My New Blog

I am going to be leaving the Blogger world and heading to Wordpress.....I like the setup much better and am looking forward to seeing what I can create there.

Check out my Blog.

http://www.theblogentrepreneur.com

Affiliate Commission on OTHER people's Ebay Auctions

Ever Heard of Affiliate Marketing?

It's a pretty ingenious way to make some money using your computer.

You've all seen the posters on every telephone pole, you've seen the cheesy ads on TV, you've deleted email after email from your inbox from some SPAM factory.

All that said....Affiliate Marketing if it is done right does have it's advantages.

I was recommended to this service from a friend of mine and I am glad that he showed it to me. It's a site called Auction Ads...and they use the Ebay Affiliate program to generate money from listings.

I know a number of you run your own websites already and you likely try to drive traffic to your own auctions...great idea. You can get paid to drive traffic to your own auction AND....get this AND you can make money off OTHER peoples auctions.

It's very simple, you don't have to pay to play, their is no sign up fee....you just sign up to their website and follow the instructions. You can generate "Auction Ads" that you can paste onto your own website or Blog and if someone clicks on YOUR ad and ends up buying the item....or any item on Ebay within 30 days then you get a commission on the sale.

How darn cool is that?

I know you probably have a lot more questions but I will let them explain their program themselves...I am sure they can do it far better than I can.

Click Here ~~~~> Try AuctionAds


and they can help you out with the rest of the details. $25 dollar bonus for signing up from Auction Ads for right now...don't know how long it will last.

Easiest 25 bucks I ever made.

Try AuctionAds

Ebay for all your Christmas shopping

Ebay.....why do people never think of Ebay until it's too late.

I ride a Harley Davidson and I visit a number of Harley related message boards etc....and I am constantly seeing posts asking where to get this for a good deal or where to buy that at the lowest price.

I bought a LOT of my stuff for my bike on Ebay. They never expect to find that stuff there but inevitably when I point them there they always seem to find what they want...and usually less than they expected to pay for it.

All this said...Christmas is upon us. You can fight the crowds in the stores or you can do what I do..and hit the internet. I can get all my shopping done for my entire family usually in an hour or so and never leave the house.

What more could anyone ask. If you're smart and value your time as much as I do then consider Ebay for your X-Mas purchases.

Use Terapeak Ebay Research to Turbocharge your Auction Sales!

This is my Boxer...isn't he cute. This was a puppy picture, two years later he's a 75lb hunk of muscle bound ladies man....Great dog....I don't know why I am posting this here, he was licking my foot as I type so I figured hey...why not make him famous.

His name is Zeus.

Have you noticed how common it is to find Ebay sellers out there in the world? It used to be pretty rare and if you mentioned it people were surprised that you sold on "Ebay". I know a sure symptom of how popular (therefore competitive) shows itself every time I go to the post office.....stacks of Ebayers lined up dropping off packages. I finally smartened up and made a deal with my postmaster that I could drop prepaid packages off at the back dock...but that's a whole nother story about what happens behind the post office.

I know a lot of my friends use Ebay to buy and sell items and a few of them have tried to turn it into a part time venture after hearing how well we do with it. We talk about Ebay from time to time and share some victories and of course a few defeats.

I know I used to be frustrated to no end with Ebay, I would search discount stores, yard sales, the internet, the classifieds, you name it only to find that what I had bought to sell was already selling for less on Ebay. Grrrr!

A year later I have the luxury of being a bit smug when I listen to my buddy ramble on about the next big thing, how he acquired 20 of this or 10 of that and plans to make a killing on Ebay. My buddy is the kind of guy who if he thinks it's HIS idea then it's a great one, but if it came from someone else then it isn't worth jack. He won't listen to me and I must admit it's kind of amusing watching him backpedal and make excuse after excuse about why it's not working for him. Must be a guy thing I guess.

I share some of his pain though, it is a familiar feeling and I remember when I first started Ebaying how I would find what I was sure must be a killer deal on "something"...it didn't really matter what. I would stumble across what I thought was sure to be a hit and then barely get back the cost of the product after I paid fees etc. Very frustrating indeed.

Let me tell you something you already know.....Ebay is a VERY competitive market if you are trying to do it as a business. It's one thing to sell your junk out of your garage but when you are buying product to resell it becomes an entirely different animal and you know the law of the jungle. I didn't know it but I figured it out....my buddy still hasn't but maybe someday he'll smarten up. According to his wife...the chances are pretty slim of that happening. :-)

Now lest I mislead you on my credentials, I can assure you that I am not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but I am smart enough to recognize that sometimes a course correction can help me dramatically. I posted in a few forums and a few experienced Ebayers were nice enough to direct me to a company called Terapeak that they claimed would help alleviate some of the issues with market research. Let me tell you another fact jack...don't pay for Ebay's own market research...it's HORRIBLE. That's all I am going to say....your call.

