Against Closed Eyes In Marketing

It should be simple - your favourite team/band/theatre play is just about to perform in a couple of weeks. You’ve waited months for this, now you’re going to log on, book the tickets for yourself and your best buddy and bingo…you’ll be at the event of the decade for a night to remember. If only it were that easy - you have your credit card ready but the words that you dreaded flash up on your PC screen….SOLD OUT!

You try a few more ticket websites, but dismay soon blossoms into a magnificent panic as there seem to be no tickets online or through any of the usual ticket agencies. Then it strikes you…ebay…of course - should have thought of it sooner. You tap in the address, sure that you’ll be able to snap them up here. You’re right - but the bidding has gone insane and the tickets are already selling at 5 times their face value and there’s still a few days till the auction ends. No chance here, unless you suddenly win the lottery.

If this sounds at all familiar, this article will provide you with some tasty little bites of information to help you secure just about any ticket you would want to purchase. You may have noticed that some people seem to be able to get the hottest tickets around - ones that you ordinarily would have no chance of laying your hands on. Interested? Let’s get going.

First, unless you have not made the leap into the information age, let me tell you that your best chances of getting hot tickets is by having an internet connection and a little working knowledge of the Ticketmaster site. I cant help with the first but by the time you’re done here you’ll know just about all you’ll need to about Ticketmaster to become…well…a ticketmaster.

The most obvious tip is that your best chances of getting some premo tickets to that hot event you’re after is by trying to buy them within the first 5 minutes of them going on sale. Don’t put it off until later, tomorrow or next week as you wont have a prayer. If you are a frequent purchaser of tickets (or you want to make some nice cash reselling tickets on ebay) then you will want to register (free) with Ticketmaster. This way when you’re about to purchase tickets you will not waste time frantically typing in your details before the purchase procedure. If the event you want to get tickets for is not yet on sale you’ll need to know when Ticketmaster will start offering them. This is not always easy but check out the Ticketmaster alerts page while keeping up to date with the artists/teams etc website for details.

If you’re intention is to profit from reselling tickets then you must bare in mind what the maximum amount of tickets you’re allowed to purchase are. If you ignore this and try and grab more than the allocated maximum you’ll end up with nothing and that could cost you a small fortune in profits.

It also helps if your internet connection is fast - a slow connection does not exactly give you the advantage when the site opens up ticket sales. Also, ensure that you do not have too many applications running as it can slow down the speed of your PC - again, because the timing is critical you want to give yourself the maximum competitive advantage.

Here’s an interesting little fact - you would think that the best seats are the ones to go first? Well they may be offered first, but online it’s possible to get them later (eg upto half an hour after going on sale) - that’s because some buyers who get first priority to these can back out (often unwittingly as they discover there is something wrong with their credit cards). Oh and that reminds me, ensure your credit card is working perfectly before trying to get those hot tickets.

Now some advice for the profit-hunters among you. Reselling tickets can be a very good, exciting and relatively easy way of making a significant amount of extra money. If you do this, there is one key thing you need to know - how likely is it that a particular event will be sold out. With a little bit of knowledge and research you can pinpoint several events every week that are likely to be total sell outs - using the information you have just read you can purchase tickets to them and then profit from them till the cows come home. To state the obvious, eBay is the best place to sell the tickets you’ve obtained - you’re almost certain to have a huge amount of interested buyers. Like most things it takes a little bit of effort to get started but this is a good and honest way of making some extra money each week. I needn’t tell you that many are doing this full time for a living - I’ll let you discover the possibilities yourself.

Well, hopefully the last few minutes have been highly interesting and useful for you. I wish you all the best, whether you wish to get hold of the best tickets to the hottest events for your own profit or pleasure!

Make over $200 a day just by buying hot tickets at face value and reselling them for huge profits - It takes just 12 minutes per day with this step by step plan & can be done from home anywhere in the world: http://www.global-ebooks.com/surveys.htm

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I recently watched a movie called “Shattered Glass”. It’s the true story of Steven Glass, a writer for “The New Republic”, a very prestigious political magazine. Steven was the subject of a scandal in 1998 when it was discovered that most of the writing he had done for the magazine was fabricated. A rising star, he wrote dozens of high profile articles for a number of national publications in which he made up some or all of the facts.

