Are you an ebayer who is tired of all the fees that ebay has added to your auctions? Well I am. I have been selling online with ebay for quite some time and even opened an ebay store. For years, I made some very good money selling on ebay auctions and through my ebay store, but in the past year, ebay has gone wild with seller fees. In the last few months, I have had to close my ebay store because I could no longer make a profit. And now, I very seldom sell anything on an ebay auction because of all of the fees.

But have no fear, I have done some research and have found that there are lots of alternatives to selling on ebay. The internet is full of other online auction sites that do not charge any fees at all.

So if you are trying to sell online but can no longer pay the ebay fees just check out a few of these auction sites.

Wensy.com is an online auction that has no listing fees, no closing fees, and offers a free store to it’s sellers. It allows you to add pictures of your items with no cost. And you can sell auction style, dutch auction, fixed price or list in the classified ads. There home page address is

http://wensy.com/index.asp

The next auction site is 2made and is also a completely free auction site. There are no fee charges at all. You can list free and pay no upfront fees or closing cost fees. And they also offer a seller store which is also free to set up and sell your items. There home page address is

http://www.2made.co.uk/2mCapLESI.html

Another auction site is FreeAux. This auction site also does not charge any fees. They even state that they do not like fees. You can create a standard auction, sell your item, and pay no fees of any kid. They also have the option of opening a store for selling, if you sell a large number of items and need more exposure. They do offer some extra features for sellers that do require a small fee such as an upgrade in the appearance of your listing or special placement preference on the site. These fees can be found on their site, but these extras are no necessary for selling with them. FreeAux’s home page address is

http://www.freeaux.com/index.php

Bidjunk is also another free auction site that not only lets you sell items in an auction style listing, but also offers a free store for your items. They do not have any fees for listing items and no end of auction fees. You can check this auction site out at

http://www.bidjunk.com/

According to Wikipedia, a freelancer is a self-employed person like an independent contractor who follows after a profession without establishing a long-term commitment to any one employer. Now you might say, what the heck does that mean. In simple terms, it means that a virtual assistant (or writer, or graphic designer, etc.) goes into business for him- or herself.

There are many areas in which a person can set themselves up in business as a freelancer — areas like website development and programming, administrative services, writing and translation, sales and marketing, and multiple other categories. Within each of these categories, there might be specific niches that you can establish your business in, depending on your skills and determination.

Okay, so that’s all well and good, right? How does a freelancer find a buyer, or how does a buyer find a service provider? If a person does a search through their favorite Internet search engine under the term “freelance marketplace,” one will find a wide variety of freelance marketplaces out there where freelancers and buyers can meet, get to know each other, and work together. There are several good ones out there like Guru.com, Elance Tour, iFreelance.com, and more, depending on what you are specializing in.

So let’s go back to my original premise as to why a virtual assistant should recommend a freelance site to one of their clients. In my case, there are two categories that I would want to do this:

1. There are clients of mine that may have a service that is not currently in my reportoire of skills. For example, I offer virtual assistance services – things like data entry, customer service, transcription, article writing, article submission, things of that nature. I don’t do graphics, I don’t do  photography or videography, I don’t do anything having to do with legal matters — you get the picture, right? In other words, if one of my clients needs me to come up with a logo, for example, I’m going to recommend that they go to a freelance site like Logo Design Elance where they can go to find a service provider that does that type of thing.
2. There are new prospective virtual assistants out there that need to acquire clientele and may want to test the waters to see if becoming a freelancer is going to appeal to their sense of adventure and be a good fit. When my partner and I first started out, we were compelled to go into freelancing because I had been laid off and she had retired. We needed a way to supplement our income. Not everyone is going to take to freelancing. Becoming a member of a freelance site can be an excellent way to be introduced to it, build skills, and gain feedback.

With the economy being what it is right now and so many people being out of work, a virtual assistant has to do everything they can to keep the clients they have. This is a good time to recommend freelance marketplaces to clients and individuals that want to get into freelancing. That is why I think it only makes sense that a virtual assistant not only can but should recommend freelance sites to anyone that listens — but especially to clients looking for something to be done that I can’t do or to new people wanting to get into the field of freelancing.

