That said, I wouldn’t recommend spending a ton of money on social media workshops, ebooks and online courses.

Even getting started is pretty simple. First, find out which sites your target market are on. If you’re selling rock band t-shirts to teenagers, your target may be on MySpace. If you’re selling baby clothes to moms, you may want to check out Facebook and Twitter.

But don’t take my word for it. Ask your target market.

Once you know where they are, setup a profile for your business. (Unless you’re doing Facebook. You want to setup a profile for yourself on Facebook, then a fan page for your business.)

Now, you need to have a strategy in place.

For Twitter, I recommend following those in your industry who have something to say. If you’re in fashion design, for example, Kathleen Fasanella of Fashion Incubator is someone you want to follow.

I also recommend following your customers, competitors and anyone who has an interest in your industry.

Don’t worry about who is following you or whether or not you should follow someone just because they are following you.

Do download a Twitter client such as Seesmic or Tweetdeck and use them to keep up with those who direct message you, the replies you get and use the search featues to follow your business name and industry keywords. This way, you can start and participate in conversations.

You can also keep up with what’s being said about you or your company. This is an excellent way to be there to thank those who say something great about your company, answer any questions people may have, and take care of any bad situations in a positive and proactive way.

For Facebook, I recommend that you setup you personal profile as a place to chat with your real-life friends. You can adjust your privacy settings so only certain groups of people can see your status updates (and you can create your own groups as well). Then create your fan page for your business and send an invitation to all your customers and potential customers. You can tie your WordPress blog into your fan page and you can post business updates/sales on the page.

I also recommend keeping an eye on your competition here, as well.

If any of you have stories to share about how you’ve used social media to promote your business, please share them here.

Item As Described -

Start at the top and work your way down. Describe your item to the best of your ability without missing any flaws. Also, make sure to use your own photos!! Take a few different angles and close ups and elaborate on them in your description.

Communication -

Very important! eBay has all sorts of email notification preferences at your finger tips – use them! Once an item is purchased, send an invoice, send an email when payment is received, send an email when item is shipped, and you can thank them on the invoice you packed carefully with their item. Keep the lines of communication open every step of the way.

Shipping Time -

As soon as you have a bid, your item should be packed and ready to go within 24 hours. Then, remember communication!

Shipping & Handling Charges -

Specify any shipping and handling directly in your policy so it’s easily found. Offer a shipping discount on multiple items, or free shipping if orders exceed a specified dollar amount. Calculated shipping makes it easy to accurately figure out shipping rates.

 Here’s a nifty 5 Star Service Banner that you can use in your listings:

http://boutiquebargains.com/blog/ebay-5-star-service-banner/

Enjoy! 

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Goal Setting.

My husband and I do this at least once a month: We decide that neither of us wants to cook. And we don’t want sandwiches. And yesterday was payday, so, “Hey! Let’s just go get something to eat.”

So we hop in the car and head to town. About halfway down the road, Steve asks me where I want to go to eat. I respond that I’m hungry, but not for anything in particular.

Steve tells me that he isn’t either, but he needs to know where we’re going so that he knows which way to turn — north or south.

You see where this is going.

We have no specific goal — just that we want food, and we don’t want to make it — so at some point in the trip, we end up sitting at an intersection and hoping no one pulls up behind us before we decide what we want to eat.

The point? The business owner who starts out without a goal is going to end up sitting at that intersection…

This business owner knows she wants a successful business, but really has no roadmap for success. And she can’t plan her trip because she has no idea where she is going.

The results:

• One client came to me with more than a dozen blogs setup at Blogger, each on a separate topic. Each blog had one or two posts written more than a year ago.
• Another client had me design a site. She sent me most of the information I needed to create her site. I did as much of the work as I could and sent an email requesting more information. She sent it — a year later. Her lack of a solid goal, and her fear of success, lead her to put off the website project.
• A colleague spent thousands of dollars on seminars, information products and other learning resources — but never setup a website, never put a plan into action.

