eBay-Basics-Course

Title:- eBay SG Implement New Feedback System ; May 21st, 2008

Specific to eBay SG site , the following had been implemented started on May 21, 2008:

• Sellers may only leave positive feedback for buyers
• Negative and neutral Feedback will be removed if a member becomes suspended.
• Members can leave Feedback up to 60 days after a transaction (down from 90).
• Feedback will be removed when a buyer fails to respond to the unpaid item process.
• Members will receive credit for weekly repeat Feedback.
• Positive Feedback Percentage will be based on the last 12 months of activity (neutral Feedback will be included in the calculation).
• The PowerSeller Program will use the same calculation method described above to determine eligibility for the PS Program for the Positive Feedback percentage requirement of 98% positive.
• In addition to expanding the 3-day block to 7 days, a new Buyer Requirement will be introduced allowing sellers to block buyers who have been reported by other sellers for eBay buying policy violations (such as Feedback abuse or email threats).
• The scope of the existing Buyer Requirement for unpaid items will be expanded so that it supports more comprehensive blocking of buyers who have a history of non-payment.
• The process that sellers use to report buyers for policy violations will be improved.

Title: Calculate The Positive Feedback Percentage

Title: New Feedback System-Points to Be Observed

1) From May 2008, Sellers will no longer be able to leave negative or neutral Feedback for buyers.

2) Removal of negative and neutral Feedback left by members who are suspended or who fail to respond to the Unpaid Item (UPI) Process

3) Positive Feedback percentage will be based on the past 12 months of Feedback, rather than lifetime, since it is most indicative of the seller’s recent performance.

4) Negative and Neutral Feedback left for buyers prior to the change will remain unless the seller is suspended.

5) Restrictions on when Feedback can be left:-

a) Buyers must wait seven days before leaving negative or neutral Feedback f for active PowerSellers who have been registered for at least 12 months

b) Members must leave Feedback with 60 days of the transaction closing.

6) Removal of Mutual Feedback withdrawal :

a) Since only buyers can leave negative Feedback, the Mutual Feedback
withdrawal process could be used as a tool for Extortion- buyers leave
negative first, then removes once satisfied.

b) eBay will no longer accept Feedback removal requests from Square Trade or NetNeutrals, even when both buyers and sellers agree to have the Feedback removed.

Title: Tips- Learn To Buy Before You Sell

First of all Happy Labor Day to all of you !

This is a few little-known techniques and methods to bid and buy like a pro.

In order to be successful on eBay, you must understand what your customers are going through when buying your goods or services ... so there is no better way than doing it yourself.

Why ? Because if you understand the process a customer goes through to order something on eBay ... then you will have a better understanding of how to sell your own products to potential customers.

Try to treat all your customers the way as you want to be treated as a customer and you should do very well.

How to get 10 positive feedback comments very quickly !

Before go any further ... It needs to mention something VERY important and something you NEED to do as quickly as humanly possible !

BUT, you need to get a feedback rating of 10 or higher before you can sell items as a buy-it-now item. And you can do this in one day !

Simply jump over to eBay and purchase 10-15 $1 items ... or even $0.01 items. Then leave positive feedback to the sellers , they will leave you positive feedback in return.

Here's what you need to consider when bidding on an item or service.

First, search eBay by entering your interest in the eBay search box or selecting a category in the category directories. Say you are interested in buying a cheap Laser printer.

Go to eBay.com home page and search for 'laser printer”, If you are in a hurry, its better to browser the buy-it-now listings ... if not then check out the auctions listings.

That's where some market research comes in handy ... here are a few tricks that I use.

First consider your budget, how much are you willing to spend and how much are you going to spend ... and they are different ... bidding can be like gambling. Leave with less than you came with ! Be careful not to bid all your money away for some silly item. So, set an absolute max, the amount you are going to spend !

Next, find what this item is selling for by several other online merchants by using a comparison shopping site. Below are few of them : Here is the first one:

Here is the first one :www.PriceGrabber.com
Here is another one: www.BizRate.com
And of course the Google Products Search: www.google.com/products

Use those 3 web sites to find what other merchants are selling the corresponding product for and make sure you are actually getting a deal on eBay.

