijiji Ad Site By Ebay: To Capture The World

2008-01-17T16:05:00.001-08:00

Ebay has recently launched a new ad site called kijiji that is very much like craigslist where searches are sorted by countries. The site starts with 220 cities and 50 states covering the most part of Canada. You can post your advertisements for free in this site. According to ebay’s spokesman Hani Durzy said the site is launched merely for the purpose of driving traffic to through keyword searches and it will continue to be free of charge but may eventually charge for display or premium services. This would be a great chance for sellers around the world to advertise for free if the site will continue to expand.

Mistakes In Taking Photos Of Items For Sale

2008-01-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

It is important to give attention to your photos when listing an item on ebay. Photos are the best way to describe the item that you are selling. Good photos certainly attract buyers. The picture above is a photo of an ebay item I took in order to set as example. If you are to look at the item, you will get confused. I think the seller is trying to show how the bag looks like inside. But what he did is he put a pen at the center to show what is inside. That is very resourceful but I think it’s not the best way to present your product. Having more than one item on display is a mistake unless you are selling both items. The buyers will get confused whether you are selling the bag or the pen. It does not only confuse buyers it also has lost its sophistication. It must have been better if the seller uses a tripod to hold the cam, while him holding the tip of the bag to show its inner view. Tripods are necessary in taking photos of your items. It does not only hold the cam for you but it helps get good close-up shots, especially for smaller items. Another mistake I have noticed from this picture is the background. If you notice, the background is overdecorated. Adding more confusion for buyers or distraction, I must say. Your photos should have a plain and simple background. Use a neutral backdrop. You want potential buyers to focus on your item, not on the background. If the background is busy or crowded, it may be difficult for bidders to see the item clearly. Use proper lighting and take pictures from several angles so buyers get a good idea of what the item looks like and what condition it's in. Light the set brightly with lots of diffused lighting. Sometimes lighting can make an item look different than it does in real life. Do your best to capture the real color, texture, and condition of the item for sale.

Ebay’s New Number System: How Does It Affect Sellers

2008-01-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

Ebay’s new number sytem gathers both positive and negative feedback from sellers. The new number system works in such a way that the lower number items will show up first in search no matter what search criteria is used. Some sellers say that the new system has given them more sales but are still confused of the change. While other sellers claim that the change in system has affected their sales and is having a hard time keeping up their powerseller status just not worth paying the listings with such low sales. Speculations were made that some servers do better than others. I think ebay must explain and disseminate information well before it actually starts to implement something otherwise it will gather a lot of criticism and misinterpretations.

The Attitude Of A Powerseller

2008-01-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

Having a good selling attitude will surely catapult your sales to a higher level. Powersellers do not just rely in having quality products but also having the right selling attitude. The best attitude in selling is to treat your customers with high value. Meaning, you give importance to their concerns and feedbacks. A powerseller makes it a point to evaluate every feedback received from customers and spends time to respond positively and make actions to resolve customer’s problems. Remember when you are a customer yourself and nobody pays attention to you or the salesperson treats you coldly you swear you will never go back to that store. Think that one customer is worth a thousand sales and if you lose one, you definitely will lose thousands of bucks. Maintain rapport with them. So they would become not only a one time shopper but a regular one. Your customers can be your marketing line. Nobody would speak better marketing than them. Imagine the network of people one customer could have. Imagine losing this network by neglecting one but only one customer. If you are able to realize these things, you will have a better grasp of why good attitude is so important in becoming a powerseller.

Why You Should Start A Business

2008-01-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

I am working full time as webmaster staff. Although I am generating a reasonable income, I should say that I still find it hard to budget my monthly income. Especially when monthly bills are coming up and emergency situations arise that need financial assistance. I am not a super shopper person. I know how to budget and make ends meet. In fact, I was able to build a house which I plan to extend to an apartment coming from my savings. But still, my salary cannot compensate all my needs. I need to have some extra income. But I need to start without quitting my job. I know for a fact how difficult it is to be in the business world. It doesn’t guarantee much success especially for first timers like me. So it is good to start small and something that would not interfere or may become conflict with my current job. Just a month ago, I started selling make-ups to my co-employees. And I was surprised to get lots of orders and actually gained profit from it. And the best thing is that, I was able to make friends. I realized selling is a very enjoyable thing to do. I would never have known I have some selling skills until I tried. I’m starting and still want to expand. It doesn’t only give me extra income, but also gives me assurance that even if I get laid off from job, I still have my fallback. As long as you have goals to and wishes you want to attain, you should never stop thinking of having to start a business.

