eBay Business Solutions

If starting an eBay business is your goal, as

opposed to just auctioning a few items off for some

extra cash, you need to use the eBay business

solutions that are available to you. Because eBay’s

success depends on the success of its sellers,

they strive to help you at every turn. eBay Business

Solutions is the key to starting an eBay business.

eBay Stores is one of the better solutions for eBay

business owners. An eBay store will allow you to

list multiple quantities of the same item, and allow

you to keep them listed for longer time periods.

eBay Store owners also enjoy lower auction fees,

and have access to advanced merchandising tools.

Eventually, you should consider upgrading to an

eBay Pro Store, which will allow you to customize

your storefront with your own brand and web

address.

There are many other eBay Business Solutions,

such as seller tools, the eBay solutions directory,

and the merchant solution center, but you should

definitely start with your very own eBay store, followed by an eBay Pro Store.

eBay University – What Is It All About?

eBay University is the learning program that eBay

established to help people become successful eBay

merchants. For convenience, eBay classes are held

in many locations throughout the United States, and

classes may also be completed from home, using

your computer.

You should note that all of the information you will

learn through eBay University can be found on the

website – for free. However, understanding that free

information isn’t always easy. eBay University will

teach you how to open a seller’s account, how to

conduct research and create listings, how to improve

listings for greater success, how to integrate Paypal

with eBay, how to monitor your auctions, and how to

complete transactions.

Once you’ve finished the Selling Basics course, you

are ready for the ‘Beyond the Basics’ course. This

advanced course will teach you how to start and

grow an eBay business, how to choose and create

listing formats that sell, how to use all of the eBay

resources, how to market your business, how to

pack and ship your items, and much more. Both

courses are reasonably priced, and well worth the

short amount of time that it takes to complete each course.

How to Avoid Losing to eBay Snipers

Sniping occurs when a bid is about to end. Some

yahoo rushes in and bids a little higher than the

highest bid as the clock runs out of time – winning

the bid. Sniping is against the rules at eBay, but it

doesn’t slow the snipers down! In most cases, even

if you report it, the sniper will get away with it, and

you will have lost the item that you wanted to win

so badly. Unfortunately, in order to avoid losing the

items you want to snipers at eBay, you have to

take on the sniper mentality. You also need to

snipe in a way that will not violate eBay’s rules.

Snipping can be done in one of two ways. The first

way is the safest, but not necessarily the easiest.

Simply keep up with the item you are bidding on.

Make a note of the date and time that the auction

will end, and make sure that you are in front of your

computer and logged into the auction well before that

specific time. The objective is to either bid higher than

the highest bid during the last few seconds – which is

what snipers do - or to simply make sure that you are

not outbid by a sniper.

Remember that sniping is against the rules, so you

should log in about thirty or forty five minutes before

the bidding ends, and get your bid up until it is the

highest bid. At that point, all you need to do is to

keep an eye out to make sure that nobody else

raises the bid. If you’ve been logged in for a while,

this cannot be considered sniping.

Using this method, you must be aware of automatic

bidders. It is very hard to bid against people who use

bidding software. That software has been designed for

the purpose of snipping, and your chances of

outbidding the software manually are very slim –

which leads us to the second method of snipping

– Snipping services.

Snipping services are very easy to find online, and

they are relatively inexpensive. You can also

purchase your own snipping software. If you want to

become a sniper, purchasing your own software is

usually the best way to go if you bid on a lot of items.

You just set up the software, tell it which auction to

watch and what the highest price you are willing to

bid is, and let it do the work - just remember that it

is against the rules, and while eBay seldom enforces

this rule, you will be running the risk of getting

banned from eBay.

Sniping is bad if someone does it to you, but if you

use it yourself to win bids, it can be a wonderful thing.

On the other hand, it may not be very ethical.

Outbidding someone is one thing, sniping is

something altogether different!

How to Use eBay Escrow Services

If you buy or sell big ticket items on eBay, you need

to know about the available escrow services. An

escrow service is designed to protect buyers and

sellers from being ripped off. The funds for the sale

go to the escrow service, and then the seller ships

the item to the buyer. Once the item has been

received, the funds are released from the escrow

service to the seller.

In some instances, both the item and the funds go

through the escrow service, and the service makes

sure that the buyer gets the item, and the seller

gets the money. There is a small fee for the service,

and it is usually a fixed percentage of the sale price.

