How to Sell Anything on Ebay®... and Make a Fortune! Book

	Acknowledgments	xiii
	Introduction	xv
	Fortune or Folly?
	Your Path to Success in Online Selling
	A Promise to You
	Our Roadmap, at a Glance
	This Book, at Your Service
	Embrace Change, Sound Off
Part 1	Getting Started	1
Chapter 1	A Brief History of Auctions, e-Commerce, and eBay	2
	Auctions	101
	Online Selling: The Early Years
	AuctionWeb at eBay
	A Fast Lesson on eBay Auction Formats
	Growing, Growing ...
	Would You Like to Know More?
Chapter 2	Gearing Up: Hardware, Software, and 'Net Results	9
	Making Sure Your Computer Is Up to Speed
	Making Your Way Through the Software Jungle
	Your Internet Connection
Chapter 3	Welcome to eBay	14
	Home, Sweet Home
	Tapping into the Toolbars
	What About the Other Toolbar Selections?
Chapter 4	Getting Registered, Getting Ready, and Getting to Know You	28
	eBay Registration Made Easy
	Getting Acclimated to the Marketplace
	Setting Up Your Seller's Account
	About Me Is All About You
Chapter 5	Find It, Bid It, Win It	42
	Browsing the Categories
	Searches Made Simple
	The ABCs of Bidding
Chapter 6	Fighting Fraud	60
	The Top 10 Auction Offenses
	Misdeeds or Just Misunderstandings?
	Additional Protections and Provisions from eBay
	Prepare Yourself with a Plan for Action
	Knowing When It's Time to Take a Loss
Part 2	The Basics of Selling on eBay	71
Chapter 7	Becoming an Online Auctioneer	72
	First Things First: What Will You List?
	Using eBay's Single-Item Listing Forms
	Before You List Again
Chapter 8	Understanding Online Payment	85
	The Fear Factor: Is Online Payment Safe?
	The How's and Why's of Online Payment
	Who's Who in Online Payment Services?
	The Fortune Factor: If You Offer It, They Will Pay (More!)
Chapter 9	Developing a Successful Sales Policy	91
	The Rules to the Riches
	Summing It All Up
	Posting Your Policy
	What to Do if Your Policy Comes Under Fire
Chapter 10	Determining the Value of Your Goods	98
	The Popularity of eBay
	Finding the Right Stuff to Sell
	So What's It Worth?
	Where Else Can You Turn for Valuation Advice?
	What Is It Worth to You?
Chapter 11	Closing the Deal	104
	Prompt Action Prompts Buyers to Act
	The End-of-Auction e-Mail
	Collecting the Money
	Transactional Troubles?
	The Key Is Communication
Chapter 12	Packing and Shipping Like a Pro	111
	Setting Up Your Ship Shop
	Tools of the Trade
	Sources of Supplies
	Packing Protocol
	Getting Specific; What Are You Shipping?
	Additional Packing Considerations
	Little Extras Make a Big Difference
	Packing as Customer Service
Chapter 13	Dealing with Difficult Customers	119
	Fix the Problem, Not the Blame
	Personality Parade--Different Types of Challenging Customers
	Share the Ownership
	Defuse the Situation
	A Word About Leaving Negative Feedback
	Rising Above It All
Chapter 14	Satisfaction Guaranteed--Keeping Customers Happy and Coming Back for More	124
	Get to Know Your Newbie
	Keeping Your Buyers Informed
	Dealing with Damaged Goods
	Transforming Customers into Repeat Buyers
	Customer Satisfaction--Their Words, Not Yours
Chapter 15	Building and Maintaining a Stellar Online Reputation	133
	Understanding eBay's Feedback Forum
	Buy First to Establish Your Good Reputation
	More About You at About Me
	Represent Your Merchandise, Represent Yourself
	The Art of Feedback at eBay
Part 3	Techniques for Boosting Your Sales	141
Chapter 16	Keys to Better Auction Listings	142
	Keys to Using Keywords
	So How About an Example?
	Writing Better Descriptions
	Simple HTML for Spectacular Results
	What About eBay's Listing Features?
Chapter 17	Boost Your Sales with Better Photos	152
	Imaging Equipment
	Setting Up a Simple Photo Studio
	Touching Up Your Item Images
	Picture Imperfect: Eight Common Imaging Mistakes to Avoid
	Is All This Effort Really Worth It?
Chapter 18	Selling Strategies--Tried, True, and Groundbreaking	162
	It All Starts with Timing
	Using Counters to Chart Your Success
	The Power of Persuasive Pricing
	Reserve Bids
	Salvaging Unsuccessful Auctions
	Appealing to Buyers' Senses
	Keys to Relisting
Chapter 19	Building and Managing Your Inventory	174
	Setting Your Goals Before Stocking Your Shelves
	Identifying Sources of Supply
	Care and Storage of Your Inventory
	Keeping Track of Your Inventory
	Reinvesting Wisely
Chapter 20	Buying for Resale	180
	The Reseller's Resolve
	Casting a Critical Eye on Reinvestment
	The Percentages Don't Lie
	Finding Lots to Sell
	More Insights into Buying on Speculation
	Establishing the Proper Flow for Your Merchandise
Chapter 21	Identifying Trends: What's Hot and What's Not	187
	Understanding Online Sales Mining
	Learning to Anticipate the Next Wave
	Follow the Fickle Market
	Getting the Jump by Preselling
Chapter 22	The Forbidden Zone: What You Can't Sell at eBay	197
	Items eBay Forbids
	Who Says These Items Are Forbidden, and Why?
	Deals, Steals, and "Gray Market" Goods
	The ABCs of Copyright
	Your Checklist to Avoid Posting Infringing Items
	Doesn't Everyone Infringe Just a Little?
	What Is eBay Doing About Copyright Infringement?
	The Agencies Who Take Action
	The Auction Vigilante
Part 4	Business Specifics	207
Chapter 23	Becoming a Business and Managing High Volume Sales	200
	Pastime, Part-Time, or Full-Time?
	Bulking Up Your Business with Bulk Listing
	Downloading Turbo Lister
Chapter 24	Establishing an Auction Workplace	220
	Establish Your Own Auction Office
	Allowing for Necessary Office Amenities
	Auction Office Tools
	Staging Your Auction Items
	Establishing a Shipping Station
	Organizing Your Supply Room
Chapter 25	Record Keeping--The Best Methods and Tools	226
	Keeping Up with Keeping Records
	Identifying the Key Data
	Establishing a Record-Keeping Plan
	Adding Efficiency to the Task
	An Important Note About Security
	Records That Pay Rewards
	Declaring Income and Paying Taxes
Chapter 26	Cutting Costs, Controlling Expenses, and Improving Your Profitability	235
	Controlling eBay Fees
	Savings Through Simplicity
	Timesaving Strategies That Will Save You Money, Too
Chapter 27	Creating Your Own Online Storefront and Presenting Your Business as a Brand	241
	Creating an eBay Store
	Creating a Store Outside of eBay
	Developing Your Brand, Boosting Your Business
	Auctions Versus Stores--A New Price War?
	Ten Tips for Improving Your Fixed-Price Sales
Chapter 28	Keeping Up with Changes at Online Auctions	253
	Mining the eBay Community Boards
	Keeping Current with Other Online Sources
	The Power of Print
	Glossary	257
	Index	263