E-mail: Name:

June 5, 2002

In this issue:
* Announcements: Lost Email
* Do You Need Traffic To Your Website?
* Feature Article: It Ain't Easy Being An Entrepreneur!
* Selling Books On Half.com
* Hot, Hot Category
* What's Selling In The Antiques and Collectibles World?
* Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200
* News From eBay
* Item Specifics: Boon Or Bust?
* Protect Your Password
* eBay Gets Its Own TV Show
* Hotmail Users Lose Out
* Bad News For Competition In Europe
* eBay UK Raises "Buy It Now" Requirements
* News From Amazon
* Is There Any Future For Niche Auction Sites?
* Fun To Look At ....
* A Dastardly Conspiracy

Announcements: Lost Email

For some unknown cyber reason, some of my email has been going astray the last couple of months. I use Pegasus, and it's been cleaned out and reinstalled on my computer. Hopefully, its working OK now. But, if you have sent me emails and I have not responded, that's why. Please write again.

Do You Need Traffic To Your Website?

A month or so ago, my friend Andrew Chastney mentioned a new site he was experimenting with, and asked me if I would like to sign up. It's 100% free and brings leads to your website. According to Andrew, this is targeted traffic: meaning that people interested in baby clothes aren't sent to sites selling DVD action movies.

I haven't had much luck with these things, so I politely declined.

Then, I got an email from a well known marketer who made $750 in sales the first week he joined the service. So, I asked Andrew about his results and here is what he said:

"To give you an idea of how it's working, here are today's stats from my account:

Links You're Owed: 15910
Links Displayed: 41008

Total Credits: 56918
- Earned Directly: 33
- From Referrals: 56885
- Purchased: 0
- Freebies: 0

Referred Users: 621
- Personal Referrals: 1
- Users on 2nd level: 218
- Users on 3rd level: 343
- Users on 4th level: 53
- Users on 5th level: 6

A 'credit' means your link and brief accompanying ad has been displayed once on somebody's browser."

He also says:

"What it _has_ generated is a whole bunch of new subscribers to my zine. I've had far more signups in these last few days than I would normally be getting."

Andrew Chastney
www.dogtrainingblueprint.com

Will it work? I dunno, but it is free and I am willing to give it a month or so and see what happens. If you'd like to sign up and give it a try, please go to:

http://traffic.auctionknowhow.com

Either way, I'll give a report in a few weeks.

Feature Article: It Ain't Easy Being An Entrepreneur!

In the early days of eBay sellers had to just muck around, hoping that they would stumble on the right selling formulas, the right products.

Today, however, there is no reason for this kind of uncertainty. There are sophisticated research tools that will give a seller a lot of clues to success. In fact, such tools really aren't a luxury. With so much competition, including giant corporations with zillion dollar budgets, we need to know what we're doing – and fast.

Auctions are still an art, and not a science. We need to test any and all conclusions. But the difference between high powered successes and the wanna-bees is the attention they pay to learning the business.

Too many sellers indulge in "backwards marketing": they find something they want to sell – and then go looking for buyers.

A more profitable way is to narrow your choices to a few categories that are interesting to you – then spend the time to figure out what the buyers want BEFORE you start searching for goods.

If I were beginning auctions for the first time, I would look at collectibles, because they often have a devoted audience that will buy again and again.

An example is the eBay category Coins: US > Gold. Using my favorite auction analysis tool, here is some of what we can learn about this dynamic category:

1. The first thing we need to decide is if activity is high in this category. A dull category with little buyer interest is not one to enter.

Gold US coins are definitely a very busy center. In the past 30 days, merchandise valued at $592,439.20 was offered for sale, and an amazing $513,589.80 was sold. Sale percentages of 40-45% are very common but these coins boasted a 55.29% sale rate. Definitely above average.

2. An important question is whether single auctions or multiple item (dutch) auctions are best. Our research shows that 56.27% of the coins listed in regular auctions sold; only 11.57% of the dutch auction listings were purchased.

3. Next, it is time to look at the current sellers. The quickest way to learn anything is to model those who are successful. And there is much to be learned from the unsuccessful ones, as well.

E eBay Power Sellers

A. Successful Sellers: (we will not use actual eBay IDS)

"success1" earned an astonishing $31,288 in the last 30 days, with an average sale of $2,844.36!

B. Less Successful Sellers

"less-success1" offered $34,030.39 worth of coins for sale but sold only $8,324,43 – a sales success rate of 34.01%. Not bad, but certainly not as lucrative as "success1"

"less-success2" auctioned $28,059 yet sold only $4239.52 of his listings.

