Vikmall.com

The importance of first impressions cannot be overstated. On Ebay, a buyer’s first impression of a seller is usually the title of an auction listing. Auction titles are a seller’s first chance to really grab someone’s attention and entice them to click the link and learn more about the merchandise. If the auction title is good, it will bring more business. If it’s bad, it can get your auction ignored – or even removed.

Take an honest look at your auction titles. Are they a little on the bland side, or do they inform readers about the item in exciting terms? You want to convince buyers to click on your auction without annoying them. Filling a title with excessive punctuation and special characters with no purpose other than to attract attention often backfires. Some Ebay auction titles are so full of gibberish that it’s hard to tell exactly what is being offered for sale. If a buyer finds your auction titles obnoxious, they will go with a more readable auction title from a competitor. It would be a shame to lose business just because your auction titles were too boring or too outlandish.

Do a search for completed auctions for items like the ones you sell. Look at the auction titles for inspiration. You will likely find that most of the high winners were well-written, and included specific item details. If your item is a brand name, say so in the title. If it’s new and has never been used or worn, put that in the title as well. Details make the difference between buyers clicking on your item or someone else’s.

Don’t assume that all potential buyers will search for an item’s proper spelling. Typos happen all the time. There are tools you can use, such as the free web site Fatfingers.Com, which reveal the most common misspellings of Ebay search terms. You might want to drop one or two of these in your auction title, just in case. (Incidentally, you can also use misspelled searches to find low-cost items to buy and resell. Typos in titles reduce the number of bids on items, which you can use to your advantage.)

Alternate spellings should also be utilized. For example, if you’re selling a computer on Ebay, you might state that it has a 40 gig hard drive, a 40GB HD, a 40GB disk, and so on. Try to think of terms that a buyer would actually search for, and use more than one of them.

How does one write a title so terrible that Ebay would actually remove the auction? By keyword stuffing. This involves stuffing a title with dozens of keywords that will show up often in searches, but which have no relevance to the actual item. For example, a seller wants to sell a Dallas Cowboys football jersey. In the auction title, the seller also lists the names of twenty other pro football teams, knowing that their auction will turn up in more searches because of it. However, buyers who search for a Green Bay Packers jersey will be frustrated when they come across the keyword-stuffed listing and find that it’s not what they were looking for. Hence, keyword stuffing is a bad idea. And it can get your account suspended.

Auction titles are the very first layer of marketing your goods on Ebay. Of course, your superior item quality and outstanding customer service will keep customers coming back for more, but you need great titles to attract them in the first place.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

I am a stay at home mom and I work from home on eBay. It sounds almost like I am at an AA meeting doesn’t it? Here is a snippet of my life as I homeschool and run a work from home on eBay business.

It is Monday morning; the kids are all up and starting to eat breakfast. I have 10 items to ship out today and I use the kitchen table as my shipping department. My children range in ages from 2 to 13 years in age. Right now two are fighting, the 8 year old is putting the sold items into their correct boxes, and the 2 year old is pouring his Cheerios and milk into one of the packages. I sure hope that box is empty!

The two year old has been removed from the shipping area and is now happily playing in the living room. The fight that had broken out was only minor; the warring parties have called a truce. They are now building a catapult out of popsicle sticks and plastic spoons. 2 of the 10 boxes need to be repackaged. That little one can fill up a shipping box with cereal faster than you can blink. I have to be sure that the items marked for shipping are really supposed to be shipped. Sometimes, we get our books mixed up with the customers.

I go to the computer to print out the packing lists and shipping labels. Then I turn the computer over to those who need it for research. Back to the shipping department, kitchen area I go. Breakfast is now finished and one of the kids left the backdoor open. The dog has made a break for it and the three older children are chasing him down the sidewalk. I expect they will bring him back soon. Good thing this is a quiet neighborhood (quiet is a relative term). Time to check on the two year old – he is still happy and playing with his toys. Dishes are in the sink, cereal disasters are cleaned up, catapult testing has begun and I can start to finish packing up these boxes. My 5 year old daughter is helping me with the packing tape. Well, she will be once she frees herself from the entangled mass of tape that has one of her arms attached to the table.