How to Get Good Feedback

2008-01-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

Feedback plays an important role in selling business. Online selling businesses like ebay continue to encourage customers to give feedback for items bought from the online store. Feedbacks will help sellers evaluate if they actually met customers standards. There are important things sellers must consider in order to get good feedback. Nothing will satisfy a customer than giving him a quality product. As a seller, that would be your first priority. Everything thing else follows. Delivery is also one important thing. You have a good product but it takes too long for you to deliver. Making on time delivery will not only let customers feel important, it will prompt them to buy more from you. Delays may not be avoided at times, but make sure to communicate explaining the reason of the delay. Keep in touch with the customer until transaction is done. Avoid having unfinished transactions. Be nice, remember that the saying: “customer is always right”. Even if they are actually wrong at times still you need to BE NICE.

2008-01-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

A new specie of butterfly found in Mexico had its name auctioned at Florida University. The butterfly was discovered from Mexico's Sonoran Desert by George Austin and Andrew Warrens from Florida Museum of Natural History. Instead of naming the butterfly themselves, they had the naming rights auctioned in order to raise funds in support for the research discovery of Mexican butterflies. The winner of the auction, who remains anonymous, gave the butterfly a name, “Minerva”. It was named in honor of Margery Minerva Blythe Kitzmiller of Ohio on behalf of her grandchildren. The butterfly is the first in the group to be named in 100 years This is also the first time that the naming rights of a new butterfly species have been auctioned in North America.

How To Make Money At Home?

2008-01-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

There are lots of ways to maximize your time while you are at home. Instead of spending long hours watching television or playing computer games, why don't you browse the internet and make some money out of it. But how? You may ask. There are lots of ways to make money on the web. Internet is considered as the world's market. All kinds of businesses are in here and everyday, advertisers are making every possible tactics in order to attract customers. Businesses rely on the internet for more and more profit. There is actually money on the internet. But how can one like an average Joe who has no idea make money online? My cousin has been home for quite sometime attending to his sick mother and he has been spending time in the internet listening to music and playing online poker. He is aware that he can make money from the internet but just don't have any idea of how. Since I write blogs everyday, I recommended him some ways of how he can start. Well, what I recommend will not automatically make him rich. But at least, I think it would help him understand that indeed there is business online. I gave him this site acop.com for paid online surveys. Since he resides in US, this thing actually works for him. Another way is blogging. He said he has no idea of what it is or maybe how it works. First, I explained to him the meaning of blogging (as what I have researched) which is “confident writing” (go to problogger.net) and showed him some blog sites. You can actually write anything you want in blogging. Next thing is to register at wordpress.com. It is the easiest way to make a page in the internet. Also introduced him to payperpost.com where he can post his blogs and get paid by advertisers. Now he’s on his way, and is somehow making good. But there is still a lot to discover online and not just listening to music and playing online games. You can make money in the internet while you are at home. .

