INTERNET BUSINESS

There are many, no, thousands of flea markets that dot the landscape of the American Saturday morning event calendar. As fall rolls into full splendor with brilliant leaves changing colors and tumbling down onto not so green lawns, even the most casual of buyers can’t help but notice the handwritten signs beckoning prospective customers to flea markets wherever a parking lot of any size exists. And yet, the most successful flea market vendor knows that correctly interpreting the prospective customer’s body language is a major help in being able to complete sales. Now what does this have to do with auctions? Well, in some sense, just as the flea market vendor senses the limits of the buyer’s “willingness to spend” when it comes to pricing items, so an auctioneer reads the “bids” on an item and gleans information about what price to use to entice bidders to bid on their products.

The eBay® vendors who make lots of sales in auctioning businesses have learned a few basics as they present their products for online auction. These basics are not hard to understand but because of the simplicity, some do not follow these tips and end up with a lot of unsold goods. Rather than just creating a delay in contributing the items to the local charity or even worse, the local dump, let’s investigate what it takes to sell successfully on auction sites such as eBay®.

What are some basic tips to be followed? First, survey the landscape by checking out what is selling on your favorite auction site. There is simply no use in trying to sell dress shoes to an audience primarily interested in hiking boots. Look for sites that host the kind of product that you are trying to sell. Do searches on the sites and compare what the asking prices are for the kind of goods you are trying to price. Then pick a starting price that would entice you to “make and offer.” If the price is too low, your prospective customer will be suspicious of the quality and/or the source of the item. If the price is too high, no one will even click on the item to see what its qualities, much less make a bid.

Thought you were getting a great deal? Well think again! Today’s Penny Auction Sites are nothing but a Huge Cash Cow for today’s Web Owners.

A lot of people who participate in these auctions don’t realize how much they really are paying for these items. Even though it doesn’t look like you paid much, chances are you did! For example: when you participate in a penny auction you also have to take in account the cost of each time you click the bid button. Which is surprising that most people don’t?

Each time you hit the bid button it can range anywhere from 10cents to 1 dollar depending on the site. So an item that you won at auction retails for $600 and you paid $100 at the end of the auction. When you really look at the cost, you have to take in consideration that not only did you pay the $100 but you need to add in the 10,000 1cent bids. Yes that’s right!! $100 dollars at a penny auction equals 10,000 1 cent bids. So the overall average of profit is $6000! Even if there were 10 people bidding on the same item, you would still exceed the retail price.

As they always say “if it sounds too good to be true than it probably is.” So if you do decide to try out a live penny auction site is aware of how much you really spend and go in with a set amount. Research sites that will give you a buy now option or allow you to use the bids that you wasted on an item you didn’t win on a new item or on more bids.

Buying from eBay is one of the most convenient ways to shop nowadays. Just a few searches and clicks, you will be able to find almost anything you are looking for. No need to travel to the stores and your goods will be delivered right to your doorstep.

However when buying items on eBay you need to be extra careful and diligent to avoid being scammed and losing your money in the end.

1. The first thing you need to check when buying from a seller in eBay is the Seller’s Feedback. Check how many left a positive and negative feedback. You will also see some comments from buyers who have made some transactions with this particular seller. This will help you determine if it is fine to deal with the seller or not. Avoid buying expensive items from new eBay sellers. Check how long the seller has been selling on eBay. Most fraudulent transactions come from new sellers
2. Be cautious with the payment method the seller requires. Avoid dealing with sellers who only accept wire transfer or bank transfer. It is best to deal with sellers who accept PayPal since this is a secure and offers buyer protection program. This way, you do not have to provide credit card or bank information every time you buy on eBay.
3. Once you buy the item, ask for a tracking number. This will ensure that the items were delivered and can help you track your package location.
4. Read the product descriptions carefully. A legitimate seller informs buyer in advance for any flaws or if the items is new or not. Check the pictures carefully if the item being described is the actual item. Read the terms and return policy as well to avoid future problems in case the item does not satisfy your expectations.
5. If you are buying an authentic product, make sure to check the seller feedback and history. Assess if the price is reasonable. If the item is priced very low, there is a great possibility that the item is fake.
6. Be vigilant. If you suspect a certain item is suspicious, report it immediately so eBay can examine the listing. This enables you to help others by not falling prey to scammers.

For exact measurements of all the flat rate boxes available visit the USPS website for information about USPS priority mail flat rate boxes. There are three different rates and sizes, small medium and large, medium has two different shapes and so there are a total of four different boxes. The very first criterion is if your product fits into the box.

The flat rate can be the greatest thing that ever happened to your company. Some products are going to fit into this niche better than others. Some companies shipping habits will also make a more ideal fit than others. USPS priority flat rate boxes allow you to ship anything you can fit in them under 70 lbs for one flat rate to anywhere in the country.

Directional boring drill bits or heads are solid, very dense, and very heavy. If you need to send multiple in one box or can only fit one in a box you will have a significant savings. Take advantage of your heavy products by using the USPS priority mail flat rate boxes. Any hardware bolts, nuts, or screws can really add up. Other companies will ship ball bearings, liquids and even sports drinks. An ideal product for this type of shipping is drilling supplies.

Try to fit as much weight into the box as possible because the price will be the same. If you can fit 20 lbs into the box try to compare the price you are paying with USPS discounts to what your price will be with UPS or with FedEx. Compare the prices in zone one or two first then compare the prices in the highest zone you ship to. The great thing about the USPS priority mail flat rate boxes is that your price will not change from zone to zone. Your price to zone 8 with FedEx or UPS will probably be higher. Your price to Hawaii or Alaska will be laughable by comparison to the flat rate. If your product fits into the boxes the next step is to figure out how much it weighs.

If you ship to residential customers the USPS Priority mail gives you a huge advantage. The post office does not have a residential delivery fee. That is an automatic two dollar savings per shipment. The post office has fewer additional charges than all of the competitors. Your customers may also dictate which shipping methods are ideal for your company.

Whether you are an accomplished online auction bidder or are new to the online auction process, this guide will highlight the process of previewing and
bidding on item…

Online Auctions: Previewing Items

Brochure

A brochure is routinely accessible on the auction house’s website usually one week former to the live auction event. The catalog is split up into categories. Categories are high-level locators of items and objects are rather aptly classified.

Search

You may conduct a search for any term in the website’s search box. Search boxes are exclusive to individual auction rings so you may have to search in various rings for your search term.

You may also search by entering model numbers and brands or if you know the lot number you can search by it.

Descriptions & Photos

Every allotment in the online auction has a description. Descriptions include brand names and model numbers. Other lots are described in material type such as wood, porcelain, crystal, glass and include dimensions. Furniture is described with upholstery, wood and dimensions.

Descriptions do not include condition statements as lots are not tested. Auction sales and all lots are sold less than one hard and fast rule where there is no definiteness that the lot will be in working order. And you will also be obligated to remove the allotment from the sell location.

The auction house usually stands for its description; however there is no declaration made of the item’s condition. If they for example represent an item as being a certain brand and it turns out to be otherwise, they will give you a refund if the original item is returned within a week of purchase. If you are buying at a live auction however, the auction house does not offer the same refund option as you have the opportunity to preview the lot directly.

Online Auctions: Bidding on Items

There is more than one type of placing online auction bid you can make. The most common ones are stated below.

Proxy Bidding

Auction lots are generally available online one week prior to the live auction event. During this period, you may place bids on the lots.
You will put a bid that must be higher than the starting price or the starting bid price. And if bids are already on an item and currently it stands at a certain value, you will have to enter the next required bid amount and your maximum bid. The latter is not compulsory.