It is now noon. Amazingly the boxes are all taped, labeled, and ready to ship. The children and dog have returned from their excursion out into the neighborhood. The two year old is napping, the catapult works great – it can shoot a lima bean 6 feet! The five year old has been freed from the table and we are reading together. The rest of the children have their assignments to do. All we have to do now is to wait for the mailman to arrive, so that he can pickup the Priority Mail. Hopefully it will be the usual carrier. The kids and the dog tend to scare off substitutes.

While the chaos has come to a standstill, I quickly run off to the computer to check email and to see if any auctions have closed. I respond to the email messages, send out winning bidder notices, check my inventory, and get back to the kids. Wow – it’s 3pm and I forgot to eat lunch.

Door bell rings, chaos resumes, dog is barking, children are yelling, toddler is crying. Mail Carrier has arrived to pick up the packages, the landscapers are here blowing leaves, and the delivery truck has arrived with 4 pallets of inventory. Where did that dog go… Packages go out; pallets are in the driveway waiting for the older boys to help unload. Now my living room looks like a warehouse. I send the 13 year old to go print out an inventory sheet and get a copy of the purchase order. He and his younger brother check the order for completeness. This time all is well!

That is a typical Monday in my household. The rest of the week is similar. I like the fact that I can stay at home, teach my children and earn income. I am a mom working from home on eBay. This month, I became a PowerSeller! You can balance your home, work and family with an eBay business. Just keep a sense of humor and it will all work out fine.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

It is possible to work from home on eBay. There are many ways to make money from home using this online auction service. In order to be profitable, a few things need to be taken into consideration prior to placing your first item on the auction block.

You will need to have an eBay user ID if you do not have one already. When choosing an ID, try to make it have some relevance to what you are selling or wish to sell. Next you will items to sell. There are many considerations here. Take into account what holidays are approaching, time of year, what sports are in season – hockey, soccer, football, etc. Think about what you love to do. Is it collecting dolls, coins, postcards, antique toys? Are you an electronics junkie? If you know a lot about what you sell, you will be successful.

The best way to start to work from home on eBay is to use eBay like an online garage sale. Go through your house and declutter every room. Now you should have at least a box or two of items that can be sold. Stay away from very large, hard to ship items. For now, keep it simple. Get these items ready to be photographed. This means, all glass should be washed, dried, and shined to remove water spots. Items that are in boxes should be dusted. Silver should be polished. You want these items to be as new looking as possible. Take note of any damage as you will need to note this is your ad.

Get a camera. For ideal results a digital camera is best. However, this is a startup business so for now keep costs way down. If all you have is a 35mm camera then take really good pictures with it and ask them to put the photos onto a CD for you.

Now you are almost ready to write your ad. For starters, write up a rough draft into a word processor. Do this for every item. You will want a title, a short but accurate description and decide on your shipping and return policies. If you do this in advance, you will save yourself a lot of time later on. If you know html you can write your own designer ads and not pay extra: eBay fees will be discussed a little later.

Shipping your item is very important. There are some precautions you need to take in order to protect yourself from unscrupulous buyers. Always ship your products using US Post Office Priority mail with delivery confirmation for lightweight items. If the item is over a couple of pounds, you will save money with either UPS or FedEx ground. Be sure to require a signature. For fragile items, require the buyer to pay for insurance. Know what the cost of the shipping the item is going to be in advance. Make sure you know what you packaging costs are as well. These are hidden costs that can eat into your profits. Never ship an item until payment is received and cleared.

You are almost there, just a few more steps to take to setting up your work from home on eBay business. You need to accept payments. Do not accept cash payments through the mail. This is the fastest way to get ripped off. The buyer has no proof that they paid you. Many people use PayPal. You can start small and only accept checks or money orders payable to you. You can also set up a personal PayPal account and once it is verified you can accept PayPal payments from buyers up to $500.00 per month. After that you will need to upgrade your account. Only accept PayPal transfers from a PayPal account if you have a personal account. If a payment from a debit or credit card is posted, PayPal will hit you with a 4.9% fee plus a .30 transaction fee per item. This can quickly eat into your profits.

