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December 29, 2005
Estimating an Item’s Value for Sale on eBay
Proper pricing of items to be listed for sale on eBay is one of the most important aspects of generating interest in one’s on-line auction listing.
If the price is too high, interest will be low, and the possibility of a sale decreases.
If the price is too low, the seller generates enormous traffic, yet the final bid might be too low to satisfy the seller’s need for a profit.
The following steps will aid in the process of pricing an item for sale on eBay.
Step 1: Determine How Much the Original Item was Worth
First of all, one must find out how much the item cost when it was new. This helps the seller set realistic goals as to how much they can expect to profit when the item is sold.
The seller must remember that the going price for the item in today’s market will be different from its original price. And depending on the demand for that item, he may get a price that is better, or worse than the original price.
The seller must also acceptance the fact that the buying power of today’s dollar is different from that of ten years ago.
Step 2: Do a Little Research
Sellers should research the current price of similar items. This gives the seller a good standard as to how much they should price their item. Searching eBay for successful auctions of similar items is one of the best ways to do this.
Step 2: How Much Has the Item Depreciated?
The seller must check the item for damages and other irregularities from a mint condition item of the same kind. They must then deduct a reasonable amount from the asking price based on their evaluation. Wear and tear on an item will definitely bring down the price of an item considerably. It is wise to make sure that items are repaired, or spruced-up before being auctioned.
Step 3: Start a Little Lower than Usual When Setting the Selling Price
It is wise to start an auction a step or two (or even three) lower than a sellers intended price. This generates interest in the item. It may be hard to believe, but auctions that start lower than the intended price actually have a better chance of overshooting the intended price.
Professional opinions are always available if the seller of an item is in doubt of the value of his or her item. Third party appraisal companies help in this regard. A list of such companies is available at the Authentication & Grading link under Protection and Authentication on eBay.
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Posted by auction at 08:06 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2005
Spotting Fakes and Frauds on eBay
Fake items abound on eBay, and it takes much effort not to be duped by scammers who peddle these wares. There have been many painful stories relating how a seemingly legitimate item turned out to be either fake or defective.
It is possible, however, to avoid these scams if one is careful and vigilant. Buyers should be wary of any purchase over eBay, and should take steps to ensure the authenticity of the item and to make sure the item is in reasonable condition.
Be Vigilant
Buyers should take the initiative by doing plenty of background research. They must learn as much as possible about the products before bidding on them. If the seller provides pictures of an item, they should not be taken at face value. Comparison of these pictures with the real item helps in this regard.
Many sellers will use pictures from manufacturers that do not represent the item they are actually selling; buyers should ask the seller for actual pictures of the item. If the seller balks, buyers should refrain from bidding. Collector’s items, autographed memorabilia, and historical artifacts are common items that are misrepresented on eBay.
Authenticate
Familiarize yourself with the various bodies that certify respective items. For example, reputable merchants of autographed sports memorabilia should include a COA (certificate of authenticity) from a trusted third party. Counterfeit or misrepresented items should be reported to eBay. When buying on eBay Motors, one may have an inspection service double-check if the seller is accurately representing his automobile.
Look at the Feedback
One should analyze the feedback rating of a seller. Analyzing feedback is another helpful exercise to prevent scams. Sellers who have an established history of credible sales are usually helpful and professional to deal with. Negative feedback should be a red flag as to whether one should pursue a trade with the person. The same thing applies for those who do not have feedback ratings at all.
Buyers must be careful however, since it is possible that a scammer has hijacked an account that has positive feedback.
Buyers should make sure they have read the entire product description on its eBay listing. Things to look out for are disclaimers, damages, current item condition, years of use, and others. If this information is not specified, it would do well for the buyer to contact the seller regarding such.
The Price Theory
If the price for an item is too good to be true, it probably is. Auctions that carry outrageously low prices should be taken skeptically.
Bill Enross can help YOU start your own profitable business on the Internet within the next 24 hours! Learn more...
Posted by auction at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2005
Selling Children's Items on Ebay
Selling for a profit on eBay is easy when you have kids. People are earning hundreds of dollars a month by selling kid related items. Here are some general ideas to help you get started.
Kids Items You Can Sell
Clothes, toys and videos are good money makers on eBay.
Go to eBay and look up a "lot" of size six girl's cloths. You will find they are expensive! The average price for a lot of 20 good conditioned clothes is about $35.00.
When your kids grow out of their seasonal clothes do not throw them out. Bundle them into different lots by category. For example bundle girls dresses separate from girls play clothes, but only do that if you have at least six of each different type.
