The Best Tips for Selling on Ebay

What should you be doing different on Ebay in 2011? There have been some changes over the past year that you should be aware of, many of which will impact your business.

1. Keep tight record keeping for everything. New laws are passing that may force 1099's on Ebay sellers. In case this happens, have all of your post office receipts, expenses, sales records, inventory costs, and deductions organized and ready for year end taxes. This guide on Ebay tax tips is extremely helpful.



2. Auctions are starting to wane in popularity next to fixed price format. Make sure your fixed price items are in tip top shape as more changes take place on the site to compete with other online retailers.



3. Keep free shipping in mind for most of your items. If the profit of the item isn't worth offering free shipping, consider if it's worth selling. Ebay is pushing sellers more and more to offer it to customers and giving them big advantages in search placement. Buyers seem to like it, too.



4. Don't just rely on the search on Ebay for buyers to find you. Now more than ever, some of these items are being buried and hard to find. That's why it's imperative to start your own website or market your store/auctions on other websites. Consider using Squidoo to market your Ebay items (that's the site you are on right now!).



5. 5. Focus on a niche. If you haven't been doing this already, it's time to make your store more focused so buyers will pick up everything they need in one place. It's also a smart move to be found in search engines, and make marketing your store so much easier.

The buy it now feature is one of Ebay's best features which can make you money quick. Truth be told, most buyers don't want to wait for auctions to end. They don't have the time, and they'd rather have it now rather than waiting to see what's going to happen. Save them the frustration and start letting them buy it now instead of later.

Ebay is in the business of making money from sellers. You sell the item, you pay the fees, and they collect the money. They'll take a cut, and naturally, like any business, they have some upgrades and features offered to enhance your auction. These ebay auction features are sometimes worth it, sometimes not. The gallery feature, for instance, is a staple that has to be used, and buyers expect it (and besides, your auction looks unprofessional without one). Other features, like the featured home page listing, are a complete waste of your money and time.

While the marketplace on Ebay is rather large, it's just a portion of where you can find buyers, especially for your store. There's a whole other world outside of the auction marketplace! Don't limit yourself, spread your wings and increase exposure with some SEO for your Ebay store. Buyers searching for specific items and rarities will be able to find you with some simple, effective search engine marketing.

Those 55 characters you're allowed for your auction could be the most important part of your entire online business! Put in the wrong words, and it could mean money lost, while the right words will lead to an overwhelmingly successful, profitable auction. Completed listings will help you with your research, but there are other methods you can use to start your Ebay keyword research. Also, outside websites will give you a good idea of what to use for keywords, like competitors Amazon and Overstock. Just type in a brand name and scan some of the best selling items to see what they are using for their titles.

Where should you get your inventory from? Ebay is a competitive place, so don't expect others sellers to divulge their sources. I've spilled the beans on a few different sources sellers use on my lens on Ebay inventory. You might not expect some of the sources that big time sellers use.. and which ones are the most profitable.

This was one of the longest pages I wrote about Ebay, but I decided to break it up into several more informational pages, and added even more information. Check out:
Learn how to make money online with Ebay

Everyone is new at some point or another. That's why I built my tutorial on How to Set up an Ebay Account. It will walk brand new online shoppers through the process, complete with helpful screenshots and advice to keep their information safe. Setting up an account couldn't be simpler! If you don't have an account, I urge you to go open one on this lens right now. The benefits are huge, and you'll be saving yourself a lot of money in the long run. It opens up great opportunities to unload some of your old household items for a profit, too!

You would think that coming up with 100 easy Ebay tips would be difficult, but for me, it wasn't at all. These 100 tips rolled from my brain to the keyboard in no time, and I'm pleased to say that they are some of my best tips. It's a quick read that will give you some advice on boosting your sales quick, an easily scannable format that will take you just a few minutes to read.

HTML isn't as hard to learn as you might think. Here are some simple pieces of Ebay HTML code right now to make your auctions look a little bit nicer right now.

Ever wanted to open an Ebay store? Opening one isn't hard, but there are some basic set up tips that you should take into consideration to make sure that your store is successful. Having a store doesn't ensure your success, so you'll need to customize and make your store look pretty (and search engine friendly) to get customers to visit and buy.

Marketing Your Ebay Store with Squidoo is an excellent way to increase your visibility in search engines. By using Squidoo, you can showcase all of your items, or focus on certain niches (the best way) to advertise your stuff. Do you have an extensive collection of vintage lamps for sale, or the lowest prices on certain electronics? Now you can create a search engine friendly page to showcase your items, tell your buyers why they should buy from you, and provide them with some information, photos and videos on the items you're selling. It's a near-guaranteed way to increase sales.

The thrill of the auction format is what inspired the creation of Ebay to begin with. The last minute bidding, the excitement over finding an item ending at bottom dollar, or the rush of discovering a rare find that you've gotta have are what makes the site so unique. Some of us are most interested in finding the lowest prices on Ebay, and I've bought enough stuff to tell you how you can do that.

As much as Ebay is a great place, there are people trying to take advantage of you, or perhaps sell you an item that isn't the real deal. Or, maybe someone might try to take your money and run. Ebay has created some good safeguards in place to avoid having this happen, but there are some things you should know so that you don't get scammed on Ebay. Phishers are trying to steal your email and account name/password to start a bidding frenzy, and people from all over the world are selling counterfeit items that they claim are real, but they're relatively easy to spot.

One of the reasons that make Ebay so great is that the information and tools are readily available to start making a living off the auction site right now. I've compiled some of the best resources I could get together on Squidoo for a better learning experience at the Ebay Education Group Headquarters.

Why not use PayPal? PayPal provides customers with a safe way to purchase their items online without having to reveal their credit card numbers or bank accounts to the merchant, a real issue in the modern days of identity theft and credit card fraud. If you aren't using a PayPal account for your business or for purchasing, set up a paypal account here. It's fast, easy and well worth the small cut they take, which is usually 3% approximately.

Customers want a great experience not just online, but in person. That's why how you package your item matters, and when you accept the money from your customer, the transaction is far from over! Learn some easy tips on packaging fragile items so they won't break, and so they'll look better and more presentable to the buyer here.

How to Sell on Ebay
Dozens of helpful tutorials on how to grow your business, increase sales, use social networking, and lower fees. There's also the easy to use beginner's guides and advanced tools to take advantage of. Stop by today!