Is eBay Going to Obliterate Your Digital Business Dreams?

On March 24th, eBay banned all downloadable digital products from their system. Read here what they are saying.
So, as of 31st March 2008 if you sell digital items on ebay you will violate their policy. Now this will affects anyone selling digital items such as Websites, eBooks, digital audio and videos, graphics and any other product or service delivered electronically.

What Does This Mean?

If you are a Buyer, you will no longer be able to find cheap resale rights or private label rights for any digital product.

If you are using eBay to build your list, this indicates that you will no longer get thousands of new buyers on your lists each month the same way.

If you are selling digital goods you may lose your business!

Sure, you might be able to use the Classified Ads as eBay themselves recommends. But eBay reveals that you can’t use their system for profits. That means you can't promote affiliate programs, you can't use buy now paypal links, and you can't use Classied Ads to make direct sales.

But, you can use it for lead generation and this is a great way to build your customer base using your autoresponder and still making big money if you set an email marketing system. I’ll be back on this in just few seconds.

This may affect buyers and sellers alike!

If your clients are all over the globe your business will be affected seriously. As the delivery fees may cost you more than the cost of the product itself.

People may never buy from you if you are in another country for two reasons:

• For one they can’t wait 10 days or more to receive your product.
• For the second reason they may not pay the extra costs.

If your product is the only one (or one of very few) of its type you may not going to lose a lot of business. But then eventually your expenses will increase and profits will decrease.

Now, what is perhaps needed as an urgent solution is to make your items physical. And the best way to do this is to burn your item to CD Rom and send it via regular mail. This is not hard if you set up a system to burn and ship CD’s. This task can even be outsourced if you want. You just need to work out the cost of bulk buying CD’s, envelopes and add these to the delivery cost of your items.

You can also use ClickBnak.com to sell your digital products. So, go to Clickbank's site and create your own personal account and list your product there.

How to Use eBay Cassified Ads to Create Even More Profits

Using their Classified Ads system you can place email capture form with an autoresponder set up. In fact, thats the only thing you can do.

How can you make money with an autoresponder?

As you know with a good sales letter you can’t convert more than 3%, but if you use email marketing strategy you can get more subscribers promoting a FREE quality product and follow up with your subscribers until they buy or unsubscribe.

How it works?

Everything is at your fingertips. Just learn and apply...

• Create an ad with a catchy Title and good product description using our Business Letter Toolbox products.
• Create a landing capture page.
• Crete an email course or a free abook related to the product you are selling.
• Set up your autoresponder. If you want to learn how to improve your profits using autoresponders click here.
• Use E-junkie.com to deliver your product.

By setting up this system you won’t only make few sales from time to time but you will create an intalled base base profit that results in significant monthly income.

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Do you want to free yourself of eBay dependency?
The "Big 3" will do it --> #1) Own #2) Diversify #3) Build equity.
Now auction sellers can build REAL businesses that YOU own.
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• eBay Summary
• eBay make money
• Selling On eBay For Dummy
• Make Your Dollar Stretch By Buying Wholesale
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• The Beginner's Guide to eBay Selling Success
  
  

How to Start an eBay Business

Few years ago I was considered as a powerseller on Ebay (I stopped working on eBay. Reason I stopped work, due to bad events). My secret to being a Power Seller was “Building Trust in The First Place”. To help you start an ebay business and reach the same level as quick as possible, I've developed a step-by-step guide you can use to learn how to start an ebay business the right way and become part of… The "Best" Of eBay Power Sellers – The Ones Who Actually Make Big Money on eBay!

What’s the requirement for becoming an ebay PowerSeller? Go to eBay, take a look at how many PowerSellers there are. You'll find quite a few. Now consider that every single one of them must be making at least $1,000 per month, as that's eBay's requirement for becoming a PowerSeller.

All it takes to call yourself a "Power Seller" is to sell $1,000 a month for three months and have 98% positive feedback.

• Silver PowerSellers make at least $3,000 each month,
• Gold PowerSellers make more than $10,000,
• Platinum Powersellers make more than $25,000, and
• Titanium PowerSellers make at least a whopping $150,000 in sales every month!
  

The fact that these people exist. They can give you an idea of the profits possibilities on ebay. Most of them never set out to even set up a business on eBay. They simply started like many powerSellers including myself selling few things, and then kept going. There are plenty of people whose full-time job is selling things on eBay, and some of them have been doing it for years now.

Can you imagine that? Once you buy the stock, everything else is pretty much pure profit for you. You don't need to pay for any business premises, staff, or anything else. There are multi-million dollar business empires today that were made with eBay. You need just to learn how to sell stuff on ebay an do it perfectly.

You don't need to quit your job to start an eBay home business. You can use eBay to make a significant second income from the comfort of your home like I was doing few months ago. You can pack up orders during the week and take them down to the post office for delivery each Saturday.

There are few other things you could be doing with your spare time that have anywhere near that kind of earning potential.

No matter who you are, where you live, what your age or circumstances, if you know how to sell stuff on ebay you can make your dreams become reality. There's no job interview and no commuting involved. If you can create a listening and post things, you can do it.

Put it this way - if you know where to get something reasonably cheaply that you could sell, then you can sell it on eBay; and since you can always get discounts for bulk at wholesale, that's not difficult. Buy a job lot of something in-demand cheaply, sell it on eBay, and you're making money already, with no set-up costs.

