The Secret Of The Ebay Money Machine And How To Get Your Share

Writen by Ian Major

If you have all the money you need, then this information wont be of much use to you!

If however, like most of us, there are times when you could do with a little more, read on.

At times we all come across circumstances where we could do with some extra income, be it that extra special present we need to buy, that unexpected bill that needs paying or just to make ends meet.

The standard answer to the above would be to get a part-time job, but if you're already working full time or you need to stay at home to look after the kids or perhaps an elderly relative, working extra hours can be easier said than done.

There has to be an easier way.

And there is.

It's time to put your Computer and Internet connection to work.

There are many ways that you can earn an income via your computer; however, in this report we will be specifically talking about earning an income via eBay.

Not a few pennies here or there but a meaningful part-time income.

At the last count eBay had more than 100 million members worldwide and were carrying out tens of millions of simultaneous auctions each day.

Mind-boggling isn't it? Yet approximately only 1% of those 100 million plus members are selling on eBay.

The rest are buying.

So how would you like to be selling in a marketplace of almost 100 million buyers?

But "what would I sell"? I hear you ask.

The majority of sellers on eBay fall into what I call the hobby category.

They buy a few bits and pieces at their local yard sale and sell it on eBay.

In other words they treat it as a hobby.

The problem with this approach is that they constantly have to replenish their stock, plus they have the hassle of packing and mailing their items.

There's nothing wrong with this but it's unlikely to earn them a good, steady, part-time income.

You have to sell products that will give you good a profit and or will attract a lot of bids and that you:

· Don't have to stock

· Don't have to pack

· Don't have to post

This may sound like a tall order, yet it's very easy to do.

Digital products such as Ebooks, Reports, Articles (like this one) and Software can be downloaded over the Internet; therefore they need no conventional storage space, no packing, and no trips to the Post Office.

If you don't know anything about digital products it's very easy to find out about them, but if you would rather sell a conventional product then get someone else to hold the stock and do the packing and postage for you!

Lets suppose you wanted to sell Computers and Computer Accessories via eBay.

You would find a wholesaler who stocked these kind of products, buy at a discount and sell them on eBay at a profit.

Would you still have to stock the Computers and Accessories?

Possibly, but not if you find a wholesaler who also dropships.

Dropshippers are usually wholesalers that will deliver their products to your customer, so in this example you contact your wholesaler/dropshipper to find out what rage of computers and accessories they hold, advertise your choice of product via eBay and when it sells ask them to post it to the winning bidder/buyer.

You don't even have to pay for the product until you have sold it!

Great. No start up capital.

This is exactly what I do and it works extremely well.

Of course, Computers are just one example of what you might sell on eBay.

There are Wholesaler/Dropshippers stocking just about anything you can think of.

So can you really make a good living from eBay?

You bet your Little Cotton Socks you can.

There are people making a fortune on eBay.

Maybe by selling Little Cotton Socks :-)

I generate a very good full-time income, working about 10 to 12 hours per week on eBay, selling among other things New and Used Computers and yes you've guessed it, I don't stock, pack or deliver them and I don't pay for them until I have been paid.

It's not difficult to set yourself up as a seller on eBay, there's heaps of help on eBay itself.

Just click on help in the top right hand corner of any eBay page to get all the assistance you need.

Ian D Major is the creator of http://www.eBay-Articles.com, the one stop resource for information, reports and articles about all things eBay.

To subscribe for fr*ee to eBay-Articles and get Articles, Reports and Bonuses delivered to your inbox weekly, visit:-

http://www.ebay-articles.com

Bidding Techniques For Better Profit

Writen by James Ojo

To profit in any business (either online or offline), there are some tools, techniques and strategies which you must have at your beck and call. Failure to get these, you will only be reading the testimonials of others while you will think that online magic does not work for you.

1. Study to know the market properly. Know the dos and the don'ts of the market. EBay is a global platform and has its policies link in all its pages. Go through patiently and understand every aspect of it. You may be far from profitable bidding if you are not bidding according to the rules.

