How to Become a Hacker
Looking for advice on learning to crack passwords, sabotage systems, mangle websites, write
viruses, and plant Trojan horses? You came to the wrong place. I'm not that kind of hacker.
Looking for advice on how to learn the guts and bowels of a system or network, get inside it, and
become a real expert? Maybe I can help there. How you use this knowledge is up to you. I hope
you'll use it to contribute to computer science and hacking (in its good sense), not to become a
cracker or vandal.
This little essay is basically the answers to all the emails I get asking how to become a hacker.
It's not a tutorial in and of itself. It's certainly not a guaranteed success. Just give it a try and see
what happens. That said, here's where to start:
Be curious
Take things apart. Look under the hood. Dig through your system directories and see what's in
there. View the files with hex editors. Look inside your computer. Wander around computer stores
and look at what's there.
Read everything in sight
If you can afford it, buy lots of books. If you can't, spend time in libraries and online. Borrow
books from friends. Go through tutorials. Read the help files on your system. If you're using
Unix/Linux, read the man files. Check out the local college bookstores and libraries. And as
you're reading, try things (see next paragraph).
Experiment
Don't be afraid to change things, just to see what'll happen. Do this long enough, of course, and
you'll wipe out your system (see next paragraph), but that's part of becoming a hacker. Try
command options and switches you've never tried before. Look for option menus on programs
and see what they can do. In Windows, tweak your registry and see what happens. Change
settings in .INI files. In Unix, dig around in the directories where you don't normally go. On the
Macintosh, play around in the system folder.
Make backups
If you start mucking around with system files, registries, password files, and such, you will
eventually destroy your system. Have a backup ready. If you can afford it, have a system you use just for experimenting, ready to reload on a moment's notice, and do your serious work (or
serious gaming!) on a different computer.
Don't limit yourself
Who says a computer or network is the only place to hack? Take apart your telephone. Figure out your television (careful of the high voltage around the picture tube - if you fry yourself, it's not my fault) and VCR. Figure out how closed captioning works (that was a plug for my
CaptionCentral.com Web site). Take apart your printer. Pick up the latest issues of Nuts & Volts
and Midnight Engineer (you've obviously made a good start if you're reading Blacklisted! 411).
Take apart the locks on your doors. Figure out how your radio works. Be insatiably curious and
read voraciously. There are groups you can learn from. There are whole Web sites devoted to
hacking TiVo units, for example.
Get some real tools
You can't cut a board in half with a screwdriver. Well, maybe you can, but it'll take a long time.
Dig around and find the proper tools for the operating systems you're using. They're out there on the Web. You can get some pretty good stuff as shareware or freeware (especially on Linux). The serious power tools often cost serious money. What kinds of tools? Hex file editors.
Snoopers
that analyze system messages and network traffic. Compilers and APIs for programming.
Scripting tools. Disk editors/formatters. Disassemblers. When you get good, write some of your
own.
Learn to program
If you want to be a hacker, you're going to have to learn to program. The easiest way to start
depends on the operating system you're using. The choice of language is very individual. It's
almost a religious thing. Suggest a programming language to a beginner, and someone will
disagree. Heck, you'll probably get flamed for it in a newsgroup. In Unix, I'd suggest getting
started with Perl. Buy a copy of the camel book (Programming Perl) and the llama book(Learning Perl). You'll have the fundamentals of programming really fast! The best part is that the language itself is free. In Windows, you can get started quickly using a visual development environment like Visual Basic or Java. No matter what the system, if you want to get serious, you'll eventually need to learn C (or C++ or C# or some other variant). Real hackers know more than one programming language, anyway, because no one language is right for every task.
Learn to type
Hackers spend a lot of time at their keyboards. I type 90+ wpm (according to the Mavis Beacon
typing tutor). HackingWiz (of hackers.com and Hacker's Haven BBS fame) says he can type 140+wpm. The typing tutor may be boring, but it pays off.
Use real operating systems
Windows 95/98/Me is a shell on top of a 32-bit patch to a 16-bit DOS. Get some real operating
systems (Linux, Windows NT, Mac OS, OS/2...) and learn them. You can't call yourself a linguist
if you only know one language, and you certainly can't call yourself a hacker if you only know one
OS. Linux is a hacker's dream. All the source code is freely available. Play with it, analyze it,
learn it. Eventually, perhaps you can make a contribution to Linux yourself. Who knows, you
might even have a chance to write your own OS.
Talk to people
It's hard to learn in a vacuum. Take classes. Join users groups or computer clubs. Talk to people
on IRC or newsgroups or Web boards until you find people to learn with. That can take a while.
Every third message on newsgroups like alt.hack* is "teach me to hack." Sigh. The best way to
be accepted in any group is to contribute something. Share what you learn, and others will share
with you.
Do some projects
It's important to pick some projects and work until you've finished them. Learning comes from
doing, and you must follow the project through start to finish to really understand it. Start really
simple. Make an icon. Customize your system (the startup screen on Win95, or the prompt on
Unix). Make a script that performs some common operation. Write a program that manipulates a file (try encrypting something).
Learn to really use the Internet
Start with the Web. Read the help for the search engines. Learn how to use Boolean searches.
Build up an awesome set of bookmarks. Then move on to other Internet resources. Get on
Usenet. Find some underground BBSs. Get on IRC. You'll find useful information in the strangest places. Get to the point where you can answer your own questions. It's a whole lot faster than plastering them all over various newsgroups and waiting for a serious answer.
Once you've gone through these steps, go out and contribute something. The Internet was built
by hackers. Linux was built by hackers. Usenet was built by hackers. Sendmail was built by
hackers. Be one of the hackers that builds something.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
E-book Basics
How to Get Your Piece of the Info Market Pie!
Info Product Mania
Over 2 million digital information products were downloaded in 2006 from just one major distribution site. These figures were gathered from a single download site out of hundreds, and certainly do not take into account the millions of other info products that were accessed from independent sources.
According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 90% of all Internet users search the web for some type of information. Based on the average annual growth of global Internet use, it is estimated that the already enormous demand for digital information will be increased by 99,445,365 new information seekers during 2007.
Millions of dollars will be made as a direct result of information marketing this year. Info Product Mania is in full swing with no end in sight.
So how can you get a piece of all this action? There are several effective ways to leverage the popularity of information products, and this e-book is going to cover one of the simplest and most powerful methods….
Writing and marketing your own e-book.
Read through this material carefully, and then take action on what you learn. Ultimately you are responsible for your own results, but the contents of this publication are based on real-life applications that are bringing in nice profits for many Internet entrepreneurs.
Thanks for reading.
What Exactly is a ‘Digital Informaton Product’?
A digital information product is a well-organized piece of content that is placed into an easily downloadable, electronic format. Examples of this type of product include PDF e-books and manuals (like the one you are reading right now), text documents, and executable html downloads.
What makes information marketing an attractive and lucrative field to enter? Great question!
And here are three great answers:
1. With info products, you can offer your customers instant access to your goods by way of digital download. There is no physical inventory to handle, and your overhead costs will be minimal. Info Product Marketing is a business where you can achieve close to a 100% profit margin!
2. With a little set-up work you can create an ongoing, automated income with info product marketing. It’s a great feeling to wake up in the morning with payment notifications in your inbox, and to profit from sales that are made while you are out enjoying the day with your friends and family.
3. Creating and marketing your own information products is a fantastic way to build a name for yourself and establish a strong presence in your chosen niche. Knowledgeable individuals in any field are sought after and held in high esteem.
This is my third e-book and while I’m not filthy rich at the time of this writing, I have replaced my day job with info product marketing. I am building a respected name for myself, and I continue to receive payments for work I did one time.
If you read and take action on the contents of this e-book, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t duplicate my success. You don’t have to be an expert writer or a master marketer to cash in on the digital information market. All it takes is a little basic knowledge, a decent amount of initial effort, and lots of focus and determination.
Distribution Strategies
E-book Basics was written to teach you the basics of creating your own e-books and digital reports. The subject of effective marketing could easily fill another book ten times the size of this one. However, I will offer a couple of suggestions for maximizing the success of your info product promotions.
There are many ways to distribute information for personal gain, but there are two primary strategies you should be aware of. Either approach is worthwhile, and I recommend a mixture of both strategies within your overall marketing campaign.
Selling Information for Direct Profit
The first strategy is to simply sell a digital info product for front-end profit. Most people can readily identify with this concept.
Most likely, you are already trying to sell something on the web, whether it’s an affiliate service, a business opportunity, or a physical product of some sort. So the idea of selling an electronic information package is simple enough to grasp.
Using an Affiliate Program to Increase Your Profits
As a product owner, you can now leverage the power of an affiliate sales force to drive more traffic to your website. Even a small group of active affiliates can result in far more exposure for your product than you could generate by yourself.
Clickbank and Paydotcom are two popular systems that will track your affiliate sales for you. However, these services charge you a fee each time a copy of your product is sold.
I guess I’m a bit of a control freak, because I just don’t like the idea of paying out fees for selling my own product. For this reason I recommend using an ‘in-house’ affiliate program.
You can install a simple script on your domain and have complete control of your own affiliate program. Check out this Great Affiliate Software that makes it easy to add products, track sales, pay commissions, and manage all your affiliates from one feature-packed admin control panel.
Distributing Free Info Products for Viral Exposure or Back-End Profits
This may sound strange, but it is just as easy (and maybe even easier) to profit from information products by giving them away as free gifts.
How is this possible? By using free info products to leverage the power of viral marketing and open the door for back-end sales.
Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is an advertising strategy that uses ‘word-of-mouth’ type promotion to spread a marketing message very quickly to a large number of people. In essence, this method of promotion allows you to create an army of marketers who are advertising your website for you.
Distributing free info products is one of the easiest ways to create this effect.
For instance, let’s say you have an e-book that contains the links to your website and favorite affiliate programs. You could give this book away to your existing contacts, or as a bonus for joining your mailing list. Naturally, the people you give the book to are likely to follow some of the links and if they buy, sign-up, etc. from these links you’ll benefit.
That’s pretty cool, but considers this: What if you encouraged the people who got the book from you to turn around and give it away to their own contacts as a free gift? They could offer it as a thank you to their customers, or use it as an incentive in their offers. In this scenario, you could have several hundred people handing out an e-book that is full of your links!
You could even place a statement on the first page declaring that anyone in possession of the book has the right to give it away freely. So people you have never even spoken to might end up distributing a product that contains your personal business links. There is no end to the amount of exposure this technique can generate when applied correctly.
Back-end Sales
A back-end sale is a transaction that is made after an initial relationship has been formed. In many cases, this type of sale is made once someone has accepted a free offer or subscribed to a free mailing list of some sort.
In the above example of Viral Marketing, back-end sales would be made when recipients of the free e-book purchase products and services through the business links inside the book. This is a beautiful example of how you can do a little set-up work and get paid for it on an ongoing basis.
Another great way to set up back-end sales is to offer a free info product as a bonus for joining your opt-in mailing list. You might give your subscribers a free e-book for subscribing to your newsletter, for instance.
And of course once you have an individual on your personal mailing list you can offer them any number of valuable products and services. Opt-in marketing is the bread and butter of most Internet entrepreneurs, and using a free gift like a quality info product to build your list is a tested and proven method.
Creating Your Own E-books
Developing your own products is by far the most favorable approach to information marketing. When you create your own e-books, special reports, etc., you have total control of the content and you can set the pricing and distribution strategy without third- party limitations.
Being an entrepreneur is about having control of your life and running your business the way you see fit. Creating and marketing your own line of products is the best way to fulfill this objective, and digital information products like e-books offer you the absolute maximum in flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Whether you are an experienced writer or a complete newbie, there is nothing terribly difficult about rolling out a quality info product with your name on it. If you are smart enough to read through this book without a struggle, you have all the brainpower required for successful e-book creation.
Your Idea
Every good info product begins with a simple idea. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a new idea, and certainly doesn’t need to be a concept that will change the world. An interesting topic is all you need to start.
The three main reasons people seek out information are:
1. Entertainment
2. To increase their knowledge of a particular subject.
3. To solve a specific problem or set of problems.
Just about everyone has some kind of knowledge that would satisfy one or more of the above desires within a particular niche. Remember that information products exist within every market, category, genre, and sector imaginable.
Simply pick a topic you like and start brainstorming. Below are just a few generic ideas off the top of my head that could be turned into a successful information product with a small amount of work.
• Managing stress through diet and exercise
• Tips for building a more active downline in your favorite MLM
• How to improve your chess game
• Basic computer hardware maintenance
• Getting more out of your weight training sessions
• Unique names for your pets
• Finding the right affiliate program for you
• How to buy a car without getting ripped off
• Organic herb gardening for newbies
• Protecting yourself from identity theft
• How to win at poker
• Money saving tips for newlyweds
• How to reduce algae levels in your water garden during the hot season
• Surviving your first semester of college
• How time management can improve your life
• Mastering the art of persuasion
• A collection of low-fat dessert recipes
• How to improve your credit score
• Using one-time offers to increase your profits
• Basic website design
• Tips on how to quit smoking
• How to improve your memory
As you can see, info products can be launched from even the simplest of ideas. That’s what makes information marketing such a great business model for new entrepreneurs. It takes very little money to put an e-book or downloadable report together, and when you choose a topic that interests you the whole project can be a lot of fun.
