So what’s Vendio?

Vendio is auction management software.
Why do you need it?
Well you don’t need it, but you will want it when you find out how simple it can make your life.

The old way

Go to Ebay to list your item, First you have to find a place to upload your pictures. That means you have to have a place where you can store all your pictures online and then plug that link into the Ebay listings. Next you start the listing process by filling in the template and writing all the text for your item.
You would next link those items to your pictures and fine tune the listing. If Ebay burps or you make some mistakes you could lose all your content and have to start over again. (grrrr)

The Vendio Way

Go to Vendio and sign up for free. Instead of finding a place to host your pictures, you can load them up on Vendio. They are all in one spot, its super easy to do, and you can keep everything organized. Next you want to launch an auction. You choose the auction template you like, fill in the blanks like
you did on Ebay, attach the photos and save. Now when you save it, it’s saved and you can simply copy it again if you want to run constant auctions with the same item. This gives you the ability to tweak your ad and constantly adjust. The best part is if you are running another auction it takes you about 10 seconds to launch one since all your text is prefilled in. They also have a variety of listing templates so you can give your auctions a professional look. Why not tip the scales in your favor?

Now here is the greatest part. Vendio is a database, so your items are organized by month, date, year etc. If you want to see what sold the best in March of last year, you simply look it up. If you want a bottom line figure to do your taxes, it’s all there. If you want to watch your auctions as they run and track how many people look at your auction, you can do that too. The possibilities are endless which is what makes it a great tool. You can automate your checkout for auctions and even remind people to leave you feedback. Vendio has it all and is very robust. The cost to use it is 1% of your final sale price and .10 per listing. To me it’s like having a personal manager track and organizes my activity and the 1% is always worth it. Beside’s, its tax deductible.

All the features can be seen here, this short article cannot possibly do all their features justice.

Anyone can run auctions on Ebay. Some do it as a business. There is an art to looking professional as well as being organized. Knowledge is the key to this area and finding certain items from Ebay about Ebay can be kind of tricky. First you need to know what the insertion fees are going to be. After that, knowing what the final value fees and the PayPal fees are, will tell you how much margin you have for that particular product.

Make sure you use the sales information sheets included in this product to keep you organized. Whether you use Ebay to sell a product or a website, you still need to know what kind of profits you can make.

When preparing for some auctions, using an auction calculator can give you a quick and easy reference for what you can expect your profits to be. If you know the items selling price you can take the calculator and play around with starting prices and ending prices to see what your fees are going to be. There are a lot of calculators out there, so find the one that works the best for you. This particular model serves me well enough to recommend to you. Some services offer calculators with more features that you can purchase. I have found that the extra fluff was not needed for the items that I sold.

Ebay calc

http://www.ebcalc.com/

As you can see this calculator has all the same options that you are supplied with when launching your auction. You simply choose the items that you are going to use or upgrade. Notice that the PayPal Calculations is included at the bottom of the calculator. This is very handy and eliminates and extra calculation.

Here is a listing of PayPal fees as well for your reference.

If you do not feel the need to reinvent the wheel you can buy pre-made Ebay Bookkeeping systems. There are several places on the Internet that sell these types of systems. Instead of creating the paperwork you can find what you need. The only difference is when you create your own system or forms you can customize it how you like. Nonetheless, here are some very good systems that you can purchase for yourself.

Ebay bookkeeping system for $39 http://ebaybookkeeping.com/

Another link for guide

http://reviews.ebay.com/A-Simple-Bookkeeping-System-For-Ebay-Sellers_W0QQugidZ10000000002148631

Ebay forums are another good place to get some extra (free) help

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000414997&tstart=0&mod=1193680835850

By Stephen Sikes

If you have been thinking about starting an eBay jewelry business, this is the time for it. The holidays are coming and people are looking for great gifts to buy for the ones they love.

