ebaY Guide

3 Steps to Begin Making Money on eBay™ Fast - When You Don't Know Where to Start

2006-11-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Do not sit in front of your computer any more, wasting time and daydreaming. Begin today to take the necessary steps needed to make money on eBay™.

I have discovered how awesome eBay™ really is!

It was not too long ago that I had no clue what eBay™ was about, and now look at me, an eBay™ enlightened Mom!

Would you like to get there too? It is not difficult and it is really a lot of fun.

eBay™ is the latest, and greatest money-making endeavor I have found. And believe me, I have searched high and low in all kinds of markets and businesses to find something that could work for me.

Nothing I found seemed to tickle my fancy until eBay™. There were always too many loopholes to stop me from pursuing any of the ideas I came across. Such problems I found were, for example: the costs which seemed to escalate, the amount of time that was required was more than I could give, the steps were way too complicated and the end result always seemed way too small.

No, not me boy, I wanted to invest only a small amount of money, I wanted to spend about 15 hours on this per week, and I needed it to be pretty simple, something that if I stopped at any moment, (you know the kids always distract me at the wrong times) I needed to be able to pick up where I left off and not end up completely confused. Does this sound like the same issues you have had?

Let eBay™ be your solution to the fastest and most simple way of making money! Let me share the ropes with you so you can begin right away.

Step 1 - Log on to eBay™ and start exploring!

Sounds too easy right? Well it is, as I promised. Just look up searches for things you are interested in and see for yourself how items are listed.

Make note as to how some auctions draw your eye to them, and others don't. Look at the titles of the items, which ones would you be more drawn to and why. Under the "search" box, use different words to describe what it is you want to find and see what comes up.

Notice how many different categories there are and observe the specialty sites. Interesting now isn't it! If you are feeling a bit more comfortable the next thing you should do is buy something from eBay™.

Step 2 - Buy something from eBay™.

The reason you need to buy something is because to be a good seller you must understand what it is like to be a buyer. You do not have to spend a lot of money here, in fact you should not spend a lot, just get your feet a bit wet and try it out.

To find out the steps in buying from eBay™ check out my other articles. You will see that it is not difficult to set up a buyer's account on eBay™, AND you get to choose an eBay™ user ID, a code word if you like that eBay™ users will know you by. Sounds exciting now doesn't it! Who knew that part of the process to making money on eBay™ was shopping! Well I would say that is just too much fun.

Okay, now you have browsed around eBay™, you have familiarized yourself with auctions, and you have purchased something! That is great and you are now ready to make some money.

Step 3 - Sell something from your attic.

Don't panic if you do not have an attic. Do you have a cupboard, a closet, a drawer, a child! No, just kidding, there is no need to sell your firstborn, at least not yet! But you do need to find something to sell, and it would be best if it was not your mother's $5,000.00 wedding ring please!

You do not want to start with an expensive item, remember this is a first sale for you so make it easy for yourself. Also, keep in mind shipping costs and packaging needs, so size and weight is a factor here.

Once you have found your first item, or items, take some really good pictures of them and upload the photos on your computer. You are now ready to set up a seller's account on eBay™. My other articles can guide you through this process.

If you have followed these steps, you can sit back now and watch the price of your item go up and up, until at last someone buys it! You have taken the plunge. In essence you have begun your exciting career on eBay™. May this be the beginning of a very profitable journey for you.

About The Author
Pauline Kiselbach is a single mom of two who started with nothing and built a wildly profitable eBay business. She has put together a free multi-part mini-course to teach you how to generate quick and easy profits on eBay. Get it now at: http://www.auctionmoolah.com

eBay Auction Home Business Tutorial: Registering As An eBay Seller

2006-10-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Past eBay auction home business tutorials have concentrated on deciding what to sell, what price to charge, what payment methods to accept...but once we've decided on all of this, we've got to go out to eBay and create an account!

Starting an account on eBay is a simple process, and even better, it's free! If you're 18 or older and you've got Internet access, you can have an active eBay account in just minutes. Just go to www.ebay.com, click on "Register Now", and you're off!

Having said that, here's what to expect during the registration process and a few hints on choosing a username.

eBay will ask you for a valid email address. Almost everyone has an email address through a free service such as Yahoo or Microsoft Hotmail.. and that "almost everyone" includes scammers. For that reason, if you use a free email service, eBay will require credit card information from you in order to validate your identity. eBay's registration is free, so you won't be charged. (As an eBay seller, you'll need to provide eBay with a valid credit card number anyway. Buyers aren't required to do so.)

