eBay Sellers: Why You Should Accept PayPal

Are you looking to become an eBay seller?  If you are interested in making money online, possibly even enough to support yourself, you just may be.  Over the past few years, eBay has revealed itself as an online market place where just about anyone, including you, can make money.

Although it is relatively easy to make money on eBay, as an eBay seller, there are a number of important factors that come into play.  For instance, you will want to have good, quality items to sell, detailed descriptions of those items, as well as easy to see pictures.  Perhaps, those are some of the most important components of becoming a successful eBay seller, but there is something else that can be just as important, your accepted methods of payment.  For the best chance of success on eBay, you will want to accept a wide range of payments, including personal checks, money orders, and PayPal.

Speaking of PayPal, PayPal is one of the most common methods of payment accepted on eBay.  Despite being one of the most preferred ways to shop on eBay, there are still a number of sellers who don’t accept PayPal as a form of payment.  If you have yet to setup your eBay seller account, you will also want to take the time to set up a PayPal account.  Of course, you can still make money on eBay without accepting PayPal as a method of payment, but your chances for success are higher when you do.  That is why it is extremely important that you at least look into getting a PayPal account.

When it comes to getting a PayPal account, you will find that you can have a personal account or a business account.  If you want to make the most out of PayPal and eBay, you will want to get a business account, as it enables to you accept credits cards as a method of payment.  The only difference between a business PayPal account and a personal PayPal account is the fees.  The fees that you are charged will vary, but you will be charged a small fee each time someone, namely an eBay buyer, sends you a payment.

Although the PayPal fees may be a turnoff for you, you should let them be.  By accepting PayPal, you are more likely to have more sales, as well as higher priced product sales, as more eBay buyers rely on PayPal to shop online.  This will essentially make the fees seem minimal, as they easily pay for themselves overtime and you are still able to make a profit.  In fact, your PayPal fees, from a business standpoint, can even be tax deductible.

One of the many reasons why eBay buyers like to use PayPal is because it gives them a sense of security.  When using PayPal to buy items on eBay, buyers do not have to actually provide you with their bank account information or their credit or debit card numbers. This information is automatically stored in PayPal’s secure system.  eBay buyers simply have to follow the instructions on the invoice that you send them, enter in their PayPal sign in information, click a few confirmation buttons and they are good to go; no important information has to exchange hands.

If you aren’t already accepting PayPal, you will want to think about the many benefits to doing so, some of which were outlined above.  For more information on PayPal, you are urged to visit PayPal’s online website, which can be found at PayPal.com.

eBay Sellers: Tips to Help Your eBay Items Sell

 

Are you an eBay seller? If you have been looking for a relatively easy way to make money, there is a good chance that you are.  Different individuals use eBay, but many use eBay to make a little bit of extra money or even to financially support themselves and their families.  If you are an eBay seller, how is everything currently going?  Are you making as much money as you had hoped to?  If not, you will want to continue reading on; as some tips are outlined below on how you can help to make sure that your eBay items sell.

When it comes to buying items on eBay, there are many eBay buyers who are the lookout for eBay scams.  Before purchasing an item, one of the first things that an eBay buyer does is check the feedback of the seller.  Doing business with a highly rated and recommended eBay seller reduces or completely eliminates the chances of getting scammed on eBay.  Feedback helps to give you a good reputation, but there is something else that can help you get a good reputation too, an “About Me,” page.  This is a page where you are able to introduce yourself and give a little bit of background information about yourself or your eBay business.  “About Me,” pages are optional, but there are a number of benefits to having one.

Once an eBay buyer has learned that a seller who has an item that they want for sale is a reputable one, they will then continue to examine the product being sold.  This is where your biggest chance of making a sale comes in.  First, you will want to make sure that your products are being sold at a fair price.  Keep in mind, when making your auction listings that you want to make a profit, but you don’t want to scare off any potential buyers with high prices.  Just making sure that your prices are reasonable is enough to increase your chances of making a sale.

Secondly, you will want to make sure that you accurately describe all of your items that are being sold.  For instance, if you are selling a lot or a group of children’s toys, you may want to take the time to list the names of each toy being sold.  Outline the condition that each toy is in as well.  If you are selling toys that require batteries, you may want to state whether or not the batteries are included.  Providing a detailed, accurate description of all of your items will definitely increase the chances of them selling.

