Without a picture you are not going to sell your products on eBay.

That’s the golden rule – you must have pictures because they sell to the customer once you have got them on your auction page.

Arm yourself with a digital camera, you don’t need a complicated or expensive one but make sure the photographs it takes do come out at sufficiently high-resolution so the results look clear and clean on your computer.  Most camera phones are not sufficiently powerful for this function and the resolution will look grainy and substandard when it is uploaded – a cheap digital camera is usually a far superior route to go but make sure it has more than 3 megapixels (8 is becoming the standard and just as cheap too). You will also need a zoom facility so you can take pictures from close up as you focus on specific aspects of the product.

Look at this picture and think of how it could be improved:

Image that needs TLC

Here is a better representation of an overall view:

A Beautiful Pair of Shoes!

So, the pictures you are aiming for will be sharp and straight forward. Make sure you create simple images that give a good overall and also detailed views of your product.

Detailed Close-Up View

Take your pictures in a good light but beware of reflective surfaces as these will bounce back flash or distort the lines of the goods – taking pictures in daylight is the best, under a neon light is next best and avoid using flash wherever possible.  Although most of us are not professional photographers, we can all create a decent picture if we follow a few guidelines, right?

Photograph the item from all angles – front, side, back, from the top and from the bottom – include close up and distance shots.  Use a solid color backdrop so attention is focused upon the item itself unless the item is so large this is impractical – a plain wall in the house or a fence in the yard will do the trick.  Now is also the time to take photographs of any defects in the item – if there is a scratch, take a photo of it so the bidders can see what is wrong and whether it is a deal-breaker or not (this demonstrates your integrity and avoids complaints post-sale).

If you want to add a bit of panache, get a light-tent and you are in business to give your photos an extra boost. They cost around $25.00 (depending on the size) and can be purchased best on eBay .

Remember to keep it simple – you are not creating art here – you are looking for simple, sharp images which will demonstrate your products to their best effect and sell themselves to the bidders.

Thank you for your interest and please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I always enjoy hearing from you!

OK – this week I am going to take a detailed look at eBay auction templates.

Invite Visitors to Stay Longer!

Using a template allows you to standardize your auctions and present your product range in a professional and attractive fashion.  If you have a well-designed and good-looking auction display and shop, you are going to keep visitors to your pages and auctions for longer because they stay longer on better looking auction pages compared to amateurish looking ones.

Even an absolute eBay newbie can make an auction web page look professional with the minimum of fuss and bother!

Templates Save You Time!

Once you have the template finalized, you will never have to repeat entering your contact information, payment terms, returns policy or links to your eBay shop or “About Me” profile.  Templates save you time as well as giving you a tight, professional look to your business.

Using a templates does not require you know very much html, the coding which makes up many web pages and which you use to make items bold, in italics, or >>centered<<<  In act, all you really need to  worry about is getting the template right from inception and then simply upload your auction photographs and descriptions before you schedule the auction to go live.

The Required Tool:

One issue when using a template is you need an HTML editor – don’t panic because if you are using Windows you have on already – use Notepad or Typepad for writing your descriptions (NOT Word) and then cut and paste these to your template.  The reason for doing it this way is that Word and other word processing programs copy the formatting into the template which starts playing havoc with how the finished auction will look.  Typepad and html editors strip all the formatting out and leave you only with the unadulterated text.

You can find “free” auction templates by browsing the web and Auctiva was the biggest free auction template provider on eBay until a recent change of policy.  Free is not always the best route to go however, and there are several cost effective options available to you which I shall be covering in my next posts.

Oh, one more thought. The free html editor I have frequently used is called NVU – they offer great tutorials and support Windows, MAC and Linux operating systems!

Have You Twittered Lately?

Review of eBay Powerseller In 90 Days!

Here’s a review that I surprised myself with, I expected this to be a product about …well – Becoming an eBay Powerseller In 90 Days.

Strangely enough that is covered in the product John Thornhill has put together – but it’s actually much more than that.

