Basically what this service can do for you is it will allow you to take a look into the content of almost every book or magazine that is available in the whole wide world!

This means, by using this service, you can get a good look and read quite a number of pages within the books before considering whether to buy it or not.

What’s even better is this service is provided for FREE by Google!

By using this great service, you can do a keyword search for whatever keyword that you like and their system will display all the books that is related to that keyword.

Here are 2 samples of the search that I’ve done:

To look at the content of a book, you just need to click on the Preview link. If the writing No Preview is shown, this means that you cannot take a look at the content of the book.

Previewing the book will allow you to take a look at the pages in the book as follows:

So the question is - what can you do with this free service?

Here are my suggestions to you:

1. Find free information on whatever it is you want to know.

2. Use it to generate ideas for your next product by referring to whatever reference sources that is already created by others.

3. Use it to do market survey with regards to a certain niche before starting to sell in that niche.

I hope you have benefited from this sharing. If you do share this info with others, please do let them know that you first heard about it in my blog. I really appreciate it.

All the best & happy surfing!

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Selling to Business

If you’re selling business equipment and have mostly business customers, you should really aim to have your auctions finishing between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. It is worth, however, trying to avoid mornings and avoiding the ‘lead-in’ and ‘lead-out’ that takes place on Monday and Friday themselves.

Selling to Home

If most of your sales are to private customers having it shipped to their own home, then you want your auctions to finish when these kind of customers will be around. Unfortunately, these times are the opposite of what they are for the business customers. The ideal time to catch a home customer is on a Sunday evening.

List for Durations

In order to get your listings to end on a particular day, you can simply change the duration of your auctions depending on what day it is. For example, if you mostly sell to home customers and the day today is Thursday, then your auction needs to run for either 3 or 10 days to hit a Sunday. If you sell more to business and the day today is Friday, then:

a 1 day auction would be bad (finishing on Saturday),
3 days would be alright (Monday),
5 days would be good (Wednesday),
7 days would be good (another Friday),
and 10 days would be alright (Monday again).

You could draw up a little timetable of when you should and shouldn’t be listing depending on the days of the week – make it red, amber and green, traffic light style, and stick it on your wall.

Schedule Listings

Of course, if that all sounds like too much trouble then there is an easier – if more expensive – way of doing things. Simply use any of the many tools that let you schedule listings (almost all listing programs and sites do) – you can set the start date for any day and time you feel like.

Be aware that you might have to pay a few cents per listing for this if you do it through eBay. With some software, you may also need to leave your computer on all the time, so the software can start the auctions when it’s supposed to. The advantage of this method, however, is that there will be no per-listing fee, since the auctions were scheduled through your computer and not through eBay.

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Add Metatags:
Even though the human eye won’t read Metatags the search engines will and you will need to look into configuring your Store and Listings through Html and the “Manage My Store Area”.

Pick your keywords carefully:
The best way to pick keywords is to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and decide what words they would enter if they were looking for your product.

To help you find useful keywords it would be worth using http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ to find popular search terms used on the Internet in general and then look at http://pulse.ebay.com to see what is popular on eBay.

Now use these words in your titles, item descriptions and even your store URL and eBay ID if you can. It also worth bearing in mind that search engines will attach the most importance to words in titles and also ones in bold.

Custom Pages in your Store:
These are pages within your store that you can create and enter unique content to show promotions, showcase an item or give details about your business.

About Me Page:
Another underutilized page that sellers neglect but really it is essential for all sellers to have as it’s another place to put keywords, a link to your store, a newsletter subscription box and even promote affiliate links. Get some great free About Me templates from here:
http://www.shipscript.com/workshop/ME_templates.htm

Reviews and Guides:
Writing eBay guides and reviews are another great way of getting links from eBay and outside of the site and using your chosen keywords will potentially attract more visitors to your listings and stores. eBay recommends using “search tags” on these pages to show what topics and content are revealed in your content and to make your content visible to the search engines.

Here are some tips on picking a good topic for your guide (whatever you do, don’t forget to include a link to your listing or store!)

Browse the most popular guides at eBay by looking here: http://reviews.ebay.com, you are likely to see that the most popular topics are how to avoid being scammed, how to protect your eBay account, selling tips.

Keep up to date with eBay Happenings (this newsletter is a great start!) and write about Hot Topics and Items.

Try to pick a topic you can relate one of your listings or your store to.

If you sell a book, ebook, DVD or album, why not write a review on it and link it to your listing

Get as Many Links as you Can:
Try to create as many links to your eBay store as you can, ask your friends, acquaintances, subscribers and everyone you can think of! Try to find online directories like http://www.listmystore.com to enter your store onto. Make sure you link to your store within eBay as well – on your guides, listings and About Me page. (The more page links, the higher the Google PR rating and the higher the search engine ranking!)

