Welcome to the 60th issue of UK Auctionline. I would like to take this opportunity of welcoming the many new subscribers.
This has not been a really good month for eBay. J K Rowlings obtained an injunction against eBay in an Indian court that prevents them from listing pirate copies of Harry Potter Books and memorabilia. EBay have always claimed they just provide the market place and that the deal is purely between buyer and seller. I have always thought this was a bit of a weak defence, as it appears eBay want the control and the money without the responsibility. Now the Indian court appears to have agreed with this assessment.
There has been a lot of talk in the last month about a Romanian hacker going by the name of Vladuz who has developed a sophisticated tool that reads confidential information residing on eBay's internal network This means that he can have access to virtually any account and a trove of information that could be used in phishing attacks. I am not going into much detail as I have already mentioned it in our blog at http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk but if you would like more details read “Hacked eBay accounts give rise to conspiracy theories” and “ eBay Hacked, Cracked & Hijacked, But Denies All” in the Extra Reading section of this newsletter.
EBay have reported a 5.8% increase in listing globally over the last 3 months The total of International listing were 238.0 million which represented an increase of 13.2% but in the USA there were nearly 178 million listing which is 2.8% down on the same period last year.
If you have been reading the www.ukauctionline.co.uk blog you will already be aware of the 3 above stories because they have all been reported over the last few weeks. If you want to keep up to date with all the current stories that could affect your eBay then link to the UK Auctionline Blog.
It is good to be able to congratulate Auctioning 4 U the UK based drop off stores which have been voted one of the top twenty inspirational business in London. This was as the result of a competition sponsored by mobile phone company 02 in association with The Evening Standard.
The CEO Christian Braun told the judges that he got the idea for his business while clearing out items from his home. He found the process slow and felt there must be a better way and so Auctioning 4U was born. He has now been in business for 4 years and has nine shops, 25,000 feet of warehouse space and employs a staff of 88 people.
To find out more visit www.auctioning4u.co.uk
That’s about it for this month. Talk to you in April
Dave
To read the blog go to http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk and click on the Auction Blog link.
by Dave Bromley
Over the last few years several systems have appeared designed to let you use ebay to build up an opt in mailing list. As you will be aware if you have a good list of people who are happy to receive promotional e-mails from you it is possible to make a great deal of money. Basically it is a numbers game, the bigger an opt in list of past customers you have the more sales you will make when you e-mail them.
Some of these systems work very well and some sellers have built up such good lists that they now sell far on away from eBay than they do with the online auction site. The most popular way to build lists is to offer either a very low cost report , e-book or other product. This works very well and many sales are made at 1cent or 1p in the UK.
Of course although some buyers really do want the reports they have purchased others see it as a very quick and cheap way to build up a good feedback score. Buy a 100 different 1p products from different sellers and you could have an impressive feedback score.
But it looks as though this loophole is about too or has already closed. I have been hearing reports of low price listings being closed down by eBay. On one blog it was reported that eBay had shut down a group of listings for e-books priced at 99peach. I can’t confirm this but what I think is certain is that eBay would far prefer not to have these low value listing on their site. I am also certain that they will not not happy that
Sellers are building up lists of customers to sell to directly and thereby bypassing eBay.
The introduction of Feedback2.0 will make it obvious when low value feedback has been obtained but I really wonder how many people are really going to check this.
I just wonder if it will not be too long before eBay introduce a minimum sale price for items listed on eBay. An dif they did would this be a good or a bad thing?
By: R Heavner
The most common business model on Ebay revolves around buying from either wholesalers or second hand dealers and then reselling at profit. This is the simple and straightforward approach.There are millions of people selling on Ebay. While many are full time professional sellers, a great many others are occasional, or hobby sellers that are cleaning out attics or just trying to make a few bucks. As frequent sellers know, it can be difficult at times to correctly position an auction in terms of categories and keywords. Mistakes are easily made. Your mission is to seek out other sellers mistakes and take advantage of them.
The two things required to make this work are a second Ebay identity (for buying purposes) and some free time. Ebay allows as many ID’s as you want. You simply need to sign up again under a different email address. Free time, of course, is whenever you can find it.
