from articles in the past year

Cornerstone is an established small business with over 30 years of quality service dealing with the public. They offer a unique niche product selection which would seemingly be ideal for eBay. Commercial carpet cleaning products, tools, and machines both new and used.

Just as a small bit of background, let it be known that the owners of Cornerstone Commercial Supply are not rich people. They are the father and daughter team of Richard and Connie Carpenter, they both work every day to survive in this difficult economic environment.

Richard Carpenter

Richard Carpenter has been in the Commercial Carpet Cleaning business for over 30 years and as a distributor for over 12 in his present location.  He and his daughter Connie are honest, hard working dedicated people who give the customer a fair shake even when it is not necessary.

I consulted with Cornerstone Commercial Supply to bring them onto eBay as a client of iBusinessLogic in 2007, with the very best of intentions, now I feel as though I owe them an apology for what it is I have done.

It seemed to me to be a perfect match back in the end of 2007.  We researched similar product sales on eBay with advanced eBay research tools. This research revealed a steady and growing market for the professional carpet cleaning products, with competition already established and selling on eBay.   We had a solid plan and in our view, no other carpet cleaning supplier had approached the niche as we would, with a dedicated and well designed eBay store, a full product line, and very competitive pricing, we felt we had a good chance of growing a nice secondary business on eBay for Cornerstone Commercial Supply.

The store design was completed and a very enthusiastic new seller on eBay was born in January of 2008.  Unfortunately, since that first happy day and after the first sale on eBay on January 07, 2008, just about every roadblock to success has been tossed at Cornerstone by eBay, PayPal and to some extent - eBay's buyers.  It has been a very rough year for this small business on the Internet.

What happened?

The trouble began with eBay almost immediately.  The system eBay has put in place for new sellers is designed to prevent fraud, understandably so, but as a result it also prevents new small business owners from taking advantage of the eBay marketplace until certain milestones are met. One policy in particular served to slow Cornerstone's growth and stunted their success on eBay - the Feedback requirements.

eBay requires new sellers to have certain levels of feedback to utilize all of the selling options available on eBay. This single requirement prevented my client from establishing themselves as an eBay store which offers a broad range of products to serve the needs of the buying public. Simply because it was not cost effective to place hundreds of items on the site as 7 day auctions only.  Fixed price was needed, and feedback is required to sell fixed price. It might be good to know why this policy is still in place, is it more difficult to scam an auction buyer than a fixed price buyer if you are dubious seller? I don't think so.

As you may recall, eBay was pushing fixed price very heavily last year and some say the search results were skewed in the favor of fixed price listings over auction format.  We have no evidence of this but I can tell you that Cornerstones listings did not receive the same amount of results as other sellers in the same niche.  As a result, it became imperative to get feedback.

When sales were made, the buyers did not bother to leave feedback for this seller, as they have no requirement or incentive to do so on eBay since the feedback system was changed to a one way street in 2008.  This fact alone places the entire feedback requirements for new sellers into question in my opinion.  When buyers have no incentive or reason to leave feedback for sellers, and sellers can only leave positive feedback for buyers, the system is not on a level playing field. eBay has the capability of verifying the credit and banking accounts of business owners, so why should feedback be part of the equation at this point?  This has not affected established sellers as much as it has new sellers on eBay. eBay needs to remember that as established sellers leave, new sellers will be required to fill the void. When new sellers encounter this kind of friction, will they endure the pain or simple find other options?

Cornerstone could not respond by reducing pricing to a level below cost because of manufactures requirements to keep pricing at a retail level. It was a inhospitable start for a brick and mortar business on eBay.  (Some will say we could have gotten feedback any number of ways, including low cost recipe purchases and by having friends "buy" imaginary listings, while I did not advise my client to do these things, I did inform him of the possible options, it was a matter of survival. Richard did not want to game the system in this way and continued paying fees to offer products on eBay as auction only listings). Eventually the feedback issue was met by Cornerstone but not without a certain amount of confusion by these small business owners as to what the purpose really is for having these restrictions in place.

The first article I wrote which involved Cornerstone and a less than favorable experience with eBay came long after these initial bumps in the road, personally I was still very much involved with offering eBay up as a great place for small businesses to join the Internet sales bandwagon. It hurt me to write the truth in the following article.  Live Help - Communication at eBay - Cornerstone of the Buyer Experience was an article detailing how poorly eBay handled a problem which ended up closing Cornerstone's eBay store down for several weeks without explanation.

Followed by: this article: COMMUNICATION should be open - Not restricted! eBay - Please Read This!

and of course...

eBay Trust & Safety & Live Help Fails Miserably - Cornerstone Commercial Supply Update

The result of all of this bad communication and lack of customer service from eBay towards this small business seller was a pervasive lack of trust for the site or its management from my client.  Connie Carpenter especially felt that eBay was going out of its way to limit her business and waste her time.  Richard, her father took a more pragmatic view and since they had really done nothing at all wrong he viewed the whole episode as a bump in the road.  In the end, eBay did absolutely nothing to help resolve this situation, multiple phone calls only resulted in multiple versions of bad information.  We were even told Cornerstone's account had been hacked by Vladuz in Romania. (not at all true but this information came from eBay).