In addition to a detailed description, it is also important that you have pictures of your items.  eBay allows you to post one free picture, but more can be posted for additional fees.  Don’t let these additional fees deter you from posting additional pictures, as they are likely to increase the chances of making a sale. In fact, you may want to look into free photo sharing websites, such as PhotoBucket, as they allow you to post additional eBay pictures for free.  When taking pictures of your eBay items, you will want to make sure that you take a number of close-up pictures.  Also, make sure that the pictures are easy to see and that the lighting is good.  Having poor pictures or no pictures at all is one of the many reasons why many eBay items go unsold.

The methods of payment that you accept may also have an important impact on how well your eBay items sell.  One of the most common forms of payments used, to pay for eBay purchases, is PayPal.  The reason why PayPal is so popular is because it enables shoppers to buy items from you, without having to disclose their account numbers.  If you aren’t already accepting PayPal, you will want to look into doing so.  Although most eBay buyers use PayPal, you will also want to remember that not everyone does. For that reason, you may also want to accept other methods of payment, including money orders or personal checks.  The only thing with personal checks is that you may want to wait until the check clears before shipping the buyer their merchandise, especially with large purchases.

By implementing the above mentioned eBay seller tips, you may start seeing an increase in your eBay sales, even right away.  In all honesty, you need to think of it from a seller perspective.  Look at your auction listings; would you buy what you were selling?

eBay Sellers: The Importance of Communication

Are you an eBay seller?  If you just recently became an eBay seller, you may still be learning the ins and outs of eBay, particularly how to make a profit.  While there are an unlimited number of tips that could help increase your chances of making a profit on eBay, like detailed product descriptions and such, there is one way that is relatively simple; having an open line of communication with all of your eBay buyers.  Although you may not necessarily think about it at the time, communication goes a long way when it comes to online business transactions, particularly on eBay.

When it comes to keeping an open line of communication with your customers or potential customers, there are three main situations that you should take advantage of. First, if you are selling a popular item, you may have a number of bids or even a number of questions.  If your product description wasn’t very detailed, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you to have messages from other eBay members seeking more information.  While some of these questions may be good, valid ones, others may seem a little bit out in left field. In fact, some eBay member questions may leave you wondering if they even looked at your auction listing. Still, it is advised that you answer all user questions in a polite and timely matter.  Doing so will increase the chances of your item or items being sold.

Once an eBay buyer has agreed to buy an item from you, whether it be through a traditional auction listing or a “Buy It Now,” sale, you will want to send your customer an invoice, showing the total amount of money that they owe you. After you have received payment, there is a good chance that you will box up the items sold and head to the post office.  A great way to make a good impression is to send your customers an update email; an email that can let them know that their items were just shipped.  Many eBay buyers like this because it gives them an estimated arrival time frame.  Should you have purchased a package tracking number, you will want supply your customers with that information.

It is also advised that you follow through, within a few days or a week, to see if your customers received their items.  You may also want to send a personal note asking them how they liked the items and such.  One thing that you definitely want to include in a follow-up message is a thank you note.  You will want to thank each of your eBay customers for doing business with you. You should also state that you hope to do business with them again.  In today’s society, many consumers are not thanked for their business anymore, although many wish that they still were.  Sending a thank you follow-up note will only take a few minutes of your time, but it is something that your customers will likely remember for sometime to come.  

As it was stated above, having an open line of communication may increase your eBay profits.  Why you may ask?  Well, you need to think of it from a consumer standpoint.  If you could shop at two different retail stores, which both had the same products available for the same prices, which store would you choose?  If you are like most consumers, you would respond with the store with the best customer service.  eBay is no different.  With competition increasing each day, you need to be able to set yourself apart from other eBay sellers.  The best way to do this is to go the extra mile for your customers.

Keeping an open line of communication before, during, and after each sale will help give you a good, positive reputation among many eBay buyers.  It will also likely result in return customers; customers who can help to increase your eBay profits.

eBay Sellers: How You Can Use Completed Searches to Your Advantage

Are you an eBay seller? If so, are you successful at what you do?  Perhaps, the better question to ask yourself is if you are making a profit selling on eBay?  If you aren’t, there are a number of steps that you can take to increase your chances of making a sale.

When it comes to improving your chances of making a sale on eBay, your first impulse may to be change the way that your eBay items are listed for sale.  For instance, it is often suggested that you upload detailed pictures of your items, provide detailed descriptions and such. While you will want to try doing so, you will also want to focus on the items that you are trying to sell.  Your problem, with making a profit on eBay, might be the items that you have listed.  If you have a poor quality item, you may not be able to sell it, but you would still be responsible for paying your eBay fees.  In this case, you will not only be unable to make a profit, but you may also end up losing money.

