The internet is literally full of resources for eBay sellers - many are free, some require a small one-time or monthly fee. The most successful eBay sellers are the ones who seek information on an ongoing basis, adapt to change, and continue to educate themselves on the world of eCommerce. Below are 64 resources that will help you grow your at-home eBay business. Please leave a comment if you know of one or more not listed. I will add them to the post.
Top eBay Blogs
Read, read, read, and then read some more. Stay informed. Visit and subscribe to these top eBay blogs.AuctionBytes - News and insight focusing on eCommerce and the online auction industry.
Auction Rebel - "The blog meant to help serious sellers increase their income from eBay." Gary Hendrickson is a full-time seller who earns his living selling on eBay.BidBits - Julia Wilkson, author of "The eBay Price Guide," what sells for what in every category on eBay.
Channel Advisor Blog - Marketplaces, search, comparison shopping, and eCommerce.
eBay Chatter - eBay's blog about the company and the community.eBay Coach - eBay Power Seller, author, consultant, and mompreneur sharing eBay tips and resources.
eBay Developer Blog - Alerts and news about eBay web services.
eBay Ink - eBay's new corporate blog.
eBay Radio - eBay's official radio program.eBay Strategies - Scott Wingo's blog.
Jenny How - Rants and raves about ebay.
My 52 Cents on eBay - Buying and selling on eBay for profit.
Only eBay - eCommerce community information.
PGA Auctions - everything from ephemera to collectibles.Randy Smythe's Blog Utopia - Owner of GlacierBay DVD, one of eBay's most recognizable brands, until the business was shut down in 2006. Now a seller on Amazon and BuyBack.com
Skip McGrath's Blog - The blog for professional eBay sellers.
TameBay - The United Kingdom's leading blog about eBay.Texas Tracy - Home-based auction selling made easy - directed towards stay at home moms.
Free eBay Groups and Forums
eBay groups and forums are all over the internet. The objective is to join forums to learn about eBay selling and gain insight from other sellers, not as a venue to sell your product.
AuctionCut - Independent auction and eBay discussion forum. Discuss eBay problems, opinions, and get help and advice.
Auction Sellers Motivators - Community of online sellers who want to improve their businesses.
Collect.com - all about collecting. Great place to determine the value of unique collectibles to sell on eBay.
eBay.com Forums - Forums found on the eBay site. Warning - these can be brutal, especially if you are new, and content is strictly monitored by self-proclaimed monitors. These groups are often dominated by the same members for years, and the long-time members have fun banning new members. Best to lurk here and just read - too much drama to be helpful.
eBay Establishings - hosted through Yahoo Groups. Founded by two long-time eBay Power Sellers. Talk about anything eBay with other members. Helpful and informative atmosphere.
eBay Coach Forum - eBay sellers of all levels, entrepreneurs, professionals, and WAHMs coming together to share information and support each other in business and in life. Liberal posting policy, outside links allowed, as well as advertising sections for non-eBay businesses.
HammerTap Research Forum - Everything you need to use HammerTap to make the most of your eBay listings.
WAHM.com Forum - Community of work at home moms, and dads, sharing info on many work-at-home jobs. Specific section for on-line auctions.
Thrift Shopper Forum - Group of thrift store enthusiasts. eBay section. Excellent resource for learning what to look for in thrift stores. Outside links are allowed.
Yard Sale Queen - Group of yard sale enthusiasts. Absolutely no links to outside sites, blogs, or auctions allowed. Best to lurk here.
eBay Groups, Forums, and Membership Clubs (Fee Required)
Auctions and Friends - Group of smaller at-home sellers. $5.95 monthly fee.
Bijou Americano - Smaller, at-home sellers, mostly moms. Also sections for recipes, crafts, etc. $5.95 monthly fee.
Frugalbinder - Small, at-home sellers of children's boutique clothing. $3.95 monthly fee.
Here Comes the Stork - Group of small at-home sellers who sell children's used boutique clothing and chit-chat about mommy issues. Monthly fee of $5.95. Strict posting rules and Junior High type drama. Best to lurk here.
What do I Sell? - Membership site with tips offered by experienced seller, Lisa Suttora.
eBay Experts - Websites
Adam Ginsberg - eBay pioneer and guru.
Sue Bailey - eBay seller since 2000 (France), runs 3 eBay stores.
Chris Dawson - UK eBay consultant, trainer, and Power Seller specializing in computing categories.
Lynn Dralle, Queen of Auctions - eBay seller specializing in antiques.
