ebay Auction Newbies - How to Sell on Ebay

Facebook Toolbar - Social Mini

2010-01-03T14:53:00.001-05:00

If you've been looking for a Facebook toolbar to help you multi task, then I have the answer. I have been messing around with the Social Mini toolbar developed by Ask.com and it really has made things easier. I can easily update my status from my browser. I don't even have to be on Facebook to get status updates, messages, and friend request.

The Social Mini Toolbar is the ultimate way to be discrete at work. If the company you work for blocks social networking sites. This toolbar may be your answer to being on Facebook without being on Facebook. :)

The best part is the toolbar is free. Just download it now and see for yourself. Click the banner below

Facebook Toolbar - Social Mini

Creating Your Ebay About Me Page

2009-12-02T22:07:00.003-05:00

Everyone knows that when you join eBay you get access to your own About Me page, which you can use to tell people all about yourself. Many people don’t use this at all, and those that do often don’t use it to its fullest advantage.

But if you want to convert more of your auction visitors and buyers to customers who will visit your website, sign up for your newsletters and buy from you on a regular basis – and spend more money with you in the process – it’s vital that you devote some time to creating a good quality and professional About Me page.

The truth is, if you stick to eBay’s rules about how you can and can’t use your About Me page, you can use it as a means to drive traffic directly over to your own website. Think of this page as a landing page which should try and persuade surfers to click across and see your own website. Obviously not everyone who arrives at your About Me page will make that journey, but the more people you can get to visit, the better.

This post will reveal how to make the most of your About Me page, with the ultimate end goal of getting truck loads of traffic to your website, which in turn will convert into large emailing lists and lots of paying customers. If that sounds appealing, let’s move on.

Using Your About Me Page As A Report

This is something you may not have thought of doing, but it’s a way that is guaranteed to drive even more eBay visitors to your About Me page. If you think of using it as a stepping stone to allow people to get to your website, you’ll start to get more ideas as to what your auction visitors will be interested in reading about.

Let’s say you sell wooden toys on eBay, and you want to get more people to visit your website, which sells an entire range of toys not listed on the auction site. Fair enough, why not do a bit of research and find out the benefits of giving kids wooden toys to play with rather than electronic games? For example, you might say they save you lots of money by not having to buy batteries for them. They’re also longer lasting, don’t fall out of fashion as quickly, and can even be passed down to their children as a family heirloom.

All you need to do is write a short report detailing the benefits of the toys you sell, and post it on your About Me page. Somewhere within that report will be a link (clickable of course) to your own website’s home page (you cannot link directly to a product that is for sale, as this is construed by eBay as trying to drive their customers off their site to buy elsewhere).
Your listings will then contain a line which will read something like this: “To find out why we choose to sell wooden toys rather than more modern toys which require batteries, click here to visit our About Me page!”

If people have found your listing and are interested enough to read the description, the chances are high that they’ll want to find out why you sell what you do. It’s human nature – we’re curious beasts at heart!

What to sell on Ebay - Get Stuff From Big Lots

2009-12-01T14:58:00.005-05:00

"As the nation's largest broadline closeout retailer, Big Lots has the power to negotiate the best deals in the business. We sell a broad range of high-quality, brand-name products, including consumables, seasonal items, furniture, housewares, toys, electronics, home décor, tools and gifts."

Big Lots is a great closeout store to get items to sell on ebay.

Here are some things you will want to do with Big Lots:
**Go to Biglots.com and sign up for their weekly ad. You get a preview of what will be in your local store. Just remember, not all deals are in the weekly ad. So visiting the store frequently will need to be done.

**Sign up for their Buzz Club Rewards Program. You will receive advance notice of their weekly ad and earn 20% savings

**Do your research on the items being sold. You want to know what type of profit you can expect.

**See if items will sell better in lots or individually. You need to turn over items quickly before eBay becomes over-saturated with too many of the same product. Some items that do well in lots: cosmetics, shampoo, soap, DVDs, CDs, and health and beauty products, vitamins, medicines and diet products.

**Check all expiration dates - especially on makeup, medicines, and vitamins. You don't want a buyer to leave you a negative because you sent him a stale or expired product.

**Stay low key. No need to tell the whole store that you are selling these items on ebay. Some stores may ban you. If someone says anything to you, just smile and move on. Or say "these are too good to pass up

Use these tips to take advantage of what Big Lots has to offer. Happy Shopping

Buying And Selling On Ebay: Tips

2009-11-28T12:03:00.000-05:00

Auctions have always been popular ways to buy and sell merchandise, from small community fundraising sales to gala events hosted by famous auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's. Traditional auctions bring to mind images of fast-talking auctioneers banging mallets to close a deal, or lavish rooms filled with wealthy buyers, ready to bid on rare antiquities and works of art.

But these days, the word "auction" conjures up an entirely different picture: buyers impatiently refreshing the online auction pages on their computer screens, as the minutes tick down to the final bid.

The Internet has changed the way people do practically everything, including the way we buy and sell. Internet auctions have gained incredible worldwide popularity, with the eBay as the undisputed leader. Today, anyone with Internet access can buy or sell online. Bidders don't even need to be in the same time zone, let alone in the same room. Virtually everything is bought and sold on eBay auctions, from expensive antiques and works by master artists, to everyday household items and personal creations.

It's easy to get acquainted with buying and selling on eBay:

* All participants need to sign on to establish an eBay before buying or selling. Every participant receives his or her own unique user-designated screen name like, for instance, Catgirl99. If the user consistently violates eBay rules, the website can discontinue the account as sanctions against the user.

