1.  No, I don’t work for PayPal but I can attest to this by experience:  Listings that offer PayPal are 6% more likely to sell AND items generally sell at a 5% average increase in final price. That happens simply because buyers prefer PayPal's speed, security and convenience.  I certainly support that mindset too.  If you sell a lot on eBay, I recommend that you maximize every opportunity to sell more, and make the most you can with each sale. It's just good business. By offering your buyers PayPal as a payment option you can do that very easily.

2.  Gallery adds a thumbnail photo right next to your listing. ALWAYS use Gallery photos to attract buyers.  Statistics support that many buyers do a search and then scan the galleries looking for exactly what they want before going into the ad.  Statistically, galleries increase your final price by an average of 11% too.  As they say in this case, more really IS better.

3.  No need to know HTML coding to “decorate” your listings.  You can have fun with your listings and make them more attractive by using the available themes and layouts on eBay in the Listing Designer feature.  There are also some free third party auction support sites like Auctiva that are fun.  Please note:  There are charges associated with using eBay's feature and sme third party sites too – so make sure your listing costs include the price of this option.

4.  Use eBay's Express Selling Zone or Pre-filled information for sales of book, movies, music, and video game listings.  Selling a CD and having to pre-search or type in the play list is a bore and a waste of valuable listing time.  With just a few clicks, you can import an accurate, pre-written file containing detailed information about your CD, DVD, Video Game or Book product.

5.  If you haven’t previously tried the eBay shipping calculator – now is the time.  There is no better time to start than during the heavy holiday buying season.  The Shipping Calculator allows your customers to calculate their shipping and pay immediately after winning an auction.  This cuts down on the need for answering many billing and shipping questions for busy sellers.  The  calculator automatically lets last-minute holiday shoppers figure out their shipping costs as soon as they win an auction -- so they can pay you right away, too.

6.  eBay selling success often means the serendipity of being at the right place, at the right time, and with the right product.  One thing that helps a seller know what they need to know for a successful selling season is to check back often with eBay Pulse to stay on top of the latest promotions and hot items available on eBay.  The hotter the item, the more eBay does the promoting for you.

7.  FREE Promotion of your merchandise is a great thing!  Coordinate what you sell with the season and with eBay Merchandising Calendar.  Use eBay Merchandising Calendar to get advance notice of upcoming seasonal promotions and learn about which items will be spotlighted on the eBay home page and when.  Then make sure you have your stock out on your site ready for purchase.

8.  Want to sell more and get LOTS of feedback fast?  Find out where the demand is high and the supply small and fill the niche’.  Find out which categories and products are hot hot hot.  Where bid to item ratios are high, and demand is outpacing supply is where YOU want to be!  Find a supplier, jump into the fray and get the sales going for great profits.  Do this by tracking trends, hot picks, and other cool stuff, including: top searches, most watched items, and little known eBay facts.

9.  The Holidays are right around the corner!  Get the auction start price or the store price you charge just right to maximize sales this holiday season!  To help prepare for holiday sales, you can access to up to 90 days of historical information on completed items as well as active listings data, (check out average start prices, average sold prices, top keyword searches, and more to determine exactly the right starting auction or store price)!

10. Have an eBay Store already? – stock it full of holiday merchandise.   If you do not have a store, but have many new items to sell (like multiple wholesale lots), the store costs less to list these items.  Just be sure to keep some auctions going at all times, to draw people to your store listings. 

11.  Don’t think of eBay solely in terms of product sales.  If you provide a service or information, these also sell well on eBay.  More than the right product, all you really need is the right idea! 

BEST WISHES for a profitable selling season.  I do hope you have found this guide helpful.  Please drop by my store (The Write Place), where YOU name your price, or my auctions (Pepper120851)

Happy Holidays,

Pepper

Spam is more than a can of processed meat – it is the bane of our existence here on the WWW.

Spam is, of course, a nightmare for those of us who receive a bunch of it everyday – especially all the devious garbage from those who want to steal accounts and money.  Sadly, spam is also a nightmare for those who send any kind of email, including Newsletters.

This deluge of irritating junk mail (SPAM) interferes with legitimate Newsletter publishers, because we routinely get caught in the crossfire of the anti-spam war.  If you publish any type of electronic publication, including marketing e-mail publications, there's a better than average chance that that your Newsletter will get caught up in a SPAM Filter and will NOT reach your subsribers (who asked to receive your newsletter).

SPAM Filters are software programs that search for key words and phrases that are typically found in SPAM email.  The scanning software looks for words and phrases, then assigns each an incoming e-mail "score."  If your Newsletter or e-mail has too many of these words and phrases, you get a high scanning score, and your product will be blocked and sidelined to the Suspected SPAM inbox.  Most er check the SPAM filter looking for legitimate mail.

So, it is critical to understand which words score high and to avoid using them in your publications.  While there are other words that will cost you more "points" than those listed here, (e.g. anything having to do with sex), here are the other high counting and most common "trigger" words and phrases . 

