eBay Tips Newsletter April 2010
1. Trying to Source Products to Sell on eBay? Here's a Great Free Resource  If
you're just starting out on eBay, we strongly recommend that you
figure out what you want to sell FIRST. You can identify niche
opportunities using an eBay market research tool such as Terapeak,
which identifies what kinds of products are being searched for on
eBay. But once you've done your market research, you're left with the problem of how to find great sources of those products to sell on eBay. And that can be tricky... because if you're not an established business many wholesalers might be reluctant to enter into a business relationship with you. And many drop shippers charge so much for their products that you can't make much profit on each sale. One great way to find well-priced products you can sell for profit on eBay is by scooping up stock at overstock or liquidation stores, either online or off. But searching the Internet to find these sites and see what products they offer can be a time-consuming process -- especially when their stock changes on a weekly or daily basis. However, there is an online resource that could make the process a lot easier for you. Overstock Promotions offers a free notification service that sends you daily emails featuring some of the best overstock and liquidation deals available on the Internet. The service pays special attention to products that are priced low enough to generate a great ROI and are likely to sell well on eBay. So if you would like the Internet's best discount offers on overstock and liquidated items delivered daily to your inbox, give Overstock Promotions a try. (Please note that we have no business relationship with Overstock Promotions and do not benefit in any way from mentioning them in this newsletter.) Have you ever tried Overstock Promotions? Send us an email and let us know what you think about it. And if you're looking for more ideas on where to get in-demand products to sell on eBay, check out our best-selling Insider Secrets to Selling on eBay course. It comes with two huge lists of product-sourcing contacts, including wholesalers, drop shippers, directories, liquidators, and more. 2. eBay and Twitter Join Forces -- But Is That a Good Thing?  Last
month Twitter announced the launch of its new @anywhere
service -- and eBay is going to be one of the first participating
sites. The service allows sites to integrate Twitter right into their interface, so Twitter users can easily tweet directly from that site without having to leave the site and log in to their Twitter account. This means that eBay users can tweet about the products they see on eBay directly from eBay itself. They will also be able to connect directly with any sellers or buyers with Twitter accounts, making it easy for them to exchange information quickly. When you come across another eBay user with a Twitter account, you'll see a Twitter hyperlink. When you mouse over the hyperlink, a box will appear that includes that person's Twitter info and most recent Tweet. If you click on the link, you'll be taken directly to their Twitter profile. eBayInk blogger Richard Brewer Hay calls the news very promising for buyers and sellers and says "it represents a growing trend we’ve been seeing over the past year that eBay is willing to knock down what had been until recently, indestructible barriers of entry." However, some sellers believe Twitter's @anywhere service could become a nightmare for eBay sellers. They worry that it will create unrealistic expectations on the part of the buyers, who will then think that sellers should provide instant responses to their queries -- and will penalize those who don't by giving them lower feedback ratings. Are you an eBayer who also uses Twitter? If so, drop us a line telling us how useful you think this new service is going to be for your business. 3. Heads Up, eBay.com Sellers -- New eBay UK Rules Foreshadow Major Changes  Since
April 1st, private sellers on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie who have a
feedback score of less than 25 are automatically limited to 100
auction listings. On top of that, any private sellers with a high
volume of auctions are going to be reviewed by eBay's Customer Support
-- and depending on their feedback score and the quality of the items
they're selling, they might be forced to upgrade to business status or
be banned from selling on eBay altogether.These same rules apply to international sellers who list their auction items directly on the eBay.co.uk or eBay.ie sites. (eBay.com sellers take note -- what happens on eBay.co.uk usually gets rolled out on eBay.com a few months later, so these rules may apply to you sometime in the near future!) Why did eBay implement this rule? According to eBay, after they introduced the zero insertion fees for auctions starting with a bid price of 99p/99c or less, they noticed that some sellers were taking advantage of the lower fees by listing large volumes of low-quality goods, creating a "poor experience for other other buyers and sellers." So in order to make sure these sellers don't continue to flood the eBay marketplace with goods that disappoint buyers by not living up to their promise, eBay has limited the number of items they can sell. Why is eBay thinking about making them register as a business? In the UK, every seller has a legal obligation to identify themselves as businesses rather than an individual if they are buying or making items specifically to resell them to consumers. By requiring these sellers to register as businesses, eBay is helping to ensure that buyers who purchase something from them will be entitled to the legal protection available in the UK for consumers who buy from businesses. Also, the sellers will be required to include their business address as well as their returns policy. This is so buyers will understand what they're getting into when they make a purchase, and will be able to easily distinguish which sellers are individuals and which are businesses. Legitimate sellers who aren't trying to scam people shouldn't have anything to worry about. In fact, if you register as a business, you will even be able to take advantage of special discounts eBay offers to businesses. Are you an eBay seller in the UK? If so, let us know how this change has affected your business. 4. Final thoughts Thanks for taking the time to read our April Issue of the Bidding Frenzy newsletter and as always, we wish you continued success on eBay. We love getting comments and questions from our readers, and we read every one! If you have any questions or comments about this issue, or want to suggest topics for future issues, please email us at: ebaynewsletter@marketingtips.com Until next month, happy eBaying!
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