Anyone who has ever tried to get to powerseller status on ebay will understand the reluctance of most people these days even trying for it.
The daily trudge to the post office, the annoying looks and stares from the customer waiting behind you in the queue, wondering just how many boxes you have in that bin liner you’re lifting to the counter scales….And that’s all before you’ve worked out how much it’s cost you in fuel, shoe leather, postage costs and ebays fees.

Well that’s not what John Thornhill does at all.
It’s obvious John has a system in place that makes him money – as he has been trading on ebay for 5 years and he happily displays his his ebay id – planetsms, and his positive feedback of over 16,000.

Basically it’s easy to establish that John does very well from ebay. That said I’d be telling fibs if I didn’t admit that I had heard ebay was no longer of use for making major profits from. Anyone who has looked into ebay must have seen it’s critics, shouting loudly, that there is no longer any money to be made from selling ebooks!

And yet here is John proudly displaying his ID and claiming he can help anyone get to powerseller status in 90 day AND learn to duplicate his systems and make hundreds a day!!
So can he ?

Well an exploration of the package from the inside reveals firstly -

That everything stated on the salespage is actually included, there doesn’t appear to be any hype over the products contained.
You see John is offering not just his action plan, but everything that anyone would need to follow it (barring a domain name and hosting, and an autoresponder account). He includes a host of tools and products including a fully built website, listing templates and literally thousands of ebooks.

It has to be said that although John adds new ebooks monthly, a good deal of the older ones would either be better left or completely updated…. these are the ones you typically see people selling for 01 penny/cent. Personally I’d not waste my time messing about with them – there are so many recent and good quality products in the package there really is no need!

Here’s where it get’s interesting.
After you follow the step by step tutorials and get everything set up to sell the quantity’s required to achieve powerseller status, (by the way – if anyone was looking for a quick fix – you wont find it here. The system does require manual input of a couple of hours a day for those 90 days!)…. But given that anyone seeking to build a long term income online would be quite prepared for that, lets assume that powerseller status is reached within the 90 days…..

John then goes on to continue teaching, and frankly this is what impressed me more than his initial package, yes it’s impressive and yes it’s comprehensive. Yes it delivers everything promised on the salespage, and yes it requires work and effort following step by step what one needs to get done!

But John could quite easily have stopped at that having delivered what was promised, and yet he adds more instead. The breath of fresh air in the ‘make money online’ industry that has grown around people constantly over promising and under delivering comes from the lengths John goes to to ensure his members have learned what they really need to know.

It does briefly mention on the salespage that there is a members only forum, (but in fairness – how many sites don’t have one these days?) – the difference in the planetsms members forum is that John goes on to give more advice about maximising profits through his “Many Streams Make A River” concept….

He says on his salespage that he will cover affiliate marketing, and that is done in the tutorials, but the forum seems to be a hive of activity not just from John posting his advice, but from the many long term members who have built their own businesses and have stuck around to continue to offer advice to the newcomers.
With over 2000 registered users and over 30,000 posts, it seems to be the most valuable resource of the entire package!

So to conclude this review…
Question —– Can the 90 day powerseller package do what it claims?
Answer ——  In my opinion a definite Yes – IF one is prepared to follow step by step and put in the work initially required to get there….

But as I mentioned at the start, having looked at the entire package, it is far more than just about ebay. It’s about building a sustainable long term business online, incorporating many income streams, and giving all the advice, help and support needed for anyone to achieve these things….

Frankly – Surprising these days…. But Very Pleasantly So!.

The package can be viewed and ordered here, and also come with a 100% money back guarantee!
Your Own eBook Business

Some descriptions on eBay will not motivate anyone to look twice while other auction descriptions simply sizzle!

Writing is an art and writing to sell is something you are going to master with practice – don’t think otherwise for one moment!

Following these simple rules will keep you on the road to attracting your buyers and getting them to bid on your auctions:

Forget the Cliches

Don’t use cliches with your auction headlines such as, “Rare antique”, “Still in box” or “Unwanted gift” – this type of auction description is telling the buyer your item is something you don’t want so why on earth should your prospective buyers?