You’ve come to the right spot. This guide is perfect for telling all of you wannabe Ebay kings and queens out there how to get the best out of the sales you make on Ebay.

1. The Title

   Nothing is more crucial than the title. If some one is looking for leopard print shoes with gold buttons, and you are selling it – mention it! If you are selling really obscure stuff like leopard print shoes with gold buttons, do say it in the title and in the little information place on Ebay. The title is what the buyer will read to see if it matches his requirement so make it as descriptive as possible. Think of the title and info as tags for your product.

2. Photo

   

   A lot of people don’t bother with photos or just take one. No! Take loads of pictures of the product you are selling in the condition that it is in and put it on Ebay. A buyer wants to know what his or her purchase looks like or if they are looking for the right thing. Assure the buyer that your product is genuine. Some pictures of books are available on the internet so don’t use those. Take a proper picture of the product you are selling and use it.

3. The Information Box

   

   Say EVERYTHING in the information box. If a buyer has to choose between two different sellers selling the same product, they will pick the person who has the most descriptive account of the product they are selling. This is again assuring the buyer that your product is genuine, you are genuine and that you don’t wish to con them. If you are selling a gadget or something quite expensive, say which company it’s from, what model, say all of its bonus features, what it can do, what it can’t do, say if there are any faults and just pretend like you are the one who made the product and you are selling it. The more you can say about your product that you are selling, the better. Remember, you have to convince the buyer to part with their cash.

4. Be Truthful

   

   Buyers appreciate truthfulness more than lying. If you say something is broken, they will take it on board. If they know how to rectify it, it won’t bother them but if it does bother them, they will move on. The internet is a massive place where loads of people can take a look at your stuff so don’t feel compelled to force a buyer to buy by lying. It won’t impress them and they can give you negative feedback if they aren’t pleased with the product.

5. Market Your Other Stuff

   Do say things like ‘Check out my other stuff’ or post a link at the end that goes to the rest of your stuff so that the buyer will take a look if he or she finds that they like the kind of stuff that you sell. You can give examples at the end if you have products similar to the one that you are selling that you want to get sold off. If you are selling books or clothes that you think your friends and family might like, paste the links on Facebook or Twitter or somewhere where you might think that they are likely to see it and they might want to buy it. The more you make your product known to others, the more likely they are to buy it.

6. Wait For The Right Time

   

   Certain things sell best at certain times. For example, Christmas time is when toys and personal presents flood the entire Ebay marketplace so that is a good time to think about selling. Go about 2-3 months in advance so you don’t have many competitors. Certain books, like exam revision guides etc. are a lot more popular as the exams approach so maybe a month or two before exams are a good time to start selling. It’s up to you when you think is the right time to sell.

7. Make Different Payment Methods Available

   Some sellers only accept Paypal payments when some buyers prefer cheques. Some sellers only accept cheques when some buyers prefer Paypal. Whatever the payment method, make sure the maximum types of payment methods is available to them otherwise something as silly as this may bar you from making a good sale.

8. Keep An Eye On Messages

   

   Sometimes when buyers aren’t sure of products, they can message you so make sure you reply as soon as possible to them in the most clear way so that they can make the purchase soon. Again, this is really simple so don’t let it hinder your sales.

9. Price It Right

   

   There might be other people selling the same stuff as you so watch out for them. Avoid ridiculous pricing (selling a £5 item for £20). Take a while to look on Ebay if there are people selling that product and price your product in a fair way that it may make you more likely to have a sale but is going to make you a profit. You can do this through putting loads of information too. Make sure that you give the buyer a good value for the product they buy. There’s no point making a used product really expensive. Check the commission that you owe Ebay and make sure that it is included in pricing. Check the postage/shipping costs before you make the final price. As much as you want to get rid of the product, you want a good profit too.

10. Get A Good Reputation: Keep Selling

    Constant selling will get you positive feedback from the buyers and if you keep selling and keep getting this feedback, more buyers new to Ebay will probably trust you more and will purchase your things.

