|
|
|
Bidding For Buyers---Lessons From The Auction Block
If you think that E-bay has nothing to teach you, think again. It doesn’t matter much that you aren’t in the auction business and that your website is entirely different in scope. What matters is that the first place phenomenon of the Internet...
Buying Foreclsoure in Auction - Great Fortune
Sure you know what's auction. But do you know by buying
foreclosure in auction, you can actually earn up to 100,000USD;
or save up to that amount if you are buying a foreclosure home for residential purpose? Of cause,
those profits happen...
From Seller To Buyer: Shipping Details For Ebay Auctions
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...
Performing Auction Item Research
Auction Research If you are selling on an auction site, you have
probably tried to find the most popular and profitable selling
items. As you know, research can take hours upon hours of your
valuable time. Wouldn't it be great if there was a...
The rules of linking from your Ebay auctions
Because ebay is such a busy place of merchandise sales with many
various ebay stores and markets selling thousands of items,
there must be a few rules that are set in place to insure that
everyone is playing fair. Ebay auctions are a gift for us...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shipping Supplies For Your eBay Auction Business
Auction supplies are clearly an expense and major consideration for an eBay auction business. Of course, the most critical supply is the item you are selling, but mailing supplies are necessary for every auction and their cost and supply must be figured into your overhead. If they are not, you might get a nasty surprise when you sit down to figure out your eBay profits at the end of the week.
The most basic supply is, of course, a box. Obviously packing begins with a box - but not just any old box. A shipping-type box is necessary because if you use a shoe box or some other flimsy box, you can be certain your package will be a disaster! Your customer will be quite peeved when her item arrives in pieces!
You will become a box-fanatic, like the rest of us. When you swoop into a store or home, with joy in your voice, the proprietor will foolishly assume that it is the merchandise you are exclaiming over! We're just like the kids on Christmas day - dump the toy on the floor and play with the box! In other words, drooling over boxes is an occupational hazard.
Be aware that lots of merchants have boxes that you can have for free. You might become a scavenger at stores like WalMart, Linens & Things or Bed, Bath and Beyond. They have hundreds of boxes every week, and will often give them away to anyone who wants them.
If you are shipping really fragile items, two boxes are safest. The outer box should be a couple of inches larger than the inner one, to allow extra padding.
Padding for your packages: do you always need padding? Well ... yes and no. I have sent a few tough books without padding. But sending grandma's dishes unprotected is a recipe for disaster!
What kind of padding do you use?
Newspaper is my padding of choice, because it is cheap and readily available. However, be careful because the ink can rub off on some objects and detract from their beauty. Wrap these kinds of items in plastic. Some auction users buy shredders and use the strips of paper as packaging.
I hate those plastic peanuts, personally, but lots of people swear by them. They are an environmental disaster and the static electricity is terrible. Electronics manufacturers say to never pack computer and other kinds of equipment with peanuts, just because of the electric problem. Electrocuting your customers isn't good
business :-)
The post office recommends popcorn (without butter and salt, of course - is that to keep us from eating it?) I like popcorn for packing, but you might not want to use it to go on safari because little critters might like it, too.
Cut up cardboard can be very effective as packing material, but it is mighty tough to chop up.
Padded envelopes are a popular choice, because they are so simple - just insert the whatever and mail. But, of course, they aren't cheap. Whenever you receive anything in one of these envelopes, save them! (Are you thinking about all the envelopes you've thrown away?)
Bubble wrap is the preferred favorite. It cushions objects so well (and it's such fun to pop the bubbles!) Of course, it costs more than the the other materials, so always look for bargains on this valuable product and save every scrap you get.
And (big surprise) the best place to get bubble wrap, as well as other supplies, is on eBay. Today, for instance, I find 700 feet of 12" wrap for $34.50.
By contrast, only 25 feet of 12 bubble wrap at Staples is $4.98 That means that 700 feet at Staples would cost $139.44. Whew ... quite a saving.
Other necessary auction supplies include mailing tape, regular tape, scissors, labels and an easily legible marker.
I wrap everything in plastic bags, just for safety's sake, so you might want some of those handy, too. One of my packages arrived damp and with the corner shredded (wonder where that box had been?) But, since I had wrapped the books and tapes in plastic, they were unharmed and the buyer was so appreciative.
Another precaution you might consider is to include an extra label inside the package, just in case. You don't want your inventory sitting around one of those dead mail offices.
Auction supplies are like everything else in our eBay business that raises overhead: we must use wisdom and judgment so we can keep those expenses at bare minimum.
