Secrets of the eBay

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CHAPTER 1: From Penniless to PowerSeller: Carving Out a Niche 21 Selling at High Volume for Big Profits: SewVacDirect If you are able to find a niche where you can undercut your brick-andmortar competition, you can outsell them on eBay. Consider high-end sewing machines: They’re difficult to ship because they’re so heavy. And they’re not sold in many retail outlets. The stores that do sell such machines mark up the price heavily and make a sizeable profit. There’s an opening for a business that can reach customers who don’t live near sewing machine stores, and who are turned off by high shipping costs and high prices for mail orders. SewVacDirect (User ID sew_vac_direct), a sewing machine and vacuum cleaner store that has operated a brick-and-mortar store in College Station, Texas for the past twenty years, took advantage of that opening. They realized that if they could cut shipping costs and sell machines for lower prices than other sellers on the Internet, they could reach a huge market. Instead of selling to customers in Texas and mail order customers, they could market their inventory of 3,000-odd sewing machines around the world. A look at the Pricing section of SewVacDirect’s About Me page on eBay (http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid= sew_vac_direct) spells out one way in which the company undercuts the competition—they ship as cheaply as possible: We will strive to always offer the lowest prices on the internet. All shipping costs listed are for UPS or Fed-Ex Ground delivery in the contiguous United States. Alaska, Hawaii, and Canadian residents need to call toll free 1-877-530-6592 or send us an Email for shipping quotes. Any item with Free Ground Shipping applies to the Contiguous US ONLY. Orders from AK, HI, or Canada will pay actual shipping costs less standard ground fees for all Free Ground Shipping items. All shipping prices posted are for UPS or Fed-Ex Ground unless otherwise stated. For other shipping options email or call us toll free at 1-877-530-6592. This set of instructions is as specific as possible, and it gives potential customers plenty of options. It lets them know that shipping may be free depending on where they live; if they are in a hurry, it also lets them know that they have many options for shipping and are welcome to call the company toll-free if they want to speak to a customer service representative in person.
22 Secrets of the eBay Millionaires Be specific with your shipping and payment instructions; provide a variety of options so the customer feels some degree of control. Customers on the Internet always like to feel they can click a link, send an e-mail message, or call a phone number if they need to. A toll-free phone number is worth the cost, according to many PowerSellers. In Figure 1-7, you can see that SewVacDirect promotes its free shipping policy prominently by adding a subtitle to each of its eBay Store listings. FIGURE 1-7 Find a niche where you can undercut other sellers, and help customers save on shipping costs. Providing Personal Customer Service: Abovethemall Marjie Smith (User ID: Abovethemall) is at her computer virtually all the time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., six days a week. Anyone who sends in an inquiry gets a response within an hour, if not sooner. But after 8 p.m., the computer monitor goes off. “Fortunately, my office is in my home, but when it’s time to have dinner with your family, don’t check your e-mail,” she advises. “Take an hour or hour and a half off, and then go back to work. But make your own schedule, and stick to it.”
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CHAPTER 3: Connect with Your Custom
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Chapter 4 Think and Act Like a Busi
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CHAPTER 4: Think and Act Like a Bus
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Chapter 5 Identify Sources of Merch
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put on eBay.” The difference betw
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CHAPTER 5: Identify Sources of Merc
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“People Call Me to Say, ‘Are Yo
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een taken professionally come from
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had to adapt quickly themselves. In
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Chapter 6 Reach the Widest Possible
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CHAPTER 6: Reach the Widest Possibl
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Search terms entered here CHAPTER 6
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Chapter 7 Diversify Your Business P
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his situation now: “I could eithe
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“It’s kind of like Filene’s B
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CHAPTER 7: Diversify Your Business
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Lessons Learned in This Chapter ●
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Chapter 8 Provide Instant and Perso
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Business name Abovethemall Seller n
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Comment Learning Point “Super fas
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Chapter 9 Build a Good Reputation C
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Business name Blueberry Boutique Se
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place for buyers,” he comments.
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CHAPTER 9: Build a Good Reputation
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“Go on Discussion Boards and Real
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“I Had a Lot of Customers Already
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“I Can Walk a Hundred Yards to My
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“If One Person Leaves Me Negative
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Chapter 10 Acquire and Keep Your Cu
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CHAPTER 10: Acquire and Keep Your C
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● Gives them new reasons to visit
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Chapter 11 Automate to Ramp Up Sale
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markets within 15 miles of Charlott
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“We Are Plugged in Directly to eB
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CHAPTER 11: Automate to Ramp Up Sal
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Business name Jake’s Dog House Se
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company’s Marketplace Manager pac
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● Extensive customer service info
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“There really aren’t that many
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● Don’t purchase merchandise fr
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Appendix A Web Resources for PowerS
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Appendix A: Web Resources for Power
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There are no images, very little sp
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Appendix B Becoming an eBay Million
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Appendix B: Becoming an eBay Millio
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A About Me pages, 36, 37, 38, 79, 2
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customers abusive, 148-153 acquirin
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iSold It, 142 ISPs (Internet Servic
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information on, 232 motivation, 3,
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shoe business, 134-140 Shoetime, 13
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Secrets of the eBay

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