Ebay Seller Survival Tips

Selling on Ebay can be relatively simple once the technical aspects of posting items and filling orders is mastered. Much more difficult is developing your Ebay sales efforts into a consistent, viable business. Technical aspects aside, there are several key areas which the serious Ebay seller must also master if they are to consistently profit from an Ebay business venture.

The first area, customer service, is one that many sellers seem to be lacking in. A successful Ebay business requires repeat buyers. The first and easiest way to get a buyers attention is to provide excellent customer service above and beyond the competition. This runs the gamut from promptly answering emails and shipping packages to keeping your buyer informed every step of the way. Take the time to send an acknowledgment when payment is received and a note when a package is mailed. Leave feedback when appropriate. These simple steps greatly increase the chances of a buyer returning to you for future purchases.

Failing to pay attention to costs has been the downfall of many Ebay businesses. It is essential to keep good records of all costs involved with each transaction. Know the costs of acquiring your product as well as your approximate cost to complete a transaction. Keep records of sell through rates and prices realized. This can be as simple or complex as you wish to make it. Basically, the more factors tracked, the better informed you are in making business decisions. Put another way, if you don’t know exactly how much it is costing you to acquire, sell, and ship an item, how do know if you are making any money?

By authority reputation, we refer to developing a niche category that you consistently sell in. Buyers who over and over again see your products in areas they routinely buy in are more likely buy from you. Your niche should be in an area in which you have researched and are very well versed. Buyers who consistently see well written ads by the same seller in the same category will tend to regard the seller as a reputable knowledgeable dealer. This doesn’t mean, of course, that you can not sell items in other categories. It simply means that as much as possible you want buyers to develop an association with your name for a specific category.

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Ebay Global Boycott Planned (?)

.....from a blog titled Boycott Ebay posted on 3/21...

Ebay is a Monopoly that doesn't give a damn!

This is a GLOBAL BOYCOTT to get ebay to reduce their fees (definitive percentage reduction to be decided) for the benefit of ALL Buyers and Sellers.

I don't know about you but I'm getting sick and tired of being ripped off by Internet Monopolies like Ebay. Their attitude sucks. Their fees suck. And now their service is beginning to suck.

Without the buyers and sellers who make up the ebay community, there simply wouldn't be an ebay. So if the current nonchalant attitude prevails then we could be witnessing the beginning of the end for the e-Monolith. It's end would of course be fine as long as we have an alternative that isn't out to shaft us at every turn.

But until such time as there is a credible alternative, we need to take matters into our own hands. This is about empowerment. It's about the people taking control of their own destiny. If we act as a collective voice we can take power away from the Monopolies and hand it back to the people. If we sit back and do nothing, then they win and we are beaten into submission.

complete post here...

Half.com Items to Appear on Ebay Express

Starting in April Half.com sellers can opt to also have their listings appear on Ebay Express. Qualified listings will appear automatically for those who opt in. Sellers who opt in before April 15 will receive a 50% discount on final value fees for items that sell on Ebay Express through the end of June.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200703191722282.html

Emphasis on reputation in e-commerce growing

By ALAN SIPRESS
THE WASHINGTON POST

The eBay vendor had a glowing record -- more than 900 successful sales -- with only a single complaint amid a long series of positive customer testimonials.

So when a Georgia bidder won the seller's auction for an Olympus digital camera in January, there seemed little reason to worry about dispatching almost $700 into cyberspace. But the camera never arrived.

"I don't think I will ever buy anything over the Internet again," the conned bidder lamented in a posting on an eBay discussion board. "I am not a wealthy person, had saved long and hard for this camera for my business, and don't know when, or IF EVER I will see my $700 again."

Since the early days of the Internet, Web sites have struggled to find ways of reassuring users that a stranger could be as honest as a well-known local merchant, as knowledgeable as a respected teacher or as insightful as a wise grandparent. With e-commerce now estimated to exceed $100 billion a year and greater numbers of people turning to the Internet for products, advice and love, Web sites are crafting more elaborate rating and feedback systems -- reputation monitors of sorts -- to help users evaluate whom they can trust.

But the cheats have also noticed the unprecedented chance for ill-gotten gains. This has set off a high-stakes game of cat and mouse as Web sites spend more time and money to secure their systems against cheaters.

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Ebay Promotion - First Time Sellers Get 3 Free Listings 3/15-3/24

Ebay is holding a promotion for first time sellers only from March 15 thru March 24. New sellers will get 3 free listings with gallery during the promotional period. Offer is for first time sellers only. Final value fees and listing upgrade fees will apply.

This promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: All eBay Motors listings (including Parts & Accessories, Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, Power Sports, Other Vehicles), International, Live Auction, Professional Services, Real Estate, Ad Format and Store Inventory listings, and certain business categories.

Ebay.com

Ebay Discount Listing Promotion 3-14-07

Ebay insertion fees for auction style listings have been reduced to 20 cents for March. 14. 07 on the U.S. and Canada sites.

This promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: Fixed Price listings, All eBay Motors listings (including Parts & Accessories, Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, Power Sports, Other Vehicles), International, Live Auction, Professional Services, Real Estate, Ad Format and Store Inventory listings. and certain business categories.

http://pages.ebay.com/promo/20cent07/

ATO investigating eBay's top online sellers

NEWS.com.au

EBAY has handed over the personal and financial details of hundreds of its top customers to the Australian Taxation Office as part of an investigation into GST compliance.

The ATO has asked for the details of eBay sellers with an annual turnover of more than $50,000. The request is understood to be part of an ATO audit to determine if online sellers are avoiding GST, and could affect up to 1000 local customers.

eBay Australia managing director Simon Smith said the ATO had requested data for the period July 1, 2003, to June 30 last year. The request was made a month ago and sellers were informed by email yesterday.

At least one seller is known to have gone into liquidation this year after a related ATO probe.

eBay provided to the ATO information including members' contact names, seller user names, phone numbers, duration of membership and monthly sales turnover for the periods in question. Mr Smith said the data had been provided in compliance with eBay's privacy policy.

Shipping Sidekick Now Accepting Paypal

Webplus, Inc., a leading provider of small business solutions, announced today that its Shipping Sidekick (www.shippingsidekick.com) shipping rate comparison web site is now accepting PayPal to better accommodate eBay sellers. PayPal users will enjoy a streamlined signup process as well as the convenience and security of PayPal online payments.

When sending a parcel, users simply enter the destination and package information in order to quickly and easily compare the shipping rates and delivery time of each shipping company. This allows the user to choose the shipper with the best price for the delivery time needed. Published rates from all four major US shippers are provided side-by-side on one screen. Each delivery company's ground, rush or priority, and overnight shipping rates are included, eliminating the days of having to go to each shipper's website to get their rates.

Complete Article Here

Ebay Bids for Younger Crowd

Wal Street Journal Online

In its search for growth, eBay Inc. is starting to go after teenagers' wallets, teaming with social-networking sites to lure younger customers.

The San Jose, Calif., online auctioneer is working on launching a feature for visitors to social-networking company Bebo Inc., which caters largely to teenagers. The idea is, Bebo users would be able to use the site to post lists of items they want to sell or buy on eBay. Clicking on an item on the list would send Bebo users to eBay, bringing eBay a potentially lucrative stream of new visitors.

EBay is "looking to engage a younger demographic in a very creative way," says Jim Scheinman, vice president of business development at Bebo, San Francisco. The majority of Ebay's users now are 35 to 44 years old.

This is just one of several overtures that eBay has recently made to social-networking Web sites, the popular online hangouts where people can build personal profiles with photos and videos, and send messages to each other. EBay has also been talking to News Corp.'s MySpace, the biggest social-networking site, which counts teens and 20-somethings among its core user base, about ways to partner on "peer commerce," say people familiar with the matter. This would allow MySpace users to buy and sell items from each other using eBay's online-commerce technology and PayPal electronic-payment system, these people said. MySpace declined to comment.

Complete Article Here

Ebay a Haven in Hard Times

This article is from Vishesh Kumar of TheStreet.com

Fears of an economic slowdown may be taking their toll on the stock market, but a little recession may be just what it takes to jump-start eBay.

That's because consumers flock to the auction giant for cheaper goods when times get tough, while sellers become more adamant about moving items that might otherwise lie around.

And the boost in both buyer and seller activity ends up helping eBay's auction business.

"So, if you want a DVD player in this economic environment, you might be happy to have last year's DVD player at 50% off retail," eBay CEO Meg Whitman told Business Week back in March 2001, as the U.S. economy was entering its last recessionary period. "And we see people finding things in their garage that can raise thousands of dollars in cash. So we're seeing a pickup in sellers."

Indeed, eBay got a big boost from the last recession, which lasted from March to November 2001, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Shares of eBay rallied 80% during that period, even as major indices, including the Nasdaq, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, dropped.

Now, as signs emerge that the U.S. economy could be headed for another slowdown, eBay again may become increasingly attractive to investors.

Complete Articles is Here