Ebay Business The Smart Way
Maximize Your Profits on the Web's #1 Auction Site
3rd Edition
Published on 16. December 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
544 pages
978-0-8144-7394-8 (ISBN)
Description
"With over 200 million registered users and net revenues in the billions, eBay is indisputably the world's most popular online auction site, an international marketplace that runs full speed ahead, 24-hours a day, seven days a week. This unique and ever-growing realm offers virtually limitless opportunities for those ready to take advantage of it -- but to make the most of eBay, you need the right knowledge, timing, and techniques to stand out from the crowd.
Now completely updated in a third edition, eBay Business the Smart Way gives you the inside track to online auction success. Still the most comprehensive eBay guide available, this trusted resource gives you clear examples, bulleted checklists, and valuable ""insider"" tips to help you:
Set your business up legally.
Build credibility and brand recognition.
Pick the best business model for your needs.
Choose the right type of auction for each selling situation.
Use the latest software to manage auctions, inventory, business processes, and accounting.
Hire employees and even get help without hiring employees.
Learn just enough HTML and Web design to make your spot on the Web look phenomenal.
You'll find out all you need to know about licenses, shipping, taxes, and liability, as well as how to create a storefront website, find products to sell, and save expenses by buying business supplies on eBay. Plus, this expanded third edition includes brand new chapters on security concerns and legislation affecting multi-state sales tax, as well as the latest information on PayPal, Andale, Google, Froogle, and eBay-owned features including eBay Stores, Skype, Turbo Lister, Shopping.com, and much more.
The book is a tremendous timesaver that lets you focus more on selling your products and less on business processes, helping you to contend with an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace, escalating online theft and fraud, and continuously changing tax legislation and updates to the site. Whether you're new to eBay or an experienced seller seeking to take your online auction business to the next level, eBay Business the Smart Way lays out straightforward, easy-to-understand guidelines and strategies that combine good old-fashioned common sense with state-of-the-art Web savvy techniques.
Comprehensive, practical, and completely up-to-date, this latest edition of eBay Business the Smart Way is the essential key to running a low-risk, high-profit online auction business. It's the one book you need to get the most you can out of this exciting, one-of-a-kind online arena, and see your profits soar."
Now completely updated in a third edition, eBay Business the Smart Way gives you the inside track to online auction success. Still the most comprehensive eBay guide available, this trusted resource gives you clear examples, bulleted checklists, and valuable ""insider"" tips to help you:
Set your business up legally.
Build credibility and brand recognition.
Pick the best business model for your needs.
Choose the right type of auction for each selling situation.
Use the latest software to manage auctions, inventory, business processes, and accounting.
Hire employees and even get help without hiring employees.
Learn just enough HTML and Web design to make your spot on the Web look phenomenal.
You'll find out all you need to know about licenses, shipping, taxes, and liability, as well as how to create a storefront website, find products to sell, and save expenses by buying business supplies on eBay. Plus, this expanded third edition includes brand new chapters on security concerns and legislation affecting multi-state sales tax, as well as the latest information on PayPal, Andale, Google, Froogle, and eBay-owned features including eBay Stores, Skype, Turbo Lister, Shopping.com, and much more.
The book is a tremendous timesaver that lets you focus more on selling your products and less on business processes, helping you to contend with an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace, escalating online theft and fraud, and continuously changing tax legislation and updates to the site. Whether you're new to eBay or an experienced seller seeking to take your online auction business to the next level, eBay Business the Smart Way lays out straightforward, easy-to-understand guidelines and strategies that combine good old-fashioned common sense with state-of-the-art Web savvy techniques.
Comprehensive, practical, and completely up-to-date, this latest edition of eBay Business the Smart Way is the essential key to running a low-risk, high-profit online auction business. It's the one book you need to get the most you can out of this exciting, one-of-a-kind online arena, and see your profits soar."
More details
Edition
3rd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: 14 years
Dimensions
Height: 89 mm
Width: 69 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
2 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8144-7394-8 (9780814473948)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Sinclair is one of the world's foremost eBay experts. His previous books for AMACOM have earned media attention worldwide.
