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Zeke McAlister. . . . . . . Tips for Ebay Sellers . .
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for their Contributions to this Page!
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Sell Items that People will BuyThis sounds obvious, but look at the thousands of auctions Every day, Ebay may have 300 Million items for sale in auctions and in stores… How will your auction stand out in the middle of that many auctions? .Saturated Markets The market for DVD's, Clothing, and Jewelry is Saturated.
with no bids.
Do your research before trying to sell those items.
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Price it Right Ask too much, get no bids. To find out what your item is worth,
Ask too little, and you may have to sell it for less than you wanted.
search Ebay for similar items,
and Search the Internet.
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.Know the Entire Ebay Website You need to be familiar with Ebay before you list any auctions. Click Site Map at the top of any page and surf every topic. Learn the entire User Agreement . General Announcements and System Announcements should be checked daily. .
My Ebay You must be completely familiar with My Ebay. This is the “Control Panel” for setting your Click on each Link on the Left Side, learn this page! Especially go to . .
Getting Help from Ebay. Click the Help link at the top of any page. Use the A to Z Index that you see on the left side of the Help Page. You can Contact Ebay by Email using the link on the left side of the Help Page. . For Live Help, Be Patient! This is "Live Chat" - the waiting time can be lengthy, .Getting Help from the Ebay Discussion Boards The Ebay Discussion Boards can be a good place to get advice. If you are new to the Discussion Boards, you may want to Before posting a question, SEARCH the Boards (top left) for your topic or question. Be sure to get several answers to your question before acting on advice from the Boards..If you ask the following questions on the Discussion Boards,
Should I end my auction early?
Should I ship to Nigeria?
Do you know a good Drop Shipper?
Is this Email real?
Can you tell me a good source to buy products to sell on Ebay? . . . Payment Methods that you accept must be Clearly Stated .Online Payments - PayPal The once secure PayPal website has become a Playground for Scammers. Never accept PayPal for more money than you want to lose. Never ship to an Unconfirmed Address. If you need Advice on accepting PayPal for Always use Delivery Confirmation with PayPal. Beware of Phony Emails "from" PayPal. .
Use Extreme Caution when accepting PayPal for Electronic Items You may get burned if you accept PayPal for .Checks and Cashier's Checks Fake Cashier's Checks can bounce weeks after they are deposited. . insist on . For Expensive Items, especially consider accepting Bank to Bank Money Transfers. If you are new to this concept,
Ask your Banker:
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But, Buyer claims "The Item was never Received". Send them the following email: Dear Buyer: Since the Delivery Confirmation shows that the package was delivered The Postal Form that I am submitting includes If you should find the package, Should the package not turn up, the Post Office will consider it to be stolen mail, Sorry for the inconvenience (to both of us). Sincerely, Seller .Click the Image Below for the Report Form: .
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Bank Account and Credit Card information,
your Email Address, Mailing Address, Telephone Number,
and Your Buying and Selling Preferences.
My Account and click each of the Sub-Headings.
then click Live Help which is toward the top right corner.
and the service often goes down during peak hours.
However some advice may be bad advice, and
you may encounter "Trolls" who will be rude to you (ignore them).
spend a few days surfing the Board before you post a question, so that
you have a general feel for a Board and the "Regulars" who post there.
Your question may already be answered on another "Thread".
the Answer will always be “No”
Do NOT rely on the Ebay "pre-fill", and
make sure that what you say at the top of the page matches
what you say on the rest of the page!
Expensive Items, International Bidders (outside of USA), or other help,
Consult the PayPal Discussion Board or the Seller Central Discussion Board .
Do not click the link in the email... instead, log onto your PayPal account and check the Status there.
Computers, Ipods, Cell Phones, and Blackberries.
For those kinds of items, consider accepting only US Postal Service Money Orders .
Personal checks get bounced for not sufficient funds.
Your bank account is debited for the bad check amount, PLUS you pay the NSF Fees.
The odds of chasing down a bad check from another state are slim to none.
Wait for Checks to clear before sending the item!
US Postal Service Money Orders Only
Take the Money Orders to your Post Office and cash them there... if they are fake,
you will not risk "bouncing them" from your bank account.
Walk into YOUR Bank, talk face to face with your Banker,
have them explain the process to you.
