Copying Another (The eBay Coach's) eBay Seller's Photo or Text is Prohibited

And that includes my listings and my photos! For those of you copying my listings, text, photos, etc, this message is for you:

Just a reminder to readers of this blog, members of the eBay Coach Forum, listeners of my podcasts, readers of my eBooks, and watchers of my eBay YouTube Videos:

eBay members are not allowed to use another eBay user's pictures or descriptions in their listings without the owner's permission.

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

Listing cancellation

Loss of eBay fees

Limits placed on account privileges

Loss of PowerSeller status

Account suspension

Read the full eBay policy here.

I've spent alot of time lately reporting other sellers for copying my photos, text, and other components of my listings. As a result of this, competitor's listings are checked daily by myself and my staff, and listings using my photos and my text are reported without hesitation, no matter who you are. Your stores have been bookmarked and will be watched closely, and you will be blocked from accessing the eBay Coach Forum and removed from my mailing list.

I've had to report a number of other sellers lately - those who I considered my friends, and even my neighbor who lives two doors down from me. eBay allows so much room for creativity, this is just not necessary. You people are just plain lazy. This type of behavior makes me want to stop helping anyone - because I am being taken advantage of for my willingness to share and help others. A few bad (lazy) apples may ruin it for everyone else.

If you plan to run your eBay business using these tactics, you are going nowhere fast. And rest assured, if you copy any of my listings of photos, you will be reported for each incident. According to the eBay Image and Description Theft Policy:

"Listings that violate eBay's Image and Description theft policy may be removed early. Multiple violations of this policy could result in the suspension of your account." This is serious business.

I'm sorry to bore the rest of you that this does not apply to, however, this situation is really getting out of hand and something needs to be said.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Another Walgreen's Coupon - $5 off $20 Purchase

Click here to print your $5 off $20 purchase coupon, good only Friday June 27. It may let you print it more than once if you hit the back button. (The image above is just a sample, not the actual coupon.)

You can use this on the Aveeno Eczema Cream - is anyone finding any? I've heard from a few of you who are looking with no luck. I've also heard from a few sellers who aren't very happy that I broadcasted this information. The only way I can respond to the "hate mail" is to say that I hope this information helps more of you than it hurts. Nothing stays a secret very long on eBay anyway!

Happy shopping and selling,

Suzanne Wells
The eBay Coach

Super Hot Discontinued Item to Sell on eBay - At Your Local Drug Store

SCORCHING HOT ITEM! RUN, DON'T WALK TO CVS OR WALGREENS!!

Aveeno Active Naturals Eczema Care Cream. This item has been discontinued. It works great on eczema, and those who use it are looking on eBay for it. It costs about $10 per tube (retail), and you can find it at your local drug store. It will be in the First Aid aisle, right by the Sarna lotion, or other cortizone or itch-relieving type lotions. I found it at CVS, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart. (Rite-Aid, Target, Kroger, or other grocery stores did NOT carry it. Best to check CVS and Walgreens.)

I must confess, I discovered this hot seller about a month ago and spent a few weeks scouring Atlanta for every tube I could find. It isn't easy to find. My best sale was $81 for two tubes! WOW - $61 profit on one sale! It is still selling for about $20 a tube, which is a nice profit if you can find any. Click here to see current items on eBay.

Good luck!

(Be sure to subscribe to this blog to receive hot tips like this via email.)

Under Armour Clearance - Sports Authority

I was in The Sports Authority this weekend and saw quite a bit of Under Armour(Cold Gear) marked down to $10 or less. Under Armour is a great seller on eBay. If you don't know what it is, Under Armour is all the rage in sports performance apparel. Click here to learn more.

It is available for every sport - football, baseball, soccer, exercise & fitness, and for men, women, and youth. You can also see people wearing it as casual wear. Check your local Sports Authority to see if you can find any Under Armour on clearance. See completed eBay listings here.

FREE Thomas the Train Set - $12.99 Value

Check this out, get it free, keep it, give it as a gift, or sell it on eBay! Offer expires July 5 and you must go to a Toys R Us to redeem coupon - not valid online. You can only click on the coupon once, so make sure you are ready to print it before going to the link.

Toys-R-Us Free Thomas the Train Set

(I know of one Grandma in CT expecting a new grandson in August who should definitely check out this deal!)

Walgreen's Deal - F*R*E*E Item to Sell on eBay

Now we are going to get into the "meat" of how the Walgreen's discount program works. The Oral B CrossAction battery powered toothbrushes are on sale this week at Walgreen's for $5.50 (regular price, $7.49). When you purchase one at $5.50, you will receive $5.50 in Register Rewards - a coupon for store credit to use on your next purchase. Then, if you have last Sunday's (6/15) newspaper, there is a coupon for "buy one get one free" on the same product - Oral B CrossAction Power tootbrushes. So, you can get two of them for free. The idea is to maximize your savings by using store coupons, manufacturer coupons, sales, and the store's reward program to get items for free.

