Garage Sales

Michelle Thomas asked:


There is a difference between selling your own products online and selling affiliate products where you earn commissions for sales. Which is the best way forward for someone wanting to set up their own home business online?

Here are some benefits and downfalls of each type of online selling which can help you decide which is the best way to make money on the internet.

Selling your own products

You can sell whatever products you want in any niche you want. You can sell e books, software, scripts online which takes away the hassle of having to post the items to the buyer

You can start your own online shop selling arts and crafts products you make yourself, clothes, jewelry, books, household goods or anything you decide

The Benefits of Selling Something That is Entirely Yours



You can set your own price

Have an online store or mall

Create on and offline marketing materials

Sell discount products

Giveaway free products for promotional and advertising purposes

Sell items you have made or created yourself

Advertise your own business this way by adding extra promotional material like catalogues leaflets and savings coupons to the buyer’s package



 

The Downfalls of Selling Your Own Products on and Offline



Relying on postal and courier services

Trusting buyer’s word they will pay

Starting your own business and marketing everything yourself online

Having to keep invoices, receipts and do all the posting and packing

No online support or technical help

Running your own website without much knowledge of the internet of HTML



 

Selling affiliate products for Commissions

You can also join online affiliate programs and sell products or other services for online merchants. You will be able to make money by getting leads, website visits and by selling the products. The commission varies with each program and with some you can even build your own sales team and make extra money from the revenue they make

The Pros of Selling Affiliate Products



All marketing and advertising material is provided free of charge

Online technical support and often a free affiliate website

An affiliate URL which take you directly to the merchant’s website

Bonus commissions, incentives and extra performance payouts

Part of an online community

Can build your own sales team to make you more money

No post and packing charges or order forms to fill, the affiliate website does it all for you



 

The Downfalls of Online Affiliate Programs



You can lose sales if your affiliate link is hijacked

You only get a percent of your sales

Sometimes the affiliate program closes down suddenly and you lose referrals and money

Some affiliate urls are not search engine friendly which means you have to do a lot of indirect advertising

Can be hard to promote affiliate websites as your link will always redirect to the merchant’s site

The affiliate program may ban you and close your account if you do not keep to their terms and conditions

Your referred members and sales team may decide to cancel their membership losing you revenue



 

If you look at each of the reasons for the 2 different types of online sales you can go through them and look at ways to overcome any difficulties. Internet Marketing Gurus have covered all these points and have found out easy ways to market any product online. The knowledge they have is easily available to the newbie online seller. It can be hard to sell products online but some marketing experts make $100 000’s every single year just by creating their own products and selling them online or by selling for other merchants.

It is up to you to decide how you are going to make money online and start up your own home business. You can do either, sell your own products or someone else’s but which ever one you decide to do it is a good idea to go over the ways in which you can market the products you are selling over the web first and find easy solutions to any problems you may have that could lead to a loss in sales.

For more information on selling products online, affiliate programs you can join for free and lots of advertising and marketing tips and resources visit my blog Mailboxmoney. To see a blog which is used to promote affiliate products and how it works visit Cybershopping



KENDALL

Angela Skellington-Bice asked:


Selling new toys on E-bay can be exciting, especially during the holiday season. But it is a game you may win or lose. Some toys will not even make it for retail price, while others will triple the retail price before the auction closes. An item that sells great this week, may not necessarily be a good item to sell next week. Stock on the retail shelves is a good indicator if the item will sell or not. Even that can change day to day, what is there today, may be gone tomorrow. It really is a tough game to play – you must have a strategy.

The upside to selling new toys is that you will have less risk. If the item doesn’t sell, you can simply return it to the store for your purchase price. You can shop around online and call the store ahead of time to see if they have the item you are looking for. You can also buy multiple items this week, giving you less hassle, and less time will be needed to list the items for auction. Some stores may even give a discount for buying the item online. Remember time saved is money saved. You have to be quick on your feet and know when to list the item for the best return on your investment.

The downside to selling new toys is that what is hot item today won’t necessarily be a hot item tomorrow. You also will have a lower profit margin. This is not the case if the item is out of stock or hard to find. In general though, the profit of the sale is very low. If you think the item will be a hard to find item during the holiday season and can afford to get the item and hold it, by all means do so. Keep an eye on hot selling items on E-bay by checking the most popular searches in that category and then keep an eye out for discounts on those items.

Selling used toys is your second option. The profit margins on these items in general are much greater than when you sell new. It can be difficult to find used toys that are selling well, so you really need to do your research and see what is selling well. I should also mention that used toys usually are not likely to increase in availability, so they do not fluctuate from hot item to dud item as often. If you know what to look for, you will be ahead of the game. Knowledge is power when it comes to find the next successful auction.