2008-01-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

Product sourcing is an important factor in making selling business a success. Product sourcing is the process of finding the best manufacturer for the product. It is evident that a good product sourcing allows you to effectively compete with other seller’s price. You may have problem selling an item at a lower price compared to others. If that is the case, find out where are you buying your product? Are you dealing with a middle man who acts as sellers but cut very high profit? You can’t stand in the business if you have this kind of set up. Don’t deal with middlemen. Try to find a good manufacturer which offers reasonable wholesale price. Consider local sourcing if you are new to auction or selling business. Look for garage sale or estate sales in your local community. Another idea of local sourcing is finding a local store, ask them if you can have some of their items sold online. Also, you may find Buy and resell items online. But be careful in choosing these items. Make sure they are not scrap. Remember you are just starting your business and it is best to make a good reputation. As your business progresses and you get more and more orders from customers, the local sourcing may be hard to rely upon. It doesn’t give you guarantee that all the products are available and of good quality. Second, you may find it time consuming to go places and only to find some “not-so-good” to sell items plus it would be impractical to spend on so much gasoline going to local stores and garage sales. When you are getting more and more orders from customers, local sourcing may not work anymore. This time, you need to find a legitimate wholesale supplier. Legitimate wholesale suppliers have huge sales forces, warehouse capabilities and have local and long distance trucking operations. Beware of middle men. Go directly to the wholesale supplier. When you are searching for a supplier online, go to whois.net and check if the site is registered. Go to BBB.org if you want to make complaints. Also, visit the nearest Chamber of Commerce in your area if they could provide some record information about the supplier. Listen to product sourcing online radio (http://www.productsourcingshow.com/). Research and educate yourself with the secrets of selling.

How To Make Money On Ebay

2008-01-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

Too many people would like to sell on Ebay. But only a few makes it to an ebay business. You may wonder how an ebay member can make it to powerseller. It is not purely luck. Ebay powersellers worked hard for it. And it is not easy. Making money on ebay is something that you would have to do dozens of research and long hours of strategic planning. The ebay market is so saturated that competition is so stiff. The question of how you can stand out from the rest is a big challenge. There are a lot of ebooks from the internet on ebay selling. Ebooks are helpful source of how you can make money on ebay. Some of which may not be as quality as it seems to be. But it is just up to you to pick up what is best suited to your particular need. Be careful in choosing a quality ebay ebook. Seminars and trainings helps a lot in keeping you updated with the most recent business strategies and meeting people in the same business as yours. You may be able to hear stories and exchange ideas during the seminar. It is important to socialize and make yourself known to ebay community. Experts can help you find out the most effective way on how to make money on ebay. Analyze your business well. Consider opening a bank account exclusively for your business. This way, you will be able to to monitor what comes in(deposits) and out(withrdawals) of the business account and it will be easier for you to analyze how much profit you are making. It is important that you monitor your financial status of your business Open a credit card. You may not be able to pay all your purchases in cash. Credit cards will free you from paying cash. Establish a good credit record.Calculate your overhead. Overhead is the ongoing operating cost of running a business. The term overhead is usually used to group expenses that are necessary to the continued functioning of the business but that do not directly generate profits.

2007-12-26T22:13:00.000-08:00

Just before christmas, my client sent me an email that redirects me to santasite.com. In celebration of the christmas season, the site have some wonderful offers for you. All you have to do is out a few information and you will be sent an email about the mechanics of the promo. Check this out! And spread the news!

Ebay's Advise It's Sellers Not To Sell Products With High Lead Content

2007-12-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

The world is alarmed with the spread of products with very high lead content. Recently, some high lead content products coming from china has been banned not only by US but also by other countries in the world. Most of these products are children’s toys and have become very alarming because of its hazardous effect on children’s health. Ebay is in full support from selling such products especially this Christmas where toys are very much in demand. Ebay reiterated its policy for recalled items to all ebay sellers. Here is the list of guidelines regarding recalled items:

Ebay Policy for Recalled Items:

eBay strongly supports the efforts of the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect consumers against potentially hazardous goods. eBay does not permit the listing of items that have been identified by the CPSC as hazardous to consumers and therefore subject to a recall.

You can get product recall and safety news directly from the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

· Listing cancellation

· Limits on account privileges

· Account suspension

· Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

· Loss of PowerSeller status

Ebay also encourage buyers to check with US Consumer Safety Commission and take full responsibility of every product they buy.

auctionsellingrevealed

I Have Good Products To Sell But Where Are My Customers?