1.   amazing
2.   cancel at any time
3.   check or money order
4.   click here
5.   congratulations
6.   dear friend
7.   e-mail marketing
8.   for only ($)
9.   for free
10. great offer
11. guarantee
12. increase sales
13. order now
14. promise you
15. risk free
16. special promotion
17. this is not spam
18. to be removed
19. unsubscribe
20. winner

You have only two choices when you want to beat SPAM filters; avoid using the above words and phrases altogether or, disguise these words and phrases.  On clever way to disguise the words is by  inserting keyboard symbols within the word as a substitute for a letter (e.g., sp*cial promo*tion)

Obviously, when promoting your business, avoiding the use of these words and phrases is very hard to do.  If an article discusses how information your Newsletter can help fellow eBayers increase eBay business, the simple word "increase" costs 1.4 points in “SpamAssassin,” (one of the most popular SPAM filter programs on the Web).

Disguising words and phrases in clever ways by inserting keyboard symbols within them and/or replacing a letter in the words with a symbol is a good way to often fool the filter.  It is key, however, to be sure that the letter-symbol exchange does not make the word or phrase too cryptic.  After all, it is necessary for your readers to understand what you're saying. 

While some spam filters pick up on this “trick” and penalize you for it by adding some points to your score, the points that you receive for using this approach are far fewer than your would receive if you used the words as written.  So, while not a perfect solution to the SPAM filter problem, letter-symbol substitution is a way around -- (for now anyway).

Once your Newsletter is complete, one of the most important steps to take before publishing your Newsletter is to test how it stacks up in a SPAM filter before you send it out.  You really don’t want to loose the connection with your customer so it is important that you can get around a SPAM filter.  To find out if your Newletter will make it, run it through Lyri's Content checker before sending.  Testing is free. 

Lyris' Content Checker (http://www.lyris.com/contentchecker) tells you how your Newsletter or ranks in Spam Assassin.  Simply copy your newsletter text (CNTRL + C) and paste it (CNTRL + V) into the box on the site.  The web-based software will run a free report and e-mail a copy to you, usually within minutes.

The report will tell you exactly which words in your Newsletter are costing you points.  You should be concerned if your score is 5 points total (or more).  If your score is 5 or above, you can delete the offending words or disguise them, as I mentioned earlier in this Blog and Guide. 

Test each issue in the Content Checker before publishing it to assure your Newsletter reaches your maximum target audience.  With a little practice, it will become second nature to produce copy that scores low on the Test. 

As a writer, I find that there are times when I have dozens of content ideas, and other times when I struggle for content that meets my criteria for being both useful to my readership and promotional for my business.  So, here is a list of items I use to get my thoughts back on track when I am in a pinch for content for the next quarter’s newsletter. 

1.  Problem solving:  Let your readers know of a problem presented to you that you have helped to solve and give real-life examples.  A great example is that this Blog and Guide resulted directly through a post in my blog this past weekend.  I mention newsletters often but failed to provide “how to.”  Describe a problem you’ve solved for a reader, client or customer, and use that example as a springboard for offering more general advice to the larger audience.  Show your readership how you help customers address challenges.  An article of this sort first positions you as the expert to your readers, and then offers useful information they can use themselves (worth thier time to learn).  This, establishes more readership and interaction between you and your customers (and potential customers).  It is a far less direct approach than “I know this and I know that…,” and far more effective in establishing credibility because the reader can actually use the information now and in future.

2.  Position Yourself as a Reader’s Resource:  Customer access to you is important for your customers and for you as a small business owner.  Think of three areas in which you’d like your customers or clients to think of you as a resource.  Develop articles and information by way of the Newsletter.  Focus and develop your content for those areas in which you plan to be a resource.  As an example, I have a great deal of experience in establishing a business and selling on eBay.  I really enjoy the challenge of the work and sharing what I have learned with others on eBay.  So, to encourage patronage of my auctions and store online, I share what I have learned in Blogs and Guides (oferingr myself as an online resource to others).  In my publishing online and interactions with other eBayers, I am also combing the market for potential customers.

3.  Read eBay and Other Auction Site Community Boards and Blogs for Publication Ideas. Are there any hot issues out there that people are hungry to know about?  How about answers you know will benefit other eBayers (financially or in terms of time saved operating their business)?  Interestingly, the more controversial the subject to be written about, the better – your readership will be more quickly and completely engaged.  DO be sure to offer your own opinion — your readers want to know what you think and why.  After all, YOU are the expert! ; )

4.  Make and Refer to a Question and Answer File:  When your bloggers, customers, clients or others ask a question, write it down and keep it in a file.  When you have time, go back, research and answer the questions.  The more often a question is asked the more popular will be the article that answers it!   Answer each question in a short article as you haver trime to research and write.  As you develop these questions and answers you are developing relevant content every day.  In no time ,you will have lots of content already written, just waiting for a final edit and just waiting for publication.  Want to get a push start on your Q&A File?  Send all your current customers and contacts a quick e-mail, asking them what topics they’re most interested in learning more about.  Another good place to get content ideas is to write a blog asking what fellow bloggers would like to know more about.