It is up to the buyer and seller to decide who will

pay the fees. Often, the fees are split between the

buyer and seller.

If you want to use an escrow service, there is only

one service that eBay recommends, and they back

that service up. This service is Escrow.com. Over

the years, there have been many ‘look-alike’

escrow services, using variations of the escrow.com

domain name, but they have shown to be less than

reputable companies. Make sure you use the

services of escrow.com for the greatest protection.

eBay Data and Research – How Important Is It?

eBay is a business anyway you look at it. Sure, it is

a great deal of fun for both the buyers and sellers,

but when you look at it from another view point, you

will see that it is a business from the seller’s point

of view, the buyer’s point of view, and eBay’s point

of view. 40 million dollars a day travels through eBay.

Selling items on eBay successfully is an art, and

eBay offers many different forms of Data and

Research to ensure that you are selling the right

items, to the right people, in the right way.

Some of the data and research is not free, but much

of it is. The available resources include hot items by

category, eBay Pulse, merchandising calendar,

sales reports, marketplace research, buyer

behavioral report, and the eBay solutions directory.

These tools are quite easy to use, and the

information that can be gleaned from them is

extremely valuable.

The Data and Research tools are all accessible

through your seller’s account, by clicking on the

‘Advance Selling’ link. Learn to use those tools, and

get your piece of that $40 million eBay revenue each day.

How to Avoid Failure on Your eBay Auctions

Many first time sellers have one thing in common –

they fail. Many of them fail time and time again,

never understanding what is going wrong. They do

hours of research looking for the perfect item to sell,

get the auction set up, and wait for the bidding to

begin. Hours go by and no bids are placed. Days go

by, and there are still no bids – or there are very low

bids. Finally the auction ends, and it turns out to be

a total failure. Considering the huge number of sellers

who run eBay auctions, there are specific things you

must do, and specific things you must not do if you

are to be successful.

There are many reasons why auctions fail. The most

common reason is that the item is not in high

demand. This problem can be avoided by doing the

necessary research to determine which items sell

well, and which items should be avoided. This

research takes a great deal of time – but in the end,

you will find that it is time well spent.

Another reason for eBay failure is pricing. No matter

what your reserve price is, your opening bid price

should never be more than $50 or so. This is how you

will attract potential bidders to your auction. If you

set that opening bid too high, most people won’t

even click the link to read the description for your

item. Another pricing problem is lack of research.

Before you set your reserve price, you must

determine what the item is really worth, and the price

similar items have sold for in past eBay auctions.

Poorly written descriptions are another cause of

failed auctions. Poor grammar and misspelled words

drive people away. Failing to post a picture of the

item will also keep people from visiting your auction

page. Make sure that your description is well written.

This is essentially your ‘sales copy.’

Shipping prices scare people away from auctions if

they are too high. Find the lowest shipping prices

that you can find, and consider paying for the

shipping yourself if it won’t cut into your profits too

much. Do not charge handling fees.

Offer great ‘customer service’ for all of your auctions,

and ask your buyers to give you feedback. If the

items that you sell are everything that you said they

would be, and you offer great customer service, you

can expect wonderful feedback – and this

feedback will help a great deal in your future auctions.

eBay Courses – Are They Worth It?

There are numerous eBay courses that are available

on the Internet today. These books and courses are

designed to help you become more successful on

eBay. Unfortunately, not all of these courses are

worth the money that you will pay for them. Some of

them are full of what used to be good information –

when it was relevant – and others are simply junk

information, written by someone trying to make a

quick buck.

Before you purchase any eBay course, find out when

the course was written. If it was written in 2004, for

instance, you don’t want it. Even though that hasn’t

been very long ago, eBay changes so fast that much

of the information will not be relevant. However, if the

original issue of the course was written several years

ago, but the course is updated each year, this will

probably be a good course for you.

Again, use care when purchasing eBay courses.

They can be quite helpful and enlightening, but only

if the information in them is still good. Talk to other

eBay sellers – preferably successful ones – to find out what courses are recommended.

How to Find Great Deals at eBay

Everyone loves a great deal! Many people spend

quite a bit of time searching for good deals on the

items that they want and need – and when they find

those deals, they experience a certain amount of

satisfaction. These people typically haunt garage

sales, stores that are holding sales, wholesale

warehouses, flea markets, and especially online

and offline auctions. With the incredible number of

auctions that are constantly going on at eBay, it

can be difficult to find the items you want, at the

price you want to pay. But it isn’t impossible to find

great deals!

