Pros and Cons of Selling on eBay

Posted on November 5, 2009, 9:15 pm, by Brett McEllhiney and received No Comments ».

Are you interested in becoming an eBay seller? If you are, you are definitely not alone, as eBay has become a relatively quick and easy way to make money online. Each day, a large number of individuals use eBay to make extra money from home and a few lucky ones are even able to make enough money to support themselves or their families. Before you jump on the eBay selling bandwagon, you are advised to take a few minutes and examine the pros and cons of selling on eBay.

One of the many pros, or plus sides, to selling on eBay is the fact that is it is relatively easy to do.  Once you create an eBay account, you can start listing items that you have in your possession for sale right away.  When doing so, it is also easy to do.  eBay has a step-by-step process for listing items for sale, in traditional auction formats or buy it now formats.  In fact, eBay also has a program that lets you compile your auctions, with pictures and descriptions, when you aren’t even connected to the internet.  As soon as you connect to the internet, you can begin to upload your listings and have them start right away.

Another one of the many pros to selling on eBay is that just about anyone can do it.  You don’t have to have big fancy, expensive items to sell on eBay.  In fact, a large number of those selling on eBay are just selling items that are taking up space in their homes; items they don’t want anymore.  If you are interesting in becoming an eBay seller, but you aren’t sure as to how much you can depend on eBay for income, you may want to think about testing the waters.  You can do this by listing the items have you have around your home for sale.  Items that tend to sell relatively well are lots, or groups, of toys and infant clothing.

While there are a number of pros, or plus sides, to selling on eBay, there are also a number of cons, or downsides, to doing so as well.  One of the biggest cons or downsides to selling on eBay is the competition.  As it was previously mentioned, a large number of internet users have started using eBay to make extra money or even make a living. This is what leads to multiple auction listings for the exact same items.  While this is nice for the eBay buyers, it can hurt you as a seller.  When the supply is higher than the demand, you may not make as much money off of your items as you had originally hoped to, if they even sell at all.

Another downside to selling on eBay is the fees associated with doing so.  In recent years, eBay has redone their fee structure, often to raise their fees.  Although these fees are still considered relatively low, they could put a damper on your profits, which alone are sometimes hard to come by.  Of course, there are ways that you can get the most out of eBay fees.  For instance, if you have a “hot seller,” you could start your auction out at a low price, as the fees are less for doing so; however, you are taking a gamble, as you never have any guarantees as for how much your items will sell for.  Perhaps, the unknown is one of the biggest downsides to selling on eBay; you never really know if you are going to make money or even if you will end up losing money.

As you likely already know, the decision as to whether or not you want to become an eBay seller is yours to make, but, when making your decision, you are advised to keep the above mentioned points in mind. With a relatively equal amount of pros and cons, you may be wondering what your best option is.  For more accurate information, you may want to think about testing the eBay seller waters, as you are able to sell whenever you want, with no minimum auction requirements.

To learn more about profiting on eBay, check out the free eBay Empire report. Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include this resource box. You can also include your affiliate link if you sign up at Clickbank Pirate.

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EBay Business Secrets for Beginners

Posted on September 28, 2009, 5:51 pm, by Brett McEllhiney and received No Comments ».

Are you fairly new to the eBay business?

Or are you  just planning to enter the world of eBay business and test its waters?

You have nothing to fear.

Here are some simple start-up tips for you.

Entering the eBay business means that you are setting up shop on eBay and become a seller. It is easy and risk-free. All you need to have is a computer, an internet connection, and an inventory of items to sell. No start-up costs are expected of you. Even if you’re at home, you can monitor your eBay business easily enough. You can also do marketing online, right within eBay.

Starting out!

As a newbie seller, you have a fairly good chance of succeeding in the eBay business by starting out with items that you know and have experience with. Take it from the experts, when you start with products you are knowledgeable about, you are right on target regarding its value.

However, if the items you are supposed to start with do not fall in the line of your expertise, there’s no cause for worry. You only have to research about the items you have to know their value.

There might be several odds and ends in your house that are fairly in good condition but not needed anymore. Or you might know of family and friends who have possessions they want to get rid of. You can also buy discounted products, seasonal and specialized items and crafts then resell them. The eBay business has no limit on what products you could sell, as long as there are buyers interested.

Have a photo, make a sale!

Once you have set-up shop in the eBay business, start the ball rolling by letting customers know of your merchandise. Do this by taking pictures of the products you are putting up for sale. The photo alongside your item listing is free. A 35-cent paid photo post of your product is offered by eBay – a scheme called Gallery. It works by having a thumbnail photo of your product along with its listing on the search results.

Be aware that most customers in the eBay business prefer to see the photo of the product for sale. Most often, your listing will get hits largely because of photo attachments. People need to know they are buying something that exists. You may find that once you upload more photos for each of your product listing, the demand for your products increases. Close-up and high-quality photos of your products are likely to bring you great sales outcome.

Price ‘em right!

Upon seeing your product, the next thing potential buyers on the eBay business look up is the price. Note that in the eBay business, it is necessary to remind you not price your item too high, or else buyers may lose interest. With a reasonable starting price, you only need to have two bidders to set off a higher price.