Featured Items:
Nearly all featured auctions from eBay show up in the top 5 – 10 listings on Google. So pick your keywords carefully and pay about $20 to get a featured listing for your auction. As a potentially great traffic generator it’s worth the risk. If you have an ebook that answers a desperate need and good keywords you could get loads of traffic for it this way.

These are some good ways to getting your eBay Store onto the Search Engines. Ebay also provides a basic section for optimizing your eBay store for search engines here: http://www.pages.ebay.com/education/SEO-introduction/index.html

I hope to be seeing you in the high search engine ranks soon.

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What are the basics of selling on eBay and what does it mean to “run your business like a business?” Let’s take a look:

Set up and organize your business like a professional business –because it is. If you take shortcuts and try to operate on the cheap, you will never be taken seriously. The internet is still a scary place for some folks. Take the time to brand you business create a look and feel that your customers can relate to and one that creates a sense of confidence.

Invest in Automation early. Whether you use an online system such as Vendio, Mpire or eBay’s Selling Manager or offline software such as those made by Blackthorne or others, you want to automate from the beginning. Automation saves you time and make your operation appear and function, more professionally.

When you make some money, don’t rush out and spend it. Always reinvest in your business and keep reinvesting in your business.

Time is your most precious resource. Anything you can do to automate functions and get others to perform simple operational tasks will free you to do the management and creative tasks that will build your business.

Every listing is a reflection of you and your business. Each listing should look professional and contain keyword-rich headlines, good photos and item descriptions that are accurate, complete and that sell.

Establish sales, payment, and shipping and return policies that are both friendly and yet support your business model. Don’t be dictatorial. eBay is a community built on trust. If you trust others to do right they usually will. The percentages that don’t are quite small and you should treat it as a cost of doing business.

Build and preserve an excellent feedback reputation. Feedback is the window through which others see you. You can have great products, compelling product descriptions and super photos –but if you have a lousy feedback score, your business will suffer.

Great feedback is built by providing great customer service. Treat every customer as you would like to be treated and you will always have a high score.

Follow the rules. A lot of new sellers become frustrated by eBay’s complex listing regulations. You can’t fight city hall. eBay is like the government. Some of the rules may seem petty and unfair, but it is their platform, their business and they make the rules. eBay has been pretty good over the years of responding to member feedback. If you think a rule is stupid or unworkable, don’t push the envelop and don’t get into a fight with eBay –you will lose. Instead post your opinion on the message boards. eBay members are on the boards and they look for common threads and opinions from their members. An intelligent post will get read.

eBay is one of the most competitive marketplaces on Earth. Study and stay on top of your competition constantly –and be prepared to react to changes in the marketplace. I study my competitor’s auctions at least once a week.

Experiment, test, and innovate. Experiment with new tools and software when they become available. Test different listing and pricing strategies, new products and sales strategies. Test headlines and optional features. Innovate constantly. Always look for new ways to solve old problems.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are plenty of resources for the entrepreneur amazingly the best source of help is often other eBayers. Your direct competitor may not want to help you, but there are plenty of others who will. A post on any of the eBay related forums message board will bring dozens of responses. Once you are a seller, you need all the resources you need to have your business still flowing and in good condition.

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Some of those tales are true, but instant eBay millionaires are far outweighed by the legions of eBayers who make a decent living doing something they enjoy. (And isn’t that good enough?) Still, so many of us can’t help but look at these top powersellers and wonder what they know that we don’t.

What’s the secret to their success?

Some foundations of success aren’t secret at all; it still takes good old fashioned hard work and customer service to become a Top Rated Seller on eBay. That being the case, there are still a few tips and tricks that separate casual hobbyists from serious eBay merchants.

#1. Keyword Managers

Keywords are all the rage these days. Web pages with plenty of relevant words will show up on web searches. Likewise, auctions with relevant, highly searched terms will show up in eBay searches. How do you know which terms buyers are searching for? There are subscription programs such as Keyword Pro and eBay Pulse that generate lists of the most frequently searched terms in any given category. Add some of these terms to your own listings to increase views. (Just be sure that the words are relevant to the actual item. Nobody likes a keyword spammer, least of all eBay.)

#2. Typo Searches

It’s a sad truth that there are some poor spellers on the Internet. When they become online merchants, they lose business because their misspelled items never turn up in eBay searches. Luckily, FatFingers.Com is a free web site that lets you search for common misspellings on eBay. For example, I searched for the term “scarf”. I was then sent to eBay’s web site, where a search was run for “sacrf”, “sxarf”, and several other typos of “scarf”. It’s amazing how many items you can find at low prices just because they were listed with incorrect spelling. Many sellers capitalize on these misspelled items, buying them low and selling them high. Let this be a lesson to prospective eBay merchants: proofread your listings. Twice.