There are steps you can take to ensure that you are

getting a great deal on the items you purchase

through eBay. In fact, these same steps will also

help to protect you against fraud. Participating in

online auctions is a great deal of fun, but you must

use caution as well. This caution entails doing your

research before you place any bids.

Start with the auction in question. Make sure that

you read every word of the description and the

auction details. You can never have too much

information – especially if that information is

about an individual that you may be doing business

with. Pay special attention to what the description

and auction details do not say. For instance, is a

guarantee mentioned? Is the item new? Is it

authentic? Is there proof of authenticity? Look for

auctions that provide the right information – and

the right amount of information. Avoid those that

do not.

Who will pay the shipping and handling costs? Often,

the buyer pays these costs, and sometimes, the

seller tries to charge more than the actual shipping

and handling costs are. Beware of high shipping

costs, especially for items that will be auctioned

off at a very low price. Also note when the item is

supposed to ship after the bidding has ended.

Depending on what you are trying to purchase the

item for, it may not arrive in time.

Don’t make the mistake of bidding on an item simply

because it is a ‘good deal.’ It is only a good deal for

you if the item is something that you really want or

need. Many people simply bid for the sake of

bidding – or winning – without having any real need

or desire for the item in question. Before bidding on

items that you do want or need, check prices

around the Internet and the prices available from

offline sources as well. Just because it is on eBay

does not guarantee that it is the cheapest price

available!

Finally, learn more about the seller. Can you trust

them? What is their rating? Read their feedback

page! Failure to learn more about the seller can be

costly. Not everyone is as honest as you are – and

the seller may be trying to take advantage of people

that simply don’t know enough to find out more

about them. Sometimes scammers make their

auctions sound like really great deals. Beware of

prices that seem extremely low!

eBay Success - How to Price Your Items

Many new sellers don’t realize how important pricing

is when it comes to eBay auctions. Many don’t even

realize that ‘pricing’ needs to be done. eBay is an

auction site after all! But eBay auctions are not quite

the same as the auctions you attend in the offline

world. In fact, quite a bit of work goes into

determining and setting prices.

Essentially, there are only three prices that can be

set for an eBay auction: the ‘buy it now’ price, the

reserve price, and the starting bid price. Of these

three, the starting bid price is the only one that is

required for an eBay auction. The reserve price and

the ‘buy it now’ price are optional. The starting bid

price is fairly simple – never set it higher than $50 or

so – no matter what your item is really worth. This

low opening price will get bidders to your auction.

Setting low starting bid prices creates the need for a

reserve price. A reserve price is the absolute lowest

price that you want to get for your item. You may sell

the item below the reserve price, but you will not be

required to. In other words, if you set your reserve

price at $100, and your highest bid is only $50, you

do not have to sell the item to the highest bidder.

You can close the auction without any negative

feedback or repercussions. Set your reserve price

at the absolute lowest price you are willing to sell

your item for. Keep what the item is worth, as well

as what it cost you in mind.

The ‘buy it now’ option will allow you to set a price,

and buyers can buy the item immediately, without

bidding, for that set price. This option can be used

for any type of item, and it should be set to match

your reserve, give or take a few dollars. This option

is great if you have multiple identical items to sell.

Shipping has a price, and potential buyers take this

into consideration when they are looking at an

auction. If you can see your way clear to offer free

shipping, you will find that people are placing more

bids. Make sure that your potential buyers realize

that you are offering free shipping!

Before setting any prices, you need to determine

what the item is really worth. The value of the item in

different markets might be quite high. However, you

are selling on eBay, and it is a different world

altogether! Find out the price that similar items sold

for on eBay before setting any prices. If it is a

collectable, or a high ticket item, have the item

evaluated to ensure that you aren’t going to lose money!

Hot Selling Items for eBay Auctions

Many people who are trying to start an eBay

business spend a great deal of time trying to figure

out which items sell the best on eBay. Many of these

people have elaborate systems for determining this

information, and many others purchase expensive

courses that teach them how to find this information

as well. None of that is necessary. Everything you

need to know is right in front of you – on the eBay

website!

Take a look at any category, and you will see the

word ‘hot’ beside some items. These items are not

marked as hot sellers randomly – there is a method

to the madness! Items only get marked as hot when

there have been more than thirty bids placed on

the item. All you have to do is wonder around the eBay

website for a while to find an item that will do well.

