Seeking eBay Sellers for eBay Reality Series

I was recently contacted by Alex Tresniowski, a senior writer for People Magazine. Alex is working with eBay on a web reality series to profile certain eBay users who have sold common items they had in their homes and used the extra money to make a small but meaningful change or upgrade in their lives.



Specifically, he is looking for mothers and fathers between the ages of 20 and 40, and also single mothers and fathers roughly in that age range. Alex is seeking stories from people who have unearthed some hidden treasure in their home—a gift they never used, their kids' old clothes, other common stuff they initially thought had no value—and sold it on eBay, then used the extra money to pay for something they couldn't otherwise afford: ballet lessons for their daughter, a new Sony Gameboy for their son, painting the living room, etc.



To share your eBay story and find out more about the web series, please email Alex at alexandertres@aol.com and he will get right back to you. This is a great opportunity to show the world how great eBay can be!



Alex will keep us posted on the series as it develops and when it launches online.

2011 Fall Seller Update

Did you receive your eBay seller update via email? If not, here are the highlights:

Get 25 extra characters in your title. The number of characters will be increased from 55 to 80. Remember, keywords in titles are how buyers find your listings. You will still need to follow the rules about keyword spamming, but a little extra room will allow for more descriptive words and hopefully, more visibility.

Return policy guidelines will be changing. Starting in 2012, you won’t be able to use the words “merchandise credit” or “exchange.” The verbiage will be changed to “money back, exchange, or no returns offered.”

Buyer Protection Cases will be handled differently. Beginning in August, if a buyer does not contact the seller before filing a claim, the case won’t be included in your performance rating. This is great news. How many times has a buyer filed a claim against you, and you didn’t even know there was a problem and could have quickly resolved it?

Click here to see the full 2011 Fall Seller Update.

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Keyword Spamming on eBay

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Niche Product – Personal Care Wipes

One of the best ways to build an eBay business is to sell a consumable product. This helps keep your business consistent because the buyers will need to make regular purchases as their item runs out. There are many types of consumable products you can sell, but one slightly unusual one you should consider is personal care wipes.

There is a wide variety of personal care wipes available – baby wipes, of course, but there are also wipes designed to remove make up, wipes for bathing, sunscreen wipes, feminine wipes, and adult wipes. The market has expanded in an effort to make things easier for consumers – and it seems to have succeeded.

The success of personal care wipes has even led to new products. Manufacturers introduced children’s flushable wipes, which led to toiletries intended specifically for children. Existing products have also found new uses. Large pads that were designed to be used by medical professionals visiting patients at home are now being used by soldiers overseas who don’t have access to showers.

Personal care wipes are a growing field. Sales have grown around 6-7% in the US alone. Plus, personal care wipes have higher profit margins than many other products, including baby wipes. This makes them a great choice to sell online.

While selling personal care wipes may seem unusual, it is a field with healthy growth and frequent new additions. Because people are always looking for better ways to do things and ways to make their lives easier, the personal care wipes market is unlikely to go away.

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The Ideal Type of Product to Sell on eBay

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The Basics of Selling Books on Amazon

Last week I held a webinar about the basics of selling books on Amazon. The 1 hour webinar covered the following information:

• Why Sell Books?
  (Old fashioned books are still a viable part of the online market!)
  
  
• Grading the Condition of a Book - The Rules
  
  
• How to Price a Book on Amazon
  
  
• Understanding Sales Rank - It is Like the Stock Market
  
  
• Book Scanning Tools - Which Ones are Best?
  
  
• Creative Strategies for Obtaining Book Inventory
  (Not just garage sales, thrift stores, or library sales!)
  
  
• Repricing Software
  
  
• Bonus - A Fun Way to Re-purpose old Hardback Books and Sell on eBay

To access the webinar, you must be a member of Online Selling Coach. The membership fee is still $9.95 and you will have access to EVERYTHING on the site, not just this webinar.

Click the image below to access the webinar on Online Selling Coach.

Tom's eBay Success Story

Tom sent in his seller success story last week. Wow, he has been busy! Tom writes,

“I just want to say a BIG THANKS for the advice you have given as far as what to buy and sell from thrift stores and garage sales! I have been doing this for a few months and have made good money so far and a sell through rate of over 90%.

The items I have been focusing on are:
Harris Tweed
Revere Ware
Born
Cashmere
Coffee Mugs
Glassware

My most recent big sale was a collection of Ed Gein newspaper clippings that I bought for .25 and sold for $127.50! Here is a screen shot of Tom’s listing:

Also, an official 1956 Kentucky Derby Julep Glass, purchased at a Goodwill for .49 and sold for $95

Yellow Pyrex butter print 4 bowl set, purchased for $18 and sold for $125

I am addicted now that I am getting the eye for what will sell.”

Thank you, Tom, for sending in these finds. Newspaper clippings are true collector’s items! You definitely are getting an eye for what to buy for resale. Keep up the great work!

You see Tom’s other finds here on eBay.

Do you have a success story to share? Have you recently sold something odd, unusual, interesting, or even downright weird? Send in your story and let me know! We can all learn more by sharing our finds.

Related posts:

Thrift Store Items to Sell on eBay – Huge List

Vintage Items to Sell on eBay – Huge List

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