Entries from July 2007 ↓

For the second week in a row, [tag]Ron Paul[/tag] items on [tag]eBay[/tag] have slipped behind items mentioning [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag]. For Ron Paul supporters however, there is still something important to crow about. His [tag]sell-through[/tag] rate remains incredibly high at nearly 75%. If you're not familiar with [tag]eBay selling[/tag], that is a great [tag]conversion rate[/tag] and way above average items on the site. And lets face it, Hillary Clinton has her husband to help her in this race of eBay items as well as being first lady and all.

[tag]Michael Vick[/tag], should he run for President?

eBay users in the U.S. total nearly one hundred million. According to the US Census, about 197 million people voted for [tag]President[/tag] in 2004. So a big chunk of the electorate uses eBay and as I've been saying here, we get a collective picture of what's on the country's mind via [tag]eBay sales[/tag]. So take a look at alleged dog-fighter/dog-killer Michael Vick compared to the pillars of society running for the nation's highest office:

Michael Vick July 19-25,2007

• # of listings: 1236
  
• Sell-through Rate: 40.53%
• Avg. Price: $23.02
• Total Sales: $11,741

Should Ron Paul take up dog-fighting? I hope not literally, but there could be a joke there...

-
[tags]barack obama,rudy giuliani,john edwards,fred thompson,presidential election,2008[/tags]

Popularity: 4% [?]

I've learned that if you keep your eyes open, you'll find lots of good [tag]sources[/tag] of products to sell online. Successful [tag]eBay sellers[/tag] watch for trends, so they can plan for the year ahead. The December 2006 Entrepreneur magazine had some great ideas for sellers.

If you find a product that you'd like to sell, there are several ways to become a legitimate retailer for it. One way is to track down the manufacturer, and ask for the contact info for one of their [tag]wholesalers[/tag] (the manufacturer and wholesaler are almost never the same person). Then work with the wholesaler to buy product for resale. This is a simplified description of the process - and I'd suggest doing some research in the free e-books at Worldwide Brands to get a better explanation.

My point here is to share with you some of the things I picked out of the article. If you're just starting out, and wonder what to sell, these areas are a great start to developing a product line.

Green Products

It's obvious when you look around. "[tag]Environmentally friendly[/tag]", "green" and "organic" is everywhere. The article quoted Dr. Karel J. Samsom author of Spirit of Entrepreneurship said, "It's a highly underrated opportunity for [tag]small business[/tag]." The magazine went on to discuss another expert, "Jonelle Raffino, of South West Trading Co. Inc., a Tempe, Arizona, business that specializes in earth-friendly, alternative fibers and textiles such as yarns made from bamboo, corn and even recycled crab shells. "This country is seeing that we need to challenge the idea of products that use fossil fuels," says Raffino. Business is booming so much, they’ve expanded into ready-to-wear items, and they can barely keep up with demand for their line of plush Soy-Silk Pals toys.

You Can Predict the Future

A couple other areas that are only going to grow are related to the baby-boomer market. The size of that market is one of historical proportions. In the U.S. we have an aging 'bubble' of people needing and wanting special products. One that has received a bit of mention lately is the [tag]plus-size[/tag] crowd.

If you consider the fact that people are getting bigger (read: fatter) and they are not trimming down before they pass away, you have the makings of a market that will be big in more ways that one. Like it or not, big people need bigger stuff to be comfortable. They are sick of being left out when it comes to designer clothes, household accessories, travel accommodations, even - toilet seats. I recently read of a gentleman who has developed a great product line for large sized people. His site is called SuperSizeWorld.com and it's an amazing example of a [tag]product line[/tag] which has a great variety within a targeted market. The guy started all of this because he had a hard time getting a seatbelt extender on an airplane. He decided to look up the manufacturer and made a deal to sell them on a retail basis. Since then he's added lots of products to help large folks such as scales that go over 300 lbs., large toilet seats (don't laugh - they sell on eBay), oversized furniture, and more.

These areas are great for planning what to sell. You can do some simple research to find products in your target area. The hard part for many is finding the source of the products. As beginners, we may need help. Even if you don't sign up with these folks, you can take advantage of their free resources. I suggest looking at the following sites to help you get started:

• [tag]Doba[/tag] ([tag]Drop shipping[/tag] experts)
• Worldwide Brands (TONS of free information)
• What Do I Sell.com ([tag]Product sourcing[/tag] and product line development)

I've used the companies I discuss here. (I even sold the Big John Toilet seat on eBay.) The three I listed above are staffed by honest people that I personally know, each company has its strong points. Check out what they have to offer to get started selling.

Popularity: 4% [?]

