eBay Tips And Tricks

How to Find Great Deals at eBay

2006-03-19T01:16:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

Everyone loves a great deal! Many people spend quite a bit of time searching for good deals on the items that they want and need – and when they find those deals, they experience a certain amount of satisfaction. These people typically haunt garage sales, stores that are holding sales, wholesale warehouses, flea markets, and especially online and offline auctions. With the incredible number of auctions that are constantly going on at eBay, it can be difficult to find the items you want, at the price you want to pay.

But it isn’t impossible to find great deals!
There are steps you can take to ensure that you are getting a great deal on the items you purchase through eBay. In fact, these same steps will also help to protect you against fraud. Participating in online auctions is a great deal of fun, but you mustuse caution as well. This caution entails doing your research before you place any bids.

Start with the auction in question. Make sure that you read every word of the description and the auction details. You can never have too much information – especially if that information is about an individual that you may be doing business with. Pay special attention to what the description and auction details do not say. For instance, is a guarantee mentioned? Is the item new? Is it authentic? Is there proof of authenticity? Look for auctions that provide the right information – and the right amount of information. Avoid those that do not.

Who will pay the shipping and handling costs? Often,the buyer pays these costs, and sometimes, the seller tries to charge more than the actual shipping and handling costs are. Beware of high shipping costs, especially for items that will be auctioned off at a very low price. Also note when the item is supposed to ship after the bidding has ended. Depending on what you are trying to purchase the item for, it may not arrive in time.

Don’t make the mistake of bidding on an item simply because it is a ‘good deal.’ It is only a good deal for you if the item is something that you really want or need. Many people simply bid for the sake of bidding – or winning – without having any real need or desire for the item in question. Before bidding on items that you do want or need, check prices around the Internet and the prices available from offline sources as well. Just because it is on eBay does not guarantee that it is the cheapest price available!

Finally, learn more about the seller. Can you trust them? What is their rating? Read their feedback page! Failure to learn more about the seller can becostly. Not everyone is as honest as you are – and the seller may be trying to take advantage of people that simply don’t know enough to find out more about them. Sometimes scammers make their auctions sound like really great deals. Beware of prices that seem extremely low!

©copyright 2006 Niche Profit Marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..

How to Avoid Failure on Your eBay Auctions

2006-03-19T01:04:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

Many first time sellers have one thing in common – they fail. Many of them fail time and time again, never understanding what is going wrong. They do hours of research looking for the perfect item to sell, get the auction set up, and wait for the bidding to begin. Hours go by and no bids are placed. Days go by, and there are still no bids – or there are very low bids. Finally the auction ends, and it turns out to be a total failure. Considering the huge number of sellers who run eBay auctions, there are specific things you must do, and specific things you must not do if you are to be successful.

There are many reasons why auctions fail. The most common reason is that the item is not in high demand. This problem can be avoided by doing the necessary research to determine which items sell well, and which items should be avoided. This research takes a great deal of time – but in the end, you will find that it is time well spent.

Another reason for eBay failure is pricing. No matter what your reserve price is, your opening bid price should never be more than $50 or so. This is how you will attract potential bidders to your auction. If you set that opening bid too high, most people won’t even click the link to read the description for your item. Another pricing problem is lack of research. Before you set your reserve price, you must determine what the item is really worth, and the price similar items have sold for in past eBay auctions.

Poorly written descriptions are another cause of failed auctions. Poor grammar and misspelled words drive people away. Failing to post a picture of the item will also keep people from visiting your auction page. Make sure that your description is well written. This is essentially your ‘sales copy.’

Shipping prices scare people away from auctions if they are too high. Find the lowest shipping prices that you can find, and consider paying for the shipping yourself if it won’t cut into your profits too much. Do not charge handling fees.

Offer great ‘customer service’ for all of your auctions, and ask your buyers to give you feedback. If the items that you sell are everything that you said they would be, and you offer great customer service, you can expect wonderful feedback – and this feedback will help a great deal in your future auctions.

©copyright 2006 Niche Profit Marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com/niche-pr_article/

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..