When it comes to knowing which items you can profit from selling on eBay, there are many sellers who think that it is impossible to do.  While it may seem impossible, it isn’t.  Before actually trying to list a particular item for sale online, like an old music CD, you can check to see if that item has been sold on eBay before.  If that particular item was sold before, you can also figure out exactly how much money it sold for!  This will give you a good idea as to whether or not it would be worth it for you to spend the time creating your auction listings and paying eBay’s fees.  Although the decision as to whether or not you still want to post your item for sale is yours to make, it may give you inside information; inside information that you will want to take into consideration when making your decision.

To perform a search of completed auctions, you will want to perform an advanced search. The link to the advanced search form can be found by eBay’s traditional search box.  The only thing that you will to do differently is check the box labeled “Completed Listings Only.”  Your results will include auctions that meet your searching criteria, but that have already been completed.  If an item sold, its price will be outlined in green print. If an item did not sell, the asking price will be outlined, but in red print.  As previously stated, performing an eBay completed search gives you the ability to tell whether or not you have a good seller on your hands.

In fact, you can not only use a completed listing search to determine if an item you already have is worth money, but you can also use this eBay tool to help you make money.  If you are like many eBay sellers, there is a good chance that you are always on the lookout for great deals, bargains, or antiques.  Familiarizing yourself with popular eBay items, ones that can be considered “hot sellers,” is a great way to make yourself a profit on eBay.  Should you have the ability to do so, you may want to have a partner at home looking up eBay completed listings, while you are out shopping for items to sell at yard sales, flea markets, or thrift stores.

Performing an eBay completed listing search will only take a few minutes of your time.  Despite only taking a few minutes of your time, eBay completed searches can help you make money as an eBay seller, not lose it.

eBay Sellers: How to Deal with Difficult Customers

If you are an eBay seller, you will have to do business with eBay buyers.  As traditional retailers do, you may also have a problem with some customers. While the majority of eBay buyers are more than pleasant to deal with, there are some who can “ruffle your feathers.”  While your first thought may be to give a difficult eBay buyer a piece of your mind, you may want to refrain from doing so, especially if you rely on eBay to generate income for yourself and your family.

When it comes to dealing with difficult eBay buyers, one problem that commonly arises is with your current auction listings.  It is not uncommon to get an eBay message from a buyer requesting that you lower your price on one of your listed items.  In fact, it is not uncommon for an eBay buyer to mention that other eBay sellers have the same items listed for less.  If and when this ever happens to you, you will want to keep your cool. You should simply state that you are unable to lower your asking price.  Kindly suggest to the eBay buyer in question that if they are looking for more affordable prices, they should consider doing business with an eBay seller who offers more affordable merchandise.  The decision as to whether or not you want to lower your eBay prices is yours to make, but you should never feel pressured into doing so.

Another situation that commonly arises on eBay, concerning difficult eBay buyers, is the payment process. There are many eBay buyers who make the mistake of assuming that all eBay sellers accept the same methods of payments, but not all do.  One of the most common methods of payment accepted is PayPal.  If you currently do not have a PayPal account, you may want to look into doing so.  Regardless of what methods of payments you do accept, you are urged to outline them in your auction listings.  Yes, eBay has a section for that, but, unfortunately, not all sellers make their way down to that section.  Should you have a buyer that wants to make alternative arrangements, you need to use your best judgment.  If you cannot reach an agreement, eBay should be notified.

One of the other common problems that arise on eBay, with difficult eBay buyers, is those who refuse to pay.  With eBay, if you bid on an auction and win it, you are responsible for making payment; however, that doesn’t mean that everyone does.  When trying to request payment from a non-paying eBay buyer, you will want to stay professional when doing so. By simply sending a few reminder notices you should still be able to keep your positive image.  If you haven’t heard anything from your non-paying eBay buyer, you may want to contact eBay after about a week.  eBay has a process that allows you to get your fees back, as well as a process that will gives non-paying eBay buyers a negative feedback rating.

It is also not uncommon for an eBay buyer to be unhappy with the item that they purchased and received from you.  If this happens, you need to also use your best judgment.  To prevent a problem from occurring, you will want to make sure that you provide a detailed description of whatever you are selling, as well as numerous pictures.  It is also advised that you outline a return policy, whether or not you actually have one.  Should you have intentionally or unintentionally mislead an eBay buyer, you should make the situation right; however, stand your ground if you are being scammed or “taken for a ride.”