5.  Consider What Your Most Recent Learning Experiences Were:  If you are like me, you are constantly seeking information on how to be more productive with less effort on eBay.  This research is essential because I have a home, a family and a full time job too.  I find my research provides me with a great source of material that I can use personally, but also a resource for sharing in Blogs and Guides too.  If you have attended classes, conferences, workshops, seminars, or have found and read insightful article, passing on the information will be both appreciated and will help you with content for your upcoming Newsletter issue.  Reinventing information in the age of the World Wide Web is an unnecessary struggle.  Take the collected wisdom you have and gather it daily and weekly, then pull it all together and simply pass it on.  If you quote an article or website directly, be sure to give full attribution to the author(s).  If you prefer, provide a link or web reference to the article and give your opinion of the article or how you used the information to benefit yourself .  Your readers will appreciate the reference, it will bolster your credibility and the information will be welcomed.

6.  David Letterman Need Not be the Only Person with Popular Top Ten Lists:  A great way to learn and grow is with lists of related snippets of relevant information.  Use your newsletter to offer a list of your top 5 or 10 tips on various subjects.  It really is quite easy to put together a list of tips, and much faster usually than putting together a full article.   The tips can come from articles you have already written, or those you hve read.  A lst of tips can grow into a full article too!  In journalism, we are taught to list your most important information first.  And so, your most important tip should be first and flow in order of descending importance.  (If you “save the best for last”, you risk losing your audience before they get to the most essential information.

7.  No One Corners the Market on Good Ideas!  Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger out there all alone looking for good information.  Interview contacts and associates whose expertise would interest your readers.  Are your best sources far away?  E-mail interviews are so easy to do just type up a list of questions and hit “Send.”.  Send 3 to 5 questions, edit aqnd clarify the responses you get for conciseness and space.  Ask your source to approve the final version.  Be sure to give your contributor attribution (and their business a shout out) as a thank you. (i.e., A one-sentence description of their business, phone number, their Web site URL, and e-mail address with your heartfelt thanks should be fine.)

8.  Have Some Great Resources? Share Them!  Take the opportunity to recommend good books and resources that you use in your business, possibly even offering full reviews in the review section of eBay and in your blogs.  These reviews will also have a great shelf life and can be used as features on a web site, in a blog on on eBay reviews also. 

9.  Source Questions from Your Customers and Contacts.  Invite your readers to write you with their burning questions, and answer one in each issue of your Newsletters.  Attribution is also correct when soliciting questions from your readership.  Right after their question, publish the person’s name, business, e-mail, and Web site address (with their permission of course). They will really enjoy the attention and free publicity! If their business benefits you may have an advertiser soon!

10.  Do Features on Your Readers:  Invite readers to send in profiles.  Ask them to tell you about themselves — their names, businesses, locations, and how they use the information gained from your newsletter.  Feature one profile in each issue or one every few issues, they too will really enjoy the attention and free publicity!

11.  Use Free Resources.  When all else fails, there is free content you can borrowout there on the web or ask your contacts!  There are dozens of Web sites offering hundreds of articles that you can use in your Newsletter.  The articles are free and available for you to use.  The only catch is that you’re required to leave the entire article intact, including the author’s promotional information.  They, like you, write these articles to build their own business.

PART 2 NEWSLETTERS; MORE ABOUT CONTENT…..

As a writer, I find that there are times when I have dozens of content ideas, and other times when I struggle for content that meets my criteria for being both useful to my readership and promotional for my business.  So, here is a list of items I use to get my thoughts back on track when I am in a pinch for content for the next quarter’s newsletter. 

1.  Problem solving:  Let your readers know of a problem presented to you that you have helped to solve and give real-life examples.  A great example is that this Blog and Guide resulted directly through a post in my blog this past weekend.  I mention newsletters often but failed to provide “how to.”  Describe a problem you’ve solved for a reader, client or customer, and use that example as a springboard for offering more general advice to the larger audience.  Show your readership how you help customers address challenges.  An article of this sort first positions you as the expert to your readers, and then offers useful information they can use themselves (worth thier time to learn).  This, establishes more readership and interaction between you and your customers (and potential customers).  It is a far less direct approach than “I know this and I know that…,” and far more effective in establishing credibility because the reader can actually use the information now and in future.

2.  Position Yourself as a Reader’s Resource:  Customer access to you is important for your customers and for you as a small business owner.  Think of three areas in which you’d like your customers or clients to think of you as a resource.  Develop articles and information by way of the Newsletter.  Focus and develop your content for those areas in which you plan to be a resource.  As an example, I have a great deal of experience in establishing a business and selling on eBay.  I really enjoy the challenge of the work and sharing what I have learned with others on eBay.  So, to encourage patronage of my auctions and store online, I share what I have learned in Blogs and Guides (oferingr myself as an online resource to others).  In my publishing online and interactions with other eBayers, I am also combing the market for potential customers.