The upside to selling used items is that in general your return on investment will be much greater because you paid a lot less than if the item was new. Used items tend to keep their value for a greater length of time. You can find items and create a theme, rather than one specific item. Items sold together tend to give a greater profit than those sold separately. An item purchased for one dollar and turns into an auction flop is much easier to handle on the budget. On the other hand that little one dollar investment could yield a thirty dollar closing bid.

The downside is that it is difficult to find inventory. You have to be in the right place at the right time. Finding inventory also is dependent on when people are ready to get rid of the item. If you have a general idea of what to look for – your search will be much simpler. Before going on a search, you have to know what you are looking for, it is not possible to do the task blindly and hope to stumble upon the next hot auction item. If you buy the item at a garage sale, obviously you will not be able to return the time, so you need to know you are buying the right item. Second hand shops in general will offer a return policy on purchased items.

There are definitely benefits to selling both new and used toys on E-bay. However, the best resource to search for what items will sell good for you is E-bay itself. Take some time to research the site and look at some items to see what is selling well. The Summer Toy Guide is designed to bring you some of this research. We realize not everyone has the time to research, let us bring the information directly to you. Hurry, the guide is only available until June 30th, and then it will no longer be available.

 

 

 

 



ARTURO

Ellen McNulty asked:


Becoming a seller on ebay can be daunting. Becoming a travel seller can be impossible, unless you know the secrets. My tips on selling on eBay can apply to all categories of items, but some steps are unique to selling travel.

The travel industry is highly regulated on EBay, as it should be. High standards keep out disreputable sellers and scam artists, and adds to your own company’s trustworthiness when you are approved by eBay..

1. Before you are even thinking about selling travel on eBay, it is important to get a username and email address just for eBay. Registration is free and only takes a few minutes. Register as a seller and you can use the same username to buy as well. Choose a name that reflects what you sell i.e., “Bermudabound” rather than “sexyblueeyes”. Other eBay members will come to recognize you by your User ID, so it’s a good idea to choose one you’ll want to use for the long term.

2. Your eBay name has sunglasses (i.e., read “shady character”) for the first 30 days, so don’t try to sell anything while you are wearing shades. Use this time to buy on eBay and learn good practices from other sellers.

3. Set up a PayPal account. EBay buyers feel more confident purchasing something from a seller who accepts PayPal. According to PayPal, “Listings that offer PayPal are 6% more likely to sell and experience a 5% average increase in final price.” Go to www. Paypal.com. Get a business account. Registration is free.

4. In the first 30 days, buy small items on EBay, pay for them promptly. I have always found eBay sellers to offer good values, provided that you check their feedback listing first.

5. Pay your seller promptly, because then you will always get positive feedback from your seller. Your feedback profile is the most important aspect of your reputation at eBay. Feedback is extremely important on eBay, as your future buyers can evaluate you at a glance. Even one strike against you counts heavily.

6. Create your “About Me” page on eBay. Use this page to tell other eBay users about yourself and your interests, your experience and your products.

7. While you are waiting the 30 days, also become a) ID verified and b)square trade approved. a) Get ID Verified through eBay as an extra sign of security for buyers. When a member gets ID Verified, a third-party company working with eBay confirms the member’s identity by cross checking their contact information across consumer and business databases. You’ll see the ID Verify icon in verified members’ profiles.

B) The Square Trade Seal is one way for sellers to show bidders that they are committed to high selling standards and have had their identity verified by a third party. You will need a credit card and your IATA, ARC, or seller of travel number. Both are requirements for selling travel, and you must place these numbers as the first lines of your ads on EBay. All members listing airline tickets, cruises, vacation packages, or lodging must be participants in the Seller Verify by SquareTrade Program. This program combines verification of sellers with ongoing monitoring. For instructions on this, go to eBay.com.

8. When you are ready to list your items at auction, sell small stuff first, building customers and credibility. Sell all items with no reserve, at the lowest price you can afford to accept, and fill all orders promptly.