If you consider yourself pretty good with [tag]HTML[/tag], you probably know just enough to be dangerous. Most of us can change the size and color of text, create paragraphs, maybe even create a decent table, and get our self-hosted photos to show up on our [tag]eBay[/tag] listings or websites. Have you ever run into a situation though, where the character you wanted to display is not on the keyboard? For example, if you're writing a recipe for your site how would you display the temperature? Like this: 350 degrees F ? or rather like this: 350° F ? Or if you'd like to add a trademark sign? A big floppy TM doesn't look nearly as cool as this ™ right?

Approximately 56% of eBay users are outside the United States. Many [tag]international[/tag] buyers use characters in a little different way than we do here in the U.S. Getting the characters right for them shows attention to detail, and shows you'll go to a little extra work to make sure things are right. Take a little time here, and you may reap lots of benefits as a seller.

Want a code? Just [tag]ascii[/tag].

They're called ASCII Characters. That's an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. "Asky" is not so much of a mouthful. There is a bunch of pages that give waaaayyy more information than you probably want on the topic. There are only a handful of these special characters you may want to use on eBay. I will try to give you the common codes instead of every imaginable character ever created. Then I'll show you how it should look in HTML. So here is first the description, then the character, then what you need to insert in your HTML to create it.

Business symbols:

[tag]Copyright sign[/tag] © = ©
[tag]Registered sign[/tag] ® = ®
[tag]Trademark sign[/tag] ™ = ™

[tag]Currency Symbols[/tag] and [tag]Fractions[/tag]

[tag]Cent[/tag] sign ¢ = ¢
[tag]Euro[/tag] sign € = €
[tag]Yen[/tag] sign ¥ = ¥
[tag]Pound[/tag] sign £ = £
Dollar sign $ = $

One half ½ = ½
One quarter ½ = ¼
Three quarters ¾ = ¾

International Alpha Characters

Inverted exclamation ¡ = ¡ This is used before an exclamation in Spanish.
Inverted question mark ¿ = ¿ Used before a question in Spanish.
Any letter with a tilde ñ = ñ Just change the letter in the code from n to a or A or whatever you need and the formula stays the same.

Using [tag]Special Characters[/tag] in Your HTML

Now that you know what code creates the characters, how will it look in your html itself? It's easy. If I was writing a recipe, a portion of it may look like this in your browser:

Preheat oven to 350° F
Add 2½ Tablespoons oil

Your actual HTML to make it look like that is:

Preheat oven to 350° F
Add 2½ Tablespoons oil

That's it. Just type the code for the special character right where you want it to appear. These characters are not tags that need to be opened and closed with < and >. Just make sure you use the colon at the end of the code or it won't appear correctly.

It does matter.

Using the proper characters makes a difference in the way people perceive you as a seller. On eBay, lots of sellers throw things together and they lose credibility when they look sloppy. If you take just a little time to learn to make your listing stand out as different, it may be just the thing that swings the buyer toward your listing when all other things are equal.

Great Resources for ASCII [tag]HTML Codes[/tag]

http://www.ascii.cl/htmlcodes.htm In English and Spanish
Wikipedia has a ton of information on this subject here.

[tags]ascii codes,symbols,upside down exclamation point,tilde[/tags]

Popularity: 6% [?]

Choosing your [tag]market niche[/tag]

By Mikal E. Belicove, Director – Community & Education, Doba

If you and I were to decide to go into business together, and we chose to open up a brick and mortar store on Main Street, there's no way we'd sign an 18-month lease, order display furnishings, install carpet, hook up a phone line, and hire employees without first knowing what we're going to sell. Yet, online retailers--or, more accurately, casual sellers who want to become successful [tag]online retailer[/tag]s--do it every day.
Without giving much thought to a company name, product line, or business or marketing plan, new online sellers sign up for services like Doba, work with a third-party vendor to build a webstore, and only then get around to asking, "Hey, what should I sell?" They head to [tag]eBay[/tag], see what’s selling, and then decide to sell the same products--usually consumer electronics--for slightly less than the competition. They end up being disappointed, because their profit margins are so low.
The problem is that these misguided novices have nothing unique to offer, so they try to compete on price alone--an almost surefire way to go bust. One of the keys to online retail success is your ability to establish yourself as the person or the company from which to purchase a particular selection of related products. Tiger Woods, for example, would be better off selling golfing gear than home decor… something that Martha Stewart is more qualified to sell.

