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Why I'm Boycotting eBay Tomorrow
publication date: May 21, 2008
eBay Confidential eZine
30th April 2008
***
- Editorial
- Your Free Gift
- A Useful Guide To Help You Make Money On Ebay
Sites Worldwide
- The Constant Evolution of eBay and How to Adapt to
Change
***
Hi,
Tomorrow a boycott will be staged by PowerSellers
opposing eBay's forthcoming change to the feedback
system. eBay want to change this so that sellers will no
longer be able to leave negative or even neutral
feedback for buyers, regardless of how dirty and
dishonest those people happen to be. Harsh words,
perhaps, but I've never disguised the fact that I truly
believe there are many more dishonest buyers on eBay
than ever there will be dishonest sellers.
I, for one, am not only very worried that dishonest buyers
can steal my products and profits, I'm even more
disturbed that I can't warn fellow sellers against these
people, namely by leaving NEGATIVE FEEDBACK!
So, come May 1st, I won't be listing on eBay, I'll stand
firm to my principles and support others also boycotting
eBay tomorrow.
BUT ...... and it's a very big ....
BUT .....
.... that will be quite hard because on May 1st eBay is
charging just 5p for most items listed in traditional
auction style format.
Coincidence do you think? Of course not, it's another of
eBay's digital two finger salutes to anyone daring to
challenge their rules, and it will be hard for most of us to
resist. So I'll give you the facts about the offer anyway.
In reality the offer is excellent: it applies to items newly
listed on the day and listings scheduled to go live on
May 1st, as well as relistings for items that didn't sell
earlier.
You could save a bundle by sorting out previously
unsuccessful listings and setting them to go live first
thing tomorrow.
***
This made me want to boycott
***
Will the 5p offer make me change my mind about
boycotting eBay tomorrow? Not on your life!
And the new rules won't stop me selling on eBay either,
despite the fact I disagree with having to giving all
buyers the same saintly treatment.
This means that, next time I will smile sweetly, just like
today, when someone bids £200 on an old photograph I
listed last month on eBay, which I delivered Air Sure, for
signature at journey's end, in this case a former part of
Russia, only to subsequently find my 'buyer' opens a
dispute with PayPal informing them I did not deliver their
item.
With dispute opened, I gave PayPal my Air Sure tracking
number and a message from Royal Mail saying the item
had been signed for by the intended recipient, that same
person now wanting a refund for non delivery of the
product, that same person with ten negative points
against her for working similar scams on other sellers.
In the event, I chose to refund this person, purely to
prevent her from taking the matter further, even though
solid proof exists that she did get her product. I prefer
not to get involved with this sort of person, regardless of
the money involved.
It's not the money that bothers me; it's the fact that eBay
protects people like this and allows them to keep on
stealing purely because there's no way for sellers to
warn others about proven thieves.
This new feedback rule, the one where Mrs. Dishonest,
my Russian friend, gets either positive feedback or no
feedback, begins some time in May, possibly tomorrow
to coincide with eBay's generous listing fee cut. (NOTE: I
was told by eBay that the exact date has not been made
official, it could in fact be tomorrow, or it could be a
surprise! Rumors say it's either tomorrow or around the
middle of May).
So, although I can leave negative feedback today to
warn other sellers about my dishonest friend, some time
soon people like this will have carte blanche to lie, cheat
and steal other people's possessions. And there's
nothing you can do about it!
Worst of all, because Royal Mail has proof this person
signed for the product, they can't (justifiably so) help me
get my money back.
There's no answer to this one, sorry, I just wanted you to
be aware of my experience, and that of other
subscribers to 'eBay Confidential' who've endured
similar treatment from dishonest buyers and sometimes
found little support from eBay or PayPal.
It's frustrating because so many buyers out there are
good honest people. And I want to be able to make sure
dishonest buyers don't ruin it for everyone!
Those readers who trusted me with their confidential
information fall into two main categories: people who've
sent items to some small countries formerly part of the
Soviet Union and others selling to Nigeria. This isn't to
suggest the overwhelming majority of people in those
countries are not entirely honest, I just don't personally
think it's worth the chance of encountering even one
rogue.
It's up to you whether you continue selling to people
from these locations or choose instead to bar those
countries from your auctions. You can prevent your
listings showing in specific locations by highlighting
those areas towards the end of the normal listing
process. I recommend you at least consider doing so!
I also recommend you use Registered Post (in the UK)
and Air Sure (for international deliveries) for sales
exceeding a specific amount (set by you) to prove you
fulfilled your obligations should a dispute ever be opened
via eBay or PayPal.