After the issue above was resolved Connie was more skeptical of the entire situation with eBay.  She continued to maintain the eBay store with carpet cleaning agents, parts, tools and machines but I could tell she had an uneasy feeling about the entire eBay selling program. After all they had just been shut down for weeks and she had spent dozens of hours on the phone and online with live help trying to resolve the situation.  When this resulted in nothing but stonewalling, bad information, and passing the buck to Trust and Safety (who would never speak with her) Connie was just at the end of her rope with eBay.

Richard had not dealt with the phone calls and resulting frustration himself. He works on Truck Mount Carpet cleaning machines and with his customers all day every day.  He liked the exposure the eBay store was giving him and the additional calls he received from other states looking for information about his products.  Richard really wanted eBay to work and he trusted that all of the issues thus far had been anomalies, that in the end all would work out and his business would succeed on eBay as others had. Richard had not dealt with eBay directly as Connie had and thus his perspective was different.

So the odyssey continued with months of sporadic sales, lots of watchers, some direct telephone calls but no huge increase in sales after the feedback levels were met and fixed price 30 day listings became available.  Products were listed in auction format, stores format and as fixed price listings.  Shipping was fast and reliable, exclusively with UPS and customer service was top notch.  Everything eBay wants in a seller was right there with Cornerstone.

What was the last straw?

PayPal

PayPal? yes, PayPal... hard to imagine?  Not for some sellers, especially not those who have experienced the PayPal credit card charge back scams perpetrated by buyers each and every day on eBay. This is a scam that cannot be guarded against by sellers as they must ship when PayPal accepts payment and lets make that point clear, PAYPAL accepts the payment.

What Happened with PayPal?

Cornerstone listed a $1200 carpet cleaning power wand extractor and sold it directly on eBay in September 2008.  The sale went flawlessly, the buyer paid immedately via PayPal and PayPal confirmed the payment.  At this point the seller, Cornerstone Commercial Supply has no way to verify the payment and no reason to do so.  PayPal said it was good, so they shipped.

The item was sent via UPS with tracking and insurance. Tracking was confirmed and delivery made.  The item was shipped to the buyers verified address and was accepted.

What Now?

No emails, no communication from the buyer at all... except for one thing...

The buyer filed a PayPal dispute.  PayPal almost immediately accepted the dispute as valid from the buyer and removed the funds from the sellers PayPal account.  This is without a single email from the buyer or any explaination as to why the transaction was disputed at all.  PayPal launched thier investigation.  Connie at Cornerstone sent PayPal every piece of information she had. She faxed shipping information and the eBay information she called and she followed up.  Then she tried to contact the customer who would not accept a single call or respond to any emails.

Lets review -

• Seller places relatively high dollar item on eBay
• Buyer finds item and buys it at a fixed price
• eBay sends buyer an invoice and charges the seller a final value fee
• Buyer processes payment via PayPal - almost the only option on eBay now
• PayPal confirms payment with the seller - Paypal takes a substantial fee for processing same
• eBay insists shipping be carried out within two days of payment via PayPal - otherwise DSR ratings will be severely damaged
• Seller ships promptly with a verified carrier and tracking
• Buyer receives shipment
• Buyer Disputes Charges - Not the shipment - not the product - just the charge.
• PayPal removes entire payment from sellers account
• PayPal conducts 90 day long "Investigation"

The result?

90 days of suspense culminates in PayPal returning a verdict in favor of the buyer.  Keep in mind, the buyer never once said that they did not receive the product or the shipment so UPS insurance will not cover this. The buyer also did not state that they did not make the purchase on eBay. What the buyer said is that they did not "authorize" the charge on their credit card.  In effect, the buyer claims they did not authorize the charge but still received the product has not returned the product, has not been directed to return the product by PayPal and will not answer any calls or emails from the seller.  The buyer has stolen the merchandise with PayPal's blessings and help.  PayPal will not elaborate about what their "investigation" revealed but they have no problem in insisting that the seller is responsible.

Cornerstone is dumbfounded by this turn of events.  They paid fees to PayPal to process and verify authorization on this payment, they followed the rules and they shipped a quality product.  Cornerstone paid for the item, the shipping, insurance, and fees to both eBay and PayPal and they get what in return?  The privilege of paying not once for a stolen item but twice because they are without the goods and the payment.

Richard and Connie Carpenter no longer feel that they can trust the business environment on eBay.  They both tried very hard to understand the various problems that have been presented over the last year by eBay and now PayPal but this last 90 day torture test was the end for them.  They can not trust PayPal to accept payments and verify them and if you do not accept PayPal payments you can not do business on eBay.  The eBay system has failed this small business.

I am in complete agreement with Richard and Connie's decision to walk away from eBay.  While I know that eBay works well for many sellers it also has become less hospitable for new small business sellers like Cornerstone Commercial Supply.

eBay is a very complicated and diverse marketplace with numerous minefields and seller traps to avoid.  Small business sellers like Connie and Richard, who sell high dollar items need more protection from PayPal and less restrictive rules from eBay.   If eBay insists PayPal be the only form of payment, they must make that payment golden.  When sellers like Cornerstone can not trust PayPal to make good when PayPal makes the mistake of not verifying the credit card of a buyer, a process the seller has no access to or responsibility for, then they can not trust PayPal and thus can not sell on eBay.