#3. Data Analyzers

Offline businesses use data analysis before making their decisions, so why shouldn’t you? Imagine knowing which items are selling like hot cakes and which ones aren’t really taking off. You could minimize your risk by avoiding slow sellers and snapping up soon-to-be-hot items at a discount. There are software packages that actually analyze eBay’s data to see what’s really selling and what’s not. Hot Item Finder (www.hotitemfinder.com) is one such program. Experts agree that they can save many hours of research each week by using data analyzers. There is also a program called Auction Yen which runs analysis for Want It Now listings. It pays to know what customers really want, so these programs come highly recommended.

#4. Selling Managers

It’s vitally important to keep track of your inventory and auction listings. eBay offers a selling manager for a low monthly cost. This online tool helps sellers track and customize their listings, print shipping labels, and more. Sellers tout this one as another great time saver.

It’s no secret that you can make a lot of money on eBay. With these tips from the top rated eBay sellers, you’ll be smiling all the way to the bank.

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You can download them by clicking the given links below.

eBay New Business Seller Guide

eBay Business Efficiency Guide

eBay Power Up

eBay Shipping Essentials

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Having something to work towards is important. If everyone’s business plan, or goal, were simply, “Make More Money” most businesses would not succeed. Though you can’t practically say, “My eBay business is just like Microsoft”, I believe it is a mentality that gets us where we want to be.

Success is measured subjectively, relative to each person. For some, hitting the million dollar mark is success, while for others it is the simple fact of being able to quit their job to stay at home and have that freedom. It’s important to establish what it means to be successful for you. Don’t just think about it, write it down. Know what you want, and don’t forget it. Ideas in our head almost always seem to drift away if we don’t manifest them somehow and sometimes immediate action isn’t possible… so simply write it down.

The practical thing to do, however, when it comes to eBay, is to measure your current business, or, if you’re just starting, to know how to measure it. This means taking into account your total sales and everything that goes along with that, such as your eBay fees, Paypal fees, what percentage of auctions ended successful compared to how many items were listed and the average price each item sold for.

If this sounds overwhelming, take a step bank and look at the whole picture. If you’re an established business, it’s as simple as measuring each statistic above within any given time period. Take auctions listed each week, month, and depending on how old or young your business is, each year. If you’ve just started, each week you list, measure these statistics after each of your listings end. This way, you’ll know which items are selling well, where you can change certain aspects of your business, and, most importantly, how much profit you’re making.

One of the most important parts of measuring your business statistics is to know eBay fees. I sometimes get excited about how much I’ve sold and looking at the price on My eBay, think that I did well. Then I pay my eBay fees and realize I did not do quite as well as I had thought. If you have an accurate knowledge of eBay fees, this will increase your potential for profit.

Of course, you’re wondering what all this has to do with setting a goal for your eBay business. Pretty much everything. If you know your business inside out, you can set realistic goals that you’ll know which areas of your business to improve. Making more money as a goal, then not knowing how to get to that goal, leaves you stagnant, and, worst of all, making the same amount of money.

So, define what success is to you and write it down. Then measure every aspect of your business, whether you just finished your very first week of listings ever, or you’ve been in business for a few years, or ten years. Then use that knowledge to meet realist financial goals in accordance with your own definition of success.

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It is not enough to just to take a photo of an item. A good photo can raise the value of the item and help sell it. Here I would like to share a few rules to follow in order to take better photos of your items.

The first rule when taking photos of an item is to take more than one photo. Show the item from many angles show it zoomed in and zoomed out in different positions – for example if the item is a car show it with doors closed and with doors open. If it is a DVD show the front cover the back and the disc itself.

The quality of the photos must be as high as possible. Make sure that you have the right lighting. It is always better to take photos during the day time with natural light rather than with flash light. It is also better to take pictures when there is overcast rather than when the skies are clear and the sun light is strong. If the skies are clear try to take the photos either at the beginning or the end of the day. Follow the rules of good photography, use a tripod if long exposure is needed make sure the photo is not overexposed or underexposed and that it is not blurry.

When taking the photo make sure that you stage the right background for the item. Usually you would want to stage a background that is in contrast with the item and that has no details or interesting objects that can steal the viewer’s attention. Also make sure that the background is a matte color and that it does not reflect light. For example when taking a photo of a black computer mouse and keyboard use a white or light gray background.

