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Dear small-business owners, entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs,Many people admire American entrepreneurs. But it wasn’t always so. About 20 years ago, entre-preneurs operated in near anonymity. We knew people were out there starting and runningbusinesses, but we didn’t give them much thought. Most of us aspired to corporate success—climbing the corporate ladder was a lauded goal. Then things changed.

Corporate ladder-climbers gave way to a sea of entrepreneurs. In the 1990s, millions of Americansturned to business ownership, first as a way to pay the mortgage between jobs. But these “acci-dental entrepreneurs” (as I call them) discovered they loved being in charge of their own des-

tinies and never looked back. And an entrepreneurial revolution wasborn!

Fueling this revolution was technology, which had become smaller,more affordable and much easier to use. Entrepreneurs (who needed

every advantage they could find) embraced technology, which helpedthem start, grow and innovate for less money than they ever thought

possible. E-commerce became an accepted (and welcomed) way ofdoing business.

Soon, the business owners who had started these small, often home-based companies found they needed help. So they started hiring. The

people they hired started spending money in their communities,leaving local entrepreneurs in need of more help. So they started

hiring. And so the cycle went. By the time we got to the end of the1990s, it turned out that entrepreneurs had created most of the jobs

(75 percent) and innovations (55 percent) in the entire decade.

And that trend continues today—only it’s even easier to start a business in thiscentury. Often, all it takes is something to sell and a way to sell it. And for hundreds of

thousands, eBay® has become that way. This booklet is filled with tips and ideas you can useright now to start (or grow) a business on eBay. You’ll also find out how eBay and the U.S. PostalService® have teamed up to make running a business on eBay even easier. And you’ll hear fromsome eBay entrepreneurs, people just like you, who went from thinking about starting a busi-ness to becoming successful business owners.

So c’mon. It’s not too late to join the entrepreneurial revolution!

RIEVA LESONSKYeditorial director entrepreneur magazine

C O N T E N T S2 GETTING STARTED

Lay a strong foundation for youreBay future. Pick a great User ID,setup a Seller’s Account, and get allyour basics in order.

3 EQUIPPING YOUR OFFICE

Get the materials you need. Bringyour office up to speed with theright hardware and software, andlearn to optimize your space.

4 DOING YOUR HOMEWORK

Double-check your plans. Get toknow your audience and the eBayMarketplace to make sure yourbusiness is structurally sound.

5 PRICING YOUR PRODUCTS

Be right on point. Use expert pric-ing strategies to get the most fromyour products.

5 PERFECTING YOUR LISTINGS

Put your best foot forward. Focus onthe details to ensure your listingsexude professionalism.

6 MANAGING YOUR TIME

Stick to your schedule. Balance yourhome and work life, and knowhow to get help when you need it.

7 SOURCING PRODUCTS

Keep the good times rolling. Learnwhere to find a steady stream ofproducts to keep business flowing.

8 KEEPING CUSTOMERS HAPPY

Turn on the charm. Practice exem-plary customer service to avoidany disputes and keep buyerscoming back for more.

9 LEGAL & TAX TIPS

Cover your bases. Insure youritems, stay on top of businessrequirements, and know when tobring in a professional.

1 0 PACKING & SHIPPING

Send your products out there. Packand post your products like thepros with a plethora of helpfultools from eBay and the U.S.Postal Service.

1 1 GETTING HELP FROM EBAY

Stay connected. eBay is a commu-nity—take advantage of its tools,publications and resources to keepyour business growing strong.

1 2 USING EBAY TO EXPAND

YOUR EXISTING BUSINESS

Cross-market in style. eBay can helpyou build your brand, increaseawareness and test your market—what more are you waiting for?

12 SETTING UP AN EBAY STORE

Move on up. Listings are great, buta Store really takes sales to thenext level, so go ahead, and makethe most of eBay’s options.

Must have! Want to know more about starting and growing a business on eBay?

Make sure to get a copy of Entrepreneur's new eBay Startup Guide, on newsstands everywhere August 30, 2005.

EBAY and the eBay logo are registered trademarks of eBay Inc.©2005 United States Postal Service. All rights reserved. Eagle symbol and logotype are registered trademarks of the United States Postal Service.

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Getting Started ( 1 ) REGISTER ON EBAY Go to www.ebay.com and click “Register.”You’llchoose a User ID and password and then enteryour contact information.

( 2 ) CHOOSE A USER ID CAREFULLYBe sure to choose a User ID that represents yourbusiness or the items you sell. This will becomeyour eBay brand identity to prospective buyers.