Focus on ‘the getting the name of the item’ into your eBay title because this is what is being searched when a buyer is looking for goods, for example, if you are selling a Blues Brothers DVD then your title should say, “Brand New Blues Brothers DVD” as this will then return in the search results.

Think Benefits not Features!

Always look at what an item does and what that means to a prospective buyer.

Telling someone you have an “Ultra Quiet AC Unit” means nothing in itself but saying something like, “Never hear the sound of the air con over your television” is outlining the benefit of being quiet.

Think what a buyer is looking for, and usually you can focus on cost being very low or saving time or saving money as great benefits to buyers no matter what the product you are selling,.

Be Very Specific

You do not have to be very long to get your information over to the prospective buyer – be very short and to the point and extremely specific.

Forget telling the world why you are selling the item to raise some cash because you lost your job or your great aunt Petunia has ‘kicked the bucket’ so to speak – focus purely on the product itself, for instance:

Your Auctions Title could be: Dell Lattitude P400  Windows Vista PE 14′ TFT screen LN

Followed by the description on top of your auction details: Dell Lattitude P400, complete with Windows Vista Home Premium Edition and 14′ TFT screen with keyboard and mouse.  6 months old.  Fully working order with Norton Home Security and Quicken 2009 plus 6 months manufacturers warranty left.

Further Information: Paint a brief picture of what the buyer can expect. Use bullets to break up the monotony of a paragraph. For instance, if you still have warranty left on the product, offer to send the corresponding papers along with the product. Stay away from ambiguous descriptions like ‘works beautifully’ better write about specific details like ‘this PC has a 400 mhz processor with a 6 gig hard drive’.

Use Pictures

Use pictures wherever you can as they are fantastic at demonstrating what you have instantly to the prospect.  It’s true a picture paints a thousand words.

Include Shipping and Payment Information

Be clear where you are prepared to ship the product to and what your terms are for doing so.  Also make it absolutely clear what payment terms and methods you prefer to accept payment. Most buyers are familiar with PayPal. But eBay also works accepts ProPay, MoneyBrokers and Paymate.

I outline clearly the methods of payment I accept whether it is Paypal, or any of the other electronic payment options. EBay only allows the seller to accept money-orders or a cashiers check for certain auctions – e.g, eBay Motors.  Equally, you should outline your returns policy which gives confidence you are a reputable trader to be trusted. To gain good feedback and build a great reputation, you should consider to allow a buyer to return an item  for x-amount of days.

Come Twit With Me!

You have found which products are hot and now are looking to find your supplier but to streamline the whole process, you want the supplier to send the goods ordered directly to the customer while you collect the payment and the order from the customer. You are then responsible for paying the dropshipper for the goods they have shipped.

Great Stuff!

This is great stuff because firstly, you never get your hands dirty with anything except the money and secondly, you never have to have stock on hand which will cost you money to handle and store allowing you to work from the comfort of your own home without boxes of product turning your home into a warehouse facility.

So, let’s take a look at advantages of using a dropshipper first of all.

The Pros

· You don’t need a stock inventory which saves time and money storing it;

· No need for significant outlay investment to get started;

· Dropshippers are likely to be agreeable to sell “light bulk” units i.e. a smaller order size than a wholesaler/manufacturer – you will find suppliers willing to supply 1 unit per order;

· Allows you to concentrate simply on marketing and managing money without any need for involvement in logistics.

And now for the other side of dropshipping.

The Cons

· There are a lot of scams with supposed “dropshippers” taking your money for product which is never dispatched (meaning you have to refund your customer) or more frequently, sending product which does not match those ordered by the customer (again a refund situation);

· You may not be getting such a great discount on the goods to place your mark-up because you are not buying wholesale but in much smaller volume;

· You have no control over the packaging so there is no opportunity to create brand awareness through the products you sell;

· Different dropshippers will charge different shipping fees and these can make the whole proposition unworkable from your point of view – take care you know exactly what you will be charged by the dropshipper;

· Multiple dropshippers supplying multiple products can be expensive when it comes to the dropshipping fees being levied; and

· Delivery issues can arise and you will be out of the loop but your customer will be expecting you to deal with it.