For example, if you live in the USA, you want US Dollars, or
if you live in Europe, you want Euros...
Ask your Bank how this Currency Exchange will occur,
and is there a FEE that your Buyer should bear?
IBAN Codes, Sort Codes, and ISO 9362 or BIC or SWIFT Codes.
Ask your Banker to explain these Codes to you.
Separate Bank Account for Transfers,
and keep only the Minimum Required Balance in it.
Item was Delivered to the Buyer's Address.
Re: Package Not Received
to your address,
I am required to complete a Lost Mail Form with
the United States Postal Service.
your Name, Address, and Telephone Number.
You will be contacted by a Postal Inspector, probably within the next few days.
please contact me immediately,
and I will notify the Post Office that the package has been located.
and will investigate accordingly.
Please be prepared to speak with the Postal Inspector when they call upon you,
so that we can resolve this matter quickly.
Record the Serial Number of Your Item and Keep it on File: Post Multiple Photos of the item in your auction, . ------------------ . ------------------ .
On your Auction Page, List the last Four Digits (like with a Credit Card), and
State in the Auction that you have a record of the entire Serial Number.
also add photos of
boxes, paperwork, warranty cards, packaging, and accessories...
.Go to Ebay's Secure Your Account Page Immediately
.Go to Vrane dot com, click
Bomb All Auctions .
You should also Clear Your Browser Run a Complete Scan for Spyware, Keystroke Loggers, Viruses and Malware If your Computer "Remembers Passwords" or "Saves Passwords", Then, change Your Passwords for Ebay and PayPal, and Consider changing ALL Passwords in your Computer (Emails, Banks, etc.)
and
go into your Browser and Remove all Remembered Passwords.
. . . . .
. . Ebay Offers a number of different Auction Formats including
Fixed Price Auctions, Half.com, Ebay Motors, Buy It Now, Reserve Auctions,
and the
Unless you are selling Automobiles, Real Estate, or other specialty items, Be careful with Buy it Now and Reserve Auctions. These programs are not for beginners!
.How long should the Auction run? Run a Seven Day Auction .What is the Best Time to End the Auction? The type of item that you are selling may influence this decision. .My Auction is Not Showing Up! . . . Preparing your Auction Description . Present a Clean, Neat Auction Page that is You need Clear Photographs and a Complete Description. Avoid Distractions such as Music, Moving Icons, and Plaid Backgrounds. Are you using "Auctiva Slide Show" or a Similar Presentation? .
Spelling and Grammar Nothing says “Amateur” louder than misspelled words and poor grammar. Write out your description in a program that contains a Spell Check and a Grammar Check, You can compose, edit, and tweak your Text BEFORE it gets placed on the Listing Form. When you are happy with your Item Description and Terms of Sale, Be sure to perform the same Spelling and Grammar checks on your Auction Title. . Colors and Bolds and Fancy Fonts and Links and Such Use HTML (HyperText Markup Language) to make your auction pages look *** HTML is not difficult to learn *** Ebay has an HTML Tips Page that will get you started. For more detailed HTML instruction visit Web Monkey and . . . Many Ebayers recommend using the . . . . . “Terms of Sale” includes Shipping, Payment Methods, Refund Policies, and more. Keep your TOS Clear and Simple, but Provide all Necessary Information. Remember, your TOS must comply with Ebay Policies. Consistent Charges Make sure that Shipping Charges, Insurance, and Payment Methods are the same everywhere on your page! Your TOS should have a Positive, Encouraging Tone. Don’t make your stated Return Policy too easy: .
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Photos for your Auction Page .A picture is worth a thousand words! Auction Photos must be Perfect, with Good Lighting, Proper Contrast, Correct Color, and Crystal Clear
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Invest in a good Digital Camera. Before you buy a Digital Camera, you should
.You must use Clear, Realistic Photos in your auction listing. Adobe Photoshop and Irfanview are wonderful programs, Make sure that your photos accurately portray the item you are selling. .
Images from a Scanner may not look good enough for auction photos (with the exception of printed material). .
* * * * * * * * * * Use outside Photo Hosting Sites such as For help with Photobucket visit the Photobucket Tutorial .
Do not Copy Pictures
from other people’s auctions, without their express written permission.