In spite of my lack of fast food goalsetting, I’ve realized how important it is so set goals for your business. If you’re a bit scared of setting goals, or aren’t sure where to start, try these tips:

1. Determine where it is you want to end up. Do you want to sell 1 million widgets? Do you want to earn a living as an image consultant? Are you wanting to take the baby sling market by storm with your innovative design? Write this goal down.
2. Now it’s time to be realistic. What steps do you need to take to make this happen? Do you need to build a website? Do you need to take classes, or educate yourself through research? Do you need to create a product?
3. Talk to people who have done what you are doing, or done things similar to what you are doing — the experts. Find out what kind of timeline you’re looking at. Is it going to take five or ten years to sell 1 million widgets? Is it going to take 2 years of school and 5 years of on-the-job experience to become an image consultant? Is it going to take a year of trial and error and testing to come up with the perfect baby sling pattern that can be reproduced enmasse and in different sizes?
4. Write down each step you need to take and how long you estimate it will take. Pin this up on your wall and mark off each step as you complete it.
5. And finally, the most important step: TAKE Action!

Don’t forget: If you’d like to speak with someone who can help you with your action plan, who is not afraid to take action, contact me for a free 30-minute consultation.

Be consistent! 

I had a great chat last night on the 2009 Hot Seminar Series hosted by Kelly McCausey.  One of the obsticals that we discussed about eBay selling was consistancy. Work at a pace you are comfortable with. Your business is not going to grow overnight. Burning the midnight oil is only going to make you overwhelmed and want to give up. You can’t expect yourself to list hundreds of items to your eBay store in one day.  BUT, if you’re consistent at listing a few things each night (or whatever you’re comfortable with) – you’re goal of filling your eBay store will be accomplished before you know it!  Also, constantly listing will keep the Search Engine traffic coming.  If you don’t keep listing – the traffic will decrease – ultimately so will your sales.

Stay Focused

I’m a very schedule oriented person.  If something is minute later than scheduled – it just throws me into a tizzy!  I’ve been getting better at not letting some things bother me – but when it comes to being focused on my business, there must be a strict schedule so I can stay focused and accomplish what needs to be done in a reasonable amount of time.  Focusing on one thing at a time will ensure that you’re putting 100% into what needs to be done.  This will make sure it’s done right the first time – and that feels good!

If you’re one of the busineses promoted often by your online group, you know that it’s been a long road to reach top of mind awareness in your community.

But if you’re new to the whole social networking scene, it may seem like an unwelcoming clique, where being cool and being online the longest are the only ways to get your business on that oft-promoted list.

I’m here to tell you though that it IS possible to get yourself on the list of businesses that are talked about online. And I’m going to tell you exactly how to do it. But first, before you get out there and start making your first contacts, you need to make sure you have your business in order:

1. An outstanding product. You aren’t going to get to the top of the promotion list by selling dirt-encrusted ice to Eskimos. Make sure you have a product that meets your target markets needs and that does what it is supposed to do.
2. Excellent customer service. Now more than ever, people go online to purchase products for two main reasons: Better prices and better service. Why go to the local drugstore to buy pregnancy tests when you can call an online dealer who will answer all your questions, in the privacy of your own home?
3. Shipping and return policies. Makes sure your prices are fair and competitive and that you have well-thought-out policies. And make sure they’re posted on your website.

Once you have the basics down, you’re ready to start telling the world about your business. But first, consider this: Social networking isn’t selling. You aren’t going to go to an online group and sell the members on your product. You’re going to go get to know them. You’re going to build a relationship with them. Then they’re going to ask about what you do and that’s when you can tell them. Pretty soon, someone is going to buy your stuff. And if you’re product is great and your service is great, then that someone is going to start telling others. And that’s social networking for business in a nutshell.

Of course, taking that tidbit of truth and creating a social networking campaign out of it is another story. Below are three techniques you can use to get started:

1. Forum networking. Unlike forum marketing, you aren’t just joining forums and putting a link in your signature, or purchasing ad space. In forum networking, you must become a valuable member of the community. Share your knowledge, help other people, and provide information that is needed. For example, let’s say you sell baby slings and you find a forum full of parents who believe in attachment parenting and live in your state. You’ll want to join their forum and then socialize with them, just as you would if you’d joined the forum for purely social reasons.When you see questions being asked about baby slings, provide information. Never promote your own product in your posts. Depending on the rules of the forum, you may be able to link to your website in your signature or in your forum profile.Once people notice your helpful answers, they will start clicking through to your site. And soon, those who purchase from you will start posting reviews and recommendations.
2. Facebook. With facebook, you can friend colleagues and members of your target market. Then keep them updated  through your profile of any news you may have, or link to articles on your blog that contain information beneficial to your customers. You can also create a group of people who will benefit from your product or service and communicate with the group. You can create a fan page for your products and you can even run very affordable and targetted ads. But primarily, you want to get to know your customers through Facebook.
3. Twitter. This is an excellent way to communicate with your customers. You can send them messages, like announcements of a free event you’re hosting, product updates, and tidbits of information that will benefit them. You can also answer questions your customers have — and ask them questions as well. For example, twitter would be an excellent place to poll your market about new color schemes for a new line of baby slings.

