by Marsha Collier
9 BOOKS IN 1
• eBay Basics
• Essential Tools
• Selling Like a Pro
• Sourcing Merchandise
• Presenting Your Items
• Promoting Your Goods
• Storing and Shipping
• Power Selling
• Office and Legal
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Book Details
Price
|
3.00 |
|---|---|
Pages
| 868 p |
File Size
|
26,712 KB |
File Type
|
PDF format |
ISBN
| 978-0-470-38536-4 |
Copyright©
| 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc |
Marsha Collier, one of the foremost eBay experts and educators in the world,
is also a top-selling eBay author with over 1 million copies of her books in
print. She is especially proud of two books: eBay For Dummies, the bestselling
book for eBay beginners, and eBay PowerSeller Business Practices For
Dummies. Marsha co-hosts the Computer and Technology Show on KTRB
860am in San Francisco and on www.wsradio.com along with Marc Cohen.
She also shares her eBay business expertise through video training segments
at Entrepreneur.com’s Entrepreneur’s Coaches Corner and on her blog.
Marsha intermixes her writing about eBay with her role as experienced
spokesperson on the subject. She was one of the original eBay University
instructors, as well as a regular presenter at eBay’s annual convention, eBay
Live. Marsha also hosted the highly acclaimed “Making Your Fortune Online,”
a PBS special highlighting online business. While traveling across the United
States and around the world, she makes regular appearances on television,
radio, and in print to discuss online commerce.
Marsha earned her eBay stripes as a longtime seller on the site. She began
her eBay selling career in 1996 to earn extra money for her daughter’s education
(and eventually paid for university with her eBay earnings). She grew
her business to a full-time venture and was one of the fi rst eBay PowerSellers.
Nowadays, you can fi nd everything from autographed copies of her books
to photo supplies, pet toys, and DVDs in her eBay store (“Marsha Collier’s
Fabulous Finds”) and on her Web site.
Marsha currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can contact Marsha via her
Web site, www.coolebaytools.com.
Introduction
It seems I am always writing books about eBay. That’s because eBay
changes from year to year (as does the online market) and I am obsessive
about keeping my books the most updated in the arena.
My books don’t just give you the information you can find on eBay; I give
you the ins and outs selling on eBay, based on my daily experience of the
site. I also stay on top of the current trends in online and social marketing;
test them out, and pass the results back to you. This book gives you more
information than even many longtime sellers know. (Trust me — I consult
with sellers, and the things I consider most basic are often new to old-timers on the site.)
I am lucky enough to have been selling on eBay since 1996 and am a charter
member of the PowerSeller program. Running a business on eBay has given
me the opportunity to spend more time with my loved ones and have better
control of my life. I can make my own schedule and enjoy what I’m doing
because my business is making a profit. Owning an online business can be
empowering.
Those of us who run an eBay business always seem to be doing something.
Buying, selling, even going on a vacation, our business keeps humming.
There’s no 9-to-5, no weekends or holidays. Our stores on eBay are always
open for business — making sales and making us money.
Alas, all that success and freedom takes some work. That’s why you have
this book.