This doesn’t mean you don’t need to work hard or you are going to start making a lot of money from the start like a lot of marketers proclaim. Selling on eBay involves numerous risks and hassles that may not be obvious at first glimpse. But, selling on ebay can be wonderful if you take your time to learn what it is all about before you start.

If you want to dip your toe in the water before you commit to actually buying anything, then you can just sell things that you've got lying around in the house. Search through that cupboard of stuff you never use, and you'll probably find you've got a few hundred dollars' worth of stuff lying around in there! This is the power of eBay! There is always someone who wants what you're selling, whatever it might be, and since they've come looking for you, you don't even need to do anything to get them to buy it.

You can also start by selling other people stuff. You don't need to buy any merchandise, a storefront or shop in town. You just need to get people to agree to let you sell their merchandise for a commission. You can make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale! or you can buy cheap items, and resell them for profit. There are many ways on How to Make Money Selling on Ebay! You just need to find what is suitable for you.

So you want to get started on eBay? Well, that's great! There are only a few little things you need to learn to know how to start an eBay Business. Read on…

What to Consider Before Getting Started

So you've decided that you want to get started as a seller on eBay. There are a few things that you really need to know before you go and throw yourself in at the deep end.

1 - Deciding What to Sell on eBay

First off, you need to know what you're going to sell. What's your area of expertise? Are you a wood carver or interested in wood carving? Are you a painter? You'll do far better on eBay if you become a great source for certain kind of products, as people who are interested in those products will come back to you again and again. You won't get any loyalty or real reputation if you just sell rubbish at random.

When you think about what to sell, there are a few things to consider. The most important of these is to always sell what you know. If you try to sell something that you just don't know anything about then you'll never write a good description and sell it for a good price.

You might think you're not especially interested in anything, but if you think about what kind of things you usually buy and which websites you go to most often, I'm sure you'll discover some kind of interest. If all else fails, mention it to your friends and family; they'll almost certainly say "Oh, well why don't you sell…" and you'll slap your forehead.

Out of the things you know enough about, you should then consider which things you could actually get for a good enough price to resell, and how suitable they would be for posting. If you can think of something of that you're knowledgeable about and it's small and light enough for postage to be relatively cheap, then that's great!

Don't worry if you think the thing you're selling is too obscure, it isn't. There's a market for almost everything on eBay, even things that wouldn't sell once in a year if you stocked them in a shop. You'll probably do even better if you fill a niche than if you sell something common.

Get Ready For Your eBay Home Business

• Don’t give up - There are going to be ups and downs when you sell on eBay. Don't pack it in if something goes a little wrong in your first few sales. The sellers who are successful on eBay are those who established a name and reputation. So stick at it whatever happens.
  

• Believe on yourself - Anyone can sell on eBay, if they believe in themselves. If you do decide it's not for you, then the start-up costs are so low that you won't really have lost anything.
  

• Tax and Legal Matters - If you earn enough money, you should be aware that you're going to have to start paying tax - this won't be done for you. If you decide to sell on eBay on a full-time basis, you should probably register as a business.
  

If you're ready to start an ebay business, then the next thing you need to know is how to open an account and post your item to start selling on ebay.

5 Easy Steps to Posting Your First eBay Auction

It's amazingly simple to get started posting your very first auction on eBay. Here's what you need to do.

1 - Open an eBay seller's account.

If you are an ebay user, then you already have an account. Just log in to your account 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, you'll need to open an account.

First go to eBay's Main Page and then click on register at the very top of the page to create an eBay account, 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.

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 and even old magazines are ideal first items to start with.

On eBay you can sell practically anything, but there are a number of items that are forbidden from sale on eBay. Check the prohibited items policies if you are unsure whether your item is permitted.

3 - Submit your item.

Assuming you haven't yet signed up, go to eBay's Main Page and then click on "register" at the very top of the page to create an eBay account.
Once you've signed up, you'll want to log in and go to "Sell" either in My eBay or on the Main Page at the top. From the drop down menu click "sell an item".

Note: If you are new to ebay please go through the tutorials provided by ebay from the drop down menu when point your cursor over the "Sell" link.

• List your item for sale - Once you are there you will be asked to enter 3-5 words about your item. Be specific here to help ebay find you the right category.
  

Under the box where you have put your item name (see the screen shot below) there’s two selling forms: "Quick Sell" and "Advanced Sell". I suggest you go with “Advanced sell” form as you are able to get access to all the options (reserve price, subtitle, scheduled listing and more). Tick the option you want to use and click “Start selling button”




Before you do all the above and specially if you are new to the eBay I suggest going throw the “ selling Checklist” at you right hand. There you will find all the information you need to list your item and let the auction begin.

• Choosing the right category – You can select one of the categories that the ebay have chosen for you or type your item category and click “search” button. Select the one that best describes your item. You can also Click on “Browse categories” link and select one; then click “continue”.

Notes: - You can select more than one category (Fees Apply) if you want more buyers to find your item.

- Click “see simple listening” link under the category box to get and ideas about the products listed in your category.

After picking a category you'll then be asked to enter: The title, item specifics, picture to ad and description of the item you want to sell then choose how you'd like to sell your item such as its price, shipping fees, duration and the payment methods you want to accept.

• Write a title - The title or headline is the first thing people see. So if your headline is weak, then no one will bother reading the rest of your announcement. Remember to include your main keyword phrase you think people will search for in the title.

• Write your item description - Be VERY detailed about your product. Make sure you do your research in order to provide all the relevant details of your item. Include as many information as you can about the item you want to sell in the description box.