But how have they been so successful? People know how much online fraud and phishing scams happen, yet everyday, millions of people get out their VISA card, type in the number and create an Amazon, Ebay, or iTunes account. How did these websites stand out from the rest of the unwanted sites?

People don’t even see the items before they buy. They just see it online, click add to cart, and the next day there’s a box on their front porch from American Eagle. Why? Because the people trust most sites that have a popular recognition. Those sites have been advertising themselves and have many affiliates backing up their products.

Not only have those sites been advertising on TV and other media, they have done a lot of other things right. These are the reasons that most online businesses are so successful in luring people into their online store.

People know them- In order for something to extremely successful, people need to know the particular site. Amazon, iTunes, and eBay have all done this extremely well. Due to the hoardes of people that came to visit that store, they have all gotten a lot of customers. Most of them were satisfied, they reviewed the site, and all of a sudden, they have all become the most trusted sources for all the stuff that the general population wanted.

So all that they have done is just use the people to stir up a massive amount of buyers. If maybe a million people saw the ad of the new revolutionary thing on TV, most likely they will tell their friends, starting a viral revolution.

They treat all the traffic they get with what they deserve-  This is something that many people on the internet don’t accomplish. The majority of people don’t set up a store. Instead, they create a product, make a huge hundred page sales letter, and put the “Add to Cart” button all the way at the bottom. They either do that or make a little affiliate store, usually sponsored by Amazon or eBay.

No major business has ever been successful doing that. You may have heard of individuals, but individuals and businesses are two different things. If you just want to support your family, a sales pitch is the best time saving option. If you are starting an internet business, whether it be something like eBay, or something else, you should always act professional. You can’t stick to the little one page sales pitches used by all those cheap internet marketing gurus. You need to have a good website design. If you aren’t the best at CSS or HTML, hire someone that can create your unique web design. Or if you can’t afford that, just buy a website template. What’s the need to create an unattractive sales pitch page?

They have people backing them up- Most of these huge companies have a lot of people that back them up. These people are known as the affiliates of the big company. They put ads on their sites, causing people to go to the main site, and creating more traffic to their sites.

Because of all of this, online corporations can get the trust of people really fast. People know that they are there, and that they won’t be treated without respect. Because of that, they spread the new to their friends, causing all them multi million dollar websites to gain multi million potential customers.

Business is based on a hunger for money, in most cases. Most businesses are built for the sole purpose of making money. Without the goal or intentions of making money, how can a business even be started. Even if it is a non profit business, they will need money to pay for the bills. Whether online or offline, there will always be payments that need to be made, except in some cases. There is an ever growing amount of websites that allow you to get money online.

The key to buying on eBay will be knowing what you are looking at and what you are looking for. So some research on brand names and the type of solar panels you need for your system are just two important considerations. As with any buy-sell-trade type website, finding an honest, reputable seller is just as important as finding the right product. You must be wary of sellers out to make some fast cash.

Image via Wikipedia

Along those same lines, Craigslist is another possibility for finding some solar panels online. Craigslist is divided up by city or region, so you’ll likely be dealing locally, which is a good thing. Still you must be even more wary of fraudulent sellers. Be sure to get a local phone number and talk to the seller before handing out any promises or personal information. There tend to be a lot of phonies who use Craigslist, but at the same time, it doesn’t take much digging to figure out who is real and who is not.

For one, compare the prices listed on Craigslist with retail prices listed on the manufacturer’s website. Is a “new” solar panel on Craigslist ridiculously lower in price than what the supplier is asking? That’s your first clue to a fraudulent posting and should put you on your guard a bit when you call.

Before you get too scared of buying online, remember that these are the places for deals. It just requires some smart shopping. Also check into state and federal incentives for solar installations. These usually require new panels that meet certain guidelines and will probably affect how you spend your cash on eBay or Craigslist.

Our crop selling business began as a small hobby for my wife and I. The overall demand was more than what we had initially expected, and our business became more busy than we had previously anticipated.

As time went by, I had a hunch that we were not looking at the business clearly. So, I opened up Microsoft Visio and created a business flowchart.