You'll need to create an eBay ID. Your potential customers are going to see this name every single time they look at one of your postings, so don't get too crazy. If you hate the one you come up with, you can change it after you've had the current one for 30 days. Don't get into the habit of changing it too often, because that does make some potential buyers suspicious.

You'll be prompted to create a password, and also to choose a "secret question" that eBay will ask you in case you forget your password. I'm not a big fan of sites that have secret questions for you to choose from rather than writing your own, but most sites do that. Whatever you do, don't choose the "What is your mother's maiden name?" question. The answer to that is easier for someone else to get than you might think.

You'll be asked for your date of birth, just to make sure that you're of legal age to do business on eBay.

Finally, you'll be asked to agree to eBay's User Agreement. It's boring, but you should read it before checking the "I Agree" button. Once you do this, you're almost in! eBay will now send a verification email to the address you gave them, and you must click on a link inside that email in order to finish the signup process.

Congratulations! You're now ready to post items on eBay. You're going to see some odd symbols and numbers next to your eBay auction username, and we'll talk about those and what they mean in my next free eBay auction tutorial!

About The Author
Chris Bryant is an eight-year veteran of eBay, and he wants to help you use eBay to change your life just as it's done for him. For free eBay tutorials, articles, and other freebies, visit http://www.freeebayauctiontutorials.com today!

The Ten Commandments Of eBay: Side-Stepping Common Seller Errors

2006-09-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Rookie eBayers are prone to making certain mistakes that are detrimental to their businesses. CEO of internet consulting company, http://InternetBusinessSkills.com, Allison Hartsoe, shares her insights on avoiding the top ten mistakes eBay newcomers make:

See Yourself through Your Customers’ Eyes

• Don’t Start Off with a Feedback Rating of Zero. No one wants to be your first buyer—they’d rather not be a guinea pig when their money’s at stake. Go in and buy a few products, so you don’t appear to be completely inexperienced.

• Don’t Take Fuzzy Pictures. Clean, quality photos are integral to giving your customers the right impression. You want them to perceive you as competent and professional, so make sure your listings look the part.

• Include Contact Info in Your Listing. Knowing they can get a hold of you if any issues arise goes a long way towards making shoppers feel comfortable and safe buying from you. Always include an email address, and preferably a phone number where they can reach you as well.

• Respond to Customers’ Questions Immediately. People expect “instant” everything, including customer service. The quicker you answer your customers, the better chance you have of resolving their issues, and making that sale. Hartsoe points out, “If it takes you two days [to respond], they’ve probably moved on.”

Money-Matters

• Don’t Accept Cash in the Mail. You have no way of proving that a payment was or wasn’t received, or that the amount was correct. Accept credit card payments or PayPal—these are faster and leave a convenient paper trail.

• Set Your Prices Based on the Market. Use eBay’s Completed Auctions feature, or try http://HammerTap.com or http://Terapeak.com’s market research tools. You should have a good idea of the right price before listing your items.

• Don’t Lower Your Item Prices by Artificially Inflating Your Shipping Costs. If you charge 50 cents for an item, and then piggyback 6 dollars in shipping fees, your buyers won’t see the shipping charges until they checkout. At the very least, they’ll be unhappy; and they may choose not to complete the sale at all.

What’s in a Name?

• Have a User ID that Reflects Your Products. An ID relevant to your business, such as “RefillInk,” provides more credibility than an ID like “2Cool4You.”

• Don’t Use Unknown Brand Names in Your Titles. Of all items sold on eBay, 60% are found using the search function, which only searches main titles. You’re given 55 characters to sell your item—don’t waste them on terms for which nobody’s searching.

• Don’t Use Misleading Brand Names in Your Titles. In other words, don’t put “Disney” in your listing title for a teddy bear, unless he’s Winnie the Pooh, or some other Disney creation. In addition to violating your customers’ trust and garnering a bad reputation, you’ll also end up in eBay’s doghouse. Hartsoe warns, “They’ll pull your listing; and if you don’t rectify the situation, they’ll pull your store and ID, and suspend you.” For frequently searched keywords, relevant to your products, that you can use in your listings, check out http://Pulse.EBay.com.

Bypassing these seemingly obvious, but all-too-common mistakes, can spare you many headaches, and make your transition into the world of eBay-selling a much smoother ride.

About The Author
Chris Malta and Robin Cowie of WorldwideBrands.com are the Writers and Hosts of The Entrepreneur Magazine EBiz and Product Sourcing Radio Shows. http://www.worldwidebrands.com/EMRinfo for more FREE eBiz info from Entrepreneur Magazine Radio!