• Include a picture - Unless it is impossible, not including one will discourage some buyers from purchasing your item. Buyers want to see what they are spending their money for before selling. Items with pictures always sell for more.

• The Starting Price - What price you want to start with? The price you want to start with can have an affect on the bidding activity and final sales price. Most eBay sellers find that if they start their items at low price with no reserve, they get higher bids and higher sales prices.

• Payment & Postage Details - Buyers want a safe and secure way to pay for your items. Many sellers offer PayPal, a free service for buyers. Many sellers also accept personal cheques. Always remember to include postage costs as buyers like to know what they are paying for up front.

• Set the duration of the auction: You can select 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.

• Continue to go through the options, and be sure to look everything over very carefully. There's a lot to look through and you'll want to make sure everything is correct. Be sure that when you're done with everything at the end (you're at the overview page) to double check and press submit. If you don't press submit it won't be entered.

• Submit your item - Press submit and you are done. You'll then get an e-mail confirming that your product was placed on eBay.

Note: At any step you can use ebay's "help" section at your right hand. There you can find lots of answers to all the common problems and questions.

4 - Wait for it to sell.

This is just a matter of sitting back and letting eBay do its thing - buyers will find your item and leave bids on it. Some bidders might email you with questions about the item, and you should do your best to answer these questions as quickly as you can.

Remember that if your item doesn't sell then you can list it again for free!

5 - Collect payment and post it.


eBay will sent your buyer emails guiding them through the process of sending you payment for the item. Make sure you have the money before you send anything.

Once you've got the payment, all you need to do is pack the item for posting. Make sure to use some bubble wrap. Take the buyer's address from the confirmation email eBay sent you, and write it on the parcel. Put some stamps on, post it, and you're done.

Once the item has been shipped, and they have left feedback for you, you should leave feedback for that person.

How to Sell Anything on eBay And Make a Fortune!

Being a seller is great, but Being a successful seller is another story. eBay is a highly active and competitive marketplace that requires you to stay on full alert when it comes to success. People that don't do the ”right” things will fail. It's harsh, but true. This cheklist will help you to create listings that produce sales.

• Before creating your listing, gather information about your item. Type your item name into your favorite search engine and find out if the same product is being sold. If someone else is selling the same item as you, then always try to find ways to improve your offer. You can provide more information, sell it at a lower price, give free shipping to your customer, etc.... You will always find a way to make your listing more attractive than your competitors do.

• Always keep an eye on how much other similer products are selling, and what prices they're being offered. There's usually little point in starting a fixed price auction for $50 when someone else is selling the item for $40.

• Contact your customers - Consider sending an email to thank the seller when the order is placed. Send a simple email such as "Thank you for buying my item, please let me know when you have sent the payment". When you receive the payment send a second email to thank him or her. You can send an email saying "Thanks for your payment, I have posted your (item name) today".
  By communicating this way you will avoid so many problems such as bad feedback, items return, etc…

• Answer your customers and potential customers emails promptly - Remember that customers and potential customers can send you email about anything at any time, and not answering these emails will just make them go somewhere else instead of buying from you.

• Make sure your item description pages have everything that buyers need to know - If you're planning to offer international delivery, then it's a good idea to make a list of the charges to different countries and display it on each auction. If you have any special terms and conditions (for example, if you will give a refund on any item as long as it hasn't been opened), then you should make sure these are displayed too.

• Wrap your items correctly - Do your best to wrap your items securely and professionally for the best impression. Use suitably sized envelopes or packages, wrap the item in bubble wrap to stop it from getting damaged, and print labels instead of hand-writing addresses. Always use first class post.

• Follow up with your customers – After you post your item don’t stop contacting your clients. Send an email saying "Is everything alright with your purchase? I hope you received it and it was as you expected". After few days send an email asking them how they use the product and where they see room for improvements, how they deal with it, ect…
  
  This way you will build relationship And, earn your customers’ loyalty to increase their lifetime value to your business.
  

Being a really good eBay seller, more than anything else, is about providing genuinely good and honest customer service. That's the only foolproof way to protect your reputation.

What Your Reputation Can Do For You!

Do you want to be a "Powerseller" on eBay and make big $$$? Then, develop and maintain your ebay reputation! Period. One of the great myths of business is that your reputation is your most precious asset and that you can only lose it once. Your reputation is worth as much as every sale you will ever make.

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

1 - A Bad Reputation Will Harm Sales.


A bad reputation will follow you for life! A bad reputation will NOT only lose you sales, but also defeats the purpose of being an eBay seller in the first place. If someone leaves you a negative feedback, you will feel the pain instantly, as that rating will go right at the top of your user page for everyone to see. No one is going to do business with you when they read that you "took a month to deliver the item", or that you had "bad communication" or you have sent a "damaged item".

If your reputation was damaged in any way. You will need to sell very cheap items, just to push that negative feedback down the page. You might have to spend days or even weeks selling cheap stuff to get enough positive feedback to make anyone deal with you again.

Why do sellers leave negative feedback if the sellers are doing everything they said they would? So do your best to fulfill your business obligation. Be honest with them, and expect the same in return. if you let buyers leave negative feedback every time; once you get below 90% positive ratings, you might as well be invisible.

You Can't Just Open a New Account.


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

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

2 - A Good Reputation Will Get You Sales.


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

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

Tips on how to get positive feedback for a beginner.

