Posted by M.S. on August 13, 2009
In this economic slowdown, would you like to make extra money or build a business selling on the Internet?
Take a look at the 10 simple steps to improve your chances of making money selling on eBay!
I have learned these techniques as a successful eBay Powerseller, selling on eBay since 1998, and I now have over 4,000 positive feedbacks.
Now, I am trained by eBay as an Education Specialist & I can help you be successful on eBay too!
The Top Ten Things You Can do to be Successful on eBay!
1. Research the item: Be sure you know everything you can about the item you are listing, so you can accurately describe it and determine an approximate value. Research the item by doing a Google search.
2. Start with a low starting price. I always start with a $9.99 starting price and have a no reserve auction. This means the item will sell to the highest bidder. Low starting prices encourages participation and bidding. You can protect yourself with a reserve auction for a valuable piece.
3. End auctions on Sunday evenings. I always start my auctions on a Sunday evening around 9 pm Eastern time. (That is 6 pm West Coast time.) That way, the auction will end 7 days later at the same time. That is prime time for people to be on their computers and bidding! eBay traffic proves that’s a great time!
4. Include Important Keywords in the Title. Did you know that your title is critically important to your eBay listing & is the main way people will find your item? For that reason, research all the important words that people associate with this item. Look at other eBay listings to see keywords others have included in their auction listings for similar items.
5. Write a catchy description and include all details. Write as if you were writing an ad—because you are! The description & photos are the only way buyers can learn about the item & decide to buy. Include all flaws or damage about the item. People get very upset & leave negative feedback if you are not honest about the condition.
6. Take great photos. Great photos in good lighting is crucial! Include as many photos as you need to show all the features of the item. Take close ups of significant features of the piece. Make it easy for prospective buyers to get excited about your item! Then they will bid more!
7. Keep Shipping Costs Low or Free. Set shipping prices low. Use the Paypal shipping feature that allows you to print US Post Office labels from home with free delivery confirmation included. The mail carrier picks them up from you for FREE- so no more trips to the post office.
8. Be available during the auction to answer questions. Check your e-mail often throughout the day and evening. People will have questions & they expect timely responses, so answer them promptly.
9. Ship the items as soon as you are paid. I love accepting Paypal, since they handle the entire financial portion of the transaction. Once a payment is in your Paypal account, you can ship, since it is considered cleared. Buyers LOVE it when you ship quickly. That helps encourage positive feedback!
10. Be generous with positive feedback. I leave glowing positive feedback as soon as I ship the item to a buyer. This sets a pleasant tone & the buyer is in a positive frame of mind when they receive their item. Then, they are much more likely to leave me positive feedback!
Go to InternetAuctionDiva.com for a schedule of eBay classes starting soon, so you can begin making money on the Internet!
Be sure to check out my blog posts on TheDealDivas on the Charlotte Observer’s online website for lots of frugal tips and easy ways to save & make lots of money!
Posted by M.S. on May 5, 2009
When our children graduated from college, we reflected on what words of wisdom we could share to guide them on their own journey towards financial prosperity. We believe it could be boiled down to these 4 simple steps.
#1. Define how you want your life to look. Be very specific. Do a dream board where you gather pictures from magazines and create a photo montage of your future life. Show the dollar amount you want, the family you aspire to, career goals, homes you will buy, the fabulous travel you intend to do, etc. Now that you know what you are aiming for, you should set concrete financial goals to get there. Set a 1 year, 5 year and long range goal and start working hard and saving to achieve it!
# 2. Pay Yourself First. The minute you land a job, enroll in the company’s 401-K program and contribute the maximum amount. You have 40 years for the money to grow, so allow the power of compound interest to work for you and reap the huge benefits of all those years of growth. Alfred Einstein said compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world! If you are serious about becoming wealthy, you must save a much larger percentage of your income than the average American. Start with saving and investing 20% and go up from there! Do you want to be rich or don’t you? You will not get wealthy by spending all your money on junk. Learn to cook and make your coffee at home. Ok, splurge once in a while.
#3. Only buy appreciating assets, whenever possible– NOT depreciating assets. That means only buy things that will generally go UP in value over time- that is things like houses, stocks, mutual funds, etc. You can buy them now at fire sale prices (unless you think the world is coming to an end.) Do not buy loads of designer clothing and shoes, fancy overpriced cars, etc. You are not Don Trump! Don’t try to live like you are! You have a much better chance of getting wealthy if you defer gratification and wait to buy all those fun toys when you actually have the money to afford them! Now is the time to save and build up your nest egg. We know this is contrary to what most people do! That’s why most people have NO money!
# 4. Take care of your body! What good will wealth do for you if your health is a wreck? Eat less, exercise more, reduce stress. That’s the best investment you will ever make!
Now get going!
Posted by M.S. on April 30, 2009
Would it surprise you to know that 1.3 million people, just like you, are making a living selling on eBay? Over $100,000 worth of sales are made on eBay every minute. That’s over $ 50 billion in sales on eBay every year!
One of the things I love the most about selling on eBay for Moms (and Dads) is that it allows you to work at home and earn extra income while caring for your children with NO childcare costs.
Not to mention the time you save on commuting and NO expensive work clothes! Think of the money you will save on gas costs, too. The reduced stress of all that juggling is priceless!
An eBay business is a perfect way to increase your income with essentially no investment! There is no factory to build, no staff to be hired! You can earn money and build wealth without any risk.
Are you ready to tap into the over 90 million people registered on eBay in 38 countries? You have access to ALL of them from the comfort of your own home! Try getting that many people to buy your products locally!
When I started selling on eBay in 1998, my husband was skeptical that other people would want this “junk” I had accumulated. As the money started rolling in- he became a believer!
Today, you can sell virtually anything on eBay and tap into the wealth of the world’s largest auction marketplace!
Take a look at the Hottest Selling items on eBay right now. Maybe you have some of them in your closet, just waiting to be turned into cash!
Click Here to See What’s Hot on eBay Right Now
Posted by M.S. on April 29, 2009
Worried about losing your job? The recent economic slowdown reminded me of a time in the 80’s when we experienced a big recession. At the time, I was working as a marketing manager at a small manufacturing company in the Midwest. I saw jobs were being consolidated at my company causing layoffs, and I did not want to become a statistic.
I figured if I could determine a way to make myself more valuable to the company, I would be much less likely to lose my job. I devised a plan that would not only save my job, but also give me a 30% raise at the same time! I will tell you how I did it –so you can do it too!
There was a person working at the company doing some purchasing and pricing, whose job I knew I was capable of handling, along with my other regular job responsibilities. I decided to tell the company owner, who was my boss, that I would be willing to do ALL her work, along with mine, for ONLY an additional 30% of the pay she had been receiving.
The company would be saving 70% of her salary, plus they would save ALL the taxes and health benefits they paid having her as an employee. What a deal!
I had my “sales pitch” and all the details in order when went I talked with my boss. He was delighted to save all that extra money and liked my take charge attitude. He immediately said Sure! and I got my 30% raise and she was shown the door.
I felt kind of bad for her until I realized, one of us was going to be let go and she could have taken the initiative and come up with the same idea herself. But she didn’t and I DID!
I knew it was a risk approaching my boss with this idea, but I figured if it benefited him, he would go along with it and he id!
Maybe this idea would pay off for you at your company! Think about it!
