Hello <$firstname$>
First of all I would like to welcome all the new readers. We seem to have had quite a surge of new subscribers since our last issue. I think that over the next six weeks or so things may go a little bit quieter with online auctions as we all start getting ready for holidays. Traditionally the autumn and run up to Christmas are likely to be particularly active. So if you have not done so already now is a good time to start thinking about what you are going to sell during this period. And of course do not forget that online auctions are a great place to buy and you could save quite a bit on your Christmas present expenditure by browsing through the listings.

Talking of listings I see that from last Monday (19th July) Ebay have made some significant changes to some of their categories. A couple of months ago they did the same on eBay.com and this caused quite a storm. In fact the pressure was so great that some of the changes were reversed. Pottery and Glass seemed to be one of the biggest areas of contention. The categories that have had changes "are necessary to accommodate the continuing growth of eBay.co.uk and to help buyers and sellers trade more effectively and efficiently. We would like to thank all the members who took the time to contribute the numerous ideas and suggestions that have helped shape these changes."

• In-car Entertainment
• Books
• Antiques & Art
• Consumer Electronics
• Computing
• Telecomms
• Music
• Pottery, Porcelain & Glass
• Sporting Goods
• Toys & Games

If you sell in any of these categories it would be worth going to the category list and see how the changes will effect you. And remember that if you have any thoughts on this or any other aspect of online auctions we would like to hear them.

One surprising fact that came out of the recent eBay Live conference in St Louise really surprised me. I have always considered that it made sense to list an item for the maximum 10 days. And low and behold I am wrong, according to statistics the most successful period for auctions is 7 days. Apparently a 10 day auction removes the sense of urgency and gives the potential bidder the opportunity to search around. Also most activity around an item is during the first 24 hours and the last 24 hours of a listing. I shall give it a try and see what effect it has.

These days with the price of digital cameras coming down there is no real excuse for poor quality photographs. There are very items that do not benefit from at least one photograph and the better and clearer the photograph is the more likely you are to attract bidders.

Also on the subject of photographs, you should use a photo editing program to crop out the unwanted areas of your photograph. By cutting out unwanted background you can increase the size of the picture without increasing the file size and slowing down the upload time. I size my photographs so that the biggest dimension is 400 pixels. There are plenty of photo editing software programs available including some which are either free or offer a free trial period.

Finally on the subject of photographs, try to make sure that you use some additional lighting if necessary. For smaller items I use a couple of cardboard boxes. I've cut one of the longer sides away and lined the inside of one with matt black paper and the other one with white cartridge paper. I put the item in the box and use a couple of small office desk lamps to light it and take the picture. For most items this works out quite well. The one problem I do have and if any reader knows the answer I would be please to hear is how to you cope with the reflection from transparent plastic film. I get this problem when photographing some shrink wrapped items. I have tried using reflected rather than direct light but you still seem to get some flare back.

Individually Yours is a software program that produces personalised certificates for Birthdays, Anniversaries and first name meanings. These can be produced to order and are very profitable. It costs around 70p to produce a certificate and they can sell for as much as £5.99 and even more if you frame them. The program is very easy to operate and you do not need any particular computer skills as all you need to do is enter a few details such as date of birth and name and the program does the rest.

If you go to www.individually-yours.com you will find more details and samples. And until the end of the month there is a special offer. As you will see the program sells normally for £197 but until Saturday 31st July you can save £100 and buy the program for just £97. Do not order the program from the web site as you would have to pay full price. Instead just pay £97 via paypal to daveatebay and your program will be dispatched within 24 hours. Join the many people who have discovered that Individually Yours is a great part time home business.

Car Boot Sales: These can be very good places to buy cheaply and over the years I have managed to pick up quite a few bargains. To be honest these are not as plentiful as they used to be, this I think is in part due to the success of eBay and the fact that there are more people chasing a diminishing supply. Having said that it is still worth having a look around.

Jumble Sales: These are not as common as they once were but there is normally a bric a brac and book stalls and treasures can be found here.

Local Auctions: This can be a very good source, especially if you are a specialist in a particular subject. General auctions are better for bargain hunting and of course auctions of "stock in trade" can often provide items in quantity for you to sell through online auctions.

