Is It the End for Designer Goods on eBay?
There have been rumblings for quite some time from top designer companies wishing to put an end to eBays’ practice of allowing their goods to be sold cheaply through the auction site. What happened in France recently has gone a long way to making their wish come true.
A lawsuit filed by luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton Malletier (LVM) has recently been upheld in a Paris Court. LVM had claimed that eBay was liable for harming the reputation of LVM’s trademarks, company name and domain name by using keywords that hurt the Louis Vuitton brand.
As a result of the judgement, the court ordered eBay to pay damages of e200,000 ($273,176) and to cover LVM’s legal fees of around e30,000. As if that wasn’t enough, the court also ruled that for every further violation of these rules, eBay would be fined e1,000 a time!
The advice to anyone considering buying or selling designer goods on eBay is to avoid them like the plague now. A few years ago it was good business. If you could source these goods from reputable wholesalers you could make a reasonable profit, and know the items were genuine designer products. Not any more.
There are now so many fake designer goods being banded about, it really isn’t worth doing. Despite years of efforts by eBay to police counterfeit goods on the site, they are still a problem. Not only would I not sell these goods on eBay, I won’t buy them either.
Another major problem current eBay sellers have is sourcing legitimate products to put on their sites. It would appear that genuine designer goods can now only be purchased through the factory outlet stores of the companies concerned, and they are getting about as rare as hens teeth. Even if you do find a genuine outlet you’ll probably discover the price is so high you couldn’t make a profit anyway!
The advice seems to be that if you see the big drop shipping companies selling designer products you can be certain most of them are fakes. They’ll be very good fakes of course, and it would take an expert to tell the difference, but they’ll still be fakes.
If this has put you off selling on eBay – don’t let it! There are still great profits to be made, with good products that are not classed as ‘designer’ products. In fact, Amanda O’Brien has built herself a very nice eBay business on the strength of NOT selling branded designer products. All her products are sourced at extremely cost effective prices and sold day after day for a good profit – and not a designer label to be seen!
If you’d like to see how she does it, and where she sources these products, check out her site by following the link below. She has a course you can take that will show you exactly how she does it, step by step, and if you still want help she’s only an email away.
As with all successful things, evolution has to play its part and eBay is no exception. Selling designer products on eBay has had its day, and it won’t be long before further restrictions are applied. Even eBay can’t afford to pay those sorts of fines continuously.
To check out Amanda O’Briens’ £2,500 a week Powersellers Secrets and see how YOU can earn this from your KITCHEN TABLE just follow the links. It could be what changes your life forever.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Monday, 1 February 2010
How to Boost Your eBay Sales with a good About Me Page
How Important is it to have a Good ‘About Me’ Page on eBay?
Selling on eBay? If you’re selling on eBay you have to make sure that as many people as possible see your auction listings, otherwise you could be missing out on a lot of sales. So what’s the best way?
Writing brilliant product descriptions in your listing description box is one way (and always should be), and so should having a catchy title, but is there anything else you can do to get people to look you up? Of course there is, and it’s called the ‘About Me’ page.
If you’re relatively new to selling on eBay, you may not know what an ‘About Me’, page is, but it’s really quite simple. An “About Me,” page is a webpage that allows you to write anything you want about you, the items that you sell, or type of services that you offer.
Don’t feel that you shouldn’t be shamelessly boasting about how good you are, or what you can offer – that’s the whole point of it! If you are very good at something, let everyone know. Tell them about yourself, what you like and dislike but most important of all, tell them how good your products are, and what other auctions you may have got listed. This ‘About Me’ page is your big chance to advertise yourself and your products for FREE – don’t miss it!
All the successful eBay sellers, including the PowerSellers, have excellent ‘About Me’ pages linked to their items. If you’re in any doubt about what to write, or how much to say, then click on a few of these PowerSellers ‘About Me’ pages and see what I mean. Get some ideas from them before you do yours and copy what they do. It really does work!
If you also have your own website where you sell other items, this is the place to put in a link back to your website too. Just say that if they’re interested in similar products go visit your website and browse around. If you do this, make sure your website also has a link back to your eBay ‘About Me’ page. EBay doesn’t allow links to outside websites from anywhere except the ‘About Me’ page, so make it work for you.