3.  Read eBay and Other Auction Site Community Boards and Blogs for Publication Ideas. Are there any hot issues out there that people are hungry to know about?  How about answers you know will benefit other eBayers (financially or in terms of time saved operating their business)?  Interestingly, the more controversial the subject to be written about, the better – your readership will be more quickly and completely engaged.  DO be sure to offer your own opinion — your readers want to know what you think and why.  After all, YOU are the expert! ; )

4.  Make and Refer to a Question and Answer File:  When your bloggers, customers, clients or others ask a question, write it down and keep it in a file.  When you have time, go back, research and answer the questions.  The more often a question is asked the more popular will be the article that answers it!   Answer each question in a short article as you haver trime to research and write.  As you develop these questions and answers you are developing relevant content every day.  In no time ,you will have lots of content already written, just waiting for a final edit and just waiting for publication.  Want to get a push start on your Q&A File?  Send all your current customers and contacts a quick e-mail, asking them what topics they’re most interested in learning more about.  Another good place to get content ideas is to write a blog asking what fellow bloggers would like to know more about.

5.  Consider What Your Most Recent Learning Experiences Were:  If you are like me, you are constantly seeking information on how to be more productive with less effort on eBay.  This research is essential because I have a home, a family and a full time job too.  I find my research provides me with a great source of material that I can use personally, but also a resource for sharing in Blogs and Guides too.  If you have attended classes, conferences, workshops, seminars, or have found and read insightful article, passing on the information will be both appreciated and will help you with content for your upcoming Newsletter issue.  Reinventing information in the age of the World Wide Web is an unnecessary struggle.  Take the collected wisdom you have and gather it daily and weekly, then pull it all together and simply pass it on.  If you quote an article or website directly, be sure to give full attribution to the author(s).  If you prefer, provide a link or web reference to the article and give your opinion of the article or how you used the information to benefit yourself .  Your readers will appreciate the reference, it will bolster your credibility and the information will be welcomed.

6.  David Letterman Need Not be the Only Person with Popular Top Ten Lists:  A great way to learn and grow is with lists of related snippets of relevant information.  Use your newsletter to offer a list of your top 5 or 10 tips on various subjects.  It really is quite easy to put together a list of tips, and much faster usually than putting together a full article.   The tips can come from articles you have already written, or those you hve read.  A lst of tips can grow into a full article too!  In journalism, we are taught to list your most important information first.  And so, your most important tip should be first and flow in order of descending importance.  (If you “save the best for last”, you risk losing your audience before they get to the most essential information.

7.  No One Corners the Market on Good Ideas!  Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger out there all alone looking for good information.  Interview contacts and associates whose expertise would interest your readers.  Are your best sources far away?  E-mail interviews are so easy to do just type up a list of questions and hit “Send.”.  Send 3 to 5 questions, edit aqnd clarify the responses you get for conciseness and space.  Ask your source to approve the final version.  Be sure to give your contributor attribution (and their business a shout out) as a thank you. (i.e., A one-sentence description of their business, phone number, their Web site URL, and e-mail address with your heartfelt thanks should be fine.)

8.  Have Some Great Resources? Share Them!  Take the opportunity to recommend good books and resources that you use in your business, possibly even offering full reviews in the review section of eBay and in your blogs.  These reviews will also have a great shelf life and can be used as features on a web site, in a blog on on eBay reviews also. 

9.  Source Questions from Your Customers and Contacts.  Invite your readers to write you with their burning questions, and answer one in each issue of your Newsletters.  Attribution is also correct when soliciting questions from your readership.  Right after their question, publish the person’s name, business, e-mail, and Web site address (with their permission of course). They will really enjoy the attention and free publicity! If their business benefits you may have an advertiser soon!

10.  Do Features on Your Readers:  Invite readers to send in profiles.  Ask them to tell you about themselves — their names, businesses, locations, and how they use the information gained from your newsletter.  Feature one profile in each issue or one every few issues, they too will really enjoy the attention and free publicity!

11.  Use Free Resources.  When all else fails, there is free content you can borrowout there on the web or ask your contacts!  There are dozens of Web sites offering hundreds of articles that you can use in your Newsletter.  The articles are free and available for you to use.  The only catch is that you’re required to leave the entire article intact, including the author’s promotional information.  They, like you, write these articles to build their own business.

This past weekend a fellow blogger indicated an interest in seeing a post or Guide on Newsletters.  This is a huge subject, but I will make an attempt to hit the high points for you in three seperate bloggs and Guides on the subject. 

The bottom line is this:  If you are in a business of any kind, you should have a newsletter or online magazine (sometimes referred to as an “E-zine”) to maintain contact with your customers.  On eBay these would be customers who have taken the time to subscribe and have indicated (by signing up) for your Newsletter. 

Truly, any business, from sales to service provider, can benefit from using a newsletter.