The above mentioned situations are just a few of the many that you may come across as an eBay seller.  No matter what situation arises, you are advised to use your best judgment and also keep your cool. In the end, you will be glad that you did.

eBay Sellers: How Photo Sharing Sites Can Save You Money

Are you an eBay seller?  If you are, you likely already know the importance of having pictures in your eBay listings.  There are a many eBay buyers who will not buy an item on eBay if they haven’t seen a picture.  In fact, many eBay buyers like to see more than one picture.  The only problem with this is that posting a number of pictures on eBay can get expensive, especially overtime.  However, there is a way that you can give your potential customers what they want, more pictures, without having to go broke while doing so.

If you are looking for a way to have multiple pictures appear in your eBay auction listings, but you are urged to examine websites that are known as photo sharing sites, if you haven’t already done so.  Photo sharing websites are sites that allow you to post digital photographs online and sometimes even videos. There are a large number of internet users who use photo sharing sites to upload and share pictures with friends and family members over the internet, but many internet users are also starting to use photo sharing websites to help combat their eBay seller fees, particularly the fees associated with having multiple pictures in an eBay auction.

If you are interested in giving photo sharing websites a try, to help you save money when selling on eBay, you will need to find a photo sharing website to use.  To find a number of photo sharing websites, you may want to perform a standard internet search.  Your standard internet search results will likely include PhotoBucket, which is a free, well-known photo sharing website.  Of course, you can use just about any photo sharing website you want, but you are advised to look into PhotoBucket, as it is free and easy to use.

Speaking of using PhotoBucket and many other online photo sharing websites, you will need to create an account.  You should be required to fill out a small form, which may request a little bit of information about yourself, like your full name or your email address.  You will also need to create login information for yourself, including a screen name and a safe password.  Once you have that finished, you should be able to use the photo sharing website in question, whether it be PhotoBucket or not, to help you start saving money.

When using a photo sharing site, you will see that different sites have different instructions that need to be followed, but the first step will be taking pictures of your eBay items.  Then you will need to upload them to your computer and then follow the photo sharing website’s instructions on how to upload your photos to their site.  In most cases, this is a relatively simple process, which tends to involve selecting a few pictures from your computer’s hard drive and then hitting an upload button.

Once your pictures have been uploaded, you should see thumbnails or smaller versions of them. With PhotoBucket there are little boxes underneath each thumbnail that can be used to select the picture or pictures of you choice.  You will want to select all of the pictures that you want listed in a particular eBay listing.  Then, you should be able to find a link that allows you to generate an HTML code.  This will lead you to another page with a lot of information on it, particularly HTML links.  Many photo sharing websites outright tell you which HTML code links you should use for eBay.  Copy the code and paste it in the description of your eBay auction listings and you are good to go; your pictures should appear.

Using a photo sharing site is optional, but it is definitely something to look into.  As an eBay seller, you want to profit as much as you can and this also involves eliminating unnecessary expenses.

eBay Gift Certificates – The Gift Solution Suitable for Everyone

We all know one. There is at least one in every family, and one in every circle of friends. There is even one in every office! There is always that one person that you know who is absolutely impossible to buy a gift for! These people either have everything, or want nothing. They don’t drop hints at all, and when asked, they simply say that they don’t know, they don’t care, or they don’t want anything.

Well, now you can buy a gift for that person. The solution lies in an eBay gift certificate! This will allow your loved one to essentially buy anything that they want, in a very exciting way. eBay gift certificates can easily be purchased through paypal, in varying amounts.

There are things that you should point out to the gift recipient, however. For instance, eBay gift
certificates do expire. eBay gift certificates will not be accepted for all auctions either – they can only
be redeemed for those auctions that accept Paypal as a form of payment. Other than that, your loved
one should not have any problems redeeming their eBay gift certificate!

eBay Data and Research – How Important Is It?

eBay is a business anyway you look at it. Sure, it is a great deal of fun for both the buyers and sellers,
but when you look at it from another view point, you will see that it is a business from the seller’s point
of view, the buyer’s point of view, and eBay’s point of view. 40 million dollars a day travels through eBay.
Selling items on eBay successfully is an art, and eBay offers many different forms of Data and Research to ensure that you are selling the right items, to the right people, in the right way.

Some of the data and research is not free, but much of it is. The available resources include hot items by
category, eBay Pulse, merchandising calendar, sales reports, marketplace research, buyer behavioral report, and the eBay solutions directory. These tools are quite easy to use, and the information that can be gleaned from them is extremely valuable.

The Data and Research tools are all accessible through your seller’s account, by clicking on the
‘Advance Selling’ link. Learn to use those tools, and get your piece of that $40 million eBay revenue each
day.

eBay Courses – Are They Worth It?