Obviously, if you already have a website of your own you should tie your new info product into the theme of that site. A special report or e-book is a great way to promote an existing business.
Market Research
Before you get too involved in the process of developing your info product, you need to be relatively certain there is a demand for the exact type of information you have chosen for your topic. With millions and millions of content hungry surfers on the web, there is a great chance you can find a market for your information, but it’s still best to do a little research up front.
Here are a few easy ways to do some preliminary market research:
1. Use the Overture Search Term Tool to enter some keyword phrases that are related to your topic. This great little keyword tool will then show you exactly how many times these phrases were searched for throughout the entire Overture
network during the previous month. This exercise will give you a solid idea of what kind of interest exists for the topic you have chosen.
2. Do a quick Google search on the same keyword phrases and check the number of search results pulled up by your query. If there are only a couple thousand total results, this could indicate that no large competition exists for your subject. On the other hand, if your search brings up a very large number of results you’ll know there are lots of other people marketing the same type of content. You should spend some time visiting and bookmarking the websites that come up as a result of these searches in order to get an idea of how your competition is targeting the market.
3. You should also search Amazon.com and EbookMall.com for related content. This will give you a basic idea of both current demand and existing competition for your project.
Once you have done some initial research, you might want to get involved in a few forums or discussion groups that are related to your topic. Networking with people who represent your target market is an excellent way to get an idea of how viable your product will be.
Also, if you already have an opt-in mailing list related to your chosen topic, by all means poll them about their interest in your product idea. In this scenario, you would be getting feedback from the ideal source – your warm market prospects.
One of the most common mistakes made by new entrepreneurs is to first create a product, and then look for an audience to market to. This is a horrible approach. It’s up to you how far to take the research phase of your project, but I highly recommend at least giving a good deal of attention to the suggestions in this section. The last thing you want to do is spend your precious time developing an info product that nobody wants.
Trust me. I’ve done this before and it’s no fun at all. I was sure I had a real winner on my hands, but almost no one bought my product when I took it to market.
The bottom line is simple. If you are creating a product for the purpose of generating profits, it really makes no difference how good you think your idea is; it only matters what the people you plan to promote to think.
If there is a market for what you are offering, go for it. If not, save yourself a lot of heartache and move on to something else.
Writing Your Own Content
Many people are intimidated by the idea of writing, but let’s be honest. We’re talking about information here, not poetry.
You don’t need to be an expert writer or even have a ‘way with words’ to create a quality e-book. All you need is a good handle on the English language and the ability to communicate your ideas in a straightforward manner.
Of course if you plan to write the product yourself, it is also important that you have a working knowledge of the subject matter. This isn’t necessarily true if you are going to utilize private label material or hire a professional writer, but if you intend to produce the content from scratch I highly recommend you go with a topic you have some knowledge of.
Basic Tools
Specific formats for finished products will be discussed later, but to get the ball rolling all you need is a basic word processing application. I recommend using a program that offers spell-check, allows you to insert images, and is compatible with PDF conversion software.
Here are a few recommendations for your word processing needs.
Microsoft Word – Certainly not perfect, but in my opinion the best alternative. Word offers the full suite of editorial options and is reasonably user-friendly.
Open Office – A completely free office suite. Open office works just fine for the basics, but many users have reported problems when trying to insert screen shots and convert documents to PDF format.
Word Pad or Text Edit – These are the bare bones word processors that come with Windows or Mac operating systems. These resources are quite usable, but they do not support the comprehensive array of features found in more robust applications.
Reference Material Links
It’s also good to have some good reference material on hand as you compose your product. Here are the links to some of the resources I use.
Answers.com and About.com - These are two very slick encyclopedia style sites that contain loads of content on just about any subject you can think of.
Dictionary.com – Online dictionary and thesaurus.
Babel Fish – Online language translation tool.
Basic Calculator – For the mathematically impaired.
Percent Calculator – Find percentages for your statistics with a few clicks.
And if your word processor of choice doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Microsoft Word…
Online Spell Check
Word and Character Counter
Choose a Title
A lot of books I have read suggest that a title is the most important part of the e-book process. I disagree.
While I think a good title is important, I don’t recommend you wear yourself out on this. In fact a lot of times I start writing first and my title comes as a matter of course.
This, like everything, is ultimately a matter of opinion. But because I don’t feel your title is the paramount element of your e-book project I’m not going to spend a lot of time on it in this report.
Just go for something catchy and fitting. In the end it’s the content of the e-book and the quality of your sales page that will matter the most.
Your Initial Outline
Once you have an idea in mind and have done some research, you should type out a basic outline for your e-book. An outline is nothing more than a visual draft of what you intend to convey with your info product.
For this exercise, you will simply begin with your main idea statement, and expand on this statement with supporting ideas. Here is an example of how an outline might look if you were producing a digital report on time management.
I. Making Better Use of Your Time A. Getting Organized
1. Writing Down Your Goals
2. Using a Daily Checklist
B. Eliminating Unproductive Activities 1. Staying Focused on What Matters 2. Weeding out the Excess
Organizing your thoughts in this manner will help you to streamline the process of writing. Your initial outline will change as you hammer out your product and that’s fine; the point is to have a strong plan to work from.
The Composition Process
OK, so now you have your idea, the basic tools you need to get started, and an outline for your work. You can’t put it off it anymore; it’s time to start cranking out some content.
The first thing you need to do is set a specific schedule for your writing sessions. You might choose to write for an hour after dinner each night, thirty minutes each morning before work, or whatever. Stick to your work schedule at all costs, and do not allow anything to distract you from your project during these periods.
It’s definitely best to spend some time on your project each day until you are finished. Consistency is the key to building and keeping a productive rhythm. In most cases twenty minutes every day will result in more content and higher quality than one long session per week.
I have found the very best way to write is to just sit down in front of my keyboard and start hammering away. Don’t put too much thought into it at first. Just look at your outline and pick a place to start.
Ironically, the first page you type does not have to be the first section in your outline. Putting the pieces together neatly doesn’t come until the editing phase of your project.
This suggestion drives some people nuts, but it’s how I do it and I have to be honest with my instruction. A lot of writers have a much more formal approach to composition and that’s great. But I’m not a very structured writer at all; I just start putting content onto a page and worry about organization after I have something to work with.
It is generally much easier to write a clean piece of copy if you use words and phrases you feel comfortable with. Don’t try to impress your reader with grammatical gymnastics, just be yourself and state your ideas clearly.
Type your message the same way you would say it if you were talking to a friend. In fact, reading your content out loud is a great way to check your work as you go.
Your primary objective should be to communicate detailed information in a manner that is easy for your reader to understand. Each section of your work should cover a complete idea, and should do so in language the average high school student can grasp.
If there is a writer whose style you admire, take their approach and put your own twist on it. Or if you recall a particular article that struck a chord with you, by all means imitate the feel of that work.
I am not telling you to steal from another author. But I am saying there is nothing at all wrong with taking techniques and expressions you have seen before and using these in your own content. The key here is to use existing work as your model, and to apply your personality to this model.
You should use a notebook or mini-recorder to save any new ideas you come up with between writing sessions. You never know when a great thought is going to emerge. Interestingly enough, most of my best ideas occur when I’m away from my desk. But thanks to my handy mini-recorder, I can save those thoughts to audio and transcribe them to word during my next session. Nearly all successful writers use this technique.
Effective info product creation is 90% time and attention, and only 10% writing skill. Remember that you aren’t putting together a novel or a screenplay. The point of a well-written info product is to teach the reader about a particular subject, not to sweep them away with dramatic imagery and professional quality prose.
Proofreading and Editing
I like to proofread my work as I go. I also begin and end each writing session with a quick check of my work. And of course a good word processor or online editing tool will also help you minimize errors in your spelling and grammar.
Each time you open your document for another session you are likely to have new ideas on how to improve your existing content. Successful writing is really about re-writing.
Once you have a complete draft copy of your e-book, go back through and make sure the content arrangement flows in a logical manner. Does the material progress from the initial idea to the conclusion in a way that makes sense? You may need to reorder some of the sections or chapters to achieve the ideal format.
After you have gone over your draft copy at least three times, it’s a good idea to find a beta reader for your product. This can be a friend, an associate, etc. who is willing to give your copy a quick read and offer any feedback they may have. Having another person look over what you have written will allow you to get an objective opinion on how well you have communicated your ideas through the content of your product.
Take the feedback you receive on a professional level. Don’t freak out just because someone makes a critical comment or two. You asked for feedback, right? Just decide whether or not you wish to make any suggested changes and move forward.
At this point you will have thoroughly proofread your content, and received feedback from another reader. It is now time to hand your product off to a professional for the final edit.
Don’t skip this part of the process! The best authors on the planet still need an editor to help them refine their work. Heck, even the service manual that came with your DVD
player went through a basic line editing before it was published. If you are truly interested in turning out a top quality info product it is imperative that you have a pro perform the final edit for you.
I use and highly recommend OVEditing. This service is owned by Pat Marcello, professional editor and author of ten successful books.
No matter how good your work is Pat will make it better. And her fees are a drop in the bucket compared to the value she will add to your product content.
Converting Your Document to PDF
PDF, or Portable Document Format, is the file type of choice for professional e-book marketers. This type of document can easily be opened and viewed on any computer operating system, and therefore allows publishers to reach the largest possible market.
You’ll need special software to convert your text document to PDF. Programs like Adobe and Jaws are highly recommended, but also costly. You can acquire a free suite of PDF printing and editing software through PDF 995.
This free PDF suite is fully functional, and gives you everything you need to start. But you get what you pay for in life, so be aware this product is not without a few bugs.
You can use pre-made PDF templates to improve the visual appeal of your product. I have assembled 100 cool templates, which you may download free of charge here.
I know. I’m a cool guy.
Rebrandable Info Products
One of the best ways to push a viral marketing campaign is to allow other people to add their own information right into your product. For instance, you could create an e-book and then give your customers a way to add their name and website URL on the front page. You might also allow them to insert their referral IDs into any affiliate links you have placed within the book. This strategy gives people an incentive for distributing their customized copy of your product because they will be getting exposure for their own name and business links in the process.
Rebrandable info products create a win-win situation for both you and your customers. Consider this scenario:
You create a special report promoting your product or favorite business opportunity. You then use specialized software to make the report rebrandable so your affiliates/downline can add their name and affiliate IDs in place of yours.
Your affiliates and/or downline now have a good reason for distributing the report to their contacts. When people who receive the report use the links within to purchase a product or join an opportunity, both you and your distributors will benefit from this action.
At the time of this writing, there are a couple of options available for making your PDF product rebrandable. I use a tool called Viral PDF to create rebrandable info products for my own viral marketing campaigns.
I’ve created some very nice results with rebrandable products. However, you should understand this technology is far from flawless.
Viral PDF occasionally disrupts the arrangement of your text, and can also cause false error messages when opening documents with Adobe Reader. I still use and recommend this tool, but I did want to make you aware of these two drawbacks.
Virtual Packaging and Delievery
When you have a completed product, all you need to do is package it and then upload it to the web where your customers can get instant access to it once they have paid or signed up to your mailing list. You can use a free Zip Utility to compress your product file for a faster download experience. And uploading the zipped file to your domain is a piece of cake using Core FTP. Once your product is in place on the web, just give authorized customers the URL and let them download your digital package with ease, any time they wish.
Your First Impression – an eCover for Your Product
The saying “Don’t judge a book by the cover” has no place in the information marketing arena. In fact the quality of your cover design will have an enormous impact on your prospect’s decision to download your product.
The Internet is a visual medium as well as a source of great content. People want to be dazzled by sharp graphics and well-designed web pages.
You could have the best e-book ever written, but if your cover looks like crap nobody is going to buy it. Sad but true.
If you have the skills to create your own cover graphics, I salute you. If not, you’ll need to hire a professional for this task.
Resist the temptation to purchase software that promises to create e-covers for you ‘with the click of a button’. Every product of this nature that I have come across is a total joke.
For professional quality e-book covers at the right price , check out my graphic design service.
How to Get Your Piece of the Info Market Pie!
Info Product Mania
Over 2 million digital information products were downloaded in 2006 from just one major distribution site. These figures were gathered from a single download site out of hundreds, and certainly do not take into account the millions of other info products that were accessed from independent sources.
According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 90% of all Internet users search the web for some type of information. Based on the average annual growth of global Internet use, it is estimated that the already enormous demand for digital information will be increased by 99,445,365 new information seekers during 2007.
Millions of dollars will be made as a direct result of information marketing this year. Info Product Mania is in full swing with no end in sight.
