• Welcome from Brian McGregor
• 1. Thought for the Day
• 2. Getting Started Selling on eBay
• 3. 10 Tips for Selling on eBay (Guest article)
• 4. The Online Buying Trend Continues
• 5. A Gift From Me to You
• 6. News & Views:
  New Criteria for UK PowerSellers
  Is eBay Reducing the Impact of Unfair Low DSR Scores?
  Cross Promotions are Being Extended
  Coffee Time
  
• 7. Someone's Auctioning What???
• Back to Newsletter Archive
  

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Or tell them to grab their own copy free from:
http://www.auctioninnercircle.com

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Welcome to the latest edition of the eBay Auction Newsletter.

If you're a new subscriber, a particularly warm welcome to you.

You may have noticed that eBay has reported its fourth quarter results. Whilst you might feel that this isn't too relevant to you, let me quickly give you my summary.

Despite all the changes, and all the competition, eBay's fourth quarter revenues were up 15% on the same quarter last year. Just to clarify, the 15% growth is in eBay's Marketplace business, formerly known as its auction business. Also, 60% of those revenues came from outside of the USA - pat on the back for eBay sellers in the UK.

By 31st December 2009, eBay had 90.1 million Active Users - defined as members who bid, bought, listed or sold an item in the previous 12 months. That's an increase of 2,400,000 Active Users since December 2008.

I also note that in the last SEVEN DAYS on UK eBay, the following sales were made:

Sales totalling £64,587 of Morphy Richards food steamers
Sales totalling £46,878 of Snug rug cosies - blankets with sleeves
Sales totalling £17,016 of mens twill trousers
Sales totalling £14,496 of baby buggies
Sales totalling £11,625 of corner sofas
source - What's Hot on UK eBay
http://www.auctioninnercircle.com/whats_hot_on_ebay/

In my opinion, eBay continues to be a high growth Marketplace, and the UK is as vibrant as any. With the right knowledge, tools and dedication, anyone can make good money selling on eBay.

I hope you are an eBay selling success story. The potential is there.

Speak to you soon.

Some eBay members would like to sell, but don't quite know how to get started. Probably the most difficult part of selling is simply knowing what to sell. This is especially true if you don't own your own business or if you don't have other obvious caches of products in your life just waiting to be sold to buyers.

A typical piece of advice given to members in this situation is "just take a look around you. You'll find things to sell." However, it isn't always easy to think in sellers' terms when you're not used to selling on eBay, particularly if you don't have "eBay business" aspirations.

If this sounds like you, here are five simple ideas for types of things to sell in your early eBay auctions. They're common items, found in many households and are easy to ship. Also they're not so high in value that you need to worry about serious transactional problems.

1. Clothing and Accessories
If you have clothing or accessories that you don't wear anymore but that still have life in them, these can be an ideal first eBay sale items. Vintage and designer clothing and more substantial pieces (leather coats, designer jackets, vintage jeans, evening shoes, hats) tend to do well on eBay.. Be sure to point out in your description any defects, wear areas, or idiosyncrasies about the garment in question when you list it. A clear photo (or preferably several from varying angles) is/are also essential for this type of sale.

2. Household Furnishings, Decor or Antiques
This is the perfect opportunity to move on that hideous trout lamp that Uncle Will sent your husband for Christmas, or the talking alarm clock that doesn't ever quite manage to wake you up. Antiques and unusual items fall into this group too, so don't ever fall into the trap of thinking that something is too retro, too kitschy or too ugly for eBay. The more bizarre, unique, or interesting the item, the better it can potentially do. But don't bother trying to sell anything that can be had at local stores in large quantities and at low prices.

3. Used Consumer Electronics
The old MP3 player that you never use because you bought a nice new iPod falls into this category, as do the handheld TV that you never carry and the mobile phone that you've had hanging around since you switched carriers. If the item works, and it includes all necessary accessories - chargers, cables, manual and the like - plus it is in reasonably good condition, then it's a candidate for selling on eBay. Don't get your hopes too high about price, however, consumer electronics lose a large percentage of their value as soon as they cease to be new. Expect to receive about 20 percent of your original investment. That may not sound like a lot, but if the item is just sitting in a cupboard, you can make some money and free up storage space.

