eBay-Basics-Course

The fixed price is too high: If you’re just selling with Buy it Now, then of course your items won’t sell if they’re too expensive. Try reducing the price a little each time the item fails to sell.

# posted by benkhoo @ 9:25 AM

Are you finding that auction fails to attract any bidders or buyers ? It happens to the best of us sometimes – take a good look at these things to see if any of them could be making your bidders avoid you.

The starting price was too high: People don’t want to have to make a high bid before anyone else has – you should always start your auctions low and let the bidders bid them up.

# posted by benkhoo @ 9:20 AM

Step 10: Never give up:

Even when it looks like it’s all going wrong, don’t stop trying until you succeed.

If you keep working at it then you’ll almost always find that you make a real breakthrough just when things are starting to look desperate.

# posted by benkhoo @ 9:02 AM

Step 9: Automate:-

You’ll probably find that you’re writing the same things again and again in emails or item descriptions.

This is the time to give up on the manual method and turn to automated software that can create listings for you, and respond to completed auctions and payments with whatever message you provide.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:58 AM

Step 8: Make it official:

Once you’ve made a few thousand dollars worth of sales, you should really register yourself as a business.

Don’t worry, it’s not expensive or hard to do – a certified accountant is the best person to help you through the process.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:53 AM

Step 7: Invest and expand:

This is the time to throw money at the problem. Buy inventory, and start spending more time on your business.

Set a goal number of sales each week, increasing it each time.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:55 PM

Step 6: Work out a business plan:

A business plan doesn’t need to be anything formal, just a few pages that outline the market opportunity you’ve spotted, your strategy, strengths and weaknesses of the plan and a brief budget.

This is more for you than it is for anyone else.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:52 PM

Step 5: Test and repeat:

Keep trying different strategies until you find something that works, and then don’t be ashamed to keep doing it, again and again.

The chances are that you’ve just found a good niche.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:50 PM

Step 4: Start small:

Don’t throw thousands at your idea straight away – get started slowly, see what works and what doesn’t, and learn as you go.

Remember that it’s very cheap to try out even the craziest ideas on eBay, and who knows, they might just work !

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:43 PM

Step 3: Find a product:

Get hold of a supplier for whatever it is you want to sell, and see what the best rates you can get are – don’t be afraid to ring round quite a few to get the best deal.

If the eBay prices you’ve seen are higher than the supplier’s, then you’re set.

# posted by benkhoo @ 10:27 AM

Step 2: Watch the competition.

Before you invest any money, see what the other sellers in your category are up to, and what their strategies are.

Pay special attention to any flaws their auctions might have, because this is where you can move in and beat them at their own game.

# posted by benkhoo @ 10:20 AM

So you want to be a successful seller with your own eBay business, do you ? Here’s a simple, ten-step path to eBay enlightenment.

Step 1: Identify your market. Take a while to sit and watch for what sells and what doesn’t out of the items you’re interested in. Any market research data you can collect will be very useful to you later on. You’ll probably see the ‘sweet spots’ quite quickly – those one or two items that always seem to sell for a good price.

# posted by benkhoo @ 10:16 AM

McGraw-Hill published "Turn eBay Data In Dollars " by Ina Steiner,Editor of AuctionBytes.com.

She has a background in marketing and research in the high-tech and publishing fields.

It is a book about tools that could help eBay sellers better understand their sales so they could spend more time doing what works best and improve their profitability :-

- market-data tools (such as HammerTap DeepAnalysis and Terapeak);
- sales performance reporting and analysis tools (such as eBay Sales Reports);
- traffic-tracking tools (such as eBay Traffic Reports and Sellathon ViewTracker);
- and competitive intelligence tools (such as eBay's Marketplace Research).

With three areas where sellers could improve their businesses:
basic listing strategies;
advanced listing strategies;
and marketing strategies.

**Basic Listing Strategies**
Find the best time to end an auction.
Determine optimal auction duration.
Choose the most profitable starting price.
Locate the best category.
Uncover the most effective keywords.

**Advanced Listing Strategies**
Research what to sell.
Choose auction-style listings versus Fixed Price format.
Analyze effectiveness of reserve price.
Evaluate optional features and upgrades.
Refine your offer and policies.

**Marketing Strategies**
Cross-promote your listings.
Increase repeat sales.
Improve your advertising and publicity.
Enhance your reputation and credibility.
Expand your presence.

In addition to describing tools and showing readers how to use them, the book also shows readers how to apply these tools to their businesses.

View content of this book at: Turn eBay Data Into Dollars.

# posted by benkhoo @ 9:41 AM

Andale has been providing free, integrated counters for eBay sellers since 2000, but Andale President Linda Hayes said the company has decided not to renew its contract with eBay this year. She said it was an ROI (Return on Investment) decision. "We had to pay eBay to furnish them with that technology," she said. However, the relationship between the two companies is very sound and eBay's managers have been great to work with, she added.

