The Auction Phenomenon

Online Auctions such as eBay have really grown in popularity over the past few years. And it's easy to understand why. From a buyers perspective when you browse eBay you can find just about anything you might be looking for. From collectable to clothing, from automobiles to the odd and weird. It's listed for auction on eBay. And from a sellers point of view if you have something that is worth selling, you are bound to find a buyer for it at eBay.

As explained in my book "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" eBay is a community of members who can buy/sell items locally, nationally and internationally. And while eBay has over 100 million members there are rarely any real problems between buyers and sellers. I believe much of this can be attributed to the eBay feedback. Feedback is where buyers and sellers can leave comments on their experience with each other. Whether is was a good or a bad transaction, you can read about it in the feedback. Now I won't lead you to believe there are no problems at all, because that would not be right. But all in all things run very smoothly.

Harris Poll did a survey regarding online auctions that I found quite interesting. 43% of participants said that they bid at online auctions looking for bargains, 23% said they are looking for hard-to-find items and 21% were looking for collectables.

When it came to how confident buyers are at receiving their purchases, 54% were confident and 40% were very confident they would have no problems receiving their product. This compared to only 1% who was not confident.

51% of those surveyed said they always, check feedback before buying from a seller and 36% said they usually do. Only 3% said they never check. I've got to believe that this 3% are newbies.

A whopping 83% of participants said they had bid and purchased items. With 51% saying the average value of the product bought was up to $50.00. 24% said the value was $51. - $100. and 21% said $101. - $500.

66% paid for their items by personal check, cashier check or money order to the seller. While 44% paid by credit card using the third party payment service listed on the auction. And 59% said they had never experienced a problem with their purchases.

Considering eBay recently reported $14.87 billion in annual merchandise sales, there is generally very little problems between buyers and sellers. That is one of the reasons eBay makes such a great Home Based Business.

Happy Selling! Joe Clare

Joe Clare is an active Netpreneur and eBayer! He is the author of numerous articles on how to make money online and be successful on eBay! Check out his latest Best Selling eBook "eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak" Your Passport to Success! at www.ebooksnsoftware.com

 How To Cut Your eBay Fees By More Than 90%
Now, are you ready for the REAL TRUTH about selling on eBay?

It's simple; don't list too many items for sale using their auction format. Instead, set up one of their stores. The cost starts at just $9.99 per month.

Why is this a good idea?

Let's do the math:

If you list an item for sale using the auction format, the cost is anywhere from $.35 on up to several dollars PER AUCTION. What's worse is that the auctions are only good for 3, 5, 7, or 10 days.

BETTER WAY: Sell the item in your eBay store. The listing price is just 2 or 3 cents per item...and get this...They're good for a FULL 30 days! For example, I recently sold a $500 item that I listed in my eBay store. The listing cost me a whopping 3 cents! The same item, if I'd sold it using the auction. . . .
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 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 the auction closes, and confirm that you're still the top bidder -- no one has challenged you in several days. You're already picturing "your" statue prominently displayed on the living room mantelpiece, your friends green with envy as you tell them about the great deal you got on eBay. You refresh the page a few times, to make sure you're still #1. You even up your bid a little just to make sure no body tries to outbid you at the last minute.

50 seconds to go...30...10...the auction has ended and the statue is yours!! You refresh the page fo. . . .
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 Taking Paypal on eBay
Accepting Paypal as a payment method might increase your selling prices and your profits. This depends on what you are selling. I sell collectibles to collectors. My clients are like junkies. They will buy regardless of the payment options, so not offering Paypal won't make much difference in the final selling prices.

If you sell items with high competition, accepting Paypal will make your auctions more attractive. This also holds true for impulse buys. Plus, you can get paid instantly through Paypal.

Here's a few suggestions for increasing your profits by accepting Paypal:

1. Select accept Paypal in the auction listing process to get the Paypal logo into your auction. You can put in the auction description that you accept Paypal, but unless you use the Paypal logo som. . . .
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 Using Paypal for eBay Purchases
Paypal is the preferred payment choice for many buyers because Paypal allows buyers to pay instantly for eBay purchases. In this article, we will review using Paypal on eBay from the buyer's point of view.

Since eBay purchased Paypal, it has become even easier for buyers and sellers to complete auction sales. Buyers like Paypal because they can quickly and easily pay online. In fact, some bidders will only bid on items they can pay for with Paypal.

One thing that confuses buyers is some sellers accept Paypal payments through credit cards, while others only accept transfers. You see, with Paypal a buyer can fund the transaction in three ways. This can confuse buyers, and cause problems.

Here's the three ways to fund a Paypal transaction:

1. Transfer from a bank a. . . .
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 Nine Simple eBay Selling Hints
Some of these eBay hints will save you money, others will result in higher prices. Either way, these will help you run more profitable eBay auctions.

1. Write a simple description and do not clutter your auction with unneeded items like animated Gifs, and colored backgrounds. Remember, you are selling not entertaining.

2. Charge a flat rate for shipping, and mention the shipping costs prominently within your auction description.

3. Write a title that accurately describes your item. Use manufacturers name and model number within the title if applicable.

4. Write a detailed description that allows prospective bidders to make a decision about purchasing the item. A basic tip is the description can never be too long as long as it is describing the item.

5. In. . . .
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