4. Your own Hobby or Craft Items
If you have a crafty hobby, whether it's making oven mitts, knitting hats, producing hand-crafted tennis racket covers or ships-in-bottles, eBay can be a great place to turn a nice profit. Hand made goods that show skill and workmanship often draw good money on eBay. Be sure to include plenty of photos in your listing, along with details about the methods that you use and your personal approach to creating these items. Buyers of this type of item like to learn of your story. In fact, they buy that as much as they want to buy your goods, so don't disappoint them.

5. Locally Made Goods
Every geographic area or region is home to some unique products or resources. It might be edibles, renewable flora and fauna, local indigenous crafts, or something else. Use your imagination here. When you live in an area, you will find that you take locally produced products for granted. But remember, there are people who have left your area who could well be interested in buying something to remind them of "home".

This is a pretty simple list. But it's also a pretty simple proposition. For your first sales on eBay, find things that have value, aren't so common that people would rather just buy it at the local store, are functional, in good condition and are easy to ship. Also, you can make sure that the items aren't worth so much, either monetarily or sentimentally, that there's overwhelming risk on your first sales.

Above all, if you haven't started selling on eBay, don't wait any longer. Just do it. Identify an item that could stand to move on, and list it. If the auction closes with bidder(s), you've made your first eBay sale. If it doesn't draw any bids, not to worry-nothing ventured, nothing gained. It's not a popularity contest. Find something else and try again.

Once you start listing, it's only a matter of time until your first sale. Once your first sale is complete, your second won't be far behind.

Guest article by Dan Wilson

(Ed. This excellent article by Dan Wilson is targeted at small business owners. It describes how to start selling on eBay in a professional manner. It occurred to me that all of these tips are totally relevant to us, as individual eBay sellers. See what you think...)

E-commerce has bucked the recession. Not only have online sales not fallen, they have grown. In some sectors, the IMRG, an online monitoring body, says that web sales have experienced double-digit growth at a time when High Street shops are feeling the pinch. It's proof that despite the worst recession in living memory, consumer passion for e-commerce is deepening.

Roughly 20 per cent of consumer spending is happening online.

Is your business getting its share? If you haven't taken the plunge and explored e-commerce as an outlet, eBay is a good place to start. Even if you've previously dismissed it as a tawdry flea market, you may be surprised at how it has changed. It's increasingly positioning itself as a professional marketplace for enterprise sellers. Here are 10 top tips to help you make a net gain from selling online.

1. Find your feet
If you haven't experimented with e-commerce before, start with eBay. It's the perfect place to learn and make mistakes because you can't go too far wrong. Use eBay to find proof that you can make online selling work for you.

2. What do you want?
Be clear on what you want to achieve. Set objectives and targets so you can measure success. It's a great venue for sale items and liquidating stock. But you can equally profit from buying lines especially to sell on eBay.

3. Start small
Go slow until you've found your way. Start with a few, easy-to-post items and learn about eBay before boosting your range and prices. Don't stake too much on your first eBay bet.

4. Sell like you mean it
The eBay marketplace is a jungle. It's competitive and you'll lose out unless you have top-notch listings. Craft fabulous item titles, make impeccable pictures and write descriptions that tempt buyers. Be truthful and honest-amateurish listings don't cut the mustard. Look professional from the start.

5. Who's in charge?
If you have a team, be clear that eBay is a vital and potentially valuable new sales channel and have someone in charge that's capable. Lots of eBay enterprises fail because the boss doesn't get the right person to take the lead.

6. Be quick off the mark
Buyers have come to expect great service. Dispatch orders quickly-preferably within 24 hours of payment-and make sure you reply to your emails and other communications swiftly, too. The quality and speed of your replies and dispatches has an impact on customer feedback.

7. Put a lid on postal costs
Understand what postage and packaging costs and make sure you factor it in to your costs where necessary. Some eBay categories require free P&P and profiting from carriage fees is bad form.

8. Loyalty means profit
When you're building your eBay business, encouraging repeat buyers is important. Once a buyer trusts you as an online seller, they're likely to keep coming back. Offer discounts and incentives with every dispatch and cross-market complementary products.