Danna Crawford, Power Selling Mom - eBay seller who put her kids thru college by using profits made on eBay.
Janelle Elms - Best selling author, educator, and speaker.
Skip McGrath - The website for professional sellers.
Marcia Collier - experienced eBay seller and author of numerous eBay "how-to" books.
Best eBay Books
eBay Income - How Anyone of any Age, Location, or Background Can Build a Highly Profitable Business on eBay - Cheryl Russell
eBay for Dummies - Marcia Collier
How to Buy, Sell, and Profit on eBay - Adam Ginsberg
Official eBay Bible - Jim Griffith
eBay 101 - Steve Weber
The Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay Selling - Suzanne Wells
What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It - Chris Malta
eBay Learning Resources
eBay Coach VIP Library - Huge resource library with how-to articles, tutorials, business letters, what to sell lists, and more. Free.
Video Professor - Learn to sell on eBay with interactive CD tutorials.
eBay Coach YouTube Videos - eBay how-tos, tips, and other eBay information to help you grow your at home eBay business.
Blog Talk Radio - Power Selling Mom radio podcasts.
Entrepreneur Magazine eBay Center - how to start and grow your eBay business.
Finding eBay Inventory
Book Sale Finder - lists local book sales. Purchase individual or lots of books to resell on eBay.
eBay Research Tools
Terapeak - Free and subscription levels. eBay research about best days and times to sell items, historial sales data, profitable products, and more.
Mpire - Compare prices on products among the largest shopping sites such as Amazon, Shopping.com, etc.
eBayCalc - Online calculator helps uses figure eBay and Paypal fees.
Shipping Resources
FreeCycle.org - Find free shipping supplies locally. Community service encouraging reusing and recycling and keeping things out of the landfill.
Craigslist.org - Find free shipping supplies locally. Free ad service. Businesses advertise freebies such as bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and boxes.
USPS.com - Order free Priority and Express supplies online.
Stamps.com - Online shipping service. Print anything from home including first class, Priority, Express, and all classes of international mail. Low monthly fee.
Encidia.com - Online shipping service. All services can be done from home. Free 30-day trial.
ValueMailers - Poly mailers for when Priority mailers won't do - first class, international, media mail, etc.
Old Will Knott - all kinds of scales for home shipping.
Auction Template Services
Seller Sourcebook - Best auction template service on the internet. Thousands of professionally designed templates, user friendly, eBay token for fast uploads.
Auctiva - Free auction templates.
Auction Supplies.com - Free auction templates.
Auction Add-Ons - Customized templates and about me pages. Angie and her team are great to work with. Fast turnaround and reasonable prices.
Tax Resources for eBay Sellers
Tax Loopholes - Diane Kennedy's website - the ultimate resource for paying fewer taxes, legally.
eBay Alternatives - Other Auction Sites
(You may consider selling on these sites in addition to eBay, or acquiring your inventory from these sites to resell on eBay.)
Amazon - eBay's largest competitor. Fixed price format. Amazon dictates shipping fees.
Etsy - The crafter's selling site. Everything from baby blankets to jewelry and candles. Fixed price format.
BluJay - 100% free online selling site.
eCrater - Every seller gets a store as part of the package. You'll pay more to have your items in a premium position.
ePier - No listing fees. You only pay a commission if your item sells.
Bidville - No listing fees.
UBid - Excess retail inventory.
OLA.com - On-line auctions. New site. Free to list.
Property Room - Police auctions. Confiscated items and evidence sold to benefit local police departments.
Webidz - New site. Confusing fee schedule. About 20,000 active sellers.
Craigslist - Advertise items for free. Sell to your local community. Perfect for large items that are difficult or cos prohibitive to ship.
GSA Auctions - Government auctions. Seized or surplus items. Good for buying to resell on eBay.
Goodwill Auctions - Run by the non-profit Goodwill Industries.
Half.com - eBay's site for books, music, video games, and other media.
Know of any more not listed? Please leave a comment and I will add it to the list. (Let's see how long we can make the list!) Please give this post a stumble if you found it helpful and informative.
Thanks for the excellent sources. Another forum that I frequent is Auction Sellers Motivators at
http://www.auctionsellersmotivators.com
ASM is a cooperative ECommerce community of online sellers working to improve their businesses, and welcomes everyone, from those just starting out to seasoned, online professionals.
Posted by: Moomette's Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes | April 17, 2008 5:36 PM | Permalink to Comment