What Now?

iBusinessLogic has already started a new website for Cornerstone Commercial Supply.  We have not developed the site out completely but now that the client will have more time to devote to the stand alone website we will be working on this aspect of the business more.  One plan would include moving the eBay inventory to Bonanzle and integrating that inventory into the Cornerstone website explained further here: Bonanzle Shopping Cart Solution.

New Cornerstone Website by: iBusinessLogic.com

In many cases, especially in the past, eBay was the most effective way to bring small business to market on the Internet. In this case, with many different variables and reasons it just has not proven to be the best solution for Cornerstone.

Today it is even more important for small businesses to establish themselves online with their own web site presence.  Simply placing all of your faith and trust into one huge outside venue like eBay or Amazon is not a smart business decision.  If your business model works online, it should be established with its own URL and website.  Control of your brand, your product, your sales and your customers then lies in your hands, not with someone else.

I hope to update my readers with the transition of Cornerstone to Bonanzle (if we follow that plan).  We already know through previous experience that Bonanzle is a very friendly, Search Engine optimized and easy site to manage.  As a shopping cart solution it could not be easier for a small business to utilize. Payment options include Google Checkout, PayPal, Checks, Money Transfer, or almost any form of payment available.  When these attributes are combined with the advantages of having a stand alone business website with the freedom and control necessary to present your business as you want your customers to see it, we feel the solution fits the need of small businesses.

I am personally saddened by the turn of events between Cornerstone and eBay.  It was largely my advice that sent Cornerstone on this path yet they do not blame me for these events or the result. As such I cherish the trust this client has placed in me to help them find the best way forward and the am inspired by the clients understanding that I could never have predicted all of the various changes and oddities that eBay has thrown at them in the last year.

We will bring Cornerstone the success they deserve online - it just wont be on eBay.

Running an eBay consignment business can be complicated, time consuming, and nerve wracking...

As a business, consignment selling on eBay is not the easy get rich quick scheme some would have you believe. While initially setting up an eBay consignment business may sound like a ticket to easy street...

Whats better than selling other peoples stuff and making a 40% commission from the sale?

Having a retail store without owning inventory...

When one gets right down to the facts, its not that simple...

eBay consignment has its rewards and challenges, like any other business. The difference here is the dependence eBay consignment sellers have on outside influences. Outside factors have a great deal to do with how well an eBay consignment based business will prosper or if it will even survive.

Some of those outside sources of influences are:

