Image via CrunchBaseOne of eBay's new tools that can really help you find the best products to sell on eBay is the Niche Market Finder. According to eBay you should visit the Niche Market Finder:
Visit Niche Market Finder to uncover little known and most wanted items on eBay
Identify new products you could sell
Find out about hidden treasures in your garage Discover interesting products and good deals
I did a quick search using horse as my keyword and left all the other options alone. The Niche Market Finder was able to give me a listing of related products that have sold recently on eBay. The information provided is:
Wow I wish I would have known about this site before my garage sale! If you are one of those people who always has to have the latest gadget then eBay's new electronics buying site may be your new best friend. The time and effort it takes to sell your used electronics on eBay or Craigslist typically does not make it very profitable. How nice is it to go to the Instant Sale Site and select a few options, see the price you are being offered and sell. Yes, you aren't going to get rich selling your used electronics this way but unless you are a neat nick with a lot of spare time, it beats the alternatives.
I will definitely be trying the site out the next time I have an old cell phone or gadget like my i Touch that has been replaced by the newest gadget I just had to buy. I definitely suggest checking out this site.
So you have finally taken the step to sell something on eBay. Maybe its some of your kids used clothing. Maybe its an antique that you inherited but don't have that perfect place for. Whatever it is that you have decided to sell will have to in the end, be shipped to the winner. Shipping can be a confusing and troublesome process for those who haven't had much experience.
So what is so complicated...
First you have to decide which shipping company you want to use. There is USPS, UPS, FedEx, Dhl, and various others.
How do you decide?
Well I always go by cost, but that isn't always easy to figure out. You have to know what shipping options to offer your buyers before you list your item so it takes a little investigation by you to know what shipping service will work best for you.
eBay does some of the work for you with their shipping calculator but they only offer you prices for USPS and UPS. So it won't tell you the prices for FedEx, DHL, or other shippers. Even so, it does a good job. Here is on one eBay user had to say about the eBay shipping calculator:
How many times have you won an auction only to wait ... and wait ... and wait
to complete the transaction because the vendor did not include his S+H costs?
FRUSTRATING ISN'T IT ???
I believe that most sellersdon't usethe available shipping calculator because they are afraid that they will be short-changed on their shipping and handling costs.
I have used the shipping calculator on ALL
of my listings since DAY ONE. IT WORKS !!!
I only use USPS priority shipping with delivery confirmation.
All that you have to do is click the Calculated tab instead of the Flat cost tab to open the shipping calculator menu.
I assume that you have a postal scale? (readily available on many eBay listings - search: Postal scale)
By simply showing the weight, (including packing material and the box) and your nominal handling charge, the correct shipping and handling charge will be available to potential buyers prior to bidding.AND will automatically be added to your final invoice.
As I stated, I always ship delivery confirmation and I always add .50 as a handling charge for that purpose.
If you prefer to ship parcel post (why??) or if you prefer to give your buyers the option of parcel post, you can do that also.
NO PROBLEM !!
Other choices are Media mail, Express Mail etc
Believe me, you will save time answering questions about your shipping costs and your buyers will appreciate your efforts.
Give it a try !!
Sorry to say, but in my opinion, the only reason NOT to use the shipping calculator is because
you are one of those HIDDEN SHIPPING COST RIP-OFF VENDORS.
You know, the ones who give eBay a black eye.
Sell a 99 cent item and charge $29.99 for shipping...SURE !!
BE AWARE THAT EBAY IS CRACKING DOWN ON YOU GUYS AND GOOD RIDDANCE.
This is a nice but slightly dated video on the shipping calculator:
My personal advice is to use the shipping calculator and occasionally check the prices for shipping with other shippers. If you find that shipping is cheaper with another carrier on a consistent basis, start using them and just tell your eBay customers that you ship with that other service but still use the calculator for estimates. I found that customers really like getting a little money back as a refund if you can get the shipping for less. I had customers write me really nice feedback because I refunded them $1.30 in shipping.
This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
This week I have decided to post some inspiring success stories I have seen lately. I need some extra inspiration to keep me going sometimes. These videos are also filled with some great tips and advice about how to become successful selling on eBay. Hope you enjoy!
Well the verdict is in, if you want your product to arrive on time the shippers are all providing the 17th as the last day you can ship an item using standard delivery and expect it to arrive in time for Christmas. There is a chance that something ordered later than that will arrive but I would not bet on it. So keep that in mind when either shopping or selling online this Christmas season.
For your convenience I have listed the links to the top U.S. shippers' holiday mailing schedules:
If you can't find products to sell you should check out World Wide Brands. They offer a legitimate list of wholesalers & dropshipers for a one-time membership fee. To check out this great resource, click here.
If you are a Mom like me and are starting an Ebay business, the absolute best site I have found for tips, tools, forums, and overall support is Here Comes the Stork. It is geared towards selling children's clothes but there are members who sell lots of different items. See for yourself, click here.