* Anything can be put up for bid on eBay, with the exception of pornography, drugs and illegal items. The seller sets a reserve price, which will act as the minimum bid and starting point for online offers. For example, Catgirl99 is selling a kitty collar with bells on it. She won't take less than five dollars, so she sets the reserve at a five-dollar minimum bid.

* The seller places the item on his or her eBay page, along with a product description, photograph and a sales pitch. Catgirl99 writes, "Never lose your cat again!" The seller sets a bidding period for the term of the auction, usually around two weeks.

* Buyers search the eBay site for items they are interested in. When the item is found, potential buyers will place bids. The initial bid must be higher than the reserve, and higher than any previous bids.

* As more bidders begin to take action, the price of the item up for bid continually rises.

* After the predetermined period has passed, the bidding will close. At this point, the auction is ended and the product is considered sold to the highest bidder. The sale is confirmed with both parties, and the buyer contacts the seller to arrange payment and delivery terms.

Buying and selling on eBay really is a very simple process. With items offered for sale from literally every part of the world, it's easy to see why this method of buying and selling has become so hugely popular. ebay auctions make it simple for buyers to locate hard-to-find and collectible items, and sellers can easily find interested buyers to purchase their items. With strict rules in place, eBay also helps to protect both parties by promoting fair deals.

However, that is not to say that online auctions are free of fraudulent cases. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), over the past three years Internet auction fraud has ranked consistently as one of the most filed consumer fraud complaints. Both buyers and sellers have filed cases where deceitful parties have scammed them.

The key to security when buying and selling on eBay, is to understand what the scams are, and recognize the setup before it's too late.

Bid Siphoning

You've located the item you've been searching for, and the seller emails you directly to tell you that there is an alternate auction site where you can buy his or her product at less than the eBay price. Don't follow up on this offer. Legitimate auction sites like eBay offer buyer protection in the form of insurance. If a seller fails to deliver an item you've paid for, eBay may be able to replace the money you've lost. In turn, they will pursue the seller and charge him or her accordingly. However, if your purchase was made outside of eBay, that protection may not be available to you.

Bid Shielding

This is a scam perpetrated by buyers. An item is shielded from fair bidding when a buyer places a high starting bid. Other bidders don't want to compete with the high price, so they leave the auction. Just before the bid closes, the scammer withdraws his or her bid and begins bidding under another name. Since the auction is about to end, the second lowball bid becomes the final selling price.

Shill Bidding

A shill is a swindler's accomplice. Shills drive up the online bids, forcing legitimate bidders to raise their offers. You'll be able to spot a shill if the item doesn't seem to carry the value of the price it commands. Shills place high bids to lure others to raise their own bids. In the end, the highest bidder has paid much more than they normally would have, often for an item of compromised value. Stolen items, counterfeit or knock-off products and refurbished pieces can be sold this way.

These are the most common cases of Internet auction fraud. Being aware of these situations, and being cautious in general, can help you avoid the unpleasant experience of being scammed of your goods or money. Nevertheless, buying and selling on eBay still proves to be a fair and reliable way of marketing merchandise.

Internet auctions like eBay have created a true global market--connecting buyers with sellers and helping the world to connect through fair and responsible trade.

Benefits of Buying on eBay

2009-11-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

Are you one of the millions of Americans who prefers to shop online? Shopping online is popular because it is quick, easy, and convenient. It is also popular because, when shopping online, you have a number of different options, as there are a number of different retailers that you can choose to shop online with. One of those is eBay. If you aren’t already shopping on eBay, you may want to look into it, as there are a number of benefits to doing so.

Perhaps, the greatest benefit of shopping on eBay is all of the products that you have to choose from. eBay isn’t like a traditional retailer. They are actually an online auction website. eBay has other internet users sell products that they have to consumers, just like you. With this type of set up, eBay has an unlimited number of products to choose from. For instance, you can buy real estate, cars, clothing, toys, pet supplies, home décor, entertainment items, and much more on eBay. Basically, anything you are looking for, within reason of course, you should be able to find on eBay.

Another one of the many benefits to shopping on eBay is that you have a number of sellers to do business with. As it was previously mentioned, eBay allows all internet users to sell items that they no longer need or want to own. Over the past few years, the popularity of eBay has reached an all time high. This is what has lead to an unlimited number of eBay sellers. Since many sellers are selling the same products or similar products, you should have the option to choose who you want to do business with. When buying a product online, particularly one that is offered for sale by a number of different sellers, you are advised to examine product costs, shipping and handling costs, as well as each seller’s feedback. Doing so will make shopping on eBay a positive experience for you.

It is also important to note that eBay is easy to use. In fact, ease of use is one of the many other reasons why eBay has become so popular in recent years. As an eBay buyer, you need to create a free eBay account. That account will allow you to buy on eBay. Once you are a registered eBay member, you can easily start searching for products that you are looking for. For instance, if you are looking for a particular music CD, you can just type the artist name and album name into eBay’s search box and you should be presented with a number of auctions which have your CD available for sale. If you are only looking to spend a certain amount of money or purchase a CD that is located in the United States, you can perform an advanced search. An advanced search makes it easier to find what you need.

The above mentioned benefits, to doing your online shopping through eBay, are just a few of the many that exist. In fact, even if you are unsure as to whether or not you want to start shopping on eBay, you are advised to at least examine it. eBay guests can navigate the site to get a taste of what items can commonly be found for sale on eBay. With a large selection of products, a number of sellers to choose from, and ease of use, there is a good chance that you may find yourself doing the bulk of your online shopping on eBay. And, if you end up doing so, you will definitely not be alone.