Start by targeting a few markets which you know well. This aspect is very important, since if the seller didn’t realize they were selling an antique vase, you are not likely to realize it either. Do some searches with commonly misspelled words. Think in terms of categories other than the obvious that a seller list a particular item and surf those categories. Look for auctions with poorly worded titles (there will be many, many choices). Basically you are looking for auctions with poor wording, wrong categorization, or grossly under priced merchandise. Poorly placed auctions will receive little traffic and can often be had for minimum bids. The only real requirement is the time spent surfing.
Also look at small lots of items which may contain a few pieces that far exceed the cost of the entire lot. A seller offering a lot of old papers and cards or $10 is not likely to mention that there are a few rare $85 postcards included in the lot. That is simply because they did not know. Look at the pictures and do your homework!
These techniques work, and you will find some great bargains. It takes a bit of practice to know where to look, but after awhile you will begin to develop a feel for it. And for those who feel it is somehow “wrong” to take advantage of others mistakes, keep in mind that Ebay is a business and you are here to make money. Every opportunity you do not take advantage of will be very quickly snatched up by you competition.
Happy treasure hunting!
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
The writer is webmaster at www.auction-lynx.com Internet Auction Resource Directory. For more Ebay selling tips, visit our blog at sell-it-on-ebay-auctions.blogspot.com/
While 99.9% of people presume that to make money with eBay you need to sell your own products, the people that are making real money with eBay are doing something totally different...
There are in fact thousands of people this very moment who are getting paid by eBay without ever having to ship a product or deal with a customer!
They are doing this through what eBay calls "the most innovative and successful affiliate program on the web".
To find out more visit The eBay Opportunity
By: Adam Ginsberg
When it comes to making money on the Internet, far too many entrepreneurs take a very casual attitude. There are plenty of ways to make big money online -- Adam Ginsberg has sold more than $20 million through the eBay auction site alone. Whether you are trying your hand at affiliate marketing, Google Adsense, or eBay, though, you need to have a professional attitude, a common-sense business plan, and a mentor to show you the way to big profit.If you're interested in selling on eBay, for example, small details -- such as when you place your listings, the types of photographs you use, the photos you take, and your prices -- can mean the difference between pin money and an affluent future. If you're interested in affiliate marketing, knowing how to use articles and Web copy effectively can mean the difference between a few dollars a month and a serious passive income. If you're interested in using Google Adsense to create advertising revenue from your web site, blog, or other online presence, learning how to build traffic with viral marketing, newsletters, and other online tools can help you build profit.
There are lots of online programs that promise to teach you all the secrets of making money online, but many of these are written by people who really haven’t made money through online business. If you want to learn how to succeed online, why would you ever put your trust in the hands of someone who hasn’t done it themselves?
Adam Ginsberg is someone who has had incredible success with online selling -- and through trial and error, has learned the essential eBay secrets that can help you make real money through the Internet. visit www.adamginsberg.com/
The Complete eBay Marketing System - UK Version
In last months issue of UK Auction Line I told you about Skip McGraths "The Complete eBay Marketing System". I am pleased to say that many subscribers have taken the opportunity to get this really well written and researched program. It is now being shipped directly from a UK fulfilment house so if you want to learn how you can follow in the footsteps of hundreds of pewople before you and build your own profitable eBay business go to http://www.skipmcgrath.co.uk
Many eBay sellers start out as a hobby, or just to clean out their closets.
Many times, this hobby can lead to a profitable business.
A hobby is an activity that you do simply because you love doing it, but it may
also earn you some income. That income must be reported on your tax return, even
if it is just a hobby.
Some hobbies may actually be businesses, which would allow you to deduct expenses against any income you earn. On the flipside, some businesses may only be hobbies, in which case you would only be able to deduct expenses up to your earnings.
How can you tell if your activity is a business or a hobby? Basically, it's whether you have a profit motive or not.