Likewise, Do not Copy Images from Websites or manufacturer’s sites… .
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Customer Service You are running a Business, Contact your Bidders Immediately, and Stay in Touch .
. Cigarette Smoke
Do you Smoke? Cigarette Smoke is offensive to many people. If you smoke (millions of people do), If you buy items at Estate Sales, Yard Sales, and Thrift Stores, If you are a smoker, Beware, emotions run very high on this issue! . . . .Animal Hair from Cats and Dogs . Just like cigarette smoke, emotions run high when it comes to pets and pet odors. If your items are exposed to animals or animal hair, .
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.Tricking People to Open Your Auctions using Deceptive Methods Keyword Spamming , Font Color Equals White, Cloaked Text and other Tricks 1. This Annoys Buyers... they will NOT bid on your Auctions 2. Ebay frowns on this activity; they will Cancel your Auctions and possibly Suspend you from Ebay . .
.What about Insurance and Delivery Confirmation on Inexpensive Items? Of course we will insure costly or irreplaceable items... Example: do some math with me… Say that you sell 1000 items this year, each item costs less than $100.00 Now, how many of the items you ship each year get lost or damaged? Does it make sense to spend $2000 to $3000 to recover Exceptions: . .Packing Keep on hand, Packing Supplies including Bubble Wrap, Boxes, Tape, and Packing Peanuts. Also keep a supply of Priority Mail and Federal Express Boxes and Labels. Don't wrap items in Newspaper! The ink comes off and makes a mess. Use Clean Boxes and Clean Packing Materials Pack your Items to survive a Nuclear Blast! Go to the Packing and Shipping Discussion Board for advice. .
. . . . . . . . Shipping Charges Clearly Stated, Do you Combine Shipping Charges Do you Ship Internationally?
You may wish to add a Shipping Calculator to your Auction Page, Search the Internet for Free Auction Calculator.
Invest in a Postal Scale to calculate shipping costs. Insure expensive or Fragile items. Ship the Item as soon as you receive payment. Wait for checks to clear! .
Excessive Shipping and Handling Charges Some Sellers try to make a profit from Shipping and Handling Charges. If you are Reported for Excessive Shipping and Handling Charges , .
Handling Fees and Packing Fees If you are shipping fragile or expensive items such as antiques, precious gems, glass or china, . But what about the Winner of an Item who emails and says, . If you accept PayPal, and the Buyer files a SNAD, . . .
US Federal Trade Commission 30 Day Rule . . . . . . .
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. Please Email for Shipping Rates before Bidding. International Bidders will pay the Shipping Rate determined by Seller. Winning Bids will be Paid in United States Dollars. The Payment Method will be determined by Seller. International Bidders will pay .This Seller will not Break the Law by making . . . .
For Expensive Items sold to International Bidders, . . . .
the Standard Online Auction Format is probably your best bet.
Three days is too short, and Ten days is too long.
One thing to keep in mind, is that most people are home on the weekends.
End the Auction on Saturday Night or Sunday Night at 11:00PM Eastern Time.
It may take several HOURS before the auction appears on the Ebay site...
Ebay has a "Disclaimer" explaining this on their Website
Photograph your item as though there were no description."
Easy to View and Easy to Read.
If so, place it toward the Bottom of your Auction Page...
people want to see the description of the item that they "clicked on" first.
such as Microsoft Word.
cut and paste it from MS Word onto the Ebay listing form.
Professional and Attractive.
World Wide Web Consortium .
You should also refer to a Good HTML Color Chart
Old Sell Your Item Form while it is still available. Manual for the New Sell Your Item Form
If you accept PayPal, it must comply with those Policies as well.
Avoid threatening remarks such as,
“Deadbeat Bidders will receive Negative Feedback and a Strike and get Kicked off of Ebay!”
“100% Satisfaction Guaranteed, Return it for no questions asked, I will
refund shipping both ways if you are not happy with your purchase.”
Liberal Return Policies may draw the attention of Scammers,
and this can quickly put you out of business.
Poor Photos bring Poor Results!
Buyers will have no interest if your Photos are Dark, Fuzzy, or Confusing.
Educate yourself using websites like CNET dot com and Digicam Help dot com.
Read books like “Digital Cameras for Dummies”.