The principle in the eBay business, with regards to setting up the starting price, is that the lower you set the price, the more potential buyers bid on it. You can even get them so attached to the item and inspire a need to be the bidder who gets the item.

For how long do you list up your product?

As a seller, listing a product in the eBay business involves meeting qualifications to use one-day period listing and paying necessary fees for 10-day listings. There are several factors to know how long you should list an item in the eBay business:

- Longer period listing gives potential buyers more time to see your item and place bids

- Listing depending on your selling volume.

- Limited period of listing if you are selling products related to certain events.

Other things which sellers in the eBay business need to do to generate more profits:

- Regularly checking out the hit list for your items to know if you are getting more traffic. More traffic means more buyers.

- Have a detailed product description on your listing to minimize numerous buyer inquiries

- Proper handling of payment and shipping. Be aware that 3 out of 4 buyers on the eBay business prefer paying with PayPal.

- Keep your buyers, happy and satisfied with your products and overall service.

- Lastly, keep tabs on other eBay sellers’ experiences in the eBay business for you to learn and succeed.

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Deciding What to Sell on eBay and How to Find It

Posted on September 27, 2009, 12:42 pm, by Brett McEllhiney and received No Comments ».

The pressing question that almost every eBay seller faces at one point during their selling experience is that dread question:

“What is it, exactly, that I should sell and where do I get it?”

You’ve sold every last thing in your house that you don’t want or need and you’re tired of selling other people’s stuff and you are wondering where to turn.

Finding a solid source for a product is essential in building your eBay business. It may take some work, it may take some time, but once it is established and exclusive, you will have a close to indestructible online business.

There are two types of products you need to look for:

Introduction Products (Products that are new and in-demand)
Liquidation Products (Products that are at the end of the product cycle and being sold at a huge discount)

If you’re interested in finding introduction products, you are in for a lot of work. You will have to obtain a lot of knowledge about the consumer and almost be able to predict what will sell well. You could possibly find a supplier that supplies a massive amount of one particular new product. However, you may discover they sell horribly on eBay. You are then stuck with all these newly packaged products and probably in debt.

When it comes to liquidation products you have a lot more options. There is a lot more room for research to see how popular the product was when it first hit the market. You will also be able to obtain liquidation products at a substantially lower price.

After deciding what type of product you would like to sell, it’s a matter of finding a supplier. It’s not as simple as searching on google or finding a wholesale list on eBay. The internet is saturated with wholesale scams. It may not be impossible to find a good supplier on line, but it could be considered unlikely.

A good way to get started in finding a good consistent supplier is to buy products at a discount retailer, like Big Lots or even Wal-mart, and test different products. When you find one you think may be profitable, find out the manufacturer’s number (located on the package) and ask to speak to someone about purchasing products for resale.

It’s a tedious process, but when you find a good supplier you will not regret it. It takes good research and patience. Just remember, the best supplier won’t be easily found on the internet or in a book. A good, consistent supplier will be found through the tedious process of finding an exclusive source that you worked hard to discover.

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3 Tools For Product Sourcing On EBay – Using Seller Central

Posted on September 26, 2009, 11:05 pm, by Brett McEllhiney and received No Comments ».

You may have already discovered that selling on eBay can be fun and profitable. But after you’ve cleared out your garage and attic, and auctioned off everything your husband owns, where can you go to get new product ideas?

Tapping into EBay’s Resources
Most people don’t realize that eBay itself is actually a terrific place to find product sourcing ideas. Besides being an easy selling venue with built-in traffic, it also contains a goldmine of useful data about what that traffic wants to buy. One of eBay’s best-kept secrets is their Seller Central page (http://www.EBay.com/SellerCentral). Very few people, even PowerSellers, are aware of this valuable resource. Consequently, very few people are taking advantage of the tools available there:

• The merchandising calendar — this is a great spot to get sourcing leads because it shows you specifically what products eBay will be promoting over the next few months. It gives you dates and tells you which item categories you need to list your product in for it to be displayed on eBay’s homepage. When a user clicks on that item, your auction will pop right up.

• The hot items section — this is basically a monthly trend-watching report. It tells you what items are moving, producing more bids, and getting higher final prices. It lets you get a feel for where the demand is.

Whether you’re searching for products at a tradeshow or a rummage sale, Janelle Elms (http://JanelleElms.com), of eBay University, recommends, “Print this report and keep it with you at all times.” She explains, “If you don’t know what to look for, this will help direct and keep your mind focused to what’s moving on eBay.”

• The hot categories section — this resource takes the top categories and gives you tips on how to sell in those categories, insider secrets about your buyers, and trending info. For each category, there’s a section called ‘In Demand’ that tells you not only the top-selling items in that category, but also the top keywords that buyers are using to find these items. Use those keywords in your listing titles. If you have any left over, put them in your description. Essentially, eBay tells you what to sell and then tells you how best to list it.

Catering to Your Customers
Advises Elms, “Don’t ever try to sell to the buyer what you think they need to own.” Users are already telling you what they want to buy — you just have to listen. These tools show you what consumers are saying they want and how they’re saying they want to find it. EBay users are ready to spend money with you — all you need to do is give them what they’re looking for.

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