Also, don't forget to search these alternative auction sites as well :

Amazon: www.Amazon.com
uBid: www.uBid.com

Quick Tip

When you search on Google or eBay ... or most search capable web sites. It is common practice to put double-quotes around your search phrase. This will search for the exact phrase for all the words inside your double-quotes. This is important or else you may get tons of irrelevant search results. See example below ...

For example ... if you want in the Google Product Search, I would do this: "laser Printers"

Now, if you don't put quotes around the search phrase, you may get results for laser pens or something completely non-related to what you are looking for.

Now that you have an idea of what the market value of the laser printer is and what you are going to spend, Find the product in your price range by sorting the listings by price, or if you are in a hurry, sort by date ending.

It is better to only consider sellers that have a high feedback rating ... this will ensure prompt service and a better guarantee. Browse through the feedback and see what other people are saying. Take a look at the neutral and negative feedback.

Please make sure you supply a valid and working email address when buying stuff on eBay, so the seller can contact you to avoid the negative feedback war.

Moving on ... it's very useful to narrow down your search by using eBay's advanced search options .

You can enter in your price range, categories, enter words to exclude in your search ... and many more useful options.

For example, here is what you did for the laser printer: if you want to spend $200-$250 US.

• enter the keyword phrase "laser printer" with double-quotes, enter the price range
• click the 'in titles and descriptions' checkbox
• click the 'Buying Options' and select 'Buy It Now'
• If you are only interested in buying using paypal, so click the 'Items listed with “PayPal “ checkbox.

How to bid or Buy
1. Scroll down to the bottom of the listings page to where it says bidding.
2. Enter in your desired bid price
3. Click the place bid button
4. You will then immediately be notified that you placed a bid with the product. and you will also be notified if you have been outbid by another member.
5. If you were outbid, then you can follow the link in the outbid notification email to place a higher bid.
6. AND...don't bid over your budget ... there are always other auctions to bid on !
7. If you win, the seller will contact you on Payment method
8. If you are using PayPal , simply pay using paypal
9. Leave feedback

Here are some things to look for when you are bidding:

• Did you find enough information in the auction, if not contact the seller and ask them. Keep note these questions you are asking and address them in your own auction listings when you get to the selling stage.
• Note if the seller contacted you quickly after the auction.
• Was your item shipped promptly, and what method was used.
• Did the seller contact you after the auction and follow up on the order ...

Make sure you look for all the things that would have made it easier for you to bid, contact, buy and obtain the product, then apply this to your future listings.

Start eBay With A Rock-Hard Plan

Starting an eBay business is one of the greatest ways to make extra money. For those capable and eager to dedicate their efforts full time to maintaining and growing their eBay business, a solid income is what it is all about.

But before you quit your day job or invest serious money into an eBay business, it is a good idea to draft a business plan, just as you would with any other entrepreneurial venture.

Ask yourself some of these important questions before you start you start drawing up that eBay business plan.

How much money do you want to make ? How much time can you invest in your eBay business? And what will you sell ?

If you have an existing online or offline business, you probably have a good idea of what you want to sell.

If you do not have one, you will have to decide what you will sell and how you will start making your eBay business specialized enough so that you are not just selling random stuff.

What you sell will determine much of your business plan. For instance, you may have an extensive collection of coins and wish to sell coins or supplies to other collectors.

Your business plan will detail how you will conduct your collectible coin business. Once you have narrowed down your product offering, you can begin conducting market research.

Market research serves many purposes. Analyzing your target customer base to gauge interest and demand in your product can help determine if your business idea is worthwhile from a financial standpoint.

In addition, if you are seeking investors or financial assistance for your eBay business, you will need to convince potential investors and lenders that there is sufficient demand for the products you want to sell.

Then you can focus on your actual business strategy. This is how you will conduct your business day to day. Write down how will you procure goods or manufacture them, how you will list them on eBay, what prices you will charge, and how much profit you expect to make on each sale.

You will need to outline your organizational and operational procedures in your business plan, stating how you will create listings, how you will store and manage your inventory and how you will fulfill your merchandise to buyers.

Contemplate on what type of market you are aiming at. If you know who your target market is, it would be easier for you to think of effective words to use on the descriptive title and the details of your items.

Once your market research and strategy are done, you will be able to generate some financial information, including income projections. You will have to determine whether or not the amount of money you want to make is attainable for the business you have chosen.

When starting an eBay business, it is also extremely important for you to know first the rules and regulations of eBay concerning items to be sold and the transaction method. This is one way of protecting yourself so you can avoid fraudulent activities.