Inspect different cameras at “Best Buy” or “CompUSA” or your local Camera Store.
but using this kind of software to remove blemishes and
enhance defective items will get you in trouble.
Photography Tips dot com and similar sites can help you get that perfect shot.
Photobucket and Village Photos
to add extra pictures to your auction page.
so that if one site goes down or offline, you don’t lose all of the pictures
on your auction page.* * * * * * * * * *
Doing so will get you in trouble with Ebay,
plus possible Copyright Violations.
people expect to see a photo of the Actual Item that you are selling,
not some professional trade photograph of a mint condition item.
so conduct yourself in a Business-like manner.
until the transaction is complete.
Many problems are caused by Poor Communication.
Make certain that your items are clean and odor-free.
”Febreeze” and other Odor-Maskers
may not be sufficient to kill off
powerful Nicotine and Tobacco Tar residue.
you must disclose to bidders that your items come from a smoking home.
those items may have smoke odor on them.
you may want to ask the opinion of a non-smoker friend
(“Does this smell like smoke to you?”),
before listing the auction.
It may also trigger allergies in some people.
you should disclose this in your auction description.
are used by some Sellers to deceive people into opening their Auction Pages
but what about items that cost less than $100.00?
Should we insure those inexpensive items?
we will use “ballpark estimates” to keep this simple:
Postal Insurance is $1.35 to $2.30 per item.
Delivery Confirmation is fifty or sixty cents per item.
So you spend maybe $2.00 to $3.00 per item for insurance and / or delivery confirmation
for each of the 1000 items.
That comes out to
$2000 - $3000 per year spent on Insurance and DC.
Maybe you collect it from Buyer, maybe you roll it into your total shipping and handling charge.
An average Seller may have 2 or 3 items lost or damaged per year.
the wholesale cost of a couple of inexpensive items? No!
Not to mention the time you spent filling out online insurance and DC forms.
Recycling is great, but nobody wants their pricey item packed in a dirty, worn-out box.
It is Your Responsibility to get the Item to your Buyer safe and sound.
not just in the Ebay “pre-fill”, but in the Auction Description.
Make sure the Shipping Charges stated at the top of the page are
the same as the Shipping Charges stated on the rest of the page.
on Multiple Purchases from the same bidder?
State Yes or No in your auction description.
State clearly where you will or will not ship.
If you Go International, be sure and look at the section below titled
International Bidders
depending on the type of Item you are selling.
Buy a scale from an Office Supply Store, or off the Internet
You will be the person who has to file Postal Insurance Claims.
Don’t overcharge for shipping!
People know what it costs to mail a box.
If you charge $14.00 to ship,
and the item arrives with $2.85 postage marked on it,
you will get negative feedback and lose customers.
you may face Suspension from Ebay .
it is okay to charge Handling Fees.
But if you charge "Packing Fees" for easy to pack items like Books or DVD’s
most Bidders will see this as gouging.
you probably offered "Local Pick-Up Only" in your TOS.
“Hey, I live in the same town, can I come and pick it up?”
have them meet you at a United States Post Office
during regular business hours.
or if you accept a Credit Card, and the Buyer does a Chargeback,
you may not be able to Prove Delivery.
And trying to Recover a Bounced Check can be a formidable task.
Ebay Sellers based in the United States of America
MUST READ and COMPLY with the
International Bidders (outside of USA):
all Duties, Customs Fees, Taxes, and Tariffs
False Statements about "Gifts" on Customs Forms
Laptops, Electronics, Cell Phones, or iPods
to International Bidders
check the PayPal Website to make sure that
you have Seller Protection (Confirmed Address, etc.)
Consider Using
Bank to Bank Transfers
Canadian Border Services Postal Program
Canada Duty-Free and Tax-Exempt Importations
Commercial Imports Under $1600 Canadian
Commercial Imports Over $1600 Canadian
Canada Goods and Services Tax & Harmonized Sales Tax
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Federal Express and United Parcel Service. . If you ever need to send something in a hurry, use Federal Express. Know how to use Tracking Numbers for USPS, UPS, and FedEx. Be familiar with shipping and shipping rates.
Know where their Local Offices are located.
Know where Local Drop-Boxes are.
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Review the Websites for. .
