Buckaru's Guide to eBay: Beyond the Basics

You would think this book is about eBay but it's more than that. We use eBay as a reference to what you can do on any internet auction site. Even though we talk about eBay and eBay auctions, what we are really talking about is internet sales in general and specifically Internet auctions. Most internet auction sites operate in the same manner that eBay does. You list your items for sale, people bid on them driving the price up, and then at some point the item sells and you get paid for the product. Also most internet auction sites have some form of feedback system, some sort of email system and some sort of payment system built into them. We will touch on and discuss all these things here.

In this book we will talk about various ideas and various ways to do different things that relate to Internet auctions. In particular:

Course Outline

Setting up a business on eBay
- Setting your objectives
- Becoming a Powerseller
- Basic principles of running a business
- Business plans
- Building your inventory

• What do you want to be in the business of selling?

• Researching items

• Sources for merchandise

• Used goods

• New items

• "Distressed" inventory

• On-eBay sources

• Other online sources

• Items restricted by eBay policy and law
- Running your eBay business

• Passwords

• Segregate business and personal affairs

• Legal paperwork

• Financial paperwork

• Other preparations

• Streamlining your business
- Dealing with competitors

• Ways to out-compete other sellers

• Pricing strategy
- PayPal

• Features of the Business account

• PayPal seller protection

• PayPal buyer protection

• Protecting yourself from claims

Creating listings
- Steps to complete before crafting listings

• Researching

• The Hot Categories Report

• eBay Pulse

• eBay Marketplace Research

• Sales Report

• Terapeak
- Defining your listing

• Category

• Title

• Description

• Photographs

• Optional enhancements and upgrades

• Setting your price

• Important points to remember

• Best Offer

• Dealing with multiple items

• International sales
- Listing tools

• Blackthorne

• Blackthorne Basic

• Blackthorne Pro

• Turbo Lister

• Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro

• eBay File Exchange

• Other tools

eBay Stores
- Items best suited to sale via eBay Stores
- Creating your store
- Customizing your store's appearance

• Creating a logo

• Store inventory listings
- Store subscription levels and enhancements

• Picture manager

• Promotion boxes

• Markdown manager

• Other features

• Fees

Marketing
- On-eBay marketing

• Promotion via regular listings

• Store marketing tools

• Cross merchandise promotion
- Off-eBay marketing

• Advertising

• Off-eBay store referral credit

• Customer service

Managing listings
- Prohibited listing practices

Managing sales
- Email
- Getting Paid

Resources and further development

Free Bonuses

Index