Lots of any item sell better than single items unless the item is unique or high priced. For example, a hand embroidered dress that you paid a lot for would sell better by itself instead of bundled with other basic dresses.
The next item to lookup on eBay is toys. Most toys in good condition will sell for a lot of money. One idea that works well is to buy hot items in October at Wal-Mart or Toys-R-Us and sell them on eBay. Busy people are willing to pay extra for the convenience of getting the items delivered to their home. For example, last year a Mega Power Ranger came out in stores around October and sold at Wal-Mart for about $45.00. The same item sold on eBay for up to $65.00 plus shipping. The Yellow Power Ranger is yet another example where the store price was about $6.00, while the same item was selling on eBay for about $20.00.
Have your children ever received duplicate birthday or Christmas presents? You can sell those on eBay also. Look at the eBay listings for items of interest to see if selling on eBay is worth more than returning the item to the store.
Kid's videos and DVDs are also good money-makers. Bundle about three of these together, and you can usually make about $7.00-$12.00 per bundle. Bundle more and the money goes up. Disney movies in hard cases can go for a higher amount. This also works for other types of movies as well.
Save those McDonalds toys. Some Kids Meals toys sell high. Take the new Star Wars toys from Burger King...very collectible. You will find them selling on eBay from $1.00 to $5.00, not including shipping.
Ebay has a whole section devoted to dolls and bears. If your daughter doesn't want her collectible dolls anymore sell them on eBay.
Kids Crafts You Can Sell
Around the holidays, especially, have your children place their hand in paint and make a print on some quality paper. Add a holiday related poem and you have a great craft to sell on eBay.
Have your kids make gift jars with ready made mixes. For example, hot chocolate mixes in a jar with a plastic spoon tied to it with a ribbon. Dip the end of the spoon with white chocolate.
Baby Items You Can Sell
Used baby items are very profitable. Baby items cost a lot of money, especially in their first year. Any "gently" used items are generally good sellers on eBay.
If you have baby coupons that you will never use, sell them on eBay! Left over diapers and formula sell well also. A lot of 35 used cloth diapers usually sells for around $38.00 plus shipping. Four Fuzzi Bunz diapers (cloth diapers with hemp inserts) can sell for as much as $40.00.
There you have it. Plenty of ideas for selling those leftover kids items on eBay...and you can even make a nice profit while you are at it!
Bill Enross can help YOU start your own profitable business on the Internet within the next 24 hours! Learn more...
Posted by auction at 07:59 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2005
How to Use eBay's "Featured Gallery" Section
Copyright 2005 by Jason James
The 'featured gallery' is a little-known and little-used eBay feature, but that's part of its power: it is far more used by buyers than it is by sellers, which means you can pick up some new buyers by advertising there.
Basically, the featured gallery works a lot like 'Featured Plus' for normal listings, which shows your item before all the other results. Buying a 'Featured Gallery' listing shows your listing at the top when someone chooses to use the picture gallery instead of the list view.
Which Picture Gallery?
Exactly - you've probably got no idea what I'm talking about, since it's such a little-used and well-hidden feature. Try doing a search for an item. Do you see just above the results, where you can choose between 'List View' and 'Picture Gallery' (it's next to the options for sorting the results)? Click 'Picture Gallery'. A whole new world opens up before your eyes!
This feature is there for buyers who prefer to work visually instead of by title - and there are a surprising number of them, especially if your items are being sold for their visual appeal.
What Happens When I'm Featured?
Becoming featured in the gallery means that your item will be displayed above the other items in the picture gallery when any search there includes your item in the results. You might think this useless, considering how few people ever look at the picture gallery - but for the people who do look, you'll be right up there. You'll stand out even more, in fact, since so few sellers buy the featured gallery listings.
Not only that, but your picture will appear almost twice the size of the normal gallery listings below it. Your picture will be taking up a big part of the users' screen as soon as they get their results, and they can't avoid seeing it! For users with smaller screens, your picture could take up as much as a third of their display area.
Consider it targeted advertising towards buyers who prefer to work visually - if you want to attract that kind of buyer, you'll do well from the featured gallery. If you sell art then this will be absolutely ideal for you, especially for large, striking pieces. There are independent artists out there who've gone from no sales to bidding wars just by getting featured in the gallery.
So How Do I Get a Featured Gallery Listing?
Just tick the option when you're going through the Sell Your Item process. It costs $19.95 per item, so it's only really worth using on auctions where you think you'll make more than that back in the extra bids.
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Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His website "The Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 per month on eBay. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with little or no business experience how they too can make huge profits selling products at online auctions.