Most people are also very busy. This means they are going to look for the most convenient way to shop. With today’s computerized world, that means they are often looking to make great purchases online. With a few clicks the shopping is done.

If you are the person who offers a great deal to others, you stand to make some great sales this season

Know Your Niche

The first thing you have to decide is which kind of jewelry you are going to sell:

Low End – These are items that may cost up to $50 each. These are generally no-brainer items when it comes to making a purchase and are items that will be bought by those who are young and on a limited budget as well as those who want to add a little something to a bigger gift.

Middle End – in the $50 – $250 jewelry area is middle end jewelry. These are generally for someone special and will be one of the main gifts for the recipient.

High End – For very discerning tastes comes the high-end jewelry line. These pieces are over $250 a piece and may go into the thousands of dollars. These are special presents that are very important to both the buyer and recipient.

Find Your Supplies

Once you know the kind of jewelry you want to sell, its time to figure out where you are going to get them from. There are essentially two options here.

The first is to purchase wholesale jewelry which is 50% below retail prices. These are often found through wholesale auctions on websites like eBay or from a distributor.

The other option is to purchase pieces of liquidation jewelry. These are pieces that are overstocks, closeouts or returns that have been bundled together for quick sale. Finding the right liquidation auction could land you jewelry at pennies on the dollar compared to their retail price.

Start Selling

Once you have decided on the kind of jewelry that you want to sell, it’s time to start selling. The most important thing to keep in mind with eBay selling is that your picture has to speak for the items you are selling. Make sure your photos are clear and easy to see detail in. If necessary, take more than one shot and upload multiple pictures to give your customers a clear view of what they are purchasing.

Steve Sikes is an MBA and writes articles on wholesale and liquidation auctions and how to make a profit reselling these products. He also writes articles on financial products including insurance and credit cards. To read other articles on wholesale and liquidation auctions and making a profit buying and reselling liquidation clothing, jewelry, electronics, apparel and much more, you will want to visit http://www.WholeSale611.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Sikes
http://EzineArticles.com/?Starting-an-eBay-Business-With-Liquidation-Jewelry&id=1674805

How to Start an Ebay Business

By William Brister

eBay has become a huge business with people raking in hundreds of dollars selling discounted merchandise ranging from garage sale items to new products and collectibles. Research shows that more than 700,000 people across the world make a living, either part time or full-time selling on eBay. It is interesting to note that as more people generate income from eBay, the greater the number of shoppers attracted to the site.

Most people wanting to start an eBay business come as buyers, get hooked on the bandwagon, learn the art of selling and as they clear the belongings they have set out to sell, they realize that they have started making money as well. Thus, several enterprising individuals who began as part time home based businesses have turned these into thriving companies employing numerous employees.

But just as with all small businesses, one must be aware of certain things while starting an eBay business. There is a huge market with many buyers and lots of competition. The issues dealing with finance, warehousing, payment channels and fulfilling orders also remain equally challenging.

To start an eBay business, is like investing time and effort in any other. So ensure that you have a prudent business plan just like for a traditional business. Also, make sure that it is in congruence with your lifestyle and your needs with attainable goals.

Think about the products that you are going to offer and strategize on how to buy and sell on eBay. What would you prefer to be – retail store offering a variety. or a discount merchant with specialized products? Is there anything that distinguishes you from your competitors? Select access to buying products will allow you an edge over your competition.

The trick of ‘buying and selling on eBay’ would be to buy at a low cost and sell at a premium and thus generate profits. But it’s not always that simple. You have to think carefully of your strategy for buying products at a price that’s low enough to allow you a profit margin when you mark it up to a price that is still attractive to your market. Also account for the turnover and how your profit margin combined with it will support your operations and still deliver a profit to you.

Once you have your business plan all figured out and products decided, you need to register yourself at eBay. Visit eBay and click on the “Sell” tab at the top of the homepage. Follow the step-by-step instructions to register as an eBay community member. You will have to provide your basic contact information, as well as banking information, such as credit card and checking account numbers. Once that is done, give your business a structure by filing for incorporation or forming a limited liability company.

