Thanks to a member of the SAHMs eBay Seller Group on Facebook for sharing this tip about Free eBay Store Templates. If you are looking to jazz up your store pages or give them a facelift, try the free templates.

Four templates are available. To use the templates:

1) Choose from one of the four templates.
2) Download it to your desktop.
3) Follow the directions from the installation file.
4) Log into your store to add the HTML for your customized page.

Fast and easy, and you will be amazed at the difference.

[Image Source: Flickr, eBay Coach Photos]

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Stores – Free Store Templates

Hot List Publish Date: November 11, 2008. Discontinued consumer products are a part of eBay and buyers (collectors) will pay top dollar for them. The eBay Coach Hot List contains 14 items that can be found at grocery stores, drug stores, closeout stores, off-price stores, and other common retail establishments. Issue 3 of the eBay Coach Hot List report reveals:

7 Discontinued Drug Store Items

2 Discontinued Grocery Items

3 Discontinued Beauty Items

1 Vintage Item

1 Media Item

The eBay Coach Hot List explains exactly where to find these items, the retail (shelf) price, the average selling price on eBay, and examples of completed listings on eBay over the last 30 days. Most of these items can be found in your community at grocery stores, Walmart, Target, drug stores, outlet stores, and the mall.

One interesting item on the hot list is a beauty product that has been around since 1960 and is no longer available. Women are going nuts looking for this one! You may be able to find it in your community. Selling price on eBay is 10 times the retail (shelf) price. Click here to get the issue 3 of the eBay Coach Hot List.

[Image Source: eBay Coach Blog]

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Coach Hot List – November 2008

Part of running a business is knowing your expenses, so that you can then track your profit. Do you really know how much you make per item per sale? eBay and Paypal fees are always changing, so you must take these factors into consideration when calculating your profit.

If you look at the numbers regularly, you can make educated business decisions about pricing adjustments and when it is time to stop selling an item and move on. I came across this free spreadsheet on the eBay Groups board. eBay member unclejoeadamson has it all figured out based on listing type, insertion fees, add-ons, promos, and Paypal fees. If you currently are not tracking your expenses and costs, or want to try a new system, download this spreadsheet for free and give it a try. The spreadsheet is in Excel, so it is very easy to work with.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Free Spreadsheet for Tracking eBay Profits

Check out Griff’s eBay Radio Show from October 21, where he interviews my friend and fellow seller Laurie DeAgostino. Laurie has been an eBay seller for several years, working at home while caring for her two small children. Laurie’s professional background is in retail buying, which definitely comes in handy as she runs her eBay clothing store, Jordan & Jack.

Laurie is also a member of the SAHM’s eBay Facebook Group, where she helps answer your questions about eBay selling, running a home business, organizational tips, and understanding the eBay market. (She is a tremendous asset to the group and always provides great insight and professional responses!)

Be sure to take 10 minutes and listen to the interview, you might learn something new from Laurie.

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Radio Features SAHM Seller

Times may seem tough with the stock market collapse, high gas prices, and the economy in general. Stay positive. This too shall pass. Thinking negative thoughts creates negative situations. Thinking positive thoughts create positive situations. It is all about The Law of Attraction. You get back what you put out there.

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Sales Down? Stay Positive!

The fundamental rules of customer service apply to eBay sellers as well. When responding to customer inquiries, always keep these tips in mind:

1) Reply quickly and accurately

2) Always be friendly and courteous

3) Never send one word email responses

4) Use “please” and “thank you”

5) Start the reply with “Thank you for contacting us.”

6) At the end of every email, inlcude “if you have any other questions, please contact us again.”

7) If possible, use the buyer’s name

8) Always include your name in the email

For a collection of free eBay business letters, visit the eBay Coach Library on Yahoo Groups.

[Image Source:Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Tips for Responding to eBay Customer Questions

Today’s post is by guest blogger Kristine A. McKinley, CPA, and CFP® – an accountant who specializes in helping self-employed individuals who work from home and/or on the internet.

Tax tips in September? You may think it’s too early to think about taxes, but the truth is you need to do tax planning year-round so you don’t miss out on any tax benefits that you are entitled to. If you wait until tax season to think about taxes, you could miss out on tax deductions and credits that you would otherwise qualify for.

Here are some quick tips to help make sure you don’t overpay Uncle Sam this year:

1. Keep good records. Many people miss out on valuable tax deductions simply because they misplaced a receipt or didn’t record a business expense/purchase.

2. Know what expenses you can deduct. Another reason people miss out on deductions is because they don’t know what they can deduct. Here are some of the common tax deductions for eBay sellers: inventory, shipping, eBay fees, PayPal fees, office supplies, internet fees, computer software and equipment, contract labor (VA or eBay assistant), fax, and phone. You should keep an eye on new tax laws for new tax deductions and credits that you may qualify for.