First, Name Your Newsletter:

Less really IS more with it comes to Newsletter titles…a good newsletter name is generally 2-4 words. If shorter, the title is ineffective in explaining what the newsletter is about.  A longer title is too hard to remember.  You want your Newsletter title to be memorable.

When choosing a name for your newsletter, make sure its abbreviation won’t be in conflict with well known and established “branding.”  For instance, USA is the United States of America or the US Army and is very well known, NBC is National Broadcasting Corporation, equally well known.  Using either of those acronyms would make your newsletter title confusing. 

A good newsletter title describes what your newsletter is about.  For example "Inside Victoria’s Closet” is a good name for a ladies online clothing store, while “Victoria’s Corner” is not because it does not indicate anything about the business the Newsletter supports.  “Victoria’s Clothing Corner,” or “Victoria’s Corner Ladies Clothing” would be far better.

Consider your newsletter purpose, topic and audience before deciding on a serious or playful approach to your Newsletter title. 

Examples are the best way to learn what works and what doesn’t.  Browse Newsletter or E-zine directories to see how various authors have found great newsletter names for different topics.  Sometimes, just checking out what others have done gets your own creative juices flowing and your imagination working overtime.  Those already in the business of publishing newsletters or E-zines have dedicated a significant amount of time and thought into finding just the right title -- you can save time and effort by learning directly from them.

Now Lets Talk About Content:

At a minimum, you should consider using your Newsletter to do the following:

Toot Your Own Horn:   Focus on providing your readers with useful information that enriches their lives and or eBay business!  If the information you provide is valuable, people will use it and be back for more!  That goal is never inconsistent with looking out for your own interests too: 

So, be sure to take at least 25 percent of your newsletter space for your own purposes and make it all about YOU, your sales, your eBay store and your activities.  Use the space to provide promotions for your services, products, books, and workshops, etc.  Be sure to add positive testimonials from customers who LOVE you.  Weave your business success stories into your Newsletter.  Share tips and tricks too.

Humor is always most welcome – but be careful not to offend.  Share something funny about your weekend, your business or other things in your life.  Humor draws readers closer to knowing you “personally.”

Like the Godfather (only nicer)…Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse:  Take a critical look at your Newsletter from the perspective of your subscribers.  It may be necessary, even if they KNOW you provide wonderful products and/or services, to convince them to “take another look” at your sales this month because of a “can’t resist” promotion or sale.  To get them to take that look, you will need a good “come-on” or enticement.  So, use the newsletter to offer your subscribers only a special, limited-time offer.  Some examples are:  10%, 20% or even 30% discount, free shipping, free gift included with subscriber order, free gift wrapping, or other “bonuses” that are available for your subscribers only.  Put your imagination to work to be creative and have fun.  Have a time limit on your offer.  If your customer will be prompted to act at all, putting a time limit on it will be the perfect inducement to act NOW.  You can see how promotions come in very handy for lean sales months.  Promotions are a powerful tactic, with little investment on your part.  Imaginative promotions can result in some very profitable sales cycles too.  Try one and see!

Package Your Product or Service and Offer A Lower Price Point.  This is a super strategy for clearance efforts to move aging merchandise or to build customer base.   As a regular customer and your subscriber, I may know you sell GREAT stuff and at very reasonable prices.  I also probably know you have super combined shipping too.  From past experience with you, I know that to get exactly what I want, and it is best to buy it from you as and when I see it.  However, right now I am a little strapped for cash and looking down the barrel at the holiday season.  So, I am more interested in getting more for my money through any bargains or lower-priced options I can find -- if you offer them to me, you continue to get my business.  Promotions for products that are packaged fit this bill, as would grouping goods or services and selling them as a group or lot.  When you know your customers, you can begin to offer them product groupings that are specifically geared toward them.  The more you sell, the more you profit – so it pays to know and sell in as many ways as possible to your specific customer base.

Promote Products and Services That Compliment Your Own
Do your blog readers or others on eBay ask you about a certain topics or a service that s related but not exactly what you offer?  If so, recommend a source!  Do remember that, in recommending someone, especially a service or a product you have not actually tried, is dangerous to your own credibility and reputation.  A good seller will be certain of those sites, products or services he or she recommends.  If a recommended provider fails, you'll blow the trust you've worked so hard to build up in your community and as a seller by association with a provider you recommended that burned your customers.  So, be careful.

Sell Ad Space:  Newsletters or “E-zine” ads probably won't make you rich, but they can be a resource for some extra money.  Most Newsletters offer sponsor ad (located prominently) and "classified" ads as space allows at the bottom.  Sponsor type ads typically cost three to five times more than a classified ad.  Start selling ad space by offering ad specials to your readers.  Then, also list your Newsletter or E-zine to advertising directories on the Web. These services help match advertisers with appropriate publishers.
Be careful when considering the advertising you accept.  It is your newsletter and you should be selective about the type of ads you accept.  While your readers know these ads don't represent YOUR business, the quality of the advertiser’s ads will indirectly influence your customer’s perception of you.

