When PayPal first came on the market, it was the sort of idea that made people say, “Huh, now why didn’t I think of that idea?” It really is a simple concept – setting up a merchant account to accept credit cards can be somewhat difficult for people to do. It takes time an effort and costs quite a bit of money. However, with PayPal, all that was changed. Anyone could take credit cards through PayPal and anyone could send money through the service as well. It really is the safest and most beneficial merchant solution out there, however there is a lot more under the hood than you may imagine at first:

• Merchant protection. PayPal was designed from the ground up to provide both the merchant (that’s probably you, as the seller of stuff on eBay) and the customer (the person you sold something to) with complete protection. In order to make sure that you will get paid, PayPal takes the money from the customer and deposits it into your account. You can then do what you want with it – spend it on something else on eBay, transfer it to your bank account, leave it there and earn interest or use it through a debit card. As long as you have proof of shipping and you send it to a verified location (PayPal has rules on how they do this), they will protect you in case of a charge back (that means when someone isn’t happy and complains to their credit card company). Ultimately, if PayPal loses the fight and you followed their rules, you will still get paid and PayPal will take the loss for you. That kind of guarantee isn’t always the case when you have a merchant credit card account.

• Buyer Protection. By the same token, PayPal also provides protection to your buyers so they can feel confident buying from you. If you sold something which was not as described or never arrives, PayPal will take it back even if you won’t and they will attempt to collect the money from you for it (for example, I once bought a chess set which turned out to have deep scratches on the board – PayPal had me ship it to them since the merchant refused to take it back. I assume they attempted to then recover the money from the merchant once they verified what I had told them). This is good for you as a seller because it means your buyers aren’t going to be worried that you will disappear with their money.

• Debit Card and interest on your money. PayPal isn’t a bank so your money doesn’t get protected by the same services that banks offer, however they keep your money in a money market account which gives you both interest and a debit card which gets 1% cash back. There’s no charge for maintaining the account or the card either – something that is increasingly rare with ordinary credit cards.

• Online shipping: PayPal also offers the ability to ship whatever it is that you sold using their online shipping service. Unlike paid services such as Stamps.com, PayPal offers their service free of charge for sellers.

It is important that your items on eBay have a high sell-through rate.  If you list many items on eBay and a majority doesn’t sell, then you will be considerably cutting into your total profit.  Here are some tips to help you when your products don’t sell on eBay.

Make Sure Your Title Is Complete and Accurate

Take a look at your title.  Make sure there are no misspelled words.  Make sure all of the relevant keywords are in the title.  For example, if you are listing an Easton Stealth SCN9 Softball Bat make sure that all those words are in your title.  Some people will search “Easton Stealth”.  Others might search “Stealth Softball Bat”.  While other will search “SCN9 Bat”.  Make sure that no matter what the buyer types into the search box your listing will appear.

Check Your Description

Your description is a very important part of your eBay listing.  Make sure that your item is explained fully and there are no mistakes.  Check the pictures to make sure they are clear and display all the major features of the item.

If the description is short, research your item to see what other information you can add to give the buyer as much information as possible.  Look at how other sellers described a similar item or check the manufacturer’s website for addition information you can include in the description.

Modify Your Starting Price

Different items will sell better at different starting prices.  There have been several times when I would try to start an item at $25 and get no bids.  I would lower the starting price to $0.99 and the final price would more than the $25 I originally asked for it.  Starting auctions at just $0.99 is a great way to get people interested in your auction.  Sometimes two buyers will really get into the bidding process and refuse to be outbid.  Be careful that the item you are listing has enough interest to get bids.  You don’t want your $25 item selling for a couple bucks.

Adjust Your Shipping Price

Sometimes by playing around with your shipping price you will be able to sell your items more frequently.  One time I was trying to sell a certain item for $4.00 with $3.00 shipping.  My sales were average but I needed to sell more items each listing cycle so the listing fees didn’t kill me.  I decided to change the price to $3.00 with $4.00 shipping.  By making this simple change I increased the number of items I sold by 20%.  The final cost was the same to the customer.  It just appeared they were getting a better deal.  In addition I saved a little on my final value fees.

Change the Listing Format

If you want to get a certain amount for your item, consider changing it to a Buy It Now format.  This helps get sales from impulse buyers.  They will see your item and know they won’t have to wait up to a week for the auction to end.  They want the item now and they will get the item now.

If it is a rare item consider changing the listing format to an eBay Store Item.  You will have to subscribe to eBay Stores, but it is worth it if you are selling many hard to find items.  The listing cost is very low and it can sit there for a couple months until a buyer comes along and offers the price you want for it.  I used to sell rare and out of print CDs using this method.  If I would list it as an auction I only had 7 days for a buyer to be looking for that specific CD.  Rarely would I sell one.  What I did was put the item in my eBay store and let it sit.  Eventually a buyer would come along and pay the price I was asking.

If you have several of the same items you might consider using eBay’s fixed price listing.  You will be charged one flat rate to list all the items in one listing.  The listing appears in regular search results right alongside the auction listings.  The advantage is you can list your item for up to 30 days using this format for the same starting fee as a regular 7 day auction (though the final value fee is greater).

