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eBay buys Shopping.com - Boon or Bust to Online Merchants?
My first reaction: This could be big The players: eBay Largest online auction site where buyers bid to buy products. Arguably the most well-known e-commerce site with over 100 million registered users. Billions in sales are transacted here...
Finding Products to Sell on eBay
One key for business success using eBay is sourcing products to sell. The first questions eBay sellers should ask themselves are: "What can I sell?" and "Where can I buy?"
There are two kinds of sellers on eBay, garage sellers and business...
Overcoming the most Frustrating Situation on eBay
It's happened to the best of us.
You've been watching the auction all week, and finally you're about to claim your prize--a rare bronze statue from the Shang Dy dynasty. Or something just as tantalizing. You log on a few minutes before...
Play the eBay Arbitrage Game
In the heady financial world of Stock Markets and Currency Exchanges there is a technique known as Arbitrage. This is when you make a transaction in which you know you cannot lose. For example if the £ is selling in London at $1.82.5 but selling in...
Spotting Fakes And Frauds On Ebay
Fake items abound on eBay, and it takes much effort not to be duped by scammers who peddle these wares. There have been many painful stories relating how a seemingly legitimate item turned out to be either fake or defective.
It is possible,...
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The Myths And Magic Of Ebay Drop-Shipping Vendors.
If you've never heard of drop shipping, then prepare to be
impressed - it sounds like every eBay seller's dream. With drop
shipping, you don't have to keep any stock at all. You simply
list auctions for what your drop shipper sells, without actually
seeing it yourself.
Each time something sells, you let them know, and they deliver
it for you - directly to the customer. They'll charge you a
near-wholesale price for the item they delivered, you charge the
customer whatever price you agreed, and then you pocket the
difference as profit.
The Magic.
Just think of the sheer amount of trouble this takes out of eBay
selling. You don't have to find space in your house to keep your
stock in, or money to buy it with. You don't have to take any
risk by buying things that might not sell. You don't have to
deal with suppliers. You don't even have to pack or post the
auctions yourself. Wow! Can you imagine how good this would be
if you could pull it off?
But, as with all things in life, if it sounds too good to be
true...
The Myths.
Drop-shippers don't do deals with just anyone - any drop shipper
who says they'll take orders from unregistered businesses is
likely to be a scammer. They might not send out anything at all
to your customers, or you might send out very poor quality
merchandise that they will then return to you for a refund.
Also, beware of companies that claim they will put you in
contact with drop shippers for a fee - they are
inevitably
rip-offs. At the end of the day, the best way to find drop
shipping companies is to contact them in the 'real world', not
by typing 'drop shipping' into a search engine.
Doing it for Real.
If you want to make a profit with drop-shippers, be prepared for
it to be quite a small one: you're not going to make sales on
eBay at a big mark-up from drop shipping prices. You will also
have to accept that you can't inspect stock before it gets sent
out, and some of your descriptions might not be as good as they
could be.
You should also be prepared for a few frustrating experiences
with your drop shipper, as they might not share the same
customer service values as you. The first time you'll realise
that they never sent something to one of your buyers is when you
hear about it from the buyer a week later.
If you can accept all these things, though, and find a reputable
drop shipper, then there's money to be made. Good luck!
If you'd like to give up a little more profit and control over
your eBay business to save the trouble of doing everything
yourself, then you might be interested in eBay consignment
centers. You can sell your items at an eBay consignment center
by just leaving them there. Stay tuned to these emails for more.
About the author:
Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet auction enthusiast from
Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/ for more
great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online
auctions.
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