Selling what you know

What’s interesting is that first-time online retailers often overlook their own areas of expertise and passion. A guy who’s spent his entire life fiddling around with car engines in his garage suddenly decides to start selling video games, because they’re so popular with the kids in the neighborhood. Or a gal who’s had a lifelong passion for photography decides to open her own major department store online, selling anything and everything.
At Doba, we have the unique opportunity to meet many talented individuals who simply started out by choosing the wrong products to sell. One of these gifted people, whom we fondly refer to as “The Dart Lady,” was interested in selling consumer electronics, despite the fact that she really enjoyed schooling men in the art of throwing darts at her local pub. She knew a ton about darts, was very passionate about playing, and kept up on the local, regional, and world dart scene. As soon as we pointed out to her that she could sell darts and dart-related equipment online, her eyes lit up with a ton of possibilities. In her case, a female focusing on darts made her unique, as did her [tag]product knowledge[/tag] and sheer passion for the game.
We also met a gifted musician who never considered using his musical talents to his advantage. He was at a complete loss as to what to sell, so he dabbled here and there as most online retailers do, simply experimenting with different products in the hopes that he would hit it big. When we pointed out to him that he could use his knowledge and talents to market himself and a line of musical instruments and accessories, he too say an infinite amount of possibilities for his [tag]online business[/tag]. Now he’s selling what he knows, and for his local clientèle, he offers lessons to accompany specific purchases.
We even met a fellow who managed to transform his work experience at a major amusement park into a successful business. We didn’t teach him much, because he understood the importance of picking a niche right from the start. He had worked for a number of years in catering at a theme park and noticed how much kids and grow-ups alike liked carnival foods. He took his product knowledge from that space and applied it online by selling cotton candy machines, popcorn makers, snow cone machines, and so on—an excellent example of someone who is using his product knowledge to price, market, stand out, and sell products online.

Identifying your areas of expertise

Follow in the footsteps of these and other successful online retailers—sell what you know. If you have trouble identifying areas of expertise, answer the following questions:

1. What do you know a lot about?
2. What are you most passionate about?
3. What are my hobbies and pastimes? Are you a weekend mechanic? A seamstress? A sports fanatic? A movie buff?
4. How do you spend your free time?
5. What kind of professional training and experience do you have?
6. Find something that makes your eyes light up, and you’ve probably hit on the right line of products.

Researching your niche market

Once you’ve identified your [tag]niche market[/tag], you can begin researching the market to learn more about your customers’ wants and needs. The good news is that since you will be working in areas that interest you, the research won’t feel much like work.
As you begin researching your niche market, keep the following in mind:

• Knowing your product is not equivalent to knowing your customer. You need to know your customers’ wants and needs. Using the products you sell and being involved with other’s who use those products can give you a clearer sense of what people need.
• Base your decisions on research. Simply click the “Product Research” link on any [tag]Doba[/tag] product description page to access [tag]Terapeak[/tag]’s database of completed eBay listings. And, if you sell golf gear, for example, you may be able to do a little research by going golfing on Saturday!
• Stay on the leading edge. Don’t follow the crowd by selling what they’re selling and how they’re selling it. Develop your own unique vision based on your research and your experience. Attempting to sell what’s hot usually turns into trying to sell what used to be hot and then being disappointed.
• Get involved in your industry. Read trade publications related to your market, attend industry conferences and trade shows when you are able, and mingle with the people who manufacture, market, and use the products you want to sell.

Remember: Pick your niche, research your market, and then pursue it. Follow your heart, and sell what you know.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
About the Author:
Mikal E. [tag]Belicove[/tag] is a former online business owner and corporate blogger whose expertise also includes building and supporting online communities of practice and business-to-business-related social networks. As Doba's Director of Community & Education, Mikal oversees the company's efforts to educate retail business owners and connect customers with one another. Mikal is the author of 2007 Edition of the Internet Yellow Pages (Que Publishing/ Pearson, 10/06), co-authored with Joe Kraynak.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Hillary Clinton pulled ahead of Ron Paul in the eBay Presidential Race this week. While Dr. Paul still had an outstanding sell-through rate of 81%, Ms. Clinton jumped to the front of the line in Total Sales due in part to a set of signed, numbered copies of their respective books, "Living History" by Hillary and "My Life" by Bill. The set sold for $850 to an adoring fan. These books and a couple of "My Life" copies autographed by both Bill and Hillary bumped her average selling price up this week to $27.82 from $12.51 last week. So although the sell-through rate for Hillary dropped, her overall sales were higher this week.

eBay Reflects the Polls Again

Overall, eBay again reflects the poll averages on RealClearPolitics.com. Hillary definitely has some help from former President Clinton, but generally if she's mentioned in the title of an item, it's relevant in this survey. Really though, that's pretty much the way it is in the offline world too, Bill gives Hillary a boost in general. One glaring difference in this line-up is still Ron Paul. While never mentioned in the top-level polls, he continues to show very strongly in items sold on eBay. It seemed the "Ron Paul for President" backlit car top sign pushed the gross merchandise value of Ron Paul this week. I have yet to see one on the street, but you can find one on eBay here while they last.
Maybe you Ron Paul fans can push him back in the lead next week, I'm sure you'll be noticed when you drive down the street.

Bringing Up the Rear

While some of the other names in the race are well-known, they just don't have the "rock-star" appeal that Hillary, Barack, and Ron have. They are the only three to crack the $1000 line in weekly sales of items related to them. Where would Hillary be without Bill though? No, really.