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Posted by auction at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2005
The Seller’s Dilemma on eBay
It’s obvious that eBay provides internet users with an online flea market where buyers and sellers from around the world meet to conduct trade.
However, like most traders who are faced with an innovation of this sort, the first question will always be: It is safe?
The answer is yes, but devious scammers seem to be plotting daily to forward their dastardly schemes and take advantage of eBay’s power.
So, what is the user’s recourse? The users of eBay must learn to gather information and take meticulous care in dealing on eBay. Only then can they be less gullible to scammers.
A common consensus is that bidders are often scammed by sellers. But it is possible for things to be the other way around.
Here is a list of the common problems sellers encounter and the means to handle them.
Fake Escrow Services
A winning bidder may request that an escrow service be used to assure both parties of a fair transaction. Unfortunately, the seller is sometimes duped into using a fake escrow system.
To avoid this situation, the seller must always verify the authenticity of an escrow service. eBay recommends the use of escrow.com. If the bidder insists on his or her escrow service, chances are, that person is a scammer.
Victims of this fraud find it difficult to reclaim their items. They may, however, appeal to the legal system afforded by the state they live in. They must also contact eBay regarding the matter for any assistance they may be willing to offer.
Deadbeat Bidders
Deadbeat bidders (a winning bidder who doesn’t pay for an item at the auction’s close) are more common on eBay. If the winner of your auction does not pay, you may leave that person a negative feedback.
As for the listing fees the seller shells out, eBay lays out a four step procedure that sellers can use to potentially recover lost selling fees. If sellers complete the process to eBay’s satisfaction, they will receive a Final Value Fee credit and a re-list credit. Filing out an Unpaid Item dispute is the first step toward eBay reimbursing such fees. A person can report an unpaid item up to 45 days after an auction’s close.
Trade Dispute
This occurs when the seller and bidder disagree on some terms of the sale. This may also happen if there is a purported violation of any of these agreements.
If communication between both parties does not help, they may consider availing of a third-party dispute resolution outfit to help. SquareTrade.com is one of these outfits that eBay recommends.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
A seller’s life may be made terrible because of the constant scamming attacks unscrupulous individuals undertake. But, with proper information and care, he or she can continue trading on eBay with relative safety.
Bill Enross can help YOU start your own profitable business on the Internet within the next 24 hours! Learn more...
Posted by auction at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2005
The eBay Blacklist
The eBay business can be most likened to an online flea market. But, as with most flea markets, there is always the possibility that questionable hawkers lurk around the corners. Therefore, there must be rules in place to insure that the auctions and transactions formed through eBay are safe and legal. Only then can a market – online or not – flourish.
Certain types of items are prohibited or regulated on eBay. eBay reserves the right to terminate auctions that violate its specifications for allowed items on listings. In the case of a violation, eBay emails the bidder and the seller to notify them of the violation and to explain the need to terminate the auction.
There are many eBay guidelines in-place that describe items that may not be posted for auction. They fall under three main categories: Prohibited, Questionable and Potentially Infringing.
Prohibited
This describes items that are not permitted on eBay. This list includes alcohol, tobacco, drugs, animals, human parts or remains, government properties, lottery tickets, and others. eBay contains a complete list of such in their policy statement.
Questionable
Items listed as questionable can be posted provided they follow certain conditions. For example, some adult material may be listed for auctioning only if they are posted in the Mature Audiences section of eBay. Event tickets may be sold provided that the auction closes before the actual event itself. The list also includes batteries, artifacts, food, used items, event tickets, weapons and knives, police related equipment, Freon, hazardous chemicals, offensive material, mature audiences material, international selling, and international buying among others.
Potentially Infringing
Items listed under this heading may be legal. However, they almost always violate copyright, trademark, and other rights. Some examples of Potentially Infringing items are: academic software, beta software, bootleg recordings, contracts and tickets, downloadable media, movie prints, OEM software, Replica and counterfeit items, and unauthorized copies.
The eBay list of problem items is updated periodically and is incorporated into the User Agreement of eBay. These guidelines do not represent legal advice. It would do well to check with law enforcement agencies, a lawyer, or other legal outlets to verify the legality of a questionable item to be posted.
This policy applies even if you offer to give your item away for free. As long as it is posted on eBay, it is subject to the above policy.
As a final note, it is stressed that a eBay buyer is subject to liability if he or she purchases an illegal item. It is still the responsibility of the buyers and sellers to monitor the legality of their transactions since eBay is merely a facilitator in the market process.
Bill Enross can help YOU start your own profitable business on the Internet within the next 24 hours! Learn more...