However, most power sellers will agree that there is

more to figuring out which items sell best than this.

In fact, they claim that it is a science. A great way

to start your search for items that will result in a

successful auction in the future is to do research on

the auctions that were successful in the past. You

can view old listings that have completed at:

http://listings.ebay.com .

A new way to determine what items sell best on

eBay is ‘eBay Marketplace Research.’ Marketplace

Research will allow you to view important statistical

information on the buying trends at eBay. This

product contains all of the data one could possibly

ever need to determine how well – or how poorly –

an item will do in an eBay auction. There is a small

fee for using the eBay Marketplace Research tools,

however.

Another tool that will be very useful in your quest for

finding hot selling items for your eBay auctions is the

listing of popular eBay search terms that is found on

the site. This list can be found at:

http://popular.ebay.com/ . This list is divided into

categories, which will make it easier to determine

how popular your potential item may be.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that an item will

do poorly, or that it will do well without doing your

homework on the item first. Some of the strangest

things sell for the highest prices, while items that

would sell quickly in any other environment just sit

there. Almost any eBay Power Seller will tell you

that the key to a successful auction rests in the

amount of research you put into the items you

How to Avoid eBay Scams and Fraud

Countless people have been scammed and

defrauded on eBay. eBay is a fun place to bid on

items and to sell items – but you must know how to

recognize a scam, and how to avoid them, them or

you quickly join the ranks of those who have lost

their money to eBay scams. Of course, if you are

scammed, there are some actions you can take the

correct the situation – but in many cases, the

scammer does indeed get away! The best option is

to avoid being scammed.

You can easily avoid many scams with the payment

method that you use – whether you are a buyer or a

seller. eBay owns Paypal, and in most cases,

Paypal is the payment method you should use. First,

as a buyer, if you are scammed or less than

satisfied with the item when it arrives, you can

dispute the charge easily, and demand a refund. The

seller must reply and show proof that the item was

shipped, and that it arrived in the condition that you

expected, or Paypal will return your funds to your

account.

As a seller, you can protect yourself by only

accepting Paypal. This will eliminate the chances of

receiving a bad check or having the buyer dispute a

credit card charge. Instead, they must dispute the

charge through paypal, and you of course will be able

to prove that you shipped the product. You cannot,

however, prove that the product arrived in the

condition that was expected. In this case, you should

demand that the product be returned to you before the

refund is issued.

Another common scam that buyers use is the

bidding scam. This type of scam is run either with

two separate eBay accounts – with one person in

control of both of them, or with two friends with

separate eBay accounts. A very small bid is placed

on your item, using one account. This is followed by

a very high bid, from the other eBay account. Right

before the bidding ends, the high bid is cancelled or

withdrawn, leaving the low bid as the winning bid.

This bid can only be avoided by setting a reserve price

– the lowest bid that can be placed is the same as the

reserve price that you set.

If you are an eBay seller, you can further protect

your auctions by placing a notice on your auctions

page, declaring that you have the right to back out

of the sale if you suspect potential fraud. As both a

buyer and a seller, also beware of spoofed emails.

These emails appear to be from eBay. The email

may claim that you need to verify your information,

and ask you to login to your eBay account, using

the link provided. If you follow that link, the site looks

exactly like eBay, but it is actually a scam to get

your eBay login details, as well as your credit card

details! eBay will never ask you to do this. If you

suspect a spoofed email, report it to eBay

immediately!

Don’t let scammers ruin your eBay fun! Just use

good common sense, and a reasonable amount of

caution, and everything should run smoothly. Report

suspicious activity to eBay, and if a deal doesn’t feel

right, simply back away from it and move on to the next auction.

The eBay Shipping Center

eBay wants to help sellers with every aspect of their

eBay business. The eBay shipping center was

created to help ensure that you get your items to

your customers in a timely manner, in the most

efficient and economical way possible.

The eBay shipping center will help you print shipping

labels, help you figure shipping costs, and even help

you with International shipping. Shipping information

for all of the major shipping companies, including the

USPS can be found through the shipping center. You

can even purchase insurance for packages that will

be shipped by the USPS directly through the shipping

center.

