EBAY

This is perhaps one of the most well known ways to earn money online and it is one that is growing rapidly and will continue to do so over the next few years. It is this growth that means it will be impossible for a select few to monopolize the market, there is room for everyone who wants to sell on eBay.

Did you know that it is estimated that in the UK around 10,000 people make a full time living through eBay.

The first thing you have to do if you are going to buy and sell on eBay is to register. If you have not already registered then click on the link at the side to be taken directly to eBay.

Once you are registered then you can start buying and selling. One thing that you do need to consider is how you want to pay for items and how you want to be paid. You can of course accept cheques but you do have to wait for these to be received and then wait for it to clear which is all very time consumimg and means that it delays the goods being despatched which is frustrating for all concerned.

One of the most common methods that people use to pay for items is PayPal which is now owned by eBay. It has the benefit of giving you added security and for your buyers to be able to pay by credit card but unlike cheques there are fees to be paid and you need to factor this into your pricing. If you would like to find out more about how Paypal works then click on the link opposite to be taken directly to PayPal.

I have found a couple of books that are quite good to buy from Amazon and you can usually pick them up quite cheaply. To buy either of the books just click on the picture on the right to be taken direct to Amazon.

For some regular information on eBay follow the following link to my blog.

About eBay Selling

WHERE DO YOU SOURCE STOCK FROM TO SELL ON EBAY?

You’ve decided you want to earn some extra cash eBay selling, you’ve decided what product you would like to sell but then comes the crunch question, where do I source my product from? Well there are many potential answers to that question and much depends on the type of product that is going to make up your eBay selling.

For example you will probably source old post cards very differently to how you might source pet toys. So how can you find stock?

1. Charity shops

You cannot be serious? Well I am actually, there are many sellers on eBay who source a lot of stock from charity shops, particularly items such as clothes, books and ornament type objects.

2. Car boot fairs

These can be a good source of items dependant on what it is you are looking for, but if you know your product well in terms of what is a bargain and what an item can be sold for on eBay then it is possible to find a lot of the stock you need here.

3. Auction houses

This one can be more difficult because you really need to know your subject matter well but I am told that you can often pick up some great job lots at the more rural locations if you are alert and know what sells in your niche. Do not forget that a lot of products can have their own specialised auctions selling only specific products e.g. postcards or stamps

4. Ebay

Yes there are people on eBay who only sell on a wholesale basis but do be careful to make sure you know your market place well as these eBay sellers will have had to source items from somewhere and will have already marked up the items once before you buy them and start to sell.

5. Dropshippers

This is a great way to sell if you do not want to hold stock yourself. You set up an account with a dropshipper, check that they hold good levels of stock themselves then start selling on eBay and as you make each sale you pass the details to the dropshipper who will then send the goods to your buyer. Whilst this method has a lot of appeal as you do not have to hold stock, again you have to make allowance for another person’s margin and your feedback will rely on the speed with which they deliver

6. Wholesalers

This is the most common method if you want to really grow a business eBay selling. But how do I find a wholesaler I here you cry? Well first do not go onto the eBay discussion boards and ask people if they can recommend a wholesaler as I saw one person do recently – to say that they got laughed of the discussion board would be an understatement!

The easiest method to use, and I have used it successfully myself, is go on the Internet and start searching. It won’t be an instant fix and in my case I had to move down quite a lot of pages on the Google search before I was successful but it worked for me and that is how I found both my wholesalers.

For more hints, tips and ideas on how to sell on eBay visit my blog at www.aboutebayselling.blogspot.com

For details of wholesalers and other resources follow this link

Wholesale Directory and Resources

My Top 10 hints for Sellers

1. Read eBays help section, it is really good and will give you a vast amount of useful information
2. Be honest when describing your item. Honesty really is the best policy on eBay or you will gain negative feedback which is not good if you want to establish yourself long term
3. Use a digital camera, if you have not got one then try buying one on ebay. People feel more comfortable buying an item they can see a picture of
4. Write a good descriptive title to help attract peoples attention
5. Give a clear description of the item you are selling including any sizes, marks, colour etc. Look at the descriptions successful sellers of items are using to get ideas
6. Check the price of other similar items to get a sensible idea of where you should be setting the start point for your own auction
7. Do not use a reserve it really does put people off. Set your minimum as the minimum price you want for the item
8. Try and aim to get your auction to finish on a Saturday or Sunday evening which are peak times. The early hours of a Wednesday morning tend to be much less successful
9. Use Paypal - I know there are those that do not like Paypal, as much because of the fees but it does allow you to get immediate payment and effectively accept credit cards while giving you some protection. It also means that the buyer is likely to receive their items much quicker, but do remember to factor the Paypal fees into your pricing
10. If you are really keen to get the best price draw attention to your auction by Emailing unsuccessful bidders who were seeking to buy a similar item to yours - you can track other auctions by clicking on the auction and then clicking the watch this item. At the end of the auction click on the bids and it will list all unsuccessful bidders then click on their name, click on contact member and send them an Email