Posted by auction at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2005
An Introduction to Bidding and Buying on eBay
by Jason James
Have you noticed that whenever you open a newspaper, watch the TV or have a conversation, people seem to be talking about eBay? If you've never used it and you've no idea what it's all about, then the chances are that you're starting to feel a little left out. But don't worry! This article contains everything you need to know about the basics of bidding and buying on eBay.
So What is eBay?
eBay is an online auction website - and not just any auction site, but the biggest one in the world. If you know how an auction works, then you already know how roughly eBay works. Someone adds something they want to sell to the site, and then buyers come along and place bids on it. The highest bid wins the item! It's that simple.
eBay being an online auction makes a big difference, though. Buying and selling are not reserved for any elite. eBay accept almost any item, no matter how small, and will then advertise it on their sites all over the world. It's a powerful combination of an auction and a slightly chaotic marketplace.
What is Bidding?
Bidding is when you say how much you will pay for an item in an auction. Bidding on eBay, however, doesn't work in exactly the same way as a normal auction, at least in theory. On eBay, you tell the site what the maximum you are willing to pay for each item is, and then eBay places the bids on your behalf. That means you could say you were willing to pay up to $100 for something and only have to pay $50, if that was the highest maximum bid anyone else placed.
It's not as complicated as it sounds - the best way to get used to it is to give it a try. First, the best thing to do is to go to the eBay website designed for your country. If you don't know the address for it, just go to www.ebay.com and it will tell you there. Now, on the front page you should see a big box marked 'search': just type in anything that you'd like to buy there.
Wasn't that easy? Now you should have a list of items for sale in front of you, along with how much people are currently bidding for them and the time when bidding ends for each item. If you click one of these, you can read the description, and then - if you're happy with the item and happy to pay more than the current highest bidder is - you can bid!
How Do I Bid?
Go ahead and scroll down to the bottom of an item's description page, and type the maximum you are willing to pay (your maximum bid) into the box. Then simply press the 'place bid' button - you will need to sign in once you press the button, or go through a quick registration process if you don't have an eBay username).
If someone else's maximum bid on that item is higher than yours, then eBay will tell you and give you the opportunity to bid again. Otherwise, you're now the new highest bidder! All you need to do now is wait until the end of the auction - if someone else outbids you, then eBay will email you and you can bid again.
Your Rights as an eBay Buyer.
When you buy things on eBay, you pay the seller before they send you anything. This means that you, as a buyer, are vulnerable to all sorts of problems. You might not get the items you have paid for, or they might be damaged or faulty. Luckily, you have two very important rights when you buy on eBay.
The Right to Receive Your Item.
Maybe the seller never sent the item, or maybe it got lost in the post. Whatever happened, you paid for the item. If it doesn't arrive in the post as described, you have the right to a replacement or a refund, whether it's the seller's fault or not.
The fact that you bought something on eBay doesn't mean that you don't have the exact same rights that you would have if you bought it in a shop (these rights are pretty much the same all over the world). Plus, under eBay's rules, the seller isn't allowed to change their mind about selling you the item: once the auction ends, it becomes a contract - you must buy and they must sell, or face eBay's penalties.
The Right for Your Item to Be as Described in the Auction.
Sometimes sellers don't wrap items properly, and so they get broken. Occasionally they write descriptions that are misleading or just plain wrong to begin with, leaving out vital details that would have caused you to change your mind about buying. If this happens to you, you again have the right to a replacement or a refund.
So How Do I Use My Rights?
First, you should take it up with the seller - most will be responsive, as do not want to have their reputation damaged when an upset buyer leaves negative feedback for all their future buyers to see. If that doesn't work, report them to eBay.
While eBay don't have many people handling complaints, they do have a relatively effective set of automatic process to handle common problems buyers and sellers have with one another.
Finally, if that doesn't work, then you should seek advice from consumer groups in your country, and as a last resort from the police. You should never have to get this far, though: problems on eBay that can't be resolved easily are extremely rare.
Don't Be Too Quick.
Remember not to get too annoyed and be unfair to the seller: nice sellers have agreed to give me refunds for undelivered items, only for me to find out a few weeks later that they were being held for me at the post office! Always try your best to communicate and think of everything that might have gone wrong: eBay works best when buyers and sellers sort out their problems together, instead of reporting each other to the authorities straight away.
More often that not receiving what they paid for, buyers have an altogether different problem: they knew what they were paying for, but didn't realise that what they were paying for was overpriced, low quality or a scam.
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Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His website "The Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 per month on eBay. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with little or no business experience how they too can make huge profits selling products at online auctions.