One of the greatest features of the eBay Shipping

Center is the ability to order free co-branded shipping

boxes for USPS shipments. These boxes are

delivered to you, at no cost! This will cut a great deal

of your shipping expenses because you won’t have to

purchase your own boxes! There is also a great video

that will teach you how to save time and money on

your shipping, and whether you are a buyer or a

seller, you can easily track your packages through

the eBay shipping center as well.

The eBay Item Listing Rules

Because eBay is such a huge marketplace, with

members from all walks of life, in almost every single

country around the world, it is no wonder that there

are many scammers lurking about. In order to better

protect the buyers, eBay has specific rules

concerning the items that can be auctioned off on

the site. These rules must be followed, or the

person posting the item for auction can be banned

from the site.

Even though there are numerous categories, items

that are put up for auction really only fall into one of

four categories at eBay: Prohibited, Questionable,

Potentially Infringing, and Approved. Approved is the

simplest category to define and understand. An

approved item is any item that does not fall into one

of the other three categories. That is fairly simple,

right?

After the ‘approved’ category, however, it starts to

get a little harder to understand – with the exception

of prohibited items. A prohibited item may not be

auctioned on eBay for any reason, under any

circumstances. Prohibited items include alcohol,

drugs, animals, tobacco, human remains or body

parts of any type, lottery tickets, and

governmental property. There is quite a bit more

on the list, and that list can be viewed at the

eBay website.

Questionable items are those that are not prohibited,

but are not necessarily infringing. Adult material falls

under the ‘questionable’ category. Tickets of any

type may also be questionable. Law enforcement

related equipment, as well as guns, knives, and

other weapons are questionable items. Artifacts,

food items, batteries, all hazardous chemicals

and materials are also on the list of

questionable items. You can auction questionable

items at eBay, as long as those items meet certain

conditions.

Potentially Infringing items are those that violate

copyrights, trademarks, and other legal rights. These

items are almost always some type of media, such

as software, DVDs, and CDs, but the list contains

other items as well, such as counterfeit items and

illegal recordings. You can find out more about

‘potentially infringing’ items at the eBay website

as well.

If you are unsure as to which category your item falls

into, you should contact eBay with this question

before setting up the auction. As a buyer, you

should carefully consider the consequences of

purchasing items that fall under one of the three

categories above. In some cases, it may be very

illegal to have some of those items in your

possession – no matter how they were obtained.

Before making such a purchase, or bidding on such

an item, you should find out more details about the

item in question, and then get some legal advice.

eBay and Customer Service

If you are running an eBay business, you may not

realize that the need for great customer service still

exists – even for online auctions. When a buyer

receives quality customer service from you, they

will potentially do one of two things – or both. They

will give you great feedback, and they may look for

more of your auctions in the future. If you hope to

make a living from eBay, you have to stop thinking

of it as an ‘auction’ and start running it like a

‘business.’

If you owned a brick and mortar business, how

would you treat your customer while they were

standing at your counter, waiting for you to finish

ringing up their order? You would be helpful and

respectful of course! You would do everything that

you could to guarantee that customers return to

your establishment in the future. You would bend

over backwards to make sure that their buying

experience with you was both satisfactory and

enjoyable. Why would you do any less at the

close of one of your eBay auctions?

First, act quickly at the close of your auctions.

Contact the winner, and congratulate them. Describe

the item they have won and how the item will be

shipped – even if this information is already part of

the description for the auction. Remind them of their

winning bid amount, and give them payment options

and instructions. Let them know when the item will

be shipped.

Close your email by thanking them for participating

in your auction. You might even take this opportunity

to tell them about other open auctions that you have

as well. Think of this contact with the winner as a

conversation that you are having with a customer

who is standing at your counter in that imaginary

brick and mortar store.

Once the payment and shipping details have been

taken care of, contact your buyer again. Let them

know when the item was shipped – the exact date

and time – and when it is expected to arrive on their

end. During this contact, let them know that if they

have any problems or questions, that they should

contact you through the eBay site. If they do

contact you in the future, make sure that you

answer promptly, and that you do all that you can

to make them happy with their purchase – even if

it means issuing a refund.

Yes. You should be open to issuing refunds,

depending on what the item is. Furthermore, you

should issue refunds promptly. Of course, it is

reasonable to expect the buyer to return the item to

you, at your expense, before the refund is issued –

but once you receive the item, issue the refund promptly. This is just good business!

You Can Sell Anything on eBay – Or Can You?

Over 100 million people are members of eBay.