It's interesting to see how John McCain's average price per item has dropped over the past three weeks, in parallel with the stories on the news about his faltering funds on the campaign trail.

Fred Thompson still hasn't declared, but according to eBay results, he's giving Rudy Giuliani a run for his money. I expect him to continue climbing as many predict.

Senators John Edwards and Joe Biden are unimpressive for eBay sellers (and evidently buyers in the case of Edwards). Joe Biden has been serving Delaware since 1973 and it seems there would be more than seven items on eBay mentioning him. John Edwards has been serving North Carolina since 1999, and was a strong contender for the Democrat nomination in 2004, but all together items referencing John Edwards (for president) only totalled $111 last week. Dude!

[tags]ron paul,hillary,bill clinton,ebay,obama,john mccain,john edwards,presidential,fred thompson,joe biden,rudy giuliani,presidential race,2008[/tags]

Popularity: 4% [?]

As I was happily printing my labels today for my sold [tag]eBay [/tag]items, I ran out of labels. I love my label printer. It's a Pitney-Bowes LPS-1, and it takes a 100 foot long X 2 3/7 inch continuous roll of label material. When you print a label through [tag]PayPal[/tag], it pops out a nice thin label (yes, I said two and three sevenths of an inch wide) about six inches long that is perfect for a shipping tube.

[tag]Pitney Bowes[/tag] should know better

Pitney Bowes is a company with an interesting history. They've been around for over a hundred years dealing with postage. You may remember the old [tag]postage[/tag] meters in offices years ago, they were likely Pitney Bowes meters. They tell us themselves, they have over

"3,500 patents in divergent areas such as ticketing, cellular phone payments, laser printing, encryption and mail production, Pitney Bowes consistently ranks among the companies receiving the most new patents every year."

Nice.

Each year I've attended eBay Live!, Pitney Bowes has one of the biggest booths. They pay a LOT to be there with the eBay sellers. In fact, eBay Live! is where I saw my first [tag]LPS-1[/tag] and promptly bought one. In fact, Pitney Bowes provides the engine that drives the postage sellers print via their eBay or PayPal accounts. I like that they want to do business with [tag]online retailers[/tag]. Nevertheless, I feel this company needs some serious help dragging itself into the 21st century.

The problem

As I mentioned earlier, I ran out of label material and didn't have a spare ready. So I went to Staples and Office Depot to look for refills. Just so you know, you can't actually buy the refills for Pitney Bowes LPS-1 printers at these stores. You can though buy the refills for the Brother Model QL-500. This is the exact same printer, but on the spot the label spool sits, there are some little spring-loaded pins. The little "feet" the spool sits on, either push the pins down (for the Brother [tag]QL-500[/tag]) or let the pins stick up through a small hole in the "feet" (LPS-1). Each brand sets these little pins to a certain up or down combination that only lets the printer work with their branded labels. Otherwise it's the exact same product. They just want you to buy their proprietary product. Well, I figured out the difference, and since I can't get the Pitney Bowes product (except on their website -which I'm getting to) I just ground away part of the little "foot" that the spool sits on, allowing the spring-loaded pin to stick up, and everything works fine.

In any case, both office supply stores were out of the product I needed. So, I thought I'd give Pitney Bowes a shot and see what their prices are. They have lowered them since I last looked. So I tried to buy two rolls. Then I'd have a spare when I run out again right? Wrong.

First I had to "register", fine. No, I don't want news on Pitney Bowes products, etc. etc. Then I found my label material. Cool, $14.99 per roll. I'll take two. I typed "2" into the quantity box, and then Proceed to Checkout. I get to checkout, and there's only "1" in the cart. I updated that with "2" and then clicked "Recalculate"... nothing. It would not update, and it didn't tell me why. It just stuck there at "1". Is the stock low? Do I need to know a secret handshake? How do I get this store to let me buy from them? With over 3,500 patents, you'd think PB would have figured this one out. How many sales are they missing per day because of this?

So I went back to the catalog and added other products. They popped into the cart. I tried adding more label material as a second line item. Nope. So I finally gave up. I was pretty irritated though. Maybe I could call... nope, closed. Email? Well, although PB spends thousands of dollars to reach online retailers at eBay Live!, and provide a great service through eBay and PayPal - there's no email address to be found on their site. Just phone numbers - OH and a fax number, that's handy. Just as I was gasping in amazement at this lack of email contact info, an email popped up from Pitney Bowes! They were welcoming me (since I'd just registered).

I looked over my shiny new email for a [tag]customer service[/tag] email address since obviously they do have access to the internet. Here is what I found:

Please note: This e-mail was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this message.

Thank you for choosing Pitney Bowes. We look forward to continuing to help you with your business needs in the future.