***
Take advantage of low cost fees
***
Oh, yes, I almost forgot, if you're going to take
advantage of eBay low cost fees on May 1st, this is what
you need to know:
"What's Included?
* Only items listed in British Pounds Sterling on
eBay.co.uk using the Auction-style format are included.
* Any item previously scheduled to go live on Thursday
1st May 2008 will qualify for the promotion.
* If you re-list an item on Thursday 1st May 2008 that
had previously closed without a successful sale, the re-
list will qualify for the promotion. If the re-listed item sells
and is eligible under the eBay re-list policy, eBay will
refund the Insertion Fee at the promotional price of 5
pence.
* Items listed in the 'Parts & Accessories' sub category of
the Cars, Parts & Vehicles category.
What's Excluded?
* Apart from the 'Parts & Accessories' sub category as
detailed in the 'What's Included?' section above, all other
items listed in any 'Motors' categories are excluded from
the promotion.
* Items listed in the 'Residential Property' sub category
of the 'Homes and Garden' category.
* Items listed in the 'Mobile Phones with Contract' sub
category of 'Mobile & Home Phones category'
.
* Multiple-Item listings in all formats. See the full details
about Multiple-Item listings.
* Identical listings that do not comply with our Duplicate
Listings policy. See the full details about our Duplicate
Listings policy
* Shops Inventory Format listings. See the full details
about listing items in Shops Inventory Format.
* Any item listed on Thursday 1st May 2008 but
scheduled to start after the promotional period will NOT
qualify for the promotion.
* Any items listed which do not comply with our Listing
Policies or Prohibited and restricted Items Policies.
* Only the basic eBay Insertion Fee will be reduced to 5
pence. All other eBay selling fees will still apply,
including but not limited to Final Value Fees, optional
Reserve Price Fees and all Lising Upgrade Fees such
as 'Gallery', 'Subtitle', 'Bold' or 'Highlight'. See the full
details about this at
Members listing using the Auction-with-Buy It Now
format will still be charged the Listing Upgrade Fee for
Buy It Now.
Further information
* If the item is listed in 2 categories, the Insertion Fee
will be 5 pence times 2 i.e. 10 pence.
* If the item qualifies for the promotion, the 'Sell Your
Item' form will indicate to the seller that they have been
charged the Insertion Fee of 5 pence.
* Please be aware that items listed on the 1st of May
2008 will not be shown by default on the eBay.com site.
* Items which list using a reserve price reserve price will
be excluded from this promotion."
NOTICE THE PENULTIMATE POINT, ESPECIALLY IF
YOU ARE LISTING ITEMS ON EBAY.CO.UK WHICH
YOU HOPE MIGHT ALSO ATTRACT BUYERS FROM
SOME OVERSEAS LOCATIONS!!!
*********************
YOUR FREE GIFT
*********************
Remember last week I told you about items falling under
the general banner of 'topo' which can be immensely
profitable on eBay?
Well I've almost finished the free report I promised. It
isn't available yet, but just before the office closes on
Friday, about 5pm, you can download it from the link
below.
CLICK HERE AFTER 5PM ON FRIDAY:
***
And Finally
***
Look out for a special email from me later this week
about a great opportunity that could make you an extra
£278 a week.
No, it's not eBay, but Amazon! I'll reveal all in my next
email.
Until then,
Avril
***
A Useful Guide To Help You Make Money On eBay
Sites Worldwide
***
by Jen Hindmarsh
Millions of people make money on eBay. From
dropshipping to selling wholesale, or simply selling the
forgotten treasures of an attic or the contents of a spare
room, people from all walks of life sell on eBay, from
grandmothers to students, housewives to businessmen.
eBay offers its sellers a unique opportunity; a chance to
reach literally millions of buyers, and to offer items for
sale on a website - eBay - which is one of the most
popular in the world. Not a lot of people know this, but it
is possible for almost anyone, from any country, to list on
any eBay site worldwide. For example, let's say that, like
me, you are a Brit using eBay to make money. Normally,
you would sign into eBay.co.uk and list your items there.
But did you know that, with eBay, the world truly is your
oyster...?
You are not restricted to selling from just the country in
which you live. You can use your eBay credentials (your
eBay User ID and your password) to sign in and make
money on almost any eBay site worldwide! That means
that if you are a UK eBayer, you can sign in and start to
make money on eBay.com in the USA by listing your
products there. Your starting or Buy It Now price will be
listed in dollars (rather than GBP) and you can take
advantage of different categories, different features and
benefit from millions of Americans browsing the eBay
USA website!