9. Choose carefully what you will sell. You cannot sell some travel certificates, or vouchers and all listing must list the exceptions, blackout dates, and extra taxes and shipping charges. Travel agents, and other businesses selling travel services are regulated in eBay. According to the eBay rules for selling travel, “Businesses and individuals who sell and/or arrange air or sea travel or accommodations (but do not directly provide the travel service themselves) may list air and ship related travel items (i.e. airplane tickets and cruise trips), along with accommodations, on eBay only if they are licensed as sellers of travel lawfully able to do business in all 50 states and they themselves will be booking the travel for the winning bidder. Their listings should clearly set out their California seller of travel license number as well as any other license information required in other states. It is against eBay policy for travel clearinghouse affiliates, that are not actual agents booking the travel themselves, to list travel auctions on the site. Sellers are required to include the following disclaimer in all listings for travel exactly as it appears below and in a text size and color that can easily be seen and read by all bidders:

“By listing this auction I verify that I am the actual travel agent or travel provider and not a third party affiliate. The travel/accommodations in this auction will be booked directly through me and not an outside agency. I also verify that, other than the government taxes and related government fees stated within the listing description itself, there will be absolutely no additional fees, charges or after auction purchases associated with booking the travel within this listing.”

For travel services other than air or sea travel, businesses and individuals may offer gift certificates or coupons that are issued by a specific provider of travel, such as a gift certificate to a particular hotel. They may not, however, offer travel club memberships or “choice travel” certificates.”

10. Setting your price

Selecting your starting price requires balancing between how much money you want for the item, and what buyers will pay for it. As part of your pricing strategy, you can research the ending bids for similar items. You can look at similar item completed eBay listings using the completed listings search.

Be sure to include in your price enough to cover your insertion fees, final value fees, and your paypal fees. Set the LOWEST possible price you can afford to accept, but don’t offer something at a price you really don’t want to accept. Buyers expect bargains on ebay purchases, and you may, in the beginning, only get one bid on your item.

Attractively priced items (such as those priced at 99cents) may receive many bids, but unless it is a really outstanding items, the winning bidder may not have bid anything near your cost.

Setting your price involves not only deciding the starting price of your item, but also selecting pricing options based on which selling format you select.

Pricing for the auction-like listings:

The starting price is the lowest price you are willing to sell your item. Bidding will start at this price. Sellers have found that setting the starting price too high may discourage bidding.

If you do not want to sell your item below a certain price, you can specify a reserve price. A reserve price is an option you can use to stimulate bidding on your listing and reserve the right not to sell below the price you want. I do not recommend this option as it discourages buying.

Pricing for fixed price listings: In my experience, this is not a good way to sell anything, since the ebay method is based mainly on auction items. Enter the price at which you wish to sell your item or items as the Buy It Now price.

 

11. Build a store. EBay stores are free for the first 30 days. Afterwards, they are a small fee per month. ($15.95 / month) According to eBay, Store sellers see on average a 25% incremental increase in sales the 3 months after opening their Store.” Here is where you can list all those other items that are higher priced, but good value at a low listing fee - at Insertion Fees of .03-.10 per month - use good til cancelled

Note: The Insertion Fee covers a single listing (with any quantity of items in the listing), whether you list 1 or 1,000 of the same item. Final Value Fees range from 12.00% of the closing price for cheap items to

Over $1,000.01

12.00% of the initial $25.00 ($3.00), plus 8.00% of the initial $25.01 – $100.00 ($6.00), plus 4.00% of the initial $100.01 – $1,000.00 ($36.00), plus 2.00% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01-closing value)

Auction and Fixed Price listings appear in your eBay Store as well as in eBay Search and Listings. The store allows your buyers to peruse your other items in addition to your auction items. Go to: http://pages.eBay.com/storefronts/openbenefits.html

12. Completing a sale: Remember, your reputation is of utmost importance. If your item sells successfully, the sale needs to be completed. This includes contacting your buyer, accepting payment and shipping the item.

13. I also recommend a “buy it now” listing, using the actual price of your item, i.e, what you really want. Using the “best offer” option allows members to make you a lower offer. Tip: Set a limit on “best offer” minimum bids, or you will get absurd offers of 1 cent or more.

14. Don’t use Listing Upgrades when you are new. Use your own hosting for pictures or eBay Picture Hosting.

15. For free templates for use on ebay, I like http://www.template-o-matic.com/

16. Examples of actions that are not allowed on eBay:

Bidding on your own item, or having family members, roommates or employees bid on your item (called shill bidding). For policy and examples, see Shill Bidding.

Interfering with another member’s transaction.

Accepting payment and sending an item that is significantly different from the item described in the item listing. For policy and examples, see Seller Non-performance.

Refusing to accept a buyer’s PayPal payment using a credit card when the seller included the PayPal logo in the listing.

Charging buyers an additional fee for their use of ordinary forms of payment including acceptance of checks, money orders, electronic transfers or credit cards.

If something goes wrong, including having problems with your buyer, there are options to help with your transaction problems.