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.Your Auction is Getting Bids! When you receive Bids, You can view their Feedback summary at While you are on the Toolhaus Website, . You can Cancel Bids before the auction ends. To Cancel a Bid click Help at the top of any page, then . Blocking Bidders You can Block Bidders from bidding on your auctions. To Block Bidders click Help at the top of any page, then .
Ending your Auction Early If you have Trouble in an auction, To End the Auction, use the Help Index If you End your Listing Early , . . . . .Is Dial-Up Hurting Your Business? It is very difficult to run a Business using Dial-Up internet service. Unless you live in a remote area, Make the Investment - Your Business Deserves High Speed Internet! . . . . . . . In May 2006, PC Magazine proclaimed America Online as the Worst Tech Product of All Time No serious Business would consider using AOL. AOL is designed for children, not Business. AOL is a highly censored and highly filtered Proxy Service. Users of AOL
are not seeing "The Real Internet". Cancel AOL today and get serious about your Ebay Business!
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Drop Shippers Some Drop Shippers are legitimate, honest businesses. But an increasing number of “Drop Shippers” are scammers and thieves. If you choose to work with a Drop Shipper, Call the Chamber of Commerce, the City Hall (Business Licensing), and Should I ask about Drop Shipping on the Discussion Boards? This question is asked several times per day . Pay with a Credit Card so that you have some protection. . A True Worst Case Scenario: A Seller received several thousand dollars from Buyers for computers Watch out! . . Record Keeping . Auction Listings . Use a good Screen Capture Program to make your copies. . Ebay keeps the information for a while, but . Use Microsoft Excel or a similar program to Graph your Income and Expenses . . . . . . Establish a Separate Checking Account and a Separate Credit Card for Ebay / PayPal. Keep a Minimum Balance in the Checking Account . Many Sellers are surprised to learn that their Telephone Number can be available to Buyers. Consider getting a Separate Cell Phone with Voice Mail just for Ebay. Buyers can also obtain your Address on File if they are involved in a transaction with you. Rent a US Postal Service Mail Box at the Post Office to use as your Ebay Address. . Beginning in July 2007, this will .Ebay's Announcement on Selling YOUR PERSONAL INFO to Third Party Advertisers .Security Center: Privacy Overview .Security and Resolution - Privacy Central
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Feedback Do whatever it takes to maintain Good Feedback! You need a strong Feedback History before you start Selling... a Seller with Zero Feedback may not get any bids. To build up your Feedback, buy some inexpensive items, pay promptly. When should a Seller leave Feedback? You should Wait until the Buyer Receives the Item before leaving Feedback. Remember, once you leave Feedback, You Cannot Retract the Words. Think long and hard before leaving Neutral or Negative Feedback. In addition to whatever Feedback you leave for the Buyer, . . . Seller's Mark Putting a “Secret Mark” on an item Many Sellers use a Black Light Pen for their Mark. Be careful here – if you make that statement, there better be a mark. Caution! You could wreck the value of a rare book,
Instead of intentionally marking a rare item, Many Sellers Record Serial Numbers for security. . .
Title of Your Auction on the Search Page You have two objectives: .Optimize your Title People are searching by Keywords in the search box. Your title needs to be informative enough to make people want to open it. Don’t waste optimizable space on words like “beautiful” or “l@@k!” . Gallery, Gift Icons, Highlighting, and other Upgrades are Expensive. . . . .
. . What about Taxes?
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. . . Disclaimer: . You may owe both Federal and State Taxes on income that you receive from Ebay. The penalties and interest for not paying taxes can be severe. When it comes to Tax Advice, do not assume anything, For Tax Advice, consult a Certified Public Accountant or Tax Attorney. A CPA can instruct you in what taxes you owe, Retain a Tax Attorney if you face Tax Evasion Charges, Audits, or other Legal Problems. Once you get a basic understanding of tax laws, . Ebay does not send you Form 1099, W2, W4 Update: IRS may soon require Ebay to provide Form 1099 However, IRS will have no trouble determining your income by Be familiar with the The Internal Revenue Service Website
Learn these forms and publications Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Businesses
Form 1040 Schedule C Form 1040 Schedule C-EZ Form 1040 SE Form 1040 ES Cost of Goods Sold . . . . Your state may require you to pay State Income Tax Your state may require you to collect and remit
State Sales Tax.
see your State Department of Revenue/Taxation Website . . . . . . . Coming Soon: Computer Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Privacy - Ebay's Right to Sell your Personal Information
Back to Top . . . . . .
