Auction Tools And Resources - Fed Up With eBay?

Fed Up With eBay?

For many people, their first experience of working online involves selling products on eBay. This was how I got started back in 1998 and I know countless other people that have done the same.

However, it is important to remember that eBay is not the 'be all and end all' - there is a much bigger online world out there. My reason for mentioning this is that I have spoken to three people this week who each make a decent full or part-time income on eBay but who are fed up with it and looking to move in other directions.

Having sold on eBay myself, I can understand why sellers do get tired/bored/frustrated with the auction site - it is highly competitive and it takes an incredible amount of hard work to succeed. In addition, it is normally the case that the more successful you become, the harder you have to work. Listing auctions, handling customer enquiries, packing, shipping, sourcing/buying stock, keeping up with feedback, monitoring the competition - selling on eBay is a tough job and it is no wonder that after working in this way for a few years, many people wish they were back in the land of the employed!!

Don't get me wrong, there is good money to be made on eBay for anyone willing to put the effort in and many people enjoy trading on this huge auction site. But it isn't for everyone.

Having spoken to numerous eBay sellers in the past, it seems to me that of the ones that don't enjoy working on eBay, the particular task that they enjoy the least is the packing and shipping of products. Funnily enough, this is exactly the bit of trading that I grew to dislike too.

I (and the sellers I have spoken to) didn't have a problem with creating sales descriptions, dealing with emails, collecting payment (naturally!) and the other administrative tasks involved in running an online business. But wrapping things up and taking them to the post office is something completely different and for me and many others that's where it all started to fall apart :-)

As I said at the beginning of this article, if you are getting fed up of doing the eBay 'thing' or if you just don't fancy the idea to start with, there is a wealth of alternative opportunities available online. My own solution was to get rid of the one aspect of eBay trading that I didn't enjoy - the packing and shipping - and start to produce and sell digital products which could be delivered to the customer automatically. I still have to write sales pages and build websites, I still have to deal with emails etc but I don't have to handle any physical products (neither do I have to deal with payment collection because that too can be handled automatically by software).

Of course my products are very relevant to eBay sellers and indeed, there are numerous individuals and companies out there that have made a fortune off the back of eBay without ever having sold a single product on the auction site. I am sure that there are numerous other problems that eBay users have that could be solved with a new piece of software or a particular service and if the idea takes off, there are 135 million registered users on eBay to market to!

eBay provides a wonderful opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people but it isn't for everyone and if you find yourself frustrated/bored with the same old routine everyday, start to look for something outside of the eBay world.

Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit: http://www.thetraderonline.com/newsletter.html

Article Author: Richard Grady

My Website Needed More Targeted Traffic - Guess Where I Found It?

There’s nothing new about using joint ventures to get traffic to websites. And good information is freely available from many internet marketing sites on how to set up JVs.

This article is for the 97% of webmasters who aren’t aware of a particularly powerful JV partner who already exists, and is willing to work with you.

Before I reveal all, let me just check…..

Like me, I would image you’d be happy if:

Your JV partner’s site gets huge traffic.
The vast majority of page views are by targeted traffic.
You can create links wherever YOU like from their site.
You can start now. There’s no delay in setting up the JV.
The JV continues as long as you want.
It costs you. . . .
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How To Find REAL Wholesale Dropshippers For Almost Any Product

With more and more people getting online, many of them are searching for information on specific products that they are interested in purchasing.
Thus one of the best possible ways to turn a profit online is to find wholesale sources that will drop-ship thes products directly to your customers who come to your website for more informatation. Also you could set up ebay auctions to sell these products.
BUT....
Most of the wholesale sources ebooks, list of 10,000 drop shippers etc. that you see being offered online just don't cut it. Either they are full of links that lead to websites that are no longer active, lead you to wholesalers who carry junk products (dollar store items, as seen on TV stuff), or the price are too high for you to make any profits.
Actually mo. . . .
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Avoiding eBay Scams
Read through this checklist and save yourself time and aggravation. A bit of due diligence will help you avoid eBay scams.
Only buy items with photos. The photograph is a good way to insure the seller actually has the item. No photo is a good indicator of a scam.
Check the photo against catalog photos. Many scammers use photos taken from other auctions or from online catalogs. Look for the background and lighting. Professionally taken photos have better lighting, and clearer backgrounds.
Check the seller's user history. This is on the feedback page and will say something like this: "Member since: Saturday, Aug 13, 2001 Location: United States" New sellers or sellers who have been members for a long time, but not as active sellers are more likely to be committing auction scams.
. . . .
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eBay and Dropshipping - A Perfect Fit!
eBay and Dropshipping go together like a hand in a glove. As you read this article, right now, thousands of eBayers are running there own auction business. Some of them make little money, and some of them make real huge profits. Why? It is mostly due to the products they choose to sell, the Dropshippers they use and how they promote their eBay Business.
If you are new to Internet Marketing, promotion of your new eBay Business is key. Also, staying up to date with all the new and better ways to advertise and promote your business is cruical. Things on the Internet can change almost over night and to keep your eBay Business making money you must keep up with those changes. But don't be discouraged, the ease of using Dropshippers will allow you more time to concentrate on improving your sa. . . .
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Free Instant Auction Traffic
Here's an easy way to get extra traffic to your eBay auctions...
...and we all know, the more traffic, the more bids and ultimately, the more sales you'll get!
First...answer this question:
"Do you look at other people's feedback ratings?"
You probably answered yes...
So here's my idea -
"Whenever you leave feedback, put your website URL in the feedback Comment"
If you don't have a website, no problem, see below for details.
I have only seen this done once! - me.
It's so easy and EVERYONE looks at feedback ratings before they bid.
So, the idea would be to try and leave feedback for users that get a lot of traffic...
How? - check out ebay pulse and look at some of the highest watched items and try bidding on one of them.
After, you bid and win, leave your. . . .
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Local Yokel Auction is Announcing its New "20/20 Guaranteed Store Program, the Newest Innovation for the Online ... (PRWeb)
Local Yokel Auctions intends to give all the online auctions a run for the money. First was the 50% fee sharing program, and now introducing the new "20/20 Guaranteed Store Program, Guaranteed Performance -- Or the Auction Store Gets a Refund." (PRWeb Nov 17, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/11/prweb1625994.htm

Local Yokel Auction is Announcing its New "20/20 Guaranteed Store Program, the Newest Innovation for the Online ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
Local Yokel Auctions intends to give all the online auctions a run for the money. First was the 50% fee sharing program, and now introducing the new "20/20 Guaranteed Store Program, Guaranteed Performance -- Or the Auction Store Gets a Refund."

Looking to Stretch Your Dollars This Holiday Season? Look No Further Than A SCAA Public Auction (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
ROLLING HILL ESTATES, Calif.----Commonly associated with economic downturns and distressed real estate markets worldwide, the auction industry has remained a leading financial boon for buyers and sellers alike.