Becoming an eBay seller can give you a lot of money. There are thousands of sales made in a day, making eBay a potential place for sellers. You can still consider starting an eBay business if you want to join to earn some part-time income or to start running your new full-time business online.
But there are questions that need to be addressed with carefully. These include how to get started at ebay? Where to get your stocks from? The proper steps to build a business with a PowerSeller status? I am hoping to pave the way of giving you the answer and clear ideas on how to build your online business at eBay.
Signing up on eBay is easy and it is free, so you can just visit eBay and sign up. When done, I am recommending selling your personal items that are of no use to you at all, just to get the feel of what is selling at eBay is like without costing you a few dollars. Before venturing to reselling stocks, equip your self with basic online selling skills which is important.
Do not forget that you need at least a computer and a digital camera. A scanner maybe good but scanning photographs is costly and time consuming, not good for a starter. Having a camera with a 640x480 resolution is good. If you've already got one, though, and would rather not buy a digital camera 'til you've explored this business of eBay selling, it's the least expensive way to go.
Why that resolution? Because a lower resolution results in low quality pictures and less likely to get bids and you don't want that for sure.Besides, few people will take a risk on something that isn't well represented in a photograph. On the other hand, a resolution higher than 640x480 may result in pictures that will take long to show up and will probably bore your prospective buyers and people won;t waste time waiting for your pictures. Remember, there are lots of competition at eBay!
The next thing you need to do is to make your eBay research. Research is an essential key to your ebay success. Research will uncover you three important things that will directly affect your eBay sales. It will give you an idea on the market availability of your desired items to sell, it's worth and the competition it has at ebay.
Let's assume that you want to sell computer games as there is a huge market for it. However, you need to consider that there are hundreds of games available that you could sell at Ebay, but not knowing which ones are selling you could lose money buying the wrong stock. This is how important a research could be.
Not that you have figure out what to sell, the next important thing to know then is where to get your stocks from. You cannot just ask anybody where to get it from for it is like giving away the keys to their business.
Many sellers on online auction sites, such as eBay, often drop ship. This is done when a seller will list an item as new and ship the item directly from the wholesaler to the highest bidder. You will then profit from the difference between the winning bid and the wholesale price, less any selling and merchant fees from the auction site. You are allowed by eBay to list items that are currently not in your own possession, provided that youfollow eBay's policy on pre-sale items. Affiliate marketing can also be compared to drop shipping. As with drop shipping, affiliate marketing allows a website to list an item for sale that is not on hand but rather is shipped through a third party. Descriptions are very important when you want your items to be sold. As much as possible describe the item in detail - even every little flaw that you can find. It is much better to be told that someone is pleased because the item was in better condition than expected or described than to receive bad feedback or complaints that you neglected to mention something. Sometimes it has seemed to me that I got more and higher bids for my items listed with all their flaws and warts than others received for an identical item described in glowing terms! Details such as color, size, weight as well as features should not be overlooked.
Don't forget to use buzz words in your titles like "Medieval" "Gothic" "Shabby" "Country" "Vintage" "Retro" "Antique" - any that apply to your item. However, be careful not to use trademarked words such as "shabby chic" unless you're selling a Rachel Ashwell item as that term is trademarked and as such is only allowed when it refers to a genuine article by Rachel Ashwell. (The same goes for brand names such as Chanel, Hermes, Guess, etc. - those may only be used in a title if you're selling a genuine item - not a comparable one).
Buy it Now is a nice feature which can be used at eBay. Before you list a "Buy it Now" price, be sure that you aren't underselling your item. The point is, make sure that your buy it now price should be at least a few dollars more than your minimum bid, otherwise you could be selling for less than your item may be worth to someone.
When it comes to payment method, it's easier to stick with money orders/cashiers checks/personal checks but Paypal is a good easy option if you plan to sell quite a lot and want the ability to accept credit cards. There has been some controversy over security with Paypal and eBay, but if you're savvy and follow that guidelines closely on both sites, you should be fine. Buyers and sellers on eBay should be certain they are verified by Paypal in order to protect themselves. Also, NEVER click on a link within an email purporting to be from Paypal or eBay - and should you get such an email asking you to update information, forward it immediately to spoof@paypal.com or spoof@ebay.com.
Building a good feedback is an important part of being a good seller at eBay. It will set you apart from the rest as being a dedicated and honest seller. And the faster your score climbs, the closer you get to attaining PowerSeller status.Are you ready now to start your online business and generate a home-based income?