Due Diligence:

You will need to source a reliable dropshipper, not necessarily the cheapest for you but in terms of a supplier delivering what is ordered when they say they will is priceless in the eyes of your customer and this reflects directly on YOU! If the order/delivery process is messed up, the customer will blame you and no-one else so you must develop a good working relationship with your dropshipper – look at this as being a team in partnership to get the goods where they need to be (the dropshipper’s job) and to collect the money and disburse it fast and efficiently (your job) – either one of you fails and you both fail, both do well and you will do very well! Keep in mind that small manufacturers love to work with eBay sellers and often time you have less competition online to deal with either

Sourcing Support: If you prefer to have someone reliable pre-screen manufacturers and suppliers, check out SaleHoo – that’s all they do … getting the stage ready for you to sell up a storm!

Wishing You Rippling Success! Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section!

Please check out my newest venture at:

We Can Do It Solutions

In previous posts we’ve dealt with the very basics of getting yourself started on eBay with selling your own items, sourcing them from yard sales, Craigslist and even moving forward as a Trading Assistant selling stuff on behalf of third parties and taking a commission for handling the listing and sale.

Now it is time to look at developing yourself further as a professional eBay money maker and sourcing goods for sale which are new and customers will want now and again and again.

Identify Products.

Once you have identified which products are selling on eBay, and more importantly are selling today, you need to source the products in a cost effective way so you can achieve good margins and develop a consistent product range to sell. The major sources for products at prices which will allow you to make a good margin and make good income for yourself are the wholesalers, but where do you find them?

Understand how the distribution chain works in global terms.

The manufacturer makes the product and they will sell them in bulk or high dollar value transactions; they usually do not deal with the public as they are not interested in selling one DVD or one MP3 player – they are selling them in volume such as thousands or in high value transactions of tens of thousands of dollars. Wholesalers are the major customers of manufacturers.

Wholesalers buy in bulk from the manufacturers; sometimes they are one and the same but more usually they are not. A wholesaler will buy in bulk a range of products and by using their bulk-buying capacity are able to negotiate extremely low prices for the products they are carrying. Wholesalers will in turn sell to retailers at lower volumes or total transaction values with an enhanced price for the individual units compared to the manufacturer which is where they make their profits.

Retailers are customer facing i.e. they sell to the public and this includes you as an eBay auction seller – you are known as an eTailer in this instance because you are selling online and using eCommerce. Retailers apply a mark-up to the products they have sourced which the customer pays and this is where the retailer makes their profit.

As you can see at each stage of the chain, mark-up is added until a final price is established which the customer pays. Your challenge is to source products at the lowest cost, highest quality and in greatest demand which you can sell for the most profit and get them into the hands of customers paying you for them.

A form of wholesaler is a dropshipper; they will take your order after you have sold an item and ship it directly to the customer. You are responsible for selling the item and collecting the money as well as handling any customer issues; the dropshipper is instructed by you to send the item to the shipping address provided which bypasses you, direct to the customer and you pay the dropshipper for the product supplied leaving a profit which is yours.

Now you understand how the distribution supply chain works and where you stand in it, it is time to move on to the detail of how to get the most out of your wholesaler or dropshipper and make some serious money. This we will discuss next time.

Wishing You Rippling Success! Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section!

Check out my newest venture at:

We Can Do It Solutions

PROFITABLE selling on eBay means you MUST have a RELIABLE SOURCE OF PRODUCTS!

There is NO SUBSTITUTE for a reputable, HIGH QUALITY SOURCE for products which are COMPETITIVE and IN DEMAND!

If you do not have products which will sell, are of great quality and which you can buy yourself at rock-bottom price you will quickly find you have no business!

The key to MAKING PROFITS is to buy cheap and sell high but you also have to make sure you can sell the items before you commit to investing BIG MONEY and also make sure you can get the goods as your NEED to supply CUSTOMER DEMAND.

