eBay - Part Time or Full? How to Decide.
Going full-time as an eBay seller is living the dream: making a real income, working from home, being your own boss and all the rest of it. It?s the promise of a million scams, and it?s finally come true - at least for some.
What they don?t tell you in the success stories, though, is that becoming a full-time eBay seller is by no means for everyone. You really, really ought to try it part-time before you even consider taking it up full-time, and even then, caution is advisable. Before you burn your suit, here?s a list of questions you should ask yourself.
How Much Do I Earn From eBay Now?
Work out how many hours a week you spend doing eBay-related things (be honest here), and divide it by the average amount of profit you make in a week. If you were doing full-time hours, would you earn as much as you earn now?
Do I Have a Good Job?
Think about what you might lose if you give up your job to focus on eBay. If you?re in a well-paid job with good promotion prospects then it?s well worth reconsidering: you might get a few years down the line and wish you?d stayed in your traditional job, as you?d probably be the CEO by now.
Would I Really Make Much More Money?
Unless you?re selling a large quantity of small goods, most of what you do on eBay will be waiting for auctions to end - and you can wait at work just as easily as you can at home. This is why whether you would make more money on eBay really depends on what kinds of items you?re selling - for low value items, going full-time could be a good move. For high-value ones, the chances are you?ll hit the limits of how much money you have to invest in inventory long before you hit the limits on your time.
Is my Home a Good Place to Work?
Quite apart from anything else, you might find that the dream of home working is more of a nightmare in reality. People can start to depend on you to get things done that need to be done during the day. If you have a wife and children then they can resent the fact that you?re in the house but refuse to have anything to do with them for large parts of the day. Giving in to any of these things and stopping work for a while will cause your profits to fall.
Posted on 2nd December 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
How to Choose the Right eBay Product Category.
Some people think it?s easy to choose the right eBay category, and often it is. Sometimes, though, it might not be quite clear exactly what to go for.
Why is it Even Important?
Plenty of people use the category system to find items, when they?re not looking for something specific. If your item is listed in the wrong category - or you?ve just given up and listed it in ?Everything Else? - then these people aren?t going to find your auction.
Also, listing items in the wrong categories is against eBay?s rules, and eBay say they will remove any auctions that are wrongly categorised. They don?t often actually do this, but it?s not worth the risk - especially since breaking any rules can cause them to penalise your account, including losing PowerSeller status if you have it.
So What Can You Do?
eBay will suggest categories for you when you sell your item, if you type in a few words to describe the item on the category selection page and click ?search?. You can make the best of this feature by typing in exactly what your item is, with brand name and model number (if any), so that eBay can find the best category for you.
If that doesn?t work for you, then search yourself for items like yours, and pay attention to which category most of them seem to be in (you can see this near the top of each item?s description page). Try different words and see which ones come back with the most results. You can also browse through all the available categories from eBay?s front page.
Remember that the more specific the category is, the better - use as many subcategories as are appropriate. Don?t just list your HP laptop in the ?Computers? category, for example - list it in ?Computers > Laptops > HP?. Don?t worry: your item will still appear in the ?Computers? category, as well as ?Computers > Laptops?, because items listed in subcategories are always listed in every category above.
Take some time to look through all the categories and get familiar with the way eBay as a whole is laid out. After all, that?s better than getting a few months down the line and finding that you still think of eBay?s category system like it?s some kind of scary jungle.
Posted on 30th November 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
eBay Title Writing Tips.
Trying to be help your buyers find your auctions can be a truly daunting task. Most people only search eBay by title, not by description, and that means that you only have those 55 characters of the title to cover all the possible search terms. That?s not easy. In this email, I?ll give you a few pointers.
Don?t bother with eBay clichés: There are plenty of eBay auction titles that say things like ?Super rare camera wow look low price?. These are stupid things to put in your title, as no-one is going to search for them.
Think like a buyer: If you were looking for your item, then what exactly would you type into that box? If you think it?d help, try searching yourself to find someone else selling your item. What were the first things you thought of typing?