Nahhh, that's okay.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Ask ten different [tag]eBay[/tag] sellers about [tag]selling internationally[/tag] and you are very likely to get ten varying responses. Not surprisingly, there is so much misinformation circulating that many new eBay sellers choose to avoid offering their listings to the world rather than taking the time to determine if it is the right choice for their online business. Hopefully these few paragraphs will begin to set the record straight and provide you with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision.

In it's few years of existence, eBay has grown to truly be "the World's Online Marketplace™". No other company has done more to shrink our world for the average entrepreneur. With only a picture, a few descriptive words and a small fee, you can now offer your products as easily to someone in Australia as in Arkansas. The obstacle claimed by most sellers arises when trying to get their products to their international buyer. That is frequently the hurdle that causes many sellers to toss in the towel and decide to sell exclusively within the 50 states of the Union. So let's examine whether shipping internationally is really worth the hassle by dispelling a few myths.

Myth #1: "I have all the buyers I need right here in the USA."

According to statistics published by eBay, as of June 30th, 2006, [tag]international[/tag] registered users surpassed the total number of registered US users (113 million worldwide and 90 million in the USA). Simply put, limiting your eBay sales to domestic boundaries reduces your potential marketplace by 56%. Without question, most eBay sellers agree to the following formula:

more potential buyers = more page views = more bids = greater profits

That being the case, saying “No, thanks” to the majority of eBay registered users seems counter productive.

Myth #2: "I have no seller protection through [tag]PayPal[/tag] if I sell internationally."

While that may have been, it is certainly not always the case. PayPal now confirms addresses in both [tag]Canada[/tag] and the [tag]UK[/tag] which offers you the same level of security through their Seller Protection Program as selling within the USA. And from all indications, more markets will follow soon.

Myth #3: "I don’t want to have to deal with foreign currencies."

Fair enough. You don’t have to. Continue to list in US dollars and let your buyer worry about making the conversion (most of them are more than happy to do so). Offer PayPal as your singular method of payment for international buyers and PayPal makes the [tag]currency conversion[/tag] for you.

Myth #4: "I don’t want to have to deal with the [tag]customs[/tag] documentation."

It is not the big deal that it once was. Most customs documents are printed out at the same time when you use PayPal to print your [tag]postage[/tag]. Nothing could be faster or easier.

Generally I suggest that new sellers considering selling internationally start modestly and expand as their comfort level and experience grows. Most sellers testing the waters explore Canada as their first international market as there are several factors that prove it to be a very good expansion ground for American eBay sellers. They include:

• The USA and Canada are each others largest trading partners. [tag]USPS[/tag] and [tag]Canada Post[/tag] seem to work well together.
• We speak the same language and Canadians are very familiar with dealings in US currency.
• Many products sold in the USA are also sold in Canada. Brand recognition generally means greater acceptance.
• The North American Free Trade Act ([tag]NAFTA[/tag]) means that most items produced within the USA are accepted into Canada duty free (not to be confused with tax free - a different topic altogether).
• The US and Canadian dollars are rapidly approaching par in exchange. American produced goods are more attractively priced for Canadian buyers than they have been for years.
• As mentioned previously, PayPal now confirms addresses in Canada which assures US sellers of coverage under PayPal’s Seller Protection Program (provided all other conditions are met).
• Shipping costs to Canada by USPS are very reasonable and delivery is typically within two weeks.
• Adding Canada as a potential trading partner is like adding another California. Canada’s population of 33 million (California is approximately 36 million) is very internet and e-commerce savvy and eBay estimates that more than 12 million visits are made by Canadians to the site every month.

If you decide you are ready to extend your business empire to include Canada, here are a few points you should be aware of:

• All declarations of value should be for the actual sold price rather than an insured price. [tag]Canadians[/tag] pay both a Federal and Provincial tax on all imports exceeding CA$20 in value. Inflating the declared value for insurance purposes means that your buyer will pay an inflated amount of tax.
• Resist the temptation to mark goods as “a gift” on the customs declaration - even if your buyer repeatedly asks you to do so. Lying to customs agents is a serious offence and it is the seller that accepts the consequences of that act. Penalties include confiscation of goods and the potential of prosecution. Simply remind a persistent customer that you are unprepared to jeopardize your business in order to help them avoid a few dollars of tax.
• If using recycled packaging, be certain to obliterate references to what the package may have once contained. Your declaration form may assure that you are shipping a vintage toy but if the packaging is for high tech electronics, you can expect a delay while customs more carefully examines the contents.
• Avoid shipping by either [tag]UPS[/tag] or [tag]FedEx[/tag] unless your customer insists that you use them. Both of these services charge enormous customs clearance fees which frequently catch buyers unaware. Imagine your buyers reaction when they receive a bill for CA$45 for customs clearance of a US$30 widget.
• Be aware that delivery to Canada will take longer than normal domestic service. Aside from delays occasionally caused by customs inspection, USPS and Canada Post are not a single entity. As well oiled as their machines may be, they are still two individual operations that work on their own timetables. Most packages shipped by normal postal service are still trucked to destination.