2. When there is a product you want to bid for, get the details of the product. The brand name, the model, year of manufacture, the manufacturer, the current market price for new one, the level of depreciation on the product, what the market price for the product based on the number of years of usage. When you know all these, you will be armed with enough information to bid profitably. It is absurd to bid for a second hand product and buy same at a price higher than what the new one goes for in the market.

3. If the details on the items are not sufficient or not clear enough, get in touch with the merchant (seller). You may be shooting yourself in the leg if you are bidden on a product you are mistaken for another. Knowing the market value of the product may be impossible if the identity is wrongly perceived.

4. Study to know the duration of the auction. Knowing the beginning and the ending periods for the auction is essential to help you take correct decision.

5. Visit other online auctions to know whether you can get the same product at a cheaper rate. In addition, the merchant may auction the product in other platforms. Because of the unpopular nature of those other platforms, you may get it at a cheaper price. However, you must balance this with the security such markets provide.

6. I told you to know the duration of the bid because at the last minute you may place a last minute bid to beat earlier bidders who may not check at such a time.

7. Despite the fact that it is necessary to place a last minute bid, it is still imperative that you place an early bid so that your interest in the bid will be known to all and sundry. As you are getting out bidden, don't forget to place higher bid until your maximum is reached.

8. Another important detail not mentioned above is the warranty or money back guarantee provided by the merchant. You may not bid for a product which does not have this since you may not inspect the physical product before the transaction is sealed. If you then discover that the product is of a lower quality as portrayed in the auction, you may have no alternative to return same to the merchant.

9. Does the merchant accept credit card or check? Do you need the product urgently; you must look for a merchant who accepts credit card to meet your urgent demand. However, if you are not in haste, you may patronise a merchant who accepts only check or money order since it will take longer time for these to clear and you product is being shipped.

10. Closely related to above is the location of the merchant. If the merchant is located far from your locality, it may take longer time for the product to reach you.

11. It will be advisable to patronise an established merchant with a clean historical records. If the records are there check properly to know whether the merchant have been criticised of poor performance in the past.

12. You must know the type of bid on which the product is placed. Lack of this knowledge will make you to lose out.

About the Author
James Ojo is a prolific author and a seasoned writer of many online articles. He is the President of Hot Home Business Online. Visit his websites for more of his articles:
http://www.hothomebizonline.com
http://business.hothomebizonline.com
E-mail: admin@hothomebizonline.com

How To Make Money From Internet Auctions

Writen by J. Stephen Pope

If your business is not using eBay and other Internet auctions, you could be missing out. Here are just a few ways of generating additional income, profits and cashflow from online auctions.

1. Convert Excess Assets to Cash

Sell personal or business items that you no longer use. For example, are there slow moving inventory items in your store? A major camera store chain sells their slow movers, quite successfully, through eBay.

2. Buy and Sell Anything

Sometimes people put things out in the garbage because they don`t need them anymore and don`t know anyone who could use them. You can successfully sell some of these items by Internet auction.

As well, if you pick up bargains from garage sales, flea markets, importers, wholesalers, closeout dealers or other sources, these items can also be sold through online auctions.

3. Drop Shipping

There are suppliers who will ship one item at a time for you. You don`t have to stock any inventory. You simply pay your dropship supplier out of the money you receive from your auction sale. They will ship the product directly to your customer.

For further information about drop shipping, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/dropship.html

4. Self-Publishing

Do you have expertise in a specialized area of interest to people? Then, you could publish your own information product.

A very popular format for self-publishing information products is the electronic book (or e-book). E-book compilers, some of which are free, are readily available on the Internet. When people buy your e-book, they can download it from your website or receive it by e-mail.

You could sell such self-published information products on eBay and other Internet auction sites. Incidentally, online auctions are an inexpensive method of testing the market for your information (or other) products.

For further information about self-publishing, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/selfpub.html

5. Reprint and Resale Rights

You may not want to produce your own information products presently. Or, perhaps, you may already have an information product, but would like to supplement your income with additional, related product offerings. This is where reprint and resale rights come in.

You can buy the rights to reprint or resell excellent information products created by other people. Some of these rights are inexpensive.

In addition to selling these products from your own website, you can use Internet auctions to create extra sales. Another advantage of online auctions is that they can create additional traffic for your website.