Being the eternal skeptic that I am, I didn't expect much but I have to tell you I was pretty impressed. Terapeak allows you to try out a neutered version of their service for FREE. Yep...FREE and unlike most things where you get what you pay for, this was valuable. I could search on items and find out the basics of whether I thought this might be a viable product on Ebay. I could tell in an instant how many were listed, sold, what price, etc and I know my frustration level dropped a bunch. I stopped buying the latest "deal of the century" and started buying product that SELLS. In fact using the research I was able to find a nice little niche market and continue to service that market today.

You can click on this picture to show you the detail that the free trial from Terapeak shows.

Wow...after checking out all the data that you have available here then I don't know of anyone that wouldn't agree that this is at least worth trying if you are serious about your Ebay endeavor.

You can test drive the basic version for free or you can sign up for the caffeineated version with even more information and try it for free for 14 days....you don't like it then you don't pay.

Easy stuff.....the skeptics won't....the aggressive will so cudos to you if you try it....less competition for me if you don't.

I would definitely recommend you sign up for the 14 day free trial for the paying version....if you're going to try it then try it ALL and if you don't like it then it costs you nothing and you can explore the full suite of what terapeak has to offer you.

Remember....the difference between those who succeed and those who fail...is usually the amount of effort they put into it.

Open an Ebay Store for Serious Online Profit

Why open an Ebay store? That is a question that many an Ebayer has pondered. It is a question that has two different answers depending on the type of Ebayer that you are OR the type of Ebayer that you aspire to be.

An Ebay store might not be the right choice for the average ebayer who is using Ebay to clean out the garage but for those who are looking to take their auction profit a little more seriously or even a full time career then an Ebay store is not even an option...it is a MUST Have feature and I will give you some bullet points as to why.


A FEW of the many benefits of opening an Ebay store are shown below and we will expound on a few more as we progress.

• It's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week...even on holidays.
• Low overhead costs compared to traditional bricks and mortar or even other online commerce sites.
• Your own address on the world wide web. A store give you your own unique URL that you can send visitors to from the web or even the real world. You essentially have a version of your own website.
• Save Time! Stop spending your time relisting your items. Instead, stock your Store with Store Inventory listings that last for longer durations - 30 or Good 'Til Cancelled!
• Credibility - A storefront give you instant credibility in the Ebay world. It shows that you are a dedicated member of the Ebay community and you're committed to staying there.
• Sales Reports - A store front subscription gives you access to free reports that others have to pay a subscription fee to view.
• Bigger Profit!! - Ebay reports that store sellers see on average a 25% incremental increase in sales the 3 months after opening their Store*.
• Bigger Profit#2! As a Store seller, you'll save on listings fees - starting at just US $0.05 or C$0.06 for each 30-day period and 1-cent for the Gallery feature.
• Automated Newsletter - A store gives you an automated newsletter that will be emailed to your subscribers weekly detailing your new listings or specials or whatever message you want to be sent. A GREAT feature to generate repeat business.

I think this list alone should be enough to convince you that an Ebay store front is a very attractive opportunity for an Ebayer looking to take it to another level.

I also saved the best for last.....Ebay offers a 30 day FREE trial of their store so you can try it out and see if it works for you.

I currently have 2 store fronts that carry very different product lines so I keep them separate so as not to confuse buyers and I feel these stores are a big part of how I obtained my PowerSeller status. That said....the Ebay stores aren't perfect...they're good but just not perfect.

The biggest downside, really the ONLY downside for me is that store listings don't always show up in product searches. If a buyer searches on an item and Ebay has 30 or more of that keyword item listed on auction then the store inventory doesn't show up....less than 30 and it does.

If you're selling very common product then you will experience some frustration with buyers not finding you on a search unless they specify to search stores. This is an issue that is easily overcome by regularly running some of your store inventory on auction with clear direction to your store in your listing. This will bring your product up in searches and drive traffic to your store. If your buyers sign up for your newsletter then even better...they will have your listings mailed to them from that point forward on a weekly basis.

How great is that?

Right now is the PERFECT time to get a store up and running with the holiday season rapidly approaching. You did read the FREE trial part right? Good....the only thing stopping you now is YOU.

List...Sell.....Ship.....Enjoy!

Click on the banner below and you can read more about opening your very own store and decide if it's right for you...but again...how can you go wrong with a 30 day free trial.

Great Ebay Pictures Mean Cash - Build Your Own Light Box

I think everyone can agree that when it comes to selling product on Ebay, the picture is KING. A great set of pictures allow the buyer to clearly understand what they are bidding on in your auction. Certain items such as jewelry or coins are very difficult to photograph well and ANY item can benefit from a great set of pictures.