( 3 ) CONFIRM YOUR REGISTRATIONYou’ll receive an e-mail immediately upon reg-istering. Follow the instructions in the e-mailto confirm your registration. You’re now readyto set up a Seller’s Account.

( 4 ) SET UP A SELLER’S ACCOUNTClick the “Sell” link at the top of any eBay page.You’ll provide your debit or credit card and check-ing account information in this step.This verifiesyour identity. At this time, you will also choosehow you would like to pay your eBay fees. (Don’tworry—you won’t be charged until you post anitem for sale, and you can also edit this infor-mation at any time.) Rest assured that yourinformation is kept safe on eBay’s secure servers.

( 5 ) GET ID VERIFIED You can use the ID Verify option instead of, orin addition to, giving your credit card informa-tion. You’ll need this if you don’t have a creditcard. And you might want to do it so you’ll begiven an ID Verify icon in your feedback profile,giving the eBay community more confidenceto buy from you and allowing you to bypasssome feedback requirements when selling incertain formats.

( 6 ) SIGN UP WITH PAYPAL PayPal allows you to accept online payments foryour eBay items. According to an internal studyof listings in some of eBay’s most popular cat-egories, buyers prefer to purchase items that

2 ■ 1 0 1 T I P S F O R STA RTI N G A N D G ROW I N G YO U R B U S I N E S S O N E BAY

H U N D R E D S O F T H O U S A N D S O F S E L L E R S M A K E A P A R T - T I M E

O R F U L L - T I M E L I V I N G O N E B A Y ® . T H E R E A R E M A N Y P A R T S

T O R U N N I N G A B U S I N E S S O N E B A Y , I N C L U D I N G F I N D I N G

P R O D U C T T O S E L L , S E T T I N G P R I C E S , M A N A G I N G L I S T I N G S

A N D C U S T O M E R S , U N D E R S T A N D I N G L E G A L R E Q U I R E M E N T S ,

M A R K E T I N G T H E B U S I N E S S , H A N D L I N G F U L F I L L M E N T A N D ,

O F C O U R S E , M A K I N G S M A R T S H I P P I N G D E C I S I O N S W I T H T H E

U . S . P O S T A L S E R V I C E ® . W H E T H E R Y O U ’ R E G E T T I N G R E A D Y

T O S E L L Y O U R F I R S T I T E M O R Y O U ’ R E A S E A S O N E D P O W E R -

S E L L E R , H E R E A R E 1 0 1 T I P S T O H E L P Y O U T A K E Y O U R

B U S I N E S S O N E B A Y A S F A R A S Y O U W A N T I T T O G O .

offer PayPal—in fact, the study showed that theselistings are 6 percent more likely to sell, and ex-perience a 5 percent average increase in final price.Sign up at www.paypal.com, and make it yourpreferred payment option in your item listings.

Equipping Your Office ( 7 ) ASSESS YOUR COMPUTER Most likely, you won’t need to buy a new com-puter to start selling on eBay, so stick with theone you’ve got. However, it’s time for anupgrade if your computer runs slower than aturtle crossing the road—or if it doesn’t workwith a digital camera, since you’ll need to takephotos of your items.

( 8 ) UPGRADE TO A HIGH-SPEED INTERNETCONNECTION Your time is too valuable to work on a dial-up con-nection. Call your phone company about DSL oryour cable company about cable internet access.

( 9 ) HAVE A BUSINESS PHONE LINE ANDVOICE MAIL AT HOMESome of your potential customers will have ques-tions, and many would rather talk to you thansend an e-mail. Shoppers who can’t reach you,don’t get their calls returned or have their callsanswered by your toddler likely won’t do busi-ness with you. A homebased business runs bet-ter with a separate phone line and voice mail.

( 1 0 ) GET A GOOD DIGITAL CAMERAGreat photos are a must. Invest in a brand-namedigital camera so you can download photos toyour computer and then upload them to your newlistings. Look for a digital camera with 2.0 mega-pixels or better, a manual flash-off feature and amacro feature so you can focus one inch froman object. A scanner is also good to have for flatitems. If you’re thinking about updating or pur-chasing equipment, keep in mind you can buythe products you need on eBay. In 2004, for in-

stance, businesses spent more than $3.3 billionpurchasing business equipment on eBay.

( 1 1 ) CREATE A PLACE TO TAKE PHOTOSThis can take place anywhere in your workspace,as long as it’s clear of clutter and gets good light.Natural light is best, but diffused artificial lightcan be added. Use a tripod to take sharp photosand a plain backdrop to create quality pictures.

( 1 2 ) ORGANIZE A FILING SYSTEM Keep all business records, customer information,invoices, receipts, marketing ideas and other kindsof documentation in an easily accessible place.

