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3 Resources that can help you decide what sells best on eBay
Determining what sells best on eBay may take some trial and error if you are not already stocked with merchandise or if you are unable to create your own product. What sells best on eBay for one person may not be what sells best on eBay for...

How to Sell Your Crafts on eBay
Artists, craftspeople and photographers are successfully selling their wares everyday on the online auction site, eBay. According to a recent analysis of eBay sales, a crafts-related item is sold every nine seconds, a scrapbook item is sold every...

How To Use The Ebay "Checkout Service".
Back in the 'old days' of eBay, getting payment for the item was entirely left up to sellers: you had to choose your payment service, sign up for it and then send links to your buyers. Now, though, eBay handle most of the complexities of payment for...

Is Selling On eBay Just A Hobby Or A Real Business?
Small Business Q&A with Tim Knox Q: I made extra money selling things on eBay last year. These were items I picked up at yardsales mostly. My husband says I am responsible for paying income tax on the money I made, but I disagree. This is just...

Why Ebay auctions are the easiest way to start making money online today
Did you know that most people who make big money on the net do so by selling dubious money-making schemes to others? And they seem to get better at it every day. They have mastered the art of using enticing headlines that grab you by the neck and...

 
Seven Ways to Make Your eBay Auction Fail

I don't know how many books there are by now that propose to tell you how to succeed on eBay, how to make lots of money on eBay, or how to become a millionaire through eBay. Here are a few of my tips on how not to make money with an eBay auction:

1. Use irrelevant titles. I have actually seen eBay auctions with titles such as "This is nice" and the infamous "L@@k". I am sure that many people are going to search for such a title! It is inconceivable that something like "Vintage garden sundial, copper, 1930s" might lead more potential buyers to your auction.

2. Use ALL CAPS, ALL THE TIME. Everyone likes the equivalent of being shouted at, and long texts in ALL CAPS are so easy to read, aren't they?

3. Show your educashion. Nothing attracts buyers like spelling errors and grammatical goofs. If you really want to impress customers, misspell the name of the item ("Dell latpop for sale" "Rare silver doller").

4. Skimp on your descriptions. Why should you tell the buyer the size, age or specific condition of the item? All those details would just confuse people...

5. Forget Feedback. I am certain that eBay buyers will just flock to your auction for a $3,000 diamond ring, even though you have zero feedback. Some people may slowly build up their feedback by buying and selling before offering expensive items, but who can be bothered?

6. Harsh words sell. Of course every buyer loves terms of sale that contain such phrases as "Absolutely no returns" or "Don't bother me with complaints"!

7. Seeing is believing. Naturally, people love out-of-focus pictures of your items, particularly when photographed against the background of a dark shag carpet. Who cares about the details of that diamond ring - they are going to trust youArticle Submission, arent't they?

About the author:

Pamela Bruce lives in Austin, TX. She is the owner of Love Beads Unlimited and sells the sterling silver and Swarovski crystal bead jewelry she designs and creates both in her eBay store (http://stores.ebay.com/LOVE-BEADS-UNLIMITED) and on her website at http://www.lovebeadsunlimited.com, where you can also download the free e-book "A Consumer's Guide to Buying Bead Jewelry Online".

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