Is there another way to make money selling on eBay?

Are Auction Listings the only way to sell on eBay?

Does your brain get addled and a nervous tension start whenever your eBay listing is nearing the end? Do you look at the latest bid and think 'Why is it so low? I was really hoping it would fetch more than that.' or 'I can't believe someone has actually bid as much as that for it, they must be mad!'

The emotions are all part of the game, and none the worse for it either. But if this was your business could you put up with that sort of emotion EVERY time, day after day?

Thankfully eBay have another way of selling that doesn't scramble your brain, or turn you inside out, and is ideal for selling items as a business. You may have seen this on the listings but are not sure exactly what it is, it's called 'Buy It Now'.

Using this feature will not only save your sanity, but will allow you to know exactly what your profit will be every time you make a sale. You may have noticed the amount of 'Buy It Now' listings has increased a lot lately, and for a very good reason.

Normal auction listings are good for single items, or items you just want to sell at any price, but if you run a business you will probably be selling multiple quantities of the same item. Think what a mess you'd be in if you started getting all sorts of different prices for the same product!

The only way to stabilize your selling platform is to be able to sell the same products at the same price, time after time. Before you list your products using the 'Buy It Now' feature, you will have worked out all your costs, leaving nothing out, so that you know the selling price is the final price, and includes £XYZ of profit. What do you mean - what costs?

You must have a list of all your outgoing costs before you know what profit you can make. Don't forget you will have wholesale price (incl delivery to you), delivery price, VAT (if applicable), plus eBay fees, PayPal fees or Credit Card fees. But once you have these worked out you can easily get your best selling price - and know what your profit will be.

If all this sounds complicated, believe me when I say it really isn't as bad as it sounds. If you're selling the same product and getting it from the same supplier then all the costs will be the same won't they? And if you do sell the same product in multiple quantities, when you do your listing you'll only pay 1 listing fee for the whole lot!

Amanda O'Brien has a wonderful book (yes - a proper book!) that goes through all these different eBay options with you. She explains all the different ways to get the most from eBay, and why one method is better than another depending on the product you want to sell. She uses the 'Buy It Now' feature herself, and has always used it from day one, so it's well worth having a look at what she has to say.

Remember, if you want to take eBay seriously, and make a proper business out of it, you need to consider the 'Buy It Now' option. The only stipulation eBay make before you can use 'Buy It Now' is that you have to have at least 10 positive feedbacks. Once you have this, you will be able to use this method to your advantage.

To find out more about Amanda O'Brien's book '£355 a week Part-Time eBay PowerSeller Secrets'. just click the link. It really does make it all a lot easier!