17. Some ebay fees:

When you list an item on eBay, you’re charged an Insertion Fee. If the item sells, you are also charged a Final Value Fee. The total cost of selling an item is the Insertion Fee plus the Final Value Fee. The minimum insertion fee is 15 cents and goes to $4.00, depending upon the starting price of the auction. Final Value Fees:

Item not sold No Fee

 

$0.01 - $25.00**

8.75% of the closing value

 

$25.01- $1,000.00

8.75% of the initial $25.00 ($2.19), plus 3.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($25.01 to $1,000.00)

 

Equal to or Over $1000.01

8.75% of the initial $25.00 ($2.19), plus 3.50% of the initial $25.01 - $1,000.00 ($34.12), plus 1.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($1000.01 - closing value)

 

 

 

For examples of travel stores on eBay, take a look at: http://stores.ebay.com/Travel-Ireland-and-Britain_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm

 

Ellen Mc Nulty is President of Lynott Tours, specialists in travel to Ireland and Britain.. Lynott Tours has been selling travel for 38 years, and can be found on the Internet at www.lynotttours.com and www.cruisetourplanners.com as well as www.australiatravelmaster.com



HOWARD

Bob Hall asked:


One way to start your business in Ebay is to sell used items that you just kept in your closet or in your garage. This is the best way to get your feet wet and also to know the trends on which type of items sell well in Ebay. A lot of people use Ebay to sell their stuff that you normally sell in the garage sale.

There are things to consider though before listing your items for sale. Ebay have strict guidelines on used items especially clothes. Used clothes need to be laundered first and selling used underwear are not accepted at all. Clothes also need to be graded and properly described as such on the product description. Weapons are also strictly prohibited to be sold in Ebay. Some type of air guns are not allowed. It is better to know first if the items that you are selling pass their TOS.

Look around your house and see what items that you have that you just forgot about. The general rule of thumb is that if you have items that you didn’t use in the last year, then you probably don’t need it and these are the ones that you can start selling in Ebay. You can go through all your clothes that you haven’t worn especially the designer labels. They sell good and you can probably get more that what you have paid for them especially if they are considered Vintage. This also goes for handbags and shoes.

Another thing that you can look into are the toys. Vintage toys sell well because of their uniqueness and collectibility factor. Wind up toys and robots are collectibles and they sell good in Ebay. Chinaware is also a good choice. Look inside your cupboard for old china and if they are a set, they will get a lot of bids.

When you run out off stuff to sell at your own house, and business is good, then you can start going to local garage sales and look for items that you can sell. The older the item, the better and as to clothes, shoes and accessories, the “branded” one will sell better than the big box store brand. You can also check on Ebay’s Hot list and see which items are in demand and these are the ones to look out for in the garage sales. One tip is to go to church or group yard sales so that you can shop in just one place and you will definitely find one or more items that you can sell.

If yard sale items are what you plan to specialize in, that’s great. In this particular market it is very important to keep a list of customers who are looking for a particular item. If you sold a vintage Barbie doll to a customer, let them know when you find more. Better yet, ask them what they are looking for when you make the first sale. Make a hit list of customer requests. If you find one, list it on eBay, but let your customer know about that listing.

There is a lot of money in yard sales and sometimes you can find items that are literally treasures and the owner just didn’t know about.  Just be sure to properly describe and use plenty of pictures in listing used items so that you can get most bidders.



KENDRICK

Jhona asked:


Was it Forrest Gump’s mom who said shoes tell a lot about the person wearing them?

With the advent of online classifieds, it seems that virtually and practically anything can be sold. Baseball gloves, marbles, eyeglasses, Labrador puppies, motorcycles, autographed t-shirts, harmonicas, the sky’s the limit. Even singer James Blunt has reportedly auctioned off his sister. (Now don’t get any ideas. You’re still better off making money from things, not people, that’s been lying in your garage or attic)

Whatever the case, it seems anyone who needs quick; sure cash can just rummage for something precious looking in their possessions and peddle them off in the Internet. As simple as that, and you won’t run out of buyers. Out of the billions of people frantically clicking their mouses, there’s sure to be at least someone who specifically needs your Sue Grafton, R is for Ricochet Mystery novel.

But shoes?! Well, yeah, SHOES. People sell and buy shoes online. Tennis shoes, trainers, basketball shoes, ballet shoes, anything shoes. After all, the online classifieds is still the best place to find good deals and bargains, provided you don’t run, ahem, barefoot into scams and spoofs.

Yeah, shoes

Don’t be shocked anymore. The Internet-savvy generation of kids is no longer squeamish. They are ready and willing to wear other people’s shoes. In fact there’s even a certain pride to be had if their shoes are bought online. Especially if it’s the latest Adidas Pro-Model D or Nike Shox.

