Selling items on eBay is a great way of making extra money in Australia and other parts of the world. The key to succeeding in making good money online through eBay is to sell effectively. The old 80/20 addage definitely applies here in that 20% of the sellers are making 80% of the profits.
Selling effectively versus just selling on eBay can make a lot of difference. By implementing the below tips I would constantly make at least 25-50% more than other people selling the exact same items on eBay. Sometimes I found that I would make more than 100% more!
Firstly, I’m assuming you already know how to list an item to sell on eBay. If you don’t eBay itself has a great step-by-step tutorial how to do this, just visit their main site. Now here are the must do things in order to ensure that you are getting the best price you can when selling items on eBay:
Make sure you put a very detailed item description on your auction listing. Google the model/brand name & number of the item you are selling & get all the details including technical specifications (if you are selling electronic items), or any specifications available for this item. Check as many pages as you can & if selling in Australia, make sure you check the Australian sites as a priority as the item you are selling may have slightly different specifications in other countries. If there are product reviews about the item, its a good idea to copy these as well (just make sure you reference back to the site) or you can just add the URL with the words “for a full review of this product, click here”. Never just list the model/brand name & model number as the chances of getting a good final bid price is lower. Bidders like to see all the details of the item they are bidding on. Yes, its true that there are some bidders out there that will already know all about the item you are selling & thus will bid on the item regardless of whether you have the details there or not, but there is also a big group of potential bidders who are just looking for a similar item - e.g. they might just be looking for a video camera but aren’t set on one particular brand or model, so they browse the different options available. If you have everything they want to know about on your auction description, then they are much more likely to bid compared to if you just had the name of the item.
Use an HTML editor like Microsoft Frontpage or Dreamweaver to create your auction listings. This way you can make the listing look professional & attractive to potential bidders. You could use the HTML editor on eBay but I always found this to be a little restrictive in its use. Its a good idea to create a template that you can use again & again for different listings. Have a look at what other sellers are doing (those that have fancy auction listings) & see if you can do something similar. Then copy the code from the HTML editor into the “Enter Your Own HTML” box on the sell page of eBay.
Take lots of quality pictures of the item & include them in the auction listing. Make sure you take good close ups of the item from many different angles so that bidders know exactly what they are bidding on. I have always found that my listings with good quality photos did so much better than other sellers listings with no or few or bad quality photos. Using a digital camera with 3.2Mp & up is good enough. If you can, avoid using the camera on your mobile phone as most camera phones take bad quality pictures. Take at least 6 good quality photos.
Following on from the above point, do not use the upload photo feature of eBay because not only does this add to the cost of your listing, it also resizes your photos reducing the quality & visibility of your item. Instead, go out & get a web hosting account - there are many cheap options available. You don’t need a domain name, just an FTP account. Upload your photos (you may have to do some resizing of the photos using whatever photo editor you have - do not resize them to too small - I usually make the photos no more than 800 pixels wide & whatever height), & upload them to your web hosting account. Then, copy the link locations into your HTML editor. The easy way is to browse to the actual photos on your website & then right click to copy image & then paste onto your auction description in your HTML editor.
Make sure you include detailed information on the condition of the item. If its brand new, write that its brand new, unopened & make sure you put this in the title of the listing. If its used, describe the condition in as much detail as possible.
Spend some time on the title of the listing. Don’t just list the name of the item, include some of its key features, as many that will fit.
Avoid using reserve prices and high starting bids. If you are really afraid that you will be forced to sell the item for much lower than what you require for it, then a higher starting bid is the better of the two evils. Reserved prices put people off as they do not know what your reserve is. They think it might be high & thus do not bother bidding. But if they know upfront what the start price is, then they are more likely to bid if they are comfortable with that start price. At least they know they have a chance of getting the item at that price versus having a reserve price. To be honest, 90% of the time I have always found that having a start price of 0.99c achieves a much higher final bid amount than having a higher start price. This is because people get involved with the auction and the innate competitiveness built in many of us, causes us to push the bid higher if we are competing with other people for the item. Also once someone bids at any price, they watch that item over & above other items listed. If they are outbid, they generally think “what’s another $1 or $5. I can afford that to get this item” & so the price goes up. Make sure you do the top points though, as these will help you get informed buyers who are keen to get your product.
There are many more things that you can do to ensure that you get the best price for your listings. The ones I have described above I believe are the key ones but there are others that definitely help.
In any case, selling on eBay can generate you a great deal of extra income if you sell effectively.
For more information including reviews and special tips for Australians, on how to make money through eBay, affiliate marketing, share trading, property and other methods, visit PassiveIncomeInOz
The Rich Pom - Hype or Hope
What is all the hoohaa about the Rich Pom ? You may know of him as the arrogant sounding guy who has been advertising on TV and radio in Australia for the last few months, challenging you to use his system to make an iincredible income from home.
I purchased his document early 2007 to find out about all the hype. There are a few key questions I ask when reviewing work at home businesses. Is it a scam ?
Did I learn anything new ? Can it benefit others ?
Find out more about The Rich Pom here
Here are my findings.
Is The Rich Pom a scam ?
In my opinion it is definitely not. I have now been using the information contained in this document to generate extra earnings on the internet for the past few months. Not the fabulous claims he makes yet, but a healthy income none the less.
Did I learn anything new ?
