This is for You - Ms. Nasty Anonymous Visitor

I received this comment from a "brave" anonymous visitor yesterday and would like to reply to it. (The thing about anonymous comments is that you can't reply directly to the contributor, so this had to be public so you could read it.) So here we go, babushka.

Since comment moderation has been enabled I seriously doubt you will approve this because you know it is true and do not want your precious followers to realize it. You are not as good as you think you are and if you are so busy where do you find the time to nose around ebay looking to knock out your competition? Your precious forum members....(offensive comments removed). So I think everybody needs to get their nose out of the air!

First of all Ms. Anonymous commenter, I have a pretty good idea of who you are - your writing leaves clues. You aren't as anonymous as you think.

Secondly, anyone who is successful in business pays close attention to the competition. Watching the competition and adjusting one's own strategies either proactively or reactively is called competitive intelligence. Here are a few books you may want to read on the topic of competition in the marketplace:

Proven Strategies in Competitive Intelligence - Lessons from the Trenches

Competitive Intelligence : How to Gather, Analyze, and Use Information to Move Your Business to the Top

The Secret Language of Competitive Intelligence: How to See Through and Stay Ahead of Business

Maybe you aren't into books or reading. I am guessing you watch TV? You know the Subway sandwich restaurant who has been offering $5 footlong submarine sandwiches for the past several months? Take a look at what has happened in the last 6 weeks. Quiznos has this offer and Blimpie has the same offer. Could the competition be watching Subway and adjusting their strategy? It happens in the world around us every day. eBay is no different.

You are correct, I am very busy. I write blogs, books, articles, am a single parent, take care of animals, and have an eBay business. I also volunteer at my children's schools and in my community. To answer your question, "where do you find the time to nose around ebay looking to knock out your competition?"

I make time. Research is crucial for a successful business. A business worth doing is worth doing well. eBay is a huge marketplace with millions of competitors so daily research is warranted. Why bother selling something if you aren't going to research what the competition is doing? Seems like a waste of time. Come on, admit it, you've done your own reconnaissance and checked out the competition.

Apparently you are watching the competition too, or you wouldn't be worried about what I am doing and feel the need to visit my blog slam me with your comments. Why not email me with your name so I can reply? Why hide behind the computer like a coward? You know who I am - my identity is right here on my blog for anyone to see. So, it is ok for you to watch (stalk) me, but not for me to watch you? Hardly seems fair. You obviously think I have something of value to offer or you wouldn't be here reading my blog in the first place.

Based on your actions, I seriously doubt that you will take the time to read and educate yourself on how to improve your business. Learning takes time, effort, dedication, and persistence. It easier for some people to go on the internet, hide behind a computer, post anonymously, and criticize successful people.

My mission is to use the internet to help as many people as I can, in as many ways as I can, as often as I can, without charging them money. What are you doing to reach out to other people and make the world a better place? Please leave a link to your blog so that my readers and I can visit and get to know you better. Maybe we can be of some help to you.

Target Toy Sale - Stock Up!

Colette and Lisa over at Way More 4 Way Less posted a great tip about Target's Toy Clearance. This is a good way to start stocking up for your Christmas toys to sell on eBay, or just for your own use.

Now, some seasoned toy sellers will tell you that you shouldn't buy anything to resell on eBay for Christmas until you know what is hot this year. And sometimes we don't know what is hot until late November.

Other sellers collect clearance priced goodies all year, sell them at a slower pace, and avoid the mayhem and chaos of selling the hottest Christmas toys. I prefer this technique. I tried the other method, and sometimes you take your life in your hands when you are trying to fight the mobs at Toys-R-Us or Best Buy. I feared for my life one year when I went to Best Buy to try to get a Wii. I'll never do that again!

So, do with this information what you will!

Plea from Europe for US eBay Sellers to Ship Internationally

Today, I received the following email from a reader in France. I asked for his permission to share this with you, as it may give you the push you need to start shipping internationally.

He wrote,

"My wife and I live in France, and we check in on your site from time to time for ebay ideas. My jaw dropped when I followed your link to Kohls recent sweater sale.

It's so frustrating, though, to not be able to order items from some of our favorite stores : Kohls, Target, Office Depot, etc.

Why? They won't deliver outside the US? :(

Please encourage your readers not to make the same mistake!

As the dollar continues to lose its value against commodities and world currencies, people like us are cruising eBay for great deals.