Through eBay, you can buy items in almost any

category that you can imagine – at great prices.

You can also sell almost anything you can

imagine on eBay – people often sell items that have

absolutely no real value for very high prices. There

are limits, however, to what can be bought and sold.

eBay does not allow certain items to be auctioned

through their website. Services are one type of ‘item’

that cannot be auctioned – simply because it is not

an item. Some seller’s blatantly ignore this however.

The sell of other items is illegal, even if it isn’t being

sold through eBay. eBay restricts the sale of any

type of item that is considered ‘illegal for sale’ in any

other selling format. Illegal items such as satellite

descramblers are forbidden as well.

Anything that is copyrighted - such as copies of

DVDs, CDs, or software - may not be sold through

eBay auctions. You can, however, sell a DVD, CD,

or any software that you bought legitimately…as

long as you are not just selling a copy that you

made of these types of items. eBay does not allow

the sale of ‘replicas.’ A replica is a knockoff version

of designer items, such as purses, dresses, shoes,

or sunglasses that look identical to those that have

designer labels.

Items that are regulated by the state or federal

government are forbidden on eBay. These items

include alcoholic beverages, weapons and firearms,

all tobacco products, and both prescription and

illegal drugs. There are small exceptions to this rule,

however. If you have a collectable, such as a tin that

contains tobacco, you may sell that item if the

package has never been opened, and if you state the

contents of the package are not meant for

consumption. There are other conditions that must be

met as well when selling these types of collectables.

Any type or breed of animal or reptile may not be

sold through an eBay auction. This includes animals

that were once living, and are now stuffed and

mounted. This rule may also apply to items that are

taken from endangered species, such as Ivory. When

it comes to these types of items, when in doubt,

don’t.

Tickets may be sold, but it is illegal to sell tickets

for a higher price than you originally paid for them.

This is called ticket scalping, and it is illegal.

Lottery tickets are also banned from eBay

auctions, as well as raffle tickets. Again, if you are

not sure if your item is eligible for an eBay auction,

either don’t put it up for auction, or contact eBay to

get an answer one way or the other. Don’t risk breaking the law!

The eBay Trading Assistants Program

If you excel at eBay auctions, you might want to

consider an additional source of revenue as well. The

eBay Trading Assistant Program will allow you to

sell items for other eBay members on consignment.

Being successful at your own auctions is the key

to becoming a successful trading assistant for other

people.

Often, newcomers simply don’t know how to make

their items sell. Many people who are auctioning off

a one time big ticket item, such as cars or real

estate, will often employ the services of an eBay

Trading Assistant. Items such as these can add

up to very big commissions for serious trading

assistants! Usually, trading assistants are

responsible for every aspect of the auction,

including shipping the product to the customer and

collecting payment. For high ticket items, the person

who hires

Trading Assistants get access to trading assistant

marketing materials which are quite helpful. In order

to become an approved trading assistant, you must

have sold at least ten items in the last ninety days,

have a feedback score of at least 100 with 97%

positive feedback or higher, and your eBay account

must be in good standing.

Increase Your eBay Profits Without Relying on eBay!

While it is possible to earn a full time living on eBay,

it is a mistake to depend solely on eBay for your

income. You could be using your eBay auctions to

generate a huge amount of business for other

products and services! Many people, however,

fail to fully utilize eBay’s resources to this end.

eBay has over 100 million members, and they

gained those members by continually running major

marketing campaigns. Essentially, they do your

marketing for you. But you have to help yourself as

well. The key is to drive people to your auction page,

which in turn can be used to drive traffic to your

website.

You can sell many different items on your website,

including items that are up for auction at eBay! This

is a fabulous way to earn income that does not rely

on eBay auctions. You can easily accept website

payments with a Paypal account, so there is no

need for an expensive merchant account!

You are not allowed to include the website address

of an outside website on your auctions – you are,

however, perfectly welcome to place a link to your

website on your eBay ‘About Me’ page. Invite your

bidders and potential bidders to view your about me

page, and watch the website traffic roll in!

How to Sell Expensive Items on eBay

Selling expensive items on eBay is really no different

than selling low cost items. Essentially, no matter

what you are selling, it all comes down to how you

market the item. This doesn’t mean you have to

surf around the Internet placing ads here and there –

when it comes to eBay auctions, the marketing is

all done at the eBay website. Basically, when you

set up your auction, you are setting up an

automated marketing campaign.