Steven’s world came crashing down when publication of the article “Hack Heaven” was exposed as fabricated by Forbes magazine reporter Adam Penenberg. After creating a shell website, a fake voicemail account, and ficticious notes in order to fool fact checkers at the Republic, he was subsequently fired.

Recently, Steven has written a biographical novel called “The Fabulist” to give his individual spin and excuses for having fooled his employers, friends, and the public with his dream weaving. He’s done interviews with 60 minutes among others. Today, he continues to profit from his exploits.

To say that eBay has been, and is, a changing landscape would be an incredible understatement. I’ve been selling on eBay since the beginning in 1995. Early on, I made a tech support call to eBay and from the receptionist’s desk was connected to the “server room”. The phone was answered by “Pierre” who I realized later was the founder. Things have changed quite a bit since then.

I spend most of my day on the internet. Selling products. Writing books. Creating websites to produce income. But by far the vast majority of my time is spent doing research. Making attempts to gather information to improve my current endeavors or to create new ones. Wading through the vast wasteland of the internet today while trying to create my own little oasis is harrowing.

When you mention the name “eBay” to someone it will almost always invoke an opinion. You can ask my mother and she’ll tell you all about it although she owns no computer and has never surfed the internet a moment in her life - it’s simply amazing. The one thing all the opinions will contain is dollar signs. eBay means money. For many people the prevailing idea is that at any point they can quit their job and instantly make a living on eBay. I don’t know how we got here but it’s one heck of a marketing job.

Don’t get me wrong. If you want to clean out your attic eBay’s the place. If you want to cruise a few garage sales and make a “C” note or two, no prob. But if you want an electric-bill-payin’, heath-insurance providin’ full time job, you better stay at Wal-Mart.

Seeing “Shattered Glass” stuck an off-key chord with me concerning the state of eBay today. I buy eight to ten eBooks containing money-making subject matter every month. I’ve got the $39.95 “Auctions For Income” sitting on the shelf right here at arm’s reach. Just about every book I buy has something in common with all the others. They are yesterday’s ideas and information. Good ideas? Yes. Ideas that work today? No.

People who are making big money on eBay don’t share their ideas. Would you? They ride their horse into the ground. Then they write an eBook telling people they’ll cash in too for only $29.95. Problem is, when people want to tell the truth, it’s a hard sell. eBay is sexy and so are the stories that are told about it. It’s the same reason most people by lottery tickets – the dream of fortune and glory. It’s why people never stopped to check the facts of Steven Glass’ stories. It was just too much fun to dream in his world.

There’s money to be made on eBay – no doubt. There are people making their living on ebay today – most certainly. But the days of work-free quick fortunes are over. And from this point forward, good old traditional business principals are the rule of the day. Finding a niche, working that niche, and looking for your next one should be your daily practice. Do good business and every now and then, hit a lick and be grateful.

Don’t believe lies just because they’re sexy. Leave the pie in the sky.

John Clark is the creator of www.LearneBay.com, a website dedicated to helping would be eBay users find their niche. He has also created www.bestbuycloseouts.com and www.bigmartsecrets.com
that provide information on buying below wholesale from the biggest retaillers in America today.

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We have all seen the phenomenal growth spurt of eBay and have been amazed by it. Today eBay is a major market place that sells billions each and every day. With some basic skills you can find anything that you heart might desire on eBay. However, the problem is no longer is it being sold on eBay. eBay is such a huge market place that the new problem has become can you find it on eBay. This article is filled with useful tips to help your search eBay to find the exact products you are looking for at a great price.

For many users the World Wide Web and eBay in particular are a fun place to just click around and explore things and that is a lot of fun. On the other hand if you have a specific product that you want not being able to find it can be a source of frustration for many. The real skill today lays in intelligent and targeted search through eBay’s listings.