Having an eBay ‘About Me’ page is completely optional, but, as outlined above, there are a number of benefits to having one. With an eBay ‘About Me’ page only taking a few minutes to set up, you would be seriously advised to at least give it a try. After all, you may be surprised with the results.
For other articles and posts with much more information just go to my sister blog http://smartauctionprofits.blogspot.com/ where you can find all sorts of useful tips and tricks about eBay.
Selling on eBay? If you’re selling on eBay you have to make sure that as many people as possible see your auction listings, otherwise you could be missing out on a lot of sales. So what’s the best way?
Writing brilliant product descriptions in your listing description box is one way (and always should be), and so should having a catchy title, but is there anything else you can do to get people to look you up? Of course there is, and it’s called the ‘About Me’ page.
If you’re relatively new to selling on eBay, you may not know what an ‘About Me’, page is, but it’s really quite simple. An “About Me,” page is a webpage that allows you to write anything you want about you, the items that you sell, or type of services that you offer.
Don’t feel that you shouldn’t be shamelessly boasting about how good you are, or what you can offer – that’s the whole point of it! If you are very good at something, let everyone know. Tell them about yourself, what you like and dislike but most important of all, tell them how good your products are, and what other auctions you may have got listed. This ‘About Me’ page is your big chance to advertise yourself and your products for FREE – don’t miss it!
All the successful eBay sellers, including the PowerSellers, have excellent ‘About Me’ pages linked to their items. If you’re in any doubt about what to write, or how much to say, then click on a few of these PowerSellers ‘About Me’ pages and see what I mean. Get some ideas from them before you do yours and copy what they do. It really does work!
If you also have your own website where you sell other items, this is the place to put in a link back to your website too. Just say that if they’re interested in similar products go visit your website and browse around. If you do this, make sure your website also has a link back to your eBay ‘About Me’ page. EBay doesn’t allow links to outside websites from anywhere except the ‘About Me’ page, so make it work for you.
Having an eBay ‘About Me’ page is completely optional, but, as outlined above, there are a number of benefits to having one. With an eBay ‘About Me’ page only taking a few minutes to set up, you would be seriously advised to at least give it a try. After all, you may be surprised with the results.
For other articles and posts with much more information just go to my sister blog http://smartauctionprofits.blogspot.com/ where you can find all sorts of useful tips and tricks about eBay.
Monday, 14 December 2009
Online Auctions - Don't let the Hammer Fall on You!
It's estimated that around 60% of all internet fraud involves online auctions or merchandising not being delivered. Sadly, the more times you deal with online auctions, the greater the chance of becoming a victim of one sort or other.
Having some sort of idea of the different methods these fraudsters use to relieve you of your hard earned dosh can, hopefully, give you an edge. Pre-warned is pre-armed as the saying goes.
Some of the more common complaints from users of online auctions have involved the following methods.
Method 1. Failure of the seller to ship the goods at the end of an auction.
Method 2. Goods despatched are of inferior quality to those advertised on the site.
Method 3. 'Shill' bidding. Where unscrupulous sellers sometimes bid on their own auction items in order to drive up the price.
Method 4. Bid Shielding. Where equally deceitful buyers place very high bids on an item before withdrawing their bid at the very last second, allowing a much lower bid (normally their accomplice) to 'win' the auction.
Method 5. Bid Syphoning. Where 'dealers' offer losing bidders the same item 'off auction' at much lower prices, and when you've paid the money over they don't send the goods.
Method 6. Failure to disclose certain information about items in a listing, and to disclose pertinent information about terms of sale.
As the biggest online auction site in the world, eBay have been fighting these online auction fraudsters for a long time, and have a number ways of dealing with them when caught. If you think you're a victim of any underhand dealings on eBay, don't be afraid to report them to eBay administration.
Make sure you use facilities such as PayPal to make your transactions as they have a number of ways of dealing with fraudulent tricks. Remember, if something doesn't feel right, or you have doubts about a transaction, don't do it. The vast majority of eBay sales go through without a hitch, so don't have sleepless nights about it, just be careful.
To get the complete low down on all things to do with eBay and online auctions, check out Amanda O'Brien's £2,500 a week eBay Powerseller Secrets. This book alone will save you hours and hours of ferreting out information, trying this and that, and still wondering why you haven't sold anything yet. Get the REAL story behind what makes an ebay Powerseller tick!
