You've started your Ebay business and things are going really well for you. You find that your once part-time position has turned into a full-time position. You have some extra funds and you no longer want to work a full day. Instead, you make a list of things or tasks that you would like to have others handle for you. Now you have your list, but you really don't know where to go next. The important thing isn't just placing an ad just anywhere, but on sites that are spam free and can actually provide talent for the skills you need.
There is a company that offers a unique way to find part-time or full-time talent. Everything is done online. You join for free and then make an agreement with the person you are going to hire and the company takes a small percentage (certainly less than the Ebay fees!) out of the final candidate's payment. The company name is SideSkills. It's a freelance marketplace and a great way to find talent through people you already know and by building a network of other contacts that will help you identify people who are seeking positions within the skill levels you are seeking. The site is easy to use and they offer step by step video tutorials as well to help you get started.
You should check out this site if you are looking for someone to help you in your Ebay business, to help build you a small website to help you get off Ebay or enhance your Ebay business, to help you design a logo, or write articles pointing to your Ebay products and even more. No more spam replies sent to you, only qualified candidates based on your own criteria.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Why Credit is Important When Starting An Ebay Business
When starting an online business, including an Ebay business, it is important to have an established line of credit available for your use. This line could be in the form of a credit card, a personal loan, cash or a home equity loan. You will need the funds to be able to purchase items from a wholesale vendor if you want to make the most money on Ebay.
Selling stuff from around your house can be a great start, but it is just that. . . a start. Once you run out of items to sell from your house, your Ebay business will slow to a screeching halt. That's when you can start selling stuff from family and friends, however, that is extremely time consuming compared to actually trying to figure out a product that you can buy in bulk from a wholesaler and resell. When you run out of their stuff, then it's time to evaluate where your interests lie and find a wholesaler who can help you achieve your dream.
Once you have a product (or products) in mind, you will need to contact a wholesaler or distributor to buy your items at the lowest costs. In order to do that though, you will need to make sure that you have good credit. You can get a free credit score and a credit report very quickly online. It's always a wise idea to know up front what type of credit you have simply because most vendors are going to be concerned about whether or not you have the ability to pay.
When dealing with a distributor or wholesaler, you will need to fill out an application and provide references as well as bank account information. If you already have good credit, even if you have never done business online or don't have any vendor references, the distributors will more than likely give you a starting line of credit. Sometimes they ask you to pay via cash, check, or credit card for a few months to make sure you are legitimate. When they see that you are paying them regularly, they will then establish a line of credit with you.
If you already have vendors you have been dealing with, you can use those vendors as references to establish a line of credit. It doesn't hurt to keep up with your credit score by getting a credit report periodically to make sure all is well and no one else has accessed any of your information.
Once you have worked with your first vendor online, it's much easier to find other wholesale products and get decent lines of credit for future sales and earnings on Ebay.
Selling stuff from around your house can be a great start, but it is just that. . . a start. Once you run out of items to sell from your house, your Ebay business will slow to a screeching halt. That's when you can start selling stuff from family and friends, however, that is extremely time consuming compared to actually trying to figure out a product that you can buy in bulk from a wholesaler and resell. When you run out of their stuff, then it's time to evaluate where your interests lie and find a wholesaler who can help you achieve your dream.
Once you have a product (or products) in mind, you will need to contact a wholesaler or distributor to buy your items at the lowest costs. In order to do that though, you will need to make sure that you have good credit. You can get a free credit score and a credit report very quickly online. It's always a wise idea to know up front what type of credit you have simply because most vendors are going to be concerned about whether or not you have the ability to pay.
When dealing with a distributor or wholesaler, you will need to fill out an application and provide references as well as bank account information. If you already have good credit, even if you have never done business online or don't have any vendor references, the distributors will more than likely give you a starting line of credit. Sometimes they ask you to pay via cash, check, or credit card for a few months to make sure you are legitimate. When they see that you are paying them regularly, they will then establish a line of credit with you.
If you already have vendors you have been dealing with, you can use those vendors as references to establish a line of credit. It doesn't hurt to keep up with your credit score by getting a credit report periodically to make sure all is well and no one else has accessed any of your information.
