The Best Damn Ebay Lens On The Net

There are literaly millions of people making a part or full time income strictly via Ebay. Most people think it is difficult to start making money on Ebay but it really isnt. Follow the simple steps outlined below so you can start selling you items and making a nice profit.

Step One:
Make sure you describe your item accuratley. You want to make sure you buyer knows exactly what they are getting. There is nothing worse then buying something thinking it is one thing and finding out is something totally different. Inaccurate discriptions will cause you to have a lot of returns which in turn cuts into your profits.

Step Two:
Make sure your title is keyword rich. Having the right keywords will ensure that your potential customers can find your product. Do a little research and find items on Ebay that are similar to yours. See what keywords they use and use them as well. You want to make sure your item comes up in at least one of the top 5-10 spots.

Step Three:
Use Pictures. As of right now it is free to use the gallery so there is no reason why you shouldn't have a picture or 2 up. A really great photo can be the difference in your item selling or not. A great photo will give your item a much better chance of selling.

Step Four:
Be upfront with your shipping and handling costs. Make sure they are listed openly and accurately. Your buyer should pay the shipping and any reasonable handling charges. You can also consider using the "Buy It Now" Option with free shipping. This option works very well.

Step Five:
Make sure you have a paypal account so you can accept payment. Buyers these days do not want to bother with a check or money order. They want to be able to pay it right then and there. There are other ways you can accept credit cards online but paypal is probably the quickest and easiest to set up.

Step Six:
Ship your items in a timely manner. If it takes to long for the buyer to get their shipment then they become unhappy. You want to get your buyers happy. This way they come back for more. Be sure to list all shipping options. Offer your customers expedited shipping as well as the standard ground shipping. Always, Always ship with a form of delivery confirmation. If you are selling something fragile make insurance a requirement.

Step Seven:
Communicate with your buyer. Once you have received payment email them and let them know. Once the item has shipped email them their tracking number and any other important information. Send a follow-up email and make sure they did indeed receive their purchase and that they are satisfied with the purchase. Also invite them to join your mailing list.

Step Eight:
Once customers start joining you mailing list you will want to email them when you have a similar item for sale. Developing a great mailing list is a sure way to get repeat business.

Step Nine:
Never stop learning. At least once a week visit the eBay forums and community links so you can see whats going on. Get involved in different workshops and events so you can learn more about ebay and how it can benefit you. The more you know the better off you will be.

Step Ten:
Make sure you visit the whats hot page on a daily bases. It is important that you know whats selling in your category of item. Knowing whats selling and whats not selling will keep your profitable.

It takes work and dedication to build any business. Ebay is no different. Follow the steps outlined above and you will be off to a great start. To learn more about making money on Ebay consdier reading "Beginners eBay Auction Guide - Learn To Sell On eBay" By Clint Herman.

Wow, where do I start? There are so many advantages when it comes to working from home on Ebay. One of the best advantages in my opinion is that it doesn't take a lot of capitol to get started. Unless you plan on buying products to resell there really is no upfront costs at all.

The other great advantage is the flexibility you have. You are able to work your own hours. You can work whenever you please. This is a good thing for those who don't have very much business experience. You can learn and build your business as you go. Start by selling a few small items from around the house. This will help you get your feet wet. As things start to pick up you can start using drops shippers or start buying wholesale.

Ebay has a ton of tools that will help you understand the ins and outs of selling on eBay. Use them. Be sure to visit the forums often as you should be able to get the majority of your questions answered via the forums.

Another advantage is the fact that you can earn a good income working either full or part time. Like everything else you will get out of it what you put into it. You are in control. You set your own hours. If you want to make a lot of money then you're going to have to work the eBay system. There really is no limit to the amount of money you can make. Build you business gradually and in no time at all you will be able to leave your full time job and be your own boss.

Once your business starts to grow you will want to invest in tools that help you automate your business. Find a software that will help you automate the process of listing items. This will save you not only time but money as well.