This will come in particularly handy if you sell a wide
range of items, for example DVDs, CDS, books or shoes
- or whatever! Instead of just listing on eBay.co.uk, you
can sign in and sell on eBay.com in the USA. This could
help to send your auctions into orbit and can help you
make money on eBay. You will bring your products to a
whole new customer base! And eBay.com has slightly
different policies to eBay.co.uk - for example, in the USA
you can currently list on the home page - bringing you
maximum traffic!
And it doesn't stop there. Australians who make money
on eBay by signing into the Australian eBay site at
eBay.com.au can sign in and list on eBay.co.uk and
eBay.com. New Zealanders who make money selling on
eBay at eBay.com.nz can sign into eBay.com.au and
eBay.co.uk and eBay.com. Germans who make money
on eBay.de can sell on all these sites too! And Italians!
And French! And Canadians who sell on eBay.ca!
You can bid, buy and sell on dozens of eBay sites
worldwide, from Spain to Singapore, Ireland to Italy, the
UK to the USA. As I mentioned, with eBay, the world
truly is your oyster. And this applies if you are a high
volume seller who wants to make money on eBay
tapping into a new market by listing in another country,
or if you are a Brit who has stumbled across some rare
old collectable which you think will appeal more to
Americans than the British.
Of course, your ultimate success depends on a number
of factors - the items you are selling, the starting price
you set, the quality of your auction description, the
quality of your photos, the category you list in, and so
on, and so on. But make no mistake that it is possible to
make money on eBay and millions of people worldwide
do it, people just like you, people who have started off
selling the odd item here or there and then gone on to
make money on eBay by carving their careers around
the wonders of one of the world's most visited websites.
Just before I go, here's a few final tips to help you with
your online auction career and make money on eBay.
Very often, the success of an auction ultimately depends
on the traffic that it generates - that is, the number of hits
your auction gets (you can keep an eye on your auction
visitors by using that little counter thingy at the bottom of
your auctions). Of course other factors come into play as
well, like the quality of your auction description and the
just how good your photo is, but most of the time, the
more traffic your auction generates, the more people
who see your items for sale, is almost always key to the
final auction price.
If your item is hidden away, buried in a category
alongside a thousand other similar items, it is likely to go
for a lower price than if your auction appears at the top
of the category listing, with a good photo, a good
keyword rich title, well written and well set out, blazing its
way across eBay for the whole world to see!
Because traffic is so important to your auction, it can
often be very useful to take advantage of eBay's listing
features which make your auction stand out. That is,
consider using the Gallery Feature, or Bold or the
Featured Plus! feature or add a Subtitle to your auction.
All of these things will help, and will help to increase the
number of visitors your auction gets. (I especially
recommend the Featured Plus! feature. It's a little pricey,
but I've seen items go for £1,090 featured that have only
fetched £390 when not featured!). So often, people
forget that traffic is so important, so crucial to an
auction's success, so do all you can to make your
auctions stand out from the crowd and, put simply, you
will make more money on eBay.
If you like what you've read here, please visit my About
me page below which tells you more about how I make
money on eBay and lists the benefits of my eBay items
that I have put together to help people like you make
money on eBay. It details the benefits of dropshipping
and selling wholesale on eBay, and lists genuine
wholesalers and dropshippers. It also offers proof of how
to make money on eBay - I reveal the eBay item
numbers of products being dropshipped and sold
wholesale for a profit on eBay right now! You will
discover exactly how and where to get your hands on
those products so that you can start selling them within
hours! Click the link below to find out more.
***
The Constant Evolution of eBay and How to Adapt to
Change
by Brian Schwartz
***
There's no better way to brand your name and company
name than on one of the most popular and reputable
web sites in the entire world. No matter what you're
selling, eBay can seriously impact your bottom line.
There's nowhere else on earth where you'll find 100+
million people brought together for the sole purpose of
buying and selling.
What began as a small, unique place for memorabilia &
fun collectibles; has grown astronomically to cover a
wide array of mid to upscale markets and peer to peer
sales that span the world. Ten years ago, you could
write up a simple description of an item, display a couple
photos, list it on eBay and wait for the bids to come in.
Those of us who were selling on eBay in the early days
found that it was easy money. If you were to list some of
the stuff in the same format nowadays, there's no way
you'd be able to attract the number of visitors nor sell for
a decent price like back in those earlier days.