• One way to get positive feedback is to offer people something to try for free. Say you have an information ebook you could offer your potential customers a free short report, a free chapter, etc…
• Start by buying cheap items, leave feed back for the ebay sellers and ask them to exchange positive feed backs.
• Sell very cheap items. This way you are sure that ebay buyers will bid on your items. The purpose here is to collect as many positive feedback as possible.

Good feedback will build buyer confidence and more people will bid on your items.

If you are interested in learning how to start an ebay business and you have thought about making or earning money with your own home business, this is your chance to learn the sales secrets that will save you thousands and thousands of dollars.

How To Develop And Maintain Your Ebay Reputation

In any local community your credibility, honesty and reputation are important for making friends. The same concept applies for doing business nationally or internationally.

Many professional bodies and businesses add “better business bureau” type logos to their letterheads and website in an attempt to attract a measure of public confidence and to distinguish and identify their company as being both reputable and trustworthy.

The same applies on eBay where Feedback from your peers is at the heart of your reputation. Feedback is a valuable weather vane or indicator of a buyer's or seller's reputation on eBay enabling other buyers and sellers to develop trusting relationships based on open, honest insight into the track record of their trading partners. Every eBay member has a Member Profile which includes an overall Feedback number or score in parentheses, as well as comments and ratings from other members you've bought from and sold to.

Your Feedback Score is the most important aspect of your reputation at eBay. If you are the best and most responsive buyer or seller there can be, then good Feedback will obviously follow.

The Feedback rating system and policies are simple and are designed to encourage transparent and honest trading. Stars are awarded to eBay members for achieving 10 or more feedback points. You receive:

• +1 point for each positive comment;

• 0 points for each neutral comment;

• -1 point for each negative comment;

• A star icon for 10 or more comments;

There are several ways to build a good reputation for yourself at eBay, including but not limited to some basic eBay rules that you must follow.

Honesty - There is an old adage that says Honesty is the Best Policy. First of all, you should always be honest in describing your auction item (s). If an item is damaged why not say so. The chances are that your customer will find out anyway when they take delivery. But that should not be the reason for your upfront honesty.

Leaving Feedback - As an eBay user, you should use caution and good judgment when leaving feedback for another user. What you write will be a permanent part of that user's record on eBay.

Always leave Feedback and your counterpart will most probably reciprocate. As a rule of thumb always leave feedback as soon as you have received payment for your auction item. Conversely you should expect to receive Feedback from the seller as soon as you have made your payment. Some buyers and sellers are very slow or unwilling to leave feedback. As a seller you may wish to offer your buyer a free gift for leaving you early feedback after they have received and examined the goods and are satisfied.

Caution: Be very careful with the wording of your free gift to leave early Feedback offer as you do not want it to be misunderstood and you must be careful not to violate eBay’s Feedback Solicitation Policy.

Leaving Negative Feedback - Be careful about leaving negative feedback for someone who most probably deserves it. Always try and find some other solution to resolve disputes. If necessary use the PayPal, Square Trade or other available arbitration service. It is normal for bidders to retaliate with their own negative and unfair comments. Leaving either neutral Feedback or no comments is preferable to leaving negative Feedback.

Code of Ethics and Compliance With eBay Policies - A Commitment to ethical professional conduct and generally accepted ethical standards is expected of every eBay member. Adherence of professionals to a code of ethics is largely a voluntary matter. Here are some points to consider:

• Avoid harm to others – harm means injury or negative consequences;

• Be honest and trustworthy. Honesty is an essential component of trust. Without trust an organization cannot function effectively;

• The honest buyer/seller will not make deliberately false or deceptive claims about a product, but will instead provide full disclosure of all pertinent limitations and problems;

• Be fair and take action not to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, disability, national origin;

• Honor property rights including copyrights and patent. Violation of copyrights, patents, trade secrets and the terms of license agreements is prohibited by law in most circumstances. Even when software is not so protected, such violations are contrary to professional behavior. Copies of software should be made only with proper authorization. Unauthorized duplication of materials must not be condoned;

• Give proper credit for intellectual property even in cases where the work has not been explicitly protected by copyright, patent, etc;

• Respect the privacy of others. Computing and communication technology enables the collection and exchange of personal information on a scale unprecedented. Thus there is increased potential for violating the privacy of individuals and groups;

• Honor confidentiality. The principle of honesty extends to issues of confidentiality of information. The ethical concern is to respect all obligations of confidentiality to clients, and users unless discharged from such obligations by requirements of the law;

• Know and respect existing laws. Obey existing local, state, province, national, and international laws;

• Follow the Policies and Procedures of the organizations in which you participate i.e. eBay’s Guidelines and Policies;

• Honor contracts and agreements. Honoring one's commitments is a matter of integrity and honesty;

• Uphold and promote the principles of this or a similar Code. Not only is it important for buyers/sellers to adhere to the principles expressed in this Code, each member should encourage and support adherence by other members;

• Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with membership in eBay;

Safe and enjoyable Trading!

Stephen S Alison is a retired "bean counter" who spent 26 years in middle management positions for major US financial institutions in Europe and a further 10 years as an adviser/consultant to a number of European financial institutions. He has traded successfully on eBay for over 2 years using the same strategies and tactics published in his websites: http://www.howtomakeyourfortuneonebay.com/
http://www.learntomakeyourlivingonebay.com/

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

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Related Posts

• The Beginner's Guide to eBay Selling Success

• eBay Summary

• How to Make Money Selling on Ebay

• How to Start an eBay Business

• Selling On eBay For Dummy

• eBay make money

• Make Your Dollar Stretch By Buying Wholesale

• Is Ebay Going to Obliterate Your Digital Business Dreams?