In the end, should you decide to try your hand at selling internationally, you are likely to find what so many others have. Increased exposure generally results in increased rewards and, frequently, the additional effort on your part is minimal.

Bill Summers is a Canadian full time eBay seller and Canada’s leading eBay [tag]Education Specialist[/tag] trained by eBay. He is also the Canadian co-author of “Starting an eBay Business for Canadians for Dummies” and is currently working on the Canadianization of “eBay for [tag]Dummies[/tag]” (both published by Wiley). Bill has sold internationally from the very beginning of his eBay selling career.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Ron Paul - an even bigger lead...

While I didn't think it possible, eBay sellers listing items for [tag]Ron Paul[/tag] saw an even better conversion rate this week. He is now up to 86.47% and had an even higher sales total of a whopping $4409!!

This week's results for the eBay '08 [tag]Presidential Race[/tag]

Last week I posted an article showing how the race for president is playing out on eBay.com. The chart shows the number of listings, sell-through (or conversion) rate, average price per item, and total sales of items containing the candidates name. Far and away the winner was Ron Paul, with a nearly 80% sell-through and over $3900 in total merchandise sales. This week some movement was made by [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag] in number of listings and total sales. Barack [tag]Obama[/tag] though slipped back nearly $500 from last week's sales, and all the front runners slid in the average sale price of their items.

I sorted the chart this week to make it even easier to see. I may add a week-over-week column if anyone would like to see it. Please let me know and I'll do what I can. I also added undeclared candidate [tag]Fred Thompson[/tag], just because he is listed on many of the polls and is ahead of [tag]John McCain[/tag] on most of the ones I saw.

eBay reflects the actual [tag]polling data[/tag]

I did some searching for some average poll charts and found the ones at RealClearPolitics.com. Their average is amazingly close to the eBay results with the exception of almost any mention of Ron Paul. The average Democratic polls show Hillary Clinton, followed by Barack Obama, then [tag]John Edwards[/tag]. The average Republican polls show [tag]Giuliani[/tag], Thompson, McCain, and Romney. No Ron Paul though.

This is interesting to watch, and I got lots of great comments last week from all over. Stay tuned... the experiment will continue next week.
[tags]polls,2008 election[/tags]

Popularity: 3% [?]

As many of you know I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, [tag]Atascadero[/tag], CA. Lots of oak trees, hills, vineyards (and wine), and the Pacific ocean is just about 20 minutes away. I have traveled all over this country and I still prefer to spend a day here over any other place.

[tag]Local eBay Classes[/tag]

There are over 11,000 [tag]eBay [/tag]users in the area of Atascadero. Many are still interested in starting. I get many questions and requests for coaching in the local area, and now classes are scheduled to answer those requests. Working with the [tag]City of Atascadero[/tag] through their Community Services Department, summer classes are scheduled to begin next week, right here in Atascadero at the Atascadero Lake Pavillion. They are as follows:

July 16 & July 23

• [tag]eBay Basics of Selling[/tag]
  • 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM - This class is conducted in two parts over two consecutive Monday evenings.
  • Registration is $69 and class materials $20 (optional workbook)

  This class is for the beginner. You may have a few things around the house you’d like to sell, but you don’t know where to begin. You’ve found the answer!
  If you’ve never sold on eBay and would like to get started, you’ll learn all the basics at this class. It’s a little over 4 hours of instruction and during the class you’ll learn how to:

  • Open a [tag]Seller Account[/tag]
  • Research Tips and [tag]Create Listings[/tag]
  • Improve Your Listings with Better Descriptions and Photography
  • [tag]Pricing Strategies[/tag]
  • Open and Use a [tag]PayPal account[/tag]
  • Monitor Your Listings
  • Complete Transactions and Ship Your Items

The workbook offered contains over 180 pages of information from the class as well as the presentation itself. It's a valuable tool to keep you going after the class.

I hope you'll join me for this class. To register you can go online at the City of Atascadero's website, or call them at: 805-461-5000. On August 13 & 20, I'll be presenting an advanced selling class entitled Beyond the Basics - Techniques for the Serious Seller. This may also be found on the City website. As that event approaches, I'll post more details here.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Presidential contender [tag]Ron Paul[/tag] is winning in the pop world of eBay. When it comes to sell-through rate, and dollars generated on the site, this relative unknown is creaming [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag], [tag]Barack Obama[/tag], and [tag]Rudy Giuliani[/tag]. If you want know what to sell on [tag]eBay[/tag], with an astounding 79.41% conversion rate, it seems Ron Paul merchandise is a hit.

