Ebay and other online auction powerselling tips and information

I couldn't pass this one up. A fellow eBay seller sent me this eBay listing for "11 nude and semi-nude Barbies and other dolls." I had a good laugh and couldn't pass up this opportunity to share this hilarious listing with you.

The listing is for 11 Barbie type dolls, including the Steve Austin Six Million Dollar Man figure. What is most interesting here is that most of the dolls are nude, in a reclined position, on a rumpled, unmade bed. The setting here reminded me of a Dateline news report on the famous Bunny Ranch in Nevada. I wondered what Steve Austin's role here was, but upon closer examination of the lot, I noticed it includes a Farah Fawcett doll "in serious need of a beautician," who is naked. Question answered.

The lot also includes a Mega Corp doll in a purple jumpsuit (maybe she is just shy), and a red-headed Ken doll. Also included is a Furga Doll (Italy, circa 1960) with "long lashes and pouty lips." The listing reads more like a personal ad than an eBay auction.

View the complete listing here, and be sure to read the seller's commentary. I'd also love to hear yours!

Ever wonder where all that misdirected (lost) baggage from airlines goes? Scottsboro, Alabama - The Unclaimed Baggage Center. This warehouse has been featured as a shopper's haven on the Today Show, CNN, and in the Wall Street Journal. Unclaimed Baggage sells a variety of items lost in transit by travelers.

Over 7,000 items are added to the store daily and include items such as clothing, shoes, cameras, electronics, books, cosmetics, and luggage. After an item has been in an airline's possession for 90 days and is declared unclaimed, it is sent to the center.

You can take a tour of the warehouse on the website, Unclaimed Baggage. Be prepared to be overwhelmed, as the center covers the same space as a city block and contains millions of items. Unclaimed Baggage also offers unclaimed cargo- which can be just about anything.

If you are within driving distance, you may want to plan a trip to Scottsboro to take a peek at what is available. There are several hotels nearby and you will need at least a full day to tour the store and hunt for treasures to resell on eBay. You might want to bring a van or a U-Haul to bring your treasures back home.

Please join me and best selling author, educator, and speaker, Janelle Elms'  on Janelle's talk radio program, "Ask the Power Sellers." The broadcast takes place May 7, at 3:00 PM Eastern Time. You can enter your question about finding success on eBay on the Ask the Power Seller form. After entering your question, you will receive the phone number to call, and a PIN number to participate in the teleseminar.

Be sure to join us for the 60 minute teleseminar where we will be talking about anything and everything eBay!

On May 12, Americans will enjoy another rate increase from the USPS (as if the gas price increases aren't enough to keep us happy). The good news is that sellers who print their postage online will still enjoy a disount. The official announcment on USPS.com is a bit confusing, bBelow is a summary of what will change.

1) First Class stamps will increase to 42 cents.

2) Priority Mail will increase slightly. Printing postage online will save you about 3.5% per piece.

3) Priority Mail Flat rate box will increase from $9.30 to $9.80.

4) The new large Priority Mail Flat Rate box will remain at $12.95.

5) First Class International is moving to "shape based" pricing. (Such as flat envelope, thick envelope, small box, etc.)

If you are using the eBay shipping calculator, new prices will be updated on the evening of May 11. If you need to change the shipping cost on your listings, you can do so with bulk tools available through eBay's Selling Manager. Read more about bulk tools here. 

Learn more about this change from eBay's perspective, how to integrate with Paypal Shipping, and other information on how this change will affect your eBay listings.

After eBay's announcement in March regarding the change in selling digitally delivered goods, I took the plunge and listed my most popular eBook through eBay Classifieds to direct buyers to my website for their purchase. (Remember, the announcement stated digitally downloaded or transferred electronically must be listed using the Classified Ads format.) I figured, what the heck, it is only $9.95 to use eBay Classifieds and I wouldn't know how it worked until I tried.

Well, the experiment bombed. My ad had about 200 page views, however, stat I had heard that eBay Classifieds were a great way to direct traffic to your website, and for some entrepreneurs, the only listings they have on eBay are classifieds.

It really isn't cost effective or time efficient for me to sell my eBooks on CD or to print them out on paper, which are now the only options on eBay. So now, I'll switch into high gear and use other aggressive internet marketing techniques to sell my eBooks.

Have you tried using eBay Classifieds, and if so, what were your results? Did you see any traffic directed to your website? Do you find eBay Classifieds to be an effective advertising technique? Any tips to help those of us who haven't had success with them?

I thought I was finished for the day. As I was closing down my office, I did the "one last email check" and found something that I have to respond to. I had a rant on my eBay Selling Coach blog about another inexperienced seller copying my listings and why that is not ok. These things are going to happen, especially when you put your store link in front of as many people as I do. Occupational hazard.

A "brave" anonymous poster, said, "I can't believe you are still selling on eBay and putting up with all the sleaze there. eBay will never support its sellers and all they want to do is rip everyone off and control ecommerce on the internet.You are a moron to keep selling there." 

I am going to disagree - with the part about being a moron. I am not fighting the eBay fight. I don't have the time or the energy to take them on, and frankly, eBay has been pretty darn good to me and I have no reason to fight. I am a single mom, with two kids in middle school that are my first priority. eBay selling, my books about eBay, my blogs about eBay, and my eBay consulting business pays the bills and provides me with a nice standard of living. I am not going to complain. Things change - you adapt and move on.

