Ebay Business All-in-one Desk Reference for Dummies

A fully updated eBay business primer from Marsha Collier, renowned eBay business expert!

Whether you're thinking about starting an eBay business or are already up and running, this step-by-step guide will lead you down the smart path to making a regular income on eBay. With solid tips from the bestselling eBay expert, this reference helps you get your eBay business off the ground and manage the basics of listing items, completing transactions, and keeping your buyers happy.

• Learn the nuts and bolts — discover how you can set up your business, find and manage inventory, and run your business like a pro

• Equip yourself with the tools that count — make the most of eBay's search engine, online sources of information, the PayPal system, and eBay's management tools

• Start selling like a whiz — learn valuable strategies for managing and maximizing sales

• Source your merchandise effortlessly — learn the ins and outs of online retailing and what it takes to buy and sell online with ease

• Get the word out — find out how to set up the optimal eBay photo studio and develop and market your eBay Web site

• Be the power seller you were born to be — from opening your eBay store to the nitty-gritty office set up, get your business up and running

Open the book and find:

• How to navigate through eBay's buyer and seller tools

• Tips on effectively using your My eBay page

• Insider advice on creating listings that win bids

• Sources for the merchandise that sells profitably on eBay

• How top sellers use photos and HTML to improve their sales

• Ideas for promoting your business both on eBay and off

• Worry-free shipping strategies

• Painless guidance on keeping your business legal

This guide uses plain language to explain how to set up and run a home-based business on eBay. Columnist Marsha Collier begins with an overview of the basics (signing up, bidding, using PayPal, etc.). Other topics include (for example) checking out payment alternatives, selling other people's stuff, putting photos on the Web, and shipping items securely. Advanced topics covered in the final chapters include harnessing the power of statistics and becoming a PowerSeller, as well as legal and tax issues.
Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

* This one-stop reference examines not only eBay techniques and issues, but also the basic business strategies that people need to run any successful venture

9 books in 1— your key to a successful eBay business!

Your one-stop guide to using eBay tools, managing inventory, and selling like a pro

Why are some eBay businesses booming while others bomb? Marsha Collier knows the answers, and she's packaged them neatly in these self-contained minibooks that cover every facet of running a successful eBay business. Your business will blossom with her expert advice on choosing the right things to sell, presenting and promoting your items, shipshape shipping, and even handling the legal stuff.

Discover how to

• Find deals on essential computer equipment
• Communicate with buyers effectively
• Locate the best merchandise to sell
• Take great auction photos
• Open an eBay store
• Make shipping profitable

One-stop shopping on the latest features of eBay and how to make the most of them

Targeted at both would-be and existing eBay sellers looking to generate a steady income from the site, this new edition of a bestseller is now updated to get readers caught up with all the changes that have occurred with eBay since the previous edition. More than 40 percent revised and updated content covers the eBay interface, tools, and services, and discusses new ways to effectively find, list, and market items.

Marsha Collier (Los Angeles, CA) is a highly respected eBay expert noted for eBay titles in the For Dummies series as well as her seminar teaching. With multiple editions of the bestselling eBay For Dummies (978-0-470-04529-9) and Starting an eBay Business For Dummies (978-0-470-14924-9) under her belt, her books have sold more than 1 million copies. She teaches at the yearly eBay Live conference and is a go-to expert on all things eBay in the media, having appeared on NBC's Today show and ABC's The View. She maintains a popular eBay help site at coolebaytools.com, a blog at mcollier.blogspot.com, and sends out an e-mail newsletter to more than 15,000 subscribers.

Marsha Collier spends most of her time on something related to eBay. She’s a charter-member eBay PowerSeller as well as one of the original instructors for eBay University. As a columnist, an author of four best-selling books on eBay, a television and radio expert, and a lecturer, she shares her knowledge of eBay with millions of online shoppers. Thousands of eBay fans also visit her Web site, www.coolebaytools.com, to get Marsha’s latest insights on e-commerce.

Introduction.

Part I: eBay Basics.

Chapter 1: Hooking Up with Online Technology.

Chapter 2: Navigating through eBay.

Chapter 3: Signing Up and Getting Started.

Chapter 4: Understanding eBay Sales.

Chapter 5: Checking Things Out Before Buying.

Chapter 6: Bidding to Win.

Chapter 7: Completing the Transaction.

Chapter 8: Participating in the Community.

Part II: Essential Tools.

Chapter 1: Researching on eBay.

Chapter 2: Researching on the Web.

Chapter 3: Efficient Communications for Better Sales.

Chapter 4: Simplifying Payment with PayPal.

Chapter 5: Using eBay’s Management Tools.

Part III: Selling Like a Pro.

Chapter 1: Be Sure Your Listings Make Cents.

Chapter 2: Understanding the Finer Points of Selling.

Chapter 3: Listing Your Items for Sale.1

Chapter 4: Using eBay’s Turbo Lister.

Chapter 5: Managing Your Sales on My eBay.

Chapter 6: Using PayPal to Organize Your Sales.

Chapter 7: Checking Out Payment Alternatives.

Part IV: Sourcing Merchandise.

Chapter 1: Understanding Online Retailing.

Chapter 2: Buying Merchandise Like the Pros.

Chapter 3: Selling Other People’s Stuff.

Chapter 4: Liquidation and Drop-Shipping.

Part V: Presenting Your Items.

Chapter 1: Your eBay Photo Studio.

Chapter 2: Mastering eBay Photography.

Chapter 3: Sprucing Up Your Listings with HTML.

Chapter 4: Getting Your Photos Ready for eBay.

Chapter 5: Getting Your Photos on the Web.

Part VI: Promoting Your Goods.

Chapter 1: Marketing Your Listings on eBay.

Chapter 2: Developing Your Web Site.

Chapter 3: Marketing Your Web Site and eBay Store.

Chapter 4: Using PayPal to Increase Your Sales.

Chapter 5: Getting Advertising Dollars from eBay.

Part VII: Storing and Shipping.

Chapter 1: Organizing Your Merchandise and Shipping Department.

Chapter 2: Shipping without Going Postal.

Chapter 3: Insuring Your Item’s Delivery.

Part VIII: Power Selling.

Chapter 1: Upgrading to eBay’s Selling Manager.

Chapter 2: Mechanizing with Third-Party Auction Management Tools.

Chapter 3: Studying Your Statistics.

Chapter 4: Giving Customers Outside Assurance.

Chapter 5: Becoming a PowerSeller.

Chapter 6: Opening Your eBay Store.

Part IX: Office and Legal.

Chapter 1: Getting Legal with the State and the Feds.

Chapter 2: The Joys of Taxes and Business Reporting.

Chapter 3: Using Bookkeeping Software.

Chapter 4: Keeping Your Business Secure Online.

Chapter 5: Networking Your Office.

Index.