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 20, 2009
There are some fantastic deals right now if you plan to do any traveling, since the economy in the doldrums!
Recently, I took a trip to Chicago and needed a rental car while I was there. I found a fabulous deal at Enterprise Rent a Car through Hotwire.com for a midsized car at only $ 19 per day!
When I arrived at O’Hare Airport, I was given a BRAND NEW Chevy Malibu–with only 11 miles on it! It worked like a charm and even better- it smelled like a new car!
I was driving in luxury while still being frugal!
Check out those Hotwire deals!
Posted by M.S. on May 10, 2009
I was flabbergasted while reading an article in the Wall Street Journal the other day regarding the luxury French fashion house, Hermes International, and how business is booming on ultra expensive designer items. Hermes Sales Benefit from Exclusivity
According to the Wall Street Journal article, Kasia Al Thani owns 18 versions of the $7,000 Birkin handbag made by Hermès and is on waiting lists for two more bags, including one in white crocodile skin.
“When I see other women carrying a Birkin in a color that I want, I get bag envy,” says the 32-year-old chief executive of luxury retail Web site savoir-faire.com. “The more you can’t have something, the more you want it.” Al Thani said. My head was spinning!
I had recently read an article in USA Today about a marvelous website called WishUponaHero.com where people can donate online to directly help people with needs of various types. Website Connects Needy to the Charitable. The article stated that increasingly, requests are being placed for the basics of life, including groceries and gas money, along with pleas for help with medical bills and utilties payments!
The cost of those 18 outrageously expensive ultra-luxury handbags comes to $126,000! Think about how much food or medicine that could provide for sick and hungry little kids! Imagine how many people could be helped if the money was put to a higher use and what an impact that type of investment could have on the world!
The profound irony of this comment about the designer handbags really struck me “The more you can’t have something, the more you want it.” I bet that’s the same thing mothers are saying about having NO food or medicine for their children, and what poor and elderly people are saying about an expensive medical procedure they cannot afford!
What an impact even the cost of even one $7,000 Hermes bag could have on those people’s lives!
The rush gotten from knowing you have helped people should last a lot longer than the thrill from carrying the latest extravagant fashion accessory.
Posted by M.S. on May 8, 2009
Do you think it is possible for a garden of wildflowers to help you gain enormous wealth? Well, that is just what happened to me many years ago when one Spring I planted a cutting garden. A magazine article had piqued my interest about the ease of using seeds of this type to plant a garden that would give me an abundance of free flowers. These colorful bouquets would add color and fragrance throughout our home.
Each year I see ads for flower packet seeds for 10 cents a piece, so I knew that it wouldn’t cost much to get started. After preparing the soil a bit, I raked in the seeds and within weeks–flowers began to bloom.
One marvelous characteristic of wildflowers that you may not know is that the more you cut them- the more they bloom! Soon, my home was overflowing with fragrant bouquets! I began to ponder who would enjoy the abundance of these fabulous flowers as much as I did. Then I had an inspiration!
My dad had suffered a stroke and was living in a nursing home in another city far away from where I lived, in another country at the time. I had learned how much he valued his visits from friends and family and I decided since I couldn’t visit him as often as I would like, I would take flowers to folks at a local nursing home! I decided to purchase inexpensive vases at garage sales which I would leave in individual resident’s rooms, and re-fill them with fresh flowers each week.
What an impact that simple act of kindness had on folks that really could use a distraction! I quickly learned how much they cherished our weekly visits, even more than the fresh bouquets. What the elderly folks wanted more than anything was to have someone listen to their stories and whatever was on their minds. For the entire week, the vase of flowers was a reminder to them that someone was thinking of them.
The powerful lesson I learned in this experience is that kindness is FREE, yet priceless, and that all the money in the world does not replace the value of human interaction and compassion.
Each week as I walked out of the nursing home, I reflected on the real wealth I had.
I had a marvelous family, I was healthy, I could walk, I could talk, and I had the extreme good fortune of living in the United States– the place where people would crawl on cut glass, just for the opportunity to live in this great country!
Any of the residents at the nursing home would have traded all the money in the world for what I had for FREE!
It is good to remember that having money is great, but true wealth is the abundance of blessings you have in your life now! Maybe in these tough times, a cutting garden could help your perspective too!
Get Started on Your Garden Here
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!
