World's Longest Yard Sale - August 6-9, 2009

You may have seen the article about the famous 654 mile long yard sale in the Parade magazine this weekend. This yard sale goes along highway 127 stretching from From West Unity, Ohio to Gadsden, Alabama. I have actually been to this yard sale, back when we lived in Tennessee in the late 1990s. It is really something to see.

In the towns along the route, stores and businesses put out all their yard sale wares along the sidewalk and in parking lots. Along the rural stretches of Highway 127, anyone who lives along the route puts their items out in their yards right along the road. Vendors drive in from other cities to set up shop on the back of their trailers, or even out of horse and cattle trailers, to take advantage of the opportunity to sell their stuff (junk).

There is no way anyone could stop and see it all! Back in 1998, we checked out the sale in Pikeville, TN and came home with a few things, most notably an old student desk that we refinished and provided hours of school play time for our kids over the years.

If you live anywhere near the 127 route, or are a yard sale junkie, the World's Longest Yard Sale is a great way to find unique items to sell on eBay. Click here to read the full article in the Parade Magazine, which chronicles one couple's journey along the sale. Click here to visit the official site of the 127 sale where you can get more information on vendors, maps, key stops, and lodging.

Related articles:

How to Find Items to Resell on eBay at Yard Sales

How to Make Money Selling Used Clothing on eBay

How to Maximize Garage Sale Profit

Enjoy your weekend!

Removing Negative Feedback from International Customers on eBay

In the Spring 2009 issue of eBay Power Up, there is an article on page 11 titled, "Tips for international selling success." The article outlines strategies like specifying flat rate or calculated shipping, communicating shipping time and cost, and including a clear message regarding customs fees that the customer may incur in his country. eBay's example of the customs disclaimer reads,

International buyers please note: Import duties, taxes, and charges (typically collected on delivery or pickup) are the buyer's responsibility and are not included in the item price or shipping charges. Please check with your country's customs office prior to bidding/buying to determine what these additional costs will be."

The article states that if your listings include this type of statement, and you receive a negative or neutral feedback due to customs delays or fees, the feedback will be removed. Click here to see more about this new policy in the eBay help section.

Free eBay Reference Guide - Links Restored

If you have had problems with the links in the eBay Reference Guide (the freebie I announced yesterday), click here to try again. There was a glitch with the PDF file, but it should work now as the original has been corrected. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to email me with questions at ebaycoach@yahoo.com

Sorry for the confusion!

New FREE eBook: Reference Guide of eBay How To Articles

I started writing articles about eBay selling back in 2006 - just based on my own knowledge and experience. I am also an avid reader of many eBay and ecommerce blogs, and write about what I have learned from others. All of this information is scattered all over the internet, so I have created an eBook with all of the "how to" articles that I have written. The best part - it is free!

This handy reference guide has all of the links to my articles organized in an easy to use format. The book does not contain the actual articles (there are over 400 of them out there on the internet), but the subjects are organized by topic and provides a hyperlink to the article. Some topics include:

Discontinued Items
eBay Features
eBay Stores
Finding Free Inventory to Sell
Finding Inventory to Sell
Getting Discounts on Inventory to Sell
Improving Sales
Increasing Traffic
Marketing Your Store for Free
Paypal
Photos and Images
Security Issues
Selling Strategies
Selling Used Clothing
Shipping
Specific Items to Sell
Using eBay Auxiliary Programs

Click here to download your guide, and be sure to pass it on to others by posting this offer on your blog, your Facebook or MySpace page, or posting it on your groups and forums. Let’s help others by sharing this information – maybe it will help someone along the learning curve or answer some of their questions.

(If you can't get the download to work, send me an email at ebaycoach@yahoo.com and I will email it to you.)

Happy selling, and have a great weekend!

Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus) Merchandise on eBay

Leave it to eBay sellers to jump on the current news - even when it is about Swine Flu. Although the hype has calmed down, sellers are still doing well with Swine Flu related items on eBay. After a quick search, here is the craziest item I found:



The 4 Pigs of the Apocalypse Vase - sold for $676.50

There are lots of listings for Swine Flu t-shirts, surgical / medical face masks, and even a few plush toys.

Related articles:

How to Get Free Surgical Face Masks

How to Identify Swine Flu Symptoms

Happy Selling,

Increase eBay Traffic by Naming Images

eBay selling gives you lots of opportunities to include images. Use this to your advantage! Learn how to strategically name your images to increase traffic to your listings.

