Lynn’s eBay E-zine Volume II, Issue Number 3

 

Hi Everyone!

I hope this e-zine finds you doing great! I have to apologize for not getting an ezine out since February! Yikes. I was madly writing More 100 Best Things I’ve Sold on eBay – Money Making Madness. I am happy (very happy) to report that it is at the printers and should be available by the end of April. Yipppeeee! Also, my Wiley book, The Unofficial Guide to Making Money on eBay is in bookstores now but I have a very special offer for you so keep reading!

• eBay Stores – even more lucrative than ever
• Story #92 From Money Making Madness – Did this item really sell?
• What is happening on April 11th?

eBay Stores

The eBay stores are even more profitable than ever. If you don’t have one yet, I am highly encouraging you to open one. As long as you have 20 to 25 things that you can park in it at a fixed price – I recommend it!

I used to sell about $1,000 to $2,000 a month from my eBay store. I stock about 3,000 items at all times. This costs me 3 cents per item per month (no matter what the starting price – even if it is $1,000). This 3 cents also includes a gallery shot. The selling fees are higher than at auction but $90 per month is cheap for showcasing 3,000 items! And the exposure got a lot better about a month ago. I am now doing between $2,000 and $3,000 a month from my eBay store.

And what happened a month ago? eBay changed its search results so that you don’t have to go into a special menu to search for store items. They all automatically display now right after all the auction items displayed. This is a wonderful way to get your store items seen and more importantly sold.

I find that most of my store items sell on the weekends. I will come in on a Monday and find that 15 or 20 things have sold on a Sunday night. Maureen (my assistant) hates it when that happens – because it makes her feel behind the eight ball. I love it–and really so does she!

I am also re-evaluating my re-listing strategy. If I think the item is definitely worth $9.99 or more – I won’t relist it cheaper at auction. I will sometimes even raise the price when I put it into my eBay store. Take a look at the dinnerware auction shown here.

It was only made for one year (1994) and is very hard to find. I have found that it is also a little challenging to sell because there aren’t that many people that own it. I didn’t sell it my first time out at auction and instead of lowering my price to $3.99 at auction – I have moved it directly into my eBay store at between $9.99 and $39.99 per auction. This means that when the entire set does sell – it will sell for over $200! I am confident that during the next six months – someone will buy it all. I will notify you all when it does happen!

My mom has been selling full-time on eBay for about 4 months. She has found that her niche, clothing, sells best at a fixed price in her store. The bottom line is this – if your item has a lot of demand, list it at auction. If it is only going to get one bid or none at all and may take a few weeks or months to sell – list it directly into your store.

As an ending note, I leave my items in my eBay store for at least one year. This is only 36 cents per item. Once the year is over, I re-evaluate and will lower prices take some items out of the store and donate to charity. It really is a lucrative and easy way to bring in extra money each month!

If you want to know how to open an eBay store or if you already have one and need to know how to promote it, I highly suggest that you purchase my new book from Wiley, The Unofficial Guide to Making Money on eBay.

The Story

I found this slingshot in a box that I got from my grandmother’s shop. It was really rustic and handmade—most likely early American folk art. “Folk art” is a broad (and very wonderful) term to describe a range of artistic expressions. It can be used to describe items from a particular country or region as well as from individual artists. Most folk artists have no formal training; they are just trying to record the ordinary activities of life. Most folk art pieces are both functional and artistic. There is a huge following for folk art items on eBay.

Many children’s toys from my mother’s generation would be considered folk art. She was born in the 1930’s, and most of the things she played with were handmade, artistic, and functional. Relatively few were mass-produced. I loved the teddy bear she had as a baby and it is now in my office. This old photo of her with “Mr. Bear” is one of my favorites; I love her contemplative look. Unfortunately, a dog got to “Mr. Bear” and ripped him apart shortly after this photo was taken, but we still have this wonderful image to remember him.

I had tried selling the slingshot at an online auction, but there were no takers. I had never thought of using eBay stores to sell one-of-a-kind, unique items. But when Mo started working for me in October, I decided to start trying more items in my eBay store. For Pete’s sake, it was only three cents a month for ANY starting price point and a gallery picture. I figured it would only cost me 36 cents per year for any item. It was worth a shot to try some of these more unique pieces in the store.

Immediately, we started to see great results. Dinnerware and other items that we thought would never sell were suddenly bringing in full price. In no time at all, we were selling $1,000 to $2,000 a month from our eBay store, and it wasn’t taking any extra work (other than the usual shipping). All the work had already been done when we had listed it originally. There was no downside to using the eBay store.

Mo had listed this slingshot in the store in October of 2004, and it only took five months to sell! Mo’s husband thought it was so interesting that he announced he was going into the business of making hand-carved slingshots. I hated to tell him that I didn’t think the market was that strong—but you just never know.

What is a slingshot anyway? A slingshot is a small-hand powered weapon. It typically has some type of pocket at the end of the rubber to hold the ammunition. My slingshot did not have the rubber or a pocket. A slingshot can be powerful enough to hunt small game. Who knew?

What are you doing on Tuesday, April 11th?

Whatever you’re doing, mark your calendar because something big is coming. I’m talking about one of the BIGGEST online events of the year!

Two things that I am very excited about will be happening on April 11th. I will email you more details on that day – so please keep your eyes open!

I really can’t give away many details because I’ve been sworn to secrecy. But let me just say..

If you miss this, you’ll be kicking yourself for a long, long time. It’s just THAT good.

Imagine .. an event so amazing and so exciting that it’s being called, (Oops! I almost gave it away)

I’ve already said too much. Mark your calendar for – Tues, April 11th – and stay tuned …

Next eCourse Starts Soon

Spring and Spring Cleaning are just around the corner! Don’t get stuck selling your castoffs at pennies on the dollar at yet another garage sale.

Sign up for Lynn’s next e-Course and be ready to cash in with eBay. Lynn typically gets ten times what you would get at a garage sale by selling on eBay. Put some cash in your pocket — not in someone else’s!

I am very excited to start teaching again and my next eCourse starts up again on Monday, April 24th! The best way for you to get up to speed on eBay is to sign up now for my e-course! Listen to what my students are saying about it!

‘I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the work you have put into this course. I taught at the College Level and you are one of a very few who knows how to transfer knowledge into learning -hallelujah’!!! – Cauleen Viscoff, Canada

‘My goodness, what a home run you hit with this week’s lesson! It is so full of great information that I had to go over it several times. You are an outstanding teacher; I have put some of your lessons to use this week and that saved me a few costly mistakes. Thanks again for giving us such valuable information.’ – Margaret (Peggy) McIlvain Texas

‘Just wanted to let you know I am really enjoying the lessons. As the young people would say, you have really ‘turned me on’ to this eBay thing.’ – Shirley Jones, Texas

Don’t miss this class!

We have just opened registration for the early bird special. Don’t miss out! To sign up now click here. To find out more about the course, please click here.

Happy Buying & Selling!

Lynn

 

For more great eBay tips and stories, visit my website at:

http://www.thequeenofauctions.com

Please contact me with any questions or suggestions for future issues. I would love to hear from you Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com

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  Lynn is an experienced eBay Power Seller, author and teacher. If you want to know the eBay tips, tricks and tools that Lynn uses for buying and selling at online auction click here.