A very common item that those "in the know" use to take great pictures is a light box...which is essentially a small lighting studio. I know that sounds intimidaing but it really isn't and if you keep reading you will see how you can build your own home "lighting studio" for about 10 bucks.

Follow these instrutions to build a light box.
You will need the following items:

Hacksaw
File or some 80 or 100 grit sandpaper.
Velcro

2 - 1/2 x 10ft. CPVC pipe.
4 - 1/2 CPVC Tees
4 - 1/2 CPVC Street Elbows.
4 - 1/2 CPVC Caps
1 - Twin bed sheet.

All of this is available at your local hardware store, Lowes or Home Depot and should run you around 8 bucks give or take a few sheckels.

Ok...if you follow along with the pictures and the description then this should be pretty easy to follow....if it's not then you likely aren't smart enough to post auctions on Ebay anyways. :=)
















This is a picture of your component list after the pipe has been cut.
2 - 23" pieces are your front and rear frame pieces.
2 - 16" pieces are the left and right frame pieces.
4 - 14" pieces are your four legs.
4 - 1/2 inch T's will make the top frame.
4 - 1/2 inch street elbows will attach the legs.
4 - 1/2 inch caps will finish off the legs at the bottom.

You can tailor the lengths however you like depending on the size of the objects that you are shooting. I would consider the box that I am making a "medium" size.

Step by Step instructions to follow. This should go together pretty simply. Trial fit everything with NO glue of any kind first and then you can glue together as you see fit. I personally did not use any glue as the PVC fits together snugly enough for me and I fold mine up to store when not using.















Step 1: Attach the 23" pieces to the T as shown.



















Step 2: Attach the 2 16" side pieces into the T as shown. You should have the "top" of the photo box completed. Again I would use no glue at this point...Simply trial fit it together and then if you feel glue is necessary then feel free.















Step 3: Build the legs. Take each of the 4 legs that you have remaining and place 1 of the caps on one end and a street elbow on the other end.

Your completed leg should look like the one above.



















Step 4: If you insert each leg into the open port left on your top frame then you should have a contraption that resembles this one to the left. You're getting closer.

















Step 5: Attach 3 squares of velcro the rear rail of the light box as shown in the photo to the left. We will use these to attach posterboard to the box as backing.

















Step 6: Almost home. You can see the posterboard in place and the way you position the lights.


I am using white posterboard in the example but you can change it up to customize your pictures. Blue, Red and Black are common choices. Depends on your preference and you will have to experiment.


















Step 7: Lay your white sheet out over the frame rail and pull taut. Place your lights on the sides and top as you see fit. A lightweight cotton sheet works best for my tastes and is readily available to anyone in any town.


I keep my lighting simple and picked these up at Wal Mart. You will have to experiment with the placement of the lights to find your preference. I often place the lights in front looking "into" the box.

As you can see you can achieve extraordinary results with a minimal amount of money and effort and if you are taking your Ebay endeavour seriously then 10 dollars and an hour or so of your time is well worth the results that you will be able to achieve.

If you've been on Ebay for any length of time then you know that it's a SUPER competitive marketplace and any little thing to get ahead of the other sellers is worth it.

The difference between those who rise to the top and those who spend all their time thinking about it is the amount of effort and dedication that they put into the task. Contrary to what anyone tells you it won't come easy, especially at first. When you are building your Ebay empire it takes extra effort to succeed. If you're willing to put the time and effort in then you'll be successful, if not then you won't. Simple as that.

I'm a Powerseller and you can be too.

Ebay Powerseller Secrets

Hey there.....new to the world of Blogging but I am always up for something new. I am going to discuss a few of my favorite topics in the world and that is Ebay and making money on the internet.

I have been on Ebay for several years yet only recently decided to get serious about it and we have done well. My wife and I have achieved Powerseller status for the last 3 months and sales are only going up.

We're at a crossroads with the online world.....we have reached the capacity that working at Ebay part time will allow...and to go to another level she would have to leave her day job to make Ebay a full time venture.

She is making as much money on Ebay as she makes at her corporate job so it would easy enough but so far it seems much more "secure" to stay employed in the corporate world and make Ebay a part time venture.

In any event we have learned a TON of stuff about Ebay over the years, what works, what doesn't, what to expect and what to be completely surprised about. I hope to share some of our successes and alas...some of our failures with all of you. Hopefully this will be a two way street and you can share your success or failure with us as well.

That's it for now....watch our Blog morph and grow over the next few weeks as we add content and articles that will help the novice to intermediate Ebayer.

Happy Selling.