1. eBay - eBay itself controls whether you have a business at all. If you make just three bad decisions, your account can be closed forever and you will be shut down. Tough to be a eBay consignment business without eBay. Knowing the rules of eBay is sometimes just enough to stay out of trouble. But as we all have seen recently, eBay can change the rules at any given moment and these rules are interpreted by different eBay employees with differing view points at different times. One day you can be perfectly OK, the next day all 250 items you have listed this week can be removed without even an email warning. Be aware of the risks because the listing fees you lose will be your own.
2. Local Government - Your local or State Governments can decide in a moment to come down on your operation for breaking rules you were not breaking the day before. (SEE PENSYLVANIA)
3. Customers - Your first customers - the sellers, are your life blood, without them you have nothing to sell. They all want you to work for minimum wage and they have a hard time understanding why you need to "charge so much". Customers can also lead you into peril with outside factor number 1 - eBay, if just one customer places a shill bid, or gives you stolen merchandise to sell... can lead to trouble your business can not withstand and you did not deserve.
4. Expenses - You are not really running a store without inventory, your landlord knows that and so does your insurance agent. You are running what the insurance companies want to classify as a Pawn Shop. When insurance company underwriters see the code for "Pawn Shop", whatever that code may be, on the agents form for your quote... they immediately think guns, and robbery and all kinds of unsavory situations involved with bailee insurance coverage. They quote high rates, if they return a quote for coverage at all... and you end up paying much more than a simple retail store would for a similar exposure. - Other expenses including eBay fees, PayPal fees and Software expenses sometime become a reality no one at the franchise office or eBay warned you about.
5. Hours - If you thought eBay consignment was a 9-5 type of job for a store owner, well you may have been mislead. Running an eBay consignment or drop store will take a great deal of time. Each item you accept through your doors must be handled and processed in multiple steps both in intake and when processing for shipment. Plan on each item taking up at least one hour of employee or owner time, start to finish, if your lucky. Multiply that by the 250 - 400 items you should be trying to process per week and you get the picture. Lower the number of items processed by raising the bar on what you accept is one option... but then you reduce your overall numbers and raise the amount of time each higher priced item will demand of your man-hour pool. (Higher priced items get more questions, demand better photos and need more careful handling and packaging).
6. eBay Sellers & Buyers - As a consignment seller it is necessary to include numerous disclaimers in your listing details sections on your eBay auctions detailing the facts . i.e. "This is not a new item, there is no warranty, we only take returns if we did not describe it correctly, you will pay shipping for returns etc"... All of these necessary protections are reasonable from your point of view as a consignment seller. They are not reasonable from the point of view of most buyers on eBay. If the eBay buyer smells a possible problem, they bolt and do not bid. Your standard disclaimers hurt your chances to sell your items. It is a catch 22. Buyers are your second set of customers for each item you list and hopefully sell. This second set of customers, the buyers, are very inquisitive and they demand to know certain facts about certain items you have listed for sale. Some of these questions may be difficult to answer. This in turn causes you to either fake an answer, ignore the question from the buyer, or to forward the question to your seller. Your first customer the seller may answer in a less than honest manner to get the item sold. All of these questions and answers take time and in the case of incorrect answers returning from your seller customer, can put you in a bind with the buyer customer. - In the end you are in the middle serving two customers for each item sold.
7. Unsold Items - It is a fact that not every item will sell on eBay. Some items will not sell, no matter how much you lower the price. If you run these items as auctions on eBay too many times for your first customer the seller the eBay listing fees will build up to unacceptable amounts. Even if you charge an up front fee, the eBay fees are lost money if an item does not sell. To make money on each item brought through your door just from a man-power and eBay listing fee perspective, you would need to charge an upfront fee to your first customer - the seller of $25 or more. (Consider labor, electricity, lease payment, insurance costs, etc etc...). We all know mechanics charge $35 to just estimate the repair on a car, but when it comes to eBay consignment it is very difficult to get reimbursed from your first customer - the seller what you have spent for your time.
8. Employees - Do you need employees? Yes, you do... One person can not process the amount of product necessary to meet the monthly overhead of a full eBay drop store operation. Three full time people is the usual minimum used for successful operations. (By successful I mean meeting the overhead and paying the landlord). So, why are employees an outside source of influence over your business? Most business owners know why, but in this instance the reasoning can be a bit different. Finding good employees, who understand the intricacies of this business is the first challenge, keeping them is the second. After those challenges are met, your next hurdles include trusting other people to handle and describe , merchandise you do not own. If a description is incorrect or the right keywords are selected for the title of the item on eBay, you can lose money for yourself and your first customer the seller. As the owner of the business your job is to bring in sales and handle marketing. You must depend upon your employees for your product presentation (eBay description). Unless you plan on describing every item yourself... You should have good employees. Good employees with computer skills, customer service skills, no criminal record etc... are not inexpensive, nor are they easy to find and keep. Offer those employees incentives in the form of commissions on sales and you will open up a whole new can of worms. Shill Bidding - Your employees can not have any incentive to bid on your consignment items themselves. If they do it, you will lose... possibly your entire business. Be very wary of offering commissions on sales.
9. Limited Venue - eBay... Yes eBay... Everyone I know is painfully aware of the fact that I sing the praises of eBay every chance I get... I fully and completely believe, as a marketplace eBay is unmatched, but it is just one marketplace. Placing your entire business plan and future prosperity in the hands of just one provider or one outlet to sell your consigned items... is a very risky proposition. I think the events of the past week have proven this to be true (See REDOL). eBay changes the rules, when they want to. They have not a care about the investment you have made in your business. When you set up an eBay consignment store or TA business, your banking on the fact that eBay will be there with you 100% and will not change the rules or raise the fees, or eliminate your ability to offer your services (as in the case of eBay Motors recently) to the public. Almost every successful Internet business today sells in many "channels" or on multiple venues. Stand alone eCommerce websites, Amazon, Yahoo, Buy.com, Overstock, even Craig's List. eBay is not the only game in town any longer. As an eBay consignment seller, especially if tied to a franchise, you are pretty much locked into one solution or venue to sell your wares. This is a choice no savvy marketer would make in good conscience, not if long term stability and profitability were in his/her goals.
10. Progress - Read the tea leaves... eBay is changing and morphing into a new and some think a better place. eBay is too large and has too many high dollar, high profile new merchandise sellers to remain a place where used Pez dispensers can be sold at a profit. Repeatable inventory sales is the future... or actually the now of eBay. No consignment seller will have repeatable merchandise to compete with the big sellers on eBay. When you list a used item for your customer -( the seller) and learn that a brand new item or one very similar, can be purchased for pennies more than what you know your customer should receive for his nearly new item... you know the game is up.

eBay has become the land of mass merchandising.

Used item auctions will remain as the core of eBay but the role of auctions will continue to diminish over time. See the recent quotes by new eBay CEO John Donahoe. In addition as people become more Internet savvy and sell their own items on Craigslist or Kijji for free the demand for eBay professionals to provide this service will be diminished. Progress is inevitable, when the eBay consignment industry was born most of our consignment customers did not know how to turn on a computer or surf the web. Now it is estimated high speed Internet connections will be available in 70% of US homes in the next few years.

Grandmothers are selling on eBay and kids are inventing new and interesting worlds online like Second Life or Club Penguin. If you don't know what those last two places are, you are no longer an Internet savvy pioneer and have become one of the old school Internet professionals. Kinda feel like a blacksmith?

What to do?

If you are contemplating opening an stand alone eBay consignment drop store, one which sells nothing but merchandise brought through the door by consignment customers... Please study your numbers, your costs, your soul... before dedicating any of your own assets to this type of venture. As a former franchise representative for an eBay drop store chain, I can tell you the numbers were not looking good nationwide back in 2006. This is 2008 and many of the market factors limiting the profitable outlook for a stand alone eBay drop stores have only become more competitive.