Once you have worked with your first vendor online, it's much easier to find other wholesale products and get decent lines of credit for future sales and earnings on Ebay.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Where can I find a good Drop Ship Company? Save Money for Yourself and Sell On Ebay
Where can I find a good drop ship company?
Drop shipping is a standard on may Ebay sites. Most ebay sellers cannot afford to house thousands of dollars of merchandise unless they have their own warehouse (which some do). Others have smaller inventories they store in their homes when they have room in their house or garage.
Drop shipping is the alternate favorite. To drop ship simply means that you are listing products for another company and when your buyer orders, you are sending your buyers information to the drop ship company that actually has the product. The drop shipper takes care of everything for you. They package it and ship it under YOUR name so that you get the credit for it. You pay the drop ship company a small fee and you keep all of the rest of the profit.
In addition, when you drop ship, you will be amazed at the low cost of the products. You can purchase these products for yourself to use as well. You will save hundreds, if not thousands on purchases over a period of time. You can also make money telling others about the drop shipping company so they can save too. You get a commission when someone you tell decides to sign up. It's a win win for everyone involved.
So put drop shipping on your list of things to check out if you want to sell on Amazon, Ebay, Craigslist, to your friend, family, neighbors, or even in a home show. Use your creativity and imagination and you could go far. How can you find a good drop ship company? Check out the banners on this site. There are two really good ones. Salehoo and the drop ship company you See listed in the banner at the beginning of this site.
Drop shipping is a standard on may Ebay sites. Most ebay sellers cannot afford to house thousands of dollars of merchandise unless they have their own warehouse (which some do). Others have smaller inventories they store in their homes when they have room in their house or garage.
Drop shipping is the alternate favorite. To drop ship simply means that you are listing products for another company and when your buyer orders, you are sending your buyers information to the drop ship company that actually has the product. The drop shipper takes care of everything for you. They package it and ship it under YOUR name so that you get the credit for it. You pay the drop ship company a small fee and you keep all of the rest of the profit.
In addition, when you drop ship, you will be amazed at the low cost of the products. You can purchase these products for yourself to use as well. You will save hundreds, if not thousands on purchases over a period of time. You can also make money telling others about the drop shipping company so they can save too. You get a commission when someone you tell decides to sign up. It's a win win for everyone involved.
So put drop shipping on your list of things to check out if you want to sell on Amazon, Ebay, Craigslist, to your friend, family, neighbors, or even in a home show. Use your creativity and imagination and you could go far. How can you find a good drop ship company? Check out the banners on this site. There are two really good ones. Salehoo and the drop ship company you See listed in the banner at the beginning of this site.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Buying Ebay Information Products
There are literally thousands of ebooks and books available about buying and selling on Ebay. When you are purchasing Ebay information products, your goal is to learn something from every ebook, video or audio that you purchase.
Most information products offer you a 60 day or more money back guarantee. In all of my years on the internet, I have only returned three or four products because I felt that they provided no real direction. The majority of them, I keep. I also feel a bit obligated if I used any of their suggestions from their material to be honest about it and not ask for a refund. Just about every publication you order will offer something new. If it doesn't, then send it back.
There is NO magic potion that will make you an ebay powerseller or ebay seller overnight. In fact, it may take years to build a business that supports you. The only exception to that is for the person who has money to spend on inventory up front or a major corporation that already exists. Those types of individuals can start up quickly and earn lots of money on Ebay.
You will need to read many types of books on buying ebay information products. You will need information on how to set up your ebay business to attract buyers, how to make your pictures more appealing, how to build lists of potential buyers, how to set up your ebay store and much more. A lot of this information is free on the internet, but it's also very time consuming to find it. When someone has taken the time to compile the information, it's well worth the money. I often equate it to how much my time is worth per hour vs doing the research for something.
Most information products offer you a 60 day or more money back guarantee. In all of my years on the internet, I have only returned three or four products because I felt that they provided no real direction. The majority of them, I keep. I also feel a bit obligated if I used any of their suggestions from their material to be honest about it and not ask for a refund. Just about every publication you order will offer something new. If it doesn't, then send it back.
There is NO magic potion that will make you an ebay powerseller or ebay seller overnight. In fact, it may take years to build a business that supports you. The only exception to that is for the person who has money to spend on inventory up front or a major corporation that already exists. Those types of individuals can start up quickly and earn lots of money on Ebay.