Make Your Dollar Stretch By Buying Wholesale

By purchasing merchandise at wholesale prices, you can make money off of ebay. You will normally purchase items in bulk at low prices, then mark them up and sell them one piece at a time. There is no limit as to what you can buy at wholesale! Apparel, electronics, toys, home decor, books, DVD's and much more can be acquired at low prices. At the end of this article, you'll find a list of wholesalers organized by category.

Some wholesalers may require an EIN/TIN (Employee ID Number/Tax ID Number) before you can buy from them. It's easy to obtain one of these numbers, and you can do it instantly by visiting http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html

Some wholesalers have minimum buying requirements, others do not. To get started, browse through the list at the end of this article. You will find that you can buy wholesale lists, even on Ebay and make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale! I've purchased some of these lists myself and found that many of them contain broken links or links to sites that are no longer available. What a waste of money! You won't find that on the list at the end of this article - all wholesale links have been checked to make sure they actually lead to real wholesalers!

If you can't find all the wholesalers you need on the list here or you want to research some on your own, it's easy to find them. Just go to a good search engine (I recommend Google) and type in a search like 'wholesale,' 'wholesalers', 'wholesale apparel' or whatever type of product you're looking for to make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale. You'll find lots of options, from great wholesalers to questionable ones!

Another way to buy cheap merchandise is to buy it from another country. This is called importing and it can help you buy the merchandise you need dirt-cheap!

To find some great exporting companies, check out the following sites:

• ttnet.ne

• tradekey.com

• alibaba.com
  

Ten More Places to Find Bargain Priced Merchandise to Sell

There are more places besides wholesalers where you can find bargain priced merchandise to make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale:

1. Flea Markets

Flea markets are great places to find cheap merchandise. Depending on where you live, you can find one or more great flea markets during the warmer months. Check your local paper for advertisements for local flea markets or look in the Yellow Pages.

2. Yard Sales

Another great place to find cheap merchandise is at yard sales. Most yard sales also take place in the warmer months. The key for finding great stuff at yard sales is to go early before everyone else does. That might mean getting up at six A.M., but it's totally worth it! Look for collectible merchandise, clothing and books that look new, and children's toys that are in good condition.

3. Estate Sales

Estate sales are also good for obtaining great stuff for a low price. Most of the time, estate sales are advertised in the newspaper classifieds. You can find all sorts of things at estate sales, from electronics to vintage jewelry, antiques and so much more!

4. Pennysaver Papers

Are you looking for a particular type of merchandise to make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale? Pennysaver papers are great for placing ads. These papers are usually sold wherever newspapers are and allow people to place free ads. Not only can you place 'items wanted' ads, you can browse the ads for the things you're looking for.

5. Craigslist

At craigslist.org you can find all kinds of things to buy and resell. You can also place items wanted ads here as well, and the best part is, it's free! This website gets lots of visitors so your ad is sure to get lots of exposure.

6. UBid

At ubid.com, you can buy and sell items just like on Ebay. The difference is, this is a much smaller site with a lot less visitors. That means you'll have less competition when it comes to bidding. Often, you can buy an item for a low price at a site like UBid then turn around and sell it on Ebay for more than you paid for it!

7. Overstock

Another great site for cheap merchandise is overstock.com . Not only do they have an online store, they also offer an auction site.

8. Amazon

Amazon.com is another place to find merchandise for sale. You can find books, movies, electronics, apparel, cosmetics, housewares and much more. Some of the items are new, and some are used. If you search carefully, you can really dig up some great deals!

9. Discount Stores

Discount stores can be decent places to find cheap merchandise to sell also. Examples of stores that feature great prices on name brand merchandise include Kohl's, Marshall's and TJMaxx. It's probable that you have one of these stores in your area. Also check your local Dollar Store. Once, I bought sunless tanner for $1 per bottle and sold it on Ebay for over $5 per bottle. Sometimes you can find great deals, other times not. You just have to be vigilant with your shopping!

10. Annual Sales

There are other stores like JCPenney, Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales, etc. that have annual or semi-annual clearance sales. This is a great time to stock up! Grab as much discount merchandise as you can, then turn around and sell it later in the year after the sales are over. November is always a great time because people are looking for gifts!


------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want to free yourself of eBay dependency?
The "Big 3" will do it --> #1) Own #2) Diversify #3) Build equity.
Now auction sellers can build REAL businesses that YOU own.
------------------------------------------------------------

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How to Make Money Selling on Ebay

wondering how to make money selling on eBay? This Ebay start up guide provides free advice on how to make money on ebay, tips to sell on eBay, tricks and resources to help those starting out. 


Here you can learn how to make money selling on Ebay! Discover how you can open your FREE eBay account, and be earning profits by tomorrow! 

How to Find Cheap Merchandise to Sell. How to buy wholesale merchandise and sell it for a profit. How To Create a Great eBay Listings and much more.

There are millions of buyers and sellers on Ebay these days. If you're new to the world of Ebay, and you don’t know how to make money selling on Ebay, don't worry. It's easy to open an account and begin buying and selling!