My energy is not directed at the eBay corporate office and airing my complaints. I don't have any. My time and energy is directed at keeping the county school board from banning classic books from the library, keeping my kids motivated about school, driving my kids to and from all of their activities, volunteering at the school, and doing what I can to contribute to my community and those in need.

I wish I hadn't deleted that comment. I should have responded to it. I'm sure there are people out there who have the time, energy, and resources to launch an anti-eBay campaign, but I won't be one of them. I've said this in all my eBooks, on my forum, and in every discussion possible - eBay is not the evil entity many make it out to be. It is how I earn my living, how I am able to work at home and be available for my children, and find personal satisfaction by being able to run my own business and earn a living on my terms. So, no, anonymous poster, I am not fighting the eBay battle. Besides that, I am a pacifist. 

Gymnastics is an expensive sport. I competed for years and was planning to go to college on a scholarship until I ruined my knees - so I know how expensive it was 25 years ago. So what does that have to do with eBay?

Girl's gymnastics leotards are hot sellers on eBay. They are expensive to buy new, and we all know how fast kids grow. Many times, gently used leotards are outgrown before they have time to wear out. Frugal moms often buy EUC leotards for their girls to wear to gymnastic practice.

The tank / sleeveless styles are usually worn for practice, and the long sleeve styles are worn in competitions or exhibitions. Look for Carly Patterson, GK Elite, and GYM-KIN brands. You will get the most for the hologram, velour, foil, and sequined fabrics. Be sure to put the key words hologram, foil, and velour in your title if that is what you are selling.

Look for these at thrift stores, garage sales, and consignment stores in gently used condition. In the thrift stores, they can be in odd places like with the bathing suits, pajamas, or intimate apparel. Sometimes you just have to scope out the paticular store and learn where they put the leotards.

Here are a few completed listings:

Lot of 2 Carly Patterson Leotards

GK Elite Green Velvet Leotard

GK Elite Foil Leotard

Guest blog April continues today with a post by a fellow eBay seller that I met last year on an eBay forum. Cindi Matthews, a career paralegal, Baby Boomer, grandmother, and collector, provides a perspective on eBay selling as a source of income for the retired and semi-retired.

Baby Boomers and eBay Selling - A Winning Combination 

by Guest Author Cindi Matthews

As part of the Baby Boomer Generation, people my age always feel that we have to be continually on the cutting-edge of everything. With that said, we will not be left behind in the technology age, either! Realizing the benefits of telecommuting, being one of the first to utilize the internet when online education was in its infancy, and the benefits of a global economy, an eBiz business seemed a logical choice when reinventing myself to establish a second career. My interest in vintage collectibles was influenced by my grandmother, who was born in 1901 and lived to be over 100 years old. I developed a fondness for vintage collectibles that was generated by Grandma’s appreciation for fine things and her sharing of knowledge with me. I inherited many of her items and took this opportunity to incorporate my love of vintage items and love of shopping into an eBiz. 

Baby Boomers and those in my generation have an advantage over the younger "techie" generations selling on eBay - what is called "vintage" today is what we grew up with and we recognize vintage and collectibles because we lived it. We don't have to pour over stacks of books learning about collectibles from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. When we see a rotary phone, a record player, a Buffalo Bob lunch box, or Depression Glass, we already know what it is. Baby Boomers can certainly use their age and their life experience to their advantage when selling on eBay.

Article writing is a technique used by bloggers, website owners, and internet marketers to drive traffic to their websites. eBay sellers can also used this technique to for the same reason.

You can submit articles to sites like eZine Articles, Go Articles, and Article Biz for publication on their site. You are not paid to submit articles. But, this type of internet marketing doesn't cost you anything either - it is free advertising. The articles will, in time, indirectly contribute to your sales. The dividends come back to you in traffic and sales, not in initial cash when writing the article.

For example, let's say that you are an expert coin collector. You can submit helpful, informative articles about coin collecting to these article sites. At the end of the article, leave the link to your eBay store or website. These articles are used on blogs, newsletters, and ezines. The point here is that you want others to use your articles, and spread your links around the internet.  

You want to establish yourself as an expert, gain the trust of your readers, establish a rapport with them, and direct them to a place where they can purchase a product from you, sign up for a mailing list, or join a group. You want to recruit readers so that you can market to them again later. If you appear knowledgeable, professional, and genuine, readers will come back for more information from you whether it is from the article site or your own website or blog.

I have been using article writing as a means to drive traffic to my website, blog, podcasts, videos, and eBay storefor a while. Recently, my article, "How to use eZine Articles to Drive Traffic to Your Website" was featured on the eZine Articles blog. eZine Articles boasts over 94,000 authors, so I was quite honored to be mentioned there. You can check out my articles about eBay selling on eZine Articles where I am a Platinum Level Author.

If you like writing, and are passionate about what you sell on eBay, article writing is a fantastic FREE way to promote yourself and your store on the internet. I often work on articles when my sales are slow or I am caught up on my store. The more times you put your eBay links out on the internet, the greater chance you have of someone clicking them.