For further information about reprint and resale rights, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/instantpub.html

6. Sell Your Services

Do you design logos or websites? Do you sell consulting or other services? These, also, can be successfully sold through eBay and other auction sites.

7. Run an eBay Consignment Shop

There are still people who don`t have a computer or who don`t use eBay. You could sell on a consignment basis for them, taking a commission on the successful sale. You would need to charge for advertising expenses incurred, such as eBay listing and selling fees.

8. Promote Affiliate Programs through Auctions

Some affiliate programs have brandable e-books that contain your affiliate link. When people order from the e-book that they bought from your online auction, you get credit for the sale. As well, some of those purchasers may sign up as affiliates, earning you additional commissions.

Some of these e-books have valuable information that is worth the nominal value you would sell it for on eBay. In other cases, such an e-book is readily available for free. In this latter case, you might consider selling another related product and offer the e-book as a free bonus.

For further information about affiliate programs, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/affiliate.html

9. Supply Fellow Online Auctioneers

During the gold rush days, it is said that those who sold picks and shovels were more likely to make money than those panning for gold. Similarly, since there is such a big market for online auctions, you can make money supplying eBayers with information and auction tools to help them start and grow their own online auction business.

10. Internet Auction Consulting

As you gain experience and expertise in online auctions, you might consider charging for your knowledge.

Consulting services, seminars, information products and other ways of packaging your knowledge can earn you additional income streams.

For more information about consulting, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/consulting.html

These are just a few of the ways you can profit from Internet auctions.

For more information about Internet auctions, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/auctions.html

RESOURCE BOX:

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., http://www.popeconsultinginc.com/ has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

For valuable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

Successful Ebay Selling Evolution Of An Ebay Mutant

Writen by Donovan Baldwin

Many successful eBay sellers have two things in common:

• The way they got started on their individual paths to success, and
• The number of additional sales they COULD have made if they had just learned a little more about one other subject...internet marketing.

eBAY SELLERS ARE MADE, NOT BORN

Almost everybody selling things for a living, or at least for a recognizable income, on eBay started the same way...by intentional accident. Usually, they have become intrigued by the phenomenon, looked around their house and found a few things to test the waters with, and after that, they were hooked! That's the birth. After that comes evolution.

Once they run out of things to sell, but have been struck by the business opportunity lurking on eBay, they have to find other sources of eBay merchandise. This problem is solved in various ingenious ways. Some link up with a wholesale drop ship operation, some find merchandise elsewhere, such as at auctions and estate sales, while some create their own products.

Having gotten a product source, they still had to learn...learn...learn. In general, becoming a success at selling on eBay is comprised of varying amounts of research, study, trial-and-error, failure, success...and luck.

WHAT eBAY SELLERS DON'T KNOW

Many eBay sellers arrive at this particular internet business niche independently of a previous internet marketing experience. As a result, while successful in their own area of expertise, eBay, they often miss cues and opportunities that an experienced internet marketer would pick up on or take advantage of. They lack knowledge of ways that they could expand the auction success by applying some standard internet marketing techniques.

BEYOND EVOLUTION

eBay has now been such a successful internet phenomenon for long enough that the evolutionary path of eBay selling has produced experts. In true entrepreneurial spirit, some of these experts are now sharing their hard-won knowledge by publishing courses on the subject. As in many things, there are good courses, there are not-so-good courses, and there are plain awful ones. Their prices range anywhere from a few dollars to a great many dollars, and the process is still new and fluid enough that few, if any, can truly claim to be major players.

ONE BENEFIT MOST eBAY SELLING COURSES OFFER

Many people do not take the plunge simply because of an uncertainty and fear of failure due to ignorance. If they have visited the eBay site, they have often be over-whelmed by all the links, warnings, and terms specific to eBay. It seems as if they have wandered into a meeting of a secret organization and lack the password and handshake, and they feel that anything they do will be greeted with derision, if not complete animosity.

One thing that almost any course about selling on eBay can do is familiarize you to some extent with the experience. That will erase some of the fear and uncertainty. A GOOD course on selling on eBay can cut your evolutionary time considerably because the author will have already been there and can guide you past some of the pitfalls and help you mutate more quickly than you could grow through simple evolution. The lag time between first eBay auction and the point where you consider yourself to at least be skilled at the process, if not yet wealthy from it, can be cut considerably.