So how can you get a piece of all this action? There are several effective ways to leverage the popularity of information products, and this e-book is going to cover one of the simplest and most powerful methods….
Writing and marketing your own e-book.
Read through this material carefully, and then take action on what you learn. Ultimately you are responsible for your own results, but the contents of this publication are based on real-life applications that are bringing in nice profits for many Internet entrepreneurs.
Thanks for reading.
What Exactly is a ‘Digital Informaton Product’?
A digital information product is a well-organized piece of content that is placed into an easily downloadable, electronic format. Examples of this type of product include PDF e-books and manuals (like the one you are reading right now), text documents, and executable html downloads.
What makes information marketing an attractive and lucrative field to enter? Great question!
And here are three great answers:
1. With info products, you can offer your customers instant access to your goods by way of digital download. There is no physical inventory to handle, and your overhead costs will be minimal. Info Product Marketing is a business where you can achieve close to a 100% profit margin!
2. With a little set-up work you can create an ongoing, automated income with info product marketing. It’s a great feeling to wake up in the morning with payment notifications in your inbox, and to profit from sales that are made while you are out enjoying the day with your friends and family.
3. Creating and marketing your own information products is a fantastic way to build a name for yourself and establish a strong presence in your chosen niche. Knowledgeable individuals in any field are sought after and held in high esteem.
This is my third e-book and while I’m not filthy rich at the time of this writing, I have replaced my day job with info product marketing. I am building a respected name for myself, and I continue to receive payments for work I did one time.
If you read and take action on the contents of this e-book, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t duplicate my success. You don’t have to be an expert writer or a master marketer to cash in on the digital information market. All it takes is a little basic knowledge, a decent amount of initial effort, and lots of focus and determination.
Distribution Strategies
E-book Basics was written to teach you the basics of creating your own e-books and digital reports. The subject of effective marketing could easily fill another book ten times the size of this one. However, I will offer a couple of suggestions for maximizing the success of your info product promotions.
There are many ways to distribute information for personal gain, but there are two primary strategies you should be aware of. Either approach is worthwhile, and I recommend a mixture of both strategies within your overall marketing campaign.
Selling Information for Direct Profit
The first strategy is to simply sell a digital info product for front-end profit. Most people can readily identify with this concept.
Most likely, you are already trying to sell something on the web, whether it’s an affiliate service, a business opportunity, or a physical product of some sort. So the idea of selling an electronic information package is simple enough to grasp.
Using an Affiliate Program to Increase Your Profits
As a product owner, you can now leverage the power of an affiliate sales force to drive more traffic to your website. Even a small group of active affiliates can result in far more exposure for your product than you could generate by yourself.
Clickbank and Paydotcom are two popular systems that will track your affiliate sales for you. However, these services charge you a fee each time a copy of your product is sold.
I guess I’m a bit of a control freak, because I just don’t like the idea of paying out fees for selling my own product. For this reason I recommend using an ‘in-house’ affiliate program.
You can install a simple script on your domain and have complete control of your own affiliate program. Check out this Great Affiliate Software that makes it easy to add products, track sales, pay commissions, and manage all your affiliates from one feature-packed admin control panel.
Distributing Free Info Products for Viral Exposure or Back-End Profits
This may sound strange, but it is just as easy (and maybe even easier) to profit from information products by giving them away as free gifts.
How is this possible? By using free info products to leverage the power of viral marketing and open the door for back-end sales.
Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is an advertising strategy that uses ‘word-of-mouth’ type promotion to spread a marketing message very quickly to a large number of people. In essence, this method of promotion allows you to create an army of marketers who are advertising your website for you.
Distributing free info products is one of the easiest ways to create this effect.
For instance, let’s say you have an e-book that contains the links to your website and favorite affiliate programs. You could give this book away to your existing contacts, or as a bonus for joining your mailing list. Naturally, the people you give the book to are likely to follow some of the links and if they buy, sign-up, etc. from these links you’ll benefit.
That’s pretty cool, but considers this: What if you encouraged the people who got the book from you to turn around and give it away to their own contacts as a free gift? They could offer it as a thank you to their customers, or use it as an incentive in their offers. In this scenario, you could have several hundred people handing out an e-book that is full of your links!
You could even place a statement on the first page declaring that anyone in possession of the book has the right to give it away freely. So people you have never even spoken to might end up distributing a product that contains your personal business links. There is no end to the amount of exposure this technique can generate when applied correctly.
Back-end Sales
A back-end sale is a transaction that is made after an initial relationship has been formed. In many cases, this type of sale is made once someone has accepted a free offer or subscribed to a free mailing list of some sort.
In the above example of Viral Marketing, back-end sales would be made when recipients of the free e-book purchase products and services through the business links inside the book. This is a beautiful example of how you can do a little set-up work and get paid for it on an ongoing basis.
Another great way to set up back-end sales is to offer a free info product as a bonus for joining your opt-in mailing list. You might give your subscribers a free e-book for subscribing to your newsletter, for instance.
And of course once you have an individual on your personal mailing list you can offer them any number of valuable products and services. Opt-in marketing is the bread and butter of most Internet entrepreneurs, and using a free gift like a quality info product to build your list is a tested and proven method.
Creating Your Own E-books
Developing your own products is by far the most favorable approach to information marketing. When you create your own e-books, special reports, etc., you have total control of the content and you can set the pricing and distribution strategy without third- party limitations.
Being an entrepreneur is about having control of your life and running your business the way you see fit. Creating and marketing your own line of products is the best way to fulfill this objective, and digital information products like e-books offer you the absolute maximum in flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Whether you are an experienced writer or a complete newbie, there is nothing terribly difficult about rolling out a quality info product with your name on it. If you are smart enough to read through this book without a struggle, you have all the brainpower required for successful e-book creation.
Your Idea
Every good info product begins with a simple idea. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a new idea, and certainly doesn’t need to be a concept that will change the world. An interesting topic is all you need to start.
The three main reasons people seek out information are:
1. Entertainment
2. To increase their knowledge of a particular subject.
3. To solve a specific problem or set of problems.
Just about everyone has some kind of knowledge that would satisfy one or more of the above desires within a particular niche. Remember that information products exist within every market, category, genre, and sector imaginable.
Simply pick a topic you like and start brainstorming. Below are just a few generic ideas off the top of my head that could be turned into a successful information product with a small amount of work.
• Managing stress through diet and exercise
• Tips for building a more active downline in your favorite MLM
• How to improve your chess game
• Basic computer hardware maintenance
• Getting more out of your weight training sessions
• Unique names for your pets
• Finding the right affiliate program for you
• How to buy a car without getting ripped off
• Organic herb gardening for newbies
• Protecting yourself from identity theft
• How to win at poker
• Money saving tips for newlyweds
• How to reduce algae levels in your water garden during the hot season
• Surviving your first semester of college
• How time management can improve your life
• Mastering the art of persuasion
• A collection of low-fat dessert recipes
• How to improve your credit score
• Using one-time offers to increase your profits
• Basic website design
• Tips on how to quit smoking
• How to improve your memory
As you can see, info products can be launched from even the simplest of ideas. That’s what makes information marketing such a great business model for new entrepreneurs. It takes very little money to put an e-book or downloadable report together, and when you choose a topic that interests you the whole project can be a lot of fun.
Obviously, if you already have a website of your own you should tie your new info product into the theme of that site. A special report or e-book is a great way to promote an existing business.
Market Research
Before you get too involved in the process of developing your info product, you need to be relatively certain there is a demand for the exact type of information you have chosen for your topic. With millions and millions of content hungry surfers on the web, there is a great chance you can find a market for your information, but it’s still best to do a little research up front.
Here are a few easy ways to do some preliminary market research:
1. Use the Overture Search Term Tool to enter some keyword phrases that are related to your topic. This great little keyword tool will then show you exactly how many times these phrases were searched for throughout the entire Overture
network during the previous month. This exercise will give you a solid idea of what kind of interest exists for the topic you have chosen.
2. Do a quick Google search on the same keyword phrases and check the number of search results pulled up by your query. If there are only a couple thousand total results, this could indicate that no large competition exists for your subject. On the other hand, if your search brings up a very large number of results you’ll know there are lots of other people marketing the same type of content. You should spend some time visiting and bookmarking the websites that come up as a result of these searches in order to get an idea of how your competition is targeting the market.
3. You should also search Amazon.com and EbookMall.com for related content. This will give you a basic idea of both current demand and existing competition for your project.
Once you have done some initial research, you might want to get involved in a few forums or discussion groups that are related to your topic. Networking with people who represent your target market is an excellent way to get an idea of how viable your product will be.
Also, if you already have an opt-in mailing list related to your chosen topic, by all means poll them about their interest in your product idea. In this scenario, you would be getting feedback from the ideal source – your warm market prospects.
One of the most common mistakes made by new entrepreneurs is to first create a product, and then look for an audience to market to. This is a horrible approach. It’s up to you how far to take the research phase of your project, but I highly recommend at least giving a good deal of attention to the suggestions in this section. The last thing you want to do is spend your precious time developing an info product that nobody wants.
Trust me. I’ve done this before and it’s no fun at all. I was sure I had a real winner on my hands, but almost no one bought my product when I took it to market.
The bottom line is simple. If you are creating a product for the purpose of generating profits, it really makes no difference how good you think your idea is; it only matters what the people you plan to promote to think.
If there is a market for what you are offering, go for it. If not, save yourself a lot of heartache and move on to something else.
Writing Your Own Content
Many people are intimidated by the idea of writing, but let’s be honest. We’re talking about information here, not poetry.
You don’t need to be an expert writer or even have a ‘way with words’ to create a quality e-book. All you need is a good handle on the English language and the ability to communicate your ideas in a straightforward manner.
Of course if you plan to write the product yourself, it is also important that you have a working knowledge of the subject matter. This isn’t necessarily true if you are going to utilize private label material or hire a professional writer, but if you intend to produce the content from scratch I highly recommend you go with a topic you have some knowledge of.
Basic Tools
Specific formats for finished products will be discussed later, but to get the ball rolling all you need is a basic word processing application. I recommend using a program that offers spell-check, allows you to insert images, and is compatible with PDF conversion software.
Here are a few recommendations for your word processing needs.
Microsoft Word – Certainly not perfect, but in my opinion the best alternative. Word offers the full suite of editorial options and is reasonably user-friendly.
Open Office – A completely free office suite. Open office works just fine for the basics, but many users have reported problems when trying to insert screen shots and convert documents to PDF format.
Word Pad or Text Edit – These are the bare bones word processors that come with Windows or Mac operating systems. These resources are quite usable, but they do not support the comprehensive array of features found in more robust applications.
Reference Material Links
It’s also good to have some good reference material on hand as you compose your product. Here are the links to some of the resources I use.
Answers.com and About.com - These are two very slick encyclopedia style sites that contain loads of content on just about any subject you can think of.
Dictionary.com – Online dictionary and thesaurus.
Babel Fish – Online language translation tool.
Basic Calculator – For the mathematically impaired.
Percent Calculator – Find percentages for your statistics with a few clicks.
And if your word processor of choice doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Microsoft Word…
Online Spell Check
Word and Character Counter
Choose a Title
A lot of books I have read suggest that a title is the most important part of the e-book process. I disagree.
While I think a good title is important, I don’t recommend you wear yourself out on this. In fact a lot of times I start writing first and my title comes as a matter of course.
This, like everything, is ultimately a matter of opinion. But because I don’t feel your title is the paramount element of your e-book project I’m not going to spend a lot of time on it in this report.
Just go for something catchy and fitting. In the end it’s the content of the e-book and the quality of your sales page that will matter the most.
Your Initial Outline
Once you have an idea in mind and have done some research, you should type out a basic outline for your e-book. An outline is nothing more than a visual draft of what you intend to convey with your info product.
For this exercise, you will simply begin with your main idea statement, and expand on this statement with supporting ideas. Here is an example of how an outline might look if you were producing a digital report on time management.
I. Making Better Use of Your Time A. Getting Organized
1. Writing Down Your Goals
2. Using a Daily Checklist
B. Eliminating Unproductive Activities 1. Staying Focused on What Matters 2. Weeding out the Excess
Organizing your thoughts in this manner will help you to streamline the process of writing. Your initial outline will change as you hammer out your product and that’s fine; the point is to have a strong plan to work from.
The Composition Process
OK, so now you have your idea, the basic tools you need to get started, and an outline for your work. You can’t put it off it anymore; it’s time to start cranking out some content.
The first thing you need to do is set a specific schedule for your writing sessions. You might choose to write for an hour after dinner each night, thirty minutes each morning before work, or whatever. Stick to your work schedule at all costs, and do not allow anything to distract you from your project during these periods.
It’s definitely best to spend some time on your project each day until you are finished. Consistency is the key to building and keeping a productive rhythm. In most cases twenty minutes every day will result in more content and higher quality than one long session per week.