And if I may, I would encourage Americans to use the US postal service exclusively. Sometimes w/ UPS, we get stuck paying outrageous customs fees or they won't hand over the package! Something that's never happened with the US Postal Service."

So there you have it. A direct request for goods from the USA. If you aren't already shipping internationally, what are you waiting for? If you are intimidated by international shipping, my eBook will help you:

eBay International Shipping Made Easy

A Real (Successful) Stay at Home Mom eBay Seller

The following video is of our friend, and moderator on the eBay Coach Forum, Laurie. Ebay was doing some spotlight videos of sellers/buyers for eBay Live this year in Chicago and they chose to profile Laurie and her eBay store.

What I like most about the video is that it shows a slice of a day in the life of a mom eBay seller. It can be done, successfully. Moms CAN have it all!

Congratulations, Laurie, we are all so proud of you!

How to Identify Popular Key Words to Use on eBay Listings

A common question on eBay groups, forums, and discussion boards is, "How do I know what key words to use in my titles?"

If you have an eBay store, then you have access to eBay Traffic Reports. One part of these reports shows you where your traffic is coming from, and what key words are being used in searches that hit your listings.

Here is how to access this information:

1) Go to your eBay Store homepage

2) At the bottom of the page on the right side, click "Seller Manage Store."

3) On the left hand column, almost near the bottom, you will see a section called REPORTS. Click on "Traffic Reports."

4) You will have to sign in with your eBay user id and password to access the Omniture service.

5) One logged in to Omniture, on the left side, click "Finding Methods" and then "Keywords."

From Omniture, "The Search Keywords Report displays a breakdown of each search keyword that has been used to find your store and listings. You can sort this list by number of searches page views or search keywords by clicking the column title above the listing. Click on the blue magnifying glass next to each search keyword in order to see the actual search results screens where your store or listing was listed.

Use this report to:
See which search engines are performing best for you.
Find out which keywords are most effective in finding your store and listings.
Replicate searches used by your visitors to see where you're listed.

You will be able to see any searches on the internet (Google, Yahoo, other search engines) that resulted in a hit on one of your items. You can also look under "Finding Methods" under "Referring Domains" to see where your traffic is being referred from.

So, with this information, you can make educated decisions about what key words people are using to search for items that you are selling. You may want to alter or add key words to match what is being used on search engines to get more hits on your listings. Another tip, your title does not need to be a coherent sentence. The trick is getting all the key words in the title.

For example, here is an item title that needs work:

Ralph Lauren shirt with Polo logo size L

A better title with more key words should be:

NEW NWT Mens Ralph Lauren Golf Polo shirt LARGE red

The improved title includes highly searched terms such as NEW, NWT, gender, color, the size spelled out, etc. You have 55 characters for your title, USE THEM!

There are other websites and eBay tools available to help you identify popular key words to use in your titles. CLICK HERE to learn about these resources.

Did you find this tip helpful? Would you like more tips about how to use eBay Traffic Reports? Please leave a comment.

Lesson Learned Today - Be Careful What You Promise eBay Buyers

Ok, I learned an important lesson today. Be careful what you promise eBay buyers. I've sold over 15,000 items in the last 5 years. I've shipped everything to everywhere. So when I had a request from a customer to overnight a package to another country (which I have not done before - no one had ever asked), I figured ok, how hard could it be?

I went to USPS.com and calculated the shipping charge based on Express International Mail, added a service fee for my time to fulfill the request, and gave them a quote. All was good, the customer sent payment via Paypal, and off to the post office I went.

So when I went to the counter and explained what I needed, you should have seen the blood drain from the clerk's face. I had no idea what was involved. The clerk has been at that branch for 12 years and he wasn't even quite sure what do to. I had to fill out:

The large white customs form
A Fed Ex form (since Fed Ex handles Express Mail under contract by the USPS)
A invoice describing commercial goods
And about 5 other forms that I can't remember

I was at the window 30 minutes. Live and learn. So, if you have never shipped Express International thru USPS, be forewarned - it takes a while and it gets complicated! Make sure you have time to spend in the post office filling out a mountain of forms. (There is an option to do this online, but I don't know how you could with all of the red tape involved.) And be sure to charge your customer a service fee - it takes time and is a little complicated.

eBay Sales Down? Other Legitimate Ways I Make Money on the Internet

I keep seeing on more and more blogs, forums, and groups that eBay sales are down and sellers are just giving up. eBay doesn't have to be all or nothing. Having multiple streams of income is what will get you through the slow times. You can always put eBay on the back burner until fall - when eBay buying activity generally picks up again.