There are thousands of people making good money off of ebay and you can too. Click here to read The Amazing Money-Making Secret Of A 28-year-old Convicted Felon Who Earns More Money Per Year Than The CEOs Of FedEx, eBay(R), Amazon, Time Warner, Apple Computer, McDonalds, Microsoft, Nike, Yahoo, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, And Goodyear Combined!

When you first register with Ebay, you'll need to enter some basic information such as your name, address, email address, and username. Give some thought to choosing your username. If you are planning on selling specific items, choose a name that reflects your business. Like, if you're going to sell books, you could choose a username like 'bestbookseller.' Choose a name that is professional and easy for buyers to remember.

To open a seller account, you'll need to enter a credit card. This is to verify your income and helps keep Ebay members safe from fraud.

Ebay does charge small listing fees, auction upgrade fees and final value fees. These are small fees and can be paid via credit card or PayPal.

An important part of buying and selling on Ebay is your feedback rating. If you have good feedback, buyers are more likely to buy from you. It's a good idea to build your feedback by buying items on Ebay, paying promptly and leaving feedback for good sellers, who will leave good feedback for you. Then, you can move on to selling with some good feedback under your belt.

I'll bet you already know all the basics of how to make money selling on Ebay. If you need more information about buying and selling on Ebay, check out the treasure trove of information.

How to Find Cheap Merchandise to Sell on Ebay?

In this part, we're going to talk about ways to find merchandise at a great bargain right on Ebay!
There are some sellers that really understand what makes a great listing. They sell items at the busiest times, write attention-grabbing titles, great descriptions, include lots of clear photos, and are usually quite successful.

Then, there are other sellers who either don't know how to create a good listing or don't care. These sellers can be like gold for you!

These auctions often feature misspelled words. Think about it - if the item is misspelled in the title, it's likely not as many bidders will see it. As a result, you can swoop in and snatch the item up with little or no competition.

Then, when you get the item, simply re-list it the right way, with the right spelling and all the elements that make a good auction (which we'll talk about shortly.) It's highly likely that you'll sell the item for a higher price than what you paid for it.
Another way to find items on Ebay that may not bring in bidders is to look for auctions ending at times when most people aren't shopping on Ebay, like the middle of the day or the middle of the night. Also, auctions without pictures are also less likely to get bids. If you come across an auction without a picture that you're interested in, email the seller and ask them if they can email you a photo. Many times, they will!

How to Make Money Selling on Ebay Off of Other People's Auctions

Did you know how to make money selling on Ebay from other people's auctions without selling anything yourself? Well, you can - and people do it every day!

The first thing to do is get an account at Commission Junction and sign up for Ebay's affiliate program. It helps to have a simple website or newsletter, even though it's not always necessary.

After that, start looking for high priced items up for auction. Why high priced? So you'll make more money, of course! Great high priced auction items that are good to promote are diamonds, real estate, motor, cars, car parts, electronics, antiques, airline tickets and designer handbags.

After you've figured out what you want to promote, write down your PID number which you will find at Commission Junction. Then, head on over to Ebay's Flexible Destination Tool you will need to enter your PID number and the link to the Ebay page you want to promote. Enter custom text that you want to display, and Ebay will create your own special link.

You'll notice it's very long. If you want to make it shorter, go to Tinyurl.com and you can, free!

All that's left to do now is bring visitors to your customized link. One place to do this is at craigslist.com. Let's say you place an ad on Craigslist advertising cheap diamonds. Once the emails start coming in from interested people, simply email them back with your customized affiliate link that you created with Ebay's Flexible Destination Tool. You can even use an autoresponder to email them for you!

There are lots of different ways to promote other people's auctions. You can use email marketing, your website traffic promotion, or newsletter. And that's all there is to it!

Sell Other People's Stuff for Big Profits

Ebay offers the Trading Assistant Program, which lets you make money by selling things for other people. There are many reasons why people might hire a Trading Assistant:

• They may not have a computer
• They may not have a credit card to open a seller account
• They may not have the time to create their own auctions
• They may desire the services of an experienced professional to sell their items for them.

A Trading Assistant lists and ships the items for their clients, then charges a fee for their service. Sometimes, Trading Assistants charge a flat fee for their services, other times they charge a percentage of the final selling price. It's also customary for the client to pay for the Ebay listing and final value fees, whether the item sells or not.

If you are able to find clients with expensive items, or find lots of clients, you can see how big profits could be made selling on Ebay. Some Trading Assistants even have physical locations where clients drop off their merchandise, others do not. If you're interested in becoming a Trading Assistant, there is some basic criteria you must meet first:

• You must have sold four or more items per month for the past three months

• You must have a feedback score of 100 or higher

• You must have 97% positive feedback or higher

• Your Ebay account must be in good standing

If you meet these requirements, you can sign up to be a Trading Assistant. Next, you can list yourself in the Ebay Trading Assistant's Directory.

There are other ways to find clients as well. Try placing an ad in your local classifieds, pennysavers, and Yellow Pages. If you have the budget, television and radio are highly effective. Also, try handing out business cards to anyone you can and posting flayers on community bulletin boards. Check with antique stores and consignment shops to see if they might be interested in your services.

Ebay offers a variety of marketing tools for their Trading Assistants to use, free - so take advantage of them!

Tips for Selling Informational Products

I have read that a person can make a fortune selling informational products on Ebay. While I'm not sure if that's true, I think there is some money to be made this way.

To find out, I ran an Advanced Search in the Informational Products category. I discovered that lots of auctions ended without any bids of all. Others ended up selling for small amounts like .99. However, there were a few informational products that seemed to do well. I am going to list them below for your convenience.