Yes I did. The Rich Pom sets out his information in an easy to read, step by step guide. Some of the information he provided I already had some knowledge of, but I learnt many more new tips and tricks to maximise my earning abilities. Especially valuable was his information about search engine placement.
Learn more about The Rich Pom here
Can it benefit others ?
I believe that it can certainly benefit others.
It is clearly written and straight to the point.
The information is presented in a logical step by step manner.
He has a no frills approach to teaching people how to generate an online income.
Although not for the complete beginner, someone with a little internet experience would find the information valuable.
He comes across as very brash at times, but is straight to the point.
Is there support ?
The Rich Pom support system is very good. He runs an active forum, where he visits every day to answer members queries. He has many experienced members who are also willing to offer their advice.
He is easily accessible via email. Every query I have made has been answered, usually within a few hours.
He also provides a phone number where he can be contacted by users of his system.
Over all, The Rich Pom is a good value for money product. It provides valuable information about how to start an internet business. It is suitable for anyone with some internet experience, who can follow simple instructions.
The products he recommends to use are good quality, if a little pricey, but this is offset by the great support system he has in place.
My rating :: 8/10
CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED WITH THE RICH POM TODAY
Working at Home...Is It For You? by Ellen Besso, MA - Personal Coach for Women 35+
The trend of working at home appears to be growing by leaps and bounds annually. A 2004 US report by In-Stat/MDR predicted that one-third of Americans would work at home at least part-time during 2004, either in their own small businesses or working for a corporation.
How can we deal with the practicalities of working at home when we choose this option? If you have a business at home, what issue is the most challenging for you? People dropping in during work hours? Structuring your day? Over-working? Separating home life from work? For me personally having structure in my day, and not allowing myself to become isolated are key factors. In a well designed day I accomplish plenty and have time to play a little too.
If we bring to our home business the same positive attitudes, skills and self motivation we brought to previous employment, that’s a good beginning. Self management, time management and energy management are key. Balancing our activities and time lead to maximal results; good self-care and positive reinforcement will give us productive and enjoyable days. But often it’s easier to manage our day with others around us in adjoining offices, with a lunchroom down the hall, or with front-desk support.
Sometimes when we are working alone at home, negative thoughts can take over…you know, that little voice in the head that says ‘this work isn’t good enough’, ‘you’re not fast enough’, people won’t want this product/service, etc? It’s important to be able to put that aside. I knew a group therapist many years ago who said “if you want to change your energy, move your ass”. Changing your energy (and therefore your thoughts) can be as simple as standing up, moving to another location, taking a short walk, exercise breather, or speaking with a supportive friend.
Balancing our energy is important to all of us and perhaps more crucial for at-home workers. Two factors come into play here. It may be stating the obvious to say we need to replenish our energy by feeding ourselves, exercising our bodies and participating in emotionally, mentally and spiritually uplifting activities. But it bears mentioning because we often ignore this and work flat out day after day for long hours. The result can be stress, low energy, irritability and physical health problems. When we have a large quantity of work to do, we often think that if we just keep going, we’ll get it done, forgetting that our body-mind will rebel eventually!
The other important factor is that our body needs different types of energy for different tasks. I learned this in my meditation training at the Self Realization Centre. For example, writing, seeing clients, attending meetings and eating lunch require different energy inputs. So brief breaks between activities to move our bodies, or doing some simple breathing exercises will prepare us for our next task. This has worked extremely well for me over the past five years.
Try some of the following simple ideas to increase your enjoyment and productivity:
· Design your day before it starts; don’t just dive into it
· Give yourself a firm start and finish time each day
· Don’t multi-task; you’ll be much less efficient
· Schedule a variety of alternating activities
· Take a 15 minute break every 90 minutes to replenish yourself (drink water, eat a healthy
snack, take a short walk, do deep breathing)
· Deal with negative self-talk using the previous suggestions, or
· Imagine putting the messages in a container with a tight lid; it works!
· Have a support team close at hand with your best interests at heart
· Don’t take on too much; say ‘NO’
· Celebrate your wins with positive feedback and tangible rewards
The most important thing is to find what works best for you so you can develop a rhythm in your day. Your optimum schedule might be playing during part of the day and working at night, like my friend who often sails on warm summer afternoons and works at home late into the evening. Some people put boundaries around their work life by pretending they’re going out to work when they go to their office or shop. Or think of the best supervisor you’ve ever had and treat yourself with the respect s/he did. There’s no harm in any of this, and chances are they will improve your focus, efficiency and satisfaction.
There are many advantages to working out of your home including saving money on rental, start up costs, leases and travel, no travel time and arranging work around your family commitments. But it is not for the faint of heart. If we learn to understand ourselves, our way of working, our strengths and areas where growth is needed, we’ll be business dynamos!
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Ellen Besso is a North Star Coach, personally trained by Martha Beck, PhD, and a certified counselor with a holistic approach. Through her Odyssey of Change program, Ellen coaches midlife women through life challenges as they strengthen their body-mind-spirit connection, release beliefs that limit their growth & take specific actions to move themselves towards their ideal life. If you feel unsatisfied in any area of your life and would like to explore life questions in more depth, contact Ellen at: 800 961 1364 or info@ellenbesso.com. Find out more about Ellen’s work and read articles by her at: www.ellenbesso.com