Since it is a business, whether part-time or full time, keep separate accounting books so as to avoid creating confusion during tax season. Also get insurance for yourself and your eBay business.

Once all the preliminaries are sorted out, there are issues that need to be heeded of a more serious nature. These include paying for your merchandise, stocking goods, receiving payments from customers, as well as financing your business. Although there are many options for all of these, seek out the best suited for you. Stocking can start with garages or basements to save costs in the initial period. You can even use rental storage units and once money starts coming in think of more permanent options like warehouses. You can link up with your customers through payment companies like PayPal, which is an online payment service that enables buyers to pay for their purchases by drawing funds from their credit cards or checking accounts.

After all the logistics are taken care of, you can start your eBay business. Ensure that your web pages are well designed and attractive with good photographs of the products so that customers keep visiting. This is important, as this is the only way for a person to know what he is buying. Decide on which model you want to use to sell your goods, auction model or fixed price model. Packing and shipping need special attention to ensure repeated business. Finally, pay attention to your eBay feedback rating especially designed to help eBay buyers and sellers police each other. As you collect positive ratings, buyers will view your business in a credible light, an extremely critical aspect of eBay.

With all this you are set to becoming a successful entrepreneur on eBay!

William Brister

http://www.BusinessProGuide.com – Detailed Online Business Guide.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Brister
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Start-an-Ebay-Business&id=560021

By David Riewe

E-Bay and Paypal are two giant firms which are involved in sales transactions of customers. E-Bay is an online portal in which buyers could auction and bid items for sale. On the other hand, Paypal is the most popular online payment system used through credit cards. The teaming up of both firms is inevitable because E-Bay provides the goods to be purchased while PayPal provides the resources to be used.

E-Bay has indeed grown as the number one destination of online shopping through auctions. E-Bay offers a variety of choices when it comes to books, food, gadget, technology stuff, and many others. The variety and diversity of E-Bay makes it the most visited site whenever buyers are thinking of something to purchase. It is also a favorite destination for online shoppers who want to have a quality bargain of the items they want to buy. On the other hand, Paypal is the most reliable online payment system utilized whenever holding transactions. The firm claims that they have 16 million users worldwide. Despite of such successes for both firms, there are still many criticisms regarding the nature of both businesses.

E-Bay is often criticized as a portal that is not pro-buyers instead, it some people consider it as pro-sellers. Some buyers accuse E-Bay as not being true to their business and does not really live up to their word. On the other hand, Paypal does not really receive a lot of complaints but when it does, no one seems to mind. This is because their customer service department does not do their job well. No one really assists the customers and when they reply, it seems like the customer waited for 20 years before an action was done.

Due to the partnership of these two companies, many speculated that E-Bay would acquire Paypal. Many people were not in agreement to this deal because they believe that once E-Bay had acquired Paypal, the rotten service of the firm would eventually be more than worst. Aside from that, competition would also diminish in the market. Despite the said speculations, both firms deny that a joint venture or acquisition between the two companies would happen. Both firms insist that they would continue each other’s operations separately and not as a joint company. Both firms also expressed that their partnership between each other is solid but not to the point of collaborating with each other.

About the Author: David Riewe is a Publisher and Online Marketer. Visit his eBay Blog to Discover 101 Ebay Auction Tips in this FREE ebook http://www.push-button-online-income.com/ebayblog

Source: www.isnare.com

By Kirsten Hawkins

You may have noticed that many sellers list PayPal as the only payment option they accept – they simply can’t be bothered cashing checks and money orders, never mind any of the other strange ways some people want to pay. Like all things in life, though, PayPal has its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look at what PayPal can do for you, and what it can’t.

The Disadvantages

PayPal is very vulnerable to fraud, and it’s you as the seller who’ll be paying the price when it happens. What’s more, they do take a percentage from every transaction that you could be keeping if your buyers were paying by check.