( 1 3 ) GET COMPUTER BACKUP DISKS Power surges or computer crashes can wipe outyour valuable data in seconds. Routinely savethe business documents on your hard drive todisks. Label them, and file them in a safe place.

( 1 4 ) USE ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE Accounting software helps you know how yourbusiness is doing so you can make it more profit-able. It’s also going to make your life much easiercome tax time.You can hire a bookkeeper to rec-ommend the right software for your business,set it up for you and teach you how to use it.

( 1 5 ) MAKE SPACE FOR INVENTORY ANDSHIPPING MATERIALSThese items don’t have to be in your office, butthey do need to be in a safe, dry place nearby.This helps you keep an eye on what you’ve gotand what you need as your business grows.The U.S. Postal Service offers free U.S. PostalService-eBay co-branded Priority Mail® shippingboxes. Go to http://ebaysupplies.usps.com toorder yours.

“eBay has allowed me to never tell a customer no.

If there is a market out there somewhere, eBay

can usually help me out.” –Tux MacAuley, auction-partner

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( 1 6 ) MAKE SPACE TO PACKAGE ITEMS A kitchen table might work for new eBay sellerswho have launched just a few listings. You’llsoon outgrow this space,however,so look aroundyour home or office, and start thinking abouthow you’ll expand as you ramp up your business.

Doing Your Homework( 1 7 ) REVIEW PROHIBITED ANDRESTRICTED ITEMSDon’t risk listing cancellation, limits on youraccount privileges or account suspension—verify that the items you want to sell aren’t pro-hibited or restricted from being sold on eBay bygoing to http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html.

( 1 8 ) START DETERMINING WHAT TO SELLThink about what categories you have an in-terest in, what you enjoy and what you alreadyknow. Use your existing knowledge to deter-mine the eBay categories you might want to

sell in. Study the Category Tips at Seller Central(www.ebay.com/sellercentral) to learn aboutthe basics of selling in each category, top buyersearches, success stories and specific sellingstrategies.

( 1 9 ) CHECK OUT “HOT ITEMS BY CATEGORY”REPORTThis monthly report (http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/whatshot.html) reveals the cat-egories in which demand is growing fasterthan supply and bid-to-item ratios are high. Besure to print out this report and file it so youcan track monthly changes and do some ofyour own trend forecasting.

( 2 0 ) PREVIEW EBAY’S MERCHANDISINGCALENDAR Want more shoppers to see your listings? TheMerchandising Calendar (http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/calendar) shows the categorieseBay will feature on its home page, and on whichdates. These categories will get an extra doseof free promotion, so make sure your relevant

listings go live during these times.

( 2 1 ) TRACK THE EBAY PULSEGet a snapshot of what’s popularon eBay every day at the “What’sHot” section of Seller Central. Thelists may include hot Stores, prod-ucts, and searches, as well as high-priced items and most-watcheditems. It’s also a great place to getmarketing ideas.

( 2 2 ) RESEARCH THEMARKETPLACESearch for items similar to thoseyou want to sell, and evaluate youropportunities. Study the numberof bidders and buyers, final prices,the number of competitors and theselling features your competitorspromote.

Pricing Your Products( 2 3 ) CONSIDER YOUR ITEM’S RETAILVALUEDetermine how much your item would cost inan offline store, and research prices on the web,too. A price below the item’s retail value will beseen as a great deal.

( 2 4 ) CONSIDER YOUR ITEM’S PERCEIVEDVALUESome items are worth a lot more than theirretail values. Before you set your price, thinkabout how the uniqueness of your item, or theshortage of supply compared to the demand,makes your item more valuable.

( 2 5 ) RESEARCH HOW MUCH SIMILARITEMS ARE SELLING FOR NOW ON EBAY Run a keyword search for your item or similar itemsto check out your competitors.Take notes on thestarting bids, current bids and Buy It Now prices.

( 2 6 ) RESEARCH HOW MUCH SIMILARITEMS HAVE SOLD FOR ON EBAY Search completed listings to chart the historicselling performance of items similar to yours.Also, compare the final price to the listing de-scription to see what influenced the buyers’actions. This technique can also help you figureout good times to launch your listings.

( 2 7 ) TAKE EBAY’S FEES INTO ACCOUNTEven though eBay charges a small listing Inser-tion Fee and a Final Value Fee, you may want totake these into account when you’re pricingyour items. Both of these fees are listed here:http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/fees.html.

( 2 8 ) SET A LOW STARTING BIDAlthough you don’t have to set your startingbid to the minimum (1 cent), a low starting bidinvites shoppers to make immediate bids andkeep track of your listing by clicking on the“Watch This Item” link.

