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"I was doing a search for my favorite perfume. I found this one ending soonest. There was no bids with 1 day left. I left a high bid with my sniping program. The title had several errors and did not come up in a search for this brand. I was thrilled to get it at half of eBay's going price and a third of retail. A very good example of the importance of correct titles." Here is the listing:
Fatal errors:
1) Brand name not spelled out. The brand name is Thierry Mugler.
2) 3.4ozANGEL is squeezed together without spaces. You always want to put spaces between the words so the search engine can see them.
3) Shipping fee is high. Could easily be put into a flat rate mailer (wrapped in bubble wrap) and shipped for $4.95.
4) According to Hammertap, this product has a 67% sell through rate and sells for as much as $95 on eBay. Click here to see completed listings. Had this seller done a few small things differently and more thoroughly, she could have doubled her sale price. These situations are unfortunate for the seller, but good for sharp-eyed buyers.!
Thanks for sending that in, Deborah. This week I will be posting more seller success stories and eBay flips, so send yours in! After the new year, it will be eBay business as usual.
Do you enjoy this blog and find it helpful? Spread the word and help other sellers by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, or other sites. Just use the SHARE bookmarklet below.
Happy Selling!
Find sloppy listings and resell the items for way more than you paid for them! Click here to see my personal examples.
"I was at a second hand store and picked up 3 new food saver canisters and jar sealer with hose for $3. I sold it with 3 food saver canisters that I just never use that I got in my food saver kit along with 2 square food saver containers that I had purchased for around $12. Auction ended at $73." Here is Amy's listing:
Do you enjoy this blog and find it helpful? Spread the word and help other sellers by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, or other sites. Just use the SHARE bookmarklet below.
Happy Selling!
Want to know about more thrift store finds to sell on eBay? Check out Thrift Store Goldmine, which contains 61 pages of items just like this. You may already have some of these huge money makers in your house, and not even know they are valuable!
I earn money online doing many things besides selling on eBay, and I encourage you to do the same. Here is an update on my other internet ventures for the month of November.
eHow = $506.87 Examiner = $331.79 Clickbank = $330.16 Commission Junction = $260.63 My own eBooks = $155 Google Adsense = $130.22 Swagbucks = $62
Total: $1,776.67
1) Ehow. I finally broke the $500 mark on eHow. The key here is to do the keyword research before writing your articles. It is all about quality, not quantity. Click here to see my articles and you will notice that I only submit about 10 a month, and each takes about 15 minutes to write and submit. My earnings were $506 for about 2 and 1/2 hours worth of work in November. Click here to get started on eHow, or if you are already writing for them, how to increase your earnings.
2) The Examiner. $331 for November. Most of this is sum is from referrals. You can make $50 per referral to this site. Click here for instructions on how.
3) Clickbank, $324.84. I promote these products in a variety of ways including here on my blog, on Facebook, Twitter, on my eHow articles (in the resources section), and in my groups and forums. Click here to get a free eBook and learn how to get started on Clickbank.
4) Commission Junction, $260.63. Commission Junction pays you commissions based on leads, clicks, and sales according to what the advertisers pay. It is free to join. Click here to find out more about making money with Commission Junction.
5) My own eBooks, $155. I write them, you can too. Click here for information on how to write your own eBook to sell online. You can even add it to Amazon's Kindle and reach millions of people. Click here for the steps to get your eBook on Kindle.
6) Google Adsense, $130. This is on my blog. Get paid by Google for allowing them to place relevant ads on your blog or website. Totally passive income. Click here to learn more about Google AdSense.
6) Swagbucks. $75 in Starbucks gift cards I sold on eBay for $62 - practically zero effort. Click here to find out how to use Swagbucks.
So there you go. Just shy of $1,800 earned online, at home, from my chair and couch. Nothing to ship. No customers to worry about. Diversify and try some of these income opportunities. I am living proof that it can be done!
Do you enjoy this blog and find it helpful? Spread the word and help other sellers by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, or other sites. Just use the SHARE bookmarklet below.