Charity Sales and Shops: People tend to be very generous when donating goods to charities and again you can find some really nice items here. I have done well in the past with first edition books and old 45 records from these sources. I have also known people to donate antique jewellery to charity shops. Some of the bigger charities such as Oxfam are now very aware of the true value of the items they are donated and have a team of experts to assess the better items. From my experience you are most likely to find bargains from charities that support local hospices and most animal charities.

Second hand shops, antique arcades and shops: If you have some specialist knowledge this will often give you the advantage over the normal antique dealer or second hand shop owner. You may often find some real bargains. Before buying anything from an antique dealer always ask "what is the best trade price?" Most dealers expect to knock off at least 10% of their asking price for a trade buyer and as you are buying to resell that makes you a trade buyer. Also if you know anything about books do not over look the second hand books, You may not find any cheap first editions but you might find a few bargains in your specialist subject.

Classified Advertisements: Most local papers carry classified for sale advertisements and most areas also have their own free ad paper. It can be worth keeping your eyes open as they sometimes throw up bargains. It pays to get as early an edition of the local paper as you can because other bargain chasers will also be quick off the mark

And finally keep your eyes open for local shops that are closing down, they may have some real value for money items in their closing offers.

I have a fantastic freebie for you.

It is a PDF ebook by my new friend Tim Knox entitled: "SPECIAL REPORT: eBay Dropship Profits!"

Tim Knox writes a syndicated newspaper column on small business called "Small Business QA with Tim Knox" and is also an author for Entrepreneur.com, the website of the national publication, Entrepreneur Magazine.

Not only do I have Tim's book for you for free, but you can also sell or give away as many copies as you'd like.

All of Tim's products are high quality and this one is no exception.

This is brand new, "hot off the press" information that was just released.

Here is a sample of the Table of Contents:

- What Is Dropshipping?
- What Is The Step-By-Step Process For Using A Dropshipper?
- What Kind Of Profit Margins Can I Expect With Dropshipping?
- Do I Need A Tax ID and Business License?
- What Are The Advantages/Disadvantages of Dropshipping?
- How Do I Deal With Minimum Purchase Requirements?
- Are All Dropshippers Reliable?
- Who Is Responsible For Dealing With Customer Issues?
- What About Refunds?
- How Can I Be Sure A Product Is In Stock?
- How Do I Handle Back Orders?
- If There Is A Problem, Whom Does My Customer Contact?
- Is It Better To Buy From A Wholesaler Than A Dropshipper?
- Can You Recommend A Few Dropshippers?

BONUS REPORTS

- The Secret To Starting A Successful eBay Business
- Is Selling On eBay Just A Hobby Or A Real Business
- Do You Pay Taxes On eBay Income

How many of those questions have you wondered about yourself?

Follow this link to read the PDF file now for free: read it here.

The Audio Tutorial - Dropshipping

International sales up on eBay, boosting profit

What's Hot: eBay Dropoff Franchises

This months special offer

In response to my piece on abbreviations in the last issue of UK Auction Line, subscriber James Anderson has sent me the following additional ones:

NR or NoR = No Reserve
NARU or NARUed = Not a Registered User = Expelled or resigned
£or$ = Both currencies accepted

I have received an e-mail from Kelly McKeller of AuctionWoosh which provides free online auction resources and an online community forum. On their web site they tell us:

"Auction Woosh is committed to supporting online auction sellers and buyers with news, tools, resources, auction sites listing and message forums for buyers and sellers, news articles and other sources of information and tools designed to better the experience of being an online auction trader.

Our goal is to make sure that all auction sellers and buyers who join our community will be more profitable, more knowledgeable, more efficient, more informed and happy with this community.

Auction Woosh! welcomes ideas from sellers from all auction sites and from all over the world. We don’t care if your site is one day old, we want every auction sellers, auction buyers and auction sites owners to benefit from all our resources.

This is one of the best online traders or auction sellers and buyers community that you can join for free. Welcome to Auction Woosh. Your Online Auction Community!"

Although very much US based the site is worth a visit and there are quite a few free resources available."

That is about it for this issue.