One of the top questions I and many of the other eBay consultants from around the world get is around the topic of Product Sourcing. On Saturday I had a meeting with a client and he and his girl friend new exactly the type they would be selling and where they were doing their product sourcing, you see they had a plan, and it will be a privilege to watch them grow their plan out on eBay.

Then a short while later while having a casual chat with a couple of people, that famous quote came up…..”So what’s the hot product I should be selling on eBay”…….I just smiled and said well if I knew, I and many others would be selling it. All products are hot, some for a short life time and others for a much longer one and in some cases many years…….cars, TV’s spring to mind for these long term products.

So you want to know all about the latest and greatest in the world of New and Hot products……….is so get yourself along to the Trade Only Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham, The Spring Fair is backed with items for the Gift and related trade. There are thousands upon thousands of trade stand selling everything from a humble card through to diamond rings. There are Traders from all over the world hoping that their product will be hot and you will take some and run with them.

The Spring Fair is attend by the small trader who works from home selling items on eBay and Amazon, through to shops and then to TV shopping channels and large multi-retailer buying groups. Each one is there to product source for their business and each have there own budgets from a few hundred pounds to many millions. But we all have a common goal with the products we source….we need them to sell and make us profits.

So if you like in the Uk or fancy a trip here pop along to the NEC the show is on Monday to Thursday (6th February -  9th February), and get product sourcing

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In the second part of this mini series Do Something Every Day, I want to cover something that may seem very basic, but if we want to be successful with our eBay business then we need to take steps to learn how to do the basics to improve our business. Now before we get into the main parts of the article I do want to say there are times and places where I do suggest you need to out source some parts of your business, but for today I just want to cover some basics that you can learn.

So why do you need to learn new things everyday…….well by learning about ourselves and our business and finding out new ways of doing some aspects of our business, then we can move on and reach our goals. And as I mentioned before if HTML scares you to death…….fine out source the website design to someone who knows coding, but I do suggest you learn the basics, for example how to add the image tags to a picture…….the reason being you will be using tags like these on a daily basis so if you need to out source this simple task then it will cost you money plus you will also have to wait for someone else.

Another thing is learning to buy domain names…….again if you have to rely on another person then you could loose that domain name. Just spend a little time on sites such as Godaddy.com and they have simple to follow videos on how to buy and register a domain name.

Just learn how to do the basics and out source those big projects. But you will find by allowing yourself time each day learning how to do some basics in your business then when you need to add a tag or buy a domain name, you will do it in your sleep.

But also take time out each day and spend it investing in you as a person and if you just spend 30 minutes each day investing in you as a person then over a year you will have input many hours into yourself and over time this will show in both your business and personal life.

Now go, and invest sometime each day improving your eBay, and other online businesses.

Happy Selling.

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This weeks Tool Tuesday is going away from gadgets and systems and is going back to some basics. We need to get back to reading books and magazines on a daily basis. It is a proven fact that the people who read on a daily basis are the ones who achieve more things in life. Now I am talking about novels and fiction here (These are good), but about books, magazines and articles that can help you take your business to the next level.

A few years ago it was very hard to ready books while on the train going to work due to the size of books and having to carry them around with you. But today we are so Blessed due to the fact we have the Kindle and Kindle Apps for our books and magazines and nowadays we can carry around with us hundreds of business books and magazines in our pockets.

Today Kindle have a large range of business titles and business magazines that we can download and read on the train, when we are waiting in a queue, or waiting for a client. No more wasting time !!! Now you can improve yourself and your business.

So what types of books should you be reading, well I would love to help you with this, but sadly I do not know your needs and what areas you want to improve in your life and the the life of your business.

But there are books and magazines out there to help you with :

• Self Improvement
• Accounting
• Book Keeping
• Marketing
• Product Sourcing
• Social Media
• General Business
• Internet
• And the list goes on and on

So as we bring this tool Tuesday article to a close can I please encourage you to start reading more and as you read more you will find that your business will grow and so in turn as a person you too will grow.

Happy Reading.

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One of the biggest costs that can hit an eBayer seller is Postage and Packing. This hidden costs can surprise not only the new seller but also the seasoned seller who has been selling online for many years. When I first started out selling on eBay there was only really the Royal Mail I could use to send my items out. But now there is a whole host of carriers and suppliers that you can use. You can either go direct to companies such as DHL, FedEx etc or go via a broker such as Parcel2go – More on this later.

The other hidden costs in Postage and Packing are things like envelopes, boxes, bubble wrap and parcel tape. Yes you can buy these items at places like the Post Office (here in the UK the postal service do not give them free to us, some carriers if you go direct will give you supplies). You can buy items from places like Viking Direct and even your Local Pound Shop sell items………but you get what you pay and also if you are sending out items on a regular basis you will pay loads more than you should.