9. Get your name out there
Use Twitter, Facebook, blogs and every channel you can to talk about what you're selling and link to your sales. Tell everyone. There are no prizes for shyness.

10. Keep growing
When you feel like you've got eBay licked and your sales have momentum, start examining other e-commerce channels. Check out Amazon, which is proving a highly successful outlet for all types of goods. Start building your own website. This is more difficult and a harder slog than plugging into an existing marketplace, but it's potentially more rewarding. What are you waiting for?

Dan Wilson is the author of "Make Serious Money on eBay UK", published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
Discount copies available -
http://www.auctioninnercircle.com/make_money_on_ebay/

As access to the Internet grows, so does online shopping. Despite the recession, the e-commerce market is enjoying double-digit growth, fuelled even further by holiday shopping.

In anticipation of this growth, online merchants launched marketing programs earlier than ever in 2009, with a strong emphasis on price discounts and free shipping.

Such enticements fuel a fair amount of this growth, but online shoppers also increasingly appreciate the convenience and improved data security they find at e-commerce Web sites. Studies also show content-rich Web sites with networking opportunities are drawing the bulk of online consumers.

Here are 30 trends that will help you better understand the online-shopping experience, and some of which you will find can be related to your eBay selling. All statistics refer to online shopping in the United States, unless otherwise noted.

WHO IS BUYING ONLINE

1. Mothers are the fastest growing online shopping demographic.

2. Sixty-three percent of people who shop online are women.

3. Shoppers under age 45 are spending more online, while purchases by older consumers have declined.

4. More than half of Internet users make at least one online purchase per month.

5. Online shopping is forecast to reach $329 billion in 2010 - increasing to 13 percent of all retail sales and encompassing almost half of all households.

6. Americans spent more than $115 billion online in 2008, representing roughly 10 percent of the total domestic market.

GEOGRAPHICS

7. Over 85 percent of the world's online population has used the Internet to make a purchase.

8. The world's most avid Internet shoppers are South Koreans, with 99 percent of Internet users in that country having shopped online.

9. German, UK and Japanese consumers come in a close second, with U.S. consumers in eighth place.

10. China's shoppers don't appear to feel the impact of the international recession, having more than doubled online purchases in the last year.

11. In 2006, only 10 percent of the world's online population (627 million) had made a purchase over the Internet.

12. The developing markets of Kenya, Philippines and India are driving developments for micro-credits and micro-payments (very small loans and payments).

WHAT WE ARE BUYING

13. Books are the most popular online purchase, followed by clothing/accessories/shoes, videos/DVDs/games, airline tickets and electronic equipment.

14. One in four online shoppers now purchases airline tickets via the Internet.

15. Sales of cosmetics/nutrition supplies and groceries have jumped 9 and 8 percentage points, respectively, in just one year.

16. Consumers are willing to pay between 20 to 99 percent more for a 5-star rated product than for a 4-star rated product.

WHERE WE SHOP

17. Amazon is rapidly becoming consumers' default option when planning an online purchase. Consumers start at Amazon because they anticipate a positive experience at a good price.

18. Amazon has nudged out eBay as the most popular shopping site, with eBay sales falling 1 percent and Amazon's sales increasing 31 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. (Editor's Note - If you're a seller on eBay and you want to learn how to sell on Amazon, this is the best resource currently available http://www.workwinners.com/amazon )

19. Invitation-only sites have moved sales of luxury goods online to easier serve those with disposable income.

20. The security of a site influences where we shop, more than rewards and discounts. Roughly 75 percent of online consumers fear fraud and/or identity theft.

21. "Must haves" for a Web site include ease of use, limited personal information requirements, some free content and secure transactions.

22. More than half of the top Web sites post videos to help sell products or services, or to enrich users' experience.

23. The most successful sites allow users to interact with each other by offering gift registries, "send to a friend" options and product reviews. These features encourage shoppers to linger longer on a merchant's site.