Learn what factors the IRS looks at when determining whether a business is a business or a hobby. The IRS looks at nine factors to determine if you are trying to make a profit, or if you're just enjoying a hobby:
• Whether you run the activity in a business like manner
• How much time and effort you put into making a profit
• Whether you depend on the activity for your livelihood
• Whether your losses were due to conditions beyond your control
• Whether you changed your operating methods to improve profitability
• Whether you or your advisors have the knowledge needed to carry on a successful
business
• Whether you successfully made a profit in similar activities in the past
• Whether the activity makes a profit in some years, and how much
• Whether you can expect to make a profit in the future from the activity
Here are some things you can do to show that you are indeed operating a business and not just a hobby:
• Get an employer identification number (EIN)
• Apply for a business name
• Have a separate checking account to be used for business tr ansactions
• Hire an accountant to keep your books
• Create a business plan
• Keep track of the time you spend each week doing business activities
• Consult other business owners or advisors to help make your business profitable
To minimize the income tax on your eBay sales, you should treat your business like a business, not a hobby (even if it is just a hobby!). By following the tips in this lesson you will be able to deduct your business expenses and keep your tax liability to a minimum.
To your financial success,
Kristine McKinley
Kristine McKinley is a CPA and Certified Financial Planner®. For more information on eBay taxes, sign up for our free special report 'Tax Tips for eBay Sellers'. => beaconfinancialtips.typepad.com/ebaytaxtips/2007/02/free_special_re.html
Tax advice for eBay-style sellers
Hacked eBay accounts give rise to conspiracy theories
eBay Hacked, Cracked & Hijacked, But Denies All
I have posted 6 new articles onto the web site at http://www.ukauctionline.co.uk
Make Money on eBay - How to Use the Title to Make Sales
Make Money on eBay - How to Gain Loyal Customers
The Potential To Make Money On eBay Is Expanding - Make Use Of It!
Why You Need Multiple Ebay Accounts
Ebay Buying Guide - 7 Tips For Bidding Success
If you sell information products on eBay then this should interest you. This month a quiet revolution has taken place in the world of Internet Marketing. One small e-book has possibly changed the face of information publishing and made it easier for all of us to make money online.
And the person we have to thank for that is a young man called Jonathan Leger. Earlier this month he launched an e-book called The $7 Secret and it instantly became a hit. If you have not read it yet you can get a copy from http://www.urlnex.us/7dollars/
So how does that help us?
When you buy a $7 e-book not only do you get an information packed ebook but a product that you can sell and keep 100% of the money. And it is simplicity itself. There are no web pages to post, no download pages to make you simply add your Paypal e-mail address to the link provided and you can begin promoting the e-book.
So why would the author let you keep all the money?
Because in the e-book the author has included links either to other products, his web site or an affiliate program. They make there money from the back end so you both win.
The $7 Secret shows you how to create your own $7 books but Jonathan went even further than that. He invited readers who had followed his advise to submit their books to him and he would put them online for everyone’s benefit.
So there is now a site that has over 280 $7 e-books on a wide variety of subjects both inside and outside of the Internet marketing niche. Full of information that you could find useful plus of course a product you can then sell either through your list or eBay and keep the money. One sale and you will have covered your costs.
To see the 280+ e-books mostly at $7 each including resale rights visit http://findv.com/x.php?3p5
The new eBay Feedback 2.0 has now been launched across Europe. From 7 th March buyers in the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia, Belgium, France, India, Italy and Poland, will be able to rate sellers on the four Detailed Seller Ratings .
The changes are that as well as leaving an overall positive, neutral
or negative Feedback score, buyers can now rate sellers on Item Description,
Communication, Dispatch time and Postage & Packaging Charges. The Feedback
Profile page has also changed and now includes a summary area for the Detailed
Seller Ratings.
Buyers can rate sellers on a one to five-star scale for each of the Detailed
Seller Ratings, with one the lowest and five the highest rating. Once a seller
has received 10 Detailed Seller Ratings, the average is displayed on the Feedback
Profile page. This does not however effect a sellers overall feedback percentage.
It would be interesting to know what UK Auctionline subscribers feel about these changes. Let me know what you think by e-mailing dave@ukauctionline.co.uk
You can send your feedback to feedback@ukauctionline.co.uk.
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