It's estimated that around 60% of all internet fraud involves online auctions or merchandising not being delivered. Sadly, the more times you deal with online auctions, the greater the chance of becoming a victim of one sort or other.
Having some sort of idea of the different methods these fraudsters use to relieve you of your hard earned dosh can, hopefully, give you an edge. Pre-warned is pre-armed as the saying goes.
Some of the more common complaints from users of online auctions have involved the following methods.
Method 1. Failure of the seller to ship the goods at the end of an auction.
Method 2. Goods despatched are of inferior quality to those advertised on the site.
Method 3. 'Shill' bidding. Where unscrupulous sellers sometimes bid on their own auction items in order to drive up the price.
Method 4. Bid Shielding. Where equally deceitful buyers place very high bids on an item before withdrawing their bid at the very last second, allowing a much lower bid (normally their accomplice) to 'win' the auction.
Method 5. Bid Syphoning. Where 'dealers' offer losing bidders the same item 'off auction' at much lower prices, and when you've paid the money over they don't send the goods.
Method 6. Failure to disclose certain information about items in a listing, and to disclose pertinent information about terms of sale.
As the biggest online auction site in the world, eBay have been fighting these online auction fraudsters for a long time, and have a number ways of dealing with them when caught. If you think you're a victim of any underhand dealings on eBay, don't be afraid to report them to eBay administration.
Make sure you use facilities such as PayPal to make your transactions as they have a number of ways of dealing with fraudulent tricks. Remember, if something doesn't feel right, or you have doubts about a transaction, don't do it. The vast majority of eBay sales go through without a hitch, so don't have sleepless nights about it, just be careful.
To get the complete low down on all things to do with eBay and online auctions, check out Amanda O'Brien's £2,500 a week eBay Powerseller Secrets. This book alone will save you hours and hours of ferreting out information, trying this and that, and still wondering why you haven't sold anything yet. Get the REAL story behind what makes an ebay Powerseller tick!
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Do You Know What eBay Is Talking About?
Is a NARU trying to sell you a MIMB - or has your NRFB actually got WOB? How to bust the eBay jargon.
Have you ever noticed all the abbreviations or acronyms used on eBay? Do you know what they all mean? They crop up in all sorts of places such as sellers descriptions and title bars, and unless you know what they mean you could end up buying a pup, or worse still, being made to look a complete idiot!
Quite often this 'slang' can be very frustrating to decipher, but once you know what it means you think 'Oh yes - of course, it's obvious really!'
Anyway, I thought i'd do a little list of the more common ones for you, to save any possible embarrassment (especially in front of the kids). This list is by no means comprehensive, (there really are a lot more than this) but these are the more common ones used, and will hopefully make your eBay experience a little less frustrating.
ACRONYM - MEANING
BIN = Buy It Now BMC = Book of the Month Club
BNIB = Brand New in Box COA = Certificate of Authenticity
COL = Collection DG = Depression Glass
DSR = Detailed Seller Rating EUC = Excellent Used Condition
F = Fine (usually on coins) FB = Feedback
FOB = Freight on Board (has shipped) FVF = Final Value Fee
G = Good Condition GBP = Great Britain Pound
GU = Gently Used GWTW = Gone with the Wind
HB = Hard Bound Book HIC = Hole in Cover
HIL = Hole in Label HTF = Hard to Find
LTD = Limited Edition MIB = Mint in Box
MIBP = Mint in Blister Pack MIJ = Made in Japan
MIMB = Mint in Mint Box MIMP = Mint in Mint Package
MOC = Mint on Card MOMC = Mint on Mint Card
MONMC = Mint on Near Mint Card NARU = Not a Registered User
NBW = Never Been Worn NIB = New in Box
NIP = New in Package NM = Near Mint
NOS = New Old Stock NP = Not Packaged
NPB = Non-Paying Bidder NR/No Res = No Reserve
NRFB = Never Removed from Box NRFSB = Never Removed from Sealed Box
NW = Never Worn NWOT = Never without Tags
NWT = New with Tags OB = Original Box
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer OF = Original Finish
OOAK = One of a Kind OOP = Out of Print
PB = Paperback PC = Poor Condition
PM = Priority Mail R = Reprint
Rev.Ed. = Revised Edition SH/S&H = Shipping and Handling
SHI = Shipping, Handling and Insurance S/O = Sold Out
SS = Still Sealed or Stainless Steel TE = Trade Edition
WOB = Writing on Back WOC = Writing on Cover
WOF = Writing on Front WOR = Writing on Record
U = Used UPI = Unpaid Item
VG = Very Good Condition (usually on coins) VF = Very Fine (usually on coins)
VHTF = Very Hard to Find XF/EF = Extra Fine (usually on coins)
As you can see some are obvious and some not so obvious - and believe me there are plenty more where they came from too!