Hot Selling Items for eBay Auctions

2006-03-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

Many people who are trying to start an eBay business spend a great deal of time trying to figure out which items sell the best on eBay. Many of these people have elaborate systems for determining this information, and many others purchase expensive courses that teach them how to find this information as well. None of that is necessary. Everything you need to know is right in front of you – on the eBay website!

Take a look at any category, and you will see the word ‘hot’ beside some items. These items are not marked as hot sellers randomly – there is a method to the madness! Items only get marked as hot when there have been more than thirty bids placed on the item. All you have to do is wonder around the eBay website for a while to find an item that will do well.

However, most power sellers will agree that there is more to figuring out which items sell best than this. In fact, they claim that it is a science. A great way to start your search for items that will result in a successful auction in the future is to do research on the auctions that were successful in the past. You can view old listings that have completed at ebay

A new way to determine what items sell best on eBay is ‘eBay Marketplace Research.’ Marketplace Research will allow you to view important statistical information on the buying trends at eBay. This product contains all of the data one could possibly ever need to determine how well – or how poorly – an item will do in an eBay auction. There is a small fee for using the eBay Marketplace Research tools, however.

Another tool that will be very useful in your quest for finding hot selling items for your eBay auctions is the listing of popular eBay search terms that is found on the site. This list can be found at: ebay

This list is divided into categories, which will make it easier to determine how popular your potential item may be.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that an item will do poorly, or that it will do well without doing your homework on the item first. Some of the strangest things sell for the highest prices, while items that would sell quickly in any other environment just sit there. Almost any eBay Power Seller will tell you that the key to a successful auction rests in the amount of research you put into the items you hope to sell.

©copyright 2006 Niche Profit Marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com/niche-pr_article/

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..

eBay University – What Is It All About?

2006-03-19T00:57:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

eBay University is the learning program that eBay established to help people become successful eBay merchants. For convenience, eBay classes are held in many locations throughout the United States, and classes may also be completed from home, using your computer.

You should note that all of the information you will learn through eBay University can be found on the website – for free. However, understanding that free information isn’t always easy. eBay University will teach you how to open a seller’s account, how to conduct research and create listings, how to improve listings for greater success, how to integrate Paypal with eBay, how to monitor your auctions, and how to complete transactions.

Once you’ve finished the Selling Basics course, you are ready for the ‘Beyond the Basics’ course. This advanced course will teach you how to start and grow an eBay business, how to choose and create listing formats that sell, how to use all of the eBay resources, how to market your business, how to pack and ship your items, and much more. Both courses are reasonably priced, and well worth the short amount of time that it takes to complete each course.

©copyright 2006 Niche Profit Marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com/niche-pr_article/

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..

eBay Scams – Steps to Take if You Have Been Defrauded

2006-03-19T00:54:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

eBay is a relatively safe marketplace. Unfortunately, like most online marketplaces, it is vulnerable to scams. eBay tries to keep instances of scams occurring, but with more than 100 million members, and approximately $40 million moving through the site on a daily basis, this can be a little difficult. Sometimes, scams occur.

If you have been scammed, there are certain stepsyou need to follow to report the incident, and to try to come to a resolution. If you paid for the item through Paypal, the first step is to login to your Paypal account and open up a dispute for the payment. If you did not pay through Paypal, contactyour credit card company. In most cases, if you have used one of these two cases, you will recover your money.

The next step is to use eBay’s dispute process to report the seller. This is specifically for items that were not received, or items that were significantly different than what was described in the auction. eBay also has a purchase protection program to further protect buyers. If a settlement cannot be reached with the buyer, the next step is to make an eBay buyer purchase protection claim.

©copyright 2006 niche-profit-marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com/niche-pr_article/

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..

eBay Data and Research – How Important Is It?

2006-03-19T00:51:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

eBay is a business anyway you look at it. Sure, it is a great deal of fun for both the buyers and sellers, but when you look at it from another view point, you will see that it is a business from the seller’s point of view, the buyer’s point of view, and eBay’s point of view. 40 million dollars a day travels through eBay. Selling items on eBay successfully is an art, and eBay offers many different forms of Data and Research to ensure that you are selling the right items, to the right people, in the right way.