Content
"Acknowledgmentsix
I. Introducing eBay Business 1
1. Introduction 3
Who Should Read This Book? 6
eBay's Place 8
eBay's Competition 10
You're in Business Now 11
Customer Service 11
Find Your Niche 11
Be Prepared to Work 12
State of Retail 13
Call to Action 14
II. Getting Started 21
2. Setting Yourself Up Legally 23
Sole Proprietorship 23
Partnership 27
Corporations 31
Hybrid Business Forms 34
Virtual Businesses 34
And Then You Grow 35
Taxation 36
Resources 36
Conclusion 38
3. Business Details 15
Sales Tax License 15
Business License 18
Regulations 18
Employees 19
Independent Contractors 19
Insurance 23
Bank Accounts 24
Tax Number 24
Merchant Credit Card Account 25
Trademarks 25
Accounting 26
Branding 27
Inspiration 33
Resources 35
4. Equipment, Supplies, and Space 37
Hardware 37
Software 39
Internet Access 40
Home Router 41
Long Distance Service 42
Business Machines 44
Office Furniture 45
Office Supplies 46
Office Premises 46
Storage, Packing, and Shipping 46
Home Office Tax Deduction 47
Inexpensive Home Office 48
On the Road 50
5. Borrowing Money 53
Business Plan 53
Savings 56
Credit Cards 56
Relatives 58
Angels 58
Banks 58
Other Lending Sources 63
Lenders for eBay Businesses 66
Resources 66
6. Amnesty for Criminals Like You 67
The Case 67
The Situation 69
The Agreement 72
The Reality 75
Pandora's Box 80
Summary 81
III. Conducting Business 83
7. Selling on eBay 85
Types of Auctions 85
Listing an Auction 88
Taboo Items 96
Illicit Practices 100
Your Marketplace 101
Passive Endeavor 101
Text-Box and Banner Advertising on eBay 102
Power Sellers 103
The Heart of the Matter 103
8. Auction Details 105
Advertising 105
Placement 115
Timing 115
Valuation 118
Linking 118
About Me 118
Final Details 119
Where the Work Is 120
9. Photography 121
Taking Photographs 121
Digital Cameras 128
Image Services 130
10. Using Image Software 135
The Digital Darkroom 136
Image Editing 137
File Formats 142
Summary 143
11. Pricing 145
Prices 146
eBay Research 146
Online Research 147
Analytic Research 149
Offline Research 150
Appraisers 150
Trial and Error 152
Selling Strategy 153
12. Special Auctions 155
Special Section Auctions 156
Separate Auctions 157
The Reality 163
Non-eBay Marketplaces 163
13. Fulfillment 167
Drop Shipping 167
Normal Operations 169
The Digital Goal 190
14. Receiving Payment 193
Merchant Credit Card Account 193
If You Can't Get a Merchant Account 196
Money Orders and Cashier's Checks 197
Checks 200
Online Payment Services 201
Cash on Delivery (COD) 203
Bidding Qualification 203
Don't Sell on Credit 203
What Should You Do? 205
15. Finding Inventory 207
Basics 207
Hot Tip 221
Go for It! 221
IV. Handling the Unpleasant 223
16. Dealing with Buyer Fraud 225
Fraud 225
Remedies? 234
Some Afterthoughts 236
Pawnshops 237
17. Security 239
Equipment 241
Software 246
Passwords 250
Accounts 252
Social Engineering 255
Free Email 257
Safe Transactions 258
Case Study 258
Backups 260
Counterfeits 263
Disaster Plan 264
Security Checklist 264
Summary 266
V. Making It Work 267
18. Software Features 269
Auction Management Software 269
eCommerce Software 273
19. Software Assistance 275
eBay's Programming Aids 276
PayPal Extended 280
Andale 281
Broadband 287
Auction Management Services and Software 287
Custom Programming 290
Accounting Software 290
20. PayPal Today 291
Extended Services 293
Website Services 294
Summary 296
21. Expanding Your Market with Datafeeds 297
Datafeed Markets 297
Craig's List 305
Summary 306
22. Selling Internationally 307
Selling 308
Buying to Sell 315
Buying 317
Merged Markets 317
New Yankee Traders in Force 318
23. Customer Service 321
Feedback 322
Credit Card Chargebacks 322
Guarantees 323
Warranties 325
Payment 325
Escrow.com 326
Bonding 327
Square Trade 328
Authentication Services 328
Returns 329
Communication 329
Full Information 329
Software 330
Offline Customer Service 330
Experiment 330
Know Your Customers 331
