Friday, July 26, 2013

eBay Changes Manufacturer's Coupon Policy




Did you know you can sell grocery coupons on eBay? Well, technically, you aren't able to sell the actual coupon, you are selling your time to find, clip, and mail the coupon for the buyer. eBay has had a pretty liberal policy for selling coupons, but recently a few things have changed due to the growing problem of grocery coupon fraud. Here are the new rules:

You may sell up to $100 or 25 valid, unexpired, original coupons per month.

You can't sell more than 25 coupons in a single listing. The allowed 25 coupons per month include multi-quantity listings.

Make sure you clearly state in your description how many coupons you're selling. If eBay can't tell how many coupons are offered, the listing violates their policy.

Coupons for "free" products: You can't sell coupons for "free" items.

Electronic "scanned" coupons: All coupons sold through eBay must be physical coupons printed on paper, not coupons that can be sent electronically to the buyer to be printed.

Read the full eBay policy here.

Now, if you aren't a coupon seller, maybe you are a coupon buyer? You don't have to be a black belt couponer to reap the benefits of using grocery coupons for either personal or business purposes. I have purchased grocery coupons online for years, and coupons were a big part of my eBay UK health and beauty business. Now, I sell a lot of groceries on Amazon, most of which are repeatable and I replenish every week. (Check out my Amazon grocery class here.)

Think about it - if you are buying the same items over and over again, and you know in advance what you will be buying because you know what sells, why not plan for those purchases by stocking up on coupons to cut your costs? I can save about $50-$100 a week on my Amazon grocery purchases by planning ahead and keeping a well-stocked coupon stash with me when I go shopping.

Let's say I sell this Jergen's Glow Moisturizer on Amazon, and I sell 10 a month. I can get the coupon below for 15 cents from the Coupon Clipper site, and it saves me $1.25 on each unit.



My net savings after I redeem the coupon is $1.10 per unit, or $11 a month. Now multiply that effect with 20-30 different items and you can see the reduction in your inventory cost. So, buy planning ahead and buying coupons for items I already know sell, I can reduce my cost.

I purchase grocery coupons from eBay or from coupon sites such as The Coupon Clippers or Select Coupon. Resources for finding inventory, and reducing inventory cost are all around you!


Related Articles:

Top 10 Grocery Clearance Items to Sell Online

How Kraft Foods Paid my Mortgage in 2012

5 Myths About Selling Groceries on Amazon













Friday, July 19, 2013

Learn More About 1970s Vintage Items to Sell on eBay


Vintage items are gaining popularity on eBay as the population ages and more people are buying things for the sake of reminiscing. Maybe you lived through the 1970s and you remember these things. Or, maybe you lived through the 1970s but you don't remember this stuff for various reasons - we won't go there. The bottom line is that these items are still out there and if you know what to look for, you can find and sell some interesting pieces of popular culture on eBay. Here are a few things that have value on eBay but you might not realize it.

Remember CB Radios? Here is one that sold for $105. This is the kind of thing you can find at a garage sale cheap because the general public thinks they are obsolete and nobody wants it.

How about old Polaroid cameras? This one sold for $274. (This particular model was from 1982, but you get the idea.) The Polaroid film regardless of age is also an excellent seller.




Remember the original Sony Walkman that played cassette tapes? Those can sell for hundreds of dollars. Here is one that sold for $500. The owner was in Poland.



Vintage calculators can be a great find. This 1970s Hewlett Packard pocket calculator sold for $115.





You are showing your age if you remember the video game Pong. Extremely lame by today's standards, but those of us who grew up in the 1970s thought it was the coolest thing ever. Here is a vintage Pong console that sold for $192.50.





Vintage doesn't necessarily mean clothing, home decor, or toys! Keep your eye out for these types of items when you are out at garage sales and thrift stores. There are all kinds of goodies hiding out there!

http://suzanneawells.com/etsy-for-beginners-everything-you-need-to-know-to-go-from-idea-to-profitable-shop/

 Did you know you can also sell vintage items on Etsy? Not just clothing, but all sorts of items including electronics, toys, home decor, arts and crafts, and much more. Some vintage items sell for much more on Etsy than on eBay! If you aren't selling vintage items on Etsy in addition to eBay, you are leaving money on the table. Learn more about selling on Etsy by taking my "Etsy for Beginners" course. 