Of course, I’m just scraping the tip of the iceberg with these short paragraphs of information. You can learn more about a social media marketing at Product Sellers Talk Radio.

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark An Idea that Will Keep You Motivated This Summer!

This is a really good one! Here’s what Michelle had to say about staying motivated in eCommerce:

Staying motivated in the summer is usually not that hard for me. It’s nice and sunny outside, warm, and I just feel more motivated in general. And I have more help around the house with my kids home from school, so I can work in my projects while they are doing their chores.

However, it is easy to get sidetracked with ball games, camping, doing stuff with friends, so here are some things that I do to keep me motivated, and that I think can help any online business owner.

1. Plan and implement projects for my business. Orders, in my industry, tend to slow down during the summer. People are offline, spending time with their kids and not on the computer. They’re going outside and generally enjoying the nice weather. So this is time to create that new information product, build that new website, or work on that new business model. For example, I just finished revamping my website hosting packages and consolidating several websites. My current project is creating full service website development, maintenance and promotion packages for Oklahoma women-owned businesses.

2. Set realistic goals. I tend to be optimistic, generally speaking, and in setting my goals for the summer. I think I’m going to get all these projects done — revamping websites, writing blog posts, updating software, etc. But it IS summer and I have to remind myself that I need a break. So I cut back on client work, focus on building my business during this slow time, and make sure I don’t bite off more than I can chew over a given period of time. For example, I don’t schedule 10 blog posts in one week. Instead, I’ve consolidated several websites and now only need to write two thought-provoking posts and two newsy and short posts. Woo!

Just remember — if your business cycle is like mine, and this is your slow time, be easy on yourself and take a break. But also take advantage of the slow time. If this is your busy time, then bookmark this page and come back for inspiration when your slow season arrives.

Awesome, Michelle!

For me – with eBay on my mind 24/7, I’m constantly thinking of what to sell the next season. I know from experience that while specializing in clothing – you HAVE to know the latest trends, and keep up with what the retailers are pushing off of their racks.

It’s idealy a perfect time to shop for any off season clearance items and get ready for back to school sales!  Summer is generally slow if you sell clothing on eBay as well, so what perfect time to catch up on how you want to improve your business in the up and coming busy times.

Of course with a new baby in the mix, and a 6 year old on my heals – making the time for everything is going to be a challenge.  One thing that I always have to keep in mind is that working from home is going to always warrant me to work on my terms!  It’s a wonderful thing to be your own boss! 

I stick to a very strict schedule, making sure to leave any extra time for those unexpected interuptions.  It’s also important to put time aside for yourself and your family so you don’t get too overwhelmed.  You’ll feel refreshed and ready to go when you make sure your time is wisely planned. 

When mommy is happy – everyone is happy!    Have a productive Summer!

There are several requirements and aspects to consider during this process.

But first, let me make one point – nothing you do here is permanent! Many people get stuck in this phase and take way to long to analyze the pros and cons of every single platform available. But Nothing is Permanent! Please don’t get stuck in the paralysis by analysis syndrome here. Choose something that looks like it will meet your needs and move on.

The most important aspects to look for are:

Reliability – will it be up and running when it needs to be and will it handle whatever volume you bring?

Security & Fraud Protection – credit card security is extremely important to your business and you want to be sure the platform you choose is secure and has fraud prevention mechanisms in place.

Scalability – even if you are starting with a small number of items to begin with, can the system handle adding large numbers of new products?

Usability – how easy is it for you to update and make changes?

Customizability – can you change the design and layout however you want to for all conversion and navigation needs?

SEO-Friendly – some platforms allow you more access to the site structure elements to allow you the freedom to optimize your site.

Shipping & Tax Calculations – your solution should have the ability to setup different shipping options and calculate the charges and taxes associated with each sale.

Promotions & Marketing – does the system have the ability to add coupons, cross sells, gift cards?

Technical Support – once you have your store up and running, it will be critical to have access to a technical support department that can help you if any issues arise.

Of course, I can’t help but recommend the platform I use – Yahoo! Merchant Services – for several reasons.