If you're having a problem with any that aren't listed here, you can find a full list on eBay. Just go to the 'help' pages and type in 'eBay acronyms' and you will go to the complete list.
I hope this has been helpful to you in some way. For other tips and tricks on aspects of eBay please look around my blogs.
Have you ever noticed all the abbreviations or acronyms used on eBay? Do you know what they all mean? They crop up in all sorts of places such as sellers descriptions and title bars, and unless you know what they mean you could end up buying a pup, or worse still, being made to look a complete idiot!
Quite often this 'slang' can be very frustrating to decipher, but once you know what it means you think 'Oh yes - of course, it's obvious really!'
Anyway, I thought i'd do a little list of the more common ones for you, to save any possible embarrassment (especially in front of the kids). This list is by no means comprehensive, (there really are a lot more than this) but these are the more common ones used, and will hopefully make your eBay experience a little less frustrating.
ACRONYM - MEANING
BIN = Buy It Now BMC = Book of the Month Club
BNIB = Brand New in Box COA = Certificate of Authenticity
COL = Collection DG = Depression Glass
DSR = Detailed Seller Rating EUC = Excellent Used Condition
F = Fine (usually on coins) FB = Feedback
FOB = Freight on Board (has shipped) FVF = Final Value Fee
G = Good Condition GBP = Great Britain Pound
GU = Gently Used GWTW = Gone with the Wind
HB = Hard Bound Book HIC = Hole in Cover
HIL = Hole in Label HTF = Hard to Find
LTD = Limited Edition MIB = Mint in Box
MIBP = Mint in Blister Pack MIJ = Made in Japan
MIMB = Mint in Mint Box MIMP = Mint in Mint Package
MOC = Mint on Card MOMC = Mint on Mint Card
MONMC = Mint on Near Mint Card NARU = Not a Registered User
NBW = Never Been Worn NIB = New in Box
NIP = New in Package NM = Near Mint
NOS = New Old Stock NP = Not Packaged
NPB = Non-Paying Bidder NR/No Res = No Reserve
NRFB = Never Removed from Box NRFSB = Never Removed from Sealed Box
NW = Never Worn NWOT = Never without Tags
NWT = New with Tags OB = Original Box
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer OF = Original Finish
OOAK = One of a Kind OOP = Out of Print
PB = Paperback PC = Poor Condition
PM = Priority Mail R = Reprint
Rev.Ed. = Revised Edition SH/S&H = Shipping and Handling
SHI = Shipping, Handling and Insurance S/O = Sold Out
SS = Still Sealed or Stainless Steel TE = Trade Edition
WOB = Writing on Back WOC = Writing on Cover
WOF = Writing on Front WOR = Writing on Record
U = Used UPI = Unpaid Item
VG = Very Good Condition (usually on coins) VF = Very Fine (usually on coins)
VHTF = Very Hard to Find XF/EF = Extra Fine (usually on coins)
As you can see some are obvious and some not so obvious - and believe me there are plenty more where they came from too!
If you're having a problem with any that aren't listed here, you can find a full list on eBay. Just go to the 'help' pages and type in 'eBay acronyms' and you will go to the complete list.
I hope this has been helpful to you in some way. For other tips and tricks on aspects of eBay please look around my blogs.
Monday, 19 October 2009
How do you get started as a seller on eBay?
So what do you sell on eBay?
7 ways to get you started
Thousands of people start selling on eBay every day. Many want to start their own business. Most fail - but why?
It all seems so simple. Just get some products, put them on eBay, sit back and collect the money. What could be easier? What could possibly go wrong?