Andale first signed an agreement with eBay in 2000 that allowed Andale to provide integrated counters and counter-related services to sellers directly from the eBay marketplace and eBay specialty sites. In 2003, Andale renewed the exclusive contract, which is up in June.

# posted by benkhoo @ 9:23 AM

eBay is the most level of playing fields--virtually anyone can make money auctioning their stuff. But to move from eBay hobbyist to eBay business owner takes work and planning. Our in-depth guide has the information you need, whether you're starting fresh or looking to expand. So dig in, and get ready for the bids to start rolling in !


For more Information & suggestion to start your busines on eBay, please click at:-
Entrepreneur's eBay Business Center Link.

# posted by benkhoo @ 12:36 PM

You can download templates and customize them with your own personal information to create flyers, business cards and other professional-looking business collateral to help you build your Store identity.

For Full details: Store Promotional flyer.

# posted by benkhoo @ 5:22 PM

Email marketing is a great way to promote your eBay Store to buyers-including those who are interested in your Store but have not purchased items from you in the past.

For full details: Email Marketing.

# posted by benkhoo @ 5:09 PM

Many solutions are available from eBay or from third parties to help eBay members improve their buying and selling activities. These solutions are designed to make activities like high volume selling and post-sales management more efficient. To make it easier to find the solution that's right for you, there is the Solutions Directory.

Visit solutions.ebay.com to browse the various categories of solutions. You can also find solutions through searching by keywords. For example, if you are looking for eBay Motors solutions, just type in "Motors" in the search box, and click the Search button.

On the browse or search results page that follows, you will be able to compare listings in that category against one another. When you first get to this page, the results will be sorted in alphabetical order by Solution Title. You do have the ability to sort by each column on this page.

Select a solution that interests you and you can view details of the solution by clicking on the Solution Title. On the listing details page you will find more information about the solutions so that you can choose the solution that's appropriate for your needs. From this page you can easily get information about the third-party solution.

# posted by benkhoo @ 11:56 AM

Use keywords in your auction headline (title) and description

Remember that 65% of eBay bidders find what they are looking for by using the search function. Be sure to use carefully chosen and accurate key words in your title and description. eBay gives you 55 characters in your headline. Be sure to use all of them. This will help you get hits.

# posted by benkhoo @ 10:27 PM

Call in to eBay Radio today, April 11th, with your host Jim "Griff" Griffith, Dean of eBay University, live from 11:00am to 2:00pm PT (eBay Radio expands to three hours starting today). Guests this week include:

*Chris Malta, eBay Radio Product Sourcing Editor, and Ian Aronovich, President of Cyweb Holdingson, will discuss how to tap into Government Auctions..

*Greg Cole, President of HammrTapNow.com, will discuss how starting price affects auctions.

*Anthony McMurray, Owner of Prolmpulse Web Design, will discuss how an effective brand can help take your eBay Stores Sales to the next level.

*Meg Whitman: A conversation with eBay's CEO.

*Kevin Dulsky, Director, PayPal Mobile Payments, will discuss the new PayPal Mobile Payments Service.

click here: eBay Radio.

# posted by benkhoo @ 9:28 AM

A Second Chance Offer lets you to make an offer to a non-winning bidder under certain conditions. The offer contains a Buy It Now price equal to the non-winning bidder's bid amount.

You can send Second Chance Offers immediately after the listing ends, and for 60 days after the listing ends. There are also conditions for Second Chance Offers for Reserve Price Auctions and Unpaid Items.

You can make a Second Chance Offer to a non-winning bidder when:

The winning bidder does not pay you, or your Reserve Price has not been met.

Note: If sending due to an Unpaid Item, be sure that you have tried to resolve the issue with the original buyer before sending a Second Chance Offer to another bidder.

There is at least one non-winning bidder who accepts Second Chance Offers.

You have duplicate items for sale, and want to offer them to non-winning bidders in a single-item auction.

Note: The number of offers you send can't be more than the number of items you have for sale. It is not possible to make Second Chance Offers in a Multiple Item Auction.


To send a Second Chance Offer:

*Sign into eBay with your user ID and password.

*On the left side, My eBay Views, under All Selling, click the “Sold” or “Unsold” link.

*If Second Chance Offers are enabled for an item, the Second Chance Offer link is available by clicking the pull down menu in the Action column in My eBay.

*Click on the “Second Chance Offer” link, and then click the Continue button.

*Select the bidders you want to send offers, the duration of the offer, and if you want to receive a copy of the offer email.

*You can also send a Second Chance Offer from the View Item or Bid History pages.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:28 AM

The My Messages page is where you receive secure, relevant messages from eBay and from other eBay members. All messages originate from eBay systems and are guaranteed to be authentic.