I have just named a few advantages to working from home on eBay. Please know that there are many many more. You can start making a nice second income with a little bit of time and effort.

Buying products from liquidators to sell on eBay is a good idea but can be very disastrous if you do not know what you are doing. Liquidators and wholesalers are very different from each other. It is important that you understand them both in order to be successful on eBay.

Liquidators tend to buy from retail store chains and even manufacturers from time to time. 2 of the biggest companies that sell liquidated items to the general public are Big Lots and Burlington Coat Factory. The same principles that apply to these 2 companies are the same principles that will apply to you and your eBay business.

Liquidators buy returns, shelf pulls, odd lots, over runs & overstocks, bankruptcy sales and store closings and imperfect items. Let's look at each one in further detail.

Returns:

When a customer returns something to a store a lot of times that item is sold to a liquidator. When you purchase items that have been returned you can expect to get incomplete packages, opened boxes, missing parts, items that might have been worn once and returned etc... Some items you may not be able to sell. It is best to buy store returns in large quantities. That way you will have a better chance of getting saleable items.

Shelf Pulls:

Shelf pulls consist of items that have been pulled from the shelves and racks at the end of the season. This can be very risky because many of these items may have been sitting on the shelf or rack for a while. Electronics may or may not be working and many clothing items will be missing the brand labels. Make sure you know exactly what you buying before you consider shelf pulls.

Odd Lots:

Odd lots are very desirable because they are either the last of a lot or sometimes they were a small test run for a product. Odd lots are usually without flaws.

Over Runs and Over Stocks:

Over Runs & Overstocks are items of which there were either too many purchased or made. For instance, items that are being sold due to a new movie being released normally fall into this category. There should be no damaged items and usually these items are easily sold.

Bankruptcy Sales and Store Closings:

When stores close any items not sold or auctioned off at the closing or bankruptcy sales go to liquidators. You can find really great deals this way. Just be sure you know what you are purchasing.

Imperfect Items:

An example of an imperfect item is a shower curtain that was accidently printed upside down. There is nothing wrong with the actual curtain other then the fact it looks awkward. Be very cautious with these types of items. Some of these items will be hard to sell. If you sell an imperfect item you are required by law to let your potential buyer know that the item is imperfect.

Buying products from liquidators is a great way to add to your inventory. Just be sure you know and understand exactly what you are getting. To find legitimate and reliable liquidators visit Salehoo.com they offer a comprehensive list of wholesalers, manufacturers, liquidators and drop-shippers.

    

Just like anything else there are disadvantages to working from home a eBay. Not everyone becomes a millionaire on eBay. You usually see all these great stories telling you how wonderful it is to sell on eBay and all that jazz but no one ever tells you about the downside. Here are 2 not so good things about working from home on eBay.

Its easy to loose money - If you are not careful when listing your items you can rake up hundreds of dollars worth of fees relatively easy. Ebay has a mountain of fees that people tend to overlook somehow. Lets start with the listing fee. Every single time you put an item up for sale on eBay you are charged a listing or insertion fee. Depending on the starting price of your item this fee can be anywhere from $0.10 to $4.00. You are also charged for extras such as a border around your listing and you are charged a final value fee if your item sales. But wait, that's not all%u2026. You also have to think about the fees from your payment processor. Most ebayers use Paypal to process credit cards for them. Paypal charges 2.9% plus $0.30 for each and every transaction. All of these fees can add up very very quickly and before you know it you could be owing eBay way more then what you are bringing in. So be very careful and make sure you consider ALL fees before pricing your item.

Another problem is finding products to sell. Its hard to find a product that no one else is selling. Watch out for wholesalers that claim to be eBay certified. You have to really do your research when it comes to finding products to sell on eBay. To find a comprehensive wholesale directory visit salehoo.com

Just like any other business in order to make money on eBay you will need to be patiant and committed. Do you research and make sure you understand exactly what you are getting into. A good guide to invest in is the Beginners eBay(R) Auction Guide - Learn To Sell On eBay By Clint Herman. This is a great step-by-step guide showing you everything you need to know to start making money on eBay.