Ron Paul is [tag]Bill Maher[/tag]'s new hero

I started seeing Ron Paul's name here and there and found he has an incredibly loyal following. Then I saw a video on YouTube with Bill Maher interviewing Dr. Paul and Bill seems to really like him. The next logical step for an [tag]eBay seller[/tag] like myself was to see how he was doing on eBay. The sell-through, or conversion rate for Ron Paul was outstanding to me. Nearly 80% of Ron Paul items on eBay sell, as opposed to 33% for Hillary, 35% for Barack Obama, 30% for [tag]Mitt Romney[/tag], and 21% for Rudy Giuliani. That's not all though...

What the chart shows to eBay Sellers

I did searches of all the [tag]presidential candidates[/tag] who've officially declared their candidacy, for the week of June 27 - July 3, 2007. This chart shows a few important things to eBay sellers. As a seller you really have to look at more than the sell-through rate to determine which bandwagon to jump on. For example, Tommy Thompson has a 50% sell-through rate, but with only 4 items in the past seven days, that's not gonna buy you dinner in downtown Milwaukee. So we need to look at a combination of sell-through, volume, and average price to really know where to turn. Hillary Clinton turns up most often with 396 over the seven day period, but her sell-through rate is only 33%. If you listed 100 different Hillary Clinton items you'd be relisting 66 of them at week's end. Our boy Ron Paul however with only 136 items for the week stomped the competition with an 80% conversion rate. So if you listed 100 Ron Paul items, you'd only be relisting 20. And when the average price is figured in (Hillary's is $15.48 and Ron's is $24.92) well, there's just no comparison. Ron Paul wins the eBay [tag]2008 Presidential Race[/tag] for this week with $3988 in total sales, and Hillary Clinton is the runner-up with $2307.

[tag]Terapeak[/tag]

I used Terapeak Marketplace Research to get the results shown. Terapeak is an [tag]eBay Research Tool[/tag] which provides an incredible array of information for sellers looking for trends in the eBay marketplace. Terapeak is an eBay [tag]Certified Solutions Provider[/tag] and focuses exclusively on eBay. The data you can research goes back two years! Included in the categories available for your research are Parts and Accessories in [tag]eBay Motors[/tag]. I wholeheartedly recommend Terapeak as a research tool for your business, or I suppose for your polling data.

Come back next week!

I had so much fun doing this that I plan to run the same searches again next week and post them here. So come back and see how the race is going next weekend.

Popularity: 3% [?]

By [tag]Cliff Ennico[/tag]

Rules? You mean there are RULES?

Afraid so . . .

For many folks, selling on [tag]eBay[/tag] begins as a fun hobby, but then one morning you wake up and realize you’ve made $30,000 from all those tchotchkes in your attic. You’re cruising flea markets every weekend with a pickup truck, two illegal immigrants in back and a wad of hundred dollar bills, buying everything those little old ladies have on their tables. You’re clipping death notices from your local newspapers and sending flyers to the next-of-kin offering to clean out Uncle Irving’s house for a commission. You have 10 college kids (excuse me, “student interns”) in your basement grinding out [tag]auction listings[/tag], living on Diet Coke and Doritos, and sleeping on futons. The neighbors won’t talk to you because you get to their garbage before the sanitation department does. They’ve also turned you in to the local zoning board complaining about that “in-law apartment” with attached loading dock you’re building in your backyard. You bring packing crates and a forklift to your library’s annual used book sale. You know exactly where to score “cars formerly owned by drug dealers” and containers of Bobble-head dolls from Korea. You’re taking out ads in local newspapers with the tag line “I buy. I sell. I take consignments.” You’re in business now, chucko. Time to take things a bit more seriously.

Whenever you sell on eBay, you’re a “retailer”, and are subject to all of the laws, taxes and regulations that “brick and mortar” retailers in your town have to cope with. Here are some basic [tag]legal and tax tips for eBay sellers[/tag]:

• item descriptions – don’t “cut and paste” a description from another seller’s listing unless that item is 100% identical to your own;
• if you don’t know what it is you’re selling, say so in the description, and solicit input from other community members;
• don’t ask your friends to place phony bids on your items to drive the price up – that’s called “[tag]shill[/tag] bidding”, it’s a felony in most states, and if you’re caught eBay will not only boot you off the site but turn you over to your state Attorney General’s office for prosecution;
• make 100% sure it’s an “original Gucci handbag” before you put it up on eBay;
• if you’re selling stuff exclusively on one of eBay’s overseas sites (such as eBay U.K. or eBay Italia), you may be “doing business” in that country and may have to sign up for that country’s taxes and comply with their laws;
• if you’re making even One Dollar of profit selling stuff on eBay, you have to pay income taxes on it (sorry) – the [tag]IRS[/tag] doesn’t care whether you’re a “hobby” or a “business” if you’re making money at it;
• if you’re making more than $400 a year in profit selling on eBay, you’ve got to pay “[tag]self-employment tax[/tag]” (basically, Social Security and Medicare taxes) on top of your income taxes;
• if your state has a [tag]sales tax[/tag], and you sell something on eBay to someone who lives in the same state you do, you have to pay sales tax on the winning bid amount;
• in all your auction listings, be sure to say “Note to residents of [your state]: state and local sales taxes will be added to your winning bid” – if you don’t do this, you have to “eat” the tax out of the sale proceeds;
• if you buy something on eBay for your own consumption (i.e. not for resale) and don’t pay sales tax on it, you may have to pay a “use” tax to your state government – talk to a local accountant or CPA for details;
• lose the illegal immigrants and “basement interns”– there are laws about who you can and can’t hire and how you treat them;
• you must send [tag]IRS Form 1099[/tag] to each individual from whom you take consignments of inventory if you pay him or her more than $600 during the calendar year.