Name your image using the same key words as your title. For example, if you are selling Listerine Teeth Whitening kits, name your image, "Listerine_teeth_whitening_kit." The name you create for your image becomes the alt tag for it, and search engines can find it and direct traffic to your image. So, not only do you have the item title out there, you now have the image title, in addition to the key words in the description.

Naming images is an effective trick to improve search engine optimization. So next time you are taking batches of photos, take a few minutes to name your image something specific and relevant, rather than just the random number your camera generates.

Related articles:

How to Handle eBay Image Theft


How to Make an eBay Photo Backdrop for Less than $1

How to Make a Collage Photo for eBay Gallery Images

Happy Selling!

Kohl's $5 Coupons on eBay

I wrote about this a few months back. You can still buy these coupons on eBay. Now some sellers have moved on to selling the information on how to get these coupons for free. Here is one listing for the "top secret" information:

"ARE YOU CURIOUS HOW ALL OF THESE SELLER'S ARE GETTING TONS OF $5 OFF KOHL'S COUPONS? WANT TO STOP PAYING FOR THEM? YOU SHOULD BECAUSE YOU CAN GET THEM FOR FREE. I WILL SHOW YOU KNOW HOW TO GET HUNDREDS OF THEM IF YOU LIKE.

THE TOUGH PART HOWEVER IS THAT ALL THE BAR CODES ON THE COUPONS ARE FOR 1 TIME USE ONLY BUT I WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO GET AS MANY OF THE EXACT SAME $5 OFF $5.00 COUPONS THE SELLERS ARE SELLING ON HERE AND IT'S EXTREMELY EASY AND IT'S FREE.

IT TAKES ROUGHLY 5-10 DAYS TO GET YOUR COUPONS FROM KOHL'S BUT IT COMES USUALLY IN ONLY 3-4 DAYS.

INFO WILL BE SENT WITHIN 24HRS AND YOU CAN START ENJOY SAVING $100's OF DOLLARS AT KOHL'S WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO PAY AGAIN. AGAIN, YOU ARE PURCHASING INFO ON HOW TO GET HUNDREDS OF THESE COUPONS FREE AND FAST.

PAYPAL ONLY. MUST PAY RIGHT AFTER PURCHASE. PLEASE LEAVE POSITIVE FEEDBACK, AS I WILL DO FOR YOU AS WELL. ANY QUESTIONS, JUST ASK!

COUPON SMALL PRINT: Offer valid on minimum $5 purchase with any tender type. No cash back. Coupon may be used one time only. Offer is non-transferable and can be combined with any other offers. $5 Gift applied prior to percent-off total purchase discounts. Offer cannot be redeemed for cash. Only one $5 Gift can be redeemed per person. Offer good on all sale-, regular- and clearance-priced merchandise. Offer not valid for price adjustments on previous purchases, on gift card purchases or for payment on a Kohl’s Charge account. Offer also not valid on purchases of Kohl’s Cares for Kids® merchandise or other charitable items. See store for details."

You don't have to pay for this information! Click here to find out how they are doing it. I have contacted both eBay and Kohl's about this issue, and neither seems to care. Apparently, it is not an issue to Kohl's since the $5 coupon gets customers in the door and they are most likely to spend more than $5 once in the store. eBay doesn't care - since they are making their fees.

Just don't spend your money to learn the big Kohl's secret. It really isn't a secret at all.

I Fully Expect a Negative on This One

You be the judge.

Item purchased on May 2, invoice sent upon customer's request. Invoice probably went into his junk/spam folder and he had it the whole time.

Customer message:

I've just paid you for this item. I emailed you on the 2nd May, the date I won the auction, to request an invoice. You waited NINE DAYS to send me an invoice, and having been away for a couple of days, I come back to find you've opened an unpaid item dispute - what the (EXPLETIVE) is wrong with you? You only need to check my feedback to see that I've got 100% positive since I opened an eBay account 8 years ago, and that I always pay immediately that I'm sent an invoice.Now, I expect you to send this item out to me TODAY, as you've made such a fuss about it, and I have now been waiting for this transaction to be concluded for nearly two weeks.