( 2 9 ) USE A RESERVE PRICE ONLY WHENNECESSARYThe allure of eBay for buyers is that they have con-trol over what they’ll pay for items. Setting a Re-serve Price can make buyers think you want toomuch for the item because this number is hidden.While listings without a Reserve Price typicallyget more bids, it may be necessary to protect yourinvestment—so use the feature with caution.

( 3 0 ) TRY THE BUY IT NOW OPTIONUsing this pricing option allows shoppers tobuy your item immediately, at the price youset. A starting bid that is much lower thanyour Buy It Now price can also start the bid-ding battle. (The Buy It Now price will disap-pear once the first bid is made.) You should usethe Buy It Now option only when you are sureof the market value of the item. Letting themarket decide the price can oftentimes yield ahigher price on a unique or in-demand item.Do your research first.

( 3 1 ) USE BUY IT NOW FOR MULTIPLES OFTHE SAME ITEMWhen you have more than one of the sameitem, an auction listing won’t help you sell thisinventory as quickly as a fixed price will. Instead,use the Buy It Now option so buyers can ordermore than one at the same time. (To do this, youmust have 30 or more feedback points and beregistered for 14 days or be ID Verified.)

Perfecting Your Listings ( 3 2 ) CHOOSE THE BEST CATEGORYFrom eBay’s home page, click the “Buy” button,and browse the categories to find ones that work

“eBay is the fastest way to maximize returns for

in-demand products and liquidate slow-moving or

unusual products.” –Neal Sherman, tagex

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for your items. Also see where competing itemshave been placed. It’s a good idea to choose twocategories for your listings to reach more buyers.

( 3 3 ) WRITE A DESCRIPTIVE TITLEUse words in your item title that people canlook for when doing a search on eBay; examplesinclude brand name, style, size and color.You getup to 55 characters, so make each word count.

( 3 4 ) SPOTLIGHT YOUR TITLE For an additional fee, you can grab buyers’attention when they search for listings by bold-ing your text (which has increased final itemprices by an average of 25 percent) and using acolor highlight or border on your listing. Also,say more about your item by adding a subtitle.

( 3 5 ) OFFER GIFT SERVICES Stand out from your competitors by offering giftservices. Offer gift-wrapping, a gift card, expressshipping and shipping directly to the recipient.Your listing will shine on search pages with agift icon,attracting buyers shopping for gifts.Thiscan increase bids by 3 percent.You can also offerSaturday delivery through the U.S. Postal Servicewith no surcharges to the regular shipping costs.

( 3 6 ) MAKE YOUR PHOTOS SELL Photograph each item separately, because com-bining products in one picture confuses buyers.Use a professional-looking backdrop, good light-ing and a variety of angles in your product pic-tures to show off the condition of your items.(Items with two or more photos are 9 percentmore likely to sell.) The better your items look,the more valuable they appear.

( 3 7 ) WRITE DETAILS IN THE DESCRIPTION The type, brand, condition and value of the itemare all important selling features you shoulddescribe in detail in your description.

( 3 8 ) ENHANCE YOUR DESCRIPTION DESIGNUse the simple HTML editing tools to formatyour description, making it eye-catching yet easyto read. Add paragraph breaks and play with thebold, underline, font colors, font size, alignment,bullet list and cross-listing links tools to create apage design that draws in buyers.

( 3 9 ) PROVIDE SHIPPING INFORMATIONState your flat handling fee, include the U.S.Postal Shipping Calculator on eBay, or otherwiseclearly indicate shipping costs in your listings.Shipping and handling can really tack on signifi-cant costs to buyers, so whichever option youchoose, be clear about the cost and the ship-ping provider. The U.S. Postal Service offersPriority Mail Flat Rate packaging, which lets youship your item (up to 70 pounds) anywhere inthe U.S. for one flat rate.

( 4 0 ) INCLUDE A RETURN POLICYIf you offer returns or exchanges, state this inyour item description to give buyers confidencein placing their orders with you. The Merchan-dise Return Service from the U.S. Postal Servicemakes it easy and convenient to return items byproviding your customers with a pre-printed,prepaid return label.

Managing Your Time ( 4 1 ) SET A SCHEDULEAssign tasks to certain times, and try not to getdistracted by non-business-related tasks. For ex-ample, respond to buyers between 9 and 10 a.m.

( 4 2 ) WRITE A DAILY TO-DO LISTSchedule a time to follow up on opportunitiesthat aren’t part of your normal tasks, and use

this time frame to respond to unplanned tasksthat pop up that day.