Be sure to factor in how much you will spend on procuring supplies, products, or manufacturing. Only then will you know your true item cost.

If your expenses are too high to make the business concept viable, you’ll need to retool your plan.

Your eBay business plan should include a financials section, covering your financial position, how much money you will need to cover expenses involved in procuring, constructing and storing merchandise, and any earnings projections.

Your business plan should be logical and organized with subheadings. Any element that affects how you will do business should be included in your business plan. Once you have everything down on paper, take some time to analyze it so that you are confident and comfortable with your business idea and its probability of earning revenue.

You must also decide how much time you are able and willing to devote to starting and maintaining your eBay business. Unless you can devote eight hours a day, five days a week, your eBay business will be a sideline.

Starting an eBay business is a lucrative way of earning additional wages. You, as a seller, gets the advantages most of the time.

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I'm an eBay PowerSeller ; eBay Education Specialist trained by eBay University and also an eBay Singapore instructor since 2005.

Please sign-up the "eBay Basic Selling Course" . It is a 6 hours hand-on course in two sessions . Click below to view full details :

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Immediate Payment Requirement by Seller & Buyer

As Seller :
If you've set a Buy It Now price for your item, you can require the buyer to pay you immediately using PayPal. You might use this feature if you're selling a time-sensitive item (for example, concert tickets). You must meet certain seller and shipping requirements and the listing must include any related costs, so your buyer knows exactly how much to pay.

How it works
A buyer who clicks the Buy It Now button in your listing is directed to pay immediately for the item using PayPal.

Until the buyer completes payment, the item remains available to other buyers to purchase for the duration of the listing. The first buyer to complete their PayPal payment officially wins your item.

Once a buyer completes payment, the listing ends and you are directed to ship the item.

You can use the immediate payment feature with any selling format (Online Auction, Fixed Price, Store Inventory), as long as your item has a Buy It Now price.

If you have an auction-like listing, both the Buy It Now button and the immediate payment requirement disappear once a bid is placed (or once a bid meets your reserve price). In that case, the listing becomes a regular auction-style listing, with the item going to the highest bidder.

Listings with the immediate payment feature must offer PayPal as the only payment method. This includes auction-style listings that end with a high bidder.

If the listing reaches its ending time before any buyer has completed payment, then no one wins the item and you can relist it.

Seller Requirements
To require immediate payment for your item, you must:
Have a PayPal Premier or PayPal Business account when you list your item. (Go to PayPal to upgrade your account.)

Have an eBay seller account in good standing.

Specify a Buy It Now price of no more than $4,000.

Specify shipping costs (or include the shipping calculator in your listing) and include other related costs such as insurance and taxes, so your buyer knows exactly how much to pay.

Note: If you do not want to charge a shipping and handling fee, you can enter "0.00" in the shipping and handling box. You can also enter "0.00" for the shipping cost of each additional item.

Ship to the buyer's credit card billing address registered at PayPal (unless you change your Payment Receiving preferences in your PayPal profile so that you'll allow buyers to use other addresses). You may want to put this requirement in your item description or shipping and payment information.

As Buyer:

Paying for items using Immediate Payments requires you to pay for the item in order to win it (unlike other cases in which you win on eBay first, then pay for the item). You pay through PayPal with a credit card or with other PayPal funds (including a PayPal balance or a bank account).

To use Immediate Payments, you need to:

Pay first to win the item

Pay with PayPal

Be aware that other members could win the item first if that other member pays first.

Note: Be sure to finish your payment quickly so someone else does not win the item.

To purchase an item using Immediate Payment: Look for items with an “immediate payment required” link on the item page.

Click the Buy It Now button. If the listing is for multiple items, be sure to specify the quantity you want.

Review your shipping address and the total cost of the item on the Confirm Your Payment page.

Click the Continue button to finish up the purchase.

After payment is confirmed, the item is yours.

For items paid for using Immediate Payment that have both a starting bid price and a Buy It Now price, the Buy It Now price will disappear once a bid is placed.

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I'm an eBay PowerSeller ; eBay Education Specialist trained by eBay University and also an eBay Singapore instructor since 2005.

Please sign-up the "eBay Basic Selling Course" . It is a 6 hours hand-on course in two sessions . Click below to view full details :

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