About the Author
Sydney Johnston, the AUCTION QUEEN, was one of the original sellers on eBay and has been selling on eBay since the winter of 1996. She is the originator and teacher of the famous Auction Genius Course, a powerful 16 hour multi media seminar on the Internet that teaches her students how to sell on ebay.
|
|
|
|
|
| Yahoo! Auctions - Buy and Sell Sports Cards, Coins, Collectibles ... |
| Experience the best Auctions marketplace. Yahoo! Auctions is now FREE. List your auction for FREE, host your own images or Bid to buy great new and used ... |
| auctions.yahoo.com |
|
| eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles ... |
| ... and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace. Sign up and begin to buy and sell - auction or buy it now - almost anything on eBay.com. |
| www.ebay.com |
|
| Auction Fire - Free Auctions - Online Auction Site - Internet Auctions |
| Auction Fire is a free online auction site. An ebay alternative offering free auctions. Internet Auctions Website. Buy or sell in thousands of internet ... |
| auctionfire.com |
|
| U.S. Treasury - Seized Property Auctions |
| Auctions - real estate, cars, trucks, vans, homes, boats, aircraft, motorcycles, jewelry, electronics, antiques, luxury items, furnishings, household goods, ... |
| www.treas.gov |
|
| Government Sales and Auctions: FirstGov.gov |
| Official site for information on all sales and auctions of government surplus property and assets. |
| www.firstgov.gov |
|
| eBay Australia - Buy or sell practically anything on eBay, the ... |
| eBay Australia offers online shopping and online auctions in Australia at eBay.com.au. *Conditions apply. The Buyer Protection Program is subject to the ... |
| www.ebay.com.au |
|
| Clearance Center - Overstock Electronics, Discount Computers ... |
| Provides auctions for computer systems, hardware, and software. |
| clearance.cnet.com |
|
| Indiatimes Auction : Digital Entertainment & Lifestyle Shoppe |
| Indiatimes > Shopping > Auctions. Choose Categories ... Big Brand Auctions. 1.5 T window AC with LCD remote ... Limited Quantity Auctions ... |
| auctions.indiatimes.com |
|
| MSN Shopping |
| Shopping tools including product guides, gift finder and gift certificates and links to online shopping sites with special offers. |
| shopping.msn.com |
|
| Auction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Dutch auction: In the traditional Dutch auction the auctioneer begins with a ... ("Dutch auction" is also sometimes used to describe online auctions where ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| QXL Ricardo plc. the online auction house | Investor Relations |
| Online auction with offers for European consumers, including arts, collectibles, cars, computing, consumer electronics and entertainment. |
| www.qxl.co.uk |
|
| Disturbing Auctions |
| This site is dedicated to the research and study of the most bizarre items found for sale on internet auction sites. Not the obviously fake auctions, ... |
| www.disturbingauctions.com |
|
| Internet Auction List - Largest Auction Directory |
| Find all kinds of auctions divided by types of items. |
| www.internetauctionlist.com |
|
| Overstock Auctions - Online Auctions at Overstock.com - An auction ... |
| Overstock.com Auctions your home for Online Auctions. Find great deals on thousands of live auctions. An alternative to eBay, this auctions site is the ... |
| auctions.overstock.com |
|
| Airline Tickets, Cheap Hotels, Vacation Packages & Travel Deals |
| The internet leader in Travel Auctions & Buy it Now deals to see the world. Our Lowest Price Guarantee on airline tickets, hotels, cruises, ... |
| www.skyauction.com |
|
| onSale.com Low Prices - Computers, Consumer electronics, Digital ... |
| onSale – Don’t just buy it. Get it onSale! onSale has the best selection of computer systems, peripherals, software, iPods, iPod accessories, ... |
| www.onsale.com |
|
| A Survey of Auctions |
| Defines in lay-terms the various types of auctions, including English Auctions, Dutch Auctions, and Double Auctions. A brief history of auctions and ... |
| www.agorics.com |
|
| DoveBid - Industrial Auctioneers, Machinery Auctions, Capital ... |
| Buy & Sell surplus, used business, industrial machinery, laboratory, R&D equipment at DoveBid, the leading global provider of capital asset management and ... |
| www.dovebid.com |
|
| Neopets - New Neopian Auctions |
| Neopets - New Neopian Auctions. Oops! You cannot view this page because you are not logged in, or perhaps you have not created an account yet! ... |
| www.neopets.com |
|
| Car Auctions, Auto Auctions, Online Car Auctions, Salvage Auctions ... |
| Car Auctions, Auto Auctions, Online Car Auctions. Pickles Auctions is an Australian owned Auction company, specialising in auto vehicle, truck and car ... |
| www.pickles.com.au |
|
|