Not Just This or That 332
VI. Operating Smart 333
24. Storefronts 335
What Is a Storefront? 335
Informal eBay Storefront 337
eBay Stores 338
An eBay Business 343
Marketing 345
Website 347
eCommerce Software 349
Bonding to eBay 353
About Me Webpage 354
eBay's Hidden Market 355
Summary 360
25 Determining Your Profit 363
How Are You Doing? 363
Expenses 368
Profit 371
Your Time As a Resource 371
Summary 374
26. Developing a Strategy 375
Building a Product Profit Model 375
Finding Inventory 380
Commodity Products 383
Value-Added Products 388
Time 392
Not the Same 392
27. Education 393
eBay University 394
Books About eBay 395
College Extension Courses 395
eBay Audios 395
eBay Videos 395
eBay WBT Tutorials 396
Business Seminars 396
Business Books 397
Web Development Tutorials 397
Web Development Books 397
Community 398
eBay Live 398
Summary 400
VII. Other eBay Business 401
28. Selling Services on eBay 403
Advertising 404
What to Sell? 405
Strategy 410
Elance 412
Buying Services on Elance 416
Summary 416
29. Integrating eBay with Offline Retail 417
Trial 417
Combined Accounting 418
A Special Business 420
Customer Service 420
Summary 421
30. Using eBay for Marketing 423
Compared to What? 423
The Plan 424
Other Businesses 427
Summary 429
31. Consignment Selling and Other Businesses 431
Consignment 432
Other Businesses 437
Use Elance 439
32. Buying on eBay 441
Normal Buying 441
Buying for Your Business 441
Organizing Your Buying 445
Guarantee 449
Services 449
Software 450
We Have Stories 450
33. Marketing Media 451
Blog 451
Podcasting 455
Summary 457
Appendix IThe Top 10 Tips for Beginning an eBay Business 459
Appendix IIThe Top 12 Tips for Seasoned eBay Businesses 461
Appendix IIIThe Top 9 Tips for Business Buyers 463
Appendix IVCross-Promotion Example 465
Appendix VHTML Tutorial 467
Defining a Webpage 469
Markups Alphabetically 471
Anchors and Hyperlinks 494
Example Webpage 495
Viewing the Webpage Source 496
eBay HTML 497
Summary 498
Index 499"
I. Introducing eBay Business 1
1. Introduction 3
Who Should Read This Book? 6
eBay's Place 8
eBay's Competition 10
You're in Business Now 11
Customer Service 11
Find Your Niche 11
Be Prepared to Work 12
State of Retail 13
Call to Action 14
II. Getting Started 21
2. Setting Yourself Up Legally 23
Sole Proprietorship 23
Partnership 27
Corporations 31
Hybrid Business Forms 34
Virtual Businesses 34
And Then You Grow 35
Taxation 36
Resources 36
Conclusion 38
3. Business Details 15
Sales Tax License 15
Business License 18
Regulations 18
Employees 19
Independent Contractors 19
Insurance 23
Bank Accounts 24
Tax Number 24
Merchant Credit Card Account 25
Trademarks 25
Accounting 26
Branding 27
Inspiration 33
Resources 35
4. Equipment, Supplies, and Space 37
Hardware 37
Software 39
Internet Access 40
Home Router 41
Long Distance Service 42
Business Machines 44
Office Furniture 45
Office Supplies 46
Office Premises 46
Storage, Packing, and Shipping 46
Home Office Tax Deduction 47
Inexpensive Home Office 48
On the Road 50
5. Borrowing Money 53
Business Plan 53
Savings 56
Credit Cards 56
Relatives 58
Angels 58
Banks 58
Other Lending Sources 63
Lenders for eBay Businesses 66
Resources 66
6. Amnesty for Criminals Like You 67
The Case 67
The Situation 69
The Agreement 72
The Reality 75
Pandora's Box 80
Summary 81
III. Conducting Business 83
7. Selling on eBay 85
Types of Auctions 85
Listing an Auction 88
Taboo Items 96
Illicit Practices 100
Your Marketplace 101
Passive Endeavor 101
Text-Box and Banner Advertising on eBay 102
Power Sellers 103
The Heart of the Matter 103
8. Auction Details 105
Advertising 105
Placement 115
Timing 115
Valuation 118
Linking 118
About Me 118
Final Details 119
Where the Work Is 120
9. Photography 121
Taking Photographs 121
Digital Cameras 128
Image Services 130
10. Using Image Software 135
The Digital Darkroom 136
Image Editing 137
File Formats 142
Summary 143
11. Pricing 145
Prices 146