Understand the Tangible but Unseen Benefits of Your Newsletter.  Even if you aren't getting direct business from your newsletter in the early stages, you are still receiving many less obvious but important benefits.  That is, your newsletter helps to establish you as an expert in your field and providing increasing online exposure over time. The newsletter helps you to gain further credibility with current clients and customers while causing you to focus and package your knowledge, products and services into concise articles on a regular basis.  These articles can also be used for many other marketing uses over time.

Now Lets Talk About the Content (Guts) of Your Newsletter:  A Newsletter is the ideal opportunity to showcase your business.  By sharing your knowledge and expertise, you build credibility as an expert, while using the opportunity to spread the word about your services and products.  If you are at all familiar with my blogging and/or Guides on eBay, you now understand the reasons for the approach I take and the work I do in those areas on eBay.

Be sure to check out Part 2 on Newsletters, later this evening.  Each will also have a companion Guide always aailable to you too!

Please drop by my sales (Pepper120851) for some super Holiday Gift Items, Holiday sweaters and beautiful items for a holiday night out.  If you visit my store -- you get to name the price you pay everyday on ever item.  Check out my "Satisfaction is always guanteed" return policy and very generous combined shipping offers too!

Kind Regards & Happy Thanksgiving,

Pepper

EBay has a very defined procedure for bidders that don’t pay. However many new eBayers (and some experienced eBayers too), are unnecessarily heavy handed and emotional about it.

Here are the steps I use:

1. Send a positively framed upbeat and polite) reminder email requesting payment. Be gentle and polite but clear.  Set a time when you will take action if you do not hear from them and then put it on your calendar. Threats and demanding language are not necessary -- only follow through action is required.  If the gentle reminder fails to get action by the date you previosly specified, just deal with it by taking the next step.

2. The next step, if they still fail to pay is to go to "My eBay Page" and locate the link to the Dispute Resolution Center.  File a non-paying bidder dispute.

3. Follow instructions to make a claim, and file for a final value fee credit (to get your final value fees refunded to you)

4.  EBay will then contact the buyer. They issue a specific violation warning letting the customer know that the transaction is a contract and that there are consequences for not fulfilling the committment.  This often results in payment.  Bidders who receive three such warnings will be indefinitely suspended from eBay.  eBay's communication makes that clear aqnd you are left out of the "meanie" loop.

4.  Alternatively, in your terms of sale at the end of each auction description, place the following statement (or your own variation):

“If you fail to pay within 10 business days, this auction is cancelled by mutual agreement and the item will be returned to inventory.  I regret that I will also be forced to leave appropriate feedback for non-paying bidders.”

Then when you have a non-paying bidder, go to the eBay Non-Payment Bidder, there is a button you can check that indicates that this auction was cancelled by mutual agreement.  If you check this button, your final value fee will be immediately refunded without going through all the steps and waiting the full warning period. (eBay does email the NPB and ask if they agree -- but they almost always do, so they don't get an non-payer strike against them).

Hope this helps with managing those little problems.  NPBs don't happen often, but it never pays to let them ruin your day.  If you want to protect against those who have non paying strikes against them already by blocking them from bidding on your auctions, they can be automatically blocked from your sale when listing items Bottom right column in Turbo lister it is a box you can set up. 

Finally -- please don't forget to put the NPB in your blocked buyers list (see "Seller Resources" and follow instructions there). Then you never have to deal with that particular problem from that particular buyer more than once (which is always the best rule).

Hope this information helps you to manage your eBay business more efficiently. If you get time, please drop by my auctions (Pepper120851) where you get quality items at old fashioned bargains.  Please visit my store "The Write PlaceLadies Clothing" where YOU name the price you pay for every item, every day!

Kind Regards, Pepper

1.  Keywords are KEY.  Take the time to use the right ones and bidders come.  Use only words or phrases that legitimately pertain to your item (customers are turned off by keyword spamming).  Uuse words or phrases potential buyers might type as search words or a phrase.  I routinely use the manufacturer, item type, size, color and condition abbreviation.   It pays to take an extra few minutes to do a thorough description of your item.  Many times, when I see an item with a single line or short paragraph description, I am disappointed that I must ask a lot of questions or move on (I usually move on).  There are some keywords that are sure draws including old, vintage and sexy.  If relevant – use them, they build traffic to your sales. 

2.  Draw more traffic to your store and auctions by writing and posting an “About Me” page, join eBay Groups, set up your Blog, write  reviews or guides (or both).  Ebay users are both sociable and curious.  They want to know more about you and especially those with whom they share a key interest (eBay).  So, they spend some time reading  – if you are diligent and engaging they will be looking through your store and auctions in no time.

3.  Be seasonal.  You may personally dislike holidays but don’t let the "Grinch or Scrooge" lurking within make it into your ads or auctions.  If there's a holiday coming, recognize it and do sales and/or promotions related to it.  I thought I would try a Red and Green sale on Thanksgiving weekend – in which my subscribers can take 50% off any red or green items in my store.  My newsletter subscribers have fun with it and they know they are special because I do it for them.  If you are able to feature your sale with a hot seller holiday item or two, do so to draw holiday browsers.  During the holiday season put a special greeting in your invoices and auctions (use a keyword relative to your store for extra keyword exposure in searches).  Know the power of a newsletter.