If you are thinking about adding eBay sales and eBay consignment in a limited fashion to your pre-existing business...

Great idea! Just be aware of the consignment challenges and be sure to include selling other new and repeatable merchandise in your eBay business plan. eBay can be a huge benefit for any retail or wholesale operation needing a boost in exposure, sales, and eCommerce revenue. Using consignment to boost your existing revenue or offer a trade in program for your regular customers is a great way to increase overall business. This is what we do for our clients at All Business Auctions and I can tell you it works. There is no better and less expensive way to get your brand and your products in front or more buyers worldwide. As long as your outlook is focused on the advertising and exposure benefits and possibly the service to existing customers aspects, you will find an eBay program to be very rewarding for your business.

If your currently a eBay drop store franchisee or owner...

Look for ways to move your business into other markets. Most franchises are trying to offer import good from the far east as a way to placate their franchisees who are not generating the revenue originally projected for the eBay drop store consignment business. I think these measures are someone foolhardy. Yes, every eBay drop store owner could profit by selling repeatable merchandise. The merchandise offered by the franchises does not seem to be repeatable however. (small lots of no-name brand second run merchandise). Be careful about what types of merchandise you import or buy to supplement your store sales. You do not want to end up owning a container full of widgets which also can not be sold. Some drop stores have begun to sell pallet loads of returned electronics and other merchandise bought from brokers. This is a difficult way to add to your bottom line. The high rate of returns inherent with this kind of already returned merchandise will do nothing for your feedback rating or your labor costs.

Bottom line for drop store owners is to look for a way out.

If your store is just on the edge of profitability or it has never reached profitability then you should be looking for better ways to make your money work for you.

You can do what I have done with All Business Auctions and move your business from a consignment only model to that of a business to business service provider. Become what you are in your community - an eBay and eCommerce expert. Use the knowledge you have gained during this time of eBay growth and decline of eBay consignment to further your goals in business. Business to business coaching and consulting is one of the most lucrative professions in the world.

If set up and trained correctly you can make enough money in one afternoon of consulting to cover the overhead of your store for a month. How many businesses in your community would be interested in learning about how to sell product on eBay without having to pay you a commission on each item sold? What if you could set them up with the software, the eBay store design and the tools necessary and then be there for them as a paid consultant to help them get online and selling smoothly and efficiently? Could you sell your local chamber members on a service like that?

I am sure you could... Sometimes there is opportunity in the darkest moments. If your consignment sales business has been floundering, maybe you should look at it differently. Look at the time spent as a training program for your future.

Scott Pooler -  All Rights Restricted - Reprint only with prior written permission

Usually we can evaluate the value of this merchandise in the blink of an eye, or possibly with a quick online trip to Terapeak...

But when something is presented by a client... say possibly a fine piece of antique furniture, do you get that uneasy feeling in your gut that says "I might need a real appraisal on this one"? 

If you don't get that feeling, you must have extensive antiques experience or your just flying by the seat of your pants. Not knowing the true value of any fine antique can cost you and your client hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

To sell an antique properly, you must know more than the projected value at auction of the piece.  You will not get that projected value if you do not describe it correctly in your listing with all of the historical detail possible.

How do you get that information?  From a book?

You could, if you had the time...

From Terapeak or Hammertap? - Not likely...

From eBay? - Please, you would be depending upon some other seller who may not know what he is talking about...If you could find the same exact piece listed at all... (Not likely with antiques)

How about from an appraiser? Yes a real, licensed expert in antiques appraisal!

Isnt that expensive? - Sure, locally you could spend quite a bit of cash on a certified appraisal, but what if you could get one completed online from your photographs?

With the same Seal of Approval and accuracy? Something you can take to your buyer with confidence...

Thats where AuctionWally comes in... With "Whats it Worth" http://auctionwally.blogspot.com/

Wally will give you more than a simple selling price for your fine antique... Wally gives you the expected Retail, Wholsale and the "Sell it Fast" price.  Real world prices, not some inflated numbers from a book written by people who never heard of eBay.  On top of that, Wally will share some of the history of the piece, tell you how it should be cared for and present his findings online on his site.

Why is posting the appraisal online great? - Because you can link to that "Official Appraisal" in your auction listing on eBay and your buyers will be assured that the piece is what you say it is... Apprasied by a licensed Appraisal expert and Auctioneer... Will that sell it, or what?

Here is what you can expect from AuctionWally All for only $9.95

Do you need an honest, professional appraisal of your antique(s) in a quick manner for a very fair price?

Walt Kolenda, a licensed MA auctioneer with 25 years in the antiques & collectibles business. MA license #2621 will give you what you need.

Walt has held hundreds of live auctions, and has sold thousands of items on eBay where I've been selling antiques, collectibles and many other items for 8 years. His eBay ID is Auctionwally.

AuctionWally's Antiques Appraisals are the best on the Internet and the best for other TA's to consider...

Here's why:

Wally offers a 100% money back guarantee, no questions asked. If for any reason you're unhappy with your appraisal, simply request a refund within 7 days of the posting of your appraisal and He will cheerfully refund 100% of your money.