Before you abandon your eBay sales, make sure you are pricing your items competitively by using eBay's free research tool. You may want to adjust your pricing or other factors to be more competitive. Click here to read more about using the free research tool.

Here are some ways that I use the internet to make extra money. It takes time to build these up, and they won't make you a millionaire, but I do make money from them.

Product reviews. This is fun, and you pick the products you want to review. You can earn between $2 and $10 per review on this site. I recently won a $25 Amazon Gift Card for participating on their site. The proof is here:



Here is one of my reviews:

See all Shoes reviews at Expotv

If you don't want to make videos, you can write product reviews. Review Stream pays you $2 per accepted review. Again, you can choose the product and write about what you like. You get paid immediately, as soon as your review is accepted, not at the end of the month or when a certain amount is accrued in your account. Here is one of my reviews.

Write How-To articles for eHow. Everybody knows how to do something - bake a special cake, entertain a 2 year old, clean a bathtub, plant a garden. Here are my articles on eHow. You won't make much the first few months, but as time goes by and your articles accumulate, you will start making more. Click here to learn more about how to make money with eHow. Here is my June payment from eHow (click the image to see it close up):



One more good one is Google Adsense. If you have a blog or website, and don't have Google Adsense, you are missing out. This is a pay-per-click program. One you get it going on autopilot, you can make some good money. There are people who make hundreds or thousands a month, but since I am doing multiple things, I don't make that much. Here is my June statement (click the image to see it close up):



These are just a few things I do. I will admit, whenever I see "make money on the internet ads," I am skeptical and think "SCAM!" But some are legitimate. Since eBay has restricted the outgoing links on your About Me Page, you may want to consider starting a blog where you can tie all of these things together to work for you each month.

Random Post Office Rules

Who is Your (Least) Favorite Postal Clerk?

I usually avoid the post office as much as possible, but there are times when I am forced to transact business there. I am wondering if it is just me, or if other sellers experience the "random rules of the post office" that I experience when certain clerks wait on me.

For example. Allan is an easy going guy and will pretty much send anything through without any comments or suggestions. Then there is Karen, who asks weird questions every single time she waits on me. It is almost as if she makes up new policies daily. Here is an exchange I once had with her:

Karen: What kind of shirt is this?

Me: A men's shirt.

Karen: What brand?

Me: Why does it matter?

Karen: We have to be very specific on the customs form.

Me: No one has ever asked or cared before in the 5 years that I have been shipping international packages.

Karen: Well, they are supposed to. What brand is it?

Me: Ralph Lauren.

Karen: What is it made of?

Me: You've got to be kidding. This is ridiculous. Cotton.

Karen: Is it liquid, fragile, or hazardous?

Me: I just told you it is a cotton shirt.

Karen: I am required to ask that.

Me: Not unless cotton is hazardous (rolling eyes).

Please, someone, tell me I am not alone in this and that there are certain postal clerks that you avoid!

Happy July 4th!

July 4 - our national holiday commemorating the adoption of The Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Remember that the founders of our country fought and died for our right to be a free country - people gave their lives so that we can enjoy our life, freedom, and opportunity in the greatest country on this planet. Keep this in mind as you celebrate, barbeque, and watch fireworks today.

An excerpt from The Delcaration of Independence:

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

God Bless America, and have a safe and happy July 4th!

More About the Aveeno Eczema Cream

I've received so many emails about the discontinued Aveeno Eczema Cream, this post is to answer those questions.

Apparently, a lot of people read this blog. There has been a surge of listings for the Aveeno cream and eBay is now flooded with this product. The most important thing to remember is DON'T PANIC.

This is a supply and demand issue. Now that the supply has increased, the price has been driven down. There is only a limited supply of this cream out there since no more is being produced, so just be patient - the price will go back up. You may want to just put the cream away for a while until the demand rises again. You don't have to list the item now, you can wait until the supply runs low again.

Some sellers are furiously looking for the item and stock-piling it for later. That is fine. You don't have to sell it right now. Go about your business, find what you can find and put it aside. Consider it an investment. Don't worry about making $20 a tube right now, you must be patient. This is how eBay works - timing is everything.

Some have asked if it is better to list individually or as a lot. You will need to do the research to get that information. I sold it both ways, but that was six weeks ago and things have changed so I can't really advise on what will work now.