( 4 3 ) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EBAY’S LISTING TOOLSeBay provides seller tools to help run a businessmore efficiently, such as Turbo Lister and SellingManager. The eBay Tools Wizard (http://pages.ebay.com/sell/toolrecommendations.html) rec-ommends solutions based on your needs.

( 4 4 ) CONSIDER HIRING A TRADINGASSISTANTWhen your business on eBay starts booming,you might want help managing your listingsso you can focus on other areas of growingyour business and also enjoy a balancedwork/home life. Hiring a Trading Assistant canfree up the time you need and want. Find aTrading Assistant at http://pages.ebay.com/tahub/index.html.

( 4 5 ) SHARE YOUR PLAN WITH YOUR TEAMWhether you work from home or an office loca-tion, your friends and family may think it’s OK tointerrupt you whenever it’s convenient forthem. Unless selling on eBay is a hobby for you,discuss what you need from them so you canrun a successful business.

( 4 6 ) USE MY EBAYMake sure to use My eBay to monitor yourlistings and activity on the site. My Messagescan also help you keep track of your eBay cor-respondence.

Sourcing Products( 4 7 ) CHECK OUT GARAGE SALESThere are probably garage sales in your neigh-borhood every weekend. But shop wisely. It’simportant to know which categories you reallywant to focus on and the kinds of products tolook for.

( 4 8 ) TRY THRIFT STORESBrowse thrift shops with a careful eye for gooddeals. Look for items that will ultimately sell formore than a few dollars, though—you investtime and money into each item you list, sell andship, so make each item count.

( 4 9 ) VISIT ESTATE SALESYou can find unique and valuable items and superdeals at estate sales. Go to a few to learn what’stypically sold, then do your research on eBay tosee which types of items sell for a high profit.You’ll be trained to spot the gems.

( 5 0 ) CHECK OUT YOUR REGION’SSPECIALTY STORESMost cities or regions have specialty foods, sportsteam collectibles and unique items that aren’t

“There’s a high level of integrity among eBay

buyers and sellers. eBay puts people in business

when they couldn’t have gotten there any other

way.” –Don Cohen, toolking

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sold in other cities, states or countries. Take thispromotional merchandise to eBay, and sellthese great gifts to buyers who can’t travel toyour hometown.

( 5 1 ) LOCATE WHOLESALERSBuy items in bulk at a significant savings. Type“wholesaler” into a search engine such asGoogle or Yahoo!, or check out eBay’s wholesalecategory at http://pages.ebay.com/catindex/catwholesale.html.

( 5 2 ) CONSIDER MANUFACTURERSWhen manufacturers’ items are on sale, you canbuy and then resell them on eBay. You can alsocontact them about being their eBay reseller. Itmight be difficult to connect with big brandsuntil you’re a successful PowerSeller, so startwith local or small manufacturers. PowerSellerscan also find products available in bulk directlyfrom manufacturers at the Reseller Marketplace(www.ebay.com/reseller).

( 5 3 ) ATTEND INDUSTRY TRADE SHOWSNot only will you get a preview of producttrends, you can also connect with manufac-turers and discuss the opportunity of sellingtheir products on eBay. Bring your businesscards, and be ready to discuss your success asan eBay seller.

( 5 4 ) DESIGN YOUR OWN PRODUCTSWith some selling experience under your belt,track demand for products your company couldmanufacture. Do effective market testing be-fore you invest money in making your ownproducts.

( 5 5 ) FIND DEALS ON EBAYSometimes, eBay sellers don’t know the value ofwhat they’re selling,or they’ve misspelled key itemnames and aren’t reaching a large audience.When this happens, you can swoop in to buyand then resell other sellers’ items at a profit.

Keeping CustomersHappy( 5 6 ) CONTACT THE BUYER IMMEDIATELYAFTER THE PURCHASEOnce an item has sold, send the buyer aninvoice. Go to the “All Selling” section of MyeBay, and choose “Send Invoice” for the itemyou’ve just sold. Enter payment instructionsand a personal message, which will appear onthe invoice.

( 5 7 ) RESPOND TO QUESTIONS QUICKLYAnswer questions about your items with light-ning speed to encourage greater response toyour listings. Post the answers right in your list-ing to avoid duplicate questions from otherprospective buyers. Continue the great re-sponse time after the sale to demonstrate yourconcern for your customers.

( 5 8 ) SHIP ITEMS AS SOON AS PAYMENT ISRECEIVEDOnce your buyers’ payments are in your bankaccount, don’t keep them waiting. Shippingitems immediately helps you get good feed-back and repeat customers.