Well, quite a lot actually. It may look straightforward, and believe it or not it is sometimes as easy at that, but most of the time all sorts of other things happen and then it gets tricky.
One reason for failing is that some people try to get too big too soon. Way too big. A quick look at the people who ARE selling lots of items will show that most of them are eBay PowerSellers, and the majority of them have spent a lot of years (and a lot of money) building up their customer base and reputations.
Nobody plans to fail, but many fail to plan.
This perhaps the single most important reason business's go under. To be successful you have to work to a plan, and this is just as important with eBay as with any other business. You need to start small and work your way up.
Here are 7 ways to get off the ground with eBay.
To start with only order a small batch of the product, until you know it sells well. You may love the item, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. Once you see the product is selling you need to think about ordering the next batch.
So what are the best products to sell? The best advice is to start with something you know. The more you know about a product the more you can talk about it. Tell everyone how good the product is. If you've bought it and used it yourself, tell them. Be enthusiastic when you write your description, it can be infectious.
There really are hundreds and hundreds of small but profitable 'niche' markets on eBay. Anything from hand made arts and crafts to antique collectables and old postcards. Just about any sort of hobby or special interest can be found on eBay, so before deciding on a product, spend some time going through the categories. I think you will be amazed at what you find.
If you're still not sure where to start or what to do, this may help. I came across a smashing book a while ago that will help you get started easily. This book by Amanda O'Brien leaves nothing out and is extremely easy to follow. If you really want to know how it's done, then this book is for you.
To discover top quality reliable wholesale suppliers, it's worth checking out this Wholesale Suppliers Directory. By joining with a low lifetime membership fee, you will have access to thousands and thousands of pre-selected wholesale suppliers.
For more tips and tricks about the world of eBay, please look through the rest of this blog, and also visit http://smartauctionprofits.blogspot.com/.
7 ways to get you started
Thousands of people start selling on eBay every day. Many want to start their own business. Most fail - but why?
It all seems so simple. Just get some products, put them on eBay, sit back and collect the money. What could be easier? What could possibly go wrong?
Well, quite a lot actually. It may look straightforward, and believe it or not it is sometimes as easy at that, but most of the time all sorts of other things happen and then it gets tricky.
One reason for failing is that some people try to get too big too soon. Way too big. A quick look at the people who ARE selling lots of items will show that most of them are eBay PowerSellers, and the majority of them have spent a lot of years (and a lot of money) building up their customer base and reputations.
Nobody plans to fail, but many fail to plan.
This perhaps the single most important reason business's go under. To be successful you have to work to a plan, and this is just as important with eBay as with any other business. You need to start small and work your way up.
Here are 7 ways to get off the ground with eBay.
- Find a nice small 'niche' market.
- Choose a good quality product. Stick with one product to start with.
- Source from a reputable wholesale supplier. You'll need to re-order if it sells well.
- Do your sums on all your outgoing costs.
- Work out a competitive selling price.
- Write a keyword rich title and listing with good description and digital photo.
- List on eBay's Multiple Quantity 30 day 'Buy It Now' listing.
To start with only order a small batch of the product, until you know it sells well. You may love the item, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. Once you see the product is selling you need to think about ordering the next batch.
So what are the best products to sell? The best advice is to start with something you know. The more you know about a product the more you can talk about it. Tell everyone how good the product is. If you've bought it and used it yourself, tell them. Be enthusiastic when you write your description, it can be infectious.
There really are hundreds and hundreds of small but profitable 'niche' markets on eBay. Anything from hand made arts and crafts to antique collectables and old postcards. Just about any sort of hobby or special interest can be found on eBay, so before deciding on a product, spend some time going through the categories. I think you will be amazed at what you find.
If you're still not sure where to start or what to do, this may help. I came across a smashing book a while ago that will help you get started easily. This book by Amanda O'Brien leaves nothing out and is extremely easy to follow. If you really want to know how it's done, then this book is for you.
To discover top quality reliable wholesale suppliers, it's worth checking out this Wholesale Suppliers Directory. By joining with a low lifetime membership fee, you will have access to thousands and thousands of pre-selected wholesale suppliers.
For more tips and tricks about the world of eBay, please look through the rest of this blog, and also visit http://smartauctionprofits.blogspot.com/.
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