Build an eBay Business Part 5
Creating eBay Business Processing Centers
From garage sale seller to PowerSeller, you have to accomplish a sequence of operations and processes to sell on eBay. It doesn’t matter if you work off a legal pad or if you use commercial auction-management software. All merchandise on its way to eBay buyers requires a certain
level of attention from you during its tenure under your ownership or control. The better organized and more efficient you become, the more time you will have to pursue other
eBay selling opportunities and, ultimately, you will become a more profitable business. In this chapter you will learn that no matter what level of selling you are at, you can benefit your eBay business by utilizing the concept of processing centers to handle the various tasks necessary to acquire, list, sell, ship, and finalize a sale.
Process Incoming Items
Chapter 2 describes several strategies you can use to acquire items. But once
you’ve purchased the merchandise, what do you do with it? Quite a bit,
actually, although the norm is closer to just placing the item in the nearest
available space on a shelf or on the floor. The more time and energy you devote
to get merchandise properly introduced into your system, the greater the
efficiency dividends you will receive during the time the product spends with
your business. The upfront time to establish inventory controls and attend to
accounting details will quickly become the “gift that keeps on giving.”
Capture Purchase Data
In the zeal to acquire and purchase merchandise, it’s easy (and tempting) to
throw all of the receipts and other documentation into a file folder or shoebox
and deal with it when the need arises (usually April 14). Though this method
might serve casual eBay sellers, as your eBay business volume increases, you
will need a more systematic approach to documenting your purchases. The best
time to do that is close to the time of purchase, when your memory is fresh and
any paper trails are still close at hand. Whether your system is a notebook with
lined columns, an Excel spreadsheet, or accounting or auction-management
software, you have to dedicate the time to log the captured data.
SET UP A SIMPLE SYSTEM
With a program such as Excel, you can create a basic spreadsheet that lists the
key information you need when purchasing an item. Create columns to record
data on each item you purchase for resale. Table 3-1 describes the columns, and
Figure 3-2 shows an example of a sample spreadsheet. (See Microsoft Office Excel
2007 QuickSteps, published by McGraw-Hill, for information on creating and
using spreadsheets).
USE AN ACCOUNTING PROGRAM
Keeping accurate records of inventory costs, selling prices, shipping and
handling, overhead, and other associated costs is the foundation to satisfying
government reporting requirements, as well as keeping on top of the
financial health of your business. Some accounting programs (such as Intuit’s
QuickBooks Simple Start/Basic/Pro/Premium series) do extremely well at the
business of accounting, but aren’t typically geared toward the business of listing
items for sale on eBay. Although you may find you can “force” one to do this,
it’s best to look at these programs as part of an overall suite of tools you might
employ and not the sole solution.
RESEARCH YOUR ITEMS
To create accurate listing titles and descriptions,
determine the best selling format (auction or Buy It
Now), and price your items where they will sell for
the best price-to-volume ratio, you need to know
your items:
• Search for the item on eBay to determine an item’s
value by checking the Completed Listings for identical
or similar items. View Completed Listings by opening
a category’s listings, clicking the Completed Listings
check box on the left sidebar, and clicking Show Items.
• Search for the item using search engines, such as
Google, to cast a wider net and see what you can find
in other auctions, brick-and-mortar stores, classified
ads, and wherever else the search engine mines
information. Or use specialized Web sites that feature
your type of item.
• Visit libraries, antique malls, and shows to purchase or borrow reference books on
antiques and collectibles, and to network with other dealers. Collectors’ shows are
one of the best places to gather information (and inventory) in any of the collectible
fields. You will be able to network with both dealers and collectors. This will allow you
up-to-the-minute information on trends, buying and selling patterns, and additional data
that might enable you to enhance your eBay listings. Your eBay sales will be greatly
enhanced when buyers can tell from your listings that you have knowledge of your field.
If you are a collector, you might find it productive to start your eBay business with sales
in your area of expertise.
• Contact others who sell, collect, manufacture, or use the item you’re trying to sell. You
will be surprised at how much information you can get from other eBay sellers.
• Use grading and authentication services to bolster your customers’ confidence in the
condition (grading) and authenticity of an item by having an independent, experienced
professional examine it (see the “Finding a Grading or Authentication Service”
QuickSteps.)
PREPARE AND SUBMIT THE LISTING
After researching and collecting the raw information for an item, the data
needs to be incorporated into a selling form that will ultimately become the
listing Web page. The technical knowledge required of the person preparing
the selling form will depend on the method you use to create your listing and
how much customization you add to it. For example, listing items with the
simplified Create Your Listing form (auction listings only) and the standard
Sell Your Item form that allows you to customize your listing, using eBay
Picture Services to host images, and using prebuilt templates requires little but
fundamental computer skills. However, if you create your listings from scratch
using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), host your own photographs, and
use custom listing or management software, the new computer user would be
challenged. Chapter 4 describes how to create listings to maximize sales using
tools such as Turbo Lister, shown in Figure 3-8.
Find the most inquisitive and creative person or
employee in your business and put him or her in charge
of researching items and preparing listings.
TIP:
To a receive a quick and inexpensive appraisal of an item
you’re selling, click the What’s It Worth To You link at the
bottom of the Opinions, Authentication & Grading page
(see the “Finding a Grading or Authentication Service”
QuickSteps). After creating an account and providing
basic information, such as category, description, and
pictures, and any amplifying
information required by their
appraiser, you will be able to
download an appraisal certificate.
