EZ Money-Maker #1: "The Collectibles, Antiques and Memorabilia Super-Strategy For Selling on eBay"

STRATEGY: Selling collectibles, antiques and memorabilia in specific categories on eBay for the highest market prices

TIMING: This strategy is best used when the percentage of successful closings or closing ratio (CR) in the category you specialize in reaches 70% or better.

This is the most obvious way, and the most often employed way, of making money on eBay by individuals.

As I mentioned in the first edition of this book, I started on eBay by selling used books. I had been a collector for over 20 years and a dealer for 15 years. I specialized in selling just collectible books: first editions, special bindings and ephemera.

I have since added a few other areas to my eBay selling, but never seem to make as much money as I do selling books. My guess is it's because of my experience in this area.

The same should be true for you. What background do you have? Do you have a hobby or special interest or are you a collector?

That's where you should start and that's where you will make the most money using this strategy. Add depth to your knowledge by reading in your field and get as many good reference books and price guides as you can.

So you have an area you have some experience in. What do you do to maximize your income selling antiques, collectibles or memorabilia on eBay?

- BE SUPER-ORGANIZED! -


TIP: If you list items for sale using eBay's provided selling form you're loosing money! Get eBay listing software and save each listing you make. That way, when you're ready to sell the same item or similar item again all you have to do is press a couple of keys to list. Time is money! The real estate salesman's adage, "The more you list, the more you sell" is definitely true and applicable here.

I use ShootingStar software now to list auctions and track post-auction management available at http://www.foodogsoftware.com/. BTW, that's not an affiliate link. I don't make a cent promoting it. I just think it's the best available for the price.

I like ShootingStar because it allows me to save every listing on my hard drive and it includes free auction counters. You use the software (which includes free updates) to make unlimited listings on eBay, Amazon's zShops and Amazon Auctions.

Another service that just started at the time of this writing is eBay's (in conjunction with Blackthorn Software) Auction Seller's Assistant. I tried it for 30 days free and found it's very nice to work with. But, it's a little pricey - $15.99 a month. It does all the same stuff ShootingStar does and a little more. Ebay gives you a trial period to try it out.

But there is a lot of good software out there today because auction selling has become so popular. Most companies will allow you to use their software for 30 days before buying or registering. Some programs are free. Try them all out and see which one works best for you.

Here's a brief list of some other eBay listing software that you should look at before making a final decision:

http://www.andale.com/corp/index.html
Rather than listing software, this company allows you to list on eBay using templates directly off their site. It was free for quite awhile, now there is a small fee for each listing. Their service includes some neat auction tracking, accounting and follow-up systems. My opinion is that they charge too much for the service. You're already paying eBay to list your item and, if it sells a 'success' fee- why add to your overhead? But they do have some neat features, I just wish they would find another revenue model.

http://www.collectoronline.com/manage/
According to their web site you can:
· Catalog an unlimited number of items.
· Send items to Ebay, Amazon.com Auctions, Yahoo! Auctions, Just Glass and Pottery Auction.
· Get Free Image Hosting.
· Get Free Auction Counters.
· Use An HTML Format Wizard for creating custom auction listings.
· Build and maintain a Collector Online booth.
· Generate sales reports.
· E-mail Generator allows you to automatically send e-mails and keep track of post-auction communication with high bidders.
· One-Stop Auction View page lets you monitor your current auctions from one convenient location.

Never used the service, but it's free and probably worth trying. One caution: If you use a service like this one and the one above, be prepared for a very unhappy event from time to time- "server down".

Nothing is on your hard disc, you can't log on to their system, you can't list anything (oouch!) and you can't follow-up on your closed auctions! Remember you are a 'professional' now. Do you really want to lose control over your auction management functions if their servers go down or they get hacked or because of net congestion? Something to think about.

http://www.contempocom.com/software/
Makers of AdSnap! auction sellers software. Sells for $10. Looks so-so. Has 10 auction listing templates. Might be easy to use. For beginners.

http://www.powerlister.com/
Power Lister says they provide auction users with a method to post multiple listings into multiple categories by using one form. According to Power Lister their software is a convenience tool targeted toward helping sellers post their listings quickly and painlessly. Up to 100 listings may be submitted simultaneously from one form. Single posts are also permitted using Power Lister forms. Repeated use of the form using up to 100 posts per form could generate hundreds of listings in a short time period.

There's a fee of .10 cents for every listing. 100 listings will cost you $10, 1000 listings $100. If you're really in a hurry to list in bulk and don't mind the fees, it's worth looking into.

http://www.auctionwatch.com/
A news, auction posting, auction listing and post-auction management site, software and more. Promoted as a site for individuals, small businesses and corporate solutions they do have an impressive array of seller solutions.
Their services include:

o Multiple Site Registration: Get Your Auction Business Up and Running- Save time and register at all major auction sites in a few simple steps with AuctionWatch's Universal Registration.

o Create Listings Fast: Quickly Create Auction Ads that Sell : Choose from three different tools for launching your auctions based on your needs - create unique listings and post to auction sites in seconds!

o Monitor Listings: Easily Keep Track of Active Auctions : Monitor auctions to keep informed and up-to-date on their activity. Conduct valuable customer research by tracking the number of bids, bid values and the number of people viewing your auction.

o Post Auction Management: An Organized Process that Saves Time and Increases Sales : Efficiently manage the shipping, payment, invoicing, and communication elements of the post-sale process, while making the auction closing process simple for your buyers.

o Customer Management: Sell More and Market Better : Easily build and maintain a strong customer base and develop targeted email lists of pre-qualified customers - a simple solution for customer loyalty.

o Buy Now! Storefronts: Create a showroom, list fixed priced items on ebay, Yahoo and Amazon.
There are three levels of service on AuctionWatch: Auction Manager (entry level), Inventory Management (small business users) and Power Plan (for Power users). The AuctionWatch service is fee based with both listing and final value fees added. With their Power Plan, however, you pay an annual subscription rate of $200 and $.05 per auction listing but the final value fee is waived.


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