eBay Research 146
Online Research 147
Analytic Research 149
Offline Research 150
Appraisers 150
Trial and Error 152
Selling Strategy 153
12. Special Auctions 155
Special Section Auctions 156
Separate Auctions 157
The Reality 163
Non-eBay Marketplaces 163
13. Fulfillment 167
Drop Shipping 167
Normal Operations 169
The Digital Goal 190
14. Receiving Payment 193
Merchant Credit Card Account 193
If You Can't Get a Merchant Account 196
Money Orders and Cashier's Checks 197
Checks 200
Online Payment Services 201
Cash on Delivery (COD) 203
Bidding Qualification 203
Don't Sell on Credit 203
What Should You Do? 205
15. Finding Inventory 207
Basics 207
Hot Tip 221
Go for It! 221
IV. Handling the Unpleasant 223
16. Dealing with Buyer Fraud 225
Fraud 225
Remedies? 234
Some Afterthoughts 236
Pawnshops 237
17. Security 239
Equipment 241
Software 246
Passwords 250
Accounts 252
Social Engineering 255
Free Email 257
Safe Transactions 258
Case Study 258
Backups 260
Counterfeits 263
Disaster Plan 264
Security Checklist 264
Summary 266
V. Making It Work 267
18. Software Features 269
Auction Management Software 269
eCommerce Software 273
19. Software Assistance 275
eBay's Programming Aids 276
PayPal Extended 280
Andale 281
Broadband 287
Auction Management Services and Software 287
Custom Programming 290
Accounting Software 290
20. PayPal Today 291
Extended Services 293
Website Services 294
Summary 296
21. Expanding Your Market with Datafeeds 297
Datafeed Markets 297
Craig's List 305
Summary 306
22. Selling Internationally 307
Selling 308
Buying to Sell 315
Buying 317
Merged Markets 317
New Yankee Traders in Force 318
23. Customer Service 321
Feedback 322
Credit Card Chargebacks 322
Guarantees 323
Warranties 325
Payment 325
Escrow.com 326
Bonding 327
Square Trade 328
Authentication Services 328
Returns 329
Communication 329
Full Information 329
Software 330
Offline Customer Service 330
Experiment 330
Know Your Customers 331
Not Just This or That 332
VI. Operating Smart 333
24. Storefronts 335
What Is a Storefront? 335
Informal eBay Storefront 337
eBay Stores 338
An eBay Business 343
Marketing 345
Website 347
eCommerce Software 349
Bonding to eBay 353
About Me Webpage 354
eBay's Hidden Market 355
Summary 360
25 Determining Your Profit 363
How Are You Doing? 363
Expenses 368
Profit 371
Your Time As a Resource 371
Summary 374
26. Developing a Strategy 375
Building a Product Profit Model 375
Finding Inventory 380
Commodity Products 383
Value-Added Products 388
Time 392
Not the Same 392
27. Education 393
eBay University 394
Books About eBay 395
College Extension Courses 395
eBay Audios 395
eBay Videos 395
eBay WBT Tutorials 396
Business Seminars 396
Business Books 397
Web Development Tutorials 397
Web Development Books 397
Community 398
eBay Live 398
Summary 400
VII. Other eBay Business 401
28. Selling Services on eBay 403
Advertising 404
What to Sell? 405
Strategy 410
Elance 412
Buying Services on Elance 416
Summary 416
29. Integrating eBay with Offline Retail 417
Trial 417
Combined Accounting 418
A Special Business 420
Customer Service 420
Summary 421
30. Using eBay for Marketing 423
Compared to What? 423
The Plan 424
Other Businesses 427
Summary 429
31. Consignment Selling and Other Businesses 431
Consignment 432
Other Businesses 437
Use Elance 439
32. Buying on eBay 441
Normal Buying 441
Buying for Your Business 441
Organizing Your Buying 445
Guarantee 449
Services 449
Software 450
We Have Stories 450
33. Marketing Media 451
Blog 451
Podcasting 455
Summary 457
Appendix IThe Top 10 Tips for Beginning an eBay Business 459
Appendix IIThe Top 12 Tips for Seasoned eBay Businesses 461
Appendix IIIThe Top 9 Tips for Business Buyers 463
Appendix IVCross-Promotion Example 465
Appendix VHTML Tutorial 467
Defining a Webpage 469
Markups Alphabetically 471
Anchors and Hyperlinks 494
Example Webpage 495
Viewing the Webpage Source 496
eBay HTML 497
Summary 498
Index 499"