My reply:

Hello, thank you for contacting us about your item. We have sent several invoices, perhaps the messages are in your spam folder. There is no need to become abusive or use profanity. If you are not happy with this transaction, we are more than happy to cancel it and issue a full refund. Please let us know how to proceed with this transaction.

His reply:

Why not just send me a message if the invoices weren't getting through? I'm not psychic. You didn't bother to check if the invoices were reaching me, you just opened an unpaid item dispute - an action that I find far more abusive than me using the word (EXPLETIVE). Secondly, what do you mean "how to proceed" with this transaction - I thought I had made it abundantly clear in my last message. Have you dispatched yet? If so, no further action is required. If not, please refund; I'll buy it elsewhere.

So, here is my question: How do I know that he isn't getting invoices? For all I know, he is just another non-paying bidder. If he isn't getting invoices, what makes him think he will receive messages about anything else? He did not respond until I filed the Unpaid Item Dispute.

Needless to say, I didn't ship the item and issued a full refund. Who needs to deal with rude people with such a horrible attitude? Odds are the product wouldn't please him anyway, he would file a dispute, and I would be out the money AND the product.

Related articles:

How to Have Negative Feedback Removed

How to Know When to Block and eBay Buyer

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Earn Extra Money from Home in Addition to eBay Selling

I received this question from a reader:

"I would like to sell on eBay and work from home full time, but I am concerned that I can't make enough money selling on eBay alone to justify quitting my full time job. What else can I do to make money from home?"

Until about a year ago, eBay was my sole source of income. I started to try other work at home ventures and through trial and error, found other ways to make money. Here is a snapshot of how I make money using the internet and my computer (average values over a 6 month period):



51% of my monthly income is from eBay selling.

27% of my monthly income comes from affiliate programs such as Google AdSense, Commission Junction, and TrialPay. All of these are integrated with blogging or articles that I write for other sites.

13% of my monthly income comes from writing articles for other sites and from writing my own eBooks. I earn the most writing for eHow but have some earnings from Bukisa.

9% of my monthly income comes from miscellaneous things like consulting for companies who want to start selling on eBay, consulting with sellers who need one-on-one help, and pet sitting for my neighbors. (Pet sitting is fun and convenient, and pays well! Great way for moms and kids to make some extra money over the summer when neighbors travel.)

I have tried lots of things like product reviews and doing virtual assistant work. All of these things paid, but there are only so many hours in a day and it only makes sense to focus on the ventures that make the most money. Here are some resources that can help you investigate other options in addition to eBay selling:

Write articles for eHow

Write articles for Bukisa

Add affiliate programs to your About Me page

Write your own eBook to sell

More ways to make money at home using your computer

Hope this helps!

Savings Alert: Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Coupons

Today is a shopping day for me! I am heading out to my favorite hot spots to check out clearance merchandise. I have all my coupons ready, so I thought I would share some discounts that I will be using today.

Walgreens - Save $5 off $25 purchase Wed and Thurs, May 20-21. Click here for the coupon. (Click here for tips on how to use Walgreens as a source for your eBay inventory.)

Rite Aid - $5 off $25 through 5/31. You can print this as many times as you want. Click here to print the coupon. (Click here for tips on how to get free items from Rite Aid.)

Target - Click here for printable coupons. I always bring all of my coupons with me to Target. You never know what you will find on clearance, so be prepared. Remember, you can use manufacturer's grocery coupons in combination with Target store coupons for extra savings. (Click here for tips on purchasing Target clearance items to resell on eBay.)

Printable Coupons - Save on groceries. Stock up for Memorial Day weekend!

$3 off Huggies diapers
$1 off Philadelphia cream cheese
$1 off Crystal Light drink mix
$1 off Kraft mayo
$1 off Triscuits
$1 off Ritz crackers
$1 off Kraft cheese
$1 off Kraft Easy Mac
$1 off Starbucks coffee
Click here to print these and many more.

You can get more printable coupons here.

eBay Sellers- What to do When You Ship the Wrong Item

If this hasn't happened to you yet, it probably will. Maybe you were in a rush doing your shipping. Maybe your child interrupted you. Or the phone rang. Or your computer went down. What ever the reason, it is not an uncommon occurrence for an eBay seller to ship the wrong item. I did it last week.

I received an email from my customer stating that although the shipping time was excellent, I had shipped the wrong item. Here is a tip for you: When this happens to you, remain calm. We are all just people here. Things happen, and you can work it out.