Think like other sellers: Keep an eye on which sellers are doing best with items like yours, and try to copy their title styles - if it works for them, it can work for you.
Be specific: You should be sure to write the item?s brand and specific model number in the title, as people will often search only for this information. Make sure that you also say exactly what the item is.
A Few Examples.
Here are a few examples of good titles. They?re real, and they?re on eBay right now, making their sellers money. So what makes them good?
?Dell Latitude Laptop P3 500mhz Notebook PC Computer?
If you know about computers, you?ll know instantly what this auction is selling. It has manufacturer (Dell) and product line (Latitude), followed by a few technical specifications (P3 500mhz is the processor speed). Notice also that the title includes the four words ?laptop?, ?notebook?, ?PC? and ?computer?, as the seller wants people looking for any of those words to see his auction.
?OASIS Don?t Believe the Truth CD Album (New)?
This auction for a CD is well formatted: it gives the artist name in capital letters, followed by the album name. It then manages to include the two key words ?CD? and ?album?, as well as the word ?new? - that means that anyone searching for ?new oasis cd?, ?oasis new album? and so on will find this auction.
?1840 Penny Black stamp, certificate, four margins?
Posted on 28th November 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
eBay Description Writing Tips.
Once you?ve drawn the buyers in with your title, the next thing to do is to tell them all about your item with the description. But just what should you write in your description?
At its heart, your item description is an ad. Without making it too obvious, you should be writing sales copy. You?re trying to get buyers excited about your products, and that?s usually hard - but on eBay, if you have the right thing to sell and give enough details, the buyers almost excite themselves.
Technical Details.
Include every technical detail you know, including the item?s manufacturer, its condition, how big it is, where and when it was made, its history, and anything else special about it. Don?t be too boring, though: the best descriptions are written in friendly, conversational language, and show a real knowledge of the item. Whatever you do, make sure you tell the truth!
Remember that most of the people who?ll be buying your item will be just as knowledgeable about it as you are, if not more - this is their hobby, and they?re experts. Don?t feel like you need to explain the basics of the item: just go into as much technical detail as you can. As a rule, don?t write anything in the description if you don?t know what it means, as the chances are someone will, and if you?ve got it slightly wrong then you?ll look like you don?t know what you?re talking about.
Interesting Details.
You might find that you enjoy writing a few things about how you got the item, why you?re selling it, and who you think might like it. This isn?t strictly necessary, but it gives your auctions some character and a personal touch, and can make people more likely to trust you. People might wonder what you?re doing selling 500 CDs all at once, and if you tell them the reason, then they?ll feel reassured that nothing dodgy is going on. If you?re selling them because you?re having a baby and you need the space, just say so.
Write as Much as You Can.
Posted on 25th November 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
10 Tips for Increasing Your eBay Response.
So you?ve got the buyer in front of your auction, and they?ve read the description. They?re must be interested, or they wouldn?t be looking? but just how can you push them over that line and make them leave a bid? Read on for some tips.
Improve your picture: In all that description writing, you might have missed the vital importance of your item?s picture. A picture with bad lighting or an intrusive background looks amateurish and won?t make anyone want to buy from you.
Add an About Me page: You?ll be surprised how much you can reassure bidders just by creating an About Me page and putting a little bit about yourself on your business on there. You can also have a few special offers there for people who bother to look at the page, and let people subscribe to your mailing list so that you can email them updates.
Use SquareTrade: Signing up at SquareTrade and displaying their logo on your auctions shows that you are committed to have them resolve any disputes that arise. You always see this on PowerSellers auctions - it makes you look more professional.
Write terms and conditions: Have the ?small print? clearly visible on all your auctions, giving details of things like shipping times and prices, your refund policy, and any other business practices you might have. This helps build confidence with buyers.
Show off your feedback: Copy and paste a selection of the feedback comments you?re most proud of to each item?s description page, instead of making bidders go and look for it. If you have 100% positive feedback, be sure to write that on every auction too.
