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.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
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.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Christmas Season is Here on Ebay - What's Hot & Why?
I missed the trend this year. I guess I just wasn't in to it. Zhu Zhu Pets aka zoo zoo pets are the hottest money maker right now, as of today, the months of November and December. I could kick myself for not paying closer attention. That's where you come in. Start watching the ads and specials in October and see what's popular with the kids. This is the must have toy that sold for $8 in Walmart and now people are paying $25 - $40 plus shipping for this little hamster from China who basically does nothing but move forward on wheels.
The best part is that the little hamster needs his toys and clothes. . . another Webkinz in the making. The toys are outrageously expensive as well. This is the first time I have seen so many new Ebayers with 0 feedback selling these things and making a killing.
What I want to know is why wasn't I this smart this year? Pay attention to the trends. Also, regarding the discussion of how people on Ebay rip people off over these things. . .well, let me tell you. . . in one night, I watched over 1,000 auctions close successfully for these little critters and they all sold. 24 hours, 1000 auctions, all sold. If the people are willing to pay you for being smart enough to get in on the trend, then by all means, go for it. They may not be hot next year.
The best part is that the little hamster needs his toys and clothes. . . another Webkinz in the making. The toys are outrageously expensive as well. This is the first time I have seen so many new Ebayers with 0 feedback selling these things and making a killing.
What I want to know is why wasn't I this smart this year? Pay attention to the trends. Also, regarding the discussion of how people on Ebay rip people off over these things. . .well, let me tell you. . . in one night, I watched over 1,000 auctions close successfully for these little critters and they all sold. 24 hours, 1000 auctions, all sold. If the people are willing to pay you for being smart enough to get in on the trend, then by all means, go for it. They may not be hot next year.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
What to Sell on Ebay During the Holidays
The holidays provide a great time of the year for just about anyone to make money on Ebay. The easiest way to decide what to sell is to watch, right now, what the trends are. What are the hottest toys going to be this year? What was the most popular movie and what might sell in relation to that movie? You can find that info simply by watching TV or reading the newspapers or magazines.
Once you have determined what the hottest items will be, then watch your stores for discounts and coupons. Many times a popular item will sell out a month before Christmas. If you have that one of a kind item, your auction may go wild.
Two years ago I found the game Electronic Battleship in my local discount Ollies store. I purchased about 16 of those games. I could have kicked myself for not buying more. I paid $24 each for them and my average auction win came in at around $50. That's not a bad return on my investment.
If you find something of interest in your local discount store that you think will sell, write the name of the product down and the price and go to Ebay. Type in the name and see how many come up. That will show you if the product you want to sell is competitive. The next thing to do is to see if anyone is actually buying the product. To do that, look on the left hand side to find the words "completed listings". Make sure you are signed in to do this. Then put a check in the box and search again with the exact search term you searched before. That will show you how many of the items have actually sold (in green) and how much they went for. Then you can determine if the product is worth buying.
Once you have determined what the hottest items will be, then watch your stores for discounts and coupons. Many times a popular item will sell out a month before Christmas. If you have that one of a kind item, your auction may go wild.
Two years ago I found the game Electronic Battleship in my local discount Ollies store. I purchased about 16 of those games. I could have kicked myself for not buying more. I paid $24 each for them and my average auction win came in at around $50. That's not a bad return on my investment.
If you find something of interest in your local discount store that you think will sell, write the name of the product down and the price and go to Ebay. Type in the name and see how many come up. That will show you if the product you want to sell is competitive. The next thing to do is to see if anyone is actually buying the product. To do that, look on the left hand side to find the words "completed listings". Make sure you are signed in to do this. Then put a check in the box and search again with the exact search term you searched before. That will show you how many of the items have actually sold (in green) and how much they went for. Then you can determine if the product is worth buying.
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