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 1
About This Book ..............................................................................................1
What You’re Not to Read ................................................................................1
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................2
How This Book Is Organized ..........................................................................2
Book I: eBay Basics ................................................................................3
Book II: Essential Tools .........................................................................3
Book III: Selling Like a Pro .....................................................................3
Book IV: Sourcing Merchandise ...........................................................3
Book V: Presenting Your Items ...........................................................3
Book VI: Promoting Your Goods ..........................................................4
Book VII: Storing and Shipping .............................................................4
Book VIII: Power Selling ........................................................................4
Book IX: Offi ce and Legal ......................................................................4
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................4
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................5
Book I: eBay Basics ...................................................... 7
Chapter 1: Hooking Up with Online Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Starting with the Right Computer ..................................................................9
The absolute necessities.......................................................................9
Buying a used computer .....................................................................11
Buying a refurbished computer .........................................................11
Upgrading your system with the help of eBay .................................12
Connecting to eBay without a Computer ...................................................12
Libraries: From Dewey Decimal to eBay ...........................................12
Commercial cyber-outlets and cafés .................................................13
Hooking up from work .........................................................................14
Choosing an ISP .............................................................................................14
Accessing E-Mail ............................................................................................16
Browsing for a Browser ................................................................................17
Perusing the menus .............................................................................18
Dabbling with the toolbar ...................................................................19
Expert keyboard shortcuts .................................................................21
Chapter 2: Navigating through eBay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Homing In on the Home Page .......................................................................23
Home-page links, the next generation ...............................................24
Bottoming out.......................................................................................27
Navigating eBay the Easy Way .....................................................................28
Maneuvering the Categories ........................................................................32
Exploring Home Page Search Options ........................................................34
Chapter 3: Signing Up and Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Registering on eBay .......................................................................................37
Filling in required information ...........................................................39
Do you solemnly swear? .....................................................................42
It must be true if you have it in writing .............................................43
Your license to deal (almost) .............................................................44
Picking a Pickproof Password ......................................................................45
Selecting Your User ID ..................................................................................46
Signing In to Deal ...........................................................................................47
Verifying Your ID ...........................................................................................48
eBay Is Watching Over You ..........................................................................49
Staying notifi ed about the rules .........................................................50
Abuses you should report to Trust and Safety ................................50
Reporting abuses .................................................................................53
Don’t get caught in a trading violation ..............................................56
Chapter 4: Understanding eBay Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Checking Out the Listing Page .....................................................................59
Bidding on Auctions ......................................................................................64
Automatic bidding ...............................................................................65
Private auctions ...................................................................................67
Multiple-item auctions ........................................................................68
Buying an Item Outright ...............................................................................68
Buy It Now .............................................................................................68
Fixed-price sales...................................................................................69
Shopping eBay stores ..........................................................................69
Strolling through an eBay store .........................................................71
Supercategories and Specialties ..................................................................72
Real estate.............................................................................................72
Cruising eBay Motors ..........................................................................73
Supercategories ...................................................................................76
Chapter 5: Checking Out the Seller and Leaving Feedback . . . . . . . . .79
Understanding and Giving Feedback ..........................................................79
The types of feedback .........................................................................80
The magic feedback number ..............................................................81
Giving Detailed Star Ratings Properly .........................................................82
Becoming a Star .............................................................................................84
Leaving Feedback with Finesse ....................................................................85
Safety tips for giving feedback ...........................................................87
The ways to leave feedback................................................................87
You Have the Last Word — Responding to Feedback ..............................90
Scrutinizing a Seller’s Reputation ................................................................90
Conducting a “light” seller examination ...........................................91
Making a full-scale seller investigation .............................................92
Detailed Seller Ratings ..................................................................................93
Comparing Items Before Buying ..................................................................98
Getting Protection on eBay ..........................................................................99
eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection .....................................100
PayPal buyer protection ...................................................................101
BuySAFE bond ....................................................................................102
Verifi ed Rights Owner program .......................................................102
Chapter 6: Bidding to Win. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Understanding the Bidding Action ............................................................104
Placing your bid .................................................................................105
Bidding to the max with automatic (proxy) bidding .....................106
The Secret’s in the Timing ..........................................................................108
Using the lounging-around strategy ................................................110
Using the beat-the-clock strategy ....................................................111
In the last few minutes ......................................................................111
