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Do You Pay Taxes On eBay Income?
Small Business Q&A with Tim Knox Q: I read your last column about paying income tax on eBay sales if you are doing it as a business, but as someone who only sells on eBay occasionally I'm still confused if the IRS rules apply to me. Can you tell me...

Ebay Shipping Tips
Shipping details for purchases over eBay is actually a misnomer. eBay is not responsible for the shipping details of an item. First of all, it should be duly noted that eBay is an online market/transaction facilitator. It merely becomes a...

Seasonal Selling On Ebay.
When you sell on eBay, it's important to know how to take advantage of the kinds of markets you encounter in the different seasons. As a rule, the summer months are slow and the winter period is fast, but there's more to it than that. It...

The Secret To Purchasing Designer Handbags To Resell On eBay Or Your Own Online Store
You may have noticed that when you try to find authentic wholesale designer purses/ handbags it is nearly impossible to find information on true wholesale distributors. This article will define wholesale and tell you why it is almost impossible...

Using Online Ebay Auctions to Promote Your Website - Confessions of a True Traffic Junkie
If you are looking for traffic to your e-commerce site, you should look no further than Ebay. The reason for this is Ebay is an online auction site that has a huge following and millions of hits on a daily basis. Because of this, if you have your...

 
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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