Before you invest in all that inventory, do some free research using Mpire Researcher. They will tell you what percentage of the items sold, what was the average price, and let you know the best way to list your products. This is great. I always use Mpire before I start an auction.
I have to write another blog about Ebates. My total earned by using this free service is up to $47 in two months. Anyone who shops online should be using this service. Especially if you buy clearance items to resell from stores like Gap or Old Navy.
Ebates is a shopping site that gives you up to 25% Cash Back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 800 stores including Barnes & Noble.com, Gap, Target, Buy.com and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!
It has been a crazy month. Selling has been going OK. I have been really busy with school and haven't been able to invest heavily in store promotion so sales haven't been spectacular but good enough for now. This summer I will be devoting myself to my business completely, except for the mom and spouse duties of course.
The issue I want to discuss this time is getting repeat customers. I have been using a program called My Store Rewards for a couple of months. It gives a rebate to buyers who buy from you using PayPal and then sends out bi-monthly emails to your prior customers who have opted in offering them a rebate for repeat purchases. You as the seller are in charge of the amount of the rebate offered in either percent or dollar value. I don't receive anything for referring them. I just think they have a neat program that is worth a look.
I hope you gain so value from this short but sweet blog. I am getting ready for Finals so I will now return to joy of college before my boys get home from school!
At least business wise it has been a slow week, personally I had to supervise Easter festivities for my 3 little ones and I started a new term of classes at Southern Oregon University.
I think going on vacation for a week did slow business a lot, mostly because my business is so new and relies on eBay auctions for most of my traffic. Hopefully, it will pick up in the next couple of weeks. Of course many people have also been on Spring Break and probably not shopping too much!
My advice this week does not have so much to do with my business but is a really neat website I found to help save you money. It works for my business because I use it when I buy clothes from Gap or Old Navy to resell.
Ebates, a shopping site that gives you up to 25% Cash Back every time you shop online. You can shop at over 800 stores including Barnes & Noble.com, Gap, Target, Buy.com and Expedia. Plus you get additional savings with exclusive coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales!
It doesn't cost anything to sign up and they pay you a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase!
This isn't one of those sites that you have to fill out surveys or do anything lame. You just go to their site first before you shop at your favorite online retailers.
I am only sharing this information because I have been using it and loving it. I earned almost $20 when I bought replacement ink for my printers!!!
The kids and I are on Spring Break Vacation but lucky for me, all the family has computers! Sales have been going well. I have sold almost $4000 in product in my first two months. My profits haven't been that high because of some initial costs I have had to pay but I am not in the red. I have weeded out two drop shippers who were not very good. I have acquired two new drop shippers and also bought some wholesale goods from two others. I don't have a very large home so I will keep my wholesale orders down but it is nice to handle what you are selling before you sell it. I really wanted to talk to you about International Shipping today. I have been having some issues with the swords and weapon related items and international shipping. I have to ship most of them UPS because of their size and it is expensive. I just had an order that was $160 for shipping! Well the biggest problem is convincing buyers you are not trying to rob them. My point of this is, sometimes with large or heavy items, International Shipping is more of a hassle than it is worth.
Now for items weighing less that 13ozs, like clothes, you can ship Internationally for a dollar or two more that you can ship it in the U.S.. This makes selling clothing great on eBay. The best shipping costs for International Orders I have found are through the USPS. Don't forget to tell your customers they are responsible for any customs or tariff fees related to their order or you could end up losing money. Well that is it for today!
When starting a new business in retail the first question you have to answer is, what do I sell? On Ebay this question is really a never ending question. You are constantly trying to figure out that product that will make you a profit. I started off with about 3 drop shippers that I listed items from. Only one of them, who carries swords & weaponry brought me sales.
I will tell you, selling swords was not really my first choice. I am a mother of three children and not really the violent type. I do like the whole fantasy genre and my husband has a couple swords around the house so it wasn't to awkward. It does seem wierd that my primary auctions are children's clothes and swords!
This seems to be a regular event on Ebay. There are many sellers out there who sell a variety of items and that is OK.
So my advice for this week is to not go crazy and buy $1000 inventory on something that you don't know will sell. Buy a small amount of product and test the waters. In addition, do your research. I will list some sites that I found helpful in my next blog.
I have been selling on eBay since 2000 so why I am not new to the business scene, I am still pretty green. This year I decided to apply for my business tax # and take my hobby to the next step.
So I set up shop on eBay because I am familiar and so far it's going well. eBay business is tough with the fees and the small profitability of most items so I am branching out. I will set up a site on freewebs and maybe also on eCrater and see if I can't get some profit going.
I will try and update my blog with my struggles and any advice I obtain along the way. Maybe I can help some poor soul from making some of the mistakes I have.
Image via CrunchBaseOne of eBay's new tools that can really help you find the best products to sell on eBay is the Niche Market Finder. According to eBay you should visit the Niche Market Finder:
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