Although not immediately necessary to learning the eBay process, learning something about internet marketing as well can help you expand your opportunity beyond just the auctions. Fortunately, there are eBay selling courses that cover at least some of the internet marketing aspects as well.

HOW TO GET STARTED

The easiest way to get started selling on eBay, with or without a course, is to do what so many others have done. Look around the house and find a couple of things you think SOMEONE will possibly want to buy. Remember, the purpose here is to learn the process, not to get rich. In fact, even if the item doesn't sell, you will have benefited from the experience. Be aware, however, that you will have fees to pay even if your item does not sell. This is not a terrible thing because, unless you have bought every possible option, these costs should be minimal. Chalk it up to tuition. Anyway, if this test develops into a real internet business those expenses become tax deductions.

RECOMMENDATION?

Give eBay a shot with a couple of sales of things you already have just to see what's going on and how you feel about it. If you believe that this might be a business you want to get involved in, get yourself a course and learn a little bit more about the business before you leap in with both feet...or with your wallet in your hand. It's better to spend a few bucks up front and realize the experience is not for you, than it is to spend a lot of bucks and experience a great deal of frustration only to learn that you should have let this opportunity pass you by.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has blogs on the subjects of weight loss and health, and internet marketing and related business topics. He has a wholesale dropship program at http://donovanbaldwin.com/ebay

Seven Steps To Ebay Selling Success

Writen by Heather Wallace

More and more people try their luck at selling on eBay everyday. With all of that growing competition it is important that you do everything possible to make sure that you stand out from the crowd. By following a few simple steps you can greatly improve the odds of your auction being noticed, that browsers will convert to bidders, and that those bidders will become repeat customers. Begin practicing the follow seven tips and watch your eBay auction sales explode.

1. Inundate your potential buyers with details. It is much better to provide a lot rather than a little information and this will also be a great opportunity for you to pepper your listing description with keywords. Do be sure, however, that your auction listing is informative and not filled with hype. Those extra exclamation points really aren't going to make the sale. Actually, they will only make you look unprofessional. Also, give your readers details as appropriate such as models number, item condition, color, size, etc.

2. The title may not seem like a vital part of the equation, but it really is of great importance. It is the first thing people see when browsing through the auctions, so it has to not only grab their attention, but also entice them to click. Do not enter you title in ALL CAPS. This will only make you look like an amateur. Include as applicable; keywords, model numbers, seating information, brand names, item size, color, etc.

3. A picture is worth a thousand bids. Okay, well maybe not a thousand, but it will certainly help your item sell. Think about it; would you buy something sight unseen? Of course not and neither will the majority of buyers on eBay. Be sure to take care when photographing your item. Lesser quality photos are just as bad as no pictures at all. Also, the more expensive the items; the more photos you should provide.

4. State all of your requirements upfront. Tell potential bidders how much you intend to charge for shipping, to which countries you are willing to ship, if you will accept returns, or anything else that you might wish to specify. You really can't make things up as you go along. You have to get all requirements out there at the beginning.

5. If a potential buyer contacts you with a question then be sure to promptly respond. If you wait you may lose a much needed bidder. Also, be sure to be polite in your response as no question is too stupid to warrant anything other than but a courteous reply. Even if that person doesn't bid on your item they will certainly remember your pleasant attitude and that could mean a future sale.

6. The majority of buyers on eBay prefer to pay for their purchase via PayPal. That is why it is vital for you to accept this method of payment. It is also beneficial to you as it eliminates the potential for bad checks or money orders.

7. After the sale most winning bidders will expect the seller to begin the completion of the transaction. Send an email, an invoice, alert the buyer when the item has shipped, and be sure to leave feedback after the transaction.

Copyright © 2005 Heather Wallace

Heather Wallace is a writer whose work has been published in national, regional, and online publications. To receive a FREE eBay Seller's Resource Guide, send a blank email to mail to: eBay-Sellers-Resource-Guide@fetchingsites.com