Not the Search Box silly!

Most people that have chosen to look for things on eBay either waste hours wandering around aimlessly hoping to stumble upon the product they want or they use the very limited eBay search box on the front page. This is fine for basic searches and simple products. However, if you want to unlock the huge treasure trove of products then you are going to have to search eBay using their advanced searching features. If you look under the standard search box for the words advanced search and click on the link you can start to do strategic searching.

From the advanced search menu you can see a wide variety of options that opens up to you. For example you can search by excluding words that you do not want. You can also search by seller, by buyer or category. Using these advanced features can help you narrow down the results and find the specific items you are looking for. Often items will be sold for really cheap only because they are so buried and the seller has not used a good auction title. So by truly searching eBay and using the advanced search you can find tremendous deals.

Been there, Done that Searching

Not sure what to pay for the item you are looking for or want to find out what a good price for a product would be? Then try going to the advanced search page on eBay and type in your keywords. Then about midway down the page check the box that says “Completed Listings Only” This will give you a full overview of the products that have sold or not sold on eBay and the prices they have gone for. This is a great way to find out what your top bid should be. Just remember to include the cost of shipping. Sometimes products that look cheaper are really not because of the shipping price.

What is your Model’s number?

Do you have a specific item in mind that you really want to purchase? If you have read all of the latest reviews on digital cameras and you know that you want a Canon A610 digital camera then try using the model number in your search. This will filter out some of the useless auctions and help you narrow the field to find exactly what you are looking for.

Super Deals Typoo Searching

Another great way to use eBay searches to save a little extra money for your house is look for auction with typos in the title. These often get missed in the plethora of products and you can therefore swoop in at the last minute and place a bid right before it closes. This is really pretty easy to do just come up with a list of misspelled keywords for the items you want to buy. Then look at the auction titles and find the products that don’t have any bids yet.

By using eBay search and the advanced search feature you can find incredible deals and target the exact product you are looking for. This will help you get in to eBay and get out quickly. You have no wasted time meandering around the eBay neighborhood.

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There are many issues that influence how an eBay auction ends. Timing, Description, Title, Photos, the list could go on and on. However, one tiny error will be the deciding factor on what the final price is & whether your auction ends successfully or not.

It’s an error I’ve made many times and much greater sellers than I make on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter whether your new to eBay or an established power seller, almost everyone at some point will make this fundamental mistake.

Firstly what you need to release is how eBayers use the site. Upto 70% of users type in the item they are looking for directly into the search facility. Now eBays search facility only check the words you enter against the title of listings - not the description or sub-title.

Therefore to get the right exposure for your item you have to get the correct words into the title. By not entering the correct combination of relevant words, you will be missing out on potential bidders. That’s why I always recommend using services such as eBay pulse (http://pulse.ebay.co.uk) & Keyword Pro (http://trading-web-solutions.com/keywords/) before you submit your listing.

Put simply if you have keywords that are searched for, your item will appear more than competiting & similar items. It’s not rocket science.

And this brings me to the biggest mistake & most costly mistake that we make on eBay. If you get every other aspect of your listing right and get this wrong, your just throwing away your listing fee and wasting your own time.

By making a simple spelling mistake in your title, almost no one is going to see your item. Entering Playstatoin instead of Playstation, Montior instead of Monitor your item is NOT going to get found because the vast majority of users are not going to search for Playstatoin or Montior.

But it’s something that keeps happening with thousands of items on a daily basis. And this is where you can profit from it. By deliberately searching for incorrectly spelt words you will uncover items with almost no interest allowing you to grab yourself a bargain at next to nothing.

Regardless of what kind of item your looking for, there are so many listings on eBay it won’t be long before you find an item with a spelling mistake in it’s title. And it’s now made even easier though two services that search directly for misspelt words on eBay.

FatFingers.com & Auctionintelligence.com will search there way though various eBay sites looking for these listings. Just type in what your after & away it flies, trying every combination of spelling mistake. Using these two services you’ll be able to grab yourself a bargain or even buy stuff just to relist it correctly & make yourself huge profits. Good luck & let me know how you get on.