Emphasize the value and the details of the item. Every item has unique features or important details that you would like to draw the viewer’s attention to. The best way to do that is to take close-up photos of those details. For example when selling a car that has very low mileage take a close-up photo of its odometer. Another example when selling a known brand product such as shirts or pants take a close-up photo of the tag or the logo to emphasize that the item is genuine.

Take photos that support the textual description of the item. For example when selling a high end brand purse if the description says “perfect stitches” take a close-up photo of the stitches to prove that the description is right.

If your item size is important you can use a known size object in order to help the viewer visualize the item’s size. For example when selling a miniature spy camera take one photo of the camera side by side with an object such as a quarter or a matchbox. The viewer will find it much easier to visualize the camera’s size when looking at such a photo rather than reading the camera’s measurements.

And last but not least remember to keep the photo file size small. When viewing a photo on the user’s screen a low resolution is more than enough. In most cases a VGA (640X480) picture is all that it takes and such a photo can be as small as 50Kbytes. It is important to keep this in mind and not be tempted to put high resolution photos that are big. Such big files load very slowly on the viewer’s computer. In most cases the viewer will get frustrated and would just skip to the next seller.

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Limited lifetime goods are products that are meant to be used, not put on a shelf and saved. Because of rapid changes in technology or fashion, these items will probably become obsolete before they lose functionality. They won’t last forever, but they can be put to good use in the meantime. These goods typically include electronics, clothing, and the latest and greatest installment of anything in a rapidly evolving market. Current promotional posters and products from popular movies and television shows also fall under this category.

To make the most money by selling limited lifetime goods on eBay, you have to act fast. Pre-released electronics and game titles are among eBay’s hottest sellers ever. Timing is important with these products; sell them before the competition does, but after there is a definite demand. This window of opportunity can be very slim, so watch the market carefully. End-of-cycle merchandise can be bought at low prices, but make sure there’s still enough demand to justify such a purchase.

Seasonal items include holiday decorations and cold- or hot-weather clothing. The key to making money with these items is to list them before the competition does. Start a month or two ahead of time and write a convincing auction title and item description that will convince shoppers to buy early – from you.

Antiques and collectibles are a challenging market to break into due to the limit of both supply and demand. You might find a rare item that only a handful of people are interested in. Even then, one of those people would have to have enough expendable income to purchase the item. That can be difficult to coordinate, so allow yourself plenty of time to make a sale. Use other avenues of sale, too; eBay might not be enough to move some items.

The key to making a good living selling antiques and collectibles on eBay is to know your market. Buyers will be more likely to purchase from someone with expert knowledge. Customer service is also paramount. Remember, these high-ticket sales depend on quality over quantity. Buyers will not part with their cash if the seller ignores their questions or acts rudely. Cultivate a strong, well-deserved reputation for excellent service.

The best selling items on eBay tend to fall into one of the three categories mentioned above. Sellers who pay attention to the fluctuations of the market, who time things right, and who don’t hesitate to snatch up a good deal for later resale, will likely find great success with their auctions.

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Here I would like to share some basic information on the eBay pricing.

eBay has three prices that can be set for an auction:

The “Buy It Now” Price

Allow bidders to buy the item at a fixed price immediately without waiting for the auction to end. Effectively, it also means the auction will end once it has a bidder. The only exception will be in Dutch Auctions.

The Starting Bid Price

Any auction will require a starting bid price. This is the price set by the auctioneer when he/she first lists the auction.

The Reserve Price

This is the pre-determined price set by the auctioneer. Bids will need to exceed or equal to the reserve price before it will be sold. If an auction ends with the reserve price not being met, the item will not be sold.

Both the “Buy It Now” and reserve price are optional on eBay.

It is important that your starting bid price be set low to attract bidders to your auction. My advise would be to set the starting bid as $0.99 or lower. As a rule of thumb, never set it higher than $50.

What do you do then if you can’t sell an item below a certain price? The answer is to set a reserve price. That way, you do not have to worry about selling an item below your profit margin.

Also, it will not affect your feedback rating.

Another potential pricing issue on eBay is shipping. Most disagreements between buyers and sellers occur because of shipping cost.

My advice would be not to overcharge on shipping since most buyers take shipping cost into consideration when looking at an auction. Also it is relatively easy for buyers to determine the shipping cost since eBay and most shipping services such as USPS and Fedex provide one.

It is fair for sellers to charge a little for handling charges since it take work to package the item and also postage fees. Most buyers would understand however if possible, try to eliminate handling charges except for big and heavy items.

It is also important to first find out the average selling price of your item before even listing it on eBay. This will tell you the starting price you should list and how much is the ending bid.

The most simple way is to browse through the history of the item you are planning to list on eBay. You can get a feel for how much your item is worth and even determine the starting bid by browsing other sellers’ items.

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