Adam Ginsberg: Make Money on eBay & The Internet

Successful eBay sellers today need the right tools, it’s that simple.  I’ve read tons of posts on message boards where sellers say: “$10/month for research software…no way, that’s too much!”

Too much? 30 cents a day for tools that can easily make you 10x that much in one auction, let alone over the course of one month…

Whether you sell on eBay as a hobby, part time, or as a business striving to replace your full time income, research tools not a luxury but a necessity.

AuctionOptimizer is the premier software available today and the PowerWeb version allows you to access eBay marketplace data at any time from any computer.

AuctionOptimizer has recently  added some new videos that show you exactly how the PowerWeb version of AuctionOptimizer works.

To watch the videos, view visit this link:

http://www.auctionoptimizer.com/aowebinar-newmodule1.html

If you’re uncertain as to whether or not to give AuctionOptimizer a shot for 10 days (at No Charge and No Risk) you need to watch these videos.

Selling in today’s competitive environment on eBay can be challenging and many of the so-called “best selling strategies” provided to you by friends and eBay experts just aren’t accurate.  These include (but are not limited to):

-when do i list my item
-when should my item end
-what’s the best starting price
-how do i find hot products
-what is the optimal selling price for my item

AuctionOptimizer can answer these questions for you, instantly, and have a dramatic impact on your selling results and overall profitability.

The AuctionOptimizer team is focused on helping you maximize your eBay selling profits - and will continue to provide you with ongoing support as to the best way to use research to your advantage.

As an AuctionOptimizer member you’ll be eligible to participate in live, online training  opporunities where we will share with you the best way to sell on eBay - and debunk many of the popular myths that just that…myths…

There is also a library of resources, articles, and videos for AuctionOptimizer members being added to the site every day!

So, check out the videos now…here’s the link again:

http://www.auctionoptimizer.com/aowebinar-newmodule1.html

We look forward to hearing your success stories!  And, we welcome any comments or questions that you have…Add your two cents to this blog!

Are you ready to make more this holiday season? Is it time to turn your “treasures” into cash? Use these tips to help you make the most cash for your trash on eBay, the world largest garage sale.

Starting out: Buyers are put off by sellers with no feedback, so your stuff won’t sell for much if you list it when you’re new to eBay. Once you’ve registered on the site, get some positive feedback by buying a few items yourself. (It’s the ideal time to complete your World Cup Panini sticker collection.) Once you’ve got a good reputation as a buyer, start selling small stuff. When you’ve got feedback from satisfied customers, list your more valuable lots.

Protect yourself: Worried that your signed Beatles album will sell for $5? A low starting price plus a reserve (which costs a few cents) will tempt bargain hunters without risk. It’s worth considering if you’re selling something of value; don’t bother if you’re flogging a broken Franklin Mint plate.

A picture paints a thousand words: It’s a cliche, but it’s true: you’ll make more cash if your photos are good. Take clear pictures, use more than one if you can, and show as much detail as possible. Some buyers won’t mind a vintage Barbie with frizzy hair while others will leave negative feedback for a doll with a shock mop; but if your Barbie has a sleek coif, show it off.

Short and factual: Your title and description are crucial — they’ll help people find your items as well as entice them to bid. Keep it relevant (your Toby jug doesn’t really look like Keira Knightley, does it?) and short — no matter how great you think your carved Indonesian doorstopper is, people won’t read a novel about it. Make sure your descriptions are readable, too — massive text is a no no.

Use eBay Research: Here’s a common myth…since more items are listed on a Sunday than any other day, and most auctions run for seven days, it makes sense to conclude that Sunday evening US time sees a frenzy of bidders. Who knows, while they’re waiting to snipe Madonna’s toenail clippings, they might just impulse-bid on your Starsky and Hutch mirror. If you want to know the real data on what your “stuff” is worth, click here!