Shopping the Machiavellian Way ..............................................................111
My Favorite Bidding Strategies ..................................................................115
Hunting for errors ..............................................................................115
Researching your item ......................................................................116
Multiple-item (Dutch) auction strategy ..........................................117
Quick Bidding Tips ......................................................................................118
Succeeding by Sniping ................................................................................120
Sniping techniques for the beginner ...............................................120
Auto-sniping your auctions ..............................................................122
Retracting Your Bid in an Emergency .......................................................124
Chapter 7: Completing the Transaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Checking Out ................................................................................................128
Using Your Credit Card Safely ...................................................................129
Knowing your credit-card company’s policy .................................129
Adding a layer of protection with an online checkout service ....130
Paying with PayPal ......................................................................................131
Registering at PayPal .........................................................................132
Giving PayPal credit card or checking account information .......132
Getting PayPal-verifi ed ......................................................................133
Ways to pay through PayPal ............................................................134
Making a PayPal payment .................................................................135
Sending Payment Promptly and Securely ................................................136
Contacting the Seller ...................................................................................137
Leaving Responsible Feedback ..................................................................138
Late Delivery .......................................................................................138
Missing or damaged shipment .........................................................138
Item doesn’t meet your expectations ..............................................139
Choosing your words carefully ........................................................140
Chapter 8: Participating in the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Your Home on eBay: About Me ..................................................................141
Planning and Building an About Me Page .................................................143
Gathering your thoughts ...................................................................144
Setting up the page ............................................................................145
Reaching the World through Your My World Page .................................150
Playing Nice with Other eBay Members ...................................................152
News and chat, this and that ............................................................152
Hear ye, hear ye! eBay’s announcement boards ............................152
Help! I need somebody ......................................................................154
Community chat rooms ....................................................................155
User-to-user (General) discussion boards ......................................156
Checking Out Other Chat Rooms .............................................................157
Café society ........................................................................................157
Holiday board .....................................................................................157
Giving board .......................................................................................157
Emergency contact board.................................................................159
eBay international chat boards ........................................................160
Sharing Knowledge in Category-Specifi c Chat Rooms ............................161
Joining eBay Groups ....................................................................................161
Book II: Essential Tools ............................................. 163
Chapter 1: Researching on eBay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Working eBay’s Search Engine ...................................................................165
Going where the Search button takes you......................................165
Performing a basic search in Advanced .........................................168
Refi ning even the most basic search ...............................................172
Searching for items by seller ............................................................175
Searching for items by bidder ..........................................................176
Searching stores.................................................................................177
Working with Search Results .....................................................................178
Matching eBay Stores ........................................................................178
Matching categories ..........................................................................179
Search options ...................................................................................180
Finding eBay Members ................................................................................181
Understanding eBay’s Category Hierarchy ..............................................181
How the structure works ..................................................................182
Drilling down to your item ................................................................182
Chapter 2: Researching on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Researching Collectible Auctions ..............................................................185
Following Collectible-Buying Guidelines ..................................................188
Quizzing the seller .............................................................................189
Useful publications ............................................................................190
Online Sources of Information ...................................................................192
Web sites .............................................................................................192
Online search engines .......................................................................193
Online appraisals ...............................................................................194
Authentication services ....................................................................195
Chapter 3: Effi cient Communications for Better Sales . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Communicating in Writing Takes a Little Effort ......................................197
Responding Appropriately to Initial Buyer Inquiries .............................198
Replying online or personally ..........................................................199
Making your response friendly, helpful, and productive .............200
Personalizing the Buyer’s Notifi cation ....................................................201
Keeping the Good E-Mails Going ...............................................................203
The payment reminder .....................................................................203
The payment received and shipping notice ...................................204
The “Your item is on the way” e-mail ..............................................205
Communicating from the Buyer’s Perspective ........................................205
Chapter 4: Simplifying Payment with PayPal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Understanding How PayPal Works ............................................................208
Sending money through PayPal .......................................................208
Figuring out payment types ..............................................................209
PayPal’s Protection Plans ...........................................................................210
PayPal buyer protection ...................................................................210
PayPal seller protection ....................................................................212
Sorting Out PayPal’s Accounts ..................................................................214
PayPal Personal account...................................................................214
Business and Premier accounts .......................................................214
Extracting Your Payment History from PayPal ........................................215
Deciding What Info You Need from PayPal ..............................................216
Customizing and Downloading Your Reports ..........................................218
Saving and Editing Your Reports ...............................................................220