I have learned over 6 years and 18,000 items, the best way to handle this situation is NOT to immediately offer a refund. Here is what I do:

1) Email the customer ASAP and apologize for the error. Don't make excuses. Just apologize for the inconvenience. You made the error, plain and simple. Own it. What is done is done and now you need to fix it.

2) Ask the customer how he would like to resolve the situation - don't give any suggestions. By asking an open-ended questions, you empower the customer in this situation. In many cases, the customer's solution is less costly than a full refund. I have had customers decide that they like the "wrong" item and say they will just keep it. Others only want a partial refund. Of course if the customer's solution is completely ridiculous, you will have to continue to negotiate. Here is an example of the email I send (feel free to copy it):

"Dear Mr. Customer,

Thank you for contacting us about your eBay item. We apologize for the error in processing your order. How would you like to resolve this situation? We are dedicated to 100% customer satisfaction. Please let us know your thoughts on how we can make this transaction acceptable to you."

3) Continue to negotiate a fair solution to the customer's satisfaction.

4) One a resolution is reached, act quickly. If you both agree to a refund, process it immediately. If you agree to send a replacement item, ship it quickly. Don't let these situations linger on. The customer has already been inconvenienced. Just take care of it.

5) There will be cases where you cannot win. The customer will be mad and NOTHING will satisfy him. Accept that mistakes are a part of doing business and resolve it to the best of your ability and move on. If he leaves you a negative, there isn't anything you can do. One negative never put an eBay seller out of business. The more you sell, the more likely you are to have this happen. It is part of doing business.

If you are in this business long enough, mistakes are not a matter of if but a matter of when. The key to success on eBay is how you handle a mistake and the damage control afterward. Have you ever shipped the wrong item to a customer, and what was the outcome?

Happy Selling,

eBay Seller Success Story: Bio Oil from Walmart

Kathryn sent in this story:

"I keep an eye on the clearance sections of many stores and buy items that I know are normally priced high. Our Wal-Mart is remodeling and had many items on clearance with an additional 50% off. On top of that lots of makeup items were priced for $1 including bottles of Bio-Oil. These size bottles typically sell for $20 each at Wal-Mart so I bought all six. Here is one of the listings that has ended."


LOT--Bio Oil--Two new 4.2 oz bottles--NIB!!!


Kathryn's cost: $2
Profit before fees: $39

Excellent!! Thanks for sharing, Kathryn. Do you have a unique, interesting, or fun thrift store or garage sale find you would like to share? Email the info to me at ebaycoach@yahoo.com and I will post it here. We can all make more money if we share our information!

Some more tips regarding reselling Walmart items:

How to Make Money on eBay Selling Walmart Items

How to Make Money Selling Toys (from Walmart) on eBay

How to Get Walmart to Accept an Internet Coupon

How to Get Free Groceries at Walmart

Lost International Mail - Miracles Do Happen

Check this out. The package in the above photo was mailed on December 29, 2008 (see the purple circle). I received it back in the mail yesterday, on May 16, 2009.Almost 5 months later. The buyer filed a non-receipt claim back in February, won the dispute, and I had to pay. But, the package made it back to me, intact, so I can resell the product. (Note: For the customer's and my protection, I have blocked out complete address information.)

eBay. Never a dull moment.

Happy Selling!

Avoid eBay Scams by Buyers

Unfortunately, eBay has a reputation as being a breeding ground for scams. In most cases, confused buyers are really honest people who don't understand how eBay works. Others are crooks looking to get a free item or rip off sellers. Learn how to protect yourself as a seller, and avoid non-paying bidders and item disputes.

Explain your payment policies clearly and completely. Leave no room for "customer interpretation." When is payment due? Are you going to follow through with unpaid item disputes? Click here for all of eBay's payment options.

Explain your shipping policies and schedule. What carrier(s) do you use? How often do you ship? Will tracking information be provided? Do you combine shipping on multiple items?

Adjust your preferences in your eBay Selling Summary and block bidders with poor eBay history. On the Sell Your Item Form, look for a section near the bottom called Buyer Requirements. You can adjust your preferences to block buyers with specific feedback scores, unpaid item strikes, or other factors. Use this screening feature to block undesirable bidders from bidding on your items. Nip that one right in the bud. Click here for the exact steps in Setting eBay Buyer Requirements.