*Messages include information such as:

*Important alerts about your account that require your immediate attention

*Member-to-member communications (Ask a Question, Contact eBay Member, and Second
Chance Offer)

*Customer Support correspondence and replies

*Useful information about buying and selling

*News about upcoming activities, events, and product updates

*Copies of your seller invoices for listing and final value fees

*Policy changes and other special notices

Important: My Messages is an important tool for helping eBay members buy and sell safely and efficiently. You should check your messages often to make sure you don't miss something important. You cannot opt out of My Messages.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:08 AM

eBay Toolbar is a helpful tool to keep track of your buying and selling activities. It is free to download .

Why Account Guard is important

eBay Toolbar includes Account Guard to help you protect your eBay account information.

Security Protection Benefits of Account Guard

These key Account Guard features help protect your eBay account information:

Warns you when you're on a potential spoof Web site.

Account Guard has a Site Indicator on the eBay Toolbar that changes the color of the Account Guard button that indicates whether you're on a verified site or a potential spoof Web site. The Site Indicator turns:

*Green if you are on a verified eBay or PayPal Web site.

*Red if you are on a potential spoof Web site.

*Gray if you are visiting an unidentified Web site.


Note: Account Guard identifies only eBay and PayPal spoof Web sites. When you are
not on eBay or PayPal, the Site Indicator will typically be gray.

# posted by benkhoo @ 7:59 AM

eBay policy does not permit members to abuse the Unpaid Item process. Sellers may not file for a Final Value Fee credit on a transaction where the buyer paid for the item.

If a seller filed for a credit on a transaction that was completed, please contact us so we can investigate the situation.

Sellers who falsely report Unpaid Items may be subject to a range of actions, including:

*Reversal of all credits for the time period in question

*Loss of the right to use the Final Value Fee Credit system for a period of time

*Account suspension

*Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

*Loss of PowerSeller status

# posted by benkhoo @ 7:52 AM

eBay wants you to know your buyers better as seller:-

Where buyers go, what they do and what features they use most on eBay.

Would you like some inside information about eBay Buyers ?

eBay has released a report called "How Buyers Use eBay"

It's a very interesting read.

It answers questions such as:

What day of the week gets the most traffic on eBay ? Sunday IS NOT the most popular day. (See page 4)

Do more men or women use eBay? (See page 8)

Do more people search by category or keyword? (See page 6)


Please read full details at: How buyers use eBay.

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:46 AM

eBay is rolling out a new Trust & Safety feature called "Report this Item." .

Every listing item page will have a "Report this Item" link at the bottom of the page. The link will take users directly to a list of possible reasons why a listing needs to be brought to eBay's attention for listing violations, and will allow users to report the listing to eBay.

Read more details at: "Report This Item".

# posted by benkhoo @ 10:35 PM

eBay File Exchange is a new selling tool that enables medium to high-volume sellers to list on eBay by submitting a single file and to receive sales status information in a standard flat file format. File Exchange allows sellers to interact directly with eBay through a comma-separated, semicolon-delimited, or tab-delimited flat file that can be created from an MS Excel spreadsheet,MS Access, or other inventory software.

For more information about File Exchange, including how to sign up for the tool, please go to : File Exchange

In order to qualify for File Exchange you must have been registered on eBay for at least 90 days, and have averaged at least 50 active listings a month for the past two months.

# posted by benkhoo @ 10:11 AM

Sign up for the new eBay marketplace research tool from Mpire for FREE:-

Top keywords, average price, best day and time to sell and more.

The only free eBay market research tool: mpire!

http://www.mpire.com

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:14 AM

eBay's research has shown that following a few simple tips can significantly reduce the rate of unpaid item :-

Make it easy for your buyers to pay by offering PayPal.

Include detailed shipping and handling information in the item description as well as the shipping details area.

Use eBay's Checkout feature to make it simple for buyers to pay you.

Use Immediate Payments for fixed price listings and listings using the "Buy It Now" option.

# posted by benkhoo @ 6:04 PM

Daylight-saving time is returning to shift an hour of light to the evenings !

That means push the clocks ahead — spring forward — before going to bed to-night April lst, 2006 Saturday night. The official change occurs at 2 a.m. Sunday, local time.

Daylight-saving time ends Oct. 29.

President Bush has signed a law changing the dates of daylight-saving time, but it doesn't take effect until 2007. Then, daylight time will start three weeks earlier, March 11, and will end one week later, Nov. 4.

Residents of some parts of the country can ignore all this since daylight-saving time isn't observed in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

Learn The History of Daylight Saving.

Check eBay Offical time before you list your item as from April 2nd, 2006

# posted by benkhoo @ 8:28 AM