1. The setup is extremely easy for anyone to use. Entering products, processing orders, setting up shipping options – all of these configurations are quick and easy.
2. The solution is very reasonably priced.  And, while I do recommend outsourcing the design of your new site, the companies that specialize in Yahoo design are very reasonably priced as well.
3. Yahoo’s product database engine is very robust with many customizations available to how you store, present and even track inventory of your products.
4. They are secure and trusted.
5. Nothing is Permanent! When I outgrow Yahoo! Merchant Services, I will be migrating to an entirely customized eCommerce system, but I will also be able to afford the web development team for such an effort when that time comes. That expense would have never made sense before the business model was proven and the company was profitable.

There are several sites out there that can help you analyze the features and benefits of available platforms. Keep in mind that most sites I have found are “sponsored” by one of the platforms, so beware of that bias when you are reading.

Shopping Cart Reviews
Cart Compare
Ecommerce Software Reviews

For more information on building and marketing your online store, visit me at Online Biz Consulting.

You are FINALLY ready to get started building a store.

As I mentioned in the last article, you now need to get your financial and legal ducks in a row.

You should spend some time learning about the different options you have when starting a company. You can start out as a sole proprietorship, you can incorporate or you can start a LLC. All three have pros and cons to consider.

5 Legal & Financial Components Required when Starting an eCommerce Biz

In this article, I am going to list the major legal and financial entities you need to have in place to run your eCommerce business.

1. DBA – “Doing Business As”

You must register the business name you are planning to use. You can also go to the next level and incorporate and there are many good reasons to do this as well.

This is an important step because your name communicates a lot to your customer. Some people use a “parent company” concept for their legal and financial setup. However, keep in mind that when your customer is billed for your product, this is the name they will see.

Find out more about filing for a DBA at Business.gov.

2. FEIN – Federal Employer Identification Number

No matter which legal entity you decide upon, you need to make sure you file for a Federal Tax ID.

Go to the Federal IRS website to learn more about these requirements.

3.  State Tax ID

Each state is different, but your State Tax ID is critical because all suppliers will require it.

Be sure you research and understand all of your legal obligations when it comes to taxes.

Business.gov has a great set of tax guides to educate you on this topic.

4.  Checking Account in Your Business Name

I highly recommend Harris Bank. They cater to the small business.  Any bank will require all of the steps above to be completed before opening a business account. 

It is important to keep your business finances completely separate.  Also, when applying for a Merchant Account, they will open the account with the name on your checking account.  Again, this will be what your customers see when you charge them.

5. Merchant Account in Your Business Name

It’s okay to accept PayPal – you should.  But do not allow that to be the only payment type you accept.

If you are serious about your business you must accept the major credit cards.

I found a company that makes signing up for a merchant account easy and painless: Advanced Credit Systems. 

Educate Yourself

I know this can be a complicated topic, but you need to learn enough about sole proprietorships, corporations and LLC’s in order to make an educated decision about what will be best for you and your business.  An attorney can also walk you through this decision.  There are also several companies that will help you with filings for a fee.

Some sources of information on the legal and financial aspects of starting your business:

• Business.gov
• Small Business Administration
• Legal Zoom

By now you have come up with several product ideas.  Hopefully, you started with a market and discovered their needs – checkout my article on Choosing a Market First if you missed it. 

There are three main components to understanding the potential success of a product or product line. 

1. Market Demand – Are They Looking for It?

The first step in determining the potential success of your idea is to identify how much demand there is for the product. 

The easiest way to research market demand is through keyword research.  Looking at whether potential customers are searching for what you are “selling”.  There are several free tools you can use to gather this information plus some paid tools that do a very good job of consolidating the results.  My favorite (because it’s free) is actually Google’s Keyword Tool.  Another one that I like to use is NicheBot.  It is less expensive that most of the others, but still uses the same information.  I find Wordtracker to be the easiest to use and the most comprehensive in terms of the data that is returned.  However, it is also the most expensive. 

The first step is to brainstorm words and phrases that you think a customer might type into a search engine to find the product.  For example, in my case, I would use “rc cars” as my search term.  Then I might type in some of the specific manufacturers or products that I am interested in selling.  When you get back the results from these research tools, take a look at the number of searches to determine how many people are looking for this item.  Each of the tools I listed above provides even more detail on the best way to analyze keyword data.

2. Competition – Are There Others Already Selling it?

Competition is a good thing.  It means that there are others already successful at selling this line of products.  But you do need to analyze the competition carefully to determine if there is “room for one more”.  Now some would advise that there is always room for one more.  I don’t disagree with that concept – my point is only that you don’t necessary want your first online biz to be an uphill battle against Walmart

The best place to start is to perform a Google search on the top keywords you found in the previous step.  The top 10 organic listings are those you want to focus on.  Take note of the AdWords competitors too – but you want to know how hard it will be to break into the top 10 organic spots. 