When shipping to US addresses with USPS, always use Delivery Confirmation. With DC, you are able to track the package online and provide proof of its delivery. If the customer files a non-receipt claim, you will have indisputable proof that the item was delivered. Click here for info on using Delivery Confirmation if you are not familiar with how it works.

Always file unpaid item disputes when buyers don't pay for their items. Remember, e sellers can't leave negative feedback for buyers, so our only recourse is to file the unpaid item disputes (and hope other sellers do as well) and those disputes will accumulate on the buyer's record. Too many unpaid item disputes and the buyer receives a NARU. Click here for the steps to file an Unpaid Item Dispute.

Be mindful of the verbiage you use in your written correspondence to customers. eBay can review all of your written exchanges. If you think you are about to be a victim of a scam, simply reply to the buyer in a professional manner, stating what you are and are not allowed to do as an eBay seller, and keep in mind that your message may be reviewed by eBay later. Do everything by the book - follow eBay's rules for sellers. Don't give a crook the opportunity to take advantage of you. Document everything!

Listen to your intuition. If you feel like something isn't right, block that eBay buyer. You don't have to have a reason. eBay says it is ok to cancel bids from unwelcome buyers. If a buyer asks suspicious questions or makes strange requests, you don't have to deal with them. Just block them and move on. Not every buyer with a weird question is out to swindle you, but listen to your instincts and don't work with buyers who make you feel uneasy. Click here for information on how to cancel bids from unwelcome and malicious buyers.

Hope this helps! Happy Selling~

Thrift Store Item to Sell on eBay - Jeff Rose Golf Shirts

I've spent many years selling golf shirts and related golf clothing on eBay and have learned a lot about different brands. I had never heard of Jeff Rose golf shirts before, so maybe this will be a new one for you, too.

These shirts retail for over $100 and are made in Italy, which indicates high quality. They have the distinctive purple or navy blue tag in the collar. These usually come in funky or bright colors. I’ve seen them in pink, purple, coral, sapphire blue, orange, lime green and vibrant patterns. Here are a few completed listings. All of these are used and can be found at thrift stores for $3-$5.


JEFF ROSE Mens Golf Shirt Large 100% cotton


JEFF ROSE GOLF SHIRT---XL--Made in Italy---

Other golf shirts that are also profitable on eBay:

Masters

Bobby Jones

Click here for my free list of thrift store items to sell on eBay for profit.

Check out my eBook, "The Golf Shirt Bible." This comprehensive 40-page eBook contains all the pertinent information about making a profit selling golf and polo style shirts on eBay. Click here for more information.

Don't have access to thrift stores? Try the Doba 7-day FREE Trial.

eBay Sellers - Be Careful Using Media Mail

Here we go again. eBay sellers on a message board trying to outsmart the system. USPS has a class of mail called Media Mail. The rates are very low, but, you must follow the guidelines if you use this mail class. From USPS.com, "Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books. The maximum weight for Media Mail is 70 lbs."

Misuing Media Mail is not only fraud punishable by fines and imprisonment, it makes you look unprofessional and tacky as a seller. Read this excerpt from the eBay Packaging and Shipping Discussion Board: (The original poster is Postmaster in a post office)

"I'm sure this has been discussed in the past but I want to remind sellers that media rate is to be used only for books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes).

I recently had a transaction with a seller who mails everything he sells at media rates. When the parcel arrived at my post office it was inspected. Being the PMR in that post office I charged myself the $3.55 postage due for the amount the seller short paid the USPS. I warned him about the fraud he commits and he threatened to report me to eBay! So, FYI eBay sellers and buyers, please help stop this misuse of media mail and read the following:

Although the USPS Inspection Service cannot resolve routine business disputes between companies and their customers, it can act against a company or individual if there is a pattern of activity suggesting a potential scheme to defraud.

Media Mail can take several weeks to arrive. You are doing your buyer a disservice by extending the delivery time on their purchases and are also committing fraud when you do not use Media Mail according to regulations. Additionally, the USPS Inspection Service as the right to open any mail that is marked 'Media Mail' to check the contents.

The opened mail is then forwarded to the addressee, and a cautionary letter is sent to the sender. With as little as two infractions of the Media Mail regulations by any sender, a substantial fine is levied and, in some cases, the ability to print shipping labels online is suspended.