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Posted by auction at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2005
Selling Real Estate on eBay
Selling real estate over the internet may sound like an awkward idea. However, the exposure the real estate receives over such a widespread media like the internet is every realtor’s dream.
Can eBay be used to market real estate? The answer is a resounding ‘yes!’
eBay provides functionality that is clearly adaptable to the needs of most realtors. It provides a widespread medium of advertisement for the real estate. It is also a relatively inexpensive method of advertising.
One of the best things about selling real estate on eBay is that it "markets" to many areas around the world, not just a local area. Advertising on eBay makes the property available to more than 100 million potential buyers, including those from other countries. Visitors can browse through the property details 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – all without the realtor having to explain the details about the property to every single prospect wanting information.
Advertising Your Real Estate on eBay
When one has a house or other real estate to sell, he or she may list it for auction on the eBay Real Estate site. This is found at http://www.pages.ebay.com/realestate.
There are many different ways to present the property for sale on eBay. If the realtor seeks to sell the estate at a fixed price instead of having the property go through an auction, he may request eBay to display a real estate listing in a format much like a local paper.
eBay’s Real Estate page has three selling formats. These are the auction, fixed price selling, and the traditional real estate listing.
For each of these selling formats, the "user" furnishes additional information regarding his or her property. Details may include lot size, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, type of property, year built, and other information. The auction listing period must also be specified, where the choices range from 1-, 3-, 5-, 7-, 10-, or 30-days, or a 30- or 90-day non-auction listing.
The eBay Real Estate website charges two types of fees for listing a property. There is a simple fee for listing the property and also a fee is based on the final amount of the property sale. The charge for a 1-, 3-, 5-, 7-, or 10-day auction listing is typically around $100. A 30-day auction listings cost about $150. A non-auction listing costs $150 for 30-day listing, and about $300 for a 90-day listing.
Fees for Timeshare property and land are usually slightly lower. The final fee amount for Timeshares and land is generally about $35.
Selling real estate on eBay is growing in popularity as the internet stretches it's outreach to more countries. Although nothing beats direct and personal inspection of property, the convenience of having eBay connect seller and potential buyer is definitely appreciated.
Bill Enross can help YOU start your own profitable business
on the Internet within the next 24 hours! Learn more...
Posted by auction at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2005
Avoiding eBay Buying Pitfalls
As with any market, trading on eBay is not without its hassles and snags.
First of all, it should be duly noted that eBay is an online market/transaction facilitator. It merely becomes a means for the buyer and the seller to meet.
Because of its online nature, eBay’s auction listing provides the buyers with a wide selection of goods. The buyers are also enabled to review the seller through the seller’s feedback rating. This helps the buyer decide whether or not to pursue the trade.
The sellers on the other hand, benefit from a wider audience due to the popularity of the Internet and eBay. eBay enables them to post easily, quickly, and extensively.
When eBay connects buyer and seller, the transactions truly begin…as well as the headaches.
Even with the automated nature of most of today’s transactions, eBay is still built on the basic foundation of trading: trust.
A good deal of trust is involved in eBay trading. The buyer has to trust that the seller is listing a legitimate item, and that he or she will deliver that item when paid. The seller, on the other hand, has to trust the buyer to pay fully and without any hidden catches.
Here are a few of the problems one may encounter when using eBay.
- Seller does not deliver product
This is a buyer’s biggest fear. However, it is also one of the most common snags buyers encounter. Usually, when closing a deal, the seller will email purchase instructions to the buyer. This will usually include instructions for payment. The seller will then promise to have the item delivered upon receipt of payment.
If the buyer, after fulfilling his or her part, does not receive the item within the agreed upon date, he or she should immediately try contacting the seller. If this proves to be fruitless, he or she should file a complaint with eBay for assistance regarding the transaction.
- Seller delivers a different/defective product
Sometimes the trading is smooth. Everything goes according to schedule. However, upon receipt of the item, the buyer finds out that the item is significantly different from its description on eBay.
What should the buyer do about this?
Good communication between the buyer and seller usually brings about a speedy and satisfying end to any trading dispute. This should always be the first step when handling a dispute.
- Seller cannot be contacted for questions when closing deal
Most disputes come about due to miscommunication between seller and buyer. But if the seller can not be contacted, that presents a bigger problem for the buyer – especially if that person has already fulfilled payment of the item. Contacting eBay may help to resolve this problem and they are sometimes willing to supply further information about the seller.
Bill Enross can help YOU start your own profitable business
on the Internet within the next 24 hours! Learn more...
Posted by auction at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)