After creating a work-flow diagram type of flowchart in Visio, I was able to see from a highlevel the entire operation of our business. One of the key components in our business was the bank. The bank controlled the right to sell and the stores we sold at. So, in a nutshell, the business began with the bank, and ended with the bank. The land was another consideration. While borrowing the land to cultivate, seed, and grow crops, we were also increasing the value of the property (which had been neglected for decades).

Using Visio to map out details within each business process, I was able to determine which factors of the business needed to be changed. Furthermore, I could calculate when those changes were possible to take effect.

The whole trick of using a flowchart program, like Visio, is having everything about the business visible on the screen or page, and drawing logical connectors between each part of the business.
 
 
Other components in the business include resources. If I purchase my seeds from the store that is owned by the bank, then my purchases (the input side of the business) also come from the bank. So, the input and output of the flowchart begins and ends with the bank. However, some of my seeds are obtained free of charge (or are they?). I happen to know someone who acquires free seeds from a shop owner who attends the same religious organization. So, in essence I am obtaining some seeds free. However, in order to maintain this resource some return to the resource is necessary (diplomatic relations). In my case, I give some harvest to the person who gives me the free seeds. Because of this, I need to plot on my flowchart a relative link back to the resource.

The benefit of utilizing Visio for my business is being able to visualize the entire business process, spot weaknesses, and determine where there is room for improvement.

To learn more about Visio for mapping, check out my blog on Visio Maps.

You may have heard that many have quit their jobs to sell full time on eBay. Maybe you have that ambition or just want to make some mad money to take a vacation every year. Whatever the reason for selling on eBay, you need to know what you can sell to make a profit.

People sell just about everything on eBay. You might have an attic full of Aunt Minnie’s leftovers from the estate sale or baby items you didn’t get rid of. If they are of good quality, you may find a market on eBay.

Where to Find Your Merchandise

You can start in your home. On the eBay website under “Seller Resources” there is a link called The eBay Idea House. It is actually a magnificent tool. When you click on it you are taken to a virtual house. Click on each room and see where you can look for ideas of what to sell. Some people go straight for the garage in their home but other items are just sitting in the bathroom or bedroom waiting to be noticed.

Outside of the home, the first place to find an eBay worthy item is a yard sale. Yard sales are not about selling junk, but items you don’t have a need for anymore. You can find great deals at church and community yard sales. Come armed with cash and a vehicle big enough to take away larger items you might find for a bargain.

What to Look for in an Item

Most items that you can think of are able to be sold on eBay, but they may not be worthy of a sale. That means that your mother-in-law’s beaded antique lamp might not fetch a good price on eBay. If it looks hideous to you it’s probably hideous to your bidders. Save it for when The Antique Road Show comes to town instead.

The main aspect of an item for possible sale is whether you can get a higher price on eBay than you are paying for it right now. An example is gaming systems. They are hot sellers throughout the year. The best time to find them is when they first go on sale in stores. If you can afford to buy three or four at $400 a piece, you can make at least twice that much for each one on eBay, especially if the system is in limited release in stores.

On the other hand, larger items like curio cabinets or wardrobes may not be cost effective for you. They will cost a lot to ship and the price customers are willing to pay may not make a decent profit. However, there is the option of setting up a local only sale, where the winning bidder must come pick the item up – so consider that if you’ve got furniture or larger items you’d like to get rid of.

Prohibited Items

I’d be remiss if this wasn’t mentioned. Remember the rules? There are people who will test the limits but you don’t want to be one of them. Know what you can’t sell as well so you can stay clear of them.

• Pornographic items
• Used clothing
• Recalled items
• Credit cards
• Event tickets (that’s scalping if you didn’t know)
• Alcohol (the drinking kind)
• Weapons
• Food (even space rations)
• Human body parts

This is a limited list. Go to eBay and look under “Seller Resources” and then “Prohibited Items” for a more detailed list.

Selling on eBay can be both fun and profitable when you choose the right items to sell. Evaluate each item by the market and the work involved in selling and processing it before just throwing it up for sale.