This is where developing WHOLESALER relationships is CRUCIAL – I cannot state this strongly enough – YOU HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT!

SALEHOO IS A FANTASTIC WHOLESALER RESOURCE for any eBay professional because:

· They offer COMPETITIVE PRICING to you, the seller;

· They have a WIDE PRODUCT RANGE for you to select from and thus help develop your NICHE MARKET;

· They are RELIABLE in delivering goods to you and to your customers;

· They are constantly sourcing NEW PRODUCTS CUSTOMERS WANT with over 8,000 verified manufacturers and sources;

· They are HIGHLY SKILLED AND EXPERIENCED in supplying eBay sellers with over 65,000 very happy registered members.

If you select a wholesale partner who does not match these qualities, the downside for you and your business will be catastrophic! BAD WHOLESALERS will mean:

· You have to buy in bulk from them increasing your FINANCIAL RISK AND INVESTMENT;

· You get left with stock you CANNOT SELL;

· POOR SUPPORT for eBay professionals means you cannot be sure what you are being sold will be in demand by your customers;

· POOR QUALITY means you are left with disgruntled buyers which damages your FEEDBACK and eventually will DESTROY your business;

· The wholesale market is FULL OF SCAMS and new eBay sellers LOSE MONEY!

When you come to choose your wholesale partner here are some RED FLAGS to watch for in order to avoid losing money due to bad decision making or an OUTRIGHT SCAM:

1. The wholesaler does not provide a verifiable and real address;

2. They don’t have a telephone number or are unprofessional when they answer it;

3. They ask for your “sales license” – wholesalers do not sell to the public, they only deal with retailers and have no need for any licensing information from you;

4. They won’t let you have samples, especially if you are looking at a large order being placed with them;

5. They are slow in responding to email queries or won’t answer at all – look for their email address not being the same as their company website – all emails to Salehoo will use NAME@salehoo.com for instance;

6. They won’t take a credit card payment and worse, insist on a money transfer using Western Union or similar and even if sent to a different address or country – this is a SCAM; and

7. The website is using stock photos or content you have seen somewhere else – this is a copycat scam – AVOID!

Using a reputable wholesaler like SALEHOO will allow you to enjoy COMPETITIVE pricing, BRILLIANT products and CUSTOMER SERVICE for you and your customers – EVERYONE WINS!

Any stories to share? Would like to hear about your experiences with wholesalers!

Check out my newest venture at:

We Can Do It Solutions!

You have sold some items on eBay and by now have some good experience of what works and what doesn’t.  Plus you will have made some money and obtained some valuable positive feedback to help you build your online reputation. Now you are looking to make the next step up the ladder and establish yourself as a true professional seller on eBay and become a Trading Assistant or more usually known as a TA.

Though there are millions of people selling stuff on eBay, bluntly many more simply do not feel they have the time or the experience to do it themselves. They really need someone else to do it for them and even if they are selling on eBay themselves, they know they can get a better price if they were to sell their items through a third party who really knows what they are doing; by now this is you and you will be their TA.

This is what a TA is; a seller who sells items on behalf of third parties and takes a commission off the sale proceeds for handling the listing and sale. A TA will handle much more than simple email communications with prospective buyers – they will deal with third party sellers by email, telephone and frequently, face-to-face as well as managing the sale of a much wider range of items you are unlikely to come across on your own account. Many TAs actually specialize in a niche field and reach a much more targeted audience which also strongly appeals to third parties selling items as they are getting the specialized knowledge not just of eBay but of the market itself and are much more likely going to get a higher price even after paying the commission to the TA.

The pros of operating as a Trading Assistant:

· You benefit by selling items for people who cannot sell them elsewhere or on eBay itself;

· You make money off someone else’s investment – you outlay no capital of your own and assume no financial risk;

· You gain access to free inventory which does need to be handled or stored by you;

· You increase the variety of items for sale on your eBay site which makes you more interesting to prospective buyers and increases cross-selling opportunities.