• Your appraisal will include several prices - a retail price, a medium range price, and a quick sale price. Wally will explain the difference among these prices, and how to achieve each to the maximum benefit.
• Your appraisal will come with professional wording as well as standard industry terminology/slang, should you need to know these for official purposes IE litigation, insurance, resale. In short, you'll know what your item is, and what the professionals call it.
• Your appraisal will come with tips on how to care for it and store it.
• Your appraisal will be conducted by Walt Kolenda personally, a professional auctioneer with many years of selling experience. There's a good chance I've sold something exactly like, or similar to the item your requesting an appraisal on, probably more than a few times!
• Your appraisal will include top notch selling tips. Are you looking to sell your item? Just state so in your request, and your geographic location and Walt will give you tips on how to get the most for your item.
• Your appraisal will be posted online, so you can reference it to anyone who needs to see it, and if you ever lose it, you know right where to find it. (Of course it will not include any personal information) This can be extremely useful when trying to sell your item.
• You may pay for your appraisal knowing your payment information is secure with PayPal.
• Your appraisal will be completed and posted online within 3 days from day of purchase or it's free.

If you can honestly find a better deal at only $9.95, then please email me... Because I have never seen a better deal.

Cornerstone Commercial Supply Inc. is the proud new owner of an eBay Store designed by DesignLogic with Frooition and All Business Auctions.  

Our design work was completed over the holidays and installed on January 7, 2007.

Within hours of the installation of our custom eBay store design the client, Cornerstone Commercial Supply Inc., logged thier very first eBay store sale... Congratulations Cornerstone!

Richard Carpenter - Owner of Cornerstone is very pleased with the immediate and verifiable advertising exposure already generated by the site. "We have already had inquirys from professional carpet cleaners in other states asking about purchasing our best Truck Mount Carpet Cleaning machine packages and we do not even have any of them listed in the eBay store yet". "I am really excited about all of the exposure this eBay store".  Read More...

Call Scott Pooler at iBusinessLogic / All Business Auctions to learn about the benefits of an eBay store for your business.

727-596-6900

If your goal is to start an eBay based business you should read this article.

The best way(s) in our opinion, to make money on eBay as part of an well crafted eBay business plan, will be revealed after our review of these more "commonly" touted methods.

The text in this post edited in italics is a previously compiled list of 11 common methods for sourcing products to sell and make money with on eBay. The article was originally written by a self appointed drop ship guru by the name of Mike Makler AKA "The Coolest Guy in the Universe".

Last Year over 20 Billion Dollars worth of product was sold on Ebay. (Yes Billion with a "B"). Many people are earning $10,000 or more selling on Ebay. Many more would like to sell on Ebay but they face that big hurdle - Where Do I find Items to sell on Ebay. Here are the 11 Best Places to Find Items to sell on E-Bay.

Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

Original Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

About The Original Author: Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built an Organization of over 100,000 Members

1 - Garage Sales

The Strategy that works best with Garage Sales is stop by at the end of the day and offer to buy all the merchandise they have left. You can often spend $25 - $50 and then resell on Ebay for $500 or more.

2 - Storage Units

You've seen those Storage units. If people don't pay their rent the contents are auctioned site unseen. You can almost always make huge profits reselling these items on Ebay and you almost always break even if you happen to get a lemon.

• Breaking even is not the goal - The goal is to create a business on eBay. While this is a better idea than Garage Sale sourcing... because the auctions which list these storage unit sales are organized and localized (i.e. you will spend less time finding product). It is not a way to make money on eBay on a consistent basis unless you have a system to cull through an enormous amount of useless and profitless items packed in boxes and crates to get through to the few items which will make you a profit on eBay.

3 - Household Items

Clean out the attic, go through the garage and even your closet. Most Households have hundreds if not thousands of dollars of "Junk" they can sell on Ebay.

• This has to be the most commonly used and most ridiculous suggestion of all. Do you honestly believe you can sustain a business of any fashion by selling off your personal items? It may be a good way to get a taste of how eBay works, but this is not a way to "make Money on eBay". Breaking even is the only goal here...

4 - Government Auctions

Government Auctions are a great place to find things to sell on Ebay.

• This is almost the best suggestion in the list - Government auctions can be a very interesting way to convert investment into profit on eBay. You must know what it is your buying and how much your investment will cost you to make it salable however. Most of the profitable items in this sourcing pipeline are in the eBay motors categories. Confiscated boats, cars, motorcycles, RV's and more can be purchased at select government auction locations. Finding the real auctions and cutting through all of the bogus lists of these auctions in the first chore. But once you find your local or regional Federal, State, County and City auctions, you can locate some incredible bargains among the wrecked, damaged, and titleless vehicles for sale at these auctions. I would suggest that unless you have an extensive background in vehicle repair and sales that you should avoid this method of making money on eBay. One bad deal can suck up all of the profits from three good deals. Additionally, your costs for advertising the items for sale will be much higher than with general merchandise. Plan to invest at least $75 for each eBay motors listing - then price your Government auction finds low enough to make sure they sell the first time.

5 - Consignment

This appears to be one of the fastest growing small business of the New Millennium. You sell things for other people on E-Bay and you keep 25% of the profit.