4.   Use shortcuts and templates for descriptions.  A template is an already created ad that you just plug in the specific information.  Develop a series of them to cover whatever you sell.  When filling in the information use numbers rather than spelling out numbers (i.e., use "11" rather than "eleven."  This works for two reasons.  A buyer has many ads to go through and the more accurately they can scan (and the faster) the happier they will be with the shopping experience you provide them; and 2) Potential bidders do searches for single items not sets.  They key in the item name and search for what they want.  Generally, they want something far more specific than a set.  And, it is entirely possible to catch potential buyers who were not looking for your item but happened upon it while browsing (often brought there by the numbers match).  The idea is to maximize exposure any way you legally can.

5.  Be wise about what it costs to list and sell.  Stay away from $10.00 as a start price because it costs more than $9.99.  The same is true of any other even number such as $25, $50, or $200.  Bricks and Mortar storekeepers long ago learned that $9.99 looks less expensive that $10.00.  I will never understand how people can routinely sell things at 99 cents and not loose their shirts.  I have read that some folks use the 99 cents sales as "loss leaders" to get people into the store, but I have not yet tried this technique and will be VERY careful when and if I do.  I also believe that most are well tuned into the "if it sounds too good to be true -- it is" axiom and will not buy anyway.

6.  Specialize in what you have a great deal of interest in.  Are you an avid antiques or doll collector?  Do you know good jewelry from across a room?  Do you know the baseball statistics on your favorite teams since the turn of the century?  Are you an old movie buff with an attic full or posters or a theater person with a million Broadway programs from the last 30 years?  If so, these are obviously a passion.  When you follow your passion into a hobby you never resent the time spent doing it.  When you turn that hobby into online auctions (and eventually, a business), you have followed the dream and still love what you do.  In fact, you have done as every motivational speaker recommends….you have followed your passion into doing what you love to make a living.  So, even if you are dabbling now (and dabbling is good for learning and experimenting), work toward specializing in what you know and love.  When you specialize, you take knowledge into the effort but you constantly (and painlessly) learn as you grow, too.  If you learn enough and work at it hard enough you acquire expertise that is useful in selling, buying AND teaching others.  Specialization has other key benefits, too. When you are an expert, you get repeat customers who look to you for guidance and knowledge.  Happy customers share sources in clubs and hobbyist meetings, spreading the news about a great source (YOU).  You inspire and acquire customer loyalty.  I have several customers who have been coming to me for two years now who like the suggestions I make based on my experience with them personally and my taste generally.  One informed me she regularly reads my quarterly newsletter and visits my site once a week – whether she needs anything or not!

7. Communicate!  Get those invoices out soon after the auction and make sure the greeting is a positive, informative and grateful greeting.  If a seller has questions, answer them.  If you don’t already use the US Postal Service’s “Click and Ship" (where you can copy in an email thanking customers for their purchase and let them know you have mailed their item).  If you don't use the integrated mailing system, do send customers a quick canned email through Ebay that you sent the item (and when), providing a tracking number if you have one.  With Click and Ship they can also track their package.  People love knowing when their item is likely to arrive. For you as a seller, it is a couple of keystrokes to have a canned message and to copy and paste it and hit “send.” You will be amazed at how important this type of customer care can be.  It can bring plenty of business your way through repeat customers and word of mouth because you are efficient and communicate. 

8.  If you aren't already signed up with an online payment service (such as Paypal), join one now.  As a seller, you save postage and your customer saves wasted time sending a payment.  As a seller you get your payment sooner and can move the merchandise faster.  Fast is GOOD on Ebay.

9.  Check out the competition!  There is no worse feeling than to have sold a very expensive item for a very low price because you did not know its value.  If a brand is unfamiliar to you you might also not know how to draw bidders to your site to bid on it.  Do searches for items similar to yours. Take a critical look at the ads and pricing – especially if there are more bidders and higher prices.  You can learn much from your competition.  Shamelessly steal good ideas or take a reasonable idea and make them much better. 

10.  If you can’t write well or spell you are in good company.  However this is where you copy and paste (control + C and control + V) your ad into a word processing program, check it for grammar and spelling (the computer does it for you in seconds with tools “Spelling and Language”).  Then copy (control + C) and paste (control +V) , it back into the ad.  This is important because, when a potential buyer clicks the tiny search box beneath the main search box, ("Search in title & description,"), that single choice turns EVERY word in your description into a keyword!!!  A misspelled keyword is a squandered opportunity to bring biddrs your way.

11.  When possible, use coupons, discounts or buy in large lots to save money.   I have seen many clothing sellers who routinely comb the discount ladies clothing stores to find great merchandise on sale.  Each penny saved on the purchase is more profit at the end.  Buy in lots (more than one item per auction), if you routinely go to auctions and they have an interesting box lot – buy the box lot if there are one or two treasures you are sure will make at least the money you spent on the box lot back for you.  Then the sale of other items then becomes pure profit.