Check the Bidder’s Feedback (time permitting)
If their Feedback is bad,
Block the Bidder , and then Cancel their Bid .
be sure to check the Feedback that your Bidder left for others.
If you have a problem bidder (bad Feedback, nasty emails, etc.),
you should Cancel their Bid.
click A to Z Index on the left side, then
click Letter C and
scroll down to Cancel Bids
click A to Z Index on the left side, then
click Letter B and
scroll down to Block Bidders
End the Auction
If there are Bids on the auction, you will have to Cancel the Bids
before you can End the Auction.
you probably will NOT be refunded the Insertion Fee,
unless Fraud or Unauthorized Activity was involved.
The Internet is too fast, and graphics and media files are too large, for such slow communication.
High Speed or Satellite service is available to over 85% of the United States.
you should have access to High Speed Internet..
Do your homework:
Find out who owns the Domain Name at Who Is dot Net
Verify the Street Address with Google, Yahoo, and the US Postal Service.
Verify the Telephone number with switchboard.com and with Google.com
Call the telephone number.
Ask for References. Call the references.
the Better Business Bureau in the town they are located in.
on the Discussion Boards.
You will probably get "Flamed" if you ask the question there!
that she was selling through a Drop Shipper.
She deposited the thousands of dollars into the bank, then used PayPal to pay the "Drop Shipper".
The Drop Shipper was a Scammer who took the money, and never shipped any computers.
The Seller's Bank Account was empty. She had no computers to send the customers,
and she was now Personally Liable to the Buyers for their money.
Make Copies on a Regular Basis
you should not count on it being available ("Murphy's Law").
Even if the raw data is there, the photos and images may become irretrievable.
Keep the records on your Hard Drive, and backed up on Disk.
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Keep a Low Credit Limit on the Credit Card
you can cancel the credit card and close the bank account.
Unless you Change Your Preferences in My Ebay
Include Third Party Advertisers
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This question is argued on the Discussion Boards all the time.
Some say, leave it as soon as you receive payment.
Others say, wait until the Buyer leaves Feedback for you.
That way you can address any problems or complaints before you leave FB.
Yes, you and the other party can do a "Mutual Cancellation",
but that does not remove the words, only the score.
Respond Calmly and Professionally.
Offering Excuses like "my computer was down" or "I was sick" makes you look unprofessional.
Calling people names like Thief, Liar, Cheater will also make you look bad.
consider posting a Reply on your own Feedback Page.
is used by some sellers to protect against
fraudulent refunds (“the old switcheroo”).
And if you list the item as
New with Tags, or Mint, you cannot mark on it.
priceless antique, leather purse, or other expensive item
by marking on it.
look for a flaw or existing mark and photograph it.
1. Get your Title to appear in as many Search Results as possible.
2. Make your Title so appealing that Buyers will click on the Link and open your page.
The more searchable Keywords you put into your Title, the more hits your auction will get.
Nobody searches for these words.
Ask yourself, ”Will this help me make more money?” . .....Click Here for Ebay's Selling Page.....
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The following is provided for General Information,
and should not be construed as Tax Advice or Legal Advice.
For Tax Advice or Legal Advice,
consult a Certified Public Accountant or Tax Attorney.
and do not rely on advice from friends or acquaintances.
they can assist you with proper record keeping,
they can help you meet tax deadlines.
Find a CPA who will be aggressive in keeping your tax liability minimized.
a Bookkeeper may be sufficient to help you complete the required forms.
or any other Internal Revenue Service form.
for Sellers earning $5000, or Sellers having more than 100 transactions.
The final determination has not been made.
reviewing your Ebay and PayPal accounts, Credit Card statements, and Bank Accounts.
(be sure you are using the correct year): Good IRS Article on Online Auction Sellers
Registered with Your State
before you can collect Sales Tax.
Collecting the Tax and not sending it in is a serious crime.
This is an area of great confusion... it is generally believed that
you only collect sales taxes from people in your own state...
if in doubt, consult your CPA or Tax Attorney.
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