HOW WE SHOP ONLINE

24. People frequently revisit Web sites with quality products and transparency in dealings.

25. Sixty percent of online shoppers mostly buy from a single site, showing a unique loyalty. If they first started buying on Amazon, they will likely start with Amazon first for subsequent purchases. Equally, if they first started buying on eBay, they will likely start with eBay first for subsequent purchases.

26. Sixty percent of online consumers prefer to pay with credit cards, with one in four choosing PayPal.

27. One-third of online shoppers use a search engine to find what they're looking for and about one-fourth find Web sites by word of mouth.

28. Fifty-eight percent of online consumers own a Web-enabled mobile phone and one in 10 purchases products and/or services with the device.

29. Over 65 percent of people use the Internet to research products before buying them from a local store.

30. Customers prefer to contact sales or customer service via online "chats", as opposed to phone contact.

SOURCES: 2008 Nielsen Global Online Survey; PriceGrabber.com Consumer Behaviour Report; comScore.com Benchmark Study 2009; Jupiter Research Survey 2008; Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group Survey 2008; iQuantum Pty Ltd; Research and Markets 2008-2009 studies; comScore/Kelsey, October 2008

New Criteria for UK PowerSellers

eBay UK's announcement is that from April, 2010, they are lowering the sales requirements for sellers to qualify as a PowerSeller. So far so good. It looks like more sellers can qualify to be PowerSellers.

On the other hand, eBay UK are raising the quality of service requirements for PowerSellers. If you're a PowerSeller, or seek to be a PowerSeller, you need to read this:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/services/buyandsell/powerseller/criteria.html

Is eBay Reducing the Impact of Unfair Low DSR Scores?

It seems that a number of sellers have had their DSRs mysterious improved overnight with a sprinkling of low 1 or 2 star ratings disappearing. Suddenly from being in danger of losing TRS they're safe, or for sellers who don't qualify for TRS suddenly they're closer to hitting the required criteria.

Well, it looks like this is an official eBay programme which is actively searching for low DSR scores that appear unfair, and removing them. Sellers are reporting seeing a display which says "Your seller performance level has been adjusted in your favour. Because your low detailed seller ratings (DSRs) were from a small number of buyers and these ratings were inconsistent with your performance history, they did not count in your current evaluation."

DSRs, due to their anonymity, are the hardest form of feedback eBay sellers have ever had to manage. If you believe you've received some unfair low DSRs get in touch with eBay support and ask them to take a look at your scores and see if there is a case for them to be adjusted.

Is it Worth Striving to Become Top Seller Rated?

You probably know that eBay isn't too liberal about releasing useful quantitative data relating to the impact of significant changes they make.

Well, did you catch this piece of information? It's a biggie!

If you've wondered if being Top Seller Rated is worth a candle, this is for you.

In the UK, TSR sellers report an increase of 35% in their sales. And it's a 25% sales increase for TSR sellers on eBay Germany.

Now you know.

Cross Promotions are Being Extended

Starting on 20 January, eBay UK will be running a test on displaying merchandise at the bottom of view item pages for a small percentage of active listings. You may begin to see relevant merchandise including merchandise from other sellers on active view item pages during the next couple of weeks. Just to confirm, these will be on live listing pages.

Currently, on an ended listing, there are normally 8 recommendations which are from other sellers and 4 from the same seller.

My view is that it is OK to use cross-promotions on closed listings, but I'm not too happy that having induced a buyer to click through to my live description page they are presented with a bunch of ads which can entice them away!

There is, it should be said, no way to restrict items that are shown. You either opt in to cross-promotions and have other sellers' items shown on your listings, and your items shown on other sellers listings, or you opt out altogether.

It's only a test at the moment, but I'll be keeping an eye on it. If you want to change how cross-promotions are displayed on your listings, you can do so here:

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/cp-overview.html

Coffee Time

This is an infuriating game! Enjoy!

http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/ball_bounce

Nothing surprises me when it comes to internet auctions. Amuse yourself with some of these beauties in our regular trawl through eBay's auctions.

Surely these aren't making a comeback?

No wonder he wants to change his name!

Surely it wasn't necessary to show that part of the body?

I trust these aren't inserted where I think they might be inserted!

Who measured that then?

Disclaimer - I have no association with any of the sellers of the above items.