You might also have noticed that PayPal come from the eBay school of customer service, enjoying such pastimes as hiding their phone number and only ever sending out automated responses to emailed queries. PayPal has an unusual number of campaigners against it, most of them people who’ve had their accounts frozen and had to chase PayPal for months for thousands of dollars. Some of these people recently filed a class action lawsuit against PayPal, claiming damages for lost business – and they won. This alone should make you cautious about using PayPal.

The Advantages

PayPal is quick and easy for buyers to use, and is certainly a more secure and reassuring way to accept credit cards than signing up for your own merchant account. You’ll probably also find that it’s cheaper for you.

That’s before you even consider that eBay buyers are more eager to buy from someone who accepts PayPal, as it saves them all sorts of hassle with posting payment and then waiting around. PayPal lets you give speedier customer service.

But Should You Use It Exclusively?

The most important thing about only accepting PayPal is, again, a matter of customer service: some of your potential customers might not have or want a PayPal account. Not everyone loves electronic payments – some fear them, and like eBay because it is one of the few places on the Internet where many sellers will accept payment by more traditional methods. Do you want these people as customers, or don’t you?

You might notice that some people are aware of the issues of PayPal and refuse to use it, but still want to pay electronically. For these rare cases, it’s worth opening an account at a well-known PayPal rival that has a better reputation – the current favourite seems to be NoChex (http://www.nochex.com), which offers free chargeback protection.

NoChex is quite a lot better than PayPal by most standards, but just doesn’t have the same market penetration or convenience of use on eBay. Still, there’s nothing stopping you from accepting both, just as long as you make it clear that you do on your auctions. If you find that you really prefer NoChex to PayPal, then you could offer your buyers a discount for paying through NoChex.

Once you’ve got the payment, the next thing you need to do is ship the items. In the next email, we’ll take a look at what you should write on your eBay shipping boxes.

About the Author: Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay and internet auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/ for more great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.

Source: www.isnare.com

By Kirsten Hawkins

PayPal and eBay were made for each other – and now that eBay own PayPal, using them together is getting even easier.

What is PayPal?

People with PayPal accounts can send money to each other securely online. You can deposit money in a PayPal account from a bank account or a credit card, and withdraw money to your bank account. It is the most common way of paying on eBay, as well as being in widespread use on the rest of the Internet.

Opening a PayPal Account

It’s very easy to get a PayPal account. Just go to http://www.paypal.com & click the ‘Sign Up’ link. As a buyer, you should get a Personal account – you can always upgrade later if you decide to start selling. Then all you need to do is enter your address, phone number and email address, and create a password, and two secret questions. You’ll be emailed a confirmation, and then you’re done!

If you want to deposit money into the account now, then you need to register a credit or debit card or your bank details, and if you want to withdraw money then you need to register your bank details. There’s no need to do anything like that just yet, though.

Paying with PayPal

Paying with PayPal is very simple. When you win an auction and click ‘Pay Now’, you’ll be given a list of payment methods the seller accepts. You should always check what the seller accepts before you bid, as there are still some sellers who won’t take PayPal. If the seller does accept PayPal, it will already be chosen for you on the payment page.

Now you just need to press ‘Next’, type in your PayPal username and password and confirm the amount you want to pay. The first time you pay with PayPal you will need to enter the details of your card or bank account, but after that it will remember for you.

Becoming Verified

You might have noticed that there is a limit to how much money you can send or withdraw using PayPal before you need to be verified. Verification has two steps. First, PayPal deposit some very small amounts of money in your bank account and you need to tell them how much they deposited. Second, they need to phone you to confirm your address and phone number. Once you’ve done that, all the limits on your account will be lifted. Log in at paypal.com and click on ‘Get Verified’ for more information.

While you’ve been paying for your items, what you might not have realised is that eBay occasionally offers money off coupons. But where do you get them? The next email tells you all about it.

