Apple Opens eBay Store... Maybe

It appears that tech company Apple has joined the ranks of other retailers, like Toys R’ Us, who use eBay as a retail marketplace. A few weeks ago, a new eBay seller began selling refurbished (factory repaired) Apple products on eBay. The Apple-focused website 9to5Mac.com believed the seller is indeed Apple. The seller has basically no established profile or identity. Its corporate information is hidden, the listings do not show where the items are coming from, and the seller has a 99.7% rating.

What clues convinced 9to5Mac the seller is Apple? The products offered in the listings have the same price as those listed. The items also have the same warranties and conditions as the products sold on the Apple website:

• Full one-year warranty
• Returned to like-new condition
• iPads/iPods include a new battery
• Received complete burn-in testing
• Original OS re-installed
• Repackaged with manual and cable
• Final quality inspection by Apple

9to5Mac has reached out to Apple to confirm but has not received a reply.

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6 Tips for Selling Used Clothing on eBay

eBay power sellers selling new apparel overstocks are also frequenting yard sales, consignment shops and thrift stores to make purchases to sell on eBay. Huge mark-ups can be realized when you purchase items often as low as ten to twenty-five cents each. The benefit to selling clothing sourced at thrift stores is the high profit margin. You may only pay $3- $5 for an item and sell it for ten times that much on eBay. It is difficult to find such high margins selling clothing purchased wholesale. Designer labels that are new or gently used are easy to find when you follow these suggestions.

1. Heavily worn or faded clothing should be avoided. Some pieces will not be worth your time to clean or repair. Focus on items that are in sellable condition. Take time to inspect your items for stains, rips or tears.
   
   
2. Thrift store inventory is constantly changing. Become a regular shopper in your area. When stores need to purge their inventory discounts are often offered for large quantity purchases. Don’t hesitate to ask. Some stores will offer bag sales to fill a shopping bag for $1 - $3. “Stuff your bag” sales are a cost effective way to get inventory. Even if you end up with a few duds, you will still make money on your investment.
   
   
3. Do your homework. Research which brands are selling well and keep a list for reference when shopping at garage sales and thrift stores. Limit your purchases to high end, brand names for the most resale profit. You can download my free BOLO (Be on Look Out) list at this link.
   
   
4. Items that have a higher resale value at on eBay include jackets, blazers, outerwear, and leather shoes. Cashmere is always a great find, even if damaged. Rule of thumb: The more it costs new, the higher resale value it will probably have on eBay.
   
   
5. For yard sale shopping wait until the last 30 minutes before the end of the sale to shop. These sellers are usually ready to deal at the end of the day so they don’t have to put it all away! You can get bargains galore as they practically give away items at the end of the day.
   
   
6. When your shopping is done inspect your purchases again at home. Most of the time items will need to be washed and wrinkle free prior to reselling. Be prepared to spend some time freshening up your finds so that buyers will receive their items in good condition.

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Selling on Artfire – Another Online Marketplace

Selling on Artfire – Another Online Marketplace

Today’s post is contributed by John, who has the store Honeysuckle House on Artfire.

Who ever came up with the adage “There is no such thing as a free lunch” never visited the new online selling site Artfire. It was Founded in 2008 in Tucson Arizona by John Jacobs. John was actually a triple platinum seller on eBay when like a lot of sellers became upset with all the policy changes and felt what he seemed to be a "tax" on creativity with insertion/final value fees. Instead of complaining about it he decided to just do it in a better way. Since the November 2008 launch Artfire has experienced a growth of 2600%. John states Our company's core principles are based on providing the best e-commerce tools we can for our customers and supporting them with unmatched customer service.

Artfire is an excellent site for selling handmade, fine art, vintage, craft supplies, designs and media. The site is similar to etsy with one major exception, it is FREE for the basic membership. The pro membership is $9.95 a month. With either membership there are no listing fees, renewal fees or final valuation fees. With the pro membership comes some nice benefits over the basic membership making it well worth the small expense. Benefits such as product feeds to Google Shopping, Bing Shopping and theFind.com, they even have a Facebook Kiosk that you can add to your Facebook page to promote your items.

I have been selling of Artfire for about a year. Listing items is very simple. If you have an etsy shop you can actually import one or all of your items with just a couple of clicks. Listing new items is almost as easy. You can even have up to 10 pictures for each listing. One of the nicest aspects of Artfire is it relationship with Google and it's GBase. Many of my products are not only showing up on the first search page of Google but the picture of the item is there as well. The customers that I have experienced are great too.

Artfire is having a special going on right now. New users can get their 3rd month free, if the pro account is chosen. Click here to find out more.

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Famous Footwear - Source for eBay Inventory

Here is another place you can get great stuff at low prices to resell on eBay. Famous Footwear carries name brand shoes such as Born, Merrell, Sorel, and Naturalizer. Many cost over $100.