Chapter 5: Using eBay’s Management Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Signing In to Get Going ................................................................................224
Taking Advantage of My eBay ....................................................................225
My eBay: Summary Page .............................................................................227
My eBay: All Buying Page ...........................................................................229
Watching link ......................................................................................229
Active Buying link ..............................................................................230
Won link ..............................................................................................231
Didn’t win link ....................................................................................233
My eBay: Organize Links .............................................................................233
Saved Searches link ...........................................................................233
Saved Sellers link ...............................................................................235
My eBay: Account tab .................................................................................235
Personal information link .................................................................236
Manage subscriptions link ................................................................237
eBay Preferences link ........................................................................237
Seller Dashboard ................................................................................238
Feedback link ......................................................................................238
Ramping Up with Selling Manager .............................................................239
First glimpse of Selling Manager ......................................................239
Scheduled listings link.......................................................................240
Active listings link ..............................................................................240
Sold listings link .................................................................................242
Archived Listings link ........................................................................242
Seller tools ..........................................................................................242
Book III: Selling Like a Pro ....................................... 245
Chapter 1: Be Sure Your Listings Make Cents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
Keeping an Eye on Where the Pennies Go ................................................247
Insertion (listing) fees .......................................................................248
Reserve-price auctions ......................................................................249
eBay’s Optional Listing Features ...............................................................251
Home-page featured auctions ..........................................................253
Featured First .....................................................................................254
Subtitle ................................................................................................255
Highlight ..............................................................................................256
Border .................................................................................................256
Listing Designer..................................................................................256
Boldface ..............................................................................................256
View counter ......................................................................................257
Gallery Plus .........................................................................................257
Buy It Now ...........................................................................................258
eBay Picture Hosting .........................................................................259
Adding the Final Value Fees .......................................................................260
Selling Variations in Auctions ....................................................................262
Traditional auctions ..........................................................................262
Best Offer ............................................................................................262
Multiple-item (Dutch) auctions ........................................................262
Restricted access auctions ...............................................................264
Private auctions .................................................................................265
PayPal Gets Its Cut ......................................................................................266
Totaling Fees with our eBay Fee Calculator .............................................266
Setting Sensible Shipping Costs .................................................................268
Chapter 2: Understanding the Finer Points of Selling . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
Selling Strategies ..........................................................................................273
Starting the bidding ...........................................................................274
Auction length ....................................................................................275
Knowing What Day to End an Auction ......................................................277
Knowing What Time to Start Your Auction ..............................................280
Selling Even More with Fixed-Price Sales .................................................282
Making Money in Other eBay Zones .........................................................284
eBay’s half brother: Half.com ...........................................................284
Automotive? Go eBay Motors...........................................................287
Real estate: Not quite an auction .....................................................289
Selling by the Rules .....................................................................................291
Is what you want to sell legal? ..........................................................292
Prohibited and Restricted items ......................................................293
Questionable items ............................................................................294
Potentially infringing items...............................................................295
Knowing eBay’s Listing Policies ................................................................296
Offer limited choices in your auctions ............................................297
No limit on duplicate listings ...........................................................297
State it up front: Presale and drop-shipping listings .....................298
Ix-nay on the bonuses, giveaways, raffl es, or prizes .....................299
Search and browse manipulation by keyword spamming............300
Limited linking from your auctions .................................................301
Chapter 3: Listing Your Items for Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
Getting Ready to List Your Item ................................................................303
Deciding on a Sales Format ........................................................................305
Getting Your Sales Specifi cs In Order .......................................................305
Selecting a Category: The How and Why ..................................................308
Listing Your Items in Two Categories .......................................................312
Creating the Perfect Item Title ...................................................................313
Look for a phrase that pays ..............................................................314
eBay lingo at a glance ........................................................................314
Don’t let your title ruin your listing .................................................317
Giving the title punch with a subtitle ..............................................317
Creating Your Item Description .................................................................318
Composing the description ..............................................................318
Jazzing it up with HTML ....................................................................320
Listing the Number of Items for Sale .........................................................322
Setting Bids, Prices, and Reserves ............................................................322
Setting a minimum bid — how low can you go? ............................322
Going with a Buy It Now price ..........................................................323
Using your secret safety net — reserve price ................................324
Timing Your Auction: Is It Everything? .....................................................325
I Want to Be Alone: The Private Auction ..................................................326