You will need to read many types of books on buying ebay information products. You will need information on how to set up your ebay business to attract buyers, how to make your pictures more appealing, how to build lists of potential buyers, how to set up your ebay store and much more. A lot of this information is free on the internet, but it's also very time consuming to find it. When someone has taken the time to compile the information, it's well worth the money. I often equate it to how much my time is worth per hour vs doing the research for something.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Working Everyday Buying and Selling on Ebay
Working Everyday Buying and Selling on Ebay can be a way to make some extra money every month.
You can get great deals at odd times of the day or with middle of the night or late night ending auctions. You can buy low and then resell the same item. I've done that many times.
The key to some success when you are first starting is to find items that you do not have to pay for or have already been paid for that are just lying around your house. Ask family and friends for items that are in good shape that they are no longer using or that they want to give away. Offer to clean out an old attic in exchange for being able to keep some of the items you find.
Don't get too crazy though. Not everything you think is great will sell. What you should do is take a picture of items that you think you want to sell with your cell phone. Take a look to see if the item has a unique signature and make a note of it. Sit at a computer and do a little research to see if your item is being sold on Ebay already. Make sure you have opened an Ebay account. Once you have, login. Type in the name of your item. You will hopefully get some search results. Make sure your spelling is correct the first time or even use a common misspelling to find your item (that's a secret to getting some good deals when buying). Then, go to the left column and find the words "completed listings". Hit the search bar again with your keywords (your item description or title).
Once you see the completed listings in green, that will give you some idea if your item will sell and if so, how much it sold for. If it looks like a good seller, bring it home with you and take pictures. Then look at the existing listings that have sold. Don't copy the other listings exactly and don't steal their pictures. You can create a similar listing in your own words. Be descriptive, not corny. Your title should be descriptive as well. Don't put words like "LOOK" or SCREAM AT YOUR BUYERS IN CAPITAL LETTERS!. Just describe: vintage japanese cloisoinne vase new in box (for example). Put lots of pictures in your auction.
Every day, find an item by doing this same type of research. By working a little bit everyday either buying discounted items and then reselling them or selling items you have on Ebay, you can make extra money, even with the Ebay and paypal fees.
You can get great deals at odd times of the day or with middle of the night or late night ending auctions. You can buy low and then resell the same item. I've done that many times.
The key to some success when you are first starting is to find items that you do not have to pay for or have already been paid for that are just lying around your house. Ask family and friends for items that are in good shape that they are no longer using or that they want to give away. Offer to clean out an old attic in exchange for being able to keep some of the items you find.
Don't get too crazy though. Not everything you think is great will sell. What you should do is take a picture of items that you think you want to sell with your cell phone. Take a look to see if the item has a unique signature and make a note of it. Sit at a computer and do a little research to see if your item is being sold on Ebay already. Make sure you have opened an Ebay account. Once you have, login. Type in the name of your item. You will hopefully get some search results. Make sure your spelling is correct the first time or even use a common misspelling to find your item (that's a secret to getting some good deals when buying). Then, go to the left column and find the words "completed listings". Hit the search bar again with your keywords (your item description or title).
Once you see the completed listings in green, that will give you some idea if your item will sell and if so, how much it sold for. If it looks like a good seller, bring it home with you and take pictures. Then look at the existing listings that have sold. Don't copy the other listings exactly and don't steal their pictures. You can create a similar listing in your own words. Be descriptive, not corny. Your title should be descriptive as well. Don't put words like "LOOK" or SCREAM AT YOUR BUYERS IN CAPITAL LETTERS!. Just describe: vintage japanese cloisoinne vase new in box (for example). Put lots of pictures in your auction.
Every day, find an item by doing this same type of research. By working a little bit everyday either buying discounted items and then reselling them or selling items you have on Ebay, you can make extra money, even with the Ebay and paypal fees.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Understanding Handling Charges On Ebay
Many times Ebayers will send emails asking why the handling charges are so high. From the sellers standpoint, most of the times, handling charges are actually way too low.
Ebay and paypal fees have gone up dramatically. In my own experience, I take a loss on shipping every time I sell something. In order to remain competitive in my niche, I have to keep the handling charges low.