12.  Get a “Logo” and a “Look” for your stores and auctions.  Consistently use it throughout your paperwork (invoices, receipts, business cards, packing slips, etc.) You can do it yourself by learning a little hypertext mark up language (HTML).  There are tons of cheat sheets on the web that can help you “professionalize” your listings. It is an adventure that, to some, is great fun.  If you don’t want to do it, there are lots of folks on eBay who will do it for you in the colors and types of font you want for a set price.  My Blog Banner was only $19.99 from a fellow Ebayer.

13.  If you sell your merchandise in lots, make sure your ad extols the virtue of buying a lot (savings on postage, etc.).  If you can demonstrate the actual savings a buyer makes buying by the lot in your ad, that draws buyers too. 

14.  Believe it or not, there are some sellers who actually make a hobby and/or a living reselling what was not listed well to begin with!  THAT shows you how important a well written listing can be.  It is so hard to imagine that one could buy an item, pay to have it shipped and resell it for a bigger profit still!  Yet -- they do it everyday.  There are many methods for doing this but a fellow Ebayer shared her process with me for this article, since she does it as a hobby.  She goes to Ebay search and simply searches on "old."  That brings up an unlimited list of things for sale that might qualify for purchase and resale.  Then she just starts browsing through.  She looks for items that have resale potential being sold with poorly written ads or by new sellers.  When she finds something interesting, she will ask questions about the item before bidding if there is time. Then, she will research similar items recently resold before making a decision on the potential purchase for resale and the maximum that what her high bid will be.  Of course, sometimes snap decisions are necessary when she finds items with only a few minutes left in the auction.  This leads us to how to check to see if you might have the deal of the century for resale…..(see next item)

15.  Your eBay search has led you to what you think might be the greatest buy for resale of all time.  You want to snag a bargain and resell for a fine profit.  The question remains -- can I make a profit on it?  You can check into it instantly.  Open the Ebay home page and do a search for the item “St. John Jeans.”  The results returned will offer those for sale now, but the final likely value won't be there because they are not yet completed sales.  This doesn't give me the bottom line I need to make a decision on resale, but it does show me the numbers of interested buyers and bidding rythym for the item.  I need to also know how much they went for in recently completed sales.  So, I look down on the left column of the page and click on "Completed Items."  Here, I can see a list of similar items and what they sold for.  This information gives me a pretty good look at what I can expect to make if I pick up this pair of St. John Jeans and and resell them in the present market. 

16.  Keep it all friendly and upbeat – be approachable – love what you do.  It shows, and people come back for more.  I happen to love the old Annandale counter Ebay used to have that said simply “Thanks for Looking.”  It was functional and was a nice simple message that is exactly what I would say if I could talk to each visitor to my sales. 

17.  Pictures are important.  Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.  Many will not bid on items they cannot see first.  A good picture often holds up a less than perfect ad.  People can see what they are interested in.  Items with images get more hits because there are many Ebayers who will search on those ads with galleries only.  The exposure a gallery gives you is very valuable for your sale and profit potential.  So do get a camera and learn to use it -- simple is better and a cheap camera is fine for the internet. 

18.  If your asking price supports it, use additional or packaged listing features.  Just be careful that you are aware and keep track of additional costs to sell the item.  Obviously, a gallery picture is a must because there are some bidders who never take the time to look at ads without them.  The exposure to the market place ones gets with a gallery is an essential in my book.  The only exception I can think of for using Gallery photos is something that costs less than five dollars.  However, I always use them.

19:  There is no denying that feedback is critical.  However, don't let a seller's few feedback with only a few successful sales or a lot of feed back with a few negatives in a year deter you.  All sellers run into that customer who is impossible to please, no matter how far they will go to try.  We all get to the point where we recognize that a few negatives come with the territory.  There are those who use feedback as a bargaining chip (bad) and the seller may have been the victim of vengeance feedback, which is bad feedback having nothing at all to do with the actual transaction.  I am truly convinced there are people out there who just plain delight in negativity and feedback spoiling.  Don't be bullied by them and don't be turned off from a seller who has been a victim of it -- look at the overall feedback profile as a whole to decide to deal with them. 

20.  I have said it before, and I say it again – don’t hide profit in the postage.  It is now against Ebay policy, but more importantly, buyers really resent it.  The lower your postage, the more bidders you will have.  Give bidders an option to buy insurance (recommending it for fragile items).  I make it clear (without being nasty) that you will not be responsible for items not insured.  This is simply to put both the risk and the choice to insure or not to insure -- with the buyer -- where it belongs.  

21.  Accept returns, the little hassle you have with them is well made up for by the additional customer base you get from it.  People work hard for their money and if they are trying to save using Ebay, they really don't want to take a chance on something that might possibly be a waste of their money.  Making