spine=1.73” A fully updated eBay business Small Business Office and Legal Power Selling Storing and Shipping Promoting Your Goods Presenting Your Items Sourcing Merchandise Selling Like a Pro Essential Tools eBay Basics Making Everything Easier!™ 2nd Edition primer from Marsha Collier, 2nd Edition renowned eBay business expert! n e s s Open the book and find: u s i B a y B e Whether you’re thinking about starting an eBay business (cid:127) How to navigate through eBay’s e ® or are already up and running, this step-by-step guide will buyer and seller tools B lead you down the smart path to making a regular income (cid:127) Tips on effectively using your My a on eBay. With solid tips from the bestselling eBay expert, eBay page this reference helps you get your eBay business off the (cid:127) Insider advice on creating listings A y A L L - I N - O N E ground and manage the basics of listing items, completing that win bids L ® transactions, and keeping your buyers happy. L B - (cid:127) S ources for the merchandise that I N u (cid:127) Learn the nuts and bolts — discover how you can set up your sells profitably on eBay - O business, find and manage inventory, and run your business like s (cid:127) How top sellers use photos and N a pro HTML to improve their sales E i n (cid:127) Equip yourself with the tools that count — make the most of (cid:127) Ideas for promoting your business eBay’s search engine, online sources of information, the PayPal e both on eBay and off system, and eBay’s management tools s (cid:127) S tart selling like a whiz — learn valuable strategies for (cid:127) Worry-free shipping strategies s managing and maximizing sales (cid:127) Painless guidance on keeping your (cid:127) Source your merchandise effortlessly — learn the ins and outs of business legal online retailing and what it takes to buy and sell online with ease 9 (cid:127) Get the word out — find out how to set up the optimal eBay BBOOOOKKSS photo studio and develop and market your eBay Web site 1 IN (cid:127) Be the power seller you were born to be — from opening your Go to dummies.com® eBay store to the nitty-gritty office set up, get your business up for more! and running (cid:127) eBay Basics (cid:127) Essential Tools (cid:127) Selling Like a Pro (cid:127) Sourcing Merchandise (cid:127) Presenting Your Items (cid:127) Promoting Your Goods (cid:127) Storing and Shipping $29.99 US / $32.99 CN / £19.99 UK (cid:127) Power Selling Marsha Collier is a highly respected eBay expert as well as the best-selling (cid:127) Office and Legal ISBN 978-0-470-38536-4 author on all things eBay. Her books, including top sellers eBay For Dummies and Starting an eBay Business For Dummies, have sold over a million copies. Marsha Collier She is also a highly experienced eBay seller who was one of the first eBay PowerSellers. Author of Starting an eBay Business Collier For Dummies, 3rd Edition eBay® Business ALL-IN-ONE FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2 ND EDITION by Marsha Collier eBay® Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008943496 ISBN: 978-0-470-38536-4 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 About the Author Marsha Collier, one of the foremost eBay experts and educators in the world, is also a top-selling eBay author with over 1 million copies of her books in print. She is especially proud of two books: eBay For Dummies, the bestsell- ing book for eBay beginners, and eBay PowerSeller Business Practices For Dummies. Marsha co-hosts the Computer and Technology Show on KTRB 860am in San Francisco and on www.wsradio.com along with Marc Cohen. She also shares her eBay business expertise through video training segments at Entrepreneur.com’s Entrepreneur’s Coaches Corner and on her blog. Marsha intermixes her writing about eBay with her role as experienced spokesperson on the subject. She was one of the original eBay University instructors, as well as a regular presenter at eBay’s annual convention, eBay Live. Marsha also hosted the highly acclaimed “Making Your Fortune Online,” a PBS special highlighting online business. While traveling across the United States and around the world, she makes regular appearances on television, radio, and in print to discuss online commerce. Marsha earned her eBay stripes as a longtime seller on the site. She began her eBay selling career in 1996 to earn extra money for her daughter’s educa- tion (and eventually paid for university with her eBay earnings). She grew her business to a full-time venture and was one of the fi rst eBay PowerSellers. Nowadays, you can fi nd everything from autographed copies of her books to photo supplies, pet toys, and DVDs in her eBay store (“Marsha Collier’s Fabulous Finds”) and on her Web site. Marsha currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can contact Marsha via her Web site, www.coolebaytools.com. Dedication This book is dedicated to all you prospective eBay sellers out there who have the dream and the drive to succeed. I wrote this book for you, and I share my expertise so you can skip the trial-and-error and go straight to work gaining the most profi ts. Those who succeed join me in knowing that hard work and loving what you do get the job done — and lead you to fi nancial achievement and contentment. Good luck in your endeavors. I know this book will help you get to the next level. Acknowledgments Writing a book is a monumental task. Lots of people have helped, but the lion’s share of assistance comes from the encouragement that I receive from the eBay community and those I’ve met when “doing it eBay.” If it weren’t for Patti “Louise” Ruby’s friendship and support as the tech editor for this book, I think I might have lost my mind. She helped me keep on top of the many changes on the eBay site and never said no to my seemingly endless requests. Once again, I was blessed with Leah Cameron and Barry Childs-Helton who were my editors on this book. Working with Leah is a dream. She’s there to lend her unique style of smart savvyness to my words. She truly “gets it” like no one else. And Barry cleans up after us both. You’d almost think there’s no one on earth with such vast experience with the English language — especially Victorian nouns. I’m honored to have them as my editors; they help create the very best in the For Dummies series. Thank you, Leah and Barry. Then, of course, I thank the management at Wiley. My publisher, Andy Cummings, and my acquisitions editor, Steven Hayes, both work hard to fi ll the world with instructional and entertaining books. Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Composition Services Development Project Coordinator: Lynsey Stanford Editors: Leah Cameron and Barry Childs-Helton Layout and Graphics: Reuben W. Davis, Executive Editor: Steven Hayes Nikki Gately, Christin Swinford, Christine Williams Technical Editor: Patti Louise Ruby Proofreaders: Melissa Cossell, Media Development Manager: Richard Graves Christopher M. Jones Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth Indexer: Steve Rath Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services Contents at a Glance Introduction ................................................................ 1 Book I: eBay Basics ..................................................... 7 Chapter 1: Hooking Up with Online Technology ...........................................................9 Chapter 2: Navigating through eBay .............................................................................23 Chapter 3: Signing Up and Getting Started ...................................................................37 Chapter 4: Understanding eBay Sales ...........................................................................59 Chapter 5: Checking Out the Seller and Leaving Feedback ........................................79 Chapter 6: Bidding to Win .............................................................................................103 Chapter 7: Completing the Transaction ......................................................................127 Chapter 8: Participating in the Community ................................................................141 Book II: Essential Tools ............................................ 163 Chapter 1: Researching on eBay ..................................................................................165 Chapter 2: Researching on the Web ............................................................................185 Chapter 3: Effi cient Communications for Better Sales ..............................................197 Chapter 4: Simplifying Payment with PayPal .............................................................207 Chapter 5: Using eBay’s Management Tools ..............................................................223 Book III: Selling Like a Pro ...................................... 245 Chapter 1: Be Sure Your Listings Make Cents ............................................................247 Chapter 2: Understanding the Finer Points of Selling ...............................................273 Chapter 3: Listing Your Items for Sale ........................................................................303 Chapter 4: Using eBay’s Turbo Lister .........................................................................341 Chapter 5: Managing Your Sales on My eBay .............................................................355 Chapter 6: Using PayPal to Organize Your Sales .......................................................375 Chapter 7: Checking Out Payment Alternatives ........................................................389 Book IV: Sourcing Merchandise ................................. 405 Chapter 1: Understanding Online Retailing ................................................................407 Chapter 2: Buying Merchandise Like the Pros ...........................................................419 Chapter 3: Selling Other People’s Stuff .......................................................................437 Chapter 4: Liquidation and Drop-Shipping .................................................................451 Book V: Presenting Your Items .................................. 463 Chapter 1: Your eBay Photo Studio .............................................................................465 Chapter 2: Mastering eBay Photography ....................................................................481 Chapter 3: Sprucing Up Your Listings with HTML .....................................................497 Chapter 4: Getting Your Photos Ready for eBay........................................................519 Chapter 5: Getting Your Photos on the Web ..............................................................529 Book VI: Promoting Your Goods ................................. 543 Chapter 1: Developing Your Web Site .........................................................................545 Chapter 2: Marketing Your Web Site and eBay Store ................................................557 Chapter 3: Using PayPal to Increase Your Sales ........................................................571 Book VII: Storing and Shipping ................................. 587 Chapter 1: Organizing Your Merchandise and Shipping Department .....................589 Chapter 2: Shipping without Going Postal ..................................................................611 Chapter 3: Insuring Your Item’s Delivery ...................................................................637 Book VIII: Power Selling .......................................... 651 Chapter 1: Upgrading to eBay’s Selling Manager .......................................................653 Chapter 2: Managing Your Business with Third-Party Tools ...................................671 Chapter 3: Studying Your Statistics .............................................................................697 Chapter 4: Becoming a PowerSeller ............................................................................707 Chapter 5: Opening Your eBay Store ..........................................................................713 Book IX: Office and Legal ........................................ 733 Chapter 1: Getting Legal with the State and the Feds ...............................................735 Chapter 2: The Joys of Taxes and Business Reporting .............................................749 Chapter 3: Using Bookkeeping Software .....................................................................763 Chapter 4: Keeping Your Business Secure Online .....................................................781 Chapter 5: Networking Your Offi ce ..............................................................................795 Index ...................................................................... 805