So how and where do you buy your packing items for your eBay business ?…………….eBay of course. A quick example is Bubble Wrap if you buy from from your local shop you pay around £6.00 for a small roll. At present I pay £18.00 for a massive roll. If I bought the same size from my local shop the cost would be £120.00…….so a massive saving.

Again boxes, source these on eBay and you will save yourself a large amount of money, and the same goes for packing tape, void fill etc. Watch those pennies and will always make a profit.

In another article we covered how important it is to know the weight of the items you are selling and need to work out the postage costs before you list your item. If you get the postage cost wrong you could loose a large amount of money and it comes out of your pocket and not your customers pocket. You have been warned.

It is a good idea to have your own postage and packing area where you have all the items ready to pack your items so that you are not looking around for scissors and tape, as this soon adds up and you will be wasting time as you keep looking for missing items. If you are not able to have your own area always set up, get yourself a plastic box and have all your items in there ready to go.

As I mentioned at the start of the article back in the days when I started to sell online there was just the Royal Mail, but today there is a whole list of places where you can get your items taken all around the world. One of the best suppliers I have found is Parcel2go.com. This a broker company and they use companies such as DHL, UPS, FedEx, City Link, Parcel Force. Everything is the same as if you used the carriers direct, but you will make massive savings as the broker works on your behalf.

There are plenty of these brokers around you just need to use one that you feel happy with and they offer the best service for you, and of course deliver to the areas and countries where your customers are.

In closing postage and packing is a must for any mail order business, buy at the right price, keep those costs low, but do not buy too cheap as you want the item to arrive in one piece. And know those costs before you start to list your items.

Happy Selling.

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As we continue to look at product sourcing for your eBay and Amazon business one of the areas that I like to cover with a client is look at the major holiday’s and events that happen throughout the year. As we have discussed before product sourcing has to become the life blood of your business, and you must always be thinking ahead of what events and holidays that are happening in the up and coming months.

An event that is coming up very fast is Valentines Day, we still have sometime left to buy products and list them on eBay, but we should have been sourcing and listing back in December just after Christmas.

But I want you to just think outside the box for a bit. Around Valentines Day a lot of men are buying a gift for that special lady in their lives. But very often men get stuck on what to buy…..so in the descriptions help the men with the shopping experience and then for an extra cost – (Here is where we think out side the box…….use multi variation listing format and offer different types of gift wrapping service).

Men will love this, so will the ladies but a lot of men cannot wrap a present up…….offer this service and what the orders come in and with this watch the profits come in too.

So what types of Products can you source to sell on eBay :

Perfume
Aftershave
Clothing
Chocolates
Handbags
Books
Rings
Bracelets
Lingerie
Presents a loved one would like 

Then of course you have the industry standards not only for Valentines Day, but for presents every day of the week.

Candles
Make-Up
Flowers
Scarves
Gloves

One of the big issues is buying presents for the men in peoples lives, but we are product sourcing guru’s now. Men love :

Books
Sporting Items
Games
Electronic items
Gadgets

As we bring this product sourcing article for Valentines Day to a close, remember that the whole time we need to be sourcing items that are easy to ship, and there is a good profit margin in there. Please do not get caught out with a great looking product and buying it and then finding there is no profit margin there.

So get going and Happy Product Sourcing.

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For the past few days, there have been several blog posts and announcements on the eBay UK site that they are testing a new service called eBay Postage Labels where we can buy postage labels straight off the eBay Page without having to go through to PayPal., and will also be able to link your PayPal Account to allow automatic payments.

Also it has been said that they will be offering more carriers at present they only offer Royal Mail and Parcel Force. As yet there is no news who these other carriers are, but once the test period has been completed and everything works out, then the program will be rolled out to all of eBay Uk and we shall see who the other carriers are.

This is exciting news to both the small seller and the larger sellers out their as at times it can be a pain using the eBay Postage Labels service as each time you have to go to PayPal to use the service.

eBay around the world are always testing new programs and formats and hand pick across the sellers so that they can see if their new ideas work or not.

To see the full announcement about eBay Postage Labels please go along to their site by click the link eBay Postage Labels and there you can see a bit more information.

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I have mentioned OSI Rock Stars, before and when I am with clients I will often mention the Rock Stars Program if I feel they would benefit from it. Yes it may seem strange for an eBay Consultant talking about another training program, but OSI Rock Stars is far more than a training program.

OSI Rock Stars was started by Janelle Elms, who I have got to know very well over the years, and she and her team of trainers have personally helped me take my businesses to the next level and beyond.

So What Is OSI Rock Stars ?