Finally, go out to eBay, list your item through a standard auction and see what happens. You can add a gallery listing which is when you pay a little more to have the items picture in the gallery. Once you get the hang of this, start looking for ways to improve how you sell. The eBay forums are a great way to learn about how to work from home on eBay.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

One way to work from home on eBay is buying and selling products. There are many individuals that do this. eBay is their primary source of products and their primary outlet for products. This is how to work from home on eBay, buying and selling products.

Buying on eBay is simple. Find a product you like and bid on it. If you are looking for products to sell, an ideal place to look is the wholesale lots category. You can locate great deals here. Be aware that these are usually large lots of products and if you are just starting out, be sure to know what you are buying. For a beginner, keep these things in mind before deciding to make a purchase. First, know what the items are selling for individually on eBay. Do a search to find this out. Next, keep your price per item at 1/3 the current selling price. You will be paying shipping charges so look at that as well and figure it into the total cost. Once you have your costs figured out set your bid. Many people wait until the last seconds to place a bid. You may want to watch your item carefully and try to get it at the last minute or two. This is how many people work from home on eBay: buying products.

Another reason to use eBay to buy your products is if you are new to eBay. Every transaction on eBay should give you a rating. The fewer ratings you have, the less inclined buyers will be to purchase from you. Buying products on eBay will quickly add to your ratings. Once you reach about 25 positive ratings, your chances of attracting buyers increases significantly. The best way to receive great ratings is to pay for the auction quickly and to leave feedback as soon as you receive the item.

Selling on eBay is also simple. Once you have your product selected, you need to list your item. Keep the auction simple. Every service you add to your listing costs you money. These little costs can add up quickly, especially if your item does not sell. Gallery listings cost money, special layouts cost money, bold faced listings cost money.  Watch your costs if you want to make money. You may want to look into software that is very inexpensive or free that will make the listings for you. This way you can create designer listings and add pictures without paying extra fees. Decide on your shipping policies, return and refund policies, and if you want to ship internationally or not. For an eBay beginner, you may not want to ship outside the US as there are customs forms and regulations that can get complicated. Get the hang of selling your item in the US first. Then decide on how you want payment. If you want to accept credit cards, a PayPal premiere or business account is better than a merchant account if you have low volume or low dollar amounts.  This is how to work from home on eBay: selling.

Overall it is not difficult to set up a home based business buying and selling products on eBay. The great thing about it is that you can start slow and keep you current job. As you learn more about eBay, you can increase what you buy and sell and look for outside wholesalers as well. This is how to work from home on eBay: buying and selling products.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

Are you currently looking for ways to make money online?  If you are, you may have come across eBay.  eBay is known as an online auction website.  What is nice about eBay is that just about anyone can become an eBay seller, including you.  What does this mean for you?  Essentially, it means that if you have items to sell, you can do so on eBay; while making money at the same time.  So, if you are currently looking for ways to make money online, you are urged to examine becoming an eBay seller, as there are a number of reasons as to why you should.

Perhaps, the greatest reason as to why you should become an eBay seller is because there are no minimum auction requirements.  For you, this means that you could just test the waters if you wanted to.  If you were unsure as to whether or not you should rely on eBay to make money, you may want to sell a few items that you no longer need and see how it goes.  Should you like the eBay selling experience, you could continue on.  However, if you were not satisfied with the results, you could stop selling on eBay right away. eBay is flexible to all sellers, particularly those just getting started.

Another reason why you should become an eBay seller is because it is easy to do.  eBay has a relatively easy learning curve.  When listing an auction or selling an item on eBay, you are given step-by-step instructions on how you list your items and get your auctions up and running.  As long as you follow the instructions provided to you by eBay, you could have your items listed online in a matter of minutes.  It has been said that those with minimal computer experience are also able to sell on eBay, without any problems.

Speaking of the items that you want to sell on eBay, you will find that you can sell just about anything on eBay, within reason.  There are only a few restrictions, which include inappropriate content and such.  For a detailed list of prohibited eBay items, you will want to visit eBay’s help center.  Despite a few restrictions, there are a large number of items that can be sold on eBay.  These items include real estate, vehicles, clothing, toys, movies, books, gaming consoles, computers, beauty items, and much more.  Whether you are looking to sell something that you have in your home, something you bought from a yard sale or a thrift store, or something that can be dropped shipped from another company, you should be able to do so online with eBay.