Add NR to your titles: If you have extra space in a title, put ?NR? (no reserve) on the end. Bidders prefer auctions that don?t have a reserve price, and doing this lets them see that yours don?t.
Benefits not features: Make sure your description focuses on the benefits that your item can give to the customer, not just its features. This is a classic sales technique. If you have trouble with this, remember: ?cheap? is a feature, ?save money? is a benefit.
List more items: If you want more people to respond to your items, then list more items! You might find you have better like listing items at the same time, instead of one-by-one. There?s no need to use a Dutch auction - you can just keep two or three auctions going at once for an item you have more than one of in stock.
Posted on 24th November 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
An Introduction to Bidding and Buying on eBay
Have you noticed that whenever you open a newspaper, watch the TV or have a conversation, people seem to be talking about eBay? If you?ve never used it and you?ve no idea what it?s all about, then the chances are that you?re starting to feel a little left out. But don?t worry! This email contains everything you need to know about the basics of bidding and buying on eBay.
So What is eBay?
eBay is an online auction website - and not just any auction site, but the biggest one in the world. If you know how an auction works, then you already know how roughly eBay works. Someone adds something they want to sell to the site, and then buyers come along and place bids on it. The highest bid wins the item! It?s that simple.
eBay being an online auction makes a big difference, though. Buying and selling are not reserved for any elite. eBay accept almost any item, no matter how small, and will then advertise it on their sites all over the world. It?s a powerful combination of an auction and a slightly chaotic marketplace.
What is Bidding?
Bidding is when you say how much you will pay for an item in an auction. Bidding on eBay, however, doesn?t work in exactly the same way as a normal auction, at least in theory. On eBay, you tell the site what the maximum you are willing to pay for each item is, and then eBay places the bids on your behalf. That means you could say you were willing to pay up to $100 for something and only have to pay $50, if that was the highest maximum bid anyone else placed.
It?s not as complicated as it sounds - the best way to get used to it is to give it a try. First, the best thing to do is to go to the eBay website designed for your country. If you don?t know the address for it, just go to www.ebay.com and it will tell you there. Now, on the front page you should see a big box marked ?search?: just type in anything that you?d like to buy there.
Wasn?t that easy? Now you should have a list of items for sale in front of you, along with how much people are currently bidding for them and the time when bidding ends for each item. If you click one of these, you can read the description, and then - if you?re happy with the item and happy to pay more than the current highest bidder is - you can bid!
How Do I Bid?
Go ahead and scroll down to the bottom of an item?s description page, and type the maximum you are willing to pay (your maximum bid) into the box. Then simply press the ?place bid? button - you will need to sign in once you press the button, or go through a quick registration process if you don?t have an eBay username).
Posted on 18th November 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
EBay Income Possibilities.
Posted on 10th November 2008
Under: All about Ebay, school | No Comments »
A Beginner?s Guide to the Different eBay Auction Types
Over the years, eBay has introduced all sorts of different auction types, in an effort to give people more options when they buy and sell their things on eBay.
For every seller who doesn?t like the idea that their item might sell for a far lower price than they intend, there?s another who wants to shift hundreds of the same item quickly. eBay tries to cater to all tastes. This email gives you an overview of the different kinds of auctions and their advantages for you.
Normal Auctions.
These are the bread-and-butter of eBay, the auctions everyone knows: buyers bid, others outbid them, they bid again, and the winner gets the item. Simple.
Reserve Auctions.
Reserve auctions are for sellers who don?t want their items to sell for less than a certain price - a concept you?ll know about if you?re familiar with real auctions. They work just like normal auctions on eBay, except that the buyer will be told if their bid does not meet the reserve price you set, and they?ll need to bid again if they want the item. If no-one is willing to meet your price, then the auction is cancelled, and you keep the item.
Fixed Price (?Buy it Now?) Auctions.
Buy it Now auctions can work in one of two ways. You can add a Buy it Now button to a normal auction, meaning that buyers can choose either to bid normally or to simply pay the asking price and avoid the whole bidding process. Some sellers, though, now cut out the auction process altogether and simply list all their items at fixed price. This lets you avoid all the complications of the auction format and simply list your items for how much you want them to sell for.