I have found the very best way to write is to just sit down in front of my keyboard and start hammering away. Don’t put too much thought into it at first. Just look at your outline and pick a place to start.
Ironically, the first page you type does not have to be the first section in your outline. Putting the pieces together neatly doesn’t come until the editing phase of your project.
This suggestion drives some people nuts, but it’s how I do it and I have to be honest with my instruction. A lot of writers have a much more formal approach to composition and that’s great. But I’m not a very structured writer at all; I just start putting content onto a page and worry about organization after I have something to work with.
It is generally much easier to write a clean piece of copy if you use words and phrases you feel comfortable with. Don’t try to impress your reader with grammatical gymnastics, just be yourself and state your ideas clearly.
Type your message the same way you would say it if you were talking to a friend. In fact, reading your content out loud is a great way to check your work as you go.
Your primary objective should be to communicate detailed information in a manner that is easy for your reader to understand. Each section of your work should cover a complete idea, and should do so in language the average high school student can grasp.
If there is a writer whose style you admire, take their approach and put your own twist on it. Or if you recall a particular article that struck a chord with you, by all means imitate the feel of that work.
I am not telling you to steal from another author. But I am saying there is nothing at all wrong with taking techniques and expressions you have seen before and using these in your own content. The key here is to use existing work as your model, and to apply your personality to this model.
You should use a notebook or mini-recorder to save any new ideas you come up with between writing sessions. You never know when a great thought is going to emerge. Interestingly enough, most of my best ideas occur when I’m away from my desk. But thanks to my handy mini-recorder, I can save those thoughts to audio and transcribe them to word during my next session. Nearly all successful writers use this technique.
Effective info product creation is 90% time and attention, and only 10% writing skill. Remember that you aren’t putting together a novel or a screenplay. The point of a well-written info product is to teach the reader about a particular subject, not to sweep them away with dramatic imagery and professional quality prose.
Proofreading and Editing
I like to proofread my work as I go. I also begin and end each writing session with a quick check of my work. And of course a good word processor or online editing tool will also help you minimize errors in your spelling and grammar.
Each time you open your document for another session you are likely to have new ideas on how to improve your existing content. Successful writing is really about re-writing.
Once you have a complete draft copy of your e-book, go back through and make sure the content arrangement flows in a logical manner. Does the material progress from the initial idea to the conclusion in a way that makes sense? You may need to reorder some of the sections or chapters to achieve the ideal format.
After you have gone over your draft copy at least three times, it’s a good idea to find a beta reader for your product. This can be a friend, an associate, etc. who is willing to give your copy a quick read and offer any feedback they may have. Having another person look over what you have written will allow you to get an objective opinion on how well you have communicated your ideas through the content of your product.
Take the feedback you receive on a professional level. Don’t freak out just because someone makes a critical comment or two. You asked for feedback, right? Just decide whether or not you wish to make any suggested changes and move forward.
At this point you will have thoroughly proofread your content, and received feedback from another reader. It is now time to hand your product off to a professional for the final edit.
Don’t skip this part of the process! The best authors on the planet still need an editor to help them refine their work. Heck, even the service manual that came with your DVD
player went through a basic line editing before it was published. If you are truly interested in turning out a top quality info product it is imperative that you have a pro perform the final edit for you.
I use and highly recommend OVEditing. This service is owned by Pat Marcello, professional editor and author of ten successful books.
No matter how good your work is Pat will make it better. And her fees are a drop in the bucket compared to the value she will add to your product content.
Converting Your Document to PDF
PDF, or Portable Document Format, is the file type of choice for professional e-book marketers. This type of document can easily be opened and viewed on any computer operating system, and therefore allows publishers to reach the largest possible market.
You’ll need special software to convert your text document to PDF. Programs like Adobe and Jaws are highly recommended, but also costly. You can acquire a free suite of PDF printing and editing software through PDF 995.
This free PDF suite is fully functional, and gives you everything you need to start. But you get what you pay for in life, so be aware this product is not without a few bugs.
You can use pre-made PDF templates to improve the visual appeal of your product. I have assembled 100 cool templates, which you may download free of charge here.
I know. I’m a cool guy.
Rebrandable Info Products
One of the best ways to push a viral marketing campaign is to allow other people to add their own information right into your product. For instance, you could create an e-book and then give your customers a way to add their name and website URL on the front page. You might also allow them to insert their referral IDs into any affiliate links you have placed within the book. This strategy gives people an incentive for distributing their customized copy of your product because they will be getting exposure for their own name and business links in the process.
Rebrandable info products create a win-win situation for both you and your customers. Consider this scenario:
You create a special report promoting your product or favorite business opportunity. You then use specialized software to make the report rebrandable so your affiliates/downline can add their name and affiliate IDs in place of yours.
Your affiliates and/or downline now have a good reason for distributing the report to their contacts. When people who receive the report use the links within to purchase a product or join an opportunity, both you and your distributors will benefit from this action.
At the time of this writing, there are a couple of options available for making your PDF product rebrandable. I use a tool called Viral PDF to create rebrandable info products for my own viral marketing campaigns.
I’ve created some very nice results with rebrandable products. However, you should understand this technology is far from flawless.
Viral PDF occasionally disrupts the arrangement of your text, and can also cause false error messages when opening documents with Adobe Reader. I still use and recommend this tool, but I did want to make you aware of these two drawbacks.
Virtual Packaging and Delievery
When you have a completed product, all you need to do is package it and then upload it to the web where your customers can get instant access to it once they have paid or signed up to your mailing list. You can use a free Zip Utility to compress your product file for a faster download experience. And uploading the zipped file to your domain is a piece of cake using Core FTP. Once your product is in place on the web, just give authorized customers the URL and let them download your digital package with ease, any time they wish.
Your First Impression – an eCover for Your Product
The saying “Don’t judge a book by the cover” has no place in the information marketing arena. In fact the quality of your cover design will have an enormous impact on your prospect’s decision to download your product.
The Internet is a visual medium as well as a source of great content. People want to be dazzled by sharp graphics and well-designed web pages.
You could have the best e-book ever written, but if your cover looks like crap nobody is going to buy it. Sad but true.
If you have the skills to create your own cover graphics, I salute you. If not, you’ll need to hire a professional for this task.
Resist the temptation to purchase software that promises to create e-covers for you ‘with the click of a button’. Every product of this nature that I have come across is a total joke.
For professional quality e-book covers at the right price , check out my graphic design service.
99 Tips for Buying and Selling on eBay
99 Tips for eBay Buyers and Sellers is a digest of some of the best tips, tricks and secrets used by
veteran eBay buyers and sellers. Some of the information is from my newsletter and some is from my
books, The Basic Guide to eBay, Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay, The eBay Power Seller's
Manual, and The Wholesale Buying System.
There are more tips here for sellers than for buyers. But, even if you only buy on eBay and have no interest in becoming a seller, I suggest you read all of the tips as there is plenty of information that will make you a better buyer. I guess it comes under the heading of "walking in someone else's shoes."
The more you know about the process, the more fun and rewarding eBay can be.
If you are a seller, or interested in becoming a seller, I would encourage you to explore our web site.
Even if you decide not to purchase any of our educational manuals, there are tons of free resources and
excellent informational pages that can add to your selling experience. I would especially encourage you
to go through back issues of the newsletters.
Let's get on with it. The first tip is probably the most important, and many of the other tips relate to it.
Imagine, if you went into a shopping mall and every store had a board near the entrance where
customers could post notes about the products and services sold in each store. Do you think that would
improve customer service? Well, that is what eBay's feedback system is all about. Achieving and
keeping a good feedback rating is essential to your long-term success on eBay.
Tips for Buyers
Almost everyone starts his or her eBay experience as a buyer. Learning how to buy effectively will
improve your eBay experience and prepare you for becoming a seller. I recommend you make at least
ten successful transactions on eBay before trying to sell. We hope the following tips will make you a
better and more successful buyer.
1. Build A Positive Feedback Rating
Give and get good feedback. This is less critical for buyers than for sellers, but having a good feedback
rating makes other eBayers comfortable doing business with you. For example, I accept checks for
immediate shipment if the buyer has a good feedback rating. If someone has very little feedback (less
than 20) or several negative comments, then I hold the checks until they clear before sending an item.
2. How to build feedback quickly?
Here is a quick way to build good feedback: make some purchases for a few lower cost items you use
everyday or that you would normally buy at a store. There are plenty of items in the Health & Beauty
category that you buy every day such as shampoo and razor blades –often at prices less than you would
pay at Wal-Mart.
Pay promptly using PayPal and immediately post feedback for the seller as soon as you get the item. If
the seller does not post feedback, send them a short email telling them that you posted feedback for them
and you would appreciate them reciprocating.
3. Be generous with your feedback
Post feedback quickly and leave specific comments. Leaving a comment that says: “great seller,” is nice
–but it is more helpful to say, “Item arrived quickly in perfect condition, just as described.” Or: “Quick
Professional transaction –good email and just what I ordered.” If the seller sells something specific you
can mention it such as: “Beautiful Print –I will enjoy for many years.”
This type of feedback is very helpful to future buyers and it tends to get you better feedback comments
in return.
4. Use PayPal
Sellers want to be paid quickly and everyone is concerned about fraud. There is no faster or safer way to
complete an eBay transaction than PayPal (now owned by eBay). PayPal is now used by over 100
Million users around the world and now processes more debit and credit card payments than Citibank.
Over 80% of registered eBay users accept PayPal and eBay has fully integrated PayPal into their systems. Take the time to become a verified seller and always give your verified shipping address. This gets you the fraud protection. Go to www.paypal.com .
Did you know you can also use PayPal as a savings account. According to Money Magazine, PayPal now pays the highest rate on ordinary savings accounts. When I wrote this PayPal was paying 4.3% while my bank, Wells Fargo, was only paying 2.3%
5. Avoid Fraud on Large Purchases
Given the millions of transactions that occur each month, fraud is actually rare on ebay but it does exist.The most common type of fraud on eBay is a seller that offers an expensive item for sale at an unbelievably good price. When you win the item the seller asks to be paid in cash, cashiers check or money order. You send the money and then the seller disappears.Demanding a cashiers check or a money order only is a red flag. Never bid on a large purchase if the seller will not take Paypal or a credit card. Always check the seller's feedback and how long they have been registered on eBay.Most fraudesters set up an eBay account, run a few quick expensive auctions, get the money and either disappear or are kicked off of eBay as soon as they are discovered. Be especially careful if the seller is located outside the U.S.
6. Pay sellers quickly
Paying quickly will help you build feedback faster and you will get your item sooner.
7. Be honest – admit your mistakes
If you forgot about the auction and are late getting a payment off, or you forgot to ship something you
sold – be up front and honest. Apologize and admit your mistake. People can be very forgiving if they
believe you. They can be unforgiving if they think they are being B.S.’ed.
8. Create an About Me page on eBay
EBay allows you to create a page to describe you and your family or even include your pets. You can
put a photo on the page, talk about your hobbies, your family – basically anything you like. The About
Me page is where a person can get a sense of who you are and if they would like to do business with
you. If you have a web site, this is the one place on eBay where it is allowed to direct buyers to your web site.
9. Master the power of searching
According to eBay, about 65% of bidders find their item by searching. Including the exact name of the product you are selling is key to bidders finding your auction. Some sellers place a tilde (~) or a star * next to their auction title to help get attention. Place a space between a tilde (or *) and a word, or the word will not come up in a search.
For example: *Nikon* would not result in any items found, because eBay’s search engine sees the * as part of the word. According to Power Seller News, some of the most searched words on eBay are: DVD,Art, BMW, Gucci, Longaberger, Louis Vuitton, Laptop, Playstation 2 and Paintball.Use eBay’s powerful search engine to find items and to see what items are selling and how much theyare selling for.
10. Be sure to thank people
Send an email to your seller when the item arrives. Thank them and let them know you posted feedback
and are happy with the transaction.
11. Search for misspelled items to find bargains
Finding misspelled items is a great sport on eBay. Remember that 65% of eBay buyers find items by searching. If someone spells an item name incorrectly it will not come up in a search. These items usually get very few bids and this is a great place to shop.Here are a few misspelled words to try: jewelery, strawberry, Ken Griffy, Porsch, beaney, If you want to buy something specific on eBay, think of how the word could be commonly misspelled and type it into the search box. You will often be surprised how many items come up.
12. Use the .02 or .03 rule.
Most people bid in even numbers. If the bid increment is 50 cents, make your bid .52 or .53. This way you will just outbid someone by a few cents instead of a large increment. This is very important when sniping (see next item)
13. Learn to snipe
EBay’s proxy bidding system allows you to set your highest bid and then forget about it. EBay will keep bidding the minimum increment up to your maximum. This is fine if you know exactly how much you want to pay for something. If you are not sure how much you want to bid or if you know an item will be hot, then learn how to snipe at the last minute. Here is how to snipe:
Open one window with the auction description. Open a second window and place the highest amount
you will pay for the item and hit “Review Bid.” Now enter your username and password –but don’t hit
“Place Bid” yet. Wait until 15 or 20 seconds before the auction ends. (Refresh your first window to see the time left). At the right moment, hit “Place Bid.” With luck your bid will arrive at the perfect time to beat out your competition.