There is a lot of money to be made by selling various items and or services on eBay. eBay is one of the most visited sites on the internet. That in itself can be a blessing and a curse. The fact that eBay is so popular opens the door for a great deal of fraud.

Before we go any further please know that I am in no way saying that eBay is a fraud or rip off. Not the case at all. Ebay is a wonderful site that offers a very legit business opportunity. There are however a few buyers and sellers whose activities are fraudualant.

Here are a couple ways you can protect yourself from fraud while working from home on eBay.

Know your Vendors

If you buy merchandise from some on eBay be sure to read their feedback. Gather as much information about their company as you can and then do a quick on the better business bureau site. (www.bbb.com) Find out of they are reputable. If they make it hard to find their address and phone number then don't do business with them. You only want to deal with sellers who make it easy to contact them if you have a problem.

Be aware of scams

There are a ton of scams online and they are becoming more and more common in the eBay marketplace. A very common scam on eBay is companies offering drop shipping services. A lot of these companies claim they are eBay certified providers. Most of them are not. Don't just take their word for it. Do your research. Don't just check with the Better Business Bureau but also check with the State Attorney Generals office in the state where the company says they are located. There is no fee to inquire about a company. You want to make sure you are dealing with a legit company. You want to try to avoid getting scammed as much as possible. A legit drop shipper that is a eBay certified provider is doba.com. Start with them and then expand as you grow.

What it boils down to is just using a little caution and taking the time to check out all vendors carefully. Make sure you know exactly what you are buying and selling.

Tons of people have the desire to set up an eBay business so they can work from home but very few of them have the knowledge needed to get started. Just like anything else you want to build you eBay business on a solid foundation. This will give your business a better chance to be successful and stay in business for years to come. Here are a few things every aspiring eBayer should do before they jump into the world of eBay.

Get a camera - You will need a digital camera to sell on eBay. Without one selling can become a bit frustrating. Pictures help your items get more visitors thus giving you a better chance of selling it. A digital camera is a wise investment.

Set up a paypal account - It is not a requirement that you have a paypal account but it is the easiest way to accept online payments. It is also a lot cheaper than setting up a merchant account with your bank.

Set up a place to store inventory - If you plan on purchasing inventory then you will want to designate a place where you can store it. Make sure it is a place where pests and rodents cannot get into. If you cannot afford to purchase inventory upfront then consider using a drop shipper. You can find a list of legitimate dropshippers at salehoo.com

Read up on zoning regulations - Since you will be working out of your home it is important to understand your local zoning regulations. If you live in an area that has a home owners association be sure to check with them to find out if they have any restrictive covenants. You should be able to start out working from your home without any problems but as your business grows you might be in violation of certain zoning or HOA/POA rules.

Get a resale certificate or sales tax ID number - If you plan on purchasing from a wholesaler you will need this.

Get legal - You can sell under your own name but I do not suggest doing that. Incoporate your business or form an LLC this way you will be a legit business. You also get more tax benefits for doing business as a coporation or an LLC.

Now that you know the basics you can get started.Go to ebay.com and register. You will need a credit card to verify your identity. Now just do a litte research in the eBay marketplace and figure out what you want to sell. A great place to start is with items you have around your house that you no longer want.

To learn more about the ins and outs of selling on eBay a good guide to read is the Beginners eBay(R) Auction Guide - Learn To Sell On eBay By Clint Herman.

Figuring out what you want to sell on eBay is probably the biggest problem most aspiring eBayers have. Many people tend to gravitate towards electronics which is fine if you have enough money to buy in bulk from wholesalers. Otherwise you will not be able to compete.

So what should you do? Research my friend. There are 3 ways you can do research to find out what is a good profitable item to sell on eBay. And here they are.