The ability to make a profit is another one of the many reasons as to why you should become an eBay seller.  What is nice about eBay is that they let you set your own price for your auctions. In fact, if you would rather outright sell your products, instead of selling them in a bidding auction, you can do so with “Buy It Now,” listings.  The ability to set your own prices is one the many reasons why you should check out eBay.  Having the ability to set your own prices increases your chances of being able to make a profit on eBay. 

If you would like to become an eBay seller, and as previously mentioned there are a number of reasons as to why you should, you will want to register for a free eBay account.  Although your eBay account is free, it will cost a small amount of money to sell items on eBay. Your eBay selling fees will all depend on how much you list your items for, as well as how much they sell for.  Despite having to pay small fees, eBay is more than worth your time.  The least that you should do is give it a shot. As previously mentioned, if your eBay selling experience doesn’t go as well as you had originally hoped for, you can stop and look for other online money making opportunities.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

Are you interested in doing more of your shopping online?  In the past, a large number of consumers were worried about doing so; however, as online security continues to improve, more consumers are finding themselves shopping online.  If you are interested in becoming one of those individuals, you will want to examine eBay.

When it comes to shopping on eBay, there are a number of first time eBay users who are worried about security, among other things.  Of course, there are always internet scams that can be found on eBay, but, for the most part, you should be able shop on eBay without any concerns.  If you are still wondering whether or not eBay is right for you, you may want to think about at least exploring the site.

When it comes to exploring the eBay site, you will want to examine it as a whole.  For instance, if you are wondering about eBay’s security, you may want to visit eBay’s help center.  There you can find information for first time eBay users, just like you.  You can review eBay’s policies, as well as information on how they handle eBay scams, should you end up falling victim to one.  eBay, like many other online websites, has a customer service department.  Should you have any questions that you can’t find answers to on the eBay website, you may want to think about contacting their customer service department.

In addition to safety and security, there are a number of potential eBay users who wonder about what they can buy on eBay. The good news is that you can easily find out what is for sale on eBay, without even having to create an eBay account.  If you are looking for something in particular, you can perform an eBay search with the item of your interest.  If you are just looking to explore the site, you can also browse through the unlimited number of eBay selling categories.  Just a few of these categories include home and garden, baby, clothing, entertainment, and much more. 

Another question commonly asked, by new eBay users, is the methods of accepted payments. As you likely already know, eBay is actually an online auction website.  This online auction website allows other internet users to post items that they have for sale.  For this reason, you will find that different methods of payment are accepted.  In all honesty, it depends on the seller and their own personal preference.  Despite a possible variance among many eBay sellers, PayPal, personal checks, and money orders are often acceptable forms of payment.  To get an idea of the payments available, you are urged to click on active auctions.  Towards the bottom of the auction listing page, you should see the accepted forms of payment outlined, from that particularly seller. 

As it was previously mentioned, you can easily explore eBay without having to register for an account.  If you like what you see and if you want to start shopping on eBay, you will need to register an account with them. As a buyer, your account is free.  Within a few minutes at the most, you could be bidding on the products that you want to own.  You may even be able to find listings that are known as “Buy It Now,” listings. These listings enable to you to make your purchase right at that moment, without competition from other eBay buyers.  To get started today, visit eBay.com.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

There’s no doubt about it: Ebay is a popular way to make money from home. Ebay sellers rave about the online auction’s ease of use and the large pool of potential buyers. Millions of sellers report Ebay as their sole source of income. If they can work from home with Ebay, why can’t you?

You can. But if you want to make money on Ebay, you need to ask yourself some questions.

What do you want to sell on Ebay? Some people make a fine income reselling items they found at yard or estate sales. Other Ebay sellers list their items again and again because they just don’t seem to be in demand. Why the discrepancy? Successful Ebay resellers are very familiar with their items. They know how much each item is worth, and they know how much competition they can expect from other sellers listing similar items. They also know whether or not there is a market for a given item, and they pass up items that might prove difficult to sell.