Be sure to synchronize your time with the official eBay time or you could just miss the end of an auction.
You can also purchase a sniping service. I use BidSlammer which is very inexpensive and can snipe the auctions where I am not around.
14. Use Ending Today
When searching eBay listings and categories, it can become very tiresome because there is so much out there. If you’re just browsing for stuff to buy, then select a category, and select Ending Today. Items ending in the next 24 hours will be highlighted in red. Here's a tip to find great bargains. Look for items
ending after midnight. There aren't as many people up after midnight and those auctions tend to get fewer bids. If you don't want to stay up that late, use BidSlammer to bid for you.
15. Search Completed items
To find out what a product is worth, it doesn’t do any good to find prices for on-going auctions as this could change minute by minute. Searching Completed Items (from the eBay search box) is the best way to determine an item’s worth or value.
16. Check the seller’s feedback rating --and the comments Because you are spending your hard-earned money, it pays to check the feedback left by others about
the person from whom you’re thinking of buying. When in an item’s auction page, select “view seller’s feedback.”This will list all comments made by others that have dealt with this person in the past. It can be very revealing. If you see a bunch of negative comments, stay away from this seller. If you see positive, then proceed. Don’t let one or two negatives dissuade you if most of the feedback is positive. Everyone makes mistakes, and things do get lost in the mail. Also there are some people out there who are very difficult to please. Be careful buying expensive items from sellers who are newly registered or have a low feedback score.
17. Be careful about leaving negative feedback You should always try and work things out with the seller. If a seller is a total fraud, then go ahead and leave negative feedback.EBay is a community and most people are basically good, although all of us screw up once in a while.Unfortunately there are a few “Crazies” out there. If you leave negative feedback on them, they seek revenge, start flaming email wars, send emails to your bidders and so on. Sometimes leaving negative feedback on these people can cause more trouble than it is worth.
18. Check your email at least twice daily
As a buyer, you want to ensure you win the most bids you can– within your price range, of course. Since eBay will email you whenever you’re outbid on an item for which you have an outstanding bid, you want to be sure you know as soon as possible, so you can re-bid if you want to. If you don’t check your email, and you receive an outbid notice, by the time you do check email, the auction may be over for that item. Checking your email regularly will keep you informed of the status of your bids.
Also you want to respond quickly to any emails from buyers or sellers relating to your bids or your auctions.
19. How to narrow your search?
Since using a single word for your search can return many, many ads, you may want to narrow the search even more to get down to a more specific need. For example, suppose you are looking specifically for Timex watches as opposed to just any watches. Then use the AND keyword function in your search. In the search field, you'd enter Timex watch. This would return a list of all ads with both the words Timex and watch in them and exclude all ads that do not contain both words.
20. How to narrow your search even more?
Let's say you are looking for ads that include certain phrases, or words that go together in a specific order. For instance, if you are searching for teddy bears, you can use quotation marks. The command you would use is "teddy bear". This will return a listing of all ads with the words teddy bear in them.The word bear must immediately follow the word teddy for the listing to show.
21. Finding auctions with multiple words
If you are searching for items that have one of multiple words, you can use the OR keyword in your search. For example, if you wanted to find all auctions that have in their title listing the words cat or dog, then you would enter (cat, dog) in the search field. This would return all ads that have either the word cat or the word dog in their listing.
22. Locating auctions with one word, but not another.
If you are looking for watches, but are not interested in Timex watches then you would use the AND
NOT keywords. In the search field, you would enter: watch -timex. This would return all auctions whose
listings included the word watch, but excluded the word Timex. (Note there is no space between the
minus sign and the word timex).
23. Don’t Fall for Spoof email supposedly from eBay or PayPal
Many emails you receive in your email account from PayPal or eBay are really fakes. If eBay sends you
an email to your email address –and they sometimes do, don’t open it. Whenever eBay sends you an
email they also send it to you’re My Messages box in you’re My eBay Page. Just go to you’re My eBay
Page where you will also see the email if it really came from eBay. You can open it there safely. If you
receive an email from PayPal, don’t click on any of the links. Instead just log into your PayPal account
and you will see any notices on your main account page.
All genuine emails from eBay and/or PayPal will be always be addressed to you by name. If the email
says Dear Member --it is a fake!
24. Be careful using a SPAM filter
Unfortunately once you start buying and selling on eBay, your email gets out there and your volume of
spam increases. Eudora has a great free email program called Eudora Lite, free at www.eudora.com,
which allows you to direct all your eBay related email into a special mailbox where you can filter it.
There are also new services available on the Internet to filter out spam –but they are not 100% reliable.
They sometimes filter out legitimate messages and still let a lot of spam through. That can be a problem
--you might not get legitimate emails from sellers, bidders or buyers. So get in the habit of checking
your spam filter regulary.
25. Know what you are buying
Unless the item you are bidding on is clear and unambiguous, be a little careful. If an item description is
not complete, or if you are buying a collectible or something used, take the time to email the seller and
ask questions or for clarification. If the seller doesn’t answer quickly and completely, that is a warning
flag and you should be careful.
Be especially care when bidding on high-priced items.
Tips For Sellers
Whether you just want to have some fun, use eBay to clear out your attic, make a few extra bucks, or
even start and eBay business, you will have to master the “basics” to sell successfully on eBay. The
following tips are a good start –but you will need to keep learning to master the secrets of eBay success.
26. Learn to sell on eBay
Even if you don’t need the extra money and have no interest in building an eBay business, try selling
things from time-to-time. Why? It’s fun! You will get far more for stuff on eBay than you would from a
yard sale.
Also, selling will make you a better buyer. You will understand things from the seller’s point of view
and learn other ways to spot bargains.
27. Buy on Overstock.com and other auctions to sell on eBay
eBay is king of the mountain. Overstock.com, and others are good auction sites, but they are not even a
close second to eBay. Because Overstock.com auctions do not get as much action, you can often buy
good items on Yahoo and resell them on eBay for a profit. The same is true of Amazon, ePier, BidFields
and other smaller auction sites.
99 Tips for Buying and Selling on eBay
28. The best types of products to sell on eBay
Everyone wants to sell the latest consumer product –but the truth is there is a lot of competition from
established sellers and even big online companies that have discovered eBay. The best item to sell on
eBay is something used or a very specialized (niche) product that few others are selling.
You can buy virtually anything used: clothing, books, computers, DVD’s, Stereo equipment, and so on.
If you are going to sell new goods, make sure you can buy them cheaply enough to sell and make a
profit. One source is the closeout and liquidation companies that sell overstocks and seasonal items
returned by department stores. Here is a link to a Free Wholesale Search Engine. I also offer an
inexpensive product called My Top 20 Wholesale Sources for eBay Sellers. This is a great place to find
good wholesale sources that will work with eBay sellers.
Another great item is consumables. The idea here is to get repeat business via your web site from
customers who buy from you on eBay. One of the best selling products from The Auction Seller’s
Resource is the Wholesale Buying System (WBS). This tells you how, what and where to buy products
to sell on eBay. The WBS comes with password protected access to a member’s-only web site where
you can access thousands of wholesale companies directly. The web site is updated monthly to add new
sources.
29. Search Listings on eBay to see what is selling
Go to: http://listings.eBay .com to see what is being listed and sold on eBay. The number in parentheses
after the category title is the number of auctions for a given item. In general, the higher the number the
more action and sales.
30. Master niche marketing and specialize for success
This is home plate for your success strategy. Find your own niche. Define your market. Then you can
know the type of person you’re going to be selling to and the types of product you want to sell. You will
also have less competition. Forget trying to sell computers, digital cameras, iPods and plasma TVs.
There is no way you can compete with the big guys unless you have tons of money. And those drop ship
web sites and programs that claim to have those products are mostly scams. Find a small niche --or
several small niches that you can dominate.
Along with being in a superior position to take advantage of repeat business, the benefits from becoming
specialized are endless. If you know more about your product area, you will be able to buy at better
prices and people who sense you specialize in something will be more comfortable buying from you.
My friend James Jackson runs a site called Find Hot Niches that can help you figure this out.
31. Become an expert in your field
Become an authority on what you do in your online auction business. If you sell printer ink cartridges,
you want to be thought of before anyone else.
When you become an authority in your field, a whole new universe of business and opportunity is
opened up to you. I buy certain types of things on eBay from the same sellers over and over. I wouldn't
dare do business with anyone else, not when they have proven themselves and their product.
You want to earn that same type of position in the minds of eBayer’s for your niche. Also continue your
auction education. Read books and training manuals, visit the chat and message boards, attend an eBay
University when it comes to your town, go to eBay Live, and keep learning all the time.
32. Increase sales by putting audio in your auctions
I began using audio (voice) in my auctions in May of 2004. I saw an immediate increase in sales. For
example, I sell expensive fire pit barbeques ($200+). Before using audio, I was selling one or two a
week. Once I put audio in my auctions I started selling almost one a day. The same thing happened with
my EZ Cube Photo Studios. I was selling about two a week on eBay. When I added audio to my
auctions with Seller's Voice, my sales more than doubled. Now I sell at least four and sometimes five or
six units a week.
We also sell Starbucks collectibles. I ran a test of identical auctions with and without audio. Every
auction with audio got more bidders and sold for a higher price --in some cases as much as 22% higher!
I use a company called Seller's Voice for my audio. It is so easy. I just dial an 800 number, record my
message and then go to their web site and copy a short line of code that I paste into my auction. If you
launch your auction first, you can also record the message and just type the auction number into the
phone and they will paste it in for you.
33. Get a sales tax number
Contact the sales tax authority in your county or state offices to get a sales tax number. This will allow
you to buy from many wholesale companies that would not deal with you otherwise.
If you are not sure who to contact in your state, just call your local chamber of commerce and they will
advise you or give you the phone number or web site address to register. If you go to the FREE Articles
page on our web site there is an article on state sales taxes with a link to all of the state web sites where
you can apply on line.
34. Automate your auctions
Automate your auctions with an auction management service. I have tried several companies and have
finally settled on Vendio. They provide auction templates where you type in your headlines and text,
insert your images, set your price, terms, length of auction and upload your auctions at any time or day
you specify.
These services also track your inventory and sales, send automated emails to customers, provide a
PayPal or credit card gateway and automatically post feedback once payment is received. Vendio is by
far, the best service I have used.
People are often hesitant to pay a monthly fee to an auction management company, but believe me --
over time they really save you money and they are far better than eBay's tools such as Turbo Lister and
Selling Manager.
You should also invest in software to print labels. www.edicia.com is a good resource. You can get a
great deal on label printers and scales that integrate right into your computer.
35. Build credibility
Be trustworthy. Remove every doubt about your credibility. You can do this through presenting yourself
positively through your feedback, being passionately devoted to your business and by being an expert.
See the section above on creating an About Me page. A photo of yourself will humanize the online
experience can bring amazing results. One with your dog or cat in the picture is even better.
36. Your auction headline and item description is where it all begins.
Your headline is your advertising and your item description is your salesperson. On the web, how you're
potential buyer perceives you and your product is everything.
Be sure to use power words in your auction title (headline). Rare, Unique, Powerful, New, Unusual,
Stunning, Top Notch, First Class, etc. Just be sure not to exaggerate. Don’t call something ‘rare” if it is
not.
Copy writing is the art of showing you and what you sell to your buyer in the best possible light. It’s the
most important thing you have going for you. A carefully crafted sales letter (item description) can
increase you results exponentially without having to spend an extra penny.
37. Use keywords in your auction headline (title) and description
Remember that 65% of eBay bidders find what they are looking for by using the search function. Be
sure to use carefully chosen and accurate key words in your title and description. eBay gives you 55
characters in your headline. Be sure to use all of them. This will help you get hits.
38. Stand behind your product and service
We offer an unconditional money-back guarantee on every thing we sell. This has been our practice
since our first day on eBay. Now if you are selling cars or houses, or “as-is” used goods that may not be
a good idea – but the simple offer of a satisfaction guarantee will dramatically increase your sales.
Even unhappy people rarely go to the trouble of sending something back. The cost of providing the few
refunds will be far out weighted by the increased volume of your sales. At the very least offer a
guarantee that your items are exactly as described and you will give a full refund if they are not.
39. Set up an eBay Store
eBay Store listing fees are very low (much lower than auctions). This is a great place to park
merchandise between auctions, to clear out slow moving merchandise, and a place you can promote in
your emails, and with various web site promotion techniques. Place a clickable link in your auction item
descriptions that invite people to view your store. I often run promotions where I tell people if they visit
my store and buy two items I will give them free shipping. Also, eBay indexes your store listings to
search engines such as Froogle. If someone comes to your store from off of eBay (such as from a
Google search) and buys something from you, then eBay credits you 75% of the final value fee.