( 5 9 ) SEND A SURPRISE WITH YOUR ITEMA thank-you card or a free gift for first-timebuyers or loyal customers leaves a lastingimpression on your customers. You can use theU.S. Postal Service’s NetPost® Premium Post-cards or Card Store to create unique, hard-copymail. It’s like having your own direct-maildepartment.

( 6 0 ) LEAVE POSITIVE BUYERFEEDBACK A buyer needs to build buying cred-ibility, so praise prompt paymentby posting positive feedback.

( 6 1 ) DONATE TO A NONPROFITORGANIZATIONDonate part of or the entire finalsale price to your favorite nonprofitorganizations. Support your com-munity, and your charity listingswill get additional visibility alongwith a blue-and-yellow ribbon icon.Search more than 5,000 charitiesat http://givingworks.ebay.com.

Legal & Tax Tips( 6 2 ) PICK A BUSINESS NAME THAT ISN’TTRADEMARKEDYour business name is a critical part of yourbrand. Before you use one you’ve selected, checkwith your country’s trademark office to verifyit’s available. (Visit the U.S. Patent and TrademarkOffice’s website at www.uspto.gov.) Remember,your business name cannot contain the name“eBay”or any approximation.You may need to hirea trademark lawyer to conduct further research.

( 6 3 ) CONSULT WITH A BUSINESSL AWYERYour location (or where you live) may determinethat your business on eBay is subject to certainlicensing and tax requirements. Avoid futurelegal or financial surprises by meeting with alawyer, preferably one that specializes in thesmall-business arena and is familiar with eBay.

( 6 4 ) MEET WITH AN ACCOUNTANTEven if you handle your own bookkeeping, hirean accountant to help you with your taxes. Butdon’t wait until the end of the year to meet—you could get great business-expense tips right

now that could help you plan a better budgetfor the rest of the year.

( 6 5 ) INSURE YOUR ITEMSIt’s a good idea to buy postal insurance for yourhigh-priced items in the event your shipmentgets lost or damaged in the mail. Take advan-tage of PayPal’s Buyer Protection, and insureyour items. Insurance is available for all U.S.Postal Service classes of mail available througheBay. Save yourself a trip to the post office, andorder insurance for your items online.

( 6 6 ) BEWARE OF UNUSUAL BUYERREQUESTSTo help protect yourself from potential fraud,be wary of buyers who have unusual requests.If buyers ask to send partial payments, considerthat a warning sign.

( 6 7 ) AVOID BUYER DISPUTESRespond to a buyer complaint quickly, and tryto resolve it. If the buyer threatens a chargeback,ask him or her to file a claim at the Security &Resolution Center (www.ebay.com/securitycenter)

“eBay lets me pick up whatever I need on a

moment’s notice and have it delivered directly to

my door. eBay is a terrific educational tool for

people just starting out.” –Roman Kaniuga, rexrogo

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instead, so that you can both try to work thesituation out to achieve mutual satisfaction.

Packing & Shipping

(68) CALCULATE AND POST SHIPPING COSTSYou can charge a flat fee or use the U.S.Postal Ship-ping Calculator on eBay in your listings so buyerscan figure out their own shipping costs basedon ZIP codes.Try out the Shipping Calculator evenbefore listing an item at http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/shippingcenter7.htm.

( 6 9 ) OFFER BUYERS SHIPPING CHOICES Let your buyers choose how they want theiritems shipped to them. The U.S. Postal ShippingCalculator on eBay allows you to choose up tothree shipping services to offer U.S. buyers, plusup to three for international buyers. Select fromFirst Class Mail®, Express Mail®, Priority Mail®(including Flat Rate products), Media Mail® andParcel Post® for your domestic customers, andGlobal Express Guaranteed® and Global ExpressMail® for your international customers.

( 7 0 ) DON’T OVERINFLATE SHIPPING ANDHANDLING COSTSAn unreasonable shipping and handling fee is aturnoff to buyers. Keep your price fair—or eventry using a significantly lower handling fee asan incentive to buy from you.

( 7 1 ) GIVE SHIPPING DISCOUNTS Reward a buyer who orders multiple items andcombines his payment by giving a shipping dis-

count.Go to eBay Preferences in My eBay and turnon the shipping preference for “Offer CombinedPayments Shipping” within Seller Preferences.

( 7 2 ) PRINT SHIPPING LABELSSave time and make your packages look profes-sional with printed U.S. Postal Service shippinglabels with postal insurance through eBay (fromMy eBay or the “View Item” page once an itemhas sold) or PayPal.You’ll be able to print the labelsfrom your own computer right to your standardprinter or one of many label printers. Plus, thebuyer’s address is pre-entered for your conven-ience,and you can elect not to show the postageamount on the label. According to a recent sur-vey, eBay users said that printing shipping labelson eBay was easy to do (80 percent) and con-venient (78 percent). In addition, two-thirds ofeBay users surveyed stated they’ve saved timeby printing shipping labels on eBay.