I regularly check several daily deal sites for items I can grab for a huge discount and resell on eBay. Today, one of my favorite sites. 1 Sale a Day, is offering a subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine for FREE, just pay $2.99 for shipping. I have already signed up, and this is legitimate. Click here to get your subscription - only offered today, December 18.
I am not an affiliate for this site or for Entrepreneur, and I don't get anything if you sign up. I am just spreading the good news. Entrepreneur Magazine is an excellent resource for anyone who is serious about taking their home business to the next level. This publication provides resources for marketing, advertising, niche products, expanding your business, and much more.
To find other daily deals, visit Siteage, which is a huge compiled list of numerous daily deal sites. You can usually find a few things a week to buy for resale on eBay and Amazon.
Have a great day on eBay!
Find sloppy listings and resell the items for way more than you paid for them! Click here to see my personal examples.
Consumable products are the ideal type of product to sell in any business, including eBay. Why?
1) Consumables run out and have to be replenished. 2) Consumable products create a stream of repeat customers. 3) Once type of consumable can lead to others in the same niche and are easy to cross sell.
Ok, so what are consumables? These are products that are used up by the customer and must be replenished on a regular basis. Some good examples include:
Vitamins and supplements Printer ink and cartridges Coffee Cosmetics Hair Care Products Diet and Weight Loss Products Gourmet Food Items Medicines
The key to an auto-pilot eBay business with consumables is having a reliable source for your product. You don't have to look far. Try warehouse clubs like Sams and Costco. These members clubs have different merchandise in different parts of the country. Yours may offer something that is not available everywhere in the nation, or the world. You can also try a wholesaler. Click here for a list of 395 eBay friendly wholesalers along with 5 important facts for choosing profitable wholesale products to sell on eBay.
I just wanted to share an eBay success story. I decided to start selling on eBay about one month ago, and so far it has been a really fun and rewarding experience. I have been able to make a profit from things just sitting around my house. I happened to listen to the podcast on antiques and I realized I had one of the items you mentioned right in my garage. Turns out this Texas Instruments Speak and Spell that we couldn't even sell at a garage sale for $5 about 2 months ago sold on ebay for $76!!!
One of my favorite blogs, Missing-Auctions, is having a fun contest. Find the best example of bad spelling on eBay and win a $50 eBay gift card. Runners up will receive prizes of $30 and $20. The contest ends December 31st. Click here to get all the details.
Hint - Use Typohound.com (it is free) to enter the correct spelling of an item, and then see all of the misspellings it generates. Plug in brand names, especially exotic international sounding names (fragrances are great) and look at the results! This is how I find misspelled auctions to flip on eBay.
Here is an example of a recent flip. (Click here for a 5 minute video tutorial on how to flip listings.) You can really make arbitrage and Best Offer work for you if you take your time, do the research, and use this technique on a regular basis.
1) I purchased these Brooks Brothers pants on eBay on November 26. Click here to see the actual listing. I found these on a misspelling search. Fatal errors include misspelled brand name in the title ,the word NEW not used in the title, poor photograph, returns not allowed. Here is the listing:
2) Received the pants in the mail, created my own listing with a better photo, better keywords in the title, 30 day return policy, more measurements. Did my research and determined the selling price for these pants is $49. Put the item on a 7 day fixed price listing for $49 with Best Offer. Here is my listing:
3) Offer received on Dec 12 for $45. Accepted the offer.
4) Bottom line:
Profit = $26.11 Days to flip = 16 Time investment = 30 minutes
By using this arbitrage technique, I can make $50 - $100 an hour without even leaving home. Imagine doing this several times a week, getting a steady stream of inventory coming to you, and making this kind of money with such a small time investment. With some practice, you will learn what items and brand names to look for on a regular basis. Click here for more information on how to do eBay arbitrage, also known as flipping listings.
Christina Brown of Northern Cheapskate (a great money saving blog) sent in this tip:
"I was looking at the Facebook fan page for Reynold's Wrap the other day - it looks like they are discontinuing the Reynolds Handi Vac system and bags... lots of people unhappy about not being able to buy the bags... could be a money-making opportunity on eBay!"