40. Accept personal checks up to $20 for immediate shipment from anyone with good feedback.
Remember it costs about $20 these days in bank fees if you bounce a check. Most people will not write a
bad check for this reason. I have performed over 5,000 transactions on eBay over the past 5 years and I
have only received one bad check – and it was eventually made good by the buyer. I usually offer
immediate shipment on receipt of a personal check if the person has a good feedback rating. (At least 20
feedback postings with no negatives). Also, it used to take 5 to 7 days for a check to clear. Banks are
now clearing checks in 1-2 days.
41. Set up a PayPal Shop
PayPal offers a service to all of their users called PayPal Shops. A PayPal shop is nothing more than a
link to your eBay store or your web site.
PayPal offers users a search engine where they can search PayPal shops for goods offered by merchants
who accept PayPal. Occasionally PayPal may feature your shop on their checkout page. If this happens
your shop will get thousands of hits a day as long as it is featured.
42. Use an email signature
One great free way to promote your auction business is by using a signature. Signatures are six to eight
line inserts at the end of your email messages. All email programs support them. You signature should
include a description of what you sell and a hyper-link to your eBay store or your about me page.
43. Automate your shipping and save time at the post office
If you don’t have much time to spend at the post office, and I'm sure you don't, prepare in advance. You
can have all of your mailing supplies sent to you by the USPS and UPS.
Visit http://www.usps.gov and http://ups.com for more details. eBay and PayPal now have an automated
shipping system integrated with UPS and USPS right on their site.
If you ship via USPS Priority Mail (a favorite option for eBay sellers) you can use delivery confirmation
to track your packages. It is free if you do it on line at http://www.usps.com or it costs 45 cents to do it
at the post office window.
44. Building a High Feedback Rating Quickly
Here is a quick way to build good feedback: Sell something at a very low price, such as an inexpensive
baseball card for under a dollar. Put up a Dutch auction for 50 of the item you are selling. Don’t worry
about making money; just try to break even. Mail the cards out quickly, post great feedback for each
buyer and send each buyer an email politely asking each of them to return the favor. Be sure to include
the hyperlink to the feedback post in your email.
45. Where to get free shipping supplies?
If you send your items via USPS priority mail the post office will give you free envelopes, tape, and
boxes. Think this through. If you pay the priority mail fee, and get free boxes, that is often close to what
UPS charges when you add in the cost of a box. See below, however, for ways to get free boxes –and
packing materials.
Another source for free supplies is your local gift shop or kitchen shop. These merchants receive
merchandise in good boxes everyday with plenty of bubble-pak and Styrofoam peanuts that they simply
throw away or pay to have recycled. Get friendly with your local gift shop and you can have access to
tons of free shipping suppliers.
46. Sign Up for BuySafe and SquareTrade
If you sell expensive goods, BuySafe is a company that provides fraud insurance to your buyers. It cost a
little to sign up, but BuySafe has plenty of evidence that shows that using BuySafe in your auctions will
increase your bids and final values much more than the cost of their service. Sign up at www.buysafe.
com.
SquareTrade is sort of the Better Business Bureau of eBay. Sign up at www.squaretrade.com. They also
provide a dispute resolution service for their members and can get bad feedback removed.
47. Get your news from AuctionBytes.com
www.AuctionBytes.com is a great site with lots of free resources for auction sellers. They have an
online auction calendar that lists best times to start and end an auction, a free online tutorial on how to
take good photos, a daily and a weekly free newsletter and plenty of additional free resources. Best of all
they have a daily news feed of news about eBay and online auctions.
48. Learn how to write great headlines and auction item descriptions
Our premier book, The Complete eBay Marketing System has two chapters on writing auction titles
(headlines) and item descriptions designed to help you increase hits and bids. Poor titles and descriptions
are one of the largest reasons eBay sellers get poor auction results.
49. Use Google AdWords to drive hits to your auctions, eBay Store or your web site.
Google AdWords can get expensive, but if you look for the obscure keywords no one else is bidding on
your can really drive hits from out of eBay to your auctions or eBay Store. If you send someone from
outside of eBay directly to your store and they buy, eBay credits you 75% of the store fee. If you join
eBay’s affiliate program and this person was a first-time buyer, then eBay will pay you a commission on
top of that. There is a service called Wordtracker that is free to try out and very inexpensive to subscribe
to. It will help you find those obscure key words that you can buy very cheaply.
50. Learn simple HTML commands to spice up your auctions
Don’t be afraid of HTML. Anyone can do it. For example, you should start all of your eBay auction item
description with the command: This will make your type larger and easier to read. It
helps to break your item description into smaller shorter paragraphs to increase readability. Just use this
command to create a new paragraph
.
You can make your text bold by typing at the beginning of the bold text and where you want
it to end.
Go to: http://www.davesite.com for a simple and free online tutorial on how to do HTML.
51. Create attractive backgrounds for your auctions
Go to: http://www.grsites.com/textures to get free background textures for your auction item
descriptions. Over 6000 backgrounds are available at no cost.
52. If you are going to be in this business – you need to know the vocabulary.
Net Lingo at http://www.netlingo.com is a free site that teaches you all the terms and lingo of the world
wide web and various online services.
53. Get a professional auction education
● Attend eBay Live (The next conference is in Las Vegas in June 2006).
● Watch for announcements of eBay University coming to a city near you. (Usually listed on the
eBay community page.)
● Use the various eBay online tutorials
● Take the Auction Genius course at http://tinyurl.com/aej4
● Print out the eBay help files and place them in a 3-ring notebook for easy reference.
● Print this document out (99 tips) out and put it in the same notebook.
● Buy some of the great eBay training books from The Auction Seller’s Resource Bookshop
54. Incorporate to Protect yourself from liability
Not many people get sued selling stuff on eBay, but it can happen. If you incorporate, the corporation
can shield you from most lawsuits. In fact once a lawyer learn that you are incorporated and you don't
keep assets in the corporation, a lot of times they will not bother suing because they know your assets
are protected. There are also lots of tax benefits to incorporating even if your eBay income is fairly
small.
I used a company called Click & Inc.Online Business Incorporation Service. They did an excellent job --
very personal service and very quick. Best of all they did it right. Some of the online incorporating
services are really shoddy and they don't tailor the corporation to what you are doing. Click & Inc.
contacts you and works with you to tailor just the solution you need for your situation and your specific
state.
55. Learn how to buy at government auctions
Don’t pay for this information. Here is a link to our site where everything you need to bid on
government auctions is free: http://www.skipmcgrath.com/auction_sr/gvnmtauctions.shtml
Government auctions can be a great place to find bargains – but proceed with caution. Make sure you
thoroughly inspect anything before you buy it.
56. Package your eBay shipments professionally
No one likes to receive his or her “treasure” in a battered shoe box or an old cereal box. Take the time to
pack your sales carefully. Invest in bubble pak, peanuts, tissue paper and so on. Re-read tip number 45
for how to save money on these supplies.
57. Sell Designer Clothes and Accessories
Clothing and accessories from top designers such as Gucci, Hermes, Christian Dior, Armani and so on
are one of the hottest sellers on eBay and you can make excellent profit margins. These are sold by
several liquidation dealers listed on the Wholesale Member’s web site that comes with your purchase of
The Wholesale Buying System or The Complete eBay Marketing System.
58. Set your starting bid low to attract hits
Do you have a good item that you KNOW will sell well? Start it off at a very low price. This will get
you healthy early bidding. You want a large group around the item; some will be competitive bidders –
people who will pay extra just for the thrill of winning.
You'll usually get more for your item than someone who priced their item higher, because your auction
has more bidders watching.
59. Write complete auction item descriptions
Make your item description as complete as possible. Include all relevant details: condition, size, weight,
age, collectability, any short-comings or defects, etc.
What you think is not important – may be very important to someone else. Describe your item’s
condition, talk about its benefits and uses and keep writing until you run out of something to say.
60. Have a written sales, payment and delivery policy to protect yourself and avoid
misunderstandings
Spell out everything you do. How much do you charge for shipping? How will you ship the item? What
is your policy on insurance? Do you use escrow for expensive items? When do you post feedback? Do
you hold checks until they clear?
The more information you give a buyer the better the buying and selling experience will be for both
parties –but don’t forget to make it sound friendly. You don’t want your auctions to sound like a bunch
of rules written by a junior high school principal.
61. Don’t get greedy and overcharge for shipping
This is one of the more common causes of negative feedback. You should only charge what it normally
costs you to pack and ship. Buyers are sensitive in this area. They know when you are making a profit
on shipping. You can charge a small premium to cover your cost of handling and shipping materials, but
it should be reasonable. Always offer to combine shipping costs if a person buys more than one item.
Explain your shipping policy in the item description.
There is a game some sellers play whereby they list a $5 item for 99-cents but the shipping is $7.99
when it only cost a dollar to ship. eBay will cancel your auction if they catch you doing this as it
constitutes fee avoidance.
62. Always include the auction number in your emails
Always include the auction number with the end of auction notice and any request for payment. Place
the number in the subject line so you can easily track emails. People often bid on several items and can
get confused.
63. Start and end your auctions at the best times
Do you always start and end your auctions at the best times? Start and end your auctions at peak traffic
periods when traffic is the heaviest.
I like my auctions to end on Sundayor Monday evenings between 5 and 10 PM (Pacific Time). Saturday
and Sunday mornings are also good times. Believe it or not, Mondays during the lunch hour are very
good also. Remember there can sometimes be a posting delay of up to two hours on eBay during the
busy times. Also --don't forget that eBay uses Pacific Time.
This is one of the best reasons to use an auction management service such as Vendio.com. You can
create your auction and schedule it to launch at a specific time or day.
64. What to do when you make a mistake in an auction?
If an auction has not received any bids you can revise it. Click on the link “revise auction” right below
your username. If the auction has received bids, you can first cancel the bids and then cancel the auction.
If you go to My Account on you’re My eBay Page there is a link where you can email eBay and ask
them to credit the listing fee. Just explain that you cancelled the auction, fixed the mistake and relisted it.
Give them the old and the new item number and they will usually –but not always credit you the fee.
65. Why does eBay end auctions?
eBay will only end your auction if you violate the listing guidelines. First of all print out the guidelines
and read them carefully. They are written to give eBay wide latitude. EBay rarely discovers a listing
violation. They rely mostly on the community to report violations. (Yes, there are a lot of busybodies
with too much time on their hands).
The most common violations are listing in the wrong category, key word spamming, putting a link to an
outside web site in your auction description and featuring items that are not qualified for featuring, i.e.
information products.
One way to get your auctions examined is to make a complaint about someone else’s auction. Whenever
you make a complaint, eBay also examines all the ongoing auctions of the complainer. So unless your
auctions are squeaky clean, think again about reporting someone else.
66. What to do when eBay ends an auction?
If you are guilty as sin – just forget it and get on with your life. It’s not the end of the world. If you feel
you are wronged, then answer the “auction ended” email with a polite request for an explanation and/or
tell your side of the story.
Please understand the eBay enforcement employees receive hundreds of angry emails a day. It is very
easy for them to get “pissy” (excuse my language). A polite and sincere inquiry will often uncover
valuable information. Your violation may have been a minor technicality, which can be easily corrected.
They will rarely tell you this if you send them an angry or rude email.
67. Set up a web site and use eBay to drive business to it.
Every eBay seller should have a web site. Remember sales you make from your web site do not incur
eBay fees. EBay has cracked down on sellers using auctions to drive hits to their web sites, but there are
still some loopholes and techniques you can use without running afoul of eBay. These are explained in
detail in The Complete eBay Marketing System. (I can’t give all my secrets away here!)
68. Learn how to promote your web site and/or eBay store
Simply the best training course on the web is from The Internet Marketing Center published by Cory
Rudl, a Canadian who has made millions with legitimate web site marketing (None of the multi-level
“get rich quick” crap). Corey made a lot of money as a young guy and was an expert at teaching others
how to do it too. Tragically, he crashed his Porsche into a wall at a raceway and killed himself at the age
of 34. The business was taken over by his partner Derek Ghel.
You can discover the exact strategies that the late Corey Rudl personally used to MAKE $10.42 FOR
EVERY $1 HE SPENDS in online marketing -- AUTOMATICALLY!
When I first saw Corey's web site, I was skeptical –since there are so-called "cutting-edge" Internet
marketing gurus popping up on the Internet every day!
But after a little research, I quickly learned that this guy is for real. With four extremely successful
online businesses, all started on a shoestring budget, his site is...
EARNING OVER $6.6 MILLION IN SALES AND ATTRACTS MORE THAN 1.8 MILLION
VISITORS EVERY MONTH!