Be flexible: The more payment options you offer, and the more places you’ll ship to, the more people will vie for your stuff. Get yourself a Paypal account and swot up on shipping options — they’ll be fighting for your Snoopy bedspread from Tipperary to Timbuktu. Note: Be sure to you take PayPal!

Market your junk: Draw attention to your lots — use the Gallery or Featured Items options if you think you’re listing a winner. Do your research — make sure your stuff is in the right category — and cross-reference items as necessary. (Your Transformers annual might not get noticed in Books but it might stand a chance in Vintage Toys.) What are the best upgrades for YOUR “treasures? Learn more, click here!

Ship swiftly: Be businesslike. Ok, so you might not value Auntie Nora’s rhinestone hatpin, but your buyer does, and they want it quickly. Pack your items well — and charge a little more for materials if you need to. Your buyer won’t be impressed if their Sherlock Holmes figurine unexpectedly arrives with a chipped deerstalker. The real money, as with any business, is in repeat purchases.

Leave feedback: Once your buyer’s happy, leave them positive feedback — it’ll increase the chance of them leaving it for you, thus increasing your reputation. If your buyer has issues, try to resolve them amicably — there’s no need to be a walkover but most disputes can be sorted out.

Want to make serious money? Specialize. Ebay is perfect for niche markets — and as you build a reputation, buyers will prefer your lots over those of newer sellers. To stay on top of the game, you’ll need to watch emerging trends (bet you’re kicking yourself for selling all your Star Wars figures for $30 in 1989) and tour garage, yard, car boot and attic sales.

As the holiday season looms, use these tips to help you pick up unique gifts with teeny price tags from eBay, the worldwide garage sale.

eBay… is “The world’s biggest online marketplace” was founded in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, who set out to see if one man’s junk truly was another’s treasure. Eleven years later, it seems he was right: The site sees millions of items up for auction each day.

Why not the high street? A hand-picked, “not available in the shops” auction item can give your gift the personal touch. A Bob Dylan bootleg, a David Hasselhoff teddy bear or a vintage My Little Pony — what better way to bring a smile (or a mystified look) to your loved ones’ faces?

Read first, bid later: Have you stumbled upon a listing that catches your attention? While that genuine 70’s lava lamp signed by Heather Locklear might look like a bargain, first check the small print. Read the auction description carefully (are you sure it’s a genuine Vanilla Ice autograph, not a pre-printed one? Are those shoes Prada or Prada-style?) and examine the pictures — you might only be seeing the front of that antique Tiffany lamp because the side has a big chunk chipped out of it.

Check the shipping: Before you bid, check the shipping and handling charges — during the holidays they tend to be inflated. A seller will often add their packing and eBay fees to the cost of shipping. Beware of some sellers (especially those in mainland China) who charge a nominal sum for the auction lot but whack on hefty shipping costs — also, check eBay as this could be a violation of their shipping policies.

Feedback is everything: Trust is a key component to success on eBay — people leave positive, neutral or negative feedback based on their transactions. Over time, each user builds up a profile to indicate their level of trustworthiness and experience. Check your seller’s feedback profile before you bid, and be wary of anyone whose feedback dips much below 98 percent. Seasoned eBayers often prefer to deal with established sellers, even if it costs a little more. Tip: Firefox users can also get the “eBay Negs!” plugin to show all of a user’s negative and neutral feedback at the click of a button.

Bid as late as you can: Don’t be hasty. One key to winning an eBay auction at the best price is to bid as late as possible — ideally within the last 10 seconds. This practice, known as “sniping”, reduces the odds of someone else bidding against you and raising the price. Use the “watch an auction” feature on eBay then wait for your auction to finish — or sign up for an automated sniping service such as esnipe to bid automatically for you.
Pay safe: Check, Credit Card, Money Order — the auction should list the payment methods your seller accepts. Increasingly, buyers are paying via Paypal, eBay’s sister company. It’s integrated with eBay and offers more secure online spending, as your credit card details are never released to the seller. It is now against eBay policy for a seller to request cash or Western Union for auction payments.
If it doesn’t arrive: Have you given your seller time to send it? Check when they said it would be sent — some people only ship once a week. International post takes longer — even airmail between North America and Canada can take over 10 days.