When buying shoes online, of course be sure they’re you’re right size, unless they’re a present for a clown. Secondly, be aware of ad descriptions for the product. If it says, “never been used”, then you’re safe. If it says, “slightly used”, then it’s still probably good. But if it starts saying, “a few scratches here and there,” then better have cold feet.

In general, you want to make the best and wisest online purchase ever, not just with shoes but all other stuff on the Net. Most victimized buyers complain about the product in real-life not looking “as described” in the ad, so it’s best that you meet up with the seller and personally inspect the goods. If ever you don’t like the shoes, then at least you’ve made a new friend. And then, just like Forrest, its run, run, run.



OTIS

Lynne Saarte asked:


Print catalogs continue to be mailed by the thousands every day. Some companies send catalogs to introduce a new product line, such as clothing retailers for a seasonal change. Catalog businesses rely solely on mail-order catalog sales for income. Even though many catalogs are available online, many more are still sent through the mail because many customers prefer the ease of flipping through a printed catalog.

Preparing a catalog for print can be a tedious project, which is why following a strict step-by-step process can be helpful. An organized course of action will prevent muddled steps and the pain of needing to redo any part of the design.

Plan thoroughly. Gather everyone involved in the catalog printing design to discuss the plan. First decide on the style. Without a clear company image, the font, pictures, and entire format will be disconnected. Next discuss the responsibilities of the editor, writer, photographers, and designers. Everyone should be absolutely clear about individual tasks before leaving the table.

Choose the products. Make a list of all the items to be included in the catalog. Gather prices and decide which products will have discounts and which are the bestsellers.

Choose photographs. Using individual photographs for each product ups the catalog sales. Use high resolution to avoid pixilated pictures. Clear photos make items more desirable. Play around with different angles for the best presentation.

Write the text. Use only a couple of different fonts. Emphasize important information using bolding or highlights. Customers do not have time to read long paragraphs of information, so keep sentences short and simple.

Group the products. Before beginning the layout, gather like items together. Each item on a spread should be connected; otherwise, your catalog will mirror a rummage sale. Not many people have the patience to wade through unorganized piles of merchandise.

Design the page layouts. Use the same format for pages with a few unique layouts thrown in to break up any repetitiveness. Place the most attractive item in the upper right corner of the spread with next most desirable products in the other corners. This method catches the skimmer’s attention and will hopefully give a reason to pause long enough to see the entire page. Remember that a “spread” is two pages when the catalog is lying open.

Design the cover. Items that can be included on the cover are photographs of bestselling items, possibly with page numbers, a headline or issue name, issue number, logo, and company name. Choose four colors to use on the cover and throughout the catalog magazine.

The above-mentioned steps are only the most common guidelines. Your design team might decide to add a few more in between or to further break them down into smaller, more detailed steps. The important thing to remember is to stick with a plan for a smooth design process for your printed catalogs.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit:  Catalog Printing



ROSCOE

Armando Yusef asked:


Now you can shop till you drop online and never once have to take out your wallet to pay for what you acquire. On the flip-side, you can now clean out your garage and rid yourself of all the clutter that you no longer have a use for, in exchange for things that you and your family can actually use and enjoy. This is because new online garage sale sites are now the latest places where people are giving and getting the best deals that can be had for online buyers and sellers.

Keep Your Wallet in your Pocket or Purse

Its such a simple and pure concept that it is truly amazing that they took so long to appear and flourish the way that they have. Simply put, a buyer or seller barters with another buyer or seller until they come to some agreement on what they are buying or selling. So, for instance, if you have moved from the ocean to the mountains, you can trade your old diving gear for mountaineering equipment and never have to spend a dime.

Online Bartering is Addictive but thats OK

So how good are your bartering skills? These sites are a great place to test them and the beauty of it is that you can start out with smaller items that you have and slowly work your way up to “larger game” as you progress. Watch out though, because it can become addicting but unlike standard online auction sites such as Ebay, you can wallow in your addiction for years and it won’t cost you a dime.

Check Out Your Friends Garage

So you don’t have a garage full of unused items of value? Thats no problem, because for sure one of your friends has something that they no longer need. If they allow you to handle it, both of you can have a great time searching around for something that you both can use, so everyone benefits.

The Ancient System of Bartering

Bartering is the original economic system that ancient cultures and societies used before the advent of money. There is an element of purity that it containes that you can discover and feel for yourself at these new online garage sales. Also, you will be amazed at the variety and quality of the goods and services that are “up for grabs” at these refreshingly new online garage sales.



ODELL