She is right. This is on the Reynolds.com website:
"We have made the difficult decision to discontinue manufacturing and distributing Reynolds® Handi-Vac® Vacuum Sealing Pumps and Bags. Product inventory has been depleted and is no longer available.
Reynolds is proud to have developed this breakthrough product for food storage but, regrettably, Handi-Vac is one of those great products that was unable to generate the consumer demand and profitability required to keep it in our product portfolio.
Thank you for your loyalty to this innovative product and for your continued support of Reynolds Consumer Products."
Look for these to be on clearance at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc. Also check Big Lots.
Click here for completed listings for the Reynold's Handi Vac products. You can also find them for sale on Amazon.
Good Luck!
Find sloppy listings and resell the items for way more than you paid for them! Click here to see my personal examples.
ox News has reported that Gatorade announced Tuesday, 12/8 that it would discontinue its Tiger Woods sports drink on December 26. (Click here for the full story.) The word on the street is that Gatorade had planned to discontinue the Tiger Woods line a few months ago, and this decision has no connection to the recent scandal.
We have seen how discontinued products can skyrocket in price on eBay once they become scarce. I have no way of knowing if this will be one of them. I wouldn't recommend spending your last $20 on Tiger Woods Gatorade, but maybe picking up one or two just to see what happens.
I have been doing quite a bit of Christmas shopping on eBay and my packages are starting to arrive. I am shocked to see how many items I have received that do not have delivery confirmation or any type of tracking on them. Some of these items cost over $75.
I feel compelled to say {SHOUT}, "Always put Delivery Confirmation on your items!" 3 reasons.
1) If the customer inquires about their item, you can send the DC# and they can check the progress.
2) If the customer claims they did not receive the package, you can check the DC# on USPS.com and verify that is was delivered. If the customer files a claim, you will win if you have the DC#.
3)Dishonest eBay buyers have figured out the system. They know that if a seller ships an item without DC, it cannot be tracked. The buyer can file a claim for non-receipt and get their money back through Paypal - even if they really did receive the item. The seller will be out the merchandise and the package. In other words, there are rip-off artists on eBay waiting for you to send out something without tracking, so they can claim they didn't receive it.
eBay sellers, please please protect yourselves. Mail gets lost and there are dishonest people out there who know the system better than you do and they will take advantage of you. Spend a few extra cents per package and use Delivery Confirmation - it will save you time, money, and headaches.
If you do your shipping through Paypal, Delivery Confirmation will be included. If you use another shipping method, you can order DC forms here, or pick them up at your post office.
Here is a cool technique for finding niche products to sell on eBay or Amazon. Sell accessories or complimentary products that correspond with expensive popular products that are selling like crazy. For example, go to Walmart.com, Target.com, Amazon, and the eBay main page and look at the products they promote on their front page. For example, let's say you go to Target.com and see they are promoting a Garmin GPS tracking system. That tells you that GPS systems are hot. So you piggyback off of this product and look for accessories to sell - mounting systems, cases, chargers, cables, map updates. There will be a market for these products, too.
Then go into your research tool (Terapeak, Hammertap, completed listings, whatever one you use) and research what the accessories sell for. Next, you would go online and try to find a supplier for the product, and determine if you can buy the item at a low enough price to resell it for profit. A supplier could be a wholesaler, a closeout center, outlet store, membership club like Sam's or Costco, etc. This is the hard part - finding the product at a low enough price to resell for a profit.
Keep in mind that niche products will change over time, sometimes only a few months. For example, a few years ago, a VHS tape rewinder or cleaner might have been a hot niche product. But now, it would not be. Same holds true for analog cell phone accessories - nobody needs those now.
Try using this technique and see what you can uncover!
Happy Selling,
Click here for a list of 395 eBay friendly wholesalers along with 5 important facts for choosing profitable wholesale products to sell on eBay.
Thanks to Lisa for submitting this guest post. If you have considered selling anything homemade, give Etsy a try in addition to selling on eBay.
Etsy is a terrific venue if you sell handcrafted items or craft supplies because Etsy is limited to just those categories. You have the advantage of a very targeted audience!