This article is taken from Trading-Web-Solutions, eBay Maximum Profits Mini Course. To subscribe send a blank email to taebay@aweber.com or visit http://www.Trading-Web-Solutions.com

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E-Bay and Paypal are two giant firms which are involved in sales transactions of customers. E-Bay is an online portal in which buyers could auction and bid items for sale. On the other hand, Paypal is the most popular online payment system used through credit cards. The teaming up of both firms is inevitable because E-Bay provides the goods to be purchased while PayPal provides the resources to be used.

E-Bay has indeed grown as the number one destination of online shopping through auctions. E-Bay offers a variety of choices when it comes to books, food, gadget, technology stuff, and many others. The variety and diversity of E-Bay makes it the most visited site whenever buyers are thinking of something to purchase. It is also a favorite destination for online shoppers who want to have a quality bargain of the items they want to buy. On the other hand, Paypal is the most reliable online payment system utilized whenever holding transactions. The firm claims that they have 16 million users worldwide. Despite of such successes for both firms, there are still many criticisms regarding the nature of both businesses.

E-Bay is often criticized as a portal that is not pro-buyers instead, it some people consider it as pro-sellers. Some buyers accuse E-Bay as not being true to their business and does not really live up to their word. On the other hand, Paypal does not really receive a lot of complaints but when it does, no one seems to mind. This is because their customer service department does not do their job well. No one really assists the customers and when they reply, it seems like the customer waited for 20 years before an action was done.

Due to the partnership of these two companies, many speculated that E-Bay would acquire Paypal. Many people were not in agreement to this deal because they believe that once E-Bay had acquired Paypal, the rotten service of the firm would eventually be more than worst. Aside from that, competition would also diminish in the market. Despite the said speculations, both firms deny that a joint venture or acquisition between the two companies would happen. Both firms insist that they would continue each other’s operations separately and not as a joint company. Both firms also expressed that their partnership between each other is solid but not to the point of collaborating with each other.

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I get a lot of questions from people wanting to know how to add more pictures to their auction listings. Do you know that eBay charges for additional pictures? Yes, that’s right. Pay attention when you launch your next eBay listing. Only the first picture is for free. For any additional photos you will be paying $0.15 per photo. This does not sound much but you will be surprised how these figures add up: Imagine you add 3-4 photos per listing. This will end up to an additional $0.50 – just for hosting of your photos. Let’s say you have 3-5 listings a day at the end of the year you might have paid $400-600$ just for picture hosting. The fees can add up very quickly. Do you know that you can add as many pictures as you like – For Free and even without using eBay’s image hosting service? Well, you could use one of the so called “auction management” services. You pay a monthly fee and hosting of all your item photos is included. But do you know that these services are expensive too? Fees are ranging between $20 and$70 per month – depending on your selling volume. This easily adds up to $400-600 a year – maybe even more.

So, what can you do to avoid these additional costs? Of course, you can add only one picture per item, but guess what?? Right, the chance that your potential customer/bidder quickly moves to another listing is high. In fact, VERY high!! Because people like to see first what they are buying and do you think that one picture is enough? I don’t, because we live in highly visual world…people want to see the product or item they potentially want to purchase. Yes, the even would like to “touch” it - if they could. What about you? Do you take the product you want to buy in your hands and “touch” it? I bet you do. Imagine you are in a shop and want to buy a birthday present for a good friend. If one special gift catches your attention you take it from the shelf and you carefully look at the product, don’t you? You “touch” it and turn it around to get a “feel” for it. How can we add this “feeling” experience to our eBay auction listings? Yes, by adding a couple of good photos. Take pictures of your item from all sorts of different angles. The potential buyer will get a good “feel” for the item and it’s more likely that they place a bid. As mentioned above: You can add as many pictures as you like – For Free. How can you do it??? The answer is simple: Host your own pictures! Not sure how to do it? Here are some ideas:

1.It’s very likely that your Internet Service Provider offers you also free web space. I have used (and still use) the 10 MB web space my ISP gives me for free. Check the policy of your ISP – maybe an email to them is a first try.