There are some things you are going to have to deal with which may initially present some challenges. You will need to at least handle the following:

· Establish a scale of charges or determine how much you can charge for your services;

· Draft a contract for handling the sale, what happens when the sale is made such as who is receiving the money (should be you), who pays and arranges for shipping to the customer and when you have to pay the seller you are acting for.

Working as a TA is also not always plain sailing, there are downsides to acting for others and these include:

· It is a TA’s reputation which is affected if something goes wrong, such as the item sold not being up to scratch – if anything goes wrong in the process, the buyer will be leaving negative feedback on YOUR profile;

· You ought to have some experience and knowledge of the item being sold or risk underperforming on the sale which will upset the seller – you are in a typical middle management position and caught between seller and buyer – a true middleman;

· You will have all the paperwork burden as well to deal with;

· This has been said once but it is worth repeating – it is your reputation on the line here and also your eBay account – you must make sure what is being sold is properly described and held out to the buyer, that the seller will sell it once you have found the buyer and the logistics of shipping take place promptly as you state and that you get the money in and disbursed as required – for a small commission is your reputation and peace of mind going to be worth it?

Overall, working as a TA can be a great deal of hard work but it is also a fantastic way to broaden your experience, improve your feedback and make some money at the same time. Although we are still working in the realm of second-hand goods, working as a TA will allow you to learn how to step your business up a notch at lightening speed.

Next we are going to look at how the serious professionals make millions of dollars in sales using wholesalers, dropshippers and other bulk merchants to deliver new products to the mass market.

Please note that more can be said about being a TA which I will cover at great lengths in my upcoming book ‘The Powerseller Freeway’! There I will share more tricks and insights on how you can use this stepping stone successfully while avoiding all the possible missteps.

Check out my newest venture at:

We Can Do it Solutions!

You have an eBay seller account and now you are all set to start selling, selling and selling!

Hold on a moment – where is all this stuff going to come from?

Before we delve into the serious tools and resources available for product sourcing, let’s deal with some basics first and help you get your ‘feet wet’ in the business.

Initially, you are not going to have hordes of eBay buyers beating a path to your door; this comes in time and after a great deal of hard work. You need to build up some feedback ratings to demonstrate you really are a business that can be trusted to deliver. So, you should be starting off with some items which can be sourced very economically, will still turn you a healthy profit and most of all at this stage, give you some real experience and provide the foundations for your eBay reputation with positive feedback after a sale is completed.

There are plenty of places to start looking for stuff to sell on eBay.

Start with your own home; we all collect clutter and the longer we live the more clutter we accumulate, so it’s time to have a clean out and get rid of the unused or unwanted items such as clothes, toys the children have grown out of, gifts from a few Christmas’ ago which have never been out of the box, all those home improvement tools which never got used beyond a DIY project. Be disciplined and be ruthless; you get two major benefits from doing this – a clean, uncluttered house and money in your account with some positive feedback!

Unless you are going to sell the shirt off your back, this avenue will eventually run dry and you will need to cast your net farther afield. Good sources of items to sell are yard sales; these are great because they are always happening in your neighborhood, especially in the summer months but even in winter you get garage sales too. This gives you the opportunity to always have a stream of items available for sale so your eBay site is never static and potential customers will check back to your auctions frequently to see what you have. Another advantage is that the owners selling the stuff are usually just looking to get it out of their home and frequently are not aware of just how valuable the items are – if they were, they’d be selling it on eBay to begin with!

There are also classified ads in the local newspapers and free press which litter our driveways and mailboxes – these are an excellent resource for locating items, particularly larger value items for listing. You should be able to command a higher price than is being asked for in the ad because you will be offering the item to a much larger audience using eBay than is possible with an ad in a classified section. If you are collecting your paper from the store, check out the cards usually littering notice boards with items for sale too!

Going online, you will find a great website called Craigslist – this is the granddaddy of online classified ad websites and you can browse by area and by category for everything from a house to a trinket. Be careful with Craigslist and indeed any ad which needs you to travel to somewhere else; always exercise caution when meeting someone you don’t know and take someone with you or meet in a public place as well as protect your contact information, especially your address.