• New In Dash 9" DVD Player / MP3 Car Stereo Wholesale List (Sold for $29.95)

• Secrets of Refining Gold from Electronic Scrap (Sold for $24.99)

• Name Brand Wholesale Shoe List (Sold for $30.00)

• Toolbox Chest Wholesale List (One Day Auction, Sold for $81 with 7 Bids)

• New 50 Inch Plasma HD TV Wholesale List! (This is from the same seller as the last item, a 1 Day Auction, and it ended up selling for $20.99)

• Flat Panel Computer Monitor Wholesale List (Sold for $59.95)

There are lots more examples you can find by going to the books category and running an Advanced Search for Completed Listings. You will find that the majority of the informational products that sold for the most were wholesale lists for particular in-demand products.

The Truth About Dropshipping

You've probably heard about dropshipping. Dropshipping is where you sell merchandise that you don't stock yourself. The dropshipper stocks the merchandise, and you sell it at a higher price than what they charge. When your customer buys the item from you, you use the money they pay you to place the order with the dropshipper. The dropshipper then ships the item to your customer in a plain package with no company information so that they think it came straight from you.

You may have seen ads for dropship lists. These ads promise to hook you up with great dropshippers for a one-time or monthly fee. Are these lists any good? I couldn't tell you, because I've never bought one. And I'll tell you why?

While dropshipping is good in theory, the reality is not so good. Because each dropship item is sold one at a time, you won't find prices as low as you would if you bought wholesale in bulk. The dropshipper has to make a profit, and so do you. By the time you mark up the price to give yourself a little profit, you'll find you're not able to offer very competitive prices. And Ebay is all about competitive pricing!

If a bidder can find someone offering the same item as you at a lower price, who do you think they're going to buy from?

I've personally tried to use a few dropshippers in the past with Ebay, and I didn't do very well. I rarely was able to sell the items for the price I wanted, and I ended up racking up Ebay fees. Most of the time, I had fees to pay and no profits.

Here's another problem - what if the dropshipper doesn't fulfill their obligation? If the merchandise never gets to the customer, or arrives damaged, you are held liable by the customer. That will lead to negative feedback, which is the worst thing to have if you're an Ebay seller.

Not only that, but every time you order from a dropshipper, that dropshipper gets another potential customer to sell to. Do you really want another company that sells merchandise for less than you do having your customer list?

I'm not saying that dropshipping is always a bad thing. You may find great success using dropshippers. But because I feel it's just not the best way to make Ebay profits, you won't find dropshippers.

How To Create a Great eBay Listings That Draw Customers

To sell your products on ebay you need to create listings. Creating great listings is easier than you might think. The first thing you'll want to do is write a title that grabs attention yet describes your item well.

The most important thing about writing a title is to describe your item well. Suppose you are selling a television set. A good title might be something like:

“Magnavox 40" LCD Screen TV - Brand New – NR”

This lets the buyer know several crucial pieces of information. It tells them who makes the item, how big it is, what kind of TV it is, whether it's new or used, and the fact there is No Reserve.

In the Help section of Ebay, you can find all the abbreviations that people use in their auction titles and what they mean.

Next, it's time to move on to your description. Make sure to describe your item well and include as many details as you can possibly think of. Ebay offers a text editor where you can make text bold, change the font, make it smaller or bigger, underline text, and so on. If you know HTML, you can create your own designer listings.

One thing I've seen some sellers do is use text in all caps, or text that's all bold. Or, text in one long paragraph without breaks. This is hard to read.

Be sure to put shipping and payment details in your item description as well. While there is a place to specify them later, it's still a good practice to include them there. That way, there will be no questions because the terms are clearly spelled out.

Ebay also allows you to put inserts in your listing description. Two of the best inserts are 'Add Me to Your Favorite Sellers List' and 'Be Sure to Check Out My Other Items.'

After you've written your description, it's time to enter pricing details. Keep your starting price low to encourage more bidders. If you're selling an expensive item, set a Reserve Price yet keep the starting bid price very low to attract lots of people to your auction. If the Reserve is not met, you are under no obligation to sell your item.

If you're unsure of how much you should ask for your item, do an Advanced Search on Ebay for items like yours. Check the 'Completed Listings' box on the search form. This will show you the ending price that the items sold for.

Another part of creating a great listing is including good pictures. If you know HTML or use a template, you can insert your own photos rather than paying Ebay to host them for you.

Yet another way to attract more buyers is to offer International Shipping. Some sellers don't do this because they think it's a pain in the neck, but it's not so bad. At the USPS website you can calculate international shipping rates to quote to your buyers. At the post office, you simply need to fill out a form to ship internationally, and that's it!

Putting It All Together

In this article, you've been introduced to many different ways on how to make money selling on Ebay. You can Make Your Dollar Stretch By Buying Wholesale, or you can buy cheap items, and resell them for profit. You can promote other people's auctions and make a percentage of their sales. You can become a Trading Assistant and sell items that belong to others. You can create informational products and sell those as well!

I recommend first deciding what you want to sell, then doing as much research as you can on Ebay for similar items. Simply by seeing others' auctions, how much they started and ended at, as well as the listing itself can teach you a lot about what sells and what does not.

First, go to the category in which the item you want to sell belongs. Then, go to Advanced Search. You may or may not want to put in a particular keyword to narrow your search. Be sure to click the Completed Listings box. Then just hit Search, and you'll see the results. By avoiding mistakes that unsuccessful sellers made and emulating sellers who were successful, you can learn to be a better seller.