Ebay is now charging 9% of the selling price as their final value fee when something is listed as fixed price or store. There is a listing fee up front of apx. 20-30 cents, plus a fee charged of around 75 cents to a dollar for paypal. International fees are even higher on paypal.
Handling charges on Ebay include such things as: covering at least a portion of the Ebay and Paypal fees; packaging materials, ie. bubble wrap, tissue paper, tape, plastic envelopes, printer ink for the receipts, business card enclosures, free gift enclosures; post office delivery including gas to get to and from the post office, time in the post office; and time. . . that's where the biggest loss occurs. You can never be compensated for your time on Ebay. If you did, the handling charge would be several dollars higher.
My pet peeve is when customers who order bicker about the shipping and handling charges. The way I look at it personally is this. When I order from Ebay, I am having the seller provide a service. I don't have to get in my car and spend gas money and time going to a store to find something. The average trip may take an hour. My time is worth much more than the $2-$3 handling fee that is being charged. I don't have to leave my house. The work has already been done. The seller is my slave. What more could I ask for?
Understand that as a seller, you need to make a statement on your website that explains what is included in your shipping and handling charges. Then tell the buyer not to order if they cannot agree with the charges. This sounds harsh, but if you don't make it clear, you will be contacted and argued with. That takes up more time that you are not being compensated for.
Think about it. It's your choice. Just say it in a nice way to help your buyers understand your handling charges when you sell on Ebay.
Ebay and paypal fees have gone up dramatically. In my own experience, I take a loss on shipping every time I sell something. In order to remain competitive in my niche, I have to keep the handling charges low.
Ebay is now charging 9% of the selling price as their final value fee when something is listed as fixed price or store. There is a listing fee up front of apx. 20-30 cents, plus a fee charged of around 75 cents to a dollar for paypal. International fees are even higher on paypal.
Handling charges on Ebay include such things as: covering at least a portion of the Ebay and Paypal fees; packaging materials, ie. bubble wrap, tissue paper, tape, plastic envelopes, printer ink for the receipts, business card enclosures, free gift enclosures; post office delivery including gas to get to and from the post office, time in the post office; and time. . . that's where the biggest loss occurs. You can never be compensated for your time on Ebay. If you did, the handling charge would be several dollars higher.
My pet peeve is when customers who order bicker about the shipping and handling charges. The way I look at it personally is this. When I order from Ebay, I am having the seller provide a service. I don't have to get in my car and spend gas money and time going to a store to find something. The average trip may take an hour. My time is worth much more than the $2-$3 handling fee that is being charged. I don't have to leave my house. The work has already been done. The seller is my slave. What more could I ask for?
Understand that as a seller, you need to make a statement on your website that explains what is included in your shipping and handling charges. Then tell the buyer not to order if they cannot agree with the charges. This sounds harsh, but if you don't make it clear, you will be contacted and argued with. That takes up more time that you are not being compensated for.
Think about it. It's your choice. Just say it in a nice way to help your buyers understand your handling charges when you sell on Ebay.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Ebay - What is a True Niche Market?
If you are going to start an Ebay business and you want it to be successful, you must choose a market niche. A market niche is not golf, hunting, cars, clothing, etc.. That is a market segment. A true ebay market niche digs much deeper. Lets take golf for example. Golf is very popular and there is lots of money to be made online. If you try to compete with just "golf" being your true niche market, you will never get anywhere close to the first page of google any time soon. How about "golf clubs"? Same thing. . . it won't get you near the first page of google. How about "Arnold Palmer golf clubs?" Now you're getting closer to a true market niche.
What would you think about "Arnold Palmer golf putter"? Drilling down, down, down and making the market niche the smallest you can get it so that it still has traffic is the way to go. Find your distributor and use the right keywords to get yourself on the first page of google. Become an expert in that niche by writing articles about the putter and watch yourself get closer to the first page over time.
What would you think about "Arnold Palmer golf putter"? Drilling down, down, down and making the market niche the smallest you can get it so that it still has traffic is the way to go. Find your distributor and use the right keywords to get yourself on the first page of google. Become an expert in that niche by writing articles about the putter and watch yourself get closer to the first page over time.
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