2.Find a free or cheap web host – but be careful! Some of the free webs hosting companies do not allow that their service is being used just for data storage. Read their policy carefully before you sign up.

3.Search for some image hosting services. There are a couple of free image hosting companies out there allowing ‘hot linking” to eBay auctions.

4.In case you own a website you can make a special “ebay” directory for your auctions pictures.

Upload all your photos and item pictures BEFORE you design your auction listing and copy and paste the image URL into the source code of your auction description. http://www.auction-design-for-free.com has put all the important steps into one step-by-step guide.

Oops! Nearly forgot to mention another important point: the file size of your photos. Make sure that your 3 – 4 pictures of your item are NOT 1 MB big each. Can you imagine how patient your potential buyers/bidders are to wait until all pictures have loaded? That’s right! They are not very patient at all. If the pictures are not loading within 20 seconds your visitor leaves your site and moves on. There are maybe other listings offering the same – with pictures loading faster. So, make sure that the file size is in manageable range.

You’ll be amazed how more pictures will add more credibility to your selling practice and gives the potential buyer/bidder the feeling that they can almost “touch” your item.

Thomas Haselhorst is webmaster of http://www.auction-design-for-free.com
and
http://www.monster-ebook-sale.com

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Unless you’ve been living in a hole for the past ten years, you’ve heard some wild eBay success stories. There was the woman who sold a grilled cheese sandwich that had a burn stained in the shape of the Virgin Mary. (Not only sold it, but grossed a whopping $25,000 for it!) Another man sold a wedding dress way above cost after modeling it on eBay, mostly because of his angry tirade against his ex. Every week, there is another eBay story that seems stranger than the next - usually involving huge sums of money that makes you want to shake your head and ask, “Why would anybody spend money on that?”

While the occasional oddity on eBay creates a great news story, the truth is that millions of items are listed every day in every category - from the mundane to the outright strange. In 2005, it was reported that over 740,000 people had launched their own business using eBay. They’re living the American dream. Who are these brilliant people? Single moms, self-publishers, garage sale junkies, retired folks, information brokers, real estate agents, high school dropouts, students, people with disabilities… And just about everyone else! EBay has created a marketplace where there is room for just about anybody. With over 50 million members, there is a market for just about anything to turn a profit. (Not just the ones that find divinity in their kitchen…)

The thing that seems to hold most people back from starting an eBay business is fear or doubt. Most people don’t believe that they have anything to sell. They think it can’t be simple enough to do in their spare time. They think they don’t have the skills, the products, or the expertise to put their stuff online.

This simply negative thinking packaged as skepticism. EBay has grown up a lot since the days of the beanie baby collectors. If you have something to sell, eBay is the place you can find somebody to sell it to. And you can do it tonight!

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. It’s a cliché, but it rings true. Don’t believe me? Take a look on eBay. Type something you would never buy (short of actual trash) into the search engine. EBay buyers are a strange bunch - a quick look on eBay will show you auctions where people buy broken equipment, not-so-gently-used shoes, empty plastic containers and stained clothing. People buy things that Goodwill would throw away. You probably wonder why. So do I! The truth is, it doesn’t matter WHY anyone buys your stuff on eBay. All you need to know is that they will.

Here’s my challenge to you. If you’re considering starting an eBay business, but you’re afraid you will fail, for any reason, it’s time to set yourself straight. Walk through your house and think about what is in your garage, your attic, or your basement that you simply haven’t had the time or will to get rid of. Take a decent photograph with a digital camera, write an accurate description and headline (after your spell check) and put the auction up for a week. Start it out at a few cents. Don’t use bold or anything too fancy. (A counter might be handy, though, to see how many people are looking.)

Do this every day for a week. (If you only list one item, you may think it’s a fluke if it sells…)Watch the prices go up. Remember that you’re selling stuff that you don’t think anyone would want to buy. At the end of the week, count your profits. Do you still think that there’s no way you can make a living off of eBay? Imagine the results if you’re selling something that people actually “want to buy”!