When it is discovered that a there is flagrant abuse, you are also opening yourself for possible fines and imprisonment. The US Postal Inspector Service does not take falsifying documents and 'cheating' the postal service lightly."

The bottom line is all USPS mail is subject to inspection with cause. The increased volume of Media Mail packages caused by online, catalogue or over the phone sales has caused the USPS Postal Inspector Service to step up investigations as the revenue lost by misappropriation is huge."

So, be careful what lengths you to go in order to save a buck. It may not be worth it in the end. Stay above board and stay honest. You won't have anything to worry about!

Click here for the USPS Media Mail Quick Service Guide.

eBay Seller Success Story: Starbucks Bearista Bear

Thanks to Rachel from the eBay SAHMs Facebook Group for posting this hot seller:



2007 STARBUCKS SPECIAL EDITION HERSHEYS BEARISTA BEAR


Rachel says, "Most of the Starbucks plush sell for $10.99, this one is a special edition so it went for more, I've also had some GIANT 30" ones that have sold for $50.00. I find a lot of them around here because we're not far from Seattle, but you may find them other places."

Thanks for sharing, Rachel! Do you have a unique, interesting, or fun thrift store or garage sale find you would like to share? Email the info to me at ebaycoach@yahoo.com and I will post it here. We can all make more money if we share our information!

Happy Selling!

Cool FREE Site for Adding Videos to eBay Listings

A few months ago, Jamie from Vzaar contacted me about his site. Vzaar similar to YouTube in its functionality, but was created specifically for for delivering video to an online marketplace, such as eBay. Unlike YouTube or other video platforms on the internet, Vzaaar provides you with an unbranded professional looking player. I personally like the look of the Vzaar player - it doesn't have junky ads all over it and uploading the actual video is light years faster than on YouTube.

Basically, you join Vzaar for free, upload your video there, then embed a code into your eBay listing so the video will play. I did a test run and the site is extremely easy to use! Here is a video I made and uploaded through Vzaar into an eBay listing. (I got about 20 of these Air Wick Luminair candles free from Walmart. They were regularly $10 each, marked down to $5, and I had several $5 off coupons, making them free!)

Don't be scared to try using video on your listings. Using video allows you to show 360 degree views of the item or demonstrate its use. Video also encourages your visitors to stay longer on your listing, and the longer they stay, the more likely they are to buy. Video is also invaluable if you are selling a technical product such as electronics, where you want to convince your buyer that the item is in proper working condition, or you want to show off the features.

You don't need a bunch of fancy equipment to make a video for your eBay listings. Many cell phones have video capability, as do digital cameras. Laptop computers also come with a webcam built in. You can purchase a webcam for as little as $20 at Walmart or Target. If you don't have a webcam or any of these other recording options, you probably have a friend or family member who does. Experiement and give video a try. You will be surprised at how fun, easy, and effective it can be. Click here to learn more about Vzaar and everything it can do for your eBay listings.

Happy Selling!

eBay Image and Photo Theft - What to Do?

I received this email from Sherri:

"People who are unethical will sell stuff they steal as well as stuff not as described, and steal your pictures when you have your name right through the middle of them. I wanted to know, if you have any help in the picture department. I have so many people stealing my pictures and they stole my friends also. She had her name in large type across the photo and they just cropped it out. She had her name across an item and they cropped half of the item out of the picture and still used it. Is there any suggestion that you have that might help with picture theft?

Thanks,
Sherri"

Unfortunately, we cannot control what others do, only what we do. Dishonest people will be dishonest. That is a sad fact of life.

There are a few steps you can take to make it harder for people to copy your listings.

1) If you are using Seller Sourcebook, go into the Preferences tab and choose to right-click disable your listing. This will prevent anyone from doing a right-click and copying your text or photo. If they try to right-click anything on the page, they will see the error message shown above.

2) If you are not using an image hosting service that offers a right-click disable, click here to use Marsha Collier's Cool eBay Tools script to prevent right-clicking.

3) There will always be back-door ways around everything on the internet. Sophisticated computer people who can read code will steal if they want to steal. Also, there is no way to prevent using the print screen trick to copy the image.