Be More Buyer Friendly

Nothing turns me off to a seller like strict terms.  When I see “I Am Not Responsible Once the Item Leaves My Hands” or “No Refunds or Exchanges”, I usually do not buy from that seller.  Have buyer friendly terms on your auctions.  I have sold thousands of items on eBay and in very rare circumstances has a buyer tried to rip me off.  If the buyer says there is a problem then there probably is.  Having a “Buyer Is Always Right” attitude will get you far.

Work On Your Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs)

Accurately describe your items, ship them quickly, and be professional.  This will increase your DSR and feedback scores.  The higher these scores the more likely you will get a sale.  Also, if your DSRs are above a certain level your search visibility will be increased on eBay.

Build Repeat Customers

You can build a customer email list through eBay.  Regularly communicate with customers that have signed up to get your newsletter.  Let them know about new items that you are selling or special offers that you have.

Build A Simple Website

Another good idea is to build a very simple website that shows your eBay listings.  For example, if your eBay User ID is “ebayseller2009”, buy the domain “ebayseller2009.com” and showcase some of your listings with a link to your eBay store. You don’t have to be a computer expert to do this, it is very simple.  This way you can give your customers an easy way to access you on eBay.  You can add it in your return address on the packages you send.  You can put the website address on the back of your vehicle.  You can tell your friends how to find you on eBay more easily. You can add it to the bottom of all your emails or better yet you can have your email address be “you@ebayseller2009.com”.  It just serves as a simple way to get people to your eBay listings.

Most products and items can make you money on eBay if you buy them at the right price and then sell them at the right price. BUT there are items that can make you a lot of money, no matter if you know a lot about them or little about them, such products are self help and informational products, these are items that you can make yourself or buy cheap and sell for a good price – these can make you the most money because they are usually easy to get hold of or make, and easy to sell, they are in demand and normally sell like hot potatoes. More often than not items that make you the most money on eBay are items that are in demand. Items that people cannot live without, items that people want and need, and of course items that are featured in internet and television advertisements.

There are many items that can make you the most money on eBay, these items that make you the most money can often be bought cheaply in wholesale lots from places like India and China, and then sold on for a profit, such items are: clothing and accessories, games, toys and adult products.  Big money makers are such things as electronics, mobile phones and gadgets, as these are things that are constantly being updated and renewed – meaning you can even keep selling to your original customer base.

Collectibles and antiques are also items that can make you the most money on eBay as these are rare one off items that will probably never be produced again. You can find these items from other sellers, online, at jumble sales and even at antique fairs.

Health and beauty products and items such as weight loss and hair treatments are good sellers and easy to make a good mark up on – ensuring that they make you the most money possible on eBay. Homemade products also make a lot of money, such products as homemade candles and soaps which can be custom made as and when required.

As mentioned earlier, items that also make the most money on eBay are Small informational items such as eBooks; these are easy and cheap to list, especially if you sell them at a dollar or two. You can make them yourself, or buy them from other sellers (just make sure you get the resale rights as well) AND another consideration is they take up no physical storage space – other than a bit of space on your computer. You can make, create, buy and sell as many as you like on a whole host of topics from how to build a guide to how to build a computer. DVDS, CDs, video games and computer games are also items that make you the most money on eBay, as they are items that people want and use on a regular if not daily basis. These are also items that are constantly being changed and updated, meaning people will pay to have the latest game on the market.

In addition to the items listed above there are other items that make you a lot of money on eBay. These are things such as designer clothing, accessories, jewelry and handbags, celebrity autographs, and even celebrity signed merchandise. These items can be bought from other sellers, from physical shops, auctions, charity shops and even second hand shops – so keep your eyes out for these!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris has built a list of over 50,000 unique customers straight from eBay by mastering auctions. Chris has created a system on how to teach new and experienced eBay sellers how to create a profitable Internet business by working minimal hours. Chris’s has a passion for teaching people the power of eBay & its secrets to using eBay to explode your wealth. Learn more about Chris and his secrets at http://www.insideronlinesecrets.com/secret

If you are looking to start your business by selling on eBay this article will be helpful to you to have a successful Business On eBay. In this article we will focus on few tips which can boost your business sales to sky rocket. We will divide this article into 5 subtopics: Pre Listing, Listing, Payment, Shipping, and After Sales. Follow these tips and you will definitely be awarded with the success you had always wanted.

Pre Sales Tips

1. Research: Before starting your eBay venture, research the market thoroughly. If needed spend your complete day just to browse eBay to see how the products you wish to sell are sold online, who your competitors are, what are the popular searches made on eBay ( using eBay Pulse) , the current trend etc.

Be Familiar with the eBay terms and Conditions, Fees, Various Auction Types, Duration listings etc.

2. Expertise: Sell the products which you have in-depth knowledge of. For e.g. If you have an interest in sports and know about sports accessories, start with Sport Accessories. If you are a Fahion Expert you can start selling Fashion Products. The Reason is you will be able to explain more to the buyers what you are selling and why. You will be able to share your knowledge with the buyers by providing proper information of the products.