Some of the data and research is not free, but much of it is. The available resources include hot items by category, eBay Pulse, merchandising calendar, sales reports, marketplace research, buyer behavioral report, and the eBay solutions directory. These tools are quite easy to use, and the information that can be gleaned from them is extremely valuable.

The Data and Research tools are all accessible through your seller’s account, by clicking on the ‘Advance Selling’ link. Learn to use those tools, and get your piece of that $40 million eBay revenue each day.

©copyright 2006 Niche Profit Marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com/niche-pr_article/

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..

eBay Business Solutions

2006-03-19T00:48:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

If starting an eBay business is your goal, as
opposed to just auctioning a few items off for some
extra cash, you need to use the eBay business
solutions that are available to you. Because eBay’s
success depends on the success of its sellers,
they strive to help you at every turn. eBay Business
Solutions is the key to starting an eBay business.

eBay Stores is one of the better solutions for eBay
business owners. An eBay store will allow you to
list multiple quantities of the same item, and allow
you to keep them listed for longer time periods.
eBay Store owners also enjoy lower auction fees,
and have access to advanced merchandising tools.
Eventually, you should consider upgrading to an
eBay Pro Store, which will allow you to customize
your storefront with your own brand and web
address.

There are many other eBay Business Solutions,
such as seller tools, the eBay solutions directory,
and the merchant solution center, but you should
definitely start with your very own eBay store,
followed by an eBay Pro Store.

©copyright 2006 Niche Profit Marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com/niche-pr_article/

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..

eBay and Customer Service

2006-03-19T00:41:00.000-08:00

By Peter Parks

If you are running an eBay business, you may not
realize that the need for great customer service still
exists – even for online auctions. When a buyer
receives quality customer service from you, they
will potentially do one of two things – or both. They
will give you great feedback, and they may look for
more of your auctions in the future. If you hope to
make a living from eBay, you have to stop thinking
of it as an ‘auction’ and start running it like a
‘business.’

If you owned a brick and mortar business, how
would you treat your customer while they were
standing at your counter, waiting for you to finish
ringing up their order? You would be helpful and
respectful of course! You would do everything that
you could to guarantee that customers return to
your establishment in the future. You would bend
over backwards to make sure that their buying
experience with you was both satisfactory and
enjoyable. Why would you do any less at the
close of one of your eBay auctions?

First, act quickly at the close of your auctions.
Contact the winner, and congratulate them. Describe
the item they have won and how the item will be
shipped – even if this information is already part of
the description for the auction. Remind them of their
winning bid amount, and give them payment options
and instructions. Let them know when the item will
be shipped.

Close your email by thanking them for participating
in your auction. You might even take this opportunity
to tell them about other open auctions that you have
as well. Think of this contact with the winner as a
conversation that you are having with a customer
who is standing at your counter in that imaginary
brick and mortar store.

Once the payment and shipping details have been
taken care of, contact your buyer again. Let them
know when the item was shipped – the exact date
and time – and when it is expected to arrive on their
end. During this contact, let them know that if they
have any problems or questions, that they should
contact you through the eBay site. If they do
contact you in the future, make sure that you
answer promptly, and that you do all that you can
to make them happy with their purchase – even if
it means issuing a refund.

Yes. You should be open to issuing refunds,
depending on what the item is. Furthermore, you
should issue refunds promptly. Of course, it is
reasonable to expect the buyer to return the item to
you, at your expense, before the refund is issued –
but once you receive the item, issue the refund
promptly. This is just good business!

©copyright 2006 Niche Profit Marketing

Peter Parks is a Infopreneur that specializes in helping his niche clients succeed in growing their niche businesses with the latest niche marketing techniques and strategies.
http://www.niche-profit-marketing.com/niche-pr_article/

You have the right to reprint this article to anyone you wish, we just ask that you leave the authors resource box intact with a live link back to the site with the phrase (niche-profit-marketing). Also you can insert your affiliate link inside this article and send it out to your list. Use articles for the fastest and latest results which can make you a household name and bring truck loads of laser targeted traffic to your business and explode your sales through the roof..