How To Make The Most Of Your Ebay Auction

2006-08-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

No matter what you might have to sell, doing it through an eBay auction can be a fun, fairly easy, and profitable way to sell merchandise once or for a "second job". Online auctions have become a popular way for people to find unique merchandise, such as old books and toys, or hard to find clothing and furniture. You can buy just about anything through an eBay auction! Instead of trying to hassle with a garage sale, try selling your merchandise on eBay. You might find that you can earn quite a good living at it!

Though it is an easy way to unload your stuff, there are a few techniques involved with having a successful eBay auction. Simply posting a picture and a price will not bring the bidders to you. Make sure the merchandise you are selling is in excellent condition, and if it is not, say so in the description. Honesty is by far the number one rule of thumb to follow, because deceiving customers can get you negative ratings, which will spell doom for you if you intend to auction a lot of merchandise on eBay. It is also important to be knowledgeable of what your are selling, not only so that you can create a thorough description of your product, but so that you can answer any questions that potential customers might have quickly.

In addition to being forthright regarding the condition of your merchandise, you must be up-front when you explain your sales and shipping policy on your eBay auction. Providing complete information about your shipping rates, as well as your refund policy, will help make sales go smoothly, and customers appreciate that. Gaining repeat customers is important if you want to have continued success with your eBay auctions. So, on top of offering complete information, you will want to provide excellent customer service to your customers. Respond to questions quickly, and with a friendly tone.

Once you have made a sale on your eBay auction, it is important to maintain the same friendly and professional rapport with your customers. Remember that repeat customers and good reviews can make your eBay career successful! It is important that you inform your customers of the progress of their purchases every step of the way. First, contact them to thank them for making the purchase, including any payment information. Then contact them to let them know that you have shipped the merchandise, how it shipped, and when you expect it you arrive to them. You might also want to include any tracking numbers so that your customers can see when their packages are due to arrive to them.

It is vital that you conduct your eBay auctions and business transactions with the utmost professionalism. In addition to honesty and communication, that means that you should wrap and ship any merchandise that you sell in a way that it will not be damaged, and that it will show that care was taken in the preparation for shipment. Include a "receipt" that shows what the customer purchased, the price paid, and even include a thank you note, which is always a nice touch. Again, customer satisfaction and feedback can make or break your eBay auction experience and seller reputation.

Customer feedback and ratings on an eBay auction can mean that either you will be a highly sought after seller, or that no one will want your stuff at all. Take those ratings seriously, because the buyers on eBay certainly do! That is why it is so important to work to satisfy every customer, even the difficult or demanding ones. If that means negotiating the price of certain merchandise, or doing something else a little extra for a customer, then you need to do it. If you want to turn your eBay auction into a successful business endeavor, your pride might have to take a back seat. Try to remember that the buyer is taking just as big (if not bigger) of a chance as you are in shopping for merchandise on an eBay auction. Therefore, the easier you make it for them, the more often they are likely to be your customer.

About The Author

Mark Woodcock is a director of 3 Internet Companies, is a published author and has written many articles on a widespread number of topics. All his articles may be reproduced provided that an active link is included to http://www.auction-registrations.com.

Top 10 Reasons that Auctions Fail

2006-06-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Copyright 2006 - Jason James and The Auction Resource Network http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.com/

Seven Secrets to Making a Killing on ebaY

2006-05-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About The Author
Daegan Smith is the leader of the fastest growing team of successful home business enterpernuers on the net. Find out how we're creating financial freedom all across the globe and how to get in on the action FREE at http://www.comlev.net.

Common Sense Approach

2006-05-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Getting Started on eBay - A Common Sense Approach
by: Michael Saunders

You've probably heard about how much money can be made on eBay. With dreams of quick riches and easy money, you are probably ready to jump in with both feet - right now! The best thing you can do if you are serious about making money with eBay, however, is to chill out. Being successful on eBay takes as much planning and effort as operating a business in the 'real world.'

eBay has over 100 million members. Think about that number for just a minute or two. When you get your eBay business set up, that is how big your customer base will be - instantly. 100 million people - 100 million people who are just waiting for you to get set up and running so that they can throw money at you! As in most cases, beware the law of large numbers. It is true that the reach of eBay is incredible, but at this point, the market doesn't know that you exist. In fact, no matter how well you do on eBay, most of them will never know that you exist. 100 million is a very large number.

The most successful eBay sellers started out as buyers - and you should too. This will give you a sense of how everything works. It will also show you how things are from the buyer's side of the fence. Let's call this period of time 'consumer research.' You are literally studying how eBay works, from a customer's point of view. You may not realize this, but this eBay buyer experience will actually make you a much better seller - right from the very start.

