"EBAY SELLING" EZINE
August 18 , 2006
In this issue:
* New AUCTION GENIUS Class Begins March 24
* FREE $100 eBay Gift Certificate: Keep It Or Sell It On eBay?
* eBay Map-It Service: Permanent Or Temporary?
* eBay Police Blotter: Serious Fraud Effort or Just-For-Show?
*
Half.com Sellers Access eBay Feedback System
* Dog Pack Kills Alligator In Florida
New AUCTION GENIUS Class Begins March 24
Auction Genius Course. Hard to believe that this will be the 23rd time I've taught this class. My current session is quite exciting since it's the second time I will teach my new Auction Genius Wealth Plan, so by the next class it will be even better. However, I'm not sure that we're going to continue teaching the Wealth Plan within the regular classes. So sign up now, just in case. And if you'd like a copy of our FREE Wealth Report, grab it now.
http://wealthplan.auction-genius-course.com/WealthReport.pdf
FREE $100 eBay Gift Certificate: Keep It Or Sell It On eBay?
Note: Several readers were unhappy with their experiments with the coupon referred to in this newsletter, and so I have removed it. When my friends & I signed up for this coupon, all we did was fill out a form. Thanks to those of you who wrote us! |
A couple of friends told me about this eBay gift certificate, so I tried it. Yes, it's annoying to fill out forms, but my certificate did show up, although it took about seven weeks. Still, a free $100 worth of 'stuff' on eBay is worth a little trouble and wait.
Now the question, though, is whether to keep it and use it - or to sell it on eBay. I didn't really know the eBay rules on this subject so I had to do some research and here is what I found:
eBay Makes It Easy To BUY A Gift Certificate
Naturally, eBay makes it easy for anyone to buy eBay gift certificates.
* You don't have to be a registered eBay user
* But you must use PayPal
* It can be printed or sent via email
* If you want to give your certificate to a friend or relative, you can include a personalized message
How To USE A Gift Certificate
Let's say you decide to keep your gift certificate and spend it yourself, and you want to buy an item that costs $129. What do you do?
* The seller must accept PayPal
* The merchandise has to accept only U.S. Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Pounds Sterling, or Euros
* The merchandise
must be paid for within 10 days of the item's closing on eBay
= = = = = = = = = = = =
+ Log in to PayPal
+ Look for the "Redemption Codes" section on the "Check Payment Detail" page.
+ Click the "Add/Select" button to use your gift certificate to make your payment.= = = = = = = = = = = =
So, you would use your gift certificate and include $29 out of your personal PayPal funds.
What if the merchandise costs less than $100? A gift certificate doesn't expire and there are no fees. So simply save the unused portion.
Does The Seller Lose Money If You Use A Gift Certificate?
No, not at all. The seller will receive regular funds just like any other PayPal payment.
What If You Want To SELL Your Certificate?
eBay permits the listing of gift cards, with the following restrictions:
* The value of the gift card may not exceed $500.
* Gift cards may not be sold as pre-sale items and must be in hand at the time of listing.
* Only one gift card may be listed per week, per seller. No exceptions will be made for sellers with multiple accounts. For the purposes of this policy, eBay defines one week as seven days from the end of the previous Gift Card listing close.
* Multiple Gift Cards cannot be combined under a single listing.
I checked this morning to see if "ebay gift certificates" were listed for sale and there were only two listings - neither one of which applied to this kind of card. I feel very confident that this will sell easily. What a nice problem to have ... sell at a profit or get $100 in free merchandise. I can take this problem all day long. :-)
eBay Map-It Service: Permanent Or Temporary?
The new eBay Map It service is apparently a test by eBay to see if it will boost sales. It's truly focused on items that are geographically desirable, like furniture, boats, cars and other large items. Let's say I'm looking for a piece of antique furniture. I want to check out eBay first in the hopes that I can grab up a bargain ...
Voila! According to Map It there are 15 armoires in my area. Not only can I see pictures, prices, etc., but I also get a map that shows me their location. All I need to do is talk with the seller and go take a look at my possible new acquisition.
This is experimental and there is a suggestion box that allows us to give eBay our opinion. Personally, I like it and if you do, too, let them know so they'll keep it around.
eBay Police Blotter: Serious Fraud Effort or Just-For-Show?
Are you familiar with the eBay Police Blotter? According to eBay:
The purpose of the Police Blotter is to share information with the Community about our efforts with law enforcement around the world. As you know, eBay Inc. is committed to creating a safe, well lit marketplace. When people break our policies, violate consumer trust and the law of the land, eBay and PayPal work with law enforcement agencies around the world to apprehend and prosecute fraudsters. For that reason, eBay created the Global Law Enforcement Operations team.
http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/law_case_study.html
Frankly, though, the Police Blotter is not very impressive at this time. But Mike Rou, an eBay spokesman says there's much more going on behind the scenes ...
* We contributed to 549 arrests since January 2006, resulting in 351 prison years for the convicted criminals involved
* We disrupted a major Tanzanian theft ring responsible for stealing $6MM in Hewlett Packard servers # We facilitated the first case between the Chinese Immigration and Customs Enforcement and China police which involved $840,000 in counterfeit DVDs
* We trained around 200 Romanian police, judges and prosecutors on how to investigate and prosecute cyber criminals Let's hope their efforts pay off because Net fraud is a truly threatening problem and one we all need to be concerned about, both as buyers and sellers.
Well, maybe. eBay will have to do better than this to convince me.
Half.com Sellers Access eBay Feedback System
Last month, eBay announced that sales from half.com would now count towards gaining status as a Power Seller on eBay. If you're not familiar with half.com, it's an eBay-owned site that sells:
* Books
* Music
* Video Games
* Game Systems
* Movies/DVDs
Up until now, half.com sellers couldn't accrue points towards eBay Powerseller status, no matter how much they sold. According to an eBay spokesperson:
Many sellers list on both eBay.com and Half.com. Now every sale you make on Half.com will take you closer to qualifying for the PowerSeller program. What's more, all sales on Half.com since November 2006 will be taken into account when determining your PowerSeller eligibility.
The qualifications for Power Seller are:
* Have been an active member for 90 days
* Average a minimum of $1000 in sales per month, for three consecutive months
* Achieve an overall Feedback rating of 100, of which 98% or more is positive
* Have an account in good financial standing What are the advantages of being a Power Seller? * Prioritized customer service - PowerSellers receive prioritized support by email or telephone, depending on sales level.
* More buyer confidence - The PowerSeller icon will appear next to your user ID in your listings and on your About Me pages.
* Networking - PowerSellers share selling strategies on an exclusive, PowerSeller-only discussion board.
* PowerSeller templates - Get PowerSeller letterhead and business card templates to use in customer communications.
* Newsletters - Receive monthly PowerUp! email newsletter and quarterly PowerUp! print newsletter.
Half.com sellers are doubtless cheering this good news.
Dog Pack Kills Alligator In Florida
At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.
The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the apex predator in its natural eco-system, can still fall victim to implemented team work strategy, made possible by the tight knit social structure and survival of the fittest pack mentality bred into canines over thousands of years by natural selection.
See the remarkable photograph below. Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the gator preventing it from breathing, while the remainder of the pack prevents the beast from rolling.
Beware! This is not for the squeamish!
Scroll down for photo ...