Here is how to work this system. First, sign up for the rewards program. You will earn points based on your purchases. I received a gift card for $10 in the mail this week.

Next, watch for the special "Buy 1 Get 1 at 1/2 Off" sale. This sale comes around several times a year. Famous Footwear always has shoes on clearance. Here is the deal I did yesterday:

Bought one pair for myself (which I needed) at $45. Scoped out the clearance rack. Found a pair of Born leather clogs with original retail of $74.99. Clearance price was $30. So, at half price, the Born clogs were $15. Applied my $10 rewards to the purchase which made the clogs $5.

Now, this particular shoe sells on eBay for around $60, new in the box. So my profit after fees will be around $46. After all is said and done, my eBay profit will cover the cost of the pair of shoes I bought for myself. How's that for savvy shopping?

Tips

When looking for womens shoes to resell, look for larger sizes - 9 and up.

Look at the original retail price on the box. Go for the higher retail prices. You will make more money.

For more ideas on where to get items to sell on eBay, look on the right sidebar under the heading "Where to Get Items to Sell."

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eBay Coach's Top Five Ways to Get More Bids on eBay Items

You found a fantastic item. Several people are watching it. No bids yet. Should you worry? NO! One reason is because many buyers use sniping tools and their bids are not placed until the last few seconds. I received an email from a reader the other day arguing that XYZ item (that I had blogged about) was NOT a good seller because it didn't have any bids on it - the item had 4 days left. Hey, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't think this person understood sniping and how much it is used.

Sniping aside, there are things you can do to increase the likelihood of bids being placed.

1) Spend time researching keywords. This is how your buyer finds your item in the first place. I have mentioned this concept many times before. You can get a free trial at both Hammertap and Terapeak. Each is about $20 per month. And, in my opinion, the best $20 you can spend on your eBay business. At least take the free trial and see what these tools can do.

2) Have a fair return policy. Give buyers the option to return the item if they aren't satisfied. You will gain much more than you lose when offering a fair return policy. I am often criticized for this. Sellers say, "Well, I want to sell my item not rent it." Make sure you are specific about your return policy - item must be in original condition, not used, with all packaging, with tags, must not smell like cigarette smoke, or be covered in pet hair. Buyer will pay return shipping. Use common sense. Click here to learn how to write your return policy.

3) Provide clear photos, and more than just one photo. The only thing between you and your buyer is a computer monitor. You MUST take the time to take, edit, and post a great photo. Show several views of the product, and always include close-ups of details. You don't need an expensive set up. Here is an article about how to make an eBay backdrop for less than $1.

4) Offer international shipping and / or visibility on international sites. We live in a millennium of the global economy. Time zones and distance does not matter. You may not even sell the item to an international customer, but they sure help increase the bidding. I see this all the time on my own auctions. Not sure how to ship an item internationally? No problem. Click here for instructions.

5) Use common sense and treat customers the way you would like to be treated as a customer. Be professional, courteous, and friendly. Just like mom always said, "You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

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iPhone Terapeak App for eBay Research on the Go

Thanks to John S. for sending in this tip:

"I don't know if you have an iphone or not but if you do or know someone with one, Terapeak has an app for it. They just released it and of course I had to get it. It is free but you do have to have an active Terapeak account. The app is awesome! Very fast even using the edge network. Has all the info you need to make snap decisions out on the hunt. It will search 7,30 or 45 days and give avg price, listings and sell thru % along with listings in descending sold price."

And according to ResearchAdanced.com, on their December 8th post, "Terapeak Marketplace Research, Powered by AERS, today announced the launch of an iPhone application that allows users to conduct eBay market research on the go. Available free as part of all North American Terapeak subscriptions, the application will see users simply key their search term(s) into one screen, and with one click access item-specific data based on 45 days of closed eBay listings."

How cool is this? I remember the days of yesteryear (like 4 years ago), when you had to guess, go with your gut, or just take a risk buying something to resell. Now you can determine on the spot in the store or at the estate sale if the item is going to be a profitable item on eBay. If you have an iPhone, you should definitely take advantage of this! What a huge time saver. Click here to sign up for Terapeak.

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eBay Cross Promotions Box

Are you aware of this setting and its effects on your sales?



You may want to remove the cross-advertising at the bottom of your listings as this area shows links to similar products by other sellers. You can lose the buyer here if they see something the competition is offering that they like better. The cross promotions box has advantages and disadvantages.

If you allow the cross promo box on your listings, buyers may click on it and leave your listing. But your listings will will show up on other sellers’ pages in their cross promo box.

If you don’t allow the cross promo box, traffic won’t leave your page, but your listings won’t show up on other sellers’ pages. So you have to decide if the possible traffic you may receive from other sellers is worth losing potential buyers to them.

This post is brought to you by Garage Sale Tracker - a cool new website that allows sellers to advertise their garage sales, and buyers to find sales in their area.

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