Key word spamming occurs when members place brand names or other inappropriate or unrelated keywords in a title or description for the purpose of gaining attention or diverting members to a listing. This is also called search engine manipulation. Keyword spamming in your title or listing is not permitted on eBay. The searchable text sellers place in listings must be directly relevant to the item being sold.
When doing store critiques, I have seen this tactic used many times. I’m not sure why the spammers even think that buyers will buy from them in the first place – it is …read more

Feedback is eBay’s seller and buyer evaluation system that indicates a user’s reputation on eBay. As a seller, you want to build your feedback score to indicate your reputation and experience. Here are a few tricks for building your feedback score quickly.
1) Buy small, inexpensive items such as office supplies, 1 cent CDs and DVDs, paperback books, school supplies, cosmetics – things you will actually use. As soon as the item is received, ask your seller to leave feedback for you.
2) Leave feedback quickly for your buyers and sellers that you buy from. They will usually reciprocate.
3) Ask your sellers …read more

Possibly yes and possibly no. There are many ways you can make money on eBay, but keep in mind that eBay is like any other business. It takes commitment, persistence, and a hard work ethic to make a profitable business. If you don’t consider eBay selling as a business, you can very well lose money. Here are some benefits to having an eBay business:
1) Tax advantages for a home business. Many of your expenses such as internet access, supplies, mileage, and a portion of your mortgage can be written off on your personal income taxes.
2)You can make money by selling …read more

This is a common question from new eBay sellers, and the answer will vary from seller to seller. So, I will answer this question with a few other questions.
How much time do you have to dedicate to listing items each day? 30 minutes, one hour, or more? Once you are selling on eBay, you will also need time for shipping your items, answering questions, shopping for new items to sell, and other home office duties. eBay is much more than just listing items.
Do you have a room full of items ready to sell, or will you have to go out …read more

Selling on eBay is more than just filling in spaces on a computer screen. If you are a new seller and aren’t sure how to manage listing an item, these steps will help you.
1) List items in batches of 5-10 items. Batching items is more time efficient than listing one at a time.
2) Prepare the item to be photographed (iron it, remove stains, clean it, etc.).
3) Take pictures. Click here for tips on taking good photos.
4) Edit pictures. If your pictures don’t turn out well, retake them. It is worth the time investment.
5) Put items that have been photographed in …read more

Those cool backgrounds are called auction or listing templates. Quite a few websites exist that provide free auction templates, memberships to use pre-fab templates, or you can even hire designers to create templates especially for you. Here are a few ways to get “those cool” backgrounds on your listings.
1) Write the HTML yourself.
2) Hire someone (look on eBay under Graphic Design Services) to write the HTML for you.
3) Use Auctiva, Auction Supplies, or Xample.net, they are free.
4) The eBay Coach preferred method – Seller Sourcebook (SSB). This membership is not free, but some things are worth paying for. SSB provides …read more

This is a very common question. First of all, don’t panic. It is not the end of the world if your item doesn’t sell. You have several options.
1) Relist the item.
2) Add the item to your store inventory with best offer.
3) Relist the item and change an element on your listing. Change the photo, change the key words in the title. Change the price or shipping fee.
4) Do nothing. Leave the item in your “unsold items” folder and wait a few weeks, and list it again.
Don’t be discouraged if an item doesn’t sell right away. This just means that the …read more

Calculating shipping for an item is not as complicated as you may think. If you plan to start selling regularly on eBay, you will want to invest in a digital scale. You can find them for $10 or less at office supply stores, or my favorite place – eBay!
To calculate the shipping fee, weigh your item. Let’s say you are selling men’s polo shirts. The weight will be around 10 ounces. Go to USPS.com and determine the shipping cost for an item weighing 10 ounces.
Next, check what the competition is doing. Do a search on eBay for Men’s polo shirts, …read more

This is a common question, and one that will be answered regularly on eShopOwner. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to acquire your inventory from wholesalers, dropshippers, or purchase truckloads of items at a time to make money on eBay.
Here are a few sources of inventory – some of which you may not have thought of!
1) Your own home. You probably have unwanted gifts, new clothing with tags, outgrown clothing, toys that aren’t played with, stacks of CDs and DVDs, and duplicate kitchen gadgets.
2) Thrift stores and garage sales.
3) Off-price stores like Marshalls, Stein Mart, Ross, and TJ …read more

Here are some simple suggestions for a successful eBay store:
1. Study your eBay Store traffic reports. With this information, you can make educated adjustments to your store that will improve your sales. You must continue to pay attention to what’s happening in your store, and what’s happening in the competition’s stores.
2. List your entire inventory in your eBay Store. At $0.03 per listing, 500 items will only cost $15 per month. Your store listings will show up on eBay searches and on search engines, driving traffic to your store. The more items you have to attract buyers the more …read more