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August 29, 2005
12 Items You CAN'T Sell On eBay
Millions of would-be entrepreneurs want to sell things on ebay. eBay is the #1 home-business opportunity in the world right now, so it's natural that many are eager to find highly profitable items for re-sale on eBay. However, it's important to know that there are certain items that can't be sold. Here are a dozen of them ...
Some items can actually land a seller in federal prison:
1. Knock offs of music, TV shows or movies. The "bootleg" movies, for example, are often made by guys who sneak a movie camera into a newly-released movie where presumably, they crouch behind a seat and make a crummy copy. There is a large production of these counterfeit items in Asia where US laws have no power.
2. Software and computer games can likewise be copied and their sale is illegal by all US laws.
Naturally, the items above may be sold if you have a copy that you purchased legitimately and no longer want.
3, The so-called "replica" market for handbags, designer sunglasses and clothing is definitely forbidden although these items are often sold in physical stores around the US. Ironically, when attending eBay Live In New Orleans in 2004, we found a store in one of their famous markets selling replica purses that were not allowed on eBay.
4. Lazy and less-than-honest sellers often steal copyrighted material from other sellers. This has happened to me many times and eBay has a program called VERO (Verified Rights Owner) that will remove offending auctions, although there seems to be no penalty attached to the seller, which is unfortunate.
5. Alcoholic beverage sales are not allowed although a beverage "container', especially those of wine, may be sold for its value.
6. Cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco or coupons for such items are not permitted on eBay.com.
The Ebay rules for collectible tobacco and alcohol containers are the same:
* The value of the item is in the collectible packaging, not in the wine/tobacco itself.
* The listing description should state that the package has not been opened, but that the twine/tobacco within is not for consumption.
* The collectible tobacco packaging must not be available at any retail outlet, and packaging must have a value that substantially exceeds the current retail price of that wine/tobacco product in the package.
* Sellers must take steps to ensure that the buyer of these collectibles is at least 18 years of age
7. Firearms are strictly regulated by US law and may not be sold on eBay.
8. Satellite and cable TV descramblers are forbidden by the Federal Trade Commission.
9. Animals and wildlife products may not be sold, which includes stuffed birds and pelts from endangered species. There are limited sales of ivory, tortoise shell, marine products and other items relating to animals. This area is quite complex and any would-be seller needs to thoroughly understand the various laws before getting involved in these sales.
10. Event tickets have state-by-state laws that make their sale complex. Some states, for instance, forbid anyone to make more than a few dollars in profit (or no profit at all) on the resale of tickets. For instance, Florida law states that tickets can be resold at no more than face value plus $1. In such states, these regulations apply only to buyers and sellers located in the same state as the actual event, meaning if a seller lives in Florida, he can't profit from ticket sales to Florida events. However, if he lives in any of the other 39 states, this restriction doesn't apply.
11. Listing a catalog of items that a seller offers for sale is forbidden. The only catalogs legally sold on eBay are collectible kinds, such as an old Sears Roebuck or Montgomery Wards catalog that is memorabilia and doesn't offer current merchandise for sale.
12. Raffles and prizes are 100% prohibited. According to eBay, such promotions are highly regulated and may be unlawful in many states.
There are other kinds of merchandise that a seller may not sell on eBay, so carefully check eBay rules before listing anything. It's much better to know the rules in advance of spending money that can't be recouped.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 3:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 28, 2005
Used Cars For Sale On eBay
There are thousands of used cars for sale on eBay every single day. In fact, eBay Motors is the most profitable sales division on eBay and naturally there are many entrepreneurs who are interested in jumping into this market. For instance, eBay claims it sells an SUV every nine seconds and is the biggest online car dealer in America, exceeding the traditional car companies. In fact, there are 15 million cars sold over the Internet each year - and growing.
The recent rapid growth of the consignment business model has made the used car market even more enticing. Many sellers are able to sell cars they have never even seen and with no more risk than the cost of the auction listing. Some negotiators even persuade the car owner to pay for the ad, thereby risking no more than their time.
The biggest single issue for this business model is the trust of prospective buyers. After all, paying thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for a car sight unseen is an awesome leap of faith. Even buying for a plane ticket to go see a car before paying causes buyers to be uncomfortable.
The best way sellers can overcome this fear is to use an escrow service. The one chosen by eBay is Escrow.com, which handles eBay auctions in the US and Canada.