The data you want to check with each competitor is pricing & competitor quality.  Go to the competitor sites.  See what the quality of their site is.  Is it professional?  Would you be comfortable buying from this seller?  What are their product prices like? Record some of these to use in the next step.  Are the top 10 competitors similar in price?

When you get to the point where you understand the best practices involved in SEO, you should also check whether they have strong SEO skills.  This will give you a much better idea as to whether you can break into the top 10.

3. Product Sourcing – Can You Get it at a Good Price?

This last step is one that I rarely hear people talk about (except in the book I recommended in my last post.)  But is is SO IMPORTANT!  Don’t skip this one.  You can find out that your product idea has a ton of market interest and the competition is beatable – but if you can’t find a distributor, a dropshipper or a manufacturer that will sell it to you at a margin worth working for, you have a “loser”. 

This is by far the hardest step because it is going to require . . . . phone calls.  I know, I just heard a huge number of you gasp.  If you have a fear of talking to people and if you are getting into this business so that you can hide behind the computer, I have one reality check for you to grasp right now: If you want to own and run your own business, you will need treat it like a business.  That includes dealing with setting up the proper business entities (business license, bank account, etc.) and creating relationships with suppliers. 

I will tell you that this was my biggest hurdle in the beginning – but when I finally got over the hump, I was flying down a rollercoaster at full speed and it was a blast!! 

One place that many folks are finding their suppliers is through the folks at WorldWide Brands and their product OneSource.  Depending on the product you have chosen to research, you may find wholesalers or dropshippers in their database to contact.  The great thing about contacting suppliers through OneSource is that they have already shown interest in working with smaller, online businesses.  Which is one hurdle you can skip. Isn’t that Nice?

Take Action

All of these steps may seem intimidating at first. 

But just Get Started. 

Take Action. 

Commit to completing all of these steps on at least one product line. 

Once you’ve completed this research, you will feel empowered to keep doing it again and again until you’ve found your “Winner”.

Several of the tools and resources that I recommend can be found on my Online Business Tools and Resources page.

Talk to me, baby.

I have received a good number of emails from other blog authors who write about selling on eBay and I would like to take a second to regroup over here at eBay Selling for eParents. Though we will have occasional wrap-ups of what we have covered so far, this blog will not be like so many of the others out there and offer lots of “Top 10 [fill in the blank] to [fill in the blank] on eBay” lists. The internet is overloaded with those, so why add to the clutter and noise?

Rather, I truly do want your feedback. This is an ongoing conversation and you can set the pace for where we go and how quickly we get there. Our ability to personalize the learning process is what will set this experience apart, and therefore set the stage for setting you apart from so many eBay sellers.

Having said that, let’s further the discussion of some of your ideas regarding what to sell on eBay. My BFF, the Completed Listings Search, and I got together, talked about your target product ideas behind your back, and now I’m going to spill the beans. You just can’t trust me with secrets.

A lot of your ideas revolve around all things vintage and hard-to-find. Ya’ll are my favorite kind of eBay seller, because I do like to think of eBay as a one-stop-shop for the lazy treasure hunter in all of us. However, while running your own Completed Items searches, you may have found that what you consider rare or scarce is not, in fact, all that hard-to-find on eBay. Don’t let that dissuade you, though. It’s all about spin.

I have been toying with launching a vintage apron line myself for my eBay store, so let’s do a little market research on that one first. Here is what I found:

• Searched “vintage apron -pattern -patterns”, though not in quotes
• Found 1,287 active listings in All Categories
• Found 2,087 completed listings
• Quick scan of recently completed listings showed that the listings ended with a sold/unsold ratio of close to 50/50
• Highest winning sale price was over $300, though the average high seemed closer to $40-$70
• Average sold price $10- $15 range
• Lowest sold price range hovered around $1 (the big risk you take when starting your auction at $0.99 and something I never do) and there were a lot of these

How do you interpret this data? My first impression is that, while there is money to be made in selling vintage aprons, you would want to focus on a niche. Vintage novelty aprons, for instance, seem to sell well, while vintage gingham (or other general styles) do not.

Does your apron have a print of 1960’s Las Vegas on it? List it now! Is the most you can say about it is that it is a sweet gingham with a floral ruffle? Might not be worth your time to list. Try listing that one in a batch lot of five or more nondescript aprons.