3. Don’t be afraid of deductions because you’ve heard they are a “red flag”. Many people choose not to take the automobile expense deduction or the home office deduction because they are afraid of being audited. These deductions can be substantial if you travel a lot for your business or if you have a designated home office. As long as you qualify for and have proper documentation, there is no reason why you should not take these deductions!

4. Don’t forget the self employment tax. As a sole proprietor, you are subject to SE taxes (15.3%) on your net profits, and this is on top of your regular income tax! This can really sneak up on new business owners, so a good rule of thumb is to set aside 25-30% of your net profits for taxes. You may also need to make estimated tax payments to avoid interest and penalties.

5. Final tax tip, and this one is my favorite! Consider hiring your children to help in your eBay business. In addition to allowing your children to earn a little extra money, and teaching them about business, there are several tax benefits to hiring your children.

I hope you found these tax tips helpful! This is just the tip of the iceburg… for more tax tips for eBay sellers and other ebiz owners, please visit Internet Biz Tax Tips.

Kristine offers financial and tax planning on an hourly, fee-only basis. She specializes in helping online business owners understand and minimize their income taxes.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Tax Tips for Home eBay Sellers

“eBay Secrets” is an oxymoron. There aren’t any. eBay is like anything else – you just have to do your homework, keep your eyes and ears open, and pay attention. Everything you need to know is out there already.

For example, Join eBay groups on social websites like Facebook, MySpace, StumbleUpon, and Yahoo Groups. Network, network, network, and read what other people have to say. You will always learn more by listening (reading) than by talking.

You can also attend free eBay seminars in your community. Look for these at the local library, recreation center, churches, senior citizens center, or YMCA.

Search completed listings on eBay to see what items have sold at what price. Use sites like Terapeak to research completed eBay sales.

Listen to free eBay podcasts through iTunes. All kinds of sellers are out there talking about eBay selling.

Read more ways to unlock the so-called eBay Secrets” that internet marketers want you to pay for.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

eBay Secrets

My Facebook addiction has moved to a new level! Come join my new group on Facebook, Stay at Home Moms who Sell on eBay. This group offers eBay tips, support, and information about how to make more money selling on eBay from the comfort of home.

This group will replace the eBay Coach Forum, which is being gradually phased out. Let’s face it, Facebook is the place to be. Facebook allows you to get to know other members of the group on a more personal level, and you’ll agree that Facebook is just fun. With over 100 million users now, we can meet lots of other sellers with different experiences and knowledge. More members = more participation = more information = more sales and more profits.

You do not have to be a SAHM to join this group, however, Domestic Goddesses and Divas will prevail! If you don’t have a Facebook account, don’t worry. You can create a profile in just a few minutes and it is free.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Facebook Group for SAHMs Who Sell on eBay

As a continuation of my post titled, “How to Reduce eBay Shipping Costs,” let’s look at some other ways to reduce eBay costs and increase our profit margin. You may have to do some analysis, but you can find ways to trim your expenses and therefore increase your profits.

1) Use caution with listing upgrades such as bold, highlight, gallery plus, and photo enhancements. Do your own research to determine if these upgrades affect your sales. Upgrades are expensive – do you really need them?

2) Pay attention to eBay Insertion Fees and the tiered pricing. Pricing an auction item between $1 and $9.99 costs 35 cents in listing fees. Pricing an item between $10 and $24.99 costs 55 cents. Study the insertion fee costs and decide if it is more cost effective to set your starting price in the lower tier to save money on your insertion fees. So, assume your item sells for $10. You have just paid 20 cents to make a penny. Doesn’t make much sense, right?

3) When shipping USPS Priority Mail, consider using the Tyvek envelopes instead of a box. The envelopes weigh less, and you will pay less for shipping. (This isn’t always possible if you are shipping fragile or breakable items, but something to think about.)

4) Use generic or recycled printer cartridges. eBay sellers print a lot of shipping labels and invoices. Consider trimming this expense by investigating recycled printer cartridges.

5) Take advantage of relisting credits. From the eBay Help Index, ” if your listing ends without a winning buyer or ends with an Unpaid Item (UPI), you may qualify for a credit by relisting the item. If the item sells the second time, eBay will refund the Insertion Fee for relisting.”

Read a complete list of 12 suggestions for increasing your profit margin on eBay. A small leak can sink a large ship. Pay attention to the little things, they can add up in a hurry.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

A Small Leak Can Sink a Great Ship – Reduce Your eBay Expenses