One top Ebay seller follows a simply rule of thumb: she never pays more than $5 for an item when she’s not sure what it’s worth. This has brought her great success while minimizing her losses. If a $5 item turns out to be a hot seller, she gladly pockets the extra money. If the item bombs instead, she hasn’t lost much of her initial investment. Like other Ebay power sellers, she also knows that the really big sales come sporadically. They should be enjoyed, but never counted on.

How do you assess the competition for a given item? Do an Ebay search for similar items and see what comes up. If it looks like the market is saturated, find something else to list. You can always list your item later, when competition isn’t so stiff. Doing an Ebay search is a great idea because it also lets you see how much others are charging for items like yours. If you can undercut the competition without going broke, do it. If not, wait.

While vintage furniture and other bulky items often find enthusiastic new homes, you should be familiar with shipping prices and procedures before you list the big stuff. You don’t want to spend a hundred dollars shipping an item that just sold for $150. Consult your local post office to learn vital shipping details.

Finally, ask yourself if you want to sell general merchandise or cater to a niche market. Having a wide selection of diverse items can mean a larger market for your wares. It also means a pretty hefty initial investment of time and money while you build up your stock. If you’re experienced with a certain type of merchandise, like designer clothing or toys, why not specialize in that niche? With the advent of Ebay stores, you can create a low-cost, permanent showcase for your items. Niche stores tend to do very well, because customers will visit them when they need a specific type of item. Some specialize in gothic jewelry, while others focus on collectible figurines. There is a niche market for just about everything, so choose items that you’re familiar with and display them in your Ebay store.

Making money on Ebay is easy to do. Sellers who research their items and their markets beforehand lead the pack in Ebay success stories. Take a page out of their book. Before you build your inventory, know what you want to sell, to whom, and for how much. A little research now will save you a lot of unpleasant surprises later.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

Ebay auctions are more likely to be successful if the seller offers a variety of payment methods. It’s always a good idea to give buyers every possible chance to make a purchase. Checks and money orders work fine, but the preferred payment method for Ebay auctions is, and always has been, PayPal. If your auctions don’t list PayPal as a payment method, you might be turning away a lot of business. Here’s why:

PayPal was purchased by Ebay, and the two services work seamlessly together. PayPal is like an online bank account. Users can deposit and withdraw money to and from their offline accounts, or they can make online purchases using their PayPal balance directly. Users like PayPal’s security and convenience. PayPal can also be used as a way to accept credit card payments from buyers, which is increasingly vital these days.

To sign up for PayPal, go to www.paypal.com. You can create a free account and start accepting payments immediately. Your PayPal account must be linked to an actual bank account or credit card. Note that Ebay pros recommend that you create a bank account specifically to use with PayPal. That way, if one of your transactions gets hit with a chargeback, your main bank account won’t be in danger of going negative.

PayPal will verify your account by sending two small auto-deposits of different amounts. Don’t get too excited, though. These deposits are just a few pennies. They take a couple of days to show up in your bank account. Once you see them, log back into PayPal to verify your account by entering the exact monetary amount of these deposits. Once your account is verified in this way, you can start withdrawing money to your offline account. You can accept payments into your PayPal account from the moment you open it, though.

Now that you’ve signed up for a PayPal account, you need to add Paypal as a payment option. This is a simple way to get more bidders and more money from your Ebay auctions. To add PayPal as a payment choice, go to your “Sell Your Item” details and check the box next to “PayPal”. Then you will need to enter the e-mail address you used to open your PayPal account. Once this is done, buyers will be able to pay you immediately via PayPal whenever an auction ends.

If you want to be able to deal with unlimited amounts of money each month in your PayPal account (which is recommended for high volume sellers), you should upgrade your account. Upgrading is free, and also gives you the option of accepting payment by credit card. To upgrade your PayPal account, simply log into PayPal and click “Enhance Account”. There will be a small fee taken from each transaction after you upgrade, but it is nominal when compared to the benefits of using PayPal.

Take a lesson from Ebay’s top sellers: give buyers as many payment choices as you can. This includes PayPal, Ebay’s number one preferred choice for payments.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

Ebay is a fabulous way to sell items, but did you know that it can also be used to advertise and drive sales for your offline business? When you list items on Ebay, you can also include information about other offline businesses. This results in a marketing one-two punch; buyers are drawn to your auction as well as your store information. It’s a legitimate tactic that does not violate Ebay’s terms of use, and savvy sellers are taking advantage of it.