Matt Bacak, Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host became a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to Retire From Your Job This Year and Still Make More Money Than the Average Medical Doctor… You Can Do It
Once You Know the Proven Steps Outlined here! ==> http://www.internetmillionairemind.com

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Ebay is without a doubt the greatest internet marketing phenomenon of all time. Millions of people log on every minute and every second there are hundreds of items listed, sold and bought, and of course money is made. It has become the world’s largest marketplace, where the potential for selling an item is exponentially increased due to the sheer volume of people who can view the item for sale.

The attraction Ebay holds for the most people is the possibility of selling or buying anonymously, and getting a great bargain. And for the first time ordinary people are making extraordinary incomes selling literally everything from beanie babies to diamond rings and cars. For those who venture out of their comfort zones into the cybermarket place, the following may com in handy as a guide to selling on Ebay:

A. RESEARCH WHAT IS LIKELY TO SELL, DON’T JUST SELL ANYHTING

Contrary to what you might think, not everything sells on Ebay. Your success on Ebay depends on selling what people want and need, and what they will pay for. You can find this out by browsing closed auctions of items you are interested in selling, see how many bids there were for the item and how high the bid price went. The more bids and the higher the closing price the more successful the auction.

B. ASSESS THE COMPETITION

It’s no use selling an item that there are hundreds of thousands to choose from. Your chances of success will be severly diminished. The rarer the item and the fewer the number of people selling the same item the better your chances of making a sale. Find out how many similar items there are for sale by using the search feature on Ebay. Avoid items that are oversupplied and that everybody else is selling.

C. FIND THE CHEAPEST SOURCE OF THE ITEM
 
The best way to begin is by using a dropshipper. This is a wholesaler who will ship single items on your behalf to your customers and does not charge you a fee to do so. You don’t have to keep inventory of the items you sell, and you order the item to be shipped to the buyer after you have sold it on Ebay, thereby reducing your risk to near zero. Remember the principle “Buy low and sell high” That is the key to maximizing your profits.

D. LEARN THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE

It is prudent to learn as much as you can about how Ebay works before you start, as there is more to it than meets the eye. There is no surer way to fail than to jump in without doing your homework well and believe me, it is work. If anyone says otherwise they’re simply not telling the truth.

E. START WITH A SMALL MONTHLY BUDGET AND STICK TO IT

Don’t spend more money that you can afford to lose. As with all businesses it takes time to tweak your skills to perfection. It is very easy to fall prey to internet sharks who promise fantastic returns in a short period of time. It simply does not work that way.

F. GIVE IT TIME

Forget about making a lot of money in a short time. It is slow tedious work,a ndmake some allowances for failure. Don’t get discouraged. Find out what works and what does not work and improve yourself as you go along.

c. Michael Schandorf-Lartey 2004
http://www.amazingdealz.dropshipdesign.com

Michael Schandorf-Lartey is an internet entrepreneur, and operates a successful wholesale sourcing website that assists internet newcomers to launch their own Ebay businesses. He lives in Clermont, Florida with his wife and three children.

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The internet is packed with web businesses jockeying for
the attention of regular users. Selling everything under
the sun and offering a substantial array of services, the
internet is quickly becoming the favorite of users,
surpassing traditional catalog and store shopping. In
addition to phenomenal sales and dynamite deals, the
internet offers access to all types of stores with just a
click of the mouse. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a
week, it is no wonder why the internet is such a popular
shopping alternative for individuals all over the world.
Especially with such popular online sites such as
Overstock.com and eBay, the online marketplace is quickly
filling up with top internet businesses. If you are
interested in joining this elite group of successful
businesses, today is the day to start! In additional to
the popularity of owning a web business, the remarkable
ease will make it a popular alternative to the traditional
job market. Working from the comfort of your own home and
setting your own schedule around your pre-existing
responsibilities, owning and running a web business will
certainly fit into everyone’s lifestyle.