Listing Tips

3. Title: First and most important part of your product listing is the title of the listing. You have to be very careful while writing the title for your listing. Use the terms related to your products that are most searched on the eBay by the prospective buyers. Maximize the length of the Title. Use as many keywords possible for your product. This is what the Users are going to see first. Based on the title, they will decide whether to visit your listing or not. Thus choose the title correctly.  Use the keywords wisely in the title. Remember more than Seventy Five percent of the users will find the item they are looking for using the search function.

4. Images and Videos:

Always add a good product image in the listing. If your listing does not have a image the chances of getting it noticed is negligible. Take the photographs with the help of Digital Camera. It might look like a costly affair but it will be a rewarding decision in the long term. Display as many images as you can which demonstrates all the dimensions of the product. Do not worry about the charges. You can host the images on free image hosting sites like www.photobucket.com ,www.imageshack.com , www.auctiva.com etc.

Videos are the latest addition which you can add in the listings. There are no restrictions on the video listings. Check out if there are ads videos of the product you are selling on www.youtube.com . You can list the videos in the description. In case there are no videos available, you can create your own videos. You don’t need professional equipments for creating equipments; most of the digital cameras have the facility.

5. Original Description: Original description of your product listing can multiply your sales to a great extent. A simple copy paste from the product manufacture website or a competitors listing will just not excite the buyer to buy it. Connect to the buyer emotionally. Mention how the product is going to help provide the solution to the problem. Describe the minutest detail of the products along with the features as well as flaws if any.

6. Build Buyer Confidence: Build buyer confidence by displaying your Power Seller Logo (if you are one) or buy offering Return policy or Guarantee or Warranty policy.If you are selling a product regularly on eBay, then mention some of the recent positive feedbacks by the past buyers. This will generate the buyer confidence in yourself and your product and encourage them to buy the product.

Payment

7. PayPal: Users will always look for security for the products they will buy on eBay. Accepting PayPal will make things much easier for you and the buyers, PayPal offers Buyer Protection Program for users of eBay. This will ensure the buyers that their payment is safe and they can confidently buy or bid the product.

Shipping

8 Shipping Cost: Don’t put excessive shipping charges on your product. Buyers are not fool and they will quickly note the total amount chargeable on the product. If you offer genuine shipping charges or Free Shipping to the customers it will create a positive impact on the buyers and the sales will be affected too.

9. Shipping Time and Package: If you are ready with the product, don’t delay the shipment of the product. The faster the product reaches to the buyer the better your impression will be left on them.

After Sales

10. Communicate: Stay in touch with the buyers after the sales are completed. Communicate with the buyer via Newsletters and update them regularly about your products. Also encourage them with reward points and discount coupons. This will create a long term relationship with your buyers and establish your Success in eBay Business.

To make money on eBay you can sell information products.  These could be information products based on areas that you know about, or they could be areas you know little about. For example, you could easily start selling information such as money making guides, get rich quick information, acne solution information products, wholesale lists and wholesale guides or even weight loss information products.

The list is literally endless to what information you can sell, and what’s even better is that you don’t even need to write the information you sell – You could buy information products that come with resell rights off eBay sellers and start selling the same night or day that you buy.  This option would save you time and effort.  However if you did want to create and sell information on eBay, you could produce your own booklets, eBooks, DVDs or CDs – With regards to writing and selling information the best piece of advice I could give you is: Just be careful and beware of plagiarism, don’t copy others work or else you will end up paying hefty fines.

Selling information and informational products is a pretty easy money maker as no real start up costs are required, other than a bit of time, patience and market research.  By market research I would recommend you have a look on eBay to see what information is selling, have a look and find out where other sellers are succeeding and where others are failing.  Look at what prices items are selling for and then look at how you could make more money selling similar information.  For example, could you undercut your competitors? Or could you perhaps sell bigger more in-depth information products?

As with most things it is informational products that help people that will end up selling the best, things that people think and believe will change their life or at least make it significantly better, such as informational products that help people get a date, information that will help people earn more money, weigh less and eat better.

Like most things you sell on eBay it is the same with selling information, it is always best and advisable to keep on the right side of the law – Only list and sell products that are legal and that don’t break any laws such as copyright or data protection.  If you are unsure as to what information you can and cannot sell on eBay I would always advise you email them prior to listing.

When selling information on eBay be aware that it is a competitive market, but remember that competition is good as it will help you stay ahead of the game and as a result make you more money.  To sell more information and more informational products I would recommend that you work out what attracts the buyers and browsers attention.  For example, is it a large bold font, is it a clear picture of the product you are selling or is it the item description.  Remember to think like a customer, write down what you want to know, see if there is a market for this, and if there is then get it listed and sell, sell, sell.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris has built a list of over 50,000 unique customers straight from eBay by mastering auctions. Chris has created a system on how to teach new and experienced eBay sellers how to create a profitable Internet business by working minimal hours. Chris’s has a passion for teaching people the power of eBay & its secrets to using eBay to explode your wealth. Learn more about Chris and his secrets at http://www.insideronlinesecrets.com/secret