If it’s still not arrived: If you’ve waited a while, both eBay and Paypal have systems in place to help fix transactions that go bad — but you need to act sooner rather than later. Don’t hold back from leaving negative feedback if you can’t resolve a deal — as well as giving you a venting outlet, it’ll save others from throwing their money away. The key is that you have paid with Paypal and should have recourse if you’ve had the unfortunate challenge of dealing with an unethical seller.
Don’t get carried away: As eBay will remind you, your bid is a contract and you’re obliged to honor it. Didn’t mean to place a bid of $200 for that Jerky Boys album? Too Bad… But if you wake up one day and can’t get out of the house because the front door’s blocked with boxes and packages, you may be an eBay addict — there are support groups who can help.

If it looks too good to be true: It is. Resist the temptation… What are the chances that your $15 Louis Vuitton handbag is real?

In today’s competitive environment, selling on eBay is different now than it was just a few years ago. To be successful on eBay you must utilize new strategies, new techniques and a new game plan. My goal has always been to stay ahead of my competition - and I teach this philosophy to my students as well.

It’s not enough to just “write good titles” or have “beautiful pictures”.

Recently John Donahoe, president of eBay’s worldwide marketplace businesses had this to say about eBay 2.0:

“What it takes in the first ten years is a little different than what it takes in the next ten years,”

Today we need to not only understand the basics of selling on eBay, but we must also understand the core fundamental components of selling in general. Today we need to realize that investing in our “online venture” is not a luxury but a necessity. Today it’s critical to use software to analyze our own online activities along with that of our competitors.

I’ll more about this in upcoming posts, but in the meantime I highly encourage you to check out the following software:

http://www.auctionoptimizer.com

Right now, there’s a special offering 50% off the regular price along with a 10 day unlimited free trial.

I highly encourage you to take a serious look at this eBay research software. The technology is amazing and the results have the potential to revolutionize the way you sell on eBay.

My predition: http://www.auctionoptimizer.com will become the #1 software tool in the new eBay 2.0

Many people and businesses are already making great profits with eBay selling. Sellers can easily get started making cash online simply by taking the eBay demos and tours, and by learning the system and tools. Once sellers start making money online, though, they often want to optimize and learn new ways of making more money online.

Experienced sellers are usually not just interested in how to upload a picture of their product online. Rather, they want to know what they can do to draw more customers and more profits. They may wonder where to list their products for maximum exposure, how to describe their products to make them as attractive as possible for buyers with deep pockets. They may wonder whether adding a Buy-It-Now option would make them more money than an auction style sale. Experienced eBay sellers, in other words, are different in one marked way from novice sellers: smart sellers know that they need to understand the eBay marketplace thoroughly in order to make the best profit possible.

For these sellers who are interested in making real money online, there are a number of eBay research tools that offer the facts needed to make the right selling decisions. One of these options involves manual research. In this type of research, sellers basically go over completed auctions, forums, and eBay selling categories to try to get a sense of what works and what does not. By getting tips from others, by noting what options exist and by examining what works in various categories, sellers can learn – usually for free — what they can do to improve their bottom line. The main disadvantage of this type of eBay research, though, is that it is very time-consuming. Plus, sellers may not get the same reliable, clear results from this sort of research that they may get from more professional eBay research tools.

Another option for analysis of the online marketplace is eBay research software. There are a number of programs out there that automate information, gathering it and finding the patterns that can actually help sellers make more money. In some cases, eBay research software uses your eBay password and username to search many completed items. The program stores the information in a database and is analyzed by the software. Most software allows sellers to view the results in a number of report formats. The main advantage of eBay research software is that it allows sellers to get easy-to-read, thorough analysis of several auctions. Unfortunately, eBay research software can be costly, since it needs to be frequently updated as eBay updates.