The down-side – the competition is quite fierce. Exceptional photos, unique, high quality items and creative marketing are your keys to success.
Below you will find the “basics” for getting started on Etsy.
An Esty shop is free. Shop set-up is fairly straightforward and Etsy makes it even easier by walking you through the process.
Once you have set up your shop, you can begin listing items. There are no auctions on Etsy.
The cost to list an item is 20 cents. If you have multiple of the same item, the cost is 20 cents per item, not per listing. Your listing is active for 4 months.
When an item sells, Etsy’s take is 3.5% of the selling price.
Sellers can accept Paypal, checks, money orders and any other forms of payment the seller has access to.
Feedback on Etsy is similar to eBay with the only exception being that sellers can leave negative feedback for buyers.
You can market your listings several ways on Etsy. Some are free and others come at a cost. There is no seller email marketing available on Etsy which makes social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) extremely important marketing tools for Etsy sellers.
Billing on Etsy is monthly. Paying your bill is an easy manual process through Paypal. Etsy does not provide automatic withdrawal for bill payment.
Part One of How to Sell on Etsy should answer most of your basic questions and help you get started (etsy.com). Stay tuned for more details on marketing your Etsy shop and exciting tips and tricks for selling success in Part Two of How to Sell on Etsy.
If you would like to submit a guest post, follow these guidelines and send it to me at ebaycoach@yahoo.com.
Limit your post to 300 words. Topic must address selling online, eBay, or other helpful eCommerce tip. Include a link to your website, blog, eBay store, Etsy store, etc.
You may have heard me talk about selling gift cards on eBay. Here is my most recent sale of Starbucks gift cards, which I obtained FREE by using Swagbucks:
This is the strategy. Sign up at Swagbucks. You earn points for using their search engine. You don't have to use it exclusively, but just use it a few times a day.
Once you have 130 points, you can redeem a $10 Starbucks Gift Card. The Starbucks cards are the only ones on Swagbucks that are NOT e-Cards. In other words, you get an actual gift card in the mail in about a week. Every other gift card on Swagbucks must be redeemed online - such as at Target.com, Amazon.com, etc. And with e-Cards comes shipping fees on the merchandise you are getting free, so your "prize" can actually be eaten up paying for shipping. (I found this out the hard way.) The Starbucks card is is an actual physical card that you can sell on eBay.
I usually wait until I have a few and sell them as a batch. That reduces your listing fees, final value fees, and Paypal fees. And always use delivery confirmation when shipping a gift card, so you can prove that the item was delivered to the buyer.
Click here to sign up at Swagbucks and start earning points for Starbucks cards to keep or sell for cash on eBay!
I am a big believer in multiple streams of income. This one is easy. It cost me zero dollars to accumulate these gift cards, which I then sold on eBay and my profit after fees was $62.00. Not bad for something you can do without ever leaving your chair. So far this year, Swagbucks gift cards have helped me earn over $800 on eBay without doing more than creating a listing for a gift card and mailing it.
Do you like free stuff? Check out these articles on how to get more freebies you can resell on eBay or Amazon.
Thanks to Tara for sending in her success story on a North Face girls coat. Tara writes, "I sell everything and anything on eBay, lots of thrift store items, and this item happened to be one of them. The thrift store across the street from my work has tons of name brand items - and all their kids items (no matter what it is) are only $1! So when I found this girl's North Face jacket, I figured I'd at least make $10 on it. I took it home, OxiCleaned it to get all the stains out (which works WONDERS!) and see for yourself the final bidding price. keep in mind there was still a minor stain or two which I had listed. Honesty never hurts!"
Here is Tara's listing:
Tara's price: $1 Selling price: $51 Profit before fees: $50
Fantastic sale! Some related winter items to look for at thrift stores:
Check out my huge list of thrift store items to sell on eBay.
Want to know about more thrift store finds to sell on eBay? Check out Thrift Store Goldmine, which contains 61 pages of items just like this. You may already have some of these huge money makers in your house, and not even know they are valuable!
eBay Selling Coach BlogThe owner of this website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com.
Julie's cost at a resale shop: $8
Julie's cost at a resale shop: $8