With a bit of research and practice, you can soon come up with auction titles that catch the eyes of potential buyers. When these buyers view your item description, they will also be exposed to any information you list about an offline business. This is particularly useful for sellers of antiques, collectibles, and other items that can take a long time to sell. Smaller items can be listed on Ebay, along with the address and phone number to the seller’s offline store where larger merchandise can be found. If this sounds like an easy and effective marketing tool, that’s because it is.

There are a few tips to remember before you advertise your other businesses on Ebay. First, consider whether this sort of advertising will benefit you. If you sell products within a niche market, such as musical instruments or rare artwork, advertising your shop in your auction listings will probably drive business to your offline store. But if you’re a supplier of general goods that are easily obtained, you might not benefit as much.

Successful merchants who use this marketing strategy always include basic information about their offline stores. You need to list a phone number and physical store address so that buyers can contact you. Put up a schedule of store hours. If your store is in an urban location where parking is a bit tricky, be sure to give a brief description of the parking situation. Will buyers need to pay to park? Will they need to park down the street? Extra information like this will prepare buyers for a trip to your boutique.

Another thing to consider is a map of your store and the surrounding area. Buyers like to know where they are going. If they can visualize your store’s location, they will be more likely to visit. Also, put up a picture of your storefront and interior. This makes your store seem more familiar to buyers and paints an accurate picture of your establishment.

Finally, buyers like to know that you want their business. In your Ebay listing, put in a brief paragraph about how your business prides itself on excellent service. Then invite buyers to call or come by. Even a simple invitation can make the difference between a casual browser and someone who will take the time to come and look at your merchandise.

Many offline shops use Ebay to sell their overstock, but really sharp sellers use Ebay to market their other stores, too. Advertise your business on your Ebay auction listings and you will bring your store’s name to a whole new audience.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com

Ebay offers plenty of ways to make money. Sellers can put items up for sale or even open their own virtual storefronts. But did you know that Ebay also has an affiliate program? You can sign up to be an Ebay affiliate and have the potential to earn lots of revenue just by driving traffic to Ebay.

Let’s say that you have a web site that gets thousands of hits each month. When you sign up with the Ebay affiliate program, you will be able to place links on your web site that lead back to Ebay. When users click these links, they are able to browse items for sale and even sign up for a seller account if they want to. For all sales and sign-ups that occur within one week of the user clicking on your affiliate links, you earn money. It’s that simple.

Signing up with Ebay’s affiliate program is easy. They have partnered with Commission Junction, an affiliate tracking service that offers real-time reporting and monthly commission checks. To join the program, you must first sign up with Commission Junction. Sign-up is quick and easy. When you’re finished, you will receive codes that you can place on your web site to start attracting customers and directing them to Ebay. And that’s where the money begins.

For every active registration that occurs through one of your affiliate links, you will receive $25-35. Ebay considers a registration to be active if a user places a bid within thirty days of registration. In addition, you will receive a commission of 50-75% on all winning bids or Buy It Nows within seven days of an affiliate action. That means users who click your affiliate link and make an Ebay purchase are putting 50-75% of that transaction’s revenue in your pocket. And all you did was put some code on your web site. What could be easier?

Ebay uses a tiered payment structure for determining commission rates. If you bring over 1-49 active accounts, you will earn a commission of $25 per account. 50-1,999 active accounts will earn you $28 per account. If you bring in 2,000-29,999 active accounts, each one will earn you a $31 commission. And for recruiting 30,000 or more new accounts, you will receive $35 per account. Those are generous terms for an affiliate program. The revenues system is similarly tiered. For every $0-$99 you generate, you will earn 50% commission. The amounts increase incrementally, up to 75% commission for revenue of $3 million and more.

Ebay’s affiliate program is painless for participants and easy to get involved in. Drive traffic to Ebay and get rewarded. Every little bit helps, right? To learn more about this affiliate program, visit affiliates.ebay.com.

Author : Zul Affandy
Article From http://www.vikmall.com