eBay Rules !

Have you heard about World of Good?

2008-12-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article in Fast Company about a company that is trying to develop a unique partnership with eBay. Their goal is to give the world's poorest artisans the ability to sell to the same group of obnoxious, greedy and deceitful slobs that you and I have to deal with on a daily basis. Does that sound sound unfair? Maybe. But that represent the reality of selling on eBay. Buyers in the current environment have been given too much power over the transaction. So you think the same people that try to scam you and I will not try to scam the 3rd world?

After reading the article a little deeper I am hearing that all this company is doing is taking products on consignment from these poor people, post on eBay, then collect payment if it closes successfully. I'm not sure how this is any better or worse that major corporations out-sourcing and/or taking factories off-shore. Other than that they don't have the "big company" stigma and they give a percentage of their profit for to a sister organization which promotes socialism worldwide I see no difference.

I am all for free-trade, our-sourcing and off-shoring because it generates more wealth on the whole. What I am suspicious of is companies who claim to have a "social conscience" but when you look at their business model it is not very different from those whom they claim are "bad". I'm sure I can hear their defense already, "But we care..."

Check them out and let me know what you think: World of Good

Find the Positive in Negative Feedback

2008-12-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

Negative feedback on a transaction is not easy to take. It can be taken quite hard, even physically. I know that I feel it in the back of my throat and get a sinking feeling in my stomach.

At the same point it is not easy to give - you feel bad - no matter how poorly you may have been treated. Of course we would all rather get, and give, positive feedback. Yet feedback, regardless of what it is, is very important for properly growing your eBay business.

The next time you get neutral or negative feedback take a second and think about it. Instead of immediately deciding, "That buyer was a nut and there is nothing I could have done for that weirdo!" Think about what you could learn from the transaction. Often the negative isn't so much for if their was a problem with an item or the transaction but how you handled the problem.

One of the most important jobs of an eBay business owner it to keep your eyes and ears open to all feedback. If you do not pay close attention to your bidders and buyers you will be missing out on future opportunities. If you really desire to be successful on eBay then listen to all feedback you get from your buyers: positive, neutral and yes, even negative.

eBay Seller Sues Over Negative Feedback

2008-11-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now that most of you have heard about the seller who is suing a buyer over negative feedback. The seller's claim is that the negative feedback constitutes libel.

If you have not heard about this case I will give you a very brief synopsis: Buy purchases item from seller. Buyer does not like item (for whatever reason) and send back. Sellers gives buyer a complete refund. After some time buyer leave negative feedback to seller claim item was incorrect and damaged (as if one reason wasn't enough). If this description wasn't enough here is the full article: eBay Seller Sues Over Feedback - no sense me rehashing what so many have posted online already.

Many people are looking at this from the perspective for the legal argument over the concept of libel and the wisdom of suing your customers (or at least potential customers).

If I had a dime for every seller who complained about stuff that was not wrong I wouldn't have to sell on eBay to make extra money. Just lately I had a seller complain that the pants are not the correct size and must be mislabeled (this, after her measuring them and confirming they are exactly the size I stated).

Personally I think this a great case of a seller who is feeling very disenfranchised by eBay. Again and again both eBay and PayPal have made moves to take all power away from sellers. PayPal literally forces you to accept returns (with little recourse if the item is returned damaged) and now eBay doesn't allow sellers to leave anything other than positive feedback.

If eBay/PayPal don't stop placing roadblocks they are soon going to find themselves in a very deep hole.

New eBay Rule Changes Have us ALL confused

2008-07-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

The new rules changes at eBay have got us all confused. I found this video online and I liked it enough to want to share it with the rest of you. It is from Andrew Locke, eBay veteran, covering the major changes that are occurring at eBay with his own unique twist of humor and sarcasm. Enjoy!

I Practice What I Preach !

2006-05-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

I just realized that here I am posting about how to make money on eBay and I haven't yet told you about myself.

I've noticed that most people who are posting (or selling) advice about eBay (or any subject for that matter) usually claim to have made money but VERY few actually prove it. Think of all those infomercials for a classic example. And even if they do show you some kind of information there is ZERO way for you to verify it. Because of this I've decided to SHOW YOU. Follow this link and you'll find PROOF that I have been selling on eBay and I have been making money - both in the past and in the present. Now the medical scrubs is just the latest of my eBay selling success. Currently I have three accounts on eBay making money for me day and night! I'll revel the other account in later posts.

So the next time someone claims to be making money in ANYTHING ask them for proof. And not just proof that they once made money but solid proof that they made money yesterday, today, and will make some more tomorrow!

What Do I Sell on eBay? - PART 1

2006-05-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

The number one mistake people making when running a business is developing a product or service first then going out and trying to market it. Let me repeat that statement to make sure you understand how fundamental it is. The NUMBER ONE mistake people make when running a business is developing a product/service first then going out and trying to market it.

What do I mean by this? Exactly what is sounds like! As entreprenuers we have a tendency to fall in love with our product. We spend so much time and energy on it and convince ourselves how great it is. We look at it and say, "How can anyone not just LOVE this item?" I like to call it the New Baby Syndrome. To every mother their baby is the most lovely baby in the world. They are not objective, they are biased. And that is exactly what happens to us business people.

OK, if I'm so smart - What is the solution! The solution is to do the exact opposite. First find a group of hungry buyers. Then figure out what it is they want. Lastly, Give them exactly what they are asking for!

Sounds too simple to be true? It isn't, it really is that easy! eBay is the largest source of hungry buyers in the world!

Now how does this help us on eBay? Well, we know eBay is made up of literally MILLIONS of hungry fish - I mean customers ;-) . We have several resources that will show you exactly what people are asking for. The first of this is eBay's Want It Now site. This site shows has posts by people who are proclaiming to the world what exactly they want to buy. All you have to do is get it for them. A GREAT new program has been developed that will help you take advantage of this GOLDMINE of information. Click here to view the video.

Check back in a couple days for PART 2 of the series What Do I Sell on eBay?