Product Description

Want to pick up extra cash? Explore opening an eBay store? Unload your dusty disco albums or the collection of antlers in the basement? Hey, those poor, dead deer could lead to a rich, lively career. Whether you want to build an eBay business from scratch or just want to make sure you’re up on eBay’s policy changes and taking advantage of new automation tools, this guide will have you selling successfully on eBay faster than you can say, “going…going…”Starting an eBay Business For Dummies 2^nd Edition gets you organized and in virtual business fast with step-by-step guidance on:

• Setting up basic auctions
• Pricing items or setting minimums strategically
• Using the About Me page to begin creating a professional identity
• Finding sources of merchandise (once you exhaust your basement, attic, and relatives)
• Managing your business with online auction management services and software, including a list of 16 popular sites with their prices
• Writing tempting descriptions and taking good photographs of merchandise
• Selecting payment systems (and why shipping C.O.D. is a no-no)
• Handling inventory and keeping records

Written by Marsha Collier, author of eBay For Dummies and eBay Bargain Shopping For Dummies, an eBay PowerSeller, columnist, and teacher at eBay University, this book is packed with time-saving, money-saving tips plus secret eBay hints to help you compete with the pros from the get go. It gives you inside information on:

• eBay motors, real estate, and other unusual areas
• Dutch auctions, reserve price auctions, and private auctions
• Using an eBay fee calculator to check your final value fees
• Shipping and insuring merchandise efficiently and economically
• Printing shipping labels and postage

Complete with a glossary and index, Starting an eBay Business For Dummies 2^nd Edition is just what you need to get started selling on eBay, to graduate from occasional seller to PowerSeller, or to become a genuine eBay entrepreneur like the ten whose success stories are featured in this book!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146562 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-17
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

From the Back Cover
Build your own successful eBay business

Discover how to get started, sell with the best, and run a smooth operation!

If the lure of picking up extra cash - or becoming your own boss and eliminating your commute - is tempting you, give in and buy this book! Marsha Collier has done it all. She's helped hundreds of thousands of readers set up auctions, market their stuff, plan eBay stores, ship economically, and keep their customers happy. She will help you as well.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Choose profitable items to sell
• Price your merchandise to move
• Create descriptions and photos that lure buyers
• Be customer friendly
• Select a payment system
• Keep the necessary records

About the Author
Marsha Collier is an eBay PowerSeller, eBay University instructor, and author. She has written several books for eBay users and has appeared on NBC’s Today Show and ABC’s The View.

Customer Reviews

entry-level all-around book about starting a non-hightech Ebay business
I purchased this as a gift for a friend because I owned the previous edition. The book is well written and contains a lot of practical advice and reference material about various facets of starting and running an Ebay business. It is also written from a point of view of a person with a non-technical background (that is, in computers or finance) who was forced to make a living off Ebay and succeeded at that. The book thus concentrates on extracting revenue from general merchandise using Ebay as a re-distribution channel. Naturally, all-around books always overlap with other sources. On-line help from the Ebay site, if you do not get lost in it, would shave off a good quarter of this book, and if you are literate in on-line 'data mining' and computers in general, another good portion of this book is superfluos. Also, most of the practical advice about using wholesale outlets and on-line stores is useless outside of the USA. All that said, this is a good all-around book for starters and it can serve as that last push that gets you going, if you are still uncertain about Ebay business.

Covers and Answers Basic Questions Regarding Opening an eBay Store
I had been dabbling on eBay for auctions only when I considered opening an eBay store as my retirement job. This was the first book I purchased to help me achieve that goal. It totally answered all the pros and cons of opening a store, and based on that information, I decided to 'go for it'. Mostly it was the mechanics I was interested in - and Marcia Collins provided those answers regarding fees, creating an About Me profile, Selling Manager, store listing times & fees, sourcing products, record keeping, and more. I've also purchased a book by Suzanne Wells ~ the Ebay Coach
specifically aimed in more detail toward helping Stay-At-Home Moms (SAHMs) achieve these goals Stay-At-Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay^® Selling. In less than a year, I achieved Power Seller status! Based on that information, after becoming more experienced, I've joined eBay Specific Seller forums, learned to network on WAHM-SAHM boards, and created a successful Blog where I share the tips I've benefited from. If you are simply interested in setting up a store and just starting out and want to know the basic details of how an eBay store business functions, this book is written in language that speaks towards that reader.

Starting an eBay Business for Dummies
Very interesting read. Alot of great insider tips. I'm looking forward to getting started with an eBay business after reading this book. I read it cover to cover, but it can also just be used as a reference book.