( 7 3 ) USE GOOD SHIPPING MATERIALSProtecting your items and creating a professionalimage increases the perceived value of your items.

( 7 4 ) TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE SHIPPINGBOXES eBay and the U.S. Postal Service now offer homedelivery of free, co-branded shipping boxes forPriority Mail service. For more information, checkout http://ebaysupplies.usps.com.

( 7 5 ) GET FREE U.S. POSTAL SERVICEPACKAGE PICKUP Now you don’t even have to leave your homeor office to ship items you’ve sold on eBay.Schedule a pickup for specific days—up to 30days in advance—at no charge. For more infor-mation, visit the U.S. Postal Service ShippingZone on eBay at www.ebay.com/usps.

( 7 6 ) SEE SHIPPING AS A MARKETINGOPPORTUNITYYour boxes are seen by a lot of people as theytravel around the world. Creative shipping labels

and stickers with your eBay Store name or URLcan catch the eye of many potential customers.

( 7 7 ) TRACK YOUR SHIPMENTSBoost buyer confidence and reduce customerinquiries by tracking your shipments. Whenyou use eBay’s Online Postage to print yourU.S. Postal Service label, an automated e-mailwill notify your buyer that his or her package ison the way. About half of eBay users surveyedno longer send confirmation e-mails (58 per-cent), hand-write labels (54 percent) or standin line at the post office (45 percent), demon-strating the time-saving component of usingshipping products and services on eBay.

( 7 8 ) GO INTERNATIONAL Visit eBay’s Global Trade Center (http://pages.ebay.com/globaltrade) to learn selling and ship-ping tips for expanding your business to a world-wide audience. The U.S. Postal Service offers avariety of global shipping options to meet yourbuyers’ delivery and budget needs.

Getting Help From eBay ( 7 9 ) START WITH THE “HOW TO SELL” TOURNew sellers should watch the selling demon-stration at http://pages.ebay.com/education/howtosell/index.html. Learn more at the eBay Learn-ing Center (http://pages.ebay.com/education).

( 8 0 ) JOIN THE EBAY COMMUNITYGet connected with other members, and stayupdated on the latest happenings on eBay. You’llcontinually learn new ways to grow your busi-ness while networking with both new sellersand experienced PowerSellers.

( 8 1 ) ASK EBAY CONSULTANTS FOR ADVICEOnce you know how to sell on eBay and you’vechecked out the eBay Community, your head willbe buzzing with new business ideas. Run yourquestions by the Seller OnRamp consultants

(http://pages.ebay.com/startselling) for freeadvice on creating a profitable business on eBay.

( 8 2 ) SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHATTEREvery month, get feature articles, tips, helpfullinks and member interviews. Share your eBaystory, and you may be next in the member spot-light (http://pages.ebay.com/community/chatter).

( 8 3 ) SIGN UP FOR THE POWERUPNEWSLETTERGet advance notice of upcoming events andpromotions by e-mail at http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/newsflash.html. You’ll get aheads-up on free listing days, feature discounts,seller sweepstakes and more.

( 8 4 ) TUNE IN TO EBAY RADIOListen to host Jim “Griff” Griffith, dean of eBayEducation, every Tuesday for hot eBay topics. Goto www.wsradio.com/ebayradio to click on ar-chived shows, and listen to catch the live ones.

“Without eBay, we couldn’t have grown as fast as

we have. eBay just makes everything easier. It has

given me the financial security I need as my

business grows.” –John Homechanh, 4greatlaptops

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( 8 5 ) ATTEND AN EDUCATIONAL EVENT Get the scoop on the newest selling tools andtechniques from eBay’s online and live workshops.You’ll learn tips for turbo-boosting your busi-ness on eBay. Check out the schedule of classesand online courses at www.ebay.com/university.

( 8 6 ) GET UNSTUCK WITH LIVE HELPIf you find yourself confused in the initial listingsetup process, or if you have a question aboutan advanced selling tactic, look for the “LiveHelp” link in the upper right-hand corner ofmany of the pages in the “Sell” section of eBay.

Using eBay to ExpandYour Existing Business

( 8 7 ) TAKE YOUR BRAND WITH YOUYour business on eBay is a reflection of your brand,so use your company logo, tag lines,colors,graph-ics and copy in your eBay listings. A business oneBay with a professional yet personalized lookcan often command higher final prices.