If you have a neighbor or friend who has last Sunday's paper and doesn't use the coupons, get a few more! After doing this kind of thing for a while, you can accumulate all kinds of free products to sell on eBay in different lots. Understand that you won't make much profit on one toothbrush. The results come in the cumulative effect of collecting freebies over a period of time. You can search completed listings and see that sellers are getting a decent price for lots of battery powered toothbrushes.

Keep in mind that you are not going to become a millionaire selling drug store items on eBay. (Don't you get sick of me saying that?) But, if you keep your eyes open and pay attention to deals like this for free or almost free products, you can accumulate a nice stash of stuff to sell - or use for your own family. I've been doing this type of thing for years, and it just takes some planning and organization. Who can turn down free stuff? Not me!

Source for eBay Inventory - Dollar Stores

This post was contributed by my good friend and fellow eBay seller, Lori, of Rocket City Sales.

Another place to locate items to resell on eBay is Dollar Tree.This is hard since things only cost $1.00, but I know of a lady in Muscle Shoals, AL, and all she does is buy books from her local Dollar Tree to resell on Half.com and eBay.

I would recommend finding a store in your area that does a good job stocking. Their trucks run on Friday and by Sunday/Monday they are supposed to have all the new stock out on the shelves.

Look for seasonal items in the off-season too, or discontinued items. Examples:

I found L’Oreal Kids Shampoo for $1.00. My husband loves this stuff, because of the fruity smells.

I have found Physician’s Formula make-up for $1.00.

I have found L’Oreal Lipsticks for $1.00.

Every once in a while we find a real deal on an item that resells for at least $7 or more on eBay. When we travel, we plan our trips by stopping at Big Lots, Dollar Tree, and Dollar General on the way there, around the area we are staying, and then back home. Example - we found Thomas the Tank Train Sets at one store and did not find them at other stores.

Just recently, we scoured Dollar General Stores, in more rural areas, for Scene-It Movie Game packs for TCM and James Bond 007. They were marked down on clearance for $3.00. They are selling for $9 to $12 on eBay right now.

Thanks, Lori, for your tips! It is always great to find another eBay seller willing to share information to help the rest of us.

Have a great day on eBay!

Customers Don't Want to Hear Excuses

One thing that turns me off as a customer is a list of excuses by sellers about why they can't ship quickly, give a refund, or stand by their products. Customers want to hear what you will do, not what you don't, won't, or can't do.

I was on eBay today shopping for some arts and crafts supplies for my daughter, and found these actual statements on eBay sellers' listings.

"I am a stay at home mom of 5 children and I have to drive 20 minutes to the post office and everyone knows the price of gas. Please keep this in mind when rating me on shipping."

"Selling on ebay takes a lot of time and effort and if you bid, win, and then don't pay, it causes misery for everyone involved. I won't ship to unconfirmed addresses and I won't ship outside the usa."

"I am a stay at home mom to my kids - running them to their appointments, therapies, & schooling and being able to provide extra goodies for them to meet their goals. I ship after my family's needs are met."

"No returns so check measurements before bidding. We aren't responsible if the item doesn't fit, and your money isn't refunded because you didn't take the time to verify measurements."

"I ship 2 times a week. If you need an item sooner either don't bid or ask me to ship it faster."

(Yes, these are actual statements written by eBay sellers!)

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against putting one's family first - I have to do that, too. But if you are running a business, your customers will be turned off by hearing what you can't do for them. If you have other commitments that come before your eBay store (as we all do), just don't make promises you can't keep. Focus on what you CAN do - ship three times a week, offer returns or replacements, work with your customers to solve problems to their satisfaction, etc. Your best bet for success comes with emphasizing what you can or will do, not what you can't or won't do.

If you are wondering about the photo, it is the famous Stew Leonard Rock with the customer service rules:

1) The customer is always right.
2) If the customer is ever wrong, re-read rule 1.

Replying to Feedback - A Good or Bad Thing?

Have you ever received a positive feedback from a buyer, and even though it is a positive green symbol, the buyer adds a little "negative" jab? For example:

Ok service, box was smashed

Item as described but didn't fit

Good transaction, customs fees were more than product

In these cases, there really isn't anything the seller could have done to prevent what went wrong. A box being smashed by the post office isn't our fault. An article of clothing not fitting the buyer isn't our fault. And customs fees charged by a foreign country certainly isn't our fault, yet buyers like to blame us.