Another option for sellers looking for good eBay research tools is online, web based analysis. This method of research allows eBay sellers to hire a vendor to do analysis for them. The vendors generally start collecting information and data before auctions and allow users to download reports of analysis very quickly. This allows sellers to react quickly to findings and change their selling strategies as they see fit. These types of eBay research tools make use of the data licensing program officially available through eBay or make use of research software. The advantage to this form of analysis is that it allows fast results. However, it can be the most costly method, since most vendors charge based on usage.  

No matter what eBay research tools a seller uses, the key is that with eBay research tools you save time AND money in the process. Software and statistics are extremely useful in today’s competitive online selling environment and it’s important that every seller approach numbers carefully. Rather than trying to use numbers to justify a specific strategy, for example, it is often better to ask whether a strategy seems to be working well. Sellers should not just use numbers when deciding how to sell their products. They should also use them to decide which new approaches to try online. If a new approach does not work, it is time to move onto something different – and research results can  save you thousands of dollars in the process. eBay research tools are a great way to learn new ways to success, and anyone serious about making money online should use them to their fullest!

If you’d like to learn more about eBay research software tools, head over to AuctionOptimizer - Version 2.0 has just been released and is currently offering a 10-day FREE trial, and 50% off the regular subscription price (during the inital launch phase of the latest version release!

Here’s the link again…AuctionOptimizer, Click Here!

The other day the Sony PS3 went on sale - and sold out almost immediately to people who waited on line for 40+ hours…As I was driving own Wilshire blvd. towards the beach the day after they were sold out EVERYWHERE, I saw a man with a sign on the a corner saying “PS3’s in stock”.

My curiousity go the better of me so I went inside…and sure enough, they had 4 units available - 2 of the Japanese version and 2 of the U.S. version. I was all set to purchase all 4 units (with the goal of reselling 3 of them) when I noticed the price: $1599 for the Japanese product and $2499.99 for the U.S. version.

When I inquired about the high price, the man in the store replied: “they’re still cheaper than they are on eBay.” Cheaper than eBay at $2499?

eBay has become more than a marketplace to buy and sell - it’s become an acceptable business environment to sell products at a premium that are impossible to get anywhere else…and people are paying the price. So for those of you wanting to sell your PS3 on eBay, or maybe it’s your Nintendo Wii, or it might be some other high-tech toy this holiday season, here are a few tips to make the most of your investment:

1. eBay has very specific rules for selling your PS3 or Ninendo Wii. These rules include:

a. Must have a feedback of 50 or more
b. Feedback score must be 98% or higher
c. You can only list one system with a photo of your pre-order recipt
d. You must take PayPal as the only payment option
e. You must include a photo of the receipt of the listing
f. No one day listing allowed

If you’re new to eBay, you better start selling your wares to get that feedback score up. Additionally, there are more rules that pre-sellers must adhere to.

The seller must guarantee that the item will be available for shipping within 30 days from the date of purchase (i.e., the day the listing ends or the date the item is purchased from a store front listing). The seller must also clearly indicate within the listing the fact that the item is a pre-sale item with a delivery date that indicates the item will be shipped by the 30th day from the end date of the listing. Additionally, this text must be no less than the default font size of the eBay Sell-Your-Item form.

2. It’s very important that you write your own description. It’s never a good idea to copy anyone’s description on eBay…but it’s even worse when you’re creating a listing that’s clearly going to get a lot of attention. Break this rule and eBay will pull your listing.

3. Add your own pictures and stay away from the stock photos. With all the people claiming to having a PS3 or Ninendo Wii - showing your own photos will prove you have the item on hand.

4. Be creative. I’ve seen some eBay listings for a PS3 or Ninendo Wii that included video of the people waiting on long lines to buy the items.

5. Don’t be greedy. It’s okay to make a nice profit, but if you price your item right it’ll sell quickly. On that same note, look at the next point.

6. Use the Buy It Now feature. When someone wants an item like this, they want it now. They don’t want to bid and be out bid, and they don’t want to wait. Set it up as a Buy It Now at the right price and use the profits to buy more items to resell this holiday season!