( 8 8 ) CAPITALIZE ON YOUR BRANDCompanies with brand recognition can movea lot of inventory by selling popular items at adiscount on eBay while offering their samesatisfaction guarantees.

( 8 9 ) TEST-MARKET PRODUCT IDEAS ONEBAY Conduct market research before you promotenew items on your website and in other media.

( 9 0 ) SET UP AN EBAY STORETake your sales to the next level by launching an eBay Store. You’ll have access to tools thatstreamline the eBay selling process, such asstore reports, search engine optimization capa-bilities, lower listing fees and other features togenerate higher revenue and profit margins. Goto http://stores.ebay.com.

( 9 1 ) PROMOTE YOUR EBAY STORE FROMYOUR WEBSITEUse your website to drive visitors and customersto eBay to purchase special item offers thatdon’t compete with the ones on your website.

Setting Up an eBayStore( 9 2 ) CUSTOMIZE YOUR STOREUse those branding elements mentioned intip No. 87 in your Store, and create custompages and category names, too. If you’relaunching a new business on eBay and don’tyet have a “branded look,” then select one ofeBay’s predesigned theme templates to givepersonality to your Store.

( 9 3 ) DESIGN MARKETING MATERIALSTO PROMOTE YOUR STOREGet business cards, fliers, letterhead andenvelopes to strengthen your Store’s brandand invite offline shoppers to check it out.Download eBay’s marketing templates for

free (http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/collateral.html) or visit NetPost Business Connect at www.usps.com/netpost to create and mail advertisingand promotional messages to your customers.

( 9 4 ) OPTIMIZE YOUR STORE FOR SEARCHENGINES Include relevant keywords in your Store URL,title, description, category names and page copyto achieve free rankings and traffic from topsearch engines.

( 9 5 ) ROTATE YOUR PROMOTION BOXESUse one or two promotion boxes near the top ofeach Store page, and/or below the left naviga-tion bar, to feature new items or announce spe-cials. Change these at least monthly to remindbuyers to return for more hot offers.

( 9 6 ) SEND CUSTOMIZED E-MAILS TO YOURBUYERS You can create and manage up to five e-mailnewsletters. Within your store and in your in-voices, remind buyers to opt in to your e-mail listthrough the “Add to Favorite Sellers/Stores” link.Write newsletters offering helpful tips to sub-scribers, and of course, mention your specialstore promotions.

( 9 7 ) CROSS-PROMOTE YOUR ITEMSUse your “Item,” “Bid Confirm” and “PurchaseConfirmation” pages to cross-promote otheritems from your store. Match items that com-plement each other to encourage buyers to domore browsing and buying from your business.

( 9 8 ) DRIVE EBAY TRAFFIC TO YOURLISTINGS AND STOREThrough the Keywords on eBay program, a ban-ner ad you create will appear at the top of thesearch results pages for specific keywords youbid on.You’ll only pay when buyers click on yourad and visit your listings or Store. FeaturedStores and Anchor Stores even receive somefree keyword clicks.

( 9 9 ) ADVERTISE OFFLINE AND GET 25 PERCENT OF YOUR ADVERTISINGINSERTION FEES REIMBURSED Through eBay’s Co-op Advertising program(www.ebaycoopads.com), when you advertiseyour Store offline, eBay will reimburse 25 per-cent of your Advertising Insertion Fees—up to$8,000 worth. (This opportunity is exclusivelyfor PowerSellers in good standing who oper-ate eBay Stores or are Trading Assistants.)Plus, you can earn up to 75 percent off yourfinal value fees by driving traffic to your Storefrom web pages outside of eBay. Get moredetails at http://pages.ebay.com/storefronts/referral-credit-steps.html.

( 1 0 0 ) STUDY YOUR SALES AND TRAFFICREPORTSAt least every month, you should analyze yourSales Reports. Study this data to identify areasof improvement, potential business opportu-nities and marketing ideas.

( 1 0 1 ) TEST, TWEAK, TRACKUse the free data eBay provides to continuallyrefine your eBay Store’s performance. Infuseyour own creativity into your selling strategyto find new ways of growing your business.

For even more information, go to www.ebay.com/usps and www.entrepreneur.com/ebay.

CATHERINE SEDA (www.sedacommunication.com), an Entrepreneur magazine columnist,teaches marketing tips in her book SearchEngine Advertising and at eBay University.

Without the deals on eBay, Dr. Brad Roach (bradwins)

wouldn’t have been able to remodel his clinic. Since

the remodel, business has been booming, with

about a 35 percent increase in gross revenue.

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