I used to put a reply under these types of comments, explaining my position as the seller, but then began to wonder if a reply under a feedback comment stands out more than just ignoring the comment and letting it pass. Do we really want to draw attention to these comments? Pretty soon, the comment will be on the second,third, and subsequent page of your feedback and no one will see it anyway.

What is your strategy for replying to feedback? Do you think potential buyers read these comments, or do they even care? As a buyer, I usually just look at the overall positive versus negative ratings, and the seller's DSR. As a buyer, how important are the actual feedback comments on a seller's profile?

Another eBay Blog - eShop Owner

I am thrilled and delighted to announce that I have joined the team at b5 Media - global new media network with over 350 blogs on topics ranging from on a wide variety of subjects including business, technology, entertainment, finance, and sports. b5 Media receives over 10 million unique visitors a month.

eShopOwner will focus on ecommerce and buying and selling in online markets. I invite you to stop by, take a look around, and of course leave a comment with a link to your eBay store or blog. (Hint - get your link in front of some of those 10 million visitors!)

I'm excited about this new venture and hope that you will stop by and subscribe.

Have a great Father's Day!

Suzanne Wells
The eBay Coach

Source for eBay Inventory - Walgreens Clearance

These are my Walgreen's finds for today. 2 Remington Just for Men Beard and Mustache Stylers. Regular price - $29.99, clearance price - $7.49. (Click on the above photo to see the price tag for yourself!)

The Walgreens Clearance section is a goldmine. It is usually at the end of the first aisle on the endcap. It may be in different places in different stores, so if you don't see it, ask. You will find amazing deals for 75-90% off the regular price. The clearance items are specific to the particular store as products are rotated or discontinued based on shelf space.

I usually look for items regularly priced at $30 or above. A few previous deals I have found:

Rembrandt Tooth Whitening System - Regular price $35, clearance price $7

Cortaid Poison Ivy Treatment Kit - Regular price $32, clearance price $6

Name Brand Curling Irons (Revlon, Vidal Sassoon, BedHead, etc) - Regular price $25, clearance $5

Diet Pills (TrimSpa, Hydroxycut, SlimQuick, etc) - Regular price $20 and up per bottle, clearance $5-$7

These types of items can be great to sell in a batch or lot. Check your local Walgreens frequently as new items are moved to clearance every day. You can also go the extra mile to save more by printing store coupons (or get them from the Sunday paper flyer), and participate in the Walgreen's Easy Saver program to get store rebates. The Easy Saver catalogs are located in the front of the store by the store circular.

You may be thinking, "Why would I sell Walgreen's stuff on eBay when anyone can walk into a Walgreen's and get these items whenever they want?" Aha! Because:

1) Different stores will have different clearance items.

2) Not everyone has a Walgreen's near them.

3) Not everyone has time to shop - they are busy and look on eBay for deals. (You get paid for that!)

4) Not everyone has transportation. Especially with gas prices now, people are limiting those "unnecessary" trips.

5) Discontinued items are good sellers. Supply and demand - the smaller the supply, the bigger the demand, and the higher the selling price.

Use this $5 off coupon for any purchase at Walgreen's on Friday, June 13.

Is Thrift Store Clothing Still Profitable on eBay?

Many of you who follow my eBay store have noticed that I am no longer selling clothing found in thrift stores and that my inventory has shifted to consumer products. This blog post is a response to those of you out there who have contacted me with the question, "If you aren't selling thrift store clothing anymore, does that mean it is no longer profitable?'

The answer - Thrift Store clothing is still a good seller on eBay!

My eBay business and my life are completely different than when I started selling on eBay back in 2003. My children were 7 and 9, and as a single parent, I wanted a way to make money from home. I would make 1 or 2 thrift store runs a week and spend the bulk of my time processing, photographing, listing, and shipping the items - all from the comfort of home on a schedule that worked for my family.

My children are now 12 and 14 and are much more independent. They can be at home by themselves if I have to run an errand, meet with a client, or hold a seminar or class. My coaching business occupies much of my time now as I do telephone consulting, one-on-one consulting, and seminars and classes for other moms who want to learn how to make money on eBay. I also am a compensated writer for other blogs, women's causes, and work-from-home sites. And of course, there are my eBooks which I will continue to crank out as fast as I can - right now I have two in process - all about shoes, and how to market your store on the internet for free. I've also got some new ventures in the works that you will be reading about in the next few months.