First, you must determine what the value of your

item is, in three different ways. This will help you

determine what your reserve price is. On eBay, the

reserve price is the lowest price that you are willing

to accept for your item. First, have your high priced

item evaluated to determine what the actual market

value is. Next, research similar items from past

auctions at eBay to see what price those items sold

for. Finally, determine what the value of the item is to

you. With this information, you should be able to

determine the lowest amount you are willing to sell

the item for.

Set your reserve price, and then set your opening bid

price lower than $50 – no matter how high your

reserve price is. This is a marketing tactic. It will be

hard to attract potential buyers to an auction for an

item selling for hundreds or thousands of dollars –

but getting them to an auction where the opening

bid is only $50 is quite simple. Remember, you don’t

have to sell the item to anyone who bids less than

your reserve price – unless you choose to do so at

the close of the auction. This method of price setting

resembles marketing gimmicks used by offline

businesses that are simply designed to ‘get customers

in the door.’

Work hard on the description for your listing. Use

words that really describe your item well. Provide as

many details as possible, including details that prove

the authenticity of collectible items. Include pictures

of the item as well. Do not try to deceive potential

buyers! If the item has marks or scratches, simply

be honest about it, and make sure that the pictures

convey this as well. State how the item will be

packed and shipped. Also let potential buyers know

that shipping insurance must be purchased as well

– in case the item is damaged once it leaves your

possession.

For higher priced items, most eBay buyers feel more

comfortable using an escrow service. Offer this as

an option in your auction, with the understanding that

the buyer must pay for the service. This protects both

parties from fraud, and it makes many buyers more

open to spending the money to obtain the item.

eBay has partnered with an escrow service that is

commonly used for high ticket items.

How to Use the Promotional Tools on eBay

eBay wants you to be successful. Essentially, if

their sellers are not making any money, eBay is

not making any money – or not enough money.

eBay does have one other very small source of

revenue, which comes from the sellers. This revenue

is realized from the promotional tools that actually

help you, as a seller, have more successful auctions.

The promotional tools on eBay are very inexpensive.

For instance, you can have a bold listing for just a

few cents. Highlighted listings are equally inexpensive.

These two tools could easily raise your final price by

as much as 25%! Not all promotional tools cost money.

Many of them are free. The available promotional tools

found on eBay are product finder, gallery, bold,

highlight, border, gift services listings, subtitles, featured

home page, featured plus, featured gallery, keywords,

co-op advertising, and optimized listings.

If you are serious about making money from your eBay

auctions, 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. These can

easily be found through your sellers account.

eBay and Drop shipping – Getting the Product to Your Customer

If you hope to own an eBay business, and make a

full time living at it, you can easily make that dream

come true – even if you don’t have a product of your

own to sell. eBay provides many people who want to

quit their corporate nine-to-five jobs with a way to

make a good living, without having to put up a lot of

start up capital. This is made possible with the help

of drop shippers. Drop shippers send merchandise to

the customers of business owners. If you have an

eBay business, you are a business owner. This will

allow you to offer a wide variety of stock in your

eBay store, without having the need to warehouse

all of those products!

All you have to do is set up your auction, and sell

the product. You then pass the customer’s

information on to the drop shipping company. The

drop shipper does the rest, and they will even use

your company information, as well as your company

logo if you have provided it to them. When the product

arrives at your customer’s home, they will have no idea

that your company didn’t send it. The drop shipper

will package, label, and ship the products that you

sell, allowing you more time to set up even more

auctions, for greater profits.

You must establish a relationship with several drop

shipping companies in order to become successful.

In the beginning, most companies will require you to

pay for the items that your customers order before

they are shipped. You need to fill orders in a

timely manner, so you should pay for the items with

a credit card for speedy service. Eventually, you will

be able to have the drop shipper fill your orders, and

then bill you for them later.

When you set up your eBay auctions, make sure

that your reserve price is set higher than the price

that the drop shipper will be charging you for the

item. The idea, of course, is to earn a profit!

Depending on the item you are selling, a markup

of about 10% should be about right, but you should

do some research to see if the item is selling for a

lower price in another eBay auction, or through

other online sources.

By starting an eBay business using the drop

shipping method, there is essentially no financial risk

involved. The product will be sold before you pay the

drop shipper for the item. This is one of the few

businesses where you can actually turn a profit before you have expenditures!