The Two Auction Variables

Buyers only see two facets of the auction process:

1. The merchandise
2. The presentation of the merchandise, or listing

If I were seriously interested in this category, I would naturally learn more about coins, and be able to evaluate the merchandise in a more professional way.

But, we can certainly look at the listings of the three sellers above for some strong clues.

- - -

"less-success1" and "less-success2":

Both have listings that are one long, unformatted, black and white paragraph.

Both mention shipping charges and have pictures that are ... OK.

But, that is the extent of their listings.

- - -

"success1":

1. Colored background for his listing

2. His merchandise is colorfully and professionally organized in tables

3. The "title" explaining his coin is in large, clear letters at the top of his listing

4. He displays gorgeous, gleaming pictures, all of which can be enlarged with a click of the buyer's mouse

5. His payment and shipping information is carefully spelled out for any buyer

6. Shipping charges are clear and he will do international sales

7. He notes that insurance is included in postage charge

8. He has a 7 day return policy

9. He makes checkout easy

10 He points buyers toward his other auctions

11. He mention his store, so buyers feel more confidence in his business – and it points them towards other merchandise that he sells

Is it a coincidence that his sales materials are so much more extensive and professional and his sales are higher than his competitors?

The moral to the story: there's just no reason to "hope". Instead, become a scientist and figure out, through research and experimentation, exactly what works. You can and will find a way to make whatever income you desire from auctions.

http://analyze.auctionknowhow.com

Selling Books On Half.com

As you know, we have been selling a lot of Gary Hendrickson's great book, "How To Sell Common Everyday Books On Half.Com Like Crazy!". This coming Saturday our county library has one of its occasional book sales. The most expensive book sells for $1, and the bulk go for 25-50 cents. My daughter and I are going, with list in hand, to see what we can find.

Gary specifies 51 books that reliably sell for $19.95 and up. Buy them for 25 cents to a dollar – sell them for almost $20. Works for me!

Progress report next edition.

http://sellonhalf.auctionknowhow.com

Hot, Hot Category

You might want to consider sports items as a specialty category. Prices are high and growing higher. Here are four recent choice items:

1. $9,000 for a Babe Ruth autographed baseball:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1824620639

2. $8,601 for a 1953 Willie Mays card:

eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1824538207

3. $7,500 for a 1915 Cracker Jack baseball card set

eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1826338731

4. $7,600.23: 1986 Michael Jordan card

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPI Command=ViewItem&item=1825029841+

Further, Topps introduced an "etopps Event Series" recently following Mike Cameron's four home runs in a single game. They issued 5,000 cards exclusively online at $8 each and were sold out within 24 hours.

A 2002 Pacific Titanium Hockey rookie card of Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk, serial-numbered 09/13, landed a winning bid of $1,275.24 in an eBay auction that concluded Sunday. That auction established a new record selling price for a non-graded, current-year rookie card in any sport.

We turned Deep Analysis loose on the category of single, baseball cards, created 1990-99. These cards were GRADED – meaning they were assigned a value by accredited grading companies. This creates a higher level of trust in buyers.

- - -

Number of auctions in category: 8710
Number of auctions resulting in a sale: 215 (48.39%)

Number of regular auctions: 8618
Regular auctions with sale: 4203 (48.77%)
Number of Dutch auctions: 92
Dutch auctions with sale: 12 (13.04%)
Items sold per Dutch auction: 1.83

Number of reserve auctions: 291
Reserve auctions with sale: 87 (29.90%)
Number of no-reserve auctions: 8419
No-reserve auctions with sale: 4140 (49.17%)

Average number of bids per auction: 3.8

Average high bid: 24.62
Average sale price: 21.90

Total value of all high bids: 107174.40
Total actual sales in category: 92515.92

Number of sellers in category: 1494
Auctions in category per seller: 5.8
Average seller feedback rating: 782.0
Average total sales per seller: 61.78

- - -

One interesting feature is the percentage of sales with reserve prices. Those without reserves had a much higher sales percentage.

Try Deep Analysis out on the category of your choice.

http://analyze.auctionknowhow.com

What's Selling In The Antiques and Collectibles World?