Related Articles:

eBay Seller Success Story - Texas Instruments Speak and Spell

Selling Vintage Typewriters on eBay

Vintage Personal Care Items

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

eBay Coach Giveaway - eBay Store Design by Auction Add Ons



Time for another giveaway! Melissa over at Auction Add Ons is offering 2 of my readers a free eBay storefront. The winners will receive a professionally designed eBay store fronts to enhance online sales. A unique store front gives your customer an enjoyable and memorable experience while visiting your store. This results in more repeat customers and visitors. The design includes:

Customized Logo/Header design that will display throughout each category page in your store

Landing/Front Page design

eBay Store Logo (310 x 90)

Buttons for Auctions, Feedback, About Me & Contact

Choice of one Auction Add-On - choose from

PayPal Preferred, PayPal Only, or Combined Shipping

Welcome Graphic, Newest Items & Add to Favorites

FREE Installation or Easy to Follow Set-Up Instructions

Dedicated Customer Support


To enter the giveaway, enter a comment below about why you would like to win a storefront re-design. For extra entries, help promote this giveaway by posting it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or other social media. Just enter a link to where you posted the contest.

Winners will be announced on July 22. And congrats to Cie Bay and Jeff Fulcer for winning the Weighmax scales. Stay tuned for more giveaways in the coming weeks!


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Christmas in July on eBay- It is Real!



I always thought Christmas in July was just a marketing ploy by retailers to get rid of holiday merchandise in the slow summer months. But, people all over the world really do throw Christmas in July parties with all the trimmings. My daughter and I have sold 2 Christmas related items on eBay this month:



Scooby Doo winter scrub top - Goodwill $3


Yankee Candle topper - Garage sale $1

We sold one Christmas craft item on Amazon:

  
Jingle Bear Latch Hook Kit - 82 cents at Goodwill, sold for $25

This is why everything you have for sale should be listed as soon as possible and left up for sale all year long. People can't buy what isn't listed! Holiday themed items can sell at any time, not just during the time that retailers are pushing decorations and accessories for a particular holiday.  (See the post, "If you have it, list it!") The average person isn't thinking about Christmas items selling in the middle of the summer. Here is a screenshot of eBay SOLD listings (not completed, but listings that actually sold) with the keyword Christmas in the title:





And a screenshot of sold listings with the keyword Santa Claus in the title:


Have you sold any Christmas items this month? If so, show them off in the comments section below this post. (And give yourself a shameless plug at the same time!)

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

eBay Sellers are Evil!

Well, according to some people.

I had an interesting conversation on Twitter this week with someone who saw one of my eBay items tweeted:






Hey, I was just doing some innocent marketing and then...

Someone tagged me and tweeted, "I personally wouldn't do that. It's taking good clothes from someone who may need it for an interview, in my opinion."

My reply, "No, it's putting money into the economy, supporting a charity and being self sufficient."

Her reply,"  I cannot agree, given the purpose of the charity, in my opinion." Then she went on with several more tweets on her on feed about the situation....

"Well I think they are more than that. But anyway, you don't need to explain your position. I'm not donating to them anymore."

"There are people who are proud of buying something nice at places like Goodwill then reselling it for multiples of what they paid for it"

"I personally have a problem with that. I think it's one of the reasons why you can't find anything but junk at Goodwill."

"And if you know people are just using Goodwill to find resellables, why would you donate your stuff that you could re-sell yourself?"

"Instead of someone who needs a nice suit for an interview being able to find one at a good price, some reseller's going to get it?"

"My days of donating my nice things to Goodwill and places like them are over! It's a shame greedy folk ruin the whole idea of these places."

I would like to make my position (and that of most online resellers) on this issue very clear, here in this blog post. This topic comes up frequently so all you sellers out there who hear it, please point people here to read this post.

1. Our business as resellers fuels the economy - it keeps money circulating, empowers people, and we provide a service of matching up cast-off things with the people who want them.

2. Goodwill is NOT in the business of offering low-priced goods to the needy. Their focus is job training and education to empower people to be as self-sufficient as possible. Their mission statement is, "Goodwill works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work." Read it here on the Goodwill website if you want to see for yourself. This is a common misconception - that Goodwill stores exist to sell items to low-income people.

3.  Almost everything in a Goodwill store is DONATED by the general public. Goodwill purchases a few items from retailers like Target for resale. Their cost of inventory is practically nothing.

4. When resellers purchase from Goodwill (and many other charity thrift stores) we are HELPING that charity. We are putting money into their charity, that then helps provide job training and education for people who need it. I would love to know how many dollars eBay and Amazon sellers put into Goodwill Industries annually. I'm sure we would all be shocked. Goodwill wins!

5. Resellers who make money doing this business are being self-sufficient and using the resources around them wisely. I personally have helped several people get off government assistance by helping them start an eBay business including young mothers, temporarily disabled folks, and some people who just have had an unexpected life crisis and had to use government assistance. In my opinion, the eBay/Amazon resale business not only generates money for the reseller, but it takes some burden off of public assistance programs. Other resellers have improved their lives with the money generated by an at home eBay business - they have been able to leave dead-end jobs, spend time with young children, or care for an elderly parent or ill child.  eBay is the perfect business for people suffering from illnesses like Fibromyalgia, MS, Crohn's Disease, or Cancer who can't hold a "regular" job because they don't know what kind of day they might have. With eBay, these people can work when they feel up to it and still generate an income to pay their bills. By shopping at Goodwill, people have learned how to use the resources convenient and available to them to make money in all kinds of different situations. The seller wins!