Paying taxes and dealing with laws ain’t fun, but it’s an essential part of doing business online. The federal and state governments have lost BILLIONS of dollars in tax revenue from online commerce, and it’s only a matter of time before the IRS starts going after eBay sellers who haven’t been paying up. Now’s the time to find out what your obligations are, and get into compliance before “they” find you.

Cliff Ennico is an attorney, small business expert, columnist for [tag]Entrepreneur[/tag] magazine, and author of two best-selling books: “Small Business Survival Guide” (Adams, $12.95) and “eBay Seller’s Tax and Legal Answer Book” (AMACOM, $19.95). His website is www.cliffennico.com and he can be reached at cennico@legalcareer.com.

Popularity: 6% [?]

One of the most common questions I get from new [tag]eBay[/tag] users relates to the little stars next to users' names on eBay. They are called [tag]Feedback[/tag] stars. [tag]Feedback stars[/tag] are awarded to eBay members for achieving 10 or more Feedback points. They are displayed next to the member’s User ID.

Members receive:

• +1 point for each positive comment and rating


• 0 points for each neutral comment and rating.
• -1 point for each negative comment and rating.

Here's what the different stars mean:
Yellow star () = 10 to 49 points
Blue star () = 50 to 99 points
Turquoise star () = 100 to 499 points
Purple star () = 500 to 999 points
Red star () = 1,000 to 4,999 points
Green star () = 5,000 to 9,999 points
Yellow shooting star () = 10,000 to 24,999 points
Turquoise shooting star () = 25,000 to 49,999 points
Purple shooting star () = 50,000 to 99,999 points
Red shooting star () = 100,000 points or more

Additionally, there is a newer system for tracking various aspects of an eBay transaction from the buyer's standpoint. It's called
[tag]Detailed Seller Ratings[/tag], and sellers are rated on a 1-5 star system on the following criteria:

• Item as described

  

• Communication
• Shipping time
• Shipping and handling charges

This system has been added to listings since May 2007. The intention is to offer a more granular view into what buyers think of the sellers performance. To understand eBay's Feedback system even better, you can view their eBay Feedback Tutorial here.

Popularity: 4% [?]

(This article was contributed by my friend and fellow-eBay University Instructor Jack Waddick - Steve)

You’ve, no doubt, heard all the recent buzz surrounding the just released Apple iPhone…it plays music, it plays video, it does text messaging, it even (gasp) makes phone calls…all for only $499, ($599 with 8GB).

If your thing is being the first on the block with the latest, coolest, hippest gadget (and you have $500 to burn) the Apple iPhone is probably the way to go.

If you are an avid eBayer I am going to save you $494 and instead suggest you spend just $5 for my #1 favorite new product of eBay Live! 2007.

From all new product announcements, new tools and creative new eBay strategies showcased at this year’s eBay Live! my #1 favorite new product is the [tag]PayPal[/tag] [tag]Security Key[/tag]. The PayPal Security Key is a simple cost effective way to add an extra layer of security to both your eBay & PayPal accounts.

For only $5 PayPal will mail you a small electronic key you can carry on your key chain that generates a random 6-digit security code that changes every 30 seconds. You use this code (in addition to your user id & password) to gain access to your eBay & PayPal accounts. And, of course, the bad guy hackers don’t have access to your ever changing security code.

I ordered my PayPal Security Key in Boston at [tag]eBay[/tag] Live! just a couple of weeks ago. I received it within a few days and have been using it ever since. I love the extra measure of security it provides and I’ve been recommending it to all the eBay buyers & sellers I know.

Click here for complete details and ordering information.

It may not play music or videos, but it will be the best $5 you spend this year.

--------------------------
Jack Waddick is a Certified eBay Business Consultant and eBay University Instructor that helps individuals and business owners maximize their eBay selling profits. His website is www.OakviewTraining.com and he can be reached at 847-322-0088 or jwaddick@oakviewtraining.com.[tags]paypal security,phishing,ebay security[/tags]

Popularity: 4% [?]