Adding Visuals to Highlight Your Item .....................................................327
Put me in the gallery ..........................................................................327
A picture is worth a thousand words ..............................................327
Listing Designer..................................................................................328
Listing the Payment Methods You’ll Accept ............................................328
Where You Are and Where You’ll Ship To ...............................................329
Filling out the item location ..............................................................333
Setting shipping terms ......................................................................333
Using eBay’s shipping calculator .....................................................334
Checking Your Work and Starting the Sale ..............................................337
Making Midcourse Corrections .................................................................338
Making changes before bidding begins ...........................................338
Making changes after bidding begins ..............................................339
Chapter 4: Using eBay’s Turbo Lister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341
Features and Minimum Requirements ......................................................341
Downloading and Starting Turbo Lister ...................................................343
Preparing an eBay Listing ...........................................................................344
Designing Your Listing ................................................................................347
Filling In Item Specifi cs ...............................................................................349
Organizing Your Listings ............................................................................350
Uploading Listings to eBay .........................................................................352
Chapter 5: Managing Your Sales on My eBay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .355
Managing Your All Selling Area ..................................................................355
Dealing with the My eBay: Active Selling Page ........................................357
The general layout .............................................................................357
Customizing your display .................................................................358
Filtering your view .............................................................................358
Taking action when necessary .........................................................359
Getting Excited About the My eBay: Sold Page .......................................360
Trying Again with the My eBay: Unsold Page ..........................................362
Notifying Winners and Sending Invoices ..................................................363
Notifying winners ...............................................................................363
Thanking them kindly ........................................................................365
Thanks for the money! ......................................................................365
Tracking Payments in All Selling ...............................................................366
Relisting Items without Extra Work ..........................................................367
Relisting after a sale ..........................................................................368
If at fi rst you don’t succeed ..............................................................368
Okay, time to relist (rather Sell Similar) .........................................369
eBay Bidder-Management Tools ................................................................370
Canceling bids ....................................................................................370
Ending your listing early ...................................................................372
Blocking buyers..................................................................................373
Chapter 6: Using PayPal to Organize Your Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375
PayPal Particulars .......................................................................................375
Registering with PayPal ..............................................................................378
The Auction and Merchant Tools ..............................................................381
Payment Tracking Information ..................................................................382
Payment notifi cation through e-mail ...............................................382
The Outlook Payment Request Wizard .....................................................382
Chapter 7: Checking Out Payment Alternatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389
Watching for Changes in Policy .................................................................389
Accepting the Simple Money Order ..........................................................390
Pay Me When You Get This ........................................................................391
The Check Is in the Mail .............................................................................392
Paper checks ......................................................................................392
eChecks and instant transfers ..........................................................393
Hold This for Me — in Escrow ...................................................................394
I Take Plastic ................................................................................................396
Credit-card payment services ..........................................................397
ProPay payments ...............................................................................397
Your very own merchant account ...................................................398
All-in-One Plastic Processing .....................................................................401
Costco member’s credit-card processing .......................................401
PayPal’s Virtual Terminal .................................................................403
Book IV: Sourcing Merchandise ................................. 405
Chapter 1: Understanding Online Retailing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .407
Taking Aim with a Six-Month Marketing Plan ..........................................407
Pulling Together Your Inventory Data ......................................................408
Using the Formulas That Calculate Your Data .........................................409
Marketing to Your Customers ....................................................................410
Knowing the Current Market ......................................................................411
Catching Trends in the Media ....................................................................413
In newspapers ....................................................................................413
On television .......................................................................................413
Catch up with youth culture . . ........................................................413
Check out magazines .........................................................................414
Visit social Web sites.........................................................................414
Finding eBay’s Soon-to-Be-Hot Sellers ......................................................414
Hot on the home page .......................................................................414
eBay Marketplace Research .............................................................416
Checking Out the Buzz on Yahoo! .............................................................417
Chapter 2: Buying Merchandise Like the Pros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419
Tips for the Modest Investor .....................................................................419
Buying for Retail: The Basic Course ..........................................................420
Joining the hunt for e-Bay inventory ...............................................420
Looking for resale items on eBay .....................................................425
Buying Wholesale ........................................................................................426
Setting up to buy ................................................................................427
Finding merchandise locally.............................................................427
Regional merchandise marts ............................................................428
Wholesale trade shows .....................................................................430
Buying Online for Resale ............................................................................432
Kijiji and Craigslist .............................................................................432
B2B wholesale clearinghouses .........................................................433
Buying directly from online wholesalers .......................................434
Chapter 3: Selling Other People’s Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .437