About the Author: Kirsten Hawkins is an Ebay & internet auction enthusiast from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.auctionseller411.com/ for more great tips on how to make the most from Ebay and other online auctions.

Source: www.isnare.com

By Shari Hearn

Anybody looking for a1984 Don Mattingly rookie basball card? How about a pair of stirling silver demitasse spoons in your grandmother’s pattern?

The last time I checked, you can find them on eBay, along with a number of basball caps and other misspelled items. Believe it or not, some people still don’t know how to spell check. But, bless their little misspelled harts, because you can use their errors to profit on eBay.

Every day items go up for auction with typos and misspells in the titles. The problem is that a large number of people search for items to buy using the search box, not browsing through the category listings. Therefore, the misspelled items are the ones that usually don’t fetch the bids they deserve because they’re not getting traffic. Sometimes you can pick these items up for a song. And, once you’re done singing what can you do? Resell the item on eBay, properly spelled of course, for quite a nice profit.

Some sellers have even begun to capitalize on eBay misspells by selling programs designed to find misspelled auctions. However, just typing in some of the most common typos and misspells into the search box will often times yield great results. (If the correct spelling automatically pops up, that means there were no items with that particular misspell.)

How do you know what a common typo or misspell is? One way to find them is to go to misspell sites such as www.searchspell.com, where you will find typo and misspell suggestions for any word you type in. Some common typos are often caused by leaving out a letter, such as in basball. You could also type in baseall and see several other items for sale. Transposing letters is another common typo, such as baesball, where, once again, you may find some items for sale.

Another way to utilize misspells on eBay is to include the most popular misspell in your title along with the correct spelling. The reason being that some people mistype or misspell the item they’re searching into the search box. For example, a Jack Lalanne Juicer is often typed in as Jack Lalane Juicer. That is a very common misspell, and numerous people type that into the search box when searching for a Jack Lalanne Juicer. If you type in Lalanne and Lalane into the title you are able to grab both sets of people, those who are spelling it correctly, and those who are not. You’ve just increased traffic to your auction.

Savvy eBay sellers (and buyers) are utilizing typos and misspells to their advantage. Give it a try. You might find yourself stumbling onto quite a few treasures.

Writer’s note: The items listed in the first paragraph, the Don Mattingly baseball card and the spoons were auctions present on eBay at the time of this writing. However, there were numerous other items with the misspell of basball and stirling silver from which to choose.

About the Author: Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of http://www.ebaysellingideas.com and http://www.ebaysellingtips.blogspot.com

Source: www.isnare.com

By John Lynch

Everyone is aware of online auctions nowadays. We all know someone who has bought or sold something on an Ebay auction site. But how many people know that this hobby can be turned into a profitable business?

The fact is Internet auctions are a new kind of home- based business created by the Internet with no capital investment and no risk.

An online auctions business has the following advantages:

• No start-up costs.
• No financial risk.
• Work whenever you choose.
• Targeted customers brought to you by auction sites such as Ebay.
• No technical skills required.
• Start-up in 5 minutes.

How do I start an online auctions business?

First, if you are not familiar with the process of buying and selling, you need to understand how auctions operate. By far the biggest online auction site is Ebay (http://www.ebay.com), boasting millions of users worldwide.

However, this is the tip of the iceberg. Other popular auction sites include:

• Yahoo Auctions – http://www.auctions.yahoo.com
• uBid – http://www.ubid.com
• OnSale – http://www.onsale.com
• QXL – http://www.qxl.com

Start off by buying an item yourself to get the feel of how it is done. This will give you an overall insight into the process of registering with the auction site, bidding, paying for your goods and the delivery arrangements.

Don’t Feel Forced to Buy

As a buyer you should not feel pressured into buying something that you know is overpriced because you think it is the last item. There are many online auctions and there is a good chance that you will come across the same item at another site.