Retail sites are by far the most popular type of web
business currently based on the internet. Whatever types
of goods you decide to sell; there is undoubtedly an
audience on the World Wide Web. Instead of having your
items dwarfed by the magnitude of the stores on the
internet, consider joining an online marketplace instead.
Popular auction site eBay has a special section for
retailers in their storefront web pages. Owning an ebay
small home business is an excellent way to quickly become
a top e-business. By joining Ebay’s marketplace, you gain
the name and exposure available only with a top website.
Instead of setting your home business set sail on the vast
sea of the internet and compete for attention with all of
the other web businesses, your business will be located on
a highly visible website that millions of internet users
frequent.

Starting a web business using eBay is extremely easy for
even the most non-technical individuals. The step-by-step
instructions allow you to quickly and easily create the
best website for your business. Think of eBay as an online
shopping mall with everything possible under its roof.
This place could never exist in the real world, but on the
internet, it is exactly what the public expects. Instead
of renting a space that may only be accessible to a
fraction of your town’s audience, imaging moving your
store to a space that is easily accessible by the entire
world. Not having to worry about things like utility
bills, cash registers, shelving, store displays, and
employees to staff your store during its opening hours will
save you thousands of dollars in start-up costs and
dramatically lower your overhead. For a nominal fee, you
can set up shop on eBay and be up and running in no time.
With minimal equipment like a personal computer and digital
camera, you can run your entire business from the comfort
from your own home without having to hire employees.

Having a top web business is a lofty goal but readily
attainable through venues such as eBay. Save money while
working from home while adding or replacing an income.
Everyone can set up shop on eBay, as there is not advanced
technological experience necessary. Furthermore, your web
business will be exposed to a large audience of dedicated
eBay users who regularly turn to eBay for their purchasing
needs. If you have the desire to start your own business
but lack the excessive funds necessary for starting a
traditional brick and mortar business, joining with eBay
is an excellent way to live out your dream for little cost.
Using one of the best retail websites on the internet is a
sure-fire way to become one of the best businesses on the
internet.

John Evans runs http://www.SuccessAlert.net and has written the book Success Alert - Conversations with Successful Internet Entrepreneurs which has been widely acclaimed in a variety of media. If you want to hear about Top Internet Businesses this book is a must-read!

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In 2004, I decided to sell the shining pride of my coin collection – a 1909S VDB cent graded by PCGS as VF35. Any coin collector knows that my coin wasn’t worth a fortune, but was popular enough to draw attention and sell itself quickly. So I posted it on eBay, using the most plain auction type they offered. It sold for about $750 and I was charged over $70 for the entire process.

Of course I knew about the charges. There were charges for posting an auction, others for using images, then a percentage of the final price, and finally a charge for accepting the payment through PayPal (an eBay company). It just didn’t appear to me that I’d effectively lose about 9% of my coin’s net worth. Why should eBay care how much I sell a coin for?

Fortunately there are other ways, but with the pros come the cons. One way is to simply use another auction site. There are many of them, but they usually charge the same as eBay and have fewer bidders. Another way is to use online classifieds.

Online classifieds are the equivalent of newspaper classifieds, but available free of charge to the buyers and usually without registration. Unfortunately, classifieds have developed a bad reputation over time as they were swamped with “get rich quick” and “business opportunity” advertisers. But, there are the exceptions:

1. http://www.projectagora.com/ is an advertisement website that has selling, buying and job ads. It’s free to post an ad, even with an image. There is a small fee for featured advertising. Interested readers can respond to an advertisement by email and work out the details. Project Agora makes its money only from featured advertisements.

2. http://www.classifiedads.com/ is another such site. It also has free advertising with images. A nice feature is the localized ads per city. While it has many categories, the most popular seems to be the automotive section.

3. http://www.tradenpost.com/ is yet another free option, focused just on selling advertisements.

This list is by no means exhaustive.

Obviously, none of the classified websites have the same amount of buyers as eBay. However, the smaller charges (or their lack of) can compensate for the extra time it may take to find someone willing to do business with you.

Val Djachenko is the owner and director of http://www.projectagora.com/ Post your classified ad today.

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