Recently, eBay added a twist to fixed price auctions: the ?best offer?. This means that buyers can contact you to negotiate a price, which could be a good way to get sell some extra stock at a small discount. The only downside to reserve and fixed price auctions is that you pay a small extra fee to use these formats. In general, it is more worth using reserve auctions for higher-priced items and fixed price auctions for lower-priced ones - but remember that you can combine the two formats.
Posted on 9th November 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
Staying Out of Trouble with eBay?s Listing Policies.
While you can sell most things on eBay, quite a few things are banned. If you try to sell any of these things then eBay will remove your auction and all bids will be void.
Here is eBay?s full list of prohibited or questionable items:
Academic Software
Airline and Transit Related Items
Alcohol (also see Wine)
Animals and Wildlife Products
Anti-circumvention Policy
Artifacts
Authenticity Disclaimers
Autographed Items
Batteries
Beta Software
Bootleg Recordings
Brand Name Misuse
Catalog Sales
Catalytic Converters and Test Pipes
Celebrity Material
Charity or Fundraising Listings
Comparison Policy
Compilation and Informational Media
Contracts and Tickets
Counterfeit Currency and Stamps
Counterfeit Items
Credit Cards
Downloadable Media
Drugs & Drug Paraphernalia
Electronics Equipment
Embargoed Goods and Prohibited Countries
Encouraging Infringement Policy
Event Tickets
Faces, Names and Signatures
Firearms, Ammunition, Replicas, and Militaria
Fireworks
Food
Freon and Other Refrigerants
Gift Cards
Government IDs and Licenses
Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Items
Human Parts and Remains
Importation of Goods into the United States
International Trading - Buyers
International Trading - Sellers
Lockpicking Devices
Lottery Tickets
Mailing Lists and Personal Information
Manufacturers? Coupons
Mature Audiences
Medical Devices
Misleading Titles
Mod Chips, Game Enhancers, and Boot Discs
Movie Prints
Multi-level Marketing, Pyramid and Matrix Programs
OEM Software
Offensive Material
Pesticides
Plants and Seeds
Police-Related Items
Political Memorabilia
Postage Meters
Pre-Sale Listings
Prescription Drugs and Devices
Promotional Items
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 29th October 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »
5 Simple Steps to Posting Your First eBay Auction.
It?s surprisingly simple to get started posting your very first auction on eBay. Here?s what you need to do.
Step 1: Open an eBay seller?s account.
If you?ve bought things on eBay, then you already have an account - just log in with it and click ?Sell? in the toolbar at the top of the page, then click ?Create a seller?s account?. If you?ve never used eBay before, then you?ll need to open an account first using the ?register? link underneath the toolbar, and then click ?Sell? and ?Create a seller?s account?. The eBay site will then guide you through the process. For security, this may involve giving card details and bank information.
Step 2: Decide what to sell.
For your first little experiment with eBay, it doesn?t really matter what you sell. Take a look around the room you?re in - I?m sure there?s something in there that you?re not all that attached to and could put in the post. Small books and CDs are ideal first items.
Step 3: Submit your item.
Click ?Sell?, and you?re on your way to listing your item.
The first thing you need to do is choose a category - it?s best to just type in what the item is and let eBay choose for you. Next, write a title and description. Include key words you think people will search for in the title box, and all the information you have about the item in the description box.
Now set a starting price. $0.01 is the best starting price, as it draws people in to bid who otherwise wouldn?t, and items will almost never finish at such a low price. The next thing to set is the duration of the auction: 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. This is up to you: longer sales will usually get more bids, but will also seem to drag on forever. If you?ve taken a picture, add it now - items with pictures always sell for more. Finally, tick the payment methods you will accept (just PayPal is best for now), and where you will post to (limit yourself to your own country to begin with). Submit and you?re done!
Step 4: Wait for it to sell.
Posted on 15th October 2008
Under: All about Ebay | No Comments »