2007-12-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever encountered this question or are you in such a verge of confusion that instead of analyzing the issue, you just keep going and struggling to make it to the marketplace. Well, I think it’s time for you to stop and review your business. Where are you going? Oftentimes, sellers attempts to sell anything without focusing on what they can specialize and do better than any other sellers. As a newbie, it is important that you know these things. Never sell products that you know a little about and you know you can’t make it better than anyone else. Remember there are already thousands of these products before you can even think of selling it. Research more on the product and know the demand in the market. If the market is very much saturated for the product, it will affect its profitability. Timing is very much important when introducing an item to sell. You don’t sell summer clothes on winter time. It’s an absurd thing to do. Know the climate, the season. Know how to predict. Yes, advance research will let you know what will be “in” and “out”. It is best to sell products before it becomes “hot” in the marketplace. When you know these simple tips, you will not be asking yourself this question: “where have all my customers gone?”

auctionsellingrevealed

What Items Sells Best On Ebay?

2007-12-16T19:00:00.001-08:00

Are you having problems selling your products on ebay? Or are you starting to do online selling and can’t seem to make up your mind what items to sell? Here are some great tips for you. Imagine ebay as a “public market”. It has everything in it. Even the craziest and funniest product is out for sale. The only thing a seller has to remember is that the competition is tough and everyone wants to get noticed. Nobody wants to be left behind. If you are starting your ebay business and you have no idea of what is going on, you will not only be left behind your business will eventually die down. Find niche items to sell. Niche items are items that have little or no competition from the large market. Take note that you want to be noticed so find the right items for your target market. Items that are light and easy to ship and are not perishable and or extremely fragile are good ones to sell. They not only free you from worrying if they get to your customer undamaged but also will lessen your payment for shipment. It is also important that the items you sell are not difficult to describe. Your target market must easily recognize the benefits of your product even without having to be seen and held.
auctionsellingrevealed

2007-12-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

Listen here! Ebay is now on-air! If you are tired of reading ebay news online, ebay radio will probably work for you. It offers the latest ebay news and even the recent ones from the wsradio recent archives. It’s really cool! You may also subscribe to podcast and hear it directly from your gmail account. The program is hosted by Jim Griffith, the Dean of Ebay Education. If you have an ebay store, it is a good way to promote it at the station. Try it! It also offers rss feeds for the following ebay news: ebay radio, ebay radio ask Griff Show, Ebay Radio Powerseller Show and Ebay Radio Remote Broadcast from Ebay Live.

auctionsellingrevealed

2007-12-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

I want to buy a digital camera but with so many brands, i can't seem to make up my mind choosing what's best for me. I began to research on online and found that product reviews are helpful. With the CNET laptop finder, the guide is interactive and will ask you what operating system, size, and other features you want for your laptop. then it offers the best product suited to your needs.

auctionsellingrevealed

Ebay Business Tips

2007-11-27T18:31:00.000-08:00

What everyone must know is that ebay is a science and it is not a perfect science because you are dealing with people and people are unpredictable. You do not simply post a product there without knowing the system. The system is the structure of whatever you're doing. The rules of the game. The system is to take one product or have a productline. Do sell just any kind of products. Focus on one type of product that most people love to buy. And make it your productline.If it does not make good, try another product line. But don't mix up all the products like you are having a supermarket. Because in the internet, buyers know what they want to buy. They only choose the brand and the features. For example, you post cellphones of different brands. Do not add items like belts, ladies pants or cakes. These things just don't go well together. You may add cellphone gadgets or other electronics but be careful, you must focus on having just one productline. Next thing is, start with something inexpensive to sell on ebay. Remember, you are new in the biz. Don't risk by starting big. There's still much to know and you must do it slowly. So you won't end up regreting you enter into ebay business.

auctionsellingrevealed

Two Important Keys In Ebay Selling

2007-11-27T00:20:00.001-08:00

Ebay is the easiest way to make money but there's still a lot of things to learn it's just easy than everything else. Online business relies on two important keys: Traffic and Convergence. Traffic is how to get people to see your product. Out of the many products on ebay. Fortunately, Ebay handles the traffic for you. Your only job as an ebay seller is to put yourself in the way of people who are interested in whatever it is you are selling. If you got the offer that everybody is interested in, they will find you in ebay. The second key is convergence, that is to make people do what you want them to do. What I mean is how to make people buy the product. To make offers, like discounts, payment system. Forget what you want to sell and focus on what the buyers want.

auctionsellingrevealed