SET UP THE PICTURE ZONE
As a casual seller, you probably spent an inordinate amount of time preparing
the background to take pictures of your items, putting the equipment away
when you were finished, and then repeating the process every time you
listed a new item. A necessity when you are limited by space and equipment
constraints, but not a process you want to continue as your listing volume
increases. To streamline the picture-taking process, dedicate the space you
need—commensurate with the type and size of items you’re selling—and leave
the “studio” intact so you can quickly introduce subsequent items. When setting
up the picture area, consider:
• Lighting. Use natural lighting, light bars, and other light sources you can install and
leave in place once you’ve found the illumination satisfactory, as shown in Figure 3-9.
Avoid using a flash if you can. Pictures taken with a flash tend to produce undesired
results, such as creating reflections off glass or other shiny surfaces. Some items lend
themselves well to outdoor/natural light photography. Consider this option with smaller
and more portable items, if it’s convenient—you probably don’t want to climb up and
down five flights of stairs to shoot photos outside.
• Camera mounts. Set up a tripod on the floor or a table, and adjust it for optimal
picture taking. Remove the camera for safekeeping at the end of the day, but leave the
tripod in place for a quick setup for the next photo opportunity.
• Scanners. A good place to set up a scanning station is with your photo studio. Set up
a computer in your studio with your scanner and digital camera software and memory
card readers, and connect it to other networked equipment in your business.
• Backgrounds and backdrops. Whether your items are small or large, you will want to
place your items on top of or in front of appropriate backgrounds to accentuate them.
For example, for large items, you could install rods similar to curtain or shower rods on
a wall so you could easily slide on a different background from your stock.
Access Shipper Services
Shipping packages through eBay gets easier all the time as better relationships
are developed between eBay and its shipping partners, currently United States
Postal Service (USPS), UPS, and freightquote.com (for packages over 150
pounds). These relationships develop into the tools you can use in the various
selling forms that let you easily select mailing options and services from the
shipping partners, relieving you of many time-consuming tasks. Depending on
the tool or service you employ, you can:
• Choose the carrier and level of service you want to offer
• Show customers their costs upfront through flat-rate or calculated rates
• Print for-free shipping labels and Customs forms for international shipping
• Track packages
• Link with an inventory control system
For more information on eBay shipping in general and each of its shipping
partners, eBay provides a great clearinghouse at the Shipping Center, shown in
Figure 3-13.
1. Click Site Map on the eBay header.
2. Under Selling Resources, click Shipping Center. On the left sidebar, click links for
information on several shipping options and features.
–Or–
On the right sidebar, access information on how the individual shippers are set up to
ship within the eBay system.
–Or–
Review the Top 10 Shipping Tips at the bottom of the page.
Cut Shipping Costs
One of the slicker features eBay has provided over the years is to offer buyers
a combined shipping discount when purchasing multiple items from a single
seller. The seller sets up rules that govern costs for calculated, flat-rate, or
promotional shipping, and life is good (set up combined shipping in My eBay’s
Site Preference page). Well, it’s good if you’re selling commodity-type items
that have a standard weight and size that you can plan for in advance of your
packing needs. However, if you sell distinct items that come in all shapes, sizes,
and weights, you can run into situations where the anticipated package will
not conform to the combination of items purchased and added expense will
be required. To avoid these potential headaches, many sellers simply work out
a “worst-case” shipping cost to the most distant state and apply that flat-rate
cost to each item. (If contacted by a buyer located close to the shipping point,
adjustments can be made to their invoice for the reduction in shipping charges.)
One of the first questions that comes up when speaking of eBay shipping is,
of course, “Which carrier is cheaper, USPS or UPS?” Well, it depends. One rule
of thumb is to use USPS for lighter items, say, under three pounds and UPS
for heavier items. Another plug for UPS is their Special Pricing Program
for eBay sellers that provides significant savings over USPS pricing when
shipping is processed through eBay and PayPal. You simply need to have both
a UPS and PayPal account (go to http://pages.ebay.com/ups/home.html).
For even greater cost efficiencies, if you’re shipping regularly, consider getting
a UPS Daily Pickup Account. If you incur at least $60 a week in shipping
charges, a mere $8 per week can get you a driver to stop by daily and pick
up your packages. At the current price of gas (and not to mention your time)
that’s quite a deal. Contact the UPS New Accounts Sales Group at 800.877.1509
to investigate other pricing options and get a daily (Monday-Friday) visit
from Brown.
GETTING FREE PACKAGING
You can get a lot of free packaging items from the three
main eBay shippers delivered to your door (packaging
material is labeled for its intended level of service, for
example, USPS Priority Flat Rate boxes):
• United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPS
provides limited materials from their local post
offices. On the USPS home page (www.usps
.com), under Shipping Tools, click Supplies. On the Postal
Store page, select the items you want delivered, and
proceed to checkout, where
you will need to establish an
account (forms, labels, and
Priority/Express boxes and
envelopes are free; other
items incur a charge).
• UPS (United Parcel
Service). On the UPS home page (www.ups.com),
click the Shipping tab, and then click Get UPS
Labels, Paks, And More on the sidebar (you must
log in with your UPS account information to access
these free items).
• FedEx (Federal Express). On the FedEx home
page (www.fedex.com), under the Package/
Envelope tab, point to Manage, and click Order
Supplies (requires a FedEx account). FedEx is
not one of ’Bay's preferred shipping partners, but
when you need to get a package to someone
yesterday morning, FedEx is there for you.
• eBay. Click Site Map on the eBay header, and under
Selling Resources, click Shipping Central. Click
Find Shipping Supplies On eBay on the sidebar
to display “almost free” listings in the Shipping &
Packing category.
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