An escrow service acts as a neutral third party. In an exchange of merchandise, the buyer sends his money to Escrow.com and the seller ships the product to the buyer. The buyer usually has two days to inspect his purchase, and if he is happy, he notifies the excrow company who releases the money to the seller, minus its fee. If the buyer is dissatisfied, he returns the undamaged merchandise to the seller, and after the seller receives his merchandise back (in satisfactory condition), the escrow company returns the buyer's money. Thus both sides in the transaction are protected. The buyer almost always pays the fees for this, although sometimes buyer and seller split the cost.
Escrow.com has created its "Vehicle Services Division" specifically for dealing with the used cars, trucks, SUVs and almost anything else with wheels and a motor. The buyer can have a 160 point inspection performed before agreeing to the purchase. This is an inexpensive service and certainly will save the buyer any headaches.
* The buyer pays a $125 fee that is non-refundable
* The seller is contacted and the inspection is carried out
* The buyer receives a report
* The buyer chooses to go ahead with the purchase - or not
Another choice for the buyer is to deposit his payment with Escrow.com and then take delivery of the vehicle. The seller ships the car after he knows the money is secure with the escrow company. The seller must provide tracking information, which is verified by Escrow.com.
The buyer has between one and 30 days to thoroughly inspect his new purchase (the period is negotiated between the two parties ahead of time). If this time expires and the escrow company has not heard from the buyer, it assumes he is happy and gives the purchase price to the seller.
The buyer may return his vehicle if he isn't happy and sometimes buyers and sellers work out partial payment agreements, the buyer being satisfied with some parts of the transaction, but not with others. If a dispute arises, it is settled by the American Arbitration Association.
The fee for this service is:
* $0 - $7,500 = value of vehicle: $125
* $7,500.01 to $15,000: $170
* $15,000.01 to $30,000: $200
* $30,000.01 to $50,000: $275
* $50,000+ = 6% of the value
Once both parties have agreed, the title transfer process begins and Escrow.com will guarantee this too, for a fee of $95. Title transfers are handled by Centerpoint Diversified Services which works in all 50 states. The fee, naturally, doesn't include any transfer costs - it is only insurance that the title will be expedited to the satisfaction of both parties.
Escrow.com also offers a service that will ship cars almost anywhere in the world and will gather an auto history report to inform sellers if their new chariot has been salvaged or stolen, suffered flood or hail damage, been in a fire or accident, has had an odometer rollback or has been used as a police car, a rental or a taxi.
Anyone considering offering used cars for sale on eBay would be well advised to thoroughly learn the services available through Escrow.com and offer those to prospective buyers. The trust factor will skyrocket and your chances of completing sales will dramatically increase.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:47 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 26, 2005
eBay Auctions Cancels Cindy Sheehan "Baseball"
Ebay auctions has canceled a supposed authentic Cindy Sheehan baseball listing. According to the seller, the baseball authentically looked like Sheehan, but eBay declares that it is drawn on with a magic marker. I leave it to you to decide for yourselves, but I have to vote with eBay on this one.
Cindy Sheehan is famous as the mother who has challenged George Bush because her son was killed in Iraq. All kinds of merchandise has been cloned in her name - some supportive, some not.
Regardless of any political agenda, my heart goes out to this woman. I can't imagine how any mother can survive the pain of losing her child.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:08 PM | TrackBack
August 24, 2005
Overstock Auctions Score Over eBay Auctions
How much would you pay to see (and meet?) Jennifer Lopez? Actually, I'm so disinterested that I wouldn't walk across the street, but obviously I'm out of touch. Lopez has chosen Overstock to sell tickets to the opening of the first JLO boutique in Chicago.
Here's what the winner will receive:
* Two VIP tickets to the opening of Lopez’s first U.S. Marshall Fields boutique. The event will include a reception and a fashion show featuring JLo by Jennifer Lopez and Sweetface.
* Two VIP tickets to the opening of Lopez’s first U.S. Marshall Fields boutique
* Two roundtrip airline tickets to Chicago O’Hare airport (from anywhere within the lower 48 states),
* A one night stay in a Chicago four-star hotel
Currently, the price is "only" $6,630.00. At least all the proceeds go to charity.
Actually, what's interesting about this auction is that Overstock continues to challenge the domination of eBay. We sellers can only be thrilled. Go, Overstock!
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:47 PM | TrackBack
August 22, 2005
Internet Abbreviations - eBay Style
There is a very sound reason to use Internet abbreviations on eBay. And that is - it doesn't matter if you're selling the crown jewels of England for $1 each (don't I wish I could get my paws on those!) - if nobody knows about it. eBay works like a giant search engine and the more information you give in your listing title, the more chance you have that an interested buyer will click on your listing and actually buy.
