Description: Heres your chance to capitalize on the Internet economy by clearing out your basement or cashing in on your hobby. Teaches you the ins and outs of marketing online, improving graphics and text, and protecting yourself from fraud. Use chat rooms and Web pages to spread the word about your auctions. Use online payment services and build a dependable reputation. Author Greg Holden shows you stepbystep how to mine eBays 50 million registered users for profitand possibly even a new career.
Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Front Matter blind folio i ® Business P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:40 PM Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Front Matter Blind Folio FM:ii About the Author For much of his adult life, Greg Holden has been hunting down and reselling collectibles, oddball items, and antiques of all sorts In his younger days, he assembled an old sports car from pieces of three different sports cars He bought and restored a century-old townhouse Now, he hunts down fountain pens, watches, and other items online Greg has written nearly 20 books on computers and the Internet, including Internet Auctions for Dummies and Cliff’s Notes Guide to Buying and Selling on eBay, both published by Hungry Minds His lifelong interests in literature and writing and the history of Chicago recently culminated in the book Literary Chicago: A Book Lover’s Tour of the Windy City, published by Lake Claremont Press He lives in Chicago in the house he restored along with his two daughters and an assortment of pets P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:40 PM Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Front Matter blind folio iii ® Business Greg Holden McGraw-Hill/Osborne New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:42 PM Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Front Matter Blind Folio FM:iv McGraw-Hill/Osborne 2100 Powell Street, 10th Floor Emeryville, California 94608 U.S.A To arrange bulk purchase discounts for sales promotions, premiums, or fund-raisers, please contact McGraw-Hill/Osborne at the above address For information on translations or book distributors outside the U.S.A., please see the International Contact Information page immediately following the index of this book How to Do Everything with Your eBay® Business Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of publisher, with the exception that the program listings may be entered, stored, and executed in a computer system, but they may not be reproduced for publication 1234567890 FGR FGR 019876543 ISBN 0-07-222948-9 Publisher Vice President & Associate Publisher Acquisitions Editor Project Editor Acquisitions Coordinator Technical Editor Copy Editor Proofreaders Indexer Computer Designers Illustrators Series Design Cover Series Design Cover Illustration Brandon A Nordin Scott Rogers Marjorie McAneny Julie M Smith Tana Allen Amy Hoy Brian MacDonald Linda Medoff, Pat Mannion Valerie Perry Tabitha M Cagan, Tara A Davis Kathleen Fay Edwards, Lyssa Wald Mickey Galicia Dodie Shoemaker Tom Willis This book was composed with Corel VENTURA™ Publisher Information has been obtained by McGraw-Hill/Osborne from sources believed to be reliable However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, McGraw-Hill/Osborne, or others, McGraw-Hill/Osborne does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from the use of such information P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:42 PM Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Front Matter Blind Folio FM:v Dedication To my mother and father, and to the fun we’ve had finding, restoring, and selling treasures of all sorts P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:42 PM This page intentionally left blank Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 /Front Matter Contents at a Glance PART I Get Started with eBay PART II Become an eBay Auction Expert Start Selling with eBay Become an eBay Auctioneer 29 51 Improve Your Competitive Edge PART III 10 11 PART IV 12 13 14 15 16 17 Tips and Strategies for Online Sellers Spruce Up Your Auction Presentation Manage Multiple Auctions Create Your Own Web Pages Create Digital Images that Sell 87 111 131 149 177 Business Practices for eBay Accept Payments and Serve Your Customers Make Sure Your Goods Reach Their Destination Meet Other Auction Hounds 205 229 251 Sell Specialty Items on eBay Drive Home the Deal on eBay Motors Auction Off Business Goods and Services Fix Your Price on Half.com Get Top Dollar on Sothebys.com Protect Yourself and Your Customers Fulfill Your Accounting and Tax Requirements 269 289 305 323 339 363 vii P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:43 PM Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen viii HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Front Matter How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business PART V 18 19 A P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:43 PM Keep Your eBay Business Running Smoothly Keep Your eBay Business Legal What to Do in Case of Trouble eBay Glossary 383 399 413 Index 417 Color profile: Generic CMYK printer profile Composite Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 /Front Matter Contents Acknowledgments Introduction xix xxi PART I Get Started with eBay CHAPTER Become an eBay Auction Expert Set Goals for Your eBay Business Jump Start a Brand-New Business Find Customers Worldwide Give Yourself a Financial Cushion Uncover Collectors and Specialty Buyers Know How eBay Auctions Work Set a Time Limit Build Customer Trust Provide Clear Images Write Clear Descriptions Decide How You Want to Be Paid Get the Hardware and Software You Need Buy the Right Computer and Monitor Pick a Scanner or Digital Camera Install Web Page and Auction Software Become a Power E-Mail User Follow the Eight-Step eBay Sales Plan Decide What to Sell Set the Price Provide Good Online Photos Pile On the Information Give Good Customer Service Process Those Sales Pay Your eBay Fees Deliver the Goods Where to Find It 5 10 10 13 14 14 16 17 17 18 19 19 20 20 22 23 24 25 25 26 26 27 ix P:\010Comp\HowTo8\948-9\fm.vp Monday, May 12, 2003 12:14:43 PM ... screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Chapter How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business How to? ?? ■ Establish your goals for selling on eBay ■... Default screen HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Chapter How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business on eBay, the move to running an online business is... Default screen 10 HowTo8 (8) / How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business / Holden / 222948-9 / Chapter How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business Know How eBay Auctions Work eBay? ??s auction