Getting Organized to Sell for Others .........................................................437
Compete with the Trading Posts ...............................................................438
Becoming an eBay Trading Assistant .......................................................439
Promoting Your Business ...........................................................................444
Adding the Trading Assistant logo to your listings .......................444
Posting fl yers ......................................................................................445
Handling Your Business Professionally ....................................................446
Chapter 4: Liquidation and Drop-Shipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451
Know the Lingo of Merchandisers .............................................................451
Salvage: Liquidation Items, Unclaimed Freight, and Returns ................454
Staying Safe When Buying Online ..............................................................457
Dealing with Drop-Shippers .......................................................................458
Finding a good drop-shipper ............................................................460
Coping with the inevitable out-of-stock ..........................................461
Book V: Presenting Your Items ................................... 463
Chapter 1: Your eBay Photo Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Setting Up Your Studio ................................................................................466
Your #1 Tool: A Digital Camera .................................................................467
Scanning Your Wares ..................................................................................471
Other Studio Equipment .............................................................................473
Tripod ..................................................................................................473
Power supplies ...................................................................................473
Lighting ...............................................................................................474
Photo cube ..........................................................................................474
Photo background and stage............................................................475
Cloud Dome ........................................................................................476
Props ...................................................................................................477
Chapter 2: Mastering eBay Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .481
Photo Guidelines .........................................................................................481
Photographing the Tuff Stuff: Coins and Jewelry ....................................483
Shooting with the Cloud Dome ........................................................484
Tips for taking Cloud Dome pictures ..............................................486
Prepping and Photographing Clothing .....................................................487
Cleaning and pressing essentials .....................................................488
Assembling your fashion photo studio ...........................................491
eBay Gallery of Horrors ..............................................................................492
Mistake #1 ...........................................................................................492
Mistake #2 ...........................................................................................493
Mistake #3 ...........................................................................................494
Mistake #4 ...........................................................................................494
Mistake #5 ...........................................................................................495
Chapter 3: Sprucing Up Your Listings with HTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .497
Writing Good Descriptions .........................................................................498
HTML the Easy eBay Way ...........................................................................498
Getting Friendly with HTML .......................................................................501
What HTML can do ............................................................................502
How HTML works ...............................................................................502
Add Pictures to Your Listing for Free ......................................................507
Using HTML Table Codes to Make Templates .........................................507
Creating Your Own HTML Template .........................................................509
Downloading SeaMonkey ..................................................................509
Adding text and graphics ..................................................................510
Adding HTML formatting ..................................................................514
Getting a Quick, Basic Template ................................................................515
Chapter 4: Getting Your Photos Ready for eBay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .519
Size Matters ..................................................................................................519
Adding the Artist’s Touch ..........................................................................521
Image-Editing Software ...............................................................................522
Perfecting your picture in LunaPic ..................................................522
Quick touchup and FTP in Fast Photos ...........................................523
Chapter 5: Getting Your Photos on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529
Finding a Home for Your Pictures .............................................................529
Using eBay’s Picture Services ....................................................................530
Uploading your picture .....................................................................531
Understanding the costs ...................................................................534
Using Your Free ISP Space ..........................................................................535
Uploading Images to AOL ...........................................................................538
Using eBay’s Picture Manager ...................................................................540
Book VI: Promoting Your Goods ................................. 543
Chapter 1: Developing Your Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .545
Free Web Space — a Good Place to Start .................................................546
Paying for Your Web Space ........................................................................547
ReadyHosting .....................................................................................550
Web.com ............................................................................................550
Microsoft Offi ce Live Small Business ..............................................552
Yahoo! Web-site services ..................................................................553
Naming Your Baby .......................................................................................554
Registering Your Domain Name .................................................................555
Chapter 2: Marketing Your Web Site and eBay Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .557
Engaging Banner-Ad Exchanges and Services .........................................557
Banner design .....................................................................................559
Finding banner advertising networks..............................................560
Trying Affi liate Programs ............................................................................560
LinkShare ...........................................................................................560
eBay’s affi liate program ....................................................................561
Cost-per-Click Advertising with Google ....................................................562
Getting Your Site into a Search Engine .....................................................566
Have Yahoo! Search Submit do the work........................................567
Get listed on Yahoo! .........................................................................567
Catch attention on Google ................................................................568
Chapter 3: Using PayPal to Increase Your Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .571
Setting Up Shop at PayPal ..........................................................................571
Joining PayPal shops .........................................................................571
PayPal shopping invitations .............................................................573
Featured Shop consideration ...........................................................574
Site statistics ......................................................................................575