The other night it was announced that two of the world’s best boxers would meet in what ultimately might become the biggest fight in boxing history: Oscar De La Hoya versus Floyd Mayweather Jr.

So, what does this have to do with eBay or Making Money Online?

As a business person, you should always be looking for opportunity. This fight has been called “Fight For The Ages”. As I read the fight announcement on ESPN.com I immediately checked to see if fightfortheages.com was registered. It was NOT.

So, I went over to highfivedomains.com, registered the url, put up a blog, optimized it for natural search engine results and added Google Adsense.

Go ahead, Click Here To Check Out The Site!

What’s the lesson? First, you can do this at any time, with any topic that is “hot”, “in the news” or contains something people will search the web for. Second, you can turn these “hot topics” into mini-profit centers. And third, don’t be surprised if both Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. memorabilia show up on eBay!

Opportunity is all around us - we just have to be open to it!

eBay has made a change to their feedback policy, banning users with “private” feedback from listing items for sale.

Some sellers choose to list their feedback as “private” - mostly done by a seller looking to hide something.  When the “private feedback” feature is activated, the users’ feedback score (total number of positive, neutral and negative comments) can still be seen, but the actual comments left for the member are hidden.

Initially I thought that members would list their feedback as private with the intent of hiding a string of negative feedbacks…that was until I received a slanderous feedback comment that I didn’t thing was accurate (or appropriate) for potential buyers to see.  It wasn’t until I, appropriately so, had the feedback comment removed that I switched my feedback score back to being public.
In eBay’s announcement of their change to the Private Feedback policy, they stated it would go into effect on October 26, 2006, and will have the following restrictions:

• Members who have private feedback profiles will no longer be allowed to list items after this change goes into effect. Only members with public feedback profiles will be permitted to list items.
• Any items listed before the change will not be impacted. However, they may not be re-listed by sellers who keep their feedback profiles private.
• Members who wish to make their feedback profiles private can still do so. However, they must cancel any existing listings, and they will not be allowed to create new listings as long as their feedback is private.

In a post on the eBay Announcement Board, Senior Marketplace Policy Manager for Feedback Brian Burke wrote, “Prohibiting members with private Feedback profiles from listing items will ensure we help maintain a safe and well-lit marketplace. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, your Feedback Profile is a valuable asset that helps earn the trust of other eBay members. We strongly encourage members to keep their Feedback profiles public so everyone in the marketplace can benefit from the Feedback other eBay Community members have left them.”

As reported by Ina Steiner on AuctionBytes, “Private Feedback is different from Private Listings, which are unaffected by the new policy. Private listings prevent bidders’ and buyers’ User IDs from being viewed by anyone but the seller. Sellers listing items sensitive in nature, such as ‘mature’ items, may use private listings to make bidders and buyers feel more comfortable. But some scammers also use private listings so that watchdogs are unable to contact potential victims and warn them of scams.

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200610021207282.html

Today, eBay’s stock - which has been on the decline in recent months, rose almost 5% today on market speculation that part or all of the world’s #1 auction site would be purchased.

eBay, which now has more than 200 million members, has become a platform for people to make money online.  eBay, known as a place where just about anything can be bought or sold has a market value of $37 billion.

According to Seven Summits Strategic Investments,  it’s possible that Microsoft - which has a market valuation of around $266 billion - wants to buy eBay.

Is it possible that eBay could be purchased by Microsoft?  Absolutely.  Here’s my thought:  Microsoft views Google as a serious threat…and the purchase of eBay (which would also include the purchase of PayPal, since eBay owns PayPal) would strengthen their hold on the marketplace.

Is it realistic that one of, if not the largest aquisition in business, could happen?  It’s impossible to predict the future - buy don’t rule out the possibility. One way or another it will be exciting to watch what unfolds in the coming months…but either way, as an eBay shareholder I’m all in favor of 5% increases in eBay stock!