According to TIAS, which has 440,000+ antiques and collectibles for sale, the most popular items in April were:

1. Plates
2. Rings
3. Carnival Glass
4. Cookie Jars
5. Fenton
6. Avon
7. Dolls
8. Teapots
9. Noritake
10. McCoy
11. Lamps
12. China
13. Limoges
14. Pyrex
15. Furniture
16. Shoes
17. Jewelry
18. Lefton
19. Dogs
20. Roseville

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

If you recognize the phrase above, it's because you are a monopoly lover, like so many of us. And a fascinating auction is the sale of the domain name, boardwalk.com

The name was originally auctioned at $200,000, with no takers. So, the seller re-listed it at $475,000 – still no bids. What's better than Boardwalk with a hotel?

And before you wonder, Park Place is taken. parkplace.com belongs to Park Place Entertainment.

News From eBay: Now They're Selling Planes

eBay motors has been selling cars, motorcycles, parts and memorabilia for years. Now they've added planes. As an introductory event, they auctioned even a chance to fly to the International Space Station. The bidding closed at $3,600,000, but the reserve wasn't met.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=1352881188

If you have an interest in aviation, this is a promising new area for sales.

Item Specifics: Boon Or Bust?

Certain categories on eBay allow or insist on "item specifics". This means the seller provides specific details about their merchandise. For example, the item specifics available in the Tickets category may be related to Date and Location of event, while the item specifics in the Laptops category could refer to brand and speed of computer.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sellerguide/item_specifics.html

For an example of item specifics, see

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sellerguide/view_item_eg.html

ebaY says they are testing this feature and have recently added it to Men's Clothing and such categories as footwear and accessories.

This sounds pretty innocent, right? However, this means you must use eBay's new "Sell Your Item" form, which is very controversial. Many sellers complain that it adds additional time to a listing form that already takes up a good deal of time.

Has anyone used these forms who would care to share their thoughts and feelings?

Protect Your Password

eBay has a page that recommends how to write a tough-to-crack password. Their suggestions:

* Do use at least 6 characters and a combination of letters and numbers:

fireman28a
5occerfan1963
mar23mbbd

* Do use multiple words without spaces

bestjetpilot

* Do not use single words that can be found in any dictionary

kangaroo

* Do not use your name, your spouse's name, your pet's name, birthday, favorite food, or any personal information that others can easily obtain.

viperfan
fido (pet's name)

* Do not use words or phrases that relate to eBay or your favorite hobby.

pezcollector
dvdseller

* Do not use a password that contains part of your User ID or email address.

jimmy (while your ID is jimmyinjersey)

http://www.pages.ebay.com/help/account_protection.html

eBay Gets Its Own TV Show

Beginning in September of this year, eBay will have its own daily, half hour show. The format includes live bidding, user experiences, interviews and discussions. They are looking for unique stories and hoping to create a legion of devoted fans.

Hotmail Users Lose Out

Apparently, many hotmail.com users aren't receiving eBay notices that go out at the end of auctions. eBay claims it's not the source of the problem – big surprise. If you use hotmail, you might need to find an alternative email address, at least temporarily.

Bad News For Competition In Europe

Yahoo auctions has sold out their sites in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. In the next six weeks, Yahoo will close close these sites down.

As part of a marketing agreement, Yahoo will recommend eBay as the "preferred site".

Yahoo will keep its sites going in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Japan and the US and Canada.

This isn't great news, since it takes away competition and makes eBay even stronger.

eBay UK Raises "Buy It Now" Requirements

According to new rules, seller on eBay UK can use the Buy It Now feature, sellers must have a feedback rating of 10 or greater or have a Direct Debit on file.

These requirements already exist on eBay Ireland and eBay Sweden.

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/basics/e_buyitnowonly.html

News From Amazon

Do You Have A Catalog?

Amazon is adding catalogs. Buyers can view this mail-order catalog online, read customer reviews, and order products by phone.

If you have a catalog, you can add it for free:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/
static/-/home-furnishings/submit-catalog/ref==
lh_csub_3/103-3023581-1639852

Amazon.com Catalog Service
1200 12th Avenue South
Suite 1200
Seattle, WA 98144
catalog-business@amazon.com

Is There Any Future For Niche Auction Sites?

It's no secret that I promote alternatives to eBay. It simply isn't healthy for ANY company to have a monopoly on the online auction business. However, playing in the same sandbox with eBay is a really daunting prospect. If Yahoo and Amazon can't compete, what chance does anyone else have?

One possibility might - just "might" – be small niche sites. They do allow sellers to focus on area of specific interest. Many of them were started by folks fed up with what has happened to their favorite category on ebaY, and wantd an alternative. The brightest side is that they often contain great information resources in their niche, and some of the top folks in the respective niches often reside on these sites.

