No USPS Service Jan 2, 2007

Just a reminder to Ebay sellers ....January 2, 2007 has been designated as a National Day of Observance in honor of Former President Gerald Ford. All federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service, will be closed. Postal service resumes January 3.

Ebay Post Christmas Listing Sale

Ebay.com has announced a one day 15 cent listing sale for auction and fixed priced listings for December 27, 2006. The promotion applies to items on Ebay.com and the parts and accessories categories on Ebay Motors.

The promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: eBay Motors vehicles categories (Passenger Vehicles, etc.), International, Live Auction, Professional Services, Real Estate, Ad Format, Store Inventory listings, and certain business and industrial categories.

Final value fees as well as optional upgrade fees for border, bold, Buy It Now, Featured Plus!, Highlight, Gallery, Gallery Plus, Home Page Featured, Gallery Featured, Gift Services, Reserve listing fee, Listing Designer, Picture Services, Picture Show, Subtitle, Supersize Picture and extended duration will not be affected by this promotion.

Christmas Lights Set to Music

Christmas lights set to the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra...enjoy...... Happy Holidays to All

Use Ebay Item Specifics to Your Advantage

Item specifics allow you to define your items more specifically through drop down menus which differ for each category. In apparel categories they include such details as brand, condition, size, etc. In CD's they may include genre, type, and condition.

Use of item specifics is optional, however according to Ebay including them in your listing can result in average bids 10% higher than those without.

The big advantage to the seller is that they act as sort of "invisible" searchable terms for your item. As a search gets narrowed down, many buyers will use the specifics to pull up particular size, model, etc. Your items that match the buyers requirements will be among those coming up in the search. (assuming you completed specifics when you listed) Is is almost like a surrogate subtitle that allows your items to be described in more detail.

As an example, you have listed a pair of blue suede shoes. Even though you failed to mention in your title that they are used size 18 mens athletic shoes, your buyer will still easily find them when they narrow down the item specifics to those terms.

OK....silly example, but you get the idea. Use it to your advantage.

The Risky Business of Selling Counterfeits

Despite the risks -- exploding batteries with mercury in them, faulty lamps that could cause your house to go up in flames -- many people
buy knock-offs. "A lot of people are willing to buy a counterfeit product," said Pauline Morrison, president of the Better Business Bureau of Central North Carolina.

Seems there always a market somewhere for anything, including (obvious) counterfeit items and knock-offs. While it is possible to make money handling these items, the potential risk to the seller makes it a very risky business.

Read the story here in technewsworld.com

Selling Your Car on Ebay

Selling a car on Ebay works much the same as selling any item, with the addition of a few extra steps to protect yourself and your buyer. First things first, if you have not done so already, it is necessary to register an account with Ebay.

With that out of the way, you will need to gather together all relevant information about your vehicle. Now is also a good time to begin taking photos. As a general rule, the more the better. Take photos of all four sides of the vehicle, close ups of any body damage, the engine compartment, and the interior. It is also wise to take a photo of the odometer reading.

Now that you are ready to begin your listing, move on to the EbayMotors page. You will need to enter the VIN and complete a checklist of information about your car. When writing your description it is important that you be both thorough and completely honest. Include:

• a complete description of the vehicle, including any damage not seen in the photographs
• include any options or modifications not covered in the checklist
• a description of any mechanical problems
• if you have replaced any major components, include information
• any special circumstances i.e. car was garaged, non-smoking driver, no pets, etc.
• if you have maintenance records, indicate that they are available
• the status of the title, warranty, and inspection

Your terms for the auction or BIN should include:

• A clear explanation of what form of payment you will accept and when it will be due. As a general rule the seller should require a deposit within 3 days of the transaction. Be clear about the amount and method of deposit you require as well as what form of payment you will accept for the balance.
• Who is responsible for picking up vehicle. The seller is generally responsible for arranging and paying for any shipping service , etc. Again, make sure to spell that out in your terms.

If your car is sucessfully sold, you will need to work out final arrangements with the buyer for payment and pick up. Most buyers tend to pick up their car in person, however if a shipping service is required make sure that you and your buyer agree upon a licensed bonded service. The final step in the transaction is transferring of the title. As the rules vary from state to state, you may want to check with your local DMV regarding their policies.

Ebay to Eliminate Pre-Approved Bidder Buyer List

According to Ebay's bidder management page, beginning January 2007 access to pre-approved bidder / buyer lists will be restricted. This is an optional feature that some sellers use to help avoid nuisance bidding by creating a list of pre-approved buyers. No reason is stated for the change in policy.

Ebay Motors Listing Promotion 12-5-06

Ebay Motors has a one day reduced fee listing promotion for Dec. 5 2006 only. All listings starting price or reserve price above $9.99 on the U.S. eBay Motors site will only be charged a maximum of $0.50 per listing.

Promo page is Here.

Ebay Community Counts Project Completed

Community Counts was an interesting Ebay demographic project conducted between Nov. 1st - Novv. 21st 2006. Market activity in every U.S. zip code was tracked for key activities including listing items, selling items, bidding, buying, participation in community forums, and charitable activity through eBay Giving Works. The zip code with the greatest number of "points" was named #1 Community in America.

You can plug in your zip code and see how well your community fared on
this page

Use Ebay Listing Upgrades with Caution

Ebay offers an entire shopping cart of enhancements and auction upgrades to make your auction "stand out" from the crowd. For most they claim that using such and such will result in xx% higher final prices, etc. While all do offer value in specific situations, it is wise to approach use of these extra's with caution. Among the listing goodies offered:

• Gallery photo ($0.35)
• Picture Services ($0.15) each additional, ($0.75 supersize)
• Gallery Plus ($0.75)
• Subtitle ($0.50)
• Listing designer ($0.10)
• Bold ($1.00)
• Border ($3.00)
• Highlight ($5.00)
• Scheduled listing ($0.40)

These are just a few. The list goes on with products ranging from $19.95 to $79.95. It is very easy to see how just a of couple listing add-ons can quickly erode any profits you may see from an auction.

The only one I recommend consistent use of is basic gallery pictures. Many buyers search by gallery only and ignore listings without gallery photos. In some categories such as jewelry, gallery is almost mandatory if you want page views.

Photos are the lifeblood of your auction and probably the second area you might consider using upgrades. An inexpensive option to picture services is to use a reliable quality low cost web hosting service such as IX Web Hosting
and loading all of your pictures from your own domain. This has the added advantage of allowing you to avoid the glitches that sometimes occur with Ebay picture services.

As for the rest, adding on enhancements should always be considered within the context of what you are selling. A $2500 piece of jewelry may easily benefit from the $29.95 Pro Pack, and the addtional cost is less than 2% of the selling price. A $20 widget with only a few basic upgrades could easily add up 10% to your listing cost. Keep in mind you will also be paying basic listing fees + FV fees + Paypal fees for each auction.

Use upgrades with caution, test your market carefully, and track your results. If you find a specific upgrade consistently performs better , by all mean use it.