Leave Your Bid Late

Experienced online buyers will leave their bids until the last few minutes before an auction closes to prevent the price being driven up too high.

Use Automated Bids

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time waiting for an auction to close, you can use an automated bidding service such as eSnipe (http://www.esnipe.com). You can open a free account and type in the auction number and the amount you want to bid.  ESnipe can then place a last-minute bid for you just before the close of the auction.  If you win the bid, you pay eSnipe a small fee and if you lose you pay nothing.

Search for Misspelt Items

Savvy buyers know that many items listed for sale at Ebay are misspelt. You can use this to your advantage by searching for wrongly spelt items. You will have far less competition as most people search for correctly spelt items.

Once you have bought something and paid for it, you will know how the auction process works from the buyer’s point of view. This is vital as it will give added insight into how you can provide good customer service when you set up your own business.

So now that you have bought and paid for an item on an online auction, you are ready to sell something yourself as a first step to setting up an online business. At this point, most people look around their own homes to rid themselves of some unwanted items for which they have no use. This is a good way to get started. When you list your item on auction sites, make sure you provide a photograph. This will grab the attention of the buyers.

Description of Goods

A good description of your ‘for sale’ items is essential. Give all relevant details including technical specifications and dimensions where necessary.

Guaranteed Refund

Give a guaranteed refund to potential buyers to reassure them of your integrity. Most buyers and sellers on the Internet are honest but there are a few rogues, and buyers like to be reassured.

Positive Feedback

Getting positive feedback from your previous customers is the best way to prove you are trustworthy. Always request feedback politely after a successful sale.

Reserve Price

Set a reserve price to ensure that your goods do not sell for less than you want. Make it reasonable. If you set it too high, you will not receive any bids.

Payment Options

The more payment options you offer your buyers, the more likely you will be to make a sale. Ebay auctions offer the online payment transfer system Pay Pal (www.paypal.com) which is free to set up. Credit cards also offer security and are popular.

If you intend to set up an online auctions business, it is best to specialise in a niche which is a little out of the ordinary. Thereby facing less competition and guaranteeing your profitability. Setting up an online auctions business can become a reality for anyone who is prepared to do the necessary research and put in the effort. The enormous interest in auction sites created by the success of Ebay has provided huge numbers of targeted visitors ready to part with their cash for a great variety of goods.

Visit http://www.merchant-account-service.com/ebay.html for a FREE extensive auctions EBook on how to start and source goods for a successful online auctions home business.

Source: www.isnare.com

By Chris Malta & Robin Cowie

One key to selling successfully on eBay is getting people to your listings. If no one sees what you’re selling, no one’s going to buy it. But even once they get there, if they don’t like what they see, they won’t stay around and bid.  eBay PowerSeller Skip McGrath, of http://SkipMcGrath.com, shares some simple techniques you can use to boost your traffic and increase your sales:

Increasing Your Sales — How to Establish Customer Trust

Present a Professional Image. Presentation is especially important if you’re new to eBay. It takes time to build up your feedback to a level where your customers feel comfortable spending with you, particularly if you carry higher-end products. If you have a feedback of thirty or forty, buyers may be a little leery of trusting you with their money, so the image you create can make or break your sales. Having an attractive, professional store will go a long way towards establishing credibility.

Brand Your Business. Branding is about consistency. Your customers should be able to recognize a particular look and associate that look with your business. The writing style, the layouts, the color schemes — everything should carry through across all of your venues.  Branding results in repeat buyers and builds your customers’ confidence in you as a legitimate retailer.

About the Author: Product Sourcing Radio is Created and Hosted by Chris Malta and Robin Cowie of http://WorldwideBrands.com, Home of OneSource: The Internet’s Largest Source of Genuine, Factory-Direct Wholesalers for online sellers.  Visit http://www.WorldwideBrands.com for more FREE E-Biz & Product Sourcing info!

Source: http://www.isnare.com