Well before we get to what it is, first let me tell you what it is not. Rock Stars is not for someone who just wants to pay their monthly or yearly fee and expect Janelle to hold your hand and your business will grow. This will not happen. You pay your fees and you have to work, and at times work hard, and be prepared to learn some honest truths about your business and yourself. But I can tell you if you take hold of what Janelle teaches and then put into action, your business will grow from strength to strength.

OSI Rock Stars is a whole way of life week by week Janelle and her trusted hand picked team teach us step by step how to grow our businesses and also ourselves. We have homework from time to time, and Janelle will often ask us to turn this work in, and then she will go through each part of our homework and pull out the good and the bad parts. (But do not worry any private info will never be shown). We all learn from the mistakes and good parts of our homework.

Also within the Rock Stars program there are now well over 600 hours of webinars and podcasts that you can watch and listen to. Then there are the forums where you can ask questions and normally within a matter of hours and sometime minutes there will be a reply to your question from Rock Stars all over the world.

I believe OSI Rock Stars is a valid tool for your business, but only if you are willing to put into action what you have learned in the classes.

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Today we are starting a new mini-series. All about how doing the small things on a daily basis will increase your business over time. As an eBay Consultant one of the challenges I have, is when talking with individuals or businesses is they want the big time that day. Sadly we do not live in an instant world and it takes time to build a business or part time income on eBay or any e-commerce platform. We need to take small steps each and every day.

But if we are willing to take small steps and do something everyday for our business we will find over time these small daily tasks will build and soon we will have a business that is making money, but we must be willing to yes we will do this. For example, if you were to spend just one hour a day on the basics of building your business over a month that is 30 hours of building for the long term. Yes it is that simple.

For today’s building blocks we are looking at some basic things, but we all need to look at these and ask ourselves are we doing these to build our business and if not why not –

• Commit to learn something new each day to improve yourself or your business.
• Commit to find out who your competitors are.
• Commit to find a new product that you can research and add to our shop
• Practise the art of talking a good picture – learn the different settings, how to use lights and back drops.
• Learn the art of writing headlines and descriptions for your business.
• Learn how to pack and ship and learn the art of only handling the item you are selling a few times. This one thing will save you hours of time.
• Learn all about eBay.

You will notice there are 7 steps there. If you were to just apply those seven steps for each day of the week and repeat each week, over a period of one year you will have invested 365 hours of time into your own life and the life of your business. And you will see a huge difference in all areas of your life.

The job of an eBay Consultant is varied but helping clients take their business to the next level is one of the tasks that I love and seeing clients grow is so rewarding. If you are looking for help in either starting your business or taking it to the next level please get in touch.

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In this modern fast paced world we are always looking for ways to do business faster and better. And it seems every day there is a company bringing out a new tool or product to help us improve our business and our lifestyle.

As an eBay Consultant I often find myself working away from home and needing to access some client info. In the past this meant having to carry around files, or discs or memory sticks with the info on. (And this also meant a high risk of leaving a file or documents behind – not good)

Yes I know we have things like Excel, Access and these are good and still work, but one of the challenges are the fact that they are on your computer and if you update them you then have to send a copy to your client, and they then have to replace the old one with the new one and if you make several revisions this becomes almost impossible and for an eBay Consultant makes it very hard trying to keep track of clients information.

Also let’s look at it from a sellers point of view, you sell an item to a friend, and update your spreadsheet, and email it to yourself at home so you remember to update your eBay stock, in the meantime back home your partner sells the same item and updates their spreadsheet, and soon the spreadsheet is way out of date.

But those guys at Google have developed Google Docs. This is cloud computing at it’s best. As soon as you update a spreadsheet, document or  presentation it is instantly changed. This is a great help to people such as an eBay Consultant. You can also allow other people access to the item, and they can be allowed to just view or even edit.

This is powerful and also fun. For example if I am online at the same time as a client and either of us make a change we see this happen before our eyes. This is great and everyone can be kept up to date and no one has an old copy ever.

Below is quick example of how people can work on a letter together

Andrew Milburn Is An eBay Consultant based in the UK

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Well today after spending sometime with one of my eBay Consulting clients I visited a few of the local charity shops and bought some items which I will be adding to my inventory. I shall be adding a new section to this blog of items I have either bought or sourced and what how well they have done on eBay.

As I have mentioned before I business relies on product sourcing and then sourcing the products at the right price. Yes it all comes down to the products and the right price (and selling them on the right platform, the place where the buyers are)

Today I spent around £50.00 on items, and once they have been listed and they have sold I will do a post and tell you all how they have done. But from time to time I will also do some live postings and show you how and why I chose an item to sell.

If you have sourced any items good or bad please share them with us over the coming days and weeks.

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