Here are a some of interest. A few have virtually no business, while others have very respectable sale rates. Mostly, the merchandise sells for the listing price – few bidding wars here. The key point: all of their problems would be solved by <more people using them>. So, if you have a favorite category, you might consider becoming involved.

Antiques and Collectibles
Old and Sold - http://www.oldandsold.com
2130 listings 179 items sold since 1 Jan with an average selling price of $78.08.
35 items sold in Month of May, to date - average price $133.15

Everything Collectible
http://www.everythingcollectible.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi
556 listings 32 items with bids

Antique Photography
Antique-Photography.Com -
http://www.antique-photography.com/auctions/XcAuctionPro.asp
270 listings, 27 items have bids. Primarily stereoviews, a fascinating glimpse of the past.

Beads
Just Beads - http://www.justbeads.com/
4539 listings Of 332 items ending in the next hour in their going going gone section, 23 had bids. Some beautiful art glass beads.

Children's Clothing and Accessories
Two Buy Two.Com - clothing etc for multiple birth children, singles also.
199 listings, no bids on open items in random checks

Eggs and Poultry/Fancy Birds
Eggbay.com - http://www.eggbay.com/
1342 listings - items in the egg and live bird categories have upwards of 50% sell through. If you have a fancy for fancy poultry, this is the place to shop.

Glass
Just Glass - http://www.justglass.com/
25807 listings No way to really check bidding activity but bids/sales appear few in random checks. Some beautiful pieces listed.

Outdoor Recreation
Eye For Deals - http://www.eye4deals.com/
Shelves are empty, 6 listings, 2 sales in last 46 days

Pens
Penbid.Com - http://penbid.com/Auction/XcAuctionPro.asp
1111 listings of 33 items closing in the next day, 12 have bids

Pottery
Pottery Auction - http://www.potteryauction.com/
950 listings. Of 55 items ending in the next 24 hours - 3 have bids

Religion Themed Auctions
ePagan Auctions - http://epaganauctions.com/index2.html
1791 listings of 291 auctions ending in the next 24 hours, 15 have bids

Fun To Look At ....

The Wall Street Journal has been auctioning off caricatures used in its pages. The last group was entertainers. Check them out and see which ones you like. Personally, I think Tom Cruise's the the most true-to-life, while Denzel Washington's is awful. It doesn't even look like him. What do you think?

http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/ the_wall_street_journal

Conspiracy, We Must Stop This!!!

In our last issue, we published a great thinking-our-of-the-box question from Ken, an Auction Gold reader. This week, Ken reveals a deep and disturbing conspiracy ...

Conspiracy, We Must Stop This!!!

Have you ever noticed that when you're of a certain age, everything seems uphill from where you are? Stairs are steeper, groceries are heavier, and, everything is farther away. Yesterday I walked to the corner and I was dumbfounded to discover how long our street had become!

And, you know, people are less considerate now, especially the young ones. They speak in whispers all the time! If you ask them to speak up, they just keep repeating themselves, endlessly mouthing the same silent message until they're red in the face! What do they think I am, a lip reader?

I also think they are much younger than I was at the same age. On the other hand, people my own age are so much older than I am. I ran into an old friend the other day and she has aged so much that she didn't even recognize me.

I got to thinking about the poor dear while I was combing my hair this morning, and in doing so, I glanced at my own refection....Well, REALLY NOW ......... even mirrors are not made the way they used to be!

Another thing, everyone drives so fast today! You're risking life and limb if you just happen to pull onto the freeway in front of them. All I can say is, their brakes must wear out awfully fast, the way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view mirror.

Clothing manufacturers are less civilized these days. Why else would they suddenly start labeling a size 10 or 12 dress as 18 or 20? Do they think no one notices that these things no longer fit around the waist, hips, thighs, and bosom?

The people who make bathroom scales are pulling the same prank, but in reverse. Do they think I actually "believe" the number I see on that dial? HA! I would never let myself weigh that much! Just who do these people think they're fooling?

I'd like to call up someone in authority to report what's going on, but the telephone company is in on the conspiracy too: they've printed the phone books in such small type that no one could ever find a number in here!

All I can do is pass along this warning: Maturity is under attack! Unless something drastic happens, pretty soon "everyone" will have to suffer these awful indignities.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN GET THIS CONSPIRACY STOPPED!