Let’s take a look at Dublin Dr. Pepper. This intrigued me because I have heard of Coca-Cola products made with cane sugar but know that they are next to impossible to find.

• Searched “Dublin Dr. Pepper”, though not in quotes
• Found 7 active listings in All Categories
• Found 14 completed listings
• Quick scan of recently completed listings showed that the listings ended with a high sold/unsold ratio, however the number of listings in total was not promising
• Highest winning sale price was over $10 for a 6-pack, though the average high seemed closer to $7
• Average sold price $5-$10 range for a 6-pack
• Lowest sold price range hovered around $5, though there were unsold listings as low as $3

Though I thought this sounded like an interesting product idea, the demand might just not be strong enough for the effort involved, particularly the shipping. The shipping would be both a bit of a hassle on your end a bit of a hike for your buyer, given the nature of the product. Depending on your cost, though, it might be worth a try if you thought you could move a lot of listings. Based on the Completed Listings, however, there do not appear to be a lot of items moving.

Dublin Dr. Pepper would be a case of your product being too specific. Again, though, once you had your initial listing done, you could relist and relist with almost no work, so if you could move each listing with a profit of $5 or so, it could be viable.

Finally, let’s take a look at baby clothing. This is something that a lot of us have at home, much of it having been worn once or not at all. Having bought baby clothes on eBay frequently, I can speak from personal experience on this one a bit before going into the market research.

I have two toddler boys, but always dreamed of having a little girl to dress up. Since she never showed up, I have to make do with dressing up little boys, and it can be a challenge. Cool boy clothes are hard to find, particularly if you are working with a Target budget but prefer boutique brands. Cue eBay.

Shopping for baby clothes on eBay can be tiresome, to say the least. It is tedious work if you don’t have a specific brand in mind, and even then it can be a hassle. Unless you have a high-end boutique brand piece you want to sell, most sellers move their baby clothes in lots of 3 or more outfits, 5 or more pieces at a time. You can absolutely sell baby clothes on eBay, but your best bet is to be specific in your approach.

For the purpose of this post, I narrowed my search to “(baby, infant) boy” in Clothing, Shoes, Accessories/ Infants & Toddlers.

• Searched “(baby, infant) boy”, though not in quotes
• Found 7,388 active listings in Infants & Toddlers Clothing, Shoes, Accessories
• Found 16,226 completed listings
• Quick scan of recently completed listings showed that the listings ended with a sold/unsold ratio of slightly less than 50/50
• High/ low sale prices are difficult to determine because most listings are lots, however removing the terms (lot, lots, clothes, clothing, outfits) revealed single items and outfits selling for as much as $40-$100, all of which were high-end boutique name brands
• Average sold price $10
• Lowest sold price range was far less than $1, often as little as $0.01. Ouch. Again, that is a bad call on the seller’s part, in my opinion, however we will discuss starting bids later.

Given that, for the most part, the baby clothes most of you seem to be considering selling is clothing you already own, a profit of close to $10 per listing would be a good risk. If the alternative is donating the clothes or selling them on a yard sale for a quarter, then go for it.

But do your research.

All of these example searches were very general. You will find much more specific and useful results when you search for your specific target items.

Try lots of different combinations, as well. For instance, when searching vintage aprons, try: apron (vintage, antique, retro, mod). The search terms within the parentheses means that your results could be any combination of apron and one or more of the listed terms, such as “vintage apron” or “antique apron” or “vintage mod apron.” You’ll end up with some non-vintage aprons, but it will also help you to see what styles are moving.

• Completed Listings Searches are free to run for registered eBay users. All it costs you is time.
• Next, we’ll discuss a short-cut to compliment your manual searches, the Marketplace Research feature. This is a paid feature that costs between $2.99 for a 2 day pass to $24.99 for a month. It cuts out a lot of the search and averaging work for you, though does not entirely replace some of the manual work you should still be growing accustomed to doing yourself as you research what sells on eBay.

Keep submitting your ideas for what you would like to sell on eBay to our comments or email them to me at velveteenmind at gmail dot com. If you’d like, they may be featured in a future post. Who doesn’t like having another take on their brainstorming work?

In the meantime, how are your target product searches going so far? Have you found that your target product is not selling for what you had hoped? Are you floored at the high bids your stash of goodies is drawing by some sellers? Have you stumbled upon some even better ideas hidden in your search results? Jump in, speak up, get involved!