Cashing In on the PayPal Merchant Referral Program ...........................575
Generating Sales Using PayPal ...................................................................576
Making the PayPal payment option available on your site ..........577
Creating a button on the PayPal Web site ......................................578
Coding for do-it-yourselfers ..............................................................582
PayPal coding with all the bells and whistles ................................584
Adding a PayPal Buy Now button to your
AOL HomeTown page ....................................................................585
Book VII: Storing and Shipping .................................. 587
Chapter 1: Organizing Your Merchandise and
Shipping Department. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .589
The Warehouse: Organizing Your Space ..................................................589
Shelving your profi ts .........................................................................589
Box ’em or bag ’em?...........................................................................591
Keeping Track of What You Have ..............................................................592
The Shipping Department: Packin’ It Up ..................................................594
Pre-packaging clean up .....................................................................594
Packing materials ...............................................................................594
Shipping in mailing envelopes..........................................................598
Boxing your items ..............................................................................600
Buying Postage Online ................................................................................602
Click-N-Ship from the USPS ...............................................................603
Endicia.com ........................................................................................603
PayPal shipping services ..................................................................606
Stamps.com ........................................................................................608
Chapter 2: Shipping without Going Postal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .611
Shipping: The Heart of Your Business ......................................................611
Shopping for a Shipper ...............................................................................614
Meeting your front line......................................................................615
Location, location, location ..............................................................615
Comparing prices ...............................................................................616
You, Too, Can Use Federal Express ..........................................................617
FedEx Ground and Home Delivery ...................................................617
Signing up with FedEx .......................................................................619
FedEx online .......................................................................................620
Shipping with USPS .....................................................................................622
Convenient and fast ...........................................................................623
Understanding the costs ...................................................................624
Getting on the UPS Bandwagon .................................................................626
Comparing costs ................................................................................627
Variable UPS rates .............................................................................628
Saving by getting heavier packages picked up ..............................629
Shipping Directly from PayPal ...................................................................630
PayPal shipping with the USPS ........................................................631
PayPal shipping with UPS .................................................................634
Chapter 3: Insuring Your Item’s Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .637
Insurance Options .......................................................................................638
Self-insuring your items ....................................................................638
Insuring through the major carriers ................................................639
Getting private shipping insurance .................................................640
Avoiding Mistyped Addresses ...................................................................643
Making a Claim When Shipping Goes Bad ................................................645
Filing a claim with the post offi ce ....................................................645
Filing a claim with UPS ......................................................................647
Filing a claim with FedEx...................................................................648
Book VIII: Power Selling ........................................... 651
Chapter 1: Upgrading to eBay’s Selling Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .653
Trying Out Selling Manager ........................................................................654
Selling Manager Features ............................................................................655
At a Glance ..........................................................................................655
Seller Dashboard summary ..............................................................655
Listing Activity ...................................................................................657
Sold ......................................................................................................658
My eBay Views links ..........................................................................658
Seller tools links .................................................................................659
Manage My Store................................................................................659
Auto-Sending Invoices .................................................................................660
Tracking Payments ......................................................................................662
Relisting ........................................................................................................663
Selling Manager Reports .............................................................................665
Chapter 2: Managing Your Business with Third-Party Tools. . . . . . .671
Choosing Your Auction-Management Tools ............................................672
Looking for Essential Features ...................................................................674
Exploring Advanced Features ....................................................................675
Opting for Online Auction Management ...................................................676
ChannelAdvisor Marketplaces .........................................................677
Vendio .................................................................................................678
Meridian ..............................................................................................680
Offl ine Auction-Management Software .....................................................681
Auction Wizard 2000 ..........................................................................682
Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro .......................................682
Turbo Lister ........................................................................................683
Finding More to Automate ..........................................................................684
Setting up an auction photo gallery ................................................685
Sorting auction e-mail........................................................................686
Automating end-of-auction e-mail ....................................................686
Keeping inventory ..............................................................................686
Composing HTML ..............................................................................687
One-click relisting or selling similar ................................................688
Scheduling listings for bulk upload .................................................689
Hosting photos ...................................................................................689
Checking out .......................................................................................689
Printing shipping labels ....................................................................689
Tracking buyer information..............................................................689
Generating customized reports .......................................................690
Submitting feedback ..........................................................................690
Bonding .........................................................................................................690
Bonding your sales with buySAFE ...................................................691