• I am an registered eBay Trading Assistant, I have been a Franchise Rep for a multi-national chain of eBay drop stores, I have been working in the trenches of eBay consignment for many years... And while there are numerous reasons why you should add eBay consignment selling to an existing business or retail operation, there is simply no good way to make a profitable business out of focusing on eBay consignment as your primary form of income. eBay consignment is a great way to add secondary income, if done correctly. eBay consignment can and will attract a great deal of exposure and traffic to your retail location and your Internet web presence. BUT if you are about to launch a business as an eBay trading assistant or as a drop store franchisee, your prospects for becoming prosperous or even profitable are very slim. If you are already in this business, you should be looking for ways to bring in additional income streams, eBay consignment will not pay the overhead of a retail store location. The same rules apply here as with the Garage Sale scenario - Every item is different and every item must be categorized, cleaned, photographed, researched, described, listed, and if it sells, it must be packed and shipped. All of this is not difficult to do, but it is time consuming. When you add in the time it takes to turn away good customers because the items they bring into your store will not provide enough profit to make the investment in them to list, then you have a nightmare on your hands. The only suggestion I can provide for those who are in the drop store business, is to consider signing up for an eBay Store and then list every under $100 consignment item which comes through your door as an eBay store item. Add to the size of your web presence, create an attractive eBay store design and use the small items as bait to bring in traffic for your larger ticket items. Then get large ticket items listed - go after cars, boats, and RV's... It is the only way you can survive.

6 - Ebay

If you know a market like coins, Antiques, Stamps you can often buy items on Ebay at deep discounts from motivated sellers and then turn around and sell them at a very nice profit.

• To be honest, this is how I started in eBay - On the surface it seems like the perfect plan but in the end, shipping will kill you and as a business plan, the long term availability of a sustainable niche product is not assured. Of course you can keep an eye on your favorite eBay category and look for bargains usually made available by eBay novice sellers, but as a business plan this is hit or miss. Who really wants a hit or miss business plan?

7 - Retail Inventory

If you happen to own a store this is a great way to get rid of your overstock, Off Season or returned items. Using the consignment idea you can offer to sell (hard to sell items) for local merchants on Ebay.

• While this idea is not completely explained by the author or the original list, as a business plan, this is the best of the lot! If you have a retail store front and your familiar with your product line, have your source of supply already established and have a secure income stream from your existing business... Then by all means, eBay is an excellent addition to that business! Using eBay as a tool to add income, increase worldwide exposure for your business and bring in new leads in the form of satisfied customers, either buyers or consignment sellers, is an excellent eBay business plan! eBay can add o much to an established business, and in so many ways, it is difficult to fathom why more business owners have not caught on to the eBay revolution. If you want to investigate the enormous advantages of adding an eBay component to your current business plan, please contact Scott Pooler at All Business Auctions.

8 - Flea Markets/Swap Meets

Flea Markets/ Swap Meets often have Day Sellers. Many of these people don't want to load up the stuff at the end of the day and take it Home. By offering to by all that is left at the end of the day you can often get great deals.

• Have you been to a flea market lately? If you have, could you tell me what is it that you would be willing to purchase at the end of the day at a flea market, haul home, process, and market on eBay? If it is available at your local flea market, it is most likely available in every flea market in the USA. How many buyers are willing to even pay shipping costs for an item they can find at the local flea market. Not a business plan, this is desperation...

9 - Church Bazaars

The Church Bazaar strategy is similar to the Flea Market Strategy above. Offer to buy what's left at the end of the day at a deep discount.

• OK - I think we are really talking desperation here. What do you find at Church Bazaars? The stuff people could not sell at their garage sale... Don't even go there if you looking for a business plan.

10 Fairs and festivals

Use buy it all strategy above at local fairs and festivals.

• Repeating the same useless "strategy" is somewhat deceptive. If the author is talking about Art fairs or festivals he should also know that the art category is one of the most difficult eBay categories to sell in. People almost must see art in person to be motivated enough to purchase it. I really have no idea what else the author could be speaking about? The image of the Mother Teresa in a cotton candy swirl?

11 - Drop Ship

Drop Shipping is a great way to get items to sell on E-Bay. See the Ebay Resource link below for more information.

• This is where the author of the original article promoted his drop shipping list. Let's discuss drop shipping -

Drop Shipping is a universally touted almost magical elixir for eBay sellers. It sounds so easy, you set yourself up with a drop shipping resource, usually for a fee, you choose from thousands of items made in around the world (insert China), you place these products on eBay for sale, sight unseen... People line up in droves to buy the same off-brand junk every other drop shipping eBay seller is offering, you sell an item, the drop shipper then is supposed to take your order and ship it directly to the buyer.

As a business person, this sounds ideal, you never have to store merchandise, you never have to ship merchandise, you just market it on eBay for someone else, collect a small profit - if any, and hope to the gods that the drop shipper actually delivers the items you do sell.

The only good way to set up drop shipping is if you have an established relationship, one on one with a manufacturer or distributor or name brand products. These products must be in demand, they must be name brand and you will have already researched the profitability of these products before entering into any drop shipping arrangement with the company.