How to Write an Effective Auction Description

After you’ve chosen which items are best to sell, your next step is to write an effective auction description. Getting your items listed on eBay is only part of the process. In order for people to bid from you they need to be sure of what they are getting. That is where your item description comes in. Be upfront with your bidders but also engaging so they want to compete for your products.

Elements of a description

The important elements of an auction item description are the title and the body of the description. Both will work together to create a well-rounded picture of the item in the bidders head even before they take a look at the pictures. Bland descriptions won’t entice them to click and see more.

Let’s begin with the title. When crafting one, be precise and visual. What would catch your eye in a title? Use that same technique to write one for your items.

What if you were selling a dining room table? A title that said, “Red dining room table,” doesn’t really say much. We all know what a dining room table is so this is no help at all. It could be a table for a dollhouse for all you know.

Try it again. This time say, “Authentic 1955 Red Oak Farmhouse Table, gently stressed.” Now, the bidder can see the table and even feel the texture due to the gentle stressing of the paint. You couldn’t imagine that before. Someone will come in for a closer look at this table.

Now we move on to the description. A description is not about being flowery but detailing the features of your product using eye-catching words. The first thing to remember is to mention all aspects of the item that would be important to anyone buying one.

If you know your product inside and out, that won’t be a problem for you. Let’s use a printer for instance. What manufacturer and make is it? Does it make color or black copies? How many are produced in a minute? What else does it do?

All of these questions will help you come up with a great description. Look at this example:

HP DeskJet F4235 All-In-One Printer, 6 months old

• Prints (20 ppm black, 15 ppm color)
• Scans (with removable lid for large items)
• Copies
• Professional quality photo prints (Vivera 60 color and black ink cartridges)
• USB printer cable included

 You would bid on a printer with that description. It includes all the information you can use to make an informed decision about bidding on this product. You know that HP makes quality items and it can be used to copy photos from your digital camera and gives you professional quality prints.

The more information you can include in your auction item description, the more likely a potential bidder is to take a closer look and possibly put in a bid. Take time with your description. It is the way to attract customers.

Use the tips mentioned above to your advantage and you will develop a following of customers very soon. As more people buy from you, they will leave positive feedback and maybe even recommend you to their friends and family members. When you create a large and loyal customer base you will develop a very successful and profitable eBay business or perhaps an eBay empire.

Yahoo, on its part, takes abundant care to protect all sensitive private information and insists on a security key for some services. More information about Yahoo’s security policy is available in the Yahoo Privacy Policy. Users can also access Yahoo’s ‘Guide to Online Security’ for tips on how to reduce security risk when online.

Choosing Yahoo Security Key

Yahoo has laid down certain guidelines for choosing an impregnable security key. The password must be such that it is easy to remember by the owner and tough for others to guess. The password should be of minimum seven characters and it is preferable to have a mix of capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and certain standard symbols.

Care must be taken not to use for Yahoo Security the same password used for another account or bank pin number. Another factor that often causes concern is what happens if the user forgets the security code. This is not a serious issue as the user can always request for a new password. Visit the “verify your security key” page and click the ‘Forget Security Key’ link and follow the instructions to get a new security key:

Yahoo Security Key and Small Businesses

It has to be acknowledged that security of data transmission over the Internet or any other information storage technology cannot be totally foolproof. However, Yahoo has certain concrete security measures in place to protect all sensitive data of small businesses.

Yahoo provides ample security to prevent buyer information from misuse when ordering through a Yahoo Store.  Yahoo Store uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption when transmitting confidential information, particularly financial services information or payment information.

It is interesting to know that an icon resembling a padlock is displayed on the bottom of most browsers window when SSL transactions that involve credit cards and other forms of payment take place. Please be aware that whenever a Yahoo Store asks for a credit card number during checkout for payment, it will be SSL encrypted.

It may also be heartening to know that Yahoo coordinates with vendors and partners to protect the security and privacy of user information. Yahoo limits access to all personal information strictly to those of their employees who necessarily need that information to fulfill their job obligations.