4) Remember this: If someone is too lazy to take and upload their photos on eBay, they aren't much of a competitor. They will also be too lazy to keep up with their eBay store, accommodate customers, or be much of a business person at all. I have seen this many times in my 6+ years on eBay - someone comes along and copies my listings word for word, copies my pictures, copies my pricing...and in 3 months they are gone due to too many negative feedbacks about poor service or slow shipping. You can laugh last - let them have their false sense of security and their moment in the sun but realize that no one can last very long on eBay without a true work ethic. Just focus your efforts on your eBay business and let the losers fall to the wayside. Give them enough rope and they will hang themselves.

Happy Selling!

So, Do You Like Free Stuff?

I've been busy writing articles over at eHow about how to get free stuff - everything from food, to merchandise, to business services. Here are a few recent articles that you might find useful as we all struggle through this tough economy.

Food

Free Cup of Coffee

Free Food During a Recession

Free Food From McDonald's

Free Groceries Every Week

Free Kids Meals

Free Organic Fruit

Free Wendy's Hamburgers

Coupons

Free Coupons on the Internet

Free Unlimited Grocery Coupons

Products

Free Diapers

Free Cosmetics from Ulta

Free Gift Cards

Free Gifts to Give Others

Free Giveaways for Your Blog

Free Medications

Free Shipping Supplies

Free Target Gift Cards

Services

Free Babysitter

Free College Education

Free Health Club Membership

Business Tools and Services

Free Consultation for Your eBay Business

Free Financial Assistance for Your Small Business

Free Items to Sell on eBay

Free Money for Your Business from the Stimulus Plan

Click here for more information about making money writing articles for eHow. I have been submitting articles there since June 2007 and now make several hundred dollars a month writing for eHow. It is easy, free to participate, and fun!

Benefits of Adding Video to Your eBay Listings

Most newer cell phones and digital cameras have video capabilities, so why not use that to your advantage on your eBay listings?

You don’t have to be an experienced video producer to create videos to post on eBay with your listings. Including a video allows you to show 360 degree views of the product, talk directly to shoppers, demonstrate the product in use, and add your own personal creativity to your listings.

Adding video is easy. Just embed the code into the HTML portion of the listing.

If your item is a new consumer item, such as a technical product, you may want to use a TV commercial already uploaded to a public site. This is perfectly eBay legal. eBay likes this - a professionally made commercial will help sell your item, and both you and eBay will benefit. Using a previously uploaded TV commercial will save you time. Let the commercial do the selling for you - why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to? For example, if you were selling the iPod Touch, you could embed this video into your listing:



If you are creating your own video, make sure that the final video has a clear picture and good sound quality. Show 360 degree views of the product and demonstrate using the product if applicable.

Write your listing as usual and include all relevant information in the description text. Understand that not everyone will be able to view your video due to slow connections, sound problems, and other technical issues. You want to be sure to use words and photos as well as video to describe the item. You don't want to miss a sale if the customer can't watch the video and there is no other information about your item on the listing. He will get frustrated and just click away.

You can embed code for videos from any of these sites:

AOL

AuctionMercial

AuctionPlayer

AuctionVideo

CarTHINK

CreativeVideosOnline

Dailymotion

Google

i2iAuction

Microsoft

MySpace

Silverdock

Vzaar (Will go into more detail later on this cool new service)

YouTube

Give it a try! You might be surprised at how much fun it can be to include the videos. It is like making your own TV commercial! (You see how I put them on my blog all the time!)

Happy Selling!

eBay Seller Success Story: Trader Vic's Tiki Mug

I received this email from a reader:

"While I don't find too many of them in MN...lol...sometimes people will be downsizing and getting rid of old drink glasses that they have picked up on vacation. The city I live in is pretty spread out, so has multiple 'neighborhood' sales during the year. Last weekend I made a quick stop at one. They advertised it as an estate type sale, and when I stopped at it, they pretty much had high prices, and I really didn't see anything worth buying until I ran across a TIKI mug for 50c. Now, not all of them will sell, but occasionally you'll find one that is rare. This one...did well. If it hadn't had the inside crack, it would have probably gone way higher. But you can't beat a $35 or so profit from a 50c purchase!"

And the listing:

VTG TRADER VIC'S TIKI FOG CUTTER MUG RARE GLAZE

Price at estate sale: 50 cents
Selling price: $38.76
Profit before fees: $38.26

Nice sale! Thanks for sharing your great find. Do you have a unique, interesting, or fun thrift store or garage sale find you would like to share? Email the info to me at ebaycoach@yahoo.com and I will post it here. We can all make more money if we share our information!

Happy Selling,