...all from one small office! (His first product was Car Secrets that sold over 90,000 copies from his web
site at $19.95 each)
Since Corey practices what he preaches, the tips, tricks, and techniques that he teaches ARE NOT based
on fluff theory. Instead, they are the "real deal" strategies that Corey has personally developed and
proved to be enormously
Profitable! I have been so happy with Corey’s material that last year I drove up to Vancouver , Canada
to meet him. He was smart, witty and charming and everything he claimed to be. I also met his partner
Derek and recently attended a seminar he put on in Orange County , CA . Derek is just as bright and is
continuing on the work of the center.
In this 1000+ page Internet marketing bible, you learn every single strategy and technique that you must
know if you want to start, build, and grow a successful business on the Internet, from the ground up,
including...
● Web page promotion and design
● Getting ranked at the top of search engines
● Turning leads into lifetime customers with e-mail marketing
● How to get White-listed with major email services such as Yahoo, AOL and MSN so all your
email gets thru.
● Building a responsive opt-in e-mail list -- FAST
● Exploiting AOL and other online services
● Free and low-cost online classified ads that produce sales
● Dominating your market with affiliate/reseller/ associate programs
● Newsgroup promotions
● Snowballing your profits with Auto-responders
● How and when to promote yourself on bulletin boards
● Getting links from high traffic sites
● Sales strategies
● Writing killer ad copy
● Banner ads (tips and tricks)
● Profiting with discussion lists and newsletters
● Completely automating your business
● Getting your own Visa/MasterCard/AmEx account with ZERO COSTS
... and this is just the tip of the iceberg! Even if you are a complete newbie or a seasoned Internet
marketer, I guarantee you will benefit from the unconventional tips and tricks that Corey will show you.
Strategies like...
How he fooled search engines and directories into making him $51,925 in 14 weeks, and how he still
uses them to make $15,000+ per month. Do this just once, and your job is finished; within 30 days,
you'll have a PERMANENT INCOME STREAM that will cover your house payments or rent forever.
This stuff is good and it really works. I have used Corey's (and now Derek's) techniques to make money
year after year from my four web sites. There is also lots of stuff you can apply to eBay.
How to locate thousands of people who are interested in your products, capture their e-mail addresses,
and generate repeat sales from them -- all within 48 hours (without ever spamming).
... and this is only a small sampling of the strategies they teach to help 1000's of people start extremely
successful businesses on the Internet from scratch!
I think the hundreds of testimonials Derek has posted on his web site really speak for themselves...
Two months have passed... I have MADE WELL OVER $30,000 FROM
MY SITE!
Joe Malek .....Mortgage Network London Inc
Derek convinced me to try some of the approaches. MY PERSONAL
INCOME FROM MY SITE ALMOST DOUBLED.
David Beroff ......Note Worth Service LLC
"The results from using this course were that MY ONLINE SALES
INCREASED BY 500%!"
David Katz .....Hair Loss Solutions
I personally used the information in Corey’s course to increase traffic and sales from my web site by
over 400% in less than three months. There are plenty of techniques you can apply to your eBay
business and you will learn ways to develop synergy between your eBay business and a web site.
So if you are interested in starting a business or just increasing your profits from an existing business,
Link from our web site or type this URL into your browser http://tinyurl.com/8vbqs to visit The Internet
Marketing Center where I have arranged a special offer just for my readers.
Even if you decide it’s not for you –be sure to subscribe to his FREE newsletter. You will be glad you
did.
69. How to keep your customers happy and generate lots of positive feedback
Customers want three things: instant gratification, clear, fast communications and to get what they were
promised.
● Use PayPal to get payment quickly and then ship quickly.
● Answer emails immediately
● Reveal any flaws or shortcomings your item has
● Never over-promise or over describe an item
● Package your items carefully and professionally
● If you can, toss in something for free (I recently bought a collectible beer mug and the seller
included a few free beer coasters.)
70. Over-communicate with your buyers
When an auction ends, send your buyers an immediate email congratulating them and providing clear
payment instructions. Send them another email when you ship the item (this really impresses buyers).
Send them a follow-up email to see if everything went okay. This email should include the link where
they can post feedback.
71. Be careful using the Reserve Price Auction (RPA)
No one likes a reserve. Most people understand the necessity for it, but there are a large percentage of
users who will simply not bid on RPA. If you know something will sell, then price it slightly lower than
the minimum you will take.
If you are selling a very expensive item, certainly place a reserve on it, but let the potential bidders know
what the reserve is. It doesn’t have to be a secret. The point of a reserve is to protect you against
something selling too cheaply. Being open about your reserve can actually help you get bids.
72. Increase bids by making your auctions readable
Use a short opening paragraph that promises something – and then deliver on the promise. Describe the
product – but also write about its benefits and/or how it is used. If you have personally used the product,
describe your experience.
Short sentences are more readable than long ones. If you write a long sentence, follow it with a short
one. Keep your paragraphs to less than 3 or 4 lines. Boldface important words or phrases. Include
attention-getters: questions, news items, a guarantee or a promise. Ask for the bid at the end of the
description. Use active verbs and enthusiastic language.
73. Use Bold, and Highlight to increase visibility
These features cost a little so they are not appropriate for low cost items unless you are using a Dutch
auction – but it has been proved that they increase both hits and bids.
74. Use a hit counter to track your auction
The most important thing to know about an item that did not sell is: Did it not get hits, or did it get hits
and did not get bids? If you are getting hits and not bids, then you know there is demand and interest in
the item, but there is something wrong with your price or your description. If you are not getting hits,
then there is either no demand or interest in the item or your headline stinks.
Use services such as Honesty.com and Square Trade to help you build trust and credibility.
Go to http://www.honesty.com and http://www.squaretrade.com where you can join their service and get
a seal of approval for you web site and your auctions. I won’t explain the services here, they are well
described on the web sites – but most professional sellers use them.
75. Always use a regional listing
There are some people who only/prefer to buy from their local regions. When you pick a region, it
doesn’t limit your auction to a region, it just tells sellers from that area that you are nearby. There is no
charge to use a regional listing.
76. Build a mailing list of your customers
If you followed my advice to specialize, then you will be building a base of customers who buy your
type or category of product. Once someone bids on your auction, or sends you an email with a question,
then you – not eBay, own that email address and you can communicate with that person in the future.
Whenever you are launching an auction, send your existing customers an email letting them know. (Not
every little auction – but for special hard to find items). Because someone actually purchased something
from you, you now own that customer so it is not against eBay’s regulations to market to them directly
through email or from your web site.
77. Create an Opt-in newsletter
If you are operating in some area of specialty such as art, antiques, collectibles, sports, etc., then create
an online newsletter for your customers. Instead of sending the newsletter out, just send out the table of
contents with a link to a page on your web site where the newsletter is posted. This drives traffic to your
web site, which is the whole point. Your newsletter should also include a link to your active auctions.
78. Re-listing Strategies
Did your auction fail? No bids, no hits? You can still re-list for free. Before you hit the re-list button lets
look at what happened.
Was the item over-priced? Was it in the correct category? Do you need a better headline or description?
Is there any demand for the product you are selling?
You can relist one time for free if an item doesn't sell. If you keep relisting and the item doesn't sell, you
are burning up eBay fees. If others are selling your same item, and you are not –go back and reexamine
what you are doing.
79. Experiment for success
Don’t be afraid to try something new. Just be careful, you don’t throw a lot of money into something
that isn’t yet proven. Try new products, new categories, new sources, new headlines, and so on. eBay is
no where near being a mature marketplace. It is still growing and evolving. The rules change weekly.
Don’t be afraid to be a pioneer –just use a little caution when it comes to spending large amounts of
money.
80. Choosing a category
Ok, you have put a lot of thought into your product and completed the introspective phase of getting
started. You are excited about your merchandise and ready to start selling it. The next step is to find your
niche market; as applies to online auctions, this refers to the category you will list your item(s) in.
Considering eBay has over 7,500 categories to choose from, this should be a relatively easy process. But
there is one important strategic trick you should know.
Before listing your item in any category, follow these simple steps: First, browse through the eBay
categories and write down the ones you feel are relevant to your product. You should be able to find at
least 3-5 possible choices. Next, write down the number of auctions currently online in each of those
categories (it will appear next to the category name). An average category has about 4,000, so if there
are more than that you may conclude that the category is active, If there are less than 2000 you may
consider it inactive. I consider categories with over 5,000 auctions to be popular and those with over
10,000 are most popular. Some categories have over 50,000 auctions going at any one time. Using this
ranking system, rate the categories that you have chosen for your product.
I recommend listing in the most active categories only because they get the most traffic. If you put your
product in an inactive section of eBay, you may get little or no bids, even if you feature it .Avoid
categories with less than 1,000 auctions online unless your product is highly specialized to that
category!
81. List in two categories
eBay has a new feature that allows you to list in two categories. There is a small extra fee – but any
feature, highlight or bold fees are doubled. Here is an example: If you were selling a collectible, most
collectible buyers also buy books and price guides to their collectibles. So list your collectible in the
appropriate category and also list it in the Books>Non-fiction>collectibles and Price guides category.
82. Use good photos and images in your auctions
Digital cameras and scanners have become very cheap. My neighbor recently purchased a child’s digital
camera at Toys-R-Us for under $50. It takes amazing photos and comes with basic image management
software that lets you crop and rotate images, and performs some simple enhancements. If you are going
to take a lot of photos, probably the best, all around auction camera is the Nikon 2100 or 3100. As Nikon
has come out with newer models, these two models can be bought very inexpensively and they contain
all the features an auction seller needs.
Keep your photos small – in a digital sense. Large image files take forever to load and your buyer will
click off to another auction instead of getting a cup of coffee while your 300 K file downloads.
83. Take the time to take good photos
Here are some simple tips to take good digital photos:
● Clean up the area around the subject or use a backdrop
● Always use a tripod to make your photos sharp
● Avoid clutter in the photo
● Shoot outdoors on a cloudy day or in open shade. Don’t shoot in direct sunlight, as the contrast is
too high
● Indirect window light is also excellent. I often shoot objects on
a table next to a window with a white or gray sheet for a backdrop
● Get reasonably close to the object
● Show a close-up of any repairs or defects
● If relevant, show the product being used.
● If size is an issue, show some thing such as a coin or a ruler to
to indicate dimensions.
My new book, Online Auction Photo Secrets is a complete manual on taking digital photos for auctions.
It is available on the our web site under the products tab.
84. Learn the right way to drop ship
Lets face it --most of these drop shipping companies are scams --or if not scams they just don't work.
You spend a fortune in eBay listing fees on stuff that either won't sell at the price you need to get or is
being sold by others for less.
The only way to drop ship profitably is to work with a direct source such as a manufacturer or master
distributor. These drop ship companies are just middlemen who buy from distributors, mark up the
product and sell it to you. The markup they are getting is the markup you need to make a profit.
Chris Malta, is the product sourcing editor for eBay Radio. He runs a program called the Drop Ship
Source Directory. The key word there is source. His directory on a web site is a list of actual
manufacturers that have all been contacted by his staff and they have agreed to drop ship for eBay
sellers. You could probably find all of these same companies by going through the Thomas Directory --
but that would take days and weeks. Chris has already done the work for you. I have used his directory
to find several manufacturers that I now work profitably with.
85. Keep track of your fees
You need to be careful with your fees – it’s easy to overspend and kill your profits. Be very careful
about using the special featured fees. Make sure your margin is adequate to still make a profit.
ProfitCalc, is an eBay fee calculator that has really saved me a lot of money.
86. Use Dutch auctions to increase your profits
If you are a Low Volume Seller, or if you sell products with a low dollar margin, you may need to run
multiple Dutch auctions to make a good living on eBay.
A Dutch Auction is used when you have several identical items for sale. You set the minimum price you
are willing to sell for, and specify the quantity for sale. Many bidders will bid on more than one item.
The person who bids the lowest for the last available quantity sets the price for all winning bidders.
Here is an example: Recently, I had a dozen of the AFLAC talking plush ducks. I tried selling them for
$10 without success. I then ran a Dutch auction with the starting price at $4.95. I got over 30 bids, some
people bidding on as many as three ducks and the price was run up to over $14.00 each
87. Learn to sell information products on eBay
People will pay good money for information they can use. If you can write reasonably well, and you
have a topic you have some expertise in, you can probably write a reference guide or “how-to” manual
and sell it on eBay and even on the web.
I recently saw one called How to Make $30 Hour Sharpening Knives. Another lady wrote a short e-book
explaining how she sells children’s clothing on eBay.
You can create an e-book (or a printed book) on almost any topic: Pets, Finance, Bible Studies, Poetry,
children’s stories, software, computer tips, making money with XYZ and so on. You can also compile
information on antiques, collectibles, computer images, recipes, genealogy, etc. Search the non-fiction
books category and the information products category on eBay to see what is selling then try to identify
a unique niche for a new product or category.