By the time you have completed your first sales using these resources you will have learned a great deal about how the eBay selling system is working and more importantly, how you are operating – you will learn very quickly what works for you and where you feel your direction on eBay lies. At this point we are simply learning to swim and gain valuable experience and an online reputation; once you have achieved this you will be ready to move on to the next step up the ladder; operating as a Trading Assistant.

Thank you for stopping by. I am looking forward to your thoughts and questions. Wishing you rippling success!

Check out my newest venture at:

We Can Do It Solutions!

Just as any other business, you must ensure you stand out from the crowd and show you are different in ways which encourages and convinces prospects to buy from you. There are really two things rolled into one here – first, maximizing your efforts to attract a pool of potential customers and repeat business, and second, extracting the maximum value from that pool of prospects and repeat customers so you end up with more bang in profit and sales for your bucks invested and have happy customers in return.

By the time you have attracted a potential buyer to your auction site, you have invested a great deal of the time and money required to promote your business. Now you must seek to maximize that investment; if you have a potential customer, soon to become a customer in fact, you should do everything possible to create as much value for them as you possibly can.

How do you do this?

The most effective strategy is to carve out a niche for yourself and not to spread yourself too thin. By concentrating on a narrower range of products, you maximize and focus your concentration upon that product area; your knowledge will be so much better and your marketing efforts can be completely focused on promoting a narrow product range.

What drives these cost savings and increases the opportunity for cross-selling of related but different products is known as synergy. For a small eBay business, you must use synergy within niche marketing to ensure you are absolutely concentrated on a specific target audience with very specific product offerings. Then you also will be able to develop far more effectively the cross-selling and repeat business opportunities which are available as a consequence. This again in return will create a happy customer.

Let’s take a practical example.

Selling DVD’s – the DVD market is huge and though one major product, it is very broad catering to an extremely wide range of tastes with numerous different movie genres, documentaries, travel and education as well as home DVD productions for weddings and special occasions. For a newcomer entering the market, you cannot possibly compete across all forms of the market without an enormous investment of capital to promote yourself and have the buying power with suppliers to offer competitive prices.

Narrow the range you are offering to, say, popular TV series boxed sets; all you offer are boxed sets of current popular TV shows such as House, Stargate SG-1 or Two and Half Men. Now you are not promoting new film releases or need to compile and promote movie marketing information for such a very wide sector – you are focusing your marketing and promotion upon existing TV shows and that you are selling complete seasons as boxed sets. You have dramatically reduced your product offering and now have focused all your marketing on “boxed sets”.

By selling only “boxed sets”, you are able to hold an intelligent negotiation with the suppliers – you will obtain better pricing and terms from them because you have cut out the rest of the lines they offer and can show you are only selling a specialized part of their line. More than this, you only need to track new boxed set releases into the market and maybe current developments with the popular shows you are offering.

By building your business upon a niche you specialize in, you will come to dominate the mindset of your prospects and customers; they think “I want to buy XYZ Season” and automatically they are more likely to think of you and come back for more. They see SG-1 Season 1 on sale, you have the opportunity to cross sell Season 2 or combine them as ‘special offers” and discounts for multi-buys.

Even better, as you grow and you negotiate ever more competitive pricing from your suppliers you gain competitive advantage by being able to undercut the general competition who then find they cannot compete against you at your pricing levels nor on your knowledge of the products and that micro-market. You raise barriers to entry by exploiting and dominating your niche market.

Please check out a very entertaining short video on finding your niche HERE – in this example to follow what  already has been proven to sell (in this example DVD’s) will allow you to find your own niche.

In our next piece, we are going to be looking at how you source your products and the resources and suppliers beyond Craigslist and yard sales who are vital to growing an eBay business including dropshippers, wholesalers and other product sources.

Wishing you rippling success! Your comments and questions are always welcome!

Check out my newest venture at:

We Can Do It Solutions!