Month by month the competition heats up. Thousands
upon thousands of new sellers have jumped the
bandwagon in recent years, including large retailers with
pro-marketing expertise and big-time corporate
experience. eBay is also crowded with 'here and there'
sellers, who sell at low margins for little to no profit, and
make it difficult for other sellers to compete with their
prices. It's a tricky business. The shifting sands create
an environment where all sellers must be on their toes at
all times.
You not only have to think outside of the box, you need
to think outside of your home office or wherever you
conduct your online business. You need almost an out of
body experience. Be neutral for a second. Envision
yourself sitting at your end users desk and take an
outside buyer's approach when browsing through your
stuff. Do you like what you see, content wise or visually?
Would you feel confident to purchase or bid on the item?
When there's thousands of other listings to browse
though, why would they choose to do business with you?
What should you do differently? Before your quest of
becoming a successful entrepreneur, you need to
become an infopreneur. Purchase eBooks and subscribe
to informational newsletters. Get out of that science
fiction section in the bookstore and get into the business
and motivational section!
Most of us started out as curious buyers. Agree? We did
our research before placing a bid on an item to ensure it
was the best deal we could get. We waited until the last
minute to place a bid, only to be sniped in the final
seconds. Now, whether you are an eBay PowerSeller or
a start-up eBay seller, have you done your research?
You must now reverse this concept of researching and
analyzing as a buyer and research as a seller. You must
analyze your competition & people's buying patterns.
People do not want to be sold, people want to buy. You
need to understand what makes buyers bid or purchase
one item as opposed to another. Just as a smart buyer
waits to snipe in the closing seconds; you as a seller
must wait until the final moments of listing an auction or
'buy it now' and see what and how your competition is
listing, do the opposite, do it different, do it better.
As a buyer, you wish you waited a little bit longer to win
that item. As a seller, why not wait a little bit longer to
win customers, put a little more effort into it to effectively
sell your stuff, market yourself and maximize your
profits. eBay isn't going anywhere. Take your time,
expect the best, plan for the worst and expect to be
surprised. No matter what any other online auction
alternative comes out with, eBay will forever be the
staple in online auctions. eBay will continuously bring
innovative new products and offerings to its arsenal.
eBay has made innovative changes to its system
offering a wide variety of 'upgrades', listing options and
eBay Stores. After you have sold a number of items on
eBay via auctions (maybe just stuff that cluttered up your
garage), you should highly consider opening your own
store on eBay and start realising the major advantages.
There's nowhere else you can instantly open an online
storefront for less than $16 a month which provides
various management tools, assists you in search engine
marketing and best yet you actually save money on
listing fees! When you own an eBay store, buyers sense
your permanency & it instills confidence when doing
business with you. eBay is the e-franchise. They have
done all of the marketing and provide the tools
necessary to effectively reach your target audience
better than anywhere else.
While the system changes have presented new
opportunities to effectively sell your stuff, many of us
have found the necessity to adapt or quickly perish. As
we all know, change is an inevitable constant way of life.
Things Change. Period. What you have been use to one
year ago, might not work nowadays. eBay is an ever-
changing environment, and if you lock yourself up and
keep your same habits every time, you will fall behind
your competition.
Let's get rid of the notion that there are any true gurus
out there will all of the answers. Some just spend more
time and money learning the art of the net. No one can
really tell you how to do it. There is no right way to sell.
The ultimate truth about selling on eBay is you cannot
succeed if you are not motivated nor if you do not have a
method.
It does not take a chemistry degree to understand the
ingredients for success. Successfully selling on eBay
requires much more than just plugging a photo and
some text into somebody's listing software with any
default template. There are many factors you need to
consider and plan well ahead. Who are you? What do
you sell, where, and for how much? Why should window
shoppers buy from you rather than your competition?
How do you convert window shoppers to repeat buyers?
What makes you special? How do customers find out
about you and your product? What is your Unique
Selling Proposition (USP)?
With ever-increasing competition and emerging
technology, you need to start right now developing your
own brand, a visual and marketing edge that draws
customers in, inspires buying confidence and
communicates professionalism.
Brian Schwartz, is an eBay Top 100 Reviewer, read
more about him at:
he is also Perennial Powerseller, and has been selling
on eBay since 1999. He is the webmaster at
http://www.myAuctionNetwork.com where you can go
learn more about Auction Help, Networking, Promotion,
News, Free Classifieds, Blogs & More.
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