If you are going to create an e-Book, the best program on the market is eBook Pro. eBook Pro is not
only a superior (and user friendly) software for packaging information, it also gives you far more
security and control than other programs or packaging options. There's no longer any reason for you to
be taking dangerous risks with your business. Now your computer can deliver your products
instantly and automatically (with zero cost) over the Internet. eBook Pro can even:
1. Capture your customers' credit card numbers or direct them to PayPal
2. Wire their money directly into your bank account
3. Enter their customer contact information into your own private database.
With eBook Pro, your eBooks are easy to produce, they're cost-effective, and they have the potential to
generate tons of profit with relatively little effort on you part!
88. Buying at Costco, Sam’s Club and Outlet Malls to sell on eBay
I recently went to Costco to buy a calling card (640 minutes for $19.95) and a pair of Avia running
shoes, also for $19.95. These shoes normally retail for around $60.
When I got home I decided to go on eBay to see what the calling cards were selling for. I found the same
MCI 640 minute calling cards selling on eBay for 24.95 + $3.50 shipping. (You can ship the cards for 52
cents in an oversized envelope). That is a total profit of $8.50 per card, or $850 per week if you sell a
hundred cards (less eBay and PayPal fees of course).
I next decided to check out the shoes I bought. Sure enough, there were several pairs selling at prices
between $29 and $39 pair on eBay, and yes, they had bids.
Just before Christmas, my wife spotted a Fitz & Floyd Santa cookie jar selling at Costco for 39.95. She
had seen the same cookie jar in a high-end mail order catalog for over $100. We bought 10 of them and
sold them on eBay for $69.00 each right before Christmas.
We have a friend who does flea markets and sidewalk shows. The day before a weekend market he
always drops into the local Sam’s Club and buys anything he sees that might sell at a profit and buys
them. A week before Easter he scored 20 beautiful Easter Baskets full of goodies for 19.95 that he got
$35 each for at a street fair.
Tools are another good bargain. Costco and Sam’s Club always have great values on sets of tools, fire
extinguishers, fire detectors and other like products. Last year Costco was selling a set of Hoffritz Bar-BQ
tools for $17.95. We have sold them repeatedly on eBay in Dutch auctions where they went for over
$30 a set.
Another source of goods to sell is Wal-Mart. Watch for their sales where you can often get goods at
excellent prices. My wife and I are doing the Atkins Diet program. The Atkins diet bars sell in the
supermarket for $2.29 each, but we watch for the sales at Wal-Mart and buy several boxes at a time for
about $15 for a box of twelve ($1.25 each). I have also seen people selling these on eBay for as much as
$25 box.
If you live near an outlet mall, you should also check there for sales. I was in Jones New York looking
for a gift for my mother when they were having a big sale. A Chinese lady from Vancouver , Canada
came in and bought over $10,000 worth of clothes. I heard the clerk ask her what she was doing. She
said she sells them on eBay and sells them to her friends in Canada . She was buying high-end blue
blazers for $40 that retail in Jones New York stores for over $150.
89. Where to get help with your auction questions
Forums and message posts are one of the quickest and easiest ways to get help answering almost any
question that might come up about selling on eBay and other auction sites.
The best – and most used forums on eBay are of course at eBay’s Community section. You can find the
discussion boards broken down by subject at: http://pages.eBay.com/community/boards/index.html and
there are several category-specific chat rooms at:
http://pages.eBay.com/community/chat/index.html
Another excellent link on eBay is The Answer Center at: http://pages.eBay.com/community/
answercenter/index.html
There is an excellent independent forum on Auctionbytes.com at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/
phpBB/index.php
These forums are moderated by David and Ina Steiner and other experts they recruit. The posts are
broken down by subject areas, including an excellent one on fraud.
http://www.AuctionClan.com is a fairly new membership site that offers forums for sellers and also does
very low cost image hosting
90. Bookmark these eBay links to save time
Set up a favorites folder marked eBay and place these links in it for easy and quick reference.
● Advanced Search page http://pages.eBay.com/search/items/search_adv.html
● Search eBay stores http://pages.eBay.com/search/items/search_stores.html
● Announcements and news: http://pages.eBay.com/search/items/search_stores.html
● Discussion Boards http://pages.eBay.com/community/boards/index.html
● Leave Feedback
http://cgi2.eBay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?LeaveFeedbackShow
● Rules and policies http://pages.eBay.com/services/tsindex.html
● About Me Page setup
http://members.eBay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?AboutMeLogin
91. What to do when someone doesn’t pay?
EBay has a very defined procedure for bidders that don’t pay. Here are the steps:
First send an email requesting payment and warning the buyer you will file a non-payment complaint to
eBay if they don’t pay within a specified time. If they still don’t pay, go to your My eBay Page and find
the link to the dispute resolution center.
Follow the instructions there to make a claim and file a final value fee credit (to refund your fees)
EBay will contact the buyer and give them a warning (this often gets the buyer to pay) Any bidder that
receives a third warning will be indefinitely suspended from eBay.
There is also another option. In your terms of sale at the end of each auction description, place the
statement:
“If you fail to pay within 10 business days, then this auction is cancelled by mutual agreement.” On the
eBay Non-payment Bidder page, there is a button you can check that said this auction was cancelled by
mutual agreement. If you check this button, then your fee will be immediately refunded without going
through all the steps and waiting the full period. (eBay does email the NPB and ask if they agree --but
they almost always do so they don't get an unpaid item strike against them).
92. Make money selling things for others.
There are several Power Sellers that specialize in consignment sales. Simply put you find people who
have something to sell – but do not have the time or knowledge to sell on eBay. You sell it for them and
take a commission. Typically you can earn 10-15% on expensive items and up to 35% on lower cost
items.
EBay has a program called Trading Assistant where you register to help other eBayers sell their goods.
You can register HERE. My best selling book, How To Start & Run an eBay Consignment Business
contains all of the contracts, forms and ads you need to become a successful trading assistant.
93. Turn your inventory over often
99 Tips for Buying and Selling on eBay
How many times you can turn your inventory over is the key to making high profits. Too many sellers
get stuck with something that won’t sell at a profit and they keep re-listing and re-listing until some day
it eventually sells. In the meantime, they could have sold the dog at cost, and put the money into
something that will turn over rapidly. Rapid turnover and re-investing your money back into more
products is one of the long-term keys to success on eBay.
94. How to get something for free on eBay
Check out the wholesale lots section on eBay. Often the same people who are selling individual items at
auction are selling the same things in wholesale lots for a lot less money each, but you may have to buy
10 items to get the wholesale price. I recently saw an auction for home theater audio systems at $250
each wholesale in lots of 5. The same seller was selling them individually at $375. You could buy a lot
of 5, keep one for yourself and sell the rest at $325 and make a small profit.
95. How to buy large wholesale lots with very little money
I often see goods going for incredible low wholesale prices, but you have to buy a very large quantity to
get the great price. Here is where you need friends. Get a group of people together to share the cost of a
wholesale lot. Once you get the items, put them up in smaller wholesale lots in Dutch auction. Here is an
example: Last year the mini RC cars were hot sellers. Today they are all over eBay at $9.95 each. Most
wholesale sites will sell you the cars for $4.25 in case lots of 24. But you can go to the importer and buy
them for $2.50 each if you buy 10 cases. If you go in with a few friends, you could each buy two or
three cases and sell the cars retail at a good markup or at a low wholesale price and turn them over very
quickly.
Buying at wholesale and finding wholesalers is very difficult. I know. I had to learn the hard way. Two
years ago I wrote a 100 page (printed) book called The Wholesale Buying System that covers almost
everything you need to know about how, what and where to buy wholesale to sell on eBay or your web
site. The instruction manual comes with password access to a web site that lists hundreds of wholesale
sources for eBay sellers and special search engines to help you locate thousands of wholesale products.
We have sold over 5,000 copies of the manual to date.
96. Know – and understand, your costs
It is very easy to sell a lot of goods at auction and not have any money left at the end of the month. If
you are going to be successful, it is critical that you track and have good visibility into your cost
structure.
Here are some of the costs you should be tracking:
● Product cost (including inbound shipping).
● Listing and reserve fees
● Feature fees
● Final Value fee (if the item sells).
● Auction Management Service (if you use one).
● Credit card or PayPal service fees
● Internet service or DSL fees
● Shipping costs and materials
Quicken is a very good program for tracking costs and has a sub-set for running a business in the home.
As you get more sophisticated, upgrade to Quick Books.
97. More on what to sell and finding a niche market on eBay
In the early days, you could sell just about anything on eBay and make money. Today, major
corporations such as J. C. Penny, Bloomingdales, and Disney have moved onto eBay in a big way. It is
still possible for small sellers to make big profits. The secret is to specialize, seek out the offbeat and to
find used items that are in demand.
While researching another article on eBay, I came across several unusual items for sale. Upon checking,
I discovered many of these sellers were power sellers and some were shooting stars (feedback over
5,000).
Here are just a few of the unique items I came across: Used radio tubes, used (vintage) hi-fi equipment
and parts, juggling supplies, used music and game CD’s, old board games (Monopoly, Scrabble, etc.),
clown equipment and supplies, used tools, old garden tools and decorative items, used college textbooks,
small appliances (blenders, pasta machines, irons, etc.) personalized children’s books, collectible
fountain pens, new & used magic tricks and magic supplies, used bubble-pak and Styrofoam peanuts –
the list goes on.
The point is you don’t have to sell the latest digital camera, Gucci shoes, or expensive diamond jewelry
to make money on eBay. Most of the seller’s items listed above buy their goods from garage sales, thrift
stores, flea markets, and closeout dealers.
98. More on writing power auction titles (headlines)
This subject, and the next item, is so important, I wanted to give you some further tips and strategies to
work with. The auction title is your headline. Newspapers and magazines use headlines to attract readers
to the story. Advertisers use headlines to pull readers into the sales copy. Remember your headline and
your auction description is your front-line salesperson.
Sixty-five percent of eBay bidders find an item by searching. Make sure the item you are selling is
described in the headline using a term someone would search for. Be sure to spell the name correctly.
● Use “Power Words” in your head line (see the article below)
● Use all capital letters in your headline to make it stand out
● Use the Bold Face and Highlight option if your price-point can afford the extra fee
● Use tildes "~ " to set off your headline. (Caution: Make sure there is space between your tilde ~
and any searchable word or eBay’s search engine may not recognize it)
● Avoid goofy characters such as “L@@K,” “MUST C” and SAVE $$$$$$
● If you are not using a reserve price, say so with “No Reserve” or “NR”
Most of all, be sure your headline is credible and accurately describes what you are offering.
99. Turning Words Into Dollars: Writing Winning Auction Descriptions
You have all seen the difficult-to-read auction descriptions: Small type, run-on sentences and
paragraphs, missing information and so on. If you really want the item, you are forced to email the seller
to get more information – or you just give up and go on to the next item.
One day, I spent two hours scanning over 100 auctions. In my opinion, only about 12 out of the 100
were well-written, complete and compelling. I am not talking about lacking professional-level writing
skills – many of the auctions I saw would not impress a 5th grade teacher.
My own writing skills are no where near the level of a professional writer or journalist, yet I am
successful at getting my ideas across to a wide audience. Here are some rules I follow to write winning
auction descriptions:
● Use the HTML command
eBay’s HTML editor, set it to Medium font size. This will increase the standard eBay type size to
make your words readable on any computer screen
● Clearly state what you are selling in the first paragraph. Make your paragraphs short – no more
than two or three sentences. There is plenty of research that shows web page readers like to scan
text. If you paragraphs are too long, it makes it harder to scan. Place an extra return between
paragraphs to create some white space around them.
● Use bullets to describe features and benefits.
● Write short sentences and/or follow a long sentence with a short sentence.
● Write complete sentences (i.e. subject and a verb). Avoid complex punctuation and long
prepositional phrases.
● Don’t worry about your auction description being too long. It is more important to include all the
information a buyer needs than to have a short description. If your description is easy-to-read,
potential bidders will keep reading until they have all the information they need.
● Describe all relevant details such as age, condition, hallmarks, flaws, packaging, size,
manufacturer, and so on.
● Use “power words” to create word pictures and emotional responses. A few examples are: New,
Rare, Genuine, Beautiful, Original, Charming, First Class, Lovely, Save Money, Bargain,
Guaranteed, and Expensive-Looking. Stress any product benefits such as health, beauty, timesaving,
ease-of-use, money-saving, etc. (Caution: When using power words, don’t exaggerate.
For example do not describe something as rare if it is not.)
● Personalize the description. Tell the reader how or where you found the item or how you use it.
● Spell out your shipping and payment terms clearly and completely.
99.5 Last, but not least –have fun!!!
I think eBay is just the coolest thing to come along since the Wright Brothers proved powered flight was
possible. EBay demonstrates just how powerful the internet can be in bringing people together, finding
common interests and yes – you can make a little money.
Dive into the whole eBay experience. Buy, sell, chat, post on the message boards, go to live events, and
buy an eBay T-shirt or hat. Most of all, when the bidding gets hot and furious, remember its just a piece
of merchandise your are bidding on – it’s not the end of the world if someone beats you out.
src="http://tinyurl.com/2cnzp4">
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