One scenario which would work in drop shipping would be if there were a manufacturer in your town or city, and you were able to get a business relationship established with this manufacturer. The following rules must be applied:

• The products this manufacturer are in demand and are searched for on the Internet.
• The price you must pay for the product allows your to make a profit - AFTER eBay fees and PayPal charges.
• The manufacturer will allow you to have an exclusive eBay or better yet, Internet/Web sales channel for the products.

Without these highly desirable factors in place, you will have no control over the products you sell and therefore you are at the mercy of the drop shipping supplier, and the buyer. If the buyer is unhappy, you will be responsible. Buyers do not care if an item is drop shipped, they do not care about anything but the product and the reputation of the seller. As a seller, your reputation (feedback) will suffer if your drop shipper drops the ball too many times with shipping delays, broken merchandise, or other possible problems.

As a business owner, you must have some control over your product - how can you be if you are in business with a drop shipper you have never met?

How can you really make money with an eBay business plan?

• Do exactly that - Plan to make money. You must have a business plan in place.
• Add eBay sales to your present income stream if you own a retail or wholesale business.
• Create an information product - Information products are a very worthwhile and interesting method to not only earn additional income for your business but also to draw traffic in to your storefront and your Internet website and eBay store.
• Establish a relationship with a manufacturer of name brand products in your town or region and market their product for them on-line and on eBay with a set profit margin in mind.
• Establish and eBay consignment depot within your present business - offer eBay services to your customers and they will come back more often.
• Use eBay to set up a trade-up program for your new retail sales of big ticket items or equipment. Customers will appreciate the convenience and uniqueness of this concept and you will not have any capital outlay in the used equipment while selling new equipment to your established customers.

There are obviously ways to make money on eBay - 20 Billion reasons prove that out each and every year. The trick is to know the tricks and/or to not fall for the commonly proposed methods of establishing an eBay business. The real money is being made by established and recognized retailers who have adopted an eBay strategy and have used eBay to their advantage. There is no reason why your business can not benefit in similar ways and Sears and Circuit City on eBay. You must have a plan and you should not expose yourself or your business to the many methods which will help you to lose more money than you make.

eBay is like any other business - it is not an overnight wealth building magic pill - you must work at it and be smart!

Give us a call if you would like more information about how and why adding eBay and Internet sales to your business plan are good ideas and how you can avoid the pitfalls of starting an eBay business plan.

Scott Pooler - iBusinessLogic & All Business Auctions Founder

When we sign up as sellers on the service known as eBay, what is it we are buying?

As sellers we are buying access to millions of Internet savvy consumers actively searching and looking to make a purchase of some kind... In addition, we are buying access to the information and systems developed by eBay to sell our products or services to those consumers. 

eBay is a repository of information.  eBay is a clearinghouse of transactional data and a venue to exchange information, in the form of marketing goods and services.  As a corporation, eBay profits a great deal from the knowledge they have developed over they last decade as the premier Internet auction house and marketing service in the world. eBay in turn sells that information and that system to us as sellers and we buy into that service each and every day.

Some may think eBay shares all of this knowledge, gained during years of Internet marketing, away freely. But in fact eBay earns income from every tidbit they choose to release to the public via the fees generated from each new seller who signs up to sell on the eBay system.

eBay has been phenomenally successful, when they share information - most everyone listens and follows what eBay says.  As sellers we pay eBay for the information exchange which occurs with consumers on the eBay site. We also buy into a system designed to effectively and easily sell products to the public.

If you own a successful business and/or have developed a popular product or service... you have information gained from the years of sweat and effort that went into the development of your business.

Information is the currency of most successful people. When you have information others covet then it follows that you have a valuable asset.

Have you ever considered the possible dissemination of the information you have gained which makes your business successful as a tangible asset?

People sell information gained through years of business experience in many ways, some through offering consultation services. While others choose to write long and complicated book proposals, which may, or may not be accepted by major print publishers in the hopes of seeing a business title written by them on the shelf at the local Borders books. Still other give it away for free, either through blogs or just simply by sharing everything they know with whomever asks...

Which method above should you rely on, to increase the bottom line of your primary business?

Will your consultation business grow into a profit center which will allow you to live the life of Timothy Ferris, author of the 4-hour workweek?

Or will a consultation business lead you into even more hours of the daily grind you already live with in your present business? And how will a traditional consultation business help you gain the exposure necessary to grow your core business? The answer is that unless you are Dan Kennedy, it won't.

Lets look at writing a bestselling hardcover business book...

What are the odds against your book proposal being
1.) Accepted by a traditional publisher?
2.) Becoming a NY Times Best Selling Title?
3.) Staying on that list for more than a week?

What about giving your hard earned experience and knowledge away in a blog or on the phone? Will anyone remember you for that, is that a lasting impression which will pay you back with business or cash?  Probably not... 

Pretty daunting...

But you did not become successful in your core business by being swayed by challenges, right?

So what is the answer? How can you profit from your years of hard earned knowledge and experience in a highly predictable and profitable way? How can you sell your knowledge and experience like eBay?

The answer is selling on eBay every day - information products.

What is an information product? and how can developing one help my business you're asking?

More in the next post...

I hope I have your interest...

Don't hesitate to contact me if you want the answer to this and many other questions you may have...

Scott Pooler
All Business Auctions
service@allbusinessauctions.com