The first thing you want to do is visit the "What's Hot" page on eBay. The "What's Hot" page will give you a break down of what products will be promoted on the home page, emails, and buyer catalog for each season. This information is gathered by the eBay merchandising team. They go through a ton of trade magazines, talk to different industry experts and review eBay sales data to determine what items are HOT. The research has basically been done for you on this page. All you have to do is go through and find products you might be interested in selling. Here is the link to the "What's Hot" page.

Secondly visit eBay pulse. Ebay pulse is basically a daily snapshot of current trends on eBay. You can find out the most popular products, most watched items, popular searches and much more for that particular day. It's a great place to start. Here is a link to eBay pulse.

The third place you should visit is the Market Research page. This is the only one out of the 3 that is not free. The prices to access the market research information range from $2.99 for 2 days access to $24.99 for a month of access. Using the market research will allow you to access information such as the average sold price, the last sold price, current price range and much much more. With market research you can get up to 90 days of historical data. This can be very helpful because you want to have items that sell consistently month over month. Here is a link to the Market Research Page.

Hopefully this information will help you get started selling very profitable items. Remember to do your research first and then start selling. Visit my page about selling on ebay to get more free informaiton.

If you have been working from home on eBay for any amount of time there will come a point when you will want to take things to the next level. Let's look at a few ways you can go beyond the basics.

First you need to take a look at your rating on eBay. A rating of 10 or higher is required in order to take advantage of some of the more advanced features. For instance if you want to open an eBay store you will need a rating of at least 20 and a rating of at least 30 if you want to create certain multiple item auctions. But.. To avoid this you can just get ID verified by eBay.

Now let's see exactly what you can do with your rating. With a rating of 10 or more you now have the option of adding a "Buy It Now" button to your listings. This can really give your sales a boost. Price your item so that the shipping is included in the "Buy It Now" price. That way you can tell your buyers that shipping is free with "Buy It Now". You will attract a lot of customers this way. It is well worth the fee that is charged to use the "Buy It Now" option.

If you have been in the eBay game a little longer then you might have a rating of 20 or more. If that is the case then you are now allowed open an eBay store. This option can get a little pricey so really think about it before you do it. The basic store will run you $15.95 a month and every store listing that is not an auction will cost you $.05 every 30 days plus any additional fees for add-ons. This can add up very quickly if you are not selling items on a regular basis. Try to be making at least $200 a month for 3 consecutive months before opening up a store.

Once you have started selling at least $200 a month and you open a store you can even take that to the next level by using a company called prostores. This to me is a lot better than the regular old eBay store. I personally would bypass the eBay store and go straight to the prostores option. With prostores you get an online e-merchant store that you can fill up with all your eBay items you have for sale. You also get your own domain name, which is a huge benefit, and they help you promote your website. There are 4 levels, starter, business, advanced and enterprise. You pick the one that is best for you. Prices start at just $9.95 a month and go all the way up to $249.95 a month. Each level comes with a free one month trial.

Other advanced options you have are fixed priced auctions with multiple quantities. To use this option you must be an authorized eBay user for a minimum of 14 days and must have a rating of 30 or higher. If your PayPal account has been verified then the rating requirement drops down to 15.
You should only use this type of auction for items that you always have in stock. For example, let's say you have a case of 180 toy cars. You can list this as a single fixed auction with a quantity of 180 toy cars at a price of $2.00 each. This way a buyer can purchase more than one without the listing closing. Each time one a purchased the quantity available will be reduced. This is a lot easier and alot cheaper than entering the same fixed auction 180 different times.
There are so many tools available to you once you start selling on a consistent basis. Consider using Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro to keep track of your inventory and eBay auctions once things start to take off. This will save you a lot of time and effort.

Once you start listing 10-15 items a week or more you will want to use software to automate the listing process. Try to keep your auctions all uniform when it comes to the design. You want to get to a point where the buyer will know it's you just based on the design of the auction.

It really doesn't take much to take your eBay business to the next level. Just evaluate where you are and look for tools that will help you streamline your business.