All about bonding ..............................................................................691
Seller bonding on eBay......................................................................692
Bonding items.....................................................................................693
What happens when something goes wrong? ................................695
Chapter 3: Studying Your Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .697
eBay Sales Reports Plus ..............................................................................698
Using Sellathon ViewTracker .....................................................................701
Checking out your data .....................................................................702
Getting additional information from your listings .........................704
Chapter 4: Becoming a PowerSeller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .707
First Steps to PowerSeller Status ...............................................................708
PowerSeller Tiers .........................................................................................708
PowerSeller Program Benefi ts ...................................................................710
Chapter 5: Opening Your eBay Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .713
Locating Your Special Place Online ..........................................................714
Checking Out Online Stores Galore ...........................................................714
Deciding to Open a Store ............................................................................716
Choosing Between Store Types .................................................................717
Knowing the Fee Structure .........................................................................719
Selecting Your eBay Store Name ...............................................................721
Setting Up Shop ............................................................................................721
Subscribing to Stores and selecting a name ...................................722
Establishing a store logo ...................................................................725
Running Your Store .....................................................................................726
Store design and marketing ..............................................................726
Promotions .........................................................................................730
Making a sale ......................................................................................731
Book IX: Office and Legal ......................................... 733
Chapter 1: Getting Legal with the State and the Feds . . . . . . . . . . . . .735
Giving Your Business an Offi cial Name .....................................................735
Taking Care of Regulatory Details .............................................................736
Business license or city tax certifi cate............................................736
State sales tax number ......................................................................739
Don’t withhold the withholding forms ............................................739
Selecting a Business Format .......................................................................740
Sole proprietorship ...........................................................................741
Partnership .........................................................................................742
LLC (Limited Liability Company) .....................................................742
C-corporation .....................................................................................743
Chapter 2: The Joys of Taxes and Business Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . .749
Dealing with a Professional ........................................................................749
Keeping the Books: Basics to Get You Started ........................................751
Tracking everything in and out ........................................................751
Accounting for everything — twice .................................................751
Separating business and personal records ....................................752
Records Uncle Sam May Want to See ........................................................752
Supporting information .....................................................................753
How long should you keep your records? ......................................754
Getting the Most from Your Reports ........................................................756
Understanding the balance sheet ....................................................757
Tracking your accounts payable .....................................................757
Knowing your sales tax liability .......................................................758
Analyzing your profi t and loss statement .......................................758
Keeping Your Records and Data Safe .......................................................760
Backing Up Your Data .................................................................................761
Saving Your Backup Paperwork ................................................................762
Chapter 3: Using Bookkeeping Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .763
QuickBooks: Making Bookkeeping Uncomplicated .................................763
QuickBooks Pro ..................................................................................764
QuickBooks EasyStep Interview.......................................................765
Setting Up a QuickBooks Chart of Accounts ............................................768
Opting for QuickBooks on the Web ...........................................................775
Having QuickBooks Report on Your eBay Business ...............................775
Posting Sales in QuickBooks the Collier Way ..........................................777
Posting sales to match deposits ......................................................777
Customizing the sales data ...............................................................778
Using eBay’s Accounting Assistant Software ...........................................779
Chapter 4: Keeping Your Business Secure Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .781
Staying Away from Spam ............................................................................781
Keeping Your E-Mail Address Quiet ..........................................................782
Recognizing Spam ........................................................................................783
Finding spam before it fi nds you .....................................................783
Checking out nefarious e-mail ..........................................................784
Fighting Back! ...............................................................................................786
Keeping Your Password (and Accounts) Secure .....................................787
Reporting hacked accounts ..............................................................788
Choosing a good secret question ....................................................790
Avoiding easily-hacked passwords..................................................792
Chapter 5: Networking Your Offi ce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .795
The What and Why of Networks ................................................................796
Variations of a Home Network ...................................................................796
Using a powerline network ...............................................................798
Hooking up with wireless ..................................................................801
The home phoneline network ..........................................................803
Using a hybrid network .....................................................................803
Internet Security and Your Home Network ..............................................804
Exposing your computer’s vulnerabilities ......................................804
Adding antivirus and fi rewall software ...........................................804
Index ....................................................................... 805
Bookscreen
About This Book
This book will give you the basics, the hows and whys of setting up a
home-based business on eBay. I’ve authored several best-selling books
about running a business on eBay. This book gives you the information you
need to get started in one nifty (albeit heavy) volume. You can get the info
found in several books about eBay all in one place.
What You’re Not to Read
There’s a lot in this book that you’ll find useful. If some of it seems too basic
(say, if you’re a more advanced seller), just skip right on by to the information
that your business needs.
Sidebars are scattered through the book with additional information on a
subject. If you want to know the subject in depth, read the sidebar. If it’s not
important to you right now, blow right past it.
There’s no need to start at the beginning. Check out the Table of Contents
and see whether something piques your interest. Have a question about
eBay? Look it up in the index. This book is meant to be your useful desk
reference on eBay.