------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want to free yourself of eBay dependency?
The "Big 3" will do it --> #1) Own #2) Diversify 
#3) Build equity. Now auction sellers can build REAL 
businesses that YOU own.
------------------------------------------------------------

Does eBay Make Money

Are you heading to ebay like most of marketers? They say something like this “where customers go marketers will follow. All ebay users are right to do business with ebay; eBay is the most trusted company according to the Ponemon Institute and the nonprofit TRUSTe. People are sick of scams!!!

Your goal is to make as much money as you can by selling products on ebay. 

You want to sell old products that you no longer need or want, you want to build an ebay store or you want to sell auction items. What ever you want to do your goal is to make good money. 

If you are new to ebay business take a look at our previous article about eBay business For Dummies; you may find it helpful. Find a business ebay start up model and innovate it.But if you are a green newbie I urge you to check out start Internet home based business article series, it is more than an article series. It's a business blueprint!

You may have asked your self: Does ebay make money? Can I make money on ebay? The answer is: Sure eBay make money and you can make money from ebay if you know what you're doing. But figuring out how to play this game takes time.

Unfortunately, there are now hundred of thousands or even millions, of individuals who are interested in doing the same thing. For you, this often means a steady increase in competition. However, even with competition, you should still be able to make a profit when using eBay, but you may need a little bit of help. That help could be an extra layer of marketing.

There are a number of different ways that you can go about marketing your for sale eBay items. Here are many things you can do to market your business for free or low cost.

Build a Website or Blog to funnel traffic to your eBay Business

If you have a website or blog that gets traffic that is fine, just direct your existent traffic to your ebay business. If no, I urge you to create at least a blog. It’s easy and simple. Properly designed and implemented blog will drive new traffic to your site, build better rapport with your online audience, and turn more prospects into Paying Customers. Remember ebay get it sell where potential customers are hanging out!

Use your website or blog to attract your own warm, willing-to-buy traffic. Write good content about your ebay items to get traffic with a particular, pre-defined interest in whatever you sell. And, then monetize by sending that traffic to your ebay business.

Write Articles

One way of promoting your website and product can be achieved for FREE. This “free” method can boost your sites and sales, doubling and even tripling your income.

Articles are one of the easiest ways to promote your website in order to generate traffic and increase your earnings.

Write articles relating to your website and submit them to “free content” submission sites. Easy to do, takes little time and can increase your website traffic, sales and of course, your income.

Use Forums And Message boards

Most of forums users are solutions and information seekers. They are looking for ways to solve their problems. If you feel their pain and provide them with the right solution they are looking for you will earn their trust and business. Show them that you really do want to help them succeed and you will attract thousands of targeted visitors to your business as any search engine can do!

Make helpful postings to show your expertise in a subject of your interest and answer questions to build relationship and trust. If they believe on you, they will do business with you.

Join eBay message boards - Perhaps, one of the best ways to go about marketing your eBay business is by joining the eBay community, otherwise known as the online message boards. When you talk with other eBay community members your screen name used is also your eBay name.

In the eBay community forum, every time that you start a new message or respond to an existing one your name is left, with a link to your main eBay webpage or store. Many eBay community members click other member’s pages just out of curiosity, but it not uncommon for someone to find something that catches their eye. 

Simply starting a few conversations with other eBay community members, even just occasionally, will help you make sales or generate new customers and huge profits.

Join forums related to your business - Also posting on a number of message boards and forums besides eBay will increase your chance to make money on your ebay business. There are a number of message boards that allow internet users, just like you, to post information on items that they have available for sale, both on and off of eBay.

Providing a link, as well as short description of some of the items that you are looking to sell is a great way to increase your eBay exposure and up your chances of making a sale. When taking this internet marketing approach, it is important that you only advertise your eBay listings in areas designated for doing so. Spamming is not permitted on many online message boards and it may actually get you a bad reputation.

Speaking of using online message boards, there are a number of online message boards or forums that allow members to have signatures. Signatures are where many people leave their name or a favorite quote of theirs, but some message boards allow members to use it as space to promote their products or businesses.

Before posting a link to your eBay auctions, you are advised to learn how to use forums, examine the forum’s policy concerning signature advertising. Should it be allowed, you are advised to take advantage of this free internet marketing. You will want to post a link to your eBay sales page, but be sure to mention that eBay is where all clickers will be going.

Cross Link Your eBay Pages

Another easy way that can help you promote your eBay items, particularly if you have multiple pages, is by putting a “please checkout my other eBay auctions, page or store” message and a link pointed to your desired page at the end of each eBay page.

All those above mentioned free Internet marketing solutions will help you grow your network and build your ebay business as well. Then you will never ask anyone: Does ebay make money?

Use Paid eBay Promotional Tools

To take your business to the next level if your budget allows or when you start making money use the promotional tools on eBay. They are very inexpensive. For instance, you can have...

• Value Pack
• Gallery
• Bold listing,
• Highlighted listings

Just to name few.Learn how to boost sales and revenues by using promotional tools http://pages.ebay.com/sell/listingupgrades/. These tools are inexpensive and could easily raise your profits by as much as 25%!

If you are serious about making money from your eBay business, or if you are selling just one high ticket item, you should definitely take advantage of the eBay promotional tools that are available to you. Make sure to learn the necessary before your start