Really pay attention to the customer service you receive from the seller. Think about how you want to be treated as a buyer, and take notes. Take your time during this process. Interact with the sellers. Get involved in hot auctions to see what they are like. In your spare time, start making notes about the hot items that you see. These notes will come in handy later.

eBay works just like any other business. You have to determine what people want to buy before you can hope to be successful. There are very specific items that sell really well on eBay - you just have to figure out what those items are. There are many resources for finding out this information. Start with the lessons that eBay offers to their sellers. Strongly consider attending the eBay University as well. This is the next step in the process. After you have had the eBay buyer experience, it is time to learn how to be an eBay seller.

Study all of the information eBay provides for you on its site. The information is free and you will learn a great deal from it and it provides a roadmap for success. By reading through all of the resources, you will avoid making numerous mistakes that so many before you have made. This is another step towards building a successful eBay business. Once you have made it through the learning process, you should know everything you need to know to get started with a money making eBay business of your very own.

Michael Saunders edits http://www.internet-marketing-library.com/

Auction Yen Software

2006-04-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

"Would you like to know what eBay buyers REALLY want?"

Ya? ... first, have you heard of the eBay Want-It-Now section?

Probably ... but have you REALLY looked into it?

More importantly, what if I told you there is away to extract HIGH demand with LOW competition product or niche ideas from the data?

Well ... there is! And I will gladly tell you how :o)

READY? Grab a coffee and enjoy the read...

The want-it-now section is a place where hungry ebaY buyers post their request to buy a certain product or service. Then ebaY sellers go there and respond to theposts by pointing them to their auctions.

So ... here is the idea:

You basically need to find repetitive trends in the want-it-now posts. In other words, find related posts that occur several times. This signifies a product or niche idea that is in HIGH demand.

BUT more importantly, you need to find related posts that have little or no responses from ebaY sellers. This signifies LOW competition ... this is key!

One method is to copy and paste the want-it-now data from the html source into a spreadsheet program like Excel and sort the list.

Yup ... as you can imagine that is NOT easy!

Well, here is the easy way ... I found a NEW software tool called AuctionYen that does exactly that! It simply extracts the want-it-now data uncovering HIGH demand, LOW competition product or niche ideas in minutes.

Plus, it can work with 4 different eBay sites.

AND there is NO better place to find what buyers want than the Want-It-Now section!
==> Click Here for AuctionYen

AcutionYen also comes with a VERY cool software tool called Feedback Analyzer that helps you extract the positive, neutral and negative feedback comments from eBay users ... this is handy when determining if the eBay seller is legit or not.

Jump over to the website and check out the video:
==> Click Here for AuctionYen Video

All the best,
Tim

PS: If your looking for new product or niche ideas for your eBay business or just starting out ... this is the BEST and EASIEST way to find it!
==> Click Here for Auction Yen Software

2006-04-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Click Here for the ebaY Learning Center (Free tutorials on registering, buying and selling)

So, you've heard your friends and coworkers (and strangers) talk about ebaY...and I'm sure that you've seen/heard an ad or two - online, tv, radio, etc, etc. It's literally taking over the world...in a good way ;-)

Here are some quick stats about ebaY that are interesting:

There are over 180 million registered ebaY users
People spend more time on ebaY than any other website
Everyday there are millions of items up for auction/sale in 45,000+ categories
More than 724,000 Americans report that ebaY is there primary or secondary source of income
Another 1.5 million Americans say they supplement their income by selling on ebaY

ebaY strives to be The World's Online Marketplace and from the numbers above you can see that, if it isn't already, it sure is close to being just that.

What is the reason that you want to join ebaY?

You want to sell some stuff that you have laying around the house.
You'd like to make a little extra cash on the side selling items.
You're interested in quitting your regular job and starting an online business.
The thrill of buying things in an auction style format sounds cool.
You've heard about great deals that you can't find anywhere else.

Any one of these reasons (or combination of them) is a good reason to get started with ebaY. Click Here to visit the Learning Center and get on your way.

You'll be amazed at the things people are selling. You will also be amazed at the money you can get from that old stuff around the house that you no longer want or need. No matter how different or weird it might be, someone will buy your item.

Selling on ebaY is fun too and can be quite rewarding financially. More and more people are starting businesses online and ebaY is probably the easiest way to begin.

Whatever your reason for joining, I hope that you enjoy your experience. I'm listing some links below that will take you to informational pages within ebaY.

Good Luck,

Tim Whorley

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Registration Page - Direct link to the Sign Up page (It's a secure page)

Learning Center - Tutorials walk you through registering, buying and selling

Help Page - Vast library of information - covers any and all topics

About ebaY - Company information, ebaY Community, Jobs, Foundation and more

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