6. When we buy from Goodwill for resale, eBay makes money. They get their cut and our selling platform stays in business, so we can continue to enjoy the freedom and the lifestyle eBay selling provides. eBay wins!

7. We give a lot of business to the USPS when we use the mail system to ship our orders. Again, I would love to know how many dollars annually are pumped into the USPS because of online sellers. Again, I bet it is astounding. The USPS (government) wins!

8. Customers get what they want. I can't even tell you the number of feedbacks I have received over the last 10 years from buyers expressing their appreciation, thanking me for helping them replace a broken item, providing a hard to find item, providing a unique gift for someone, or finding an item similar to one they had in their childhood that was lost or destroyed. In fact, read the comments yourself. There are over 12,000 of them. We provide a valuable service and buyers love it. The customers win!

So, this is a win-win-win-win-win situation!

We live in a world of abundance. The Goodwill stores I shop in are gigantic - maybe 5,000 items on the sales floor at a time. There is no way on earth I am taking things away from anybody - I am a cog in the wheel of enterprise that helps a charity make money and a buyer get what they want. It is unfortunate that not everyone sees it this way, and more unfortunate that people aren't educated about the mission of Goodwill Industries. And I am sorry that people think that because of us, there is nothing but "junk" in the Goodwill stores. Ironically, "junk" is exactly what I am looking for and what sells the best online. Somebody else's trash is definitely my treasure.

And frankly, I think this person on Twitter is a tad bit late to the party. She is just now realizing that people do this? This statement puzzles me, "And if you know people are just using Goodwill to find resellables, why would you donate your stuff that you could re-sell yourself?" Exactly - so, why not sell it yourself?

I would love your input on this commentary. And I think we need to stand together on this issue and educate the public that what we do is a good thing for a lot of people, not just ourselves. Please share this article on Facebook, Twitter, and in your groups and forums.

Related Articles:

Podcast - Selling Vintage Perfumes on eBay

What to Buy at Thrift Stores to Resell on eBay

Top 5 Thrifting Tips for Resellers


 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

New Online Class - How to Make Money Selling Groceries on Amazon


I am excited to offer live interactive e-classes! These classes are designed for the serious student who wants to grow their online business with the help of a live teacher in a small group interactive environment. Classes will be held via GoTo Training on a weekly or monthly basis. The grocery class is now available!

Amazon.com offers over 665,000 items in the grocery category, and millions of buyers shop on Amazon every day. Do you want to learn to make thousands of dollars a month selling grocery products on Amazon? Grocery items are consumable, plentiful, and many products are not available in all parts of the country but buyers look to Amazon as their online grocery supplier. The key to a successful grocery business is identifying products you can repeat for several weeks, months, or even years. Your work as a grocery seller is in restocking products that sell well and discovering new products along the way as you go out on weekly replenishing trips. You don't have to scan for hours and hours every time you go scouting. In fact, you don't have to go scouting at all. Now you can learn how to use your local grocery store to source profitable and repeatable products to sell on Amazon. 
 
I've been selling groceries on Amazon since 2011 and have learned how the Amazon grocery business works though over 2 years of trial and error. In this 90 minute online class, I will share:

Why groceries are profitable to sell

Basic grocery category rules

Types of items to sell

Types of items to avoid


How to discover products to sell without using a scouting tool

Pricing strategies

How to move away from the herd of Amazon FBA sellers

How to cut inventory costs

Creative sourcing techniques

How to use Amazon reports and other free resources to identify product opportunities


Pitfalls to avoid
  

Question and Answer session following presentation 

View a video about exactly what the course covers:






Update: This class is not an instant download. Purchase "The ABCs of Selling Groceries on Amazon" here and get started right away.

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Excellent Change in Amazon Feedback Policy


Exciting change in Amazon's Feedback Policy! Amazon will now remove feedback if it is a complaint about the price of an item. My colleage (and FBAMom's partner) Kim Tarrant recently received this response when she sent in a ticket regarding a feedback referring to price:

We have received your complaint on Order ID:110-XXXX-XXXX, and determined that it is removable as per Amazon's feedback policy since it exclusively talks about the experience of the buyer with the product most particularly its price and shipping cost. Please be advised that in light of recent changes in our Standard Operating Procedures we are now authorized to remove feedback if the entire feedback pertains only to the experience of the buyer regarding the price and the shipping cost of the product. If you have additional questions or comments on this update, or with our Feedback Policy, please do not hesitate to contact us. 
 I sent in a ticket for 2 feedbacks of this nature the same day, and they were also removed. This is big news! Buyers remorse won't work any more, and buyers who don't read the listing or find the item cheaper later can't penalize us anymore. Get busy going through your feedbacks and submitting tickets!
 Related Articles:
Getting to Know Your Online Customers
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