There are numerous eBay courses that are available on the Internet today. These books and courses are 

designed to help you become more successful on eBay. Unfortunately, not all of these courses are worth the money that you will pay for them. Some of them are full of what used to be good information – when it was relevant – and others are simply junk information, written by someone trying to make a quick buck.

Before you purchase any eBay course, find out when the course was written. If it was written in 2004, for
instance, you don’t want it. Even though that hasn't been very long ago, eBay changes so fast that much
of the information will not be relevant. However, if the original issue of the course was written several years
ago, but the course is updated each year, this will probably be a good course for you.

Again, use care when purchasing eBay courses. They can be quite helpful and enlightening, but only if the information in them is still good. Talk to other eBay sellers – preferably successful ones – to find
out what courses are recommended.

eBay Buyers: eBay Safety Tips You Should Know

Are you interested in shopping on eBay?  If you are, you are definitely not alone.  Over the past few years, the popularity of eBay has literally skyrocketed.  Since eBay is considered an online auction website, one that allows internet users to post their belongings for sale, it generates a huge marketplace with millions of items for sale, at any given time.  Although eBay is a great place to do your shopping online, it can be unsafe; however, there are a number of ways that you can protect you and your finances when using eBay to do your online shopping.

One of the most important things that you need to remember when using eBay is that you created a sign in name or a screen name for yourself.  That screen name is used so that you do not have to provide other eBay users with your real name.  Yes, if you were to make a purchase online, you would need to give the eBay seller your real name and address, but that is the only time that you should do so.  You should never give an eBay seller information about yourself, unless you have won an item from them on the eBay website.

In connection with giving out personal information about yourself, you also do not want to give out any other personal information about your finances.  eBay uses a secure checkout program, which enables you to make payment arrangements on your own.  The most secure way to make purchases online is through PayPal, but many other sellers accept personal checks or money orders.  With PayPal, the eBay seller you are doing business with actually doesn’t get your credit card information, as all funds are transferred electronically.  For that reason, there is no reason to give an eBay seller your bank account information or your credit or debit card information, even if you are buying an item from them.

When buying an item on eBay, you may place most of your focus on the price that the item is listed at, if it is a buy it now auction.  If it is in a traditional auction listing, you may be focusing on the current highest bid.  While this is important to do, you will also want to place a focus on the total cost of shipping.  It is not uncommon for eBay sellers to sell their items for a low price, but charge a high amount in shipping.  Also, be cautious of a seller who doesn’t provide you with shipping information upfront.  Often times, you will find this is a front for a scam. After winning the auction, you are responsible for paying for the product, as well as the shipping costs, which often turn out to be high.

To prevent you from doing business with a shady eBay seller, one who may be out to take your money, you will want to examine the feedback of each eBay seller that you are interested in doing business with. While a few negative feedback ratings are not uncommon, you will want to be cautious of new eBay sellers with even just one or two negative ratings.  Basically, when shopping on eBay, you need to use your best judgment.  If something looks suspicious, there is a good chance that it is.  To prevent yourself from being scammed or losing money, you will just want to make sure that you use your head, as it is often the best sign of trouble to come.

It is also important to mention phishing scams.  These types of scams are taking place off of the eBay website, but they are, in a way, related to eBay. There are a number of scammers, who are creating fake eBay emails, as well as fake eBay sign in screens.  These emails are prompting you to sign into your eBay account.  Once you do so, the scammer will have access to your eBay account, as well as some of your personal information.  Do not fall victim to these scams.  All eBay messages should appear in your eBay account, which can be accessed once you log in directly from eBay.com.

eBay is a great place to buy and sell on the internet.  You shouldn’t let the possibility of getting scammed prevent you from shopping online. As long as you keep the above mentioned points in mind, you should be able to do your online shopping on eBay, without having any problems.

eBay Business Solutions

If starting an eBay business is your goal, as  opposed to just auctioning a few items off for some  extra cash, you need to use the eBay business  solutions that are available to you. Because eBay’s  success depends on the success of its sellers,  they strive to help you at every turn. eBay Business Solutions is the key to starting an eBay business.  eBay Stores is one of the better solutions for eBay  business owners. An eBay store will allow you to  list multiple quantities of the same item, and allow  you to keep them listed for longer time periods.  eBay Store owners also enjoy lower auction fees,  and have access to advanced merchandising tools.  Eventually, you should consider upgrading to an  eBay Pro Store, which will allow you to customize  your storefront with your own brand and web  address.   There are many other eBay Business Solutions,  such as seller tools, the eBay solutions directory,  and the merchant solution center, but you should  definitely start with your very own eBay store,  followed by an eBay Pro Store.