So, do not dispair that my eBay store does not contain the items that I describe in my books. Trust me, after selling over 10,000 pieces of clothing on eBay, I've learned a few things. Those of you who sell clothing will agree that it is time consuming and labor intensive, however, a good fit for moms at home with small children as you can work on clothing at your own pace and clothing is something that everyone around the world will always need.

As for my inventory now, I have made some new connections where I am able to experiment with new products at a minimal investment. Keep in mind that your eBay store will continue to evolve as time goes by. I started out selling lingerie, then books, then dishes and kitchen items, and finally clothing. I found that clothing was easy to find, easy to store and ship, and everyone needs it (and needs to replace it eventually) so clothing is a good, reliable seller.

I am not in the thrift stores much anymore, but come winter, I guarantee I will be visting them to look for some 100% cashmere sweaters - for myself this time!

Happy selling!

How to File a Mutual Withdrawal on eBay

If you haven't heard this one yet, you will. Customer emails you, "I've decided I don't want to buy this after all. Please cancel the transaction." You will still be charged the final value fees unless you take action to recover them.

You can do one of three things.

1) Do nothing and don't bother to recover your lost fees.

2) File an upaid item dispute after 7 days and your fees will be credited back to your account if the customer does not pay for the item.

3) File a mutual withdrawal. The customer must agree to this, but it is a more friendly resolution if the buyer made an honest mistake. Follow these steps:

a) Log on to your eBay seller page.
b) Click "Dispute Console."
c) Enter the item number.
d) Under "Why are you reporting this item?" Click, "We have both agreed not to complete this transaction." Answer next question about details regarding the withdrawal.
e) Buyer will receive an email from eBay asking if he/she wants to complete the withdrawal.
f) If the buyer completes the request and agrees to the withdrawal, fees are refunded immediately. You will receive an email with this information.

As long as the buyer agrees to this resolution, it is a much more amicable way to resolve the situation when a buyer has made a reasonable error in purchasing the item. Read more about how to file a mutual withdrawal.

HELP! "I Got NARU'd for No Reason!"

How many times have you heard this on your groups and forums, that someone got NARU'd (No Longer A Registered User) by eBay for no reason?

Here is the scenario I keep seeing.

1) Seller logs on to eBay first thing in the morning.

2) He/she tries to access her acocunt and receives the error message, "No longer a registered user."

3) Seller is dumbfounded, shocked, and bewildered as to why.

Something had to happen for eBay to do this. Some possiblities:

1) Too many listing violations - being reported for key word spamming, listing items not allowed, spamming other eBay members, constantly posting inappropriate links, etc.

2) Unacceptable behavior on the eBay blogs or forums. Posting links not allowed, using profanity, flaming, etc.

3) Too many negatives received by buyers.

4) Account has been hacked, hijacked, or seller's identity stolen.

If you receive the dreaded "NARU" email, contact eBay and get the details. Your account may be reinstated if your NARU was due to factors beyond your control.

If you have ever received the NARU email, please leave a comment and let us know the outcome. Was your account reinstated? Were you able to contact anyone at eBay?

$5 Shoe Warehouse for eBay Inventory

$5 Shoe Warehouse was mentioned on one of my eBay inventory forums. It is also a brick and mortar store, and has received good reviews from people who have actually shopped there. Use your best judgement, this may be worth pursuing. The biggest complaint on the forum was, "I am not wearing a pair of 3 inch heels that only cost $5."

Always do your homework before purchasing inventory to resell on eBay!

Money Saving Tip - The Grocery Game

This is more of a "thrifty mom" tip than an eBay tip, but I wanted to share this with all the moms (and dads) who read my blog.

Recently I signed up for a trial for the Grocery Game. $1 for a month. You've probably seen the founder, Teri Gault, on morning shows, news broadcasts, and in the newspaper. She is a whiz at this game - and it becomes a way of life.

This site is unbelievable! Sign up for "lists" of sale items for stores where you regularly shop. Stores can be grocery stores, drug stores, etc. Each week you receive a new list showing sale items and information about how to combine the sale items, manufacturer coupons, store coupons, and rebates. There are links to online printable coupons that correspond with the deals on the list. The whole program is very efficient, fast, and easy. Granted, you could do all of this for yourself, but the time saved (and links to internet coupons you may not know exist) is the attraction.

Using this information, I did a trial run and walked out of Walmart with $23 of groceries for 48 cents. I've been a coupon clipper my whole life, but never at this level. Once again, the internet has made this process extremely efficient. This site will help you rise to "Black Belt Couponer" in a few weeks. The cost to have a membership is 63 cents per store, per week.

If you sign up for the Grocery Game, tell them I sent you. There is a space for the referrer's email - just enter ebaycoach@yahoo.com. Give it a try, all you have to lose is $1.