Enter ... the abbreviation.
eBay only allows 65 characters, so you want to cram as many relevant keywords as possible into your title. This increases the chance that your goodies will actually be found. Yes, you can buy a subtitle for 50 cents, which gives you more space. But, if you're selling a lot of items, or if your merchandise is low in price (and profit) that 50 cents just might be significant.
However, with an abbreviation you can stuff in a lot of info yet use only a few spaces. A great example is the classic OEM which means that you're selling everything that came in the box - but you don't have the box itself, the directions or owner's manual. Think about how much information is conveyed in only three letters vs the amount of space it would take to convey all of that. That is why abbreviations are so powerful.
http://auction-genius-course.com/auction/internet-abbreviations.shtml
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 8:55 AM | TrackBack
August 20, 2005
Auctions on eBay: Three Kinds Of Auctions
Auctions on eBay aren't always either the 'regular' auction of bid-now-and-wait-to-see-what-happens or the 'Buy It Now' which ends the action immediately. In fact, there are three other auction formats that aren't even known by most folks. These are:
* Restricted Access auctions on eBay
* Private auctions on eBay
* Live auctions on eBay
Learn more about these and see if they might suit your business - or you might even just want to (gasp!) have fun.
http://auction-genius-course.com/auction/auctions-ebay.shtml
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 8:41 AM | TrackBack
August 19, 2005
Feedback For Product Sourcing Scams Revealed
Product Sourcing Scams Revealed is an ebook written by Chris Malta and myself and the entire point is:
1. To help readers find real wholesale sources for themselves
2. Prevent them from wasting their money on scam information
http://auction-genius-course.com/auction/product-sourcing-scams-revealed.shtml
We started selling it in February of 2005 and the response has been so gratifying. Here are two emails we received this weekend:
"If only more and more American's were like you two the world would be better off. I once again thank you for creating this wonderful packed booklet."
"Oh Bless You!! It is people like you who truly make the eBay world go 'round!"
THIS is what makes the Net so rewarding. Of course, the money is a big part of it, too. What a great world we live in! So rich in opportunity and joy.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 8:21 AM | TrackBack
August 18, 2005
eBay Online Bidding To Change
eBay has announced online bidding changes that will affect both buyers and sellers. The new rules states that sellers may adjust their Reserve price downward, even after bids have occurred.
The reserve price is a bidding floor to protect sellers. If the bidding doesn't reach the level of the reserve, the seller is under no obligation to carry out the auction. This is why a seller might not $50 to break even on an item - but can open the bidding at one cent, to attract attention and encourage bidding.
Until now, once a bid had occurred, the seller couldn't change the reserve.
The new rule allows sellers to reduce ''downwards to a minimum of one bid increment above the listing’s current price''. Bidders will be informed of the change via email.
eBay hasn't announced when this change will occur, but it is already in effect on eBay Motors and on eBay UK.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 3:53 PM | TrackBack
August 16, 2005
eBay Sales: Cancelling At The Last Minute?
Recently a student asked if she could end one of her listings early. It was a timely question since eBay has recently revised its policy on this matter. If you have ever considered doing this, and don't want to run afoul of eBay, here are the guidelines.
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Sellers can cancel a listing if: * The item is no longer available for sale. There are special rules if there are only 12 hours or less remaining in the auction: * If a listing has 12 or fewer hours remaining and has, or had, a winning bid during the final 12 hours of the listing, the seller will no longer be able to end the listing, except to sell to the current high bidder on eBay. |
Sellers may still cancel specific bids that they find unwelcome, but may no longer utilize the "cancel all bids and end this item" feature.
Reason: the practice of canceling all bids and ending an item early with only minutes left is very frustrating to buyers. This change should improve the overall buyer experience.
* Sellers may still end listings during the final 12 hours of the listing if the item does not have any bids.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 2:11 PM | TrackBack
August 15, 2005
Eight Collectible Dolls Are Best Sellers On eBay
Collectible dolls have been a big seller on eBay since way back in the dark ages of 1995. eBay started as a collectibles site and its phenomenal growth occurred thanks to this strong demand.
Dolls have been popular since Mrs. Cave Lady gave her daughter a mud and sticks doll to while away long winters in the cave, of course. So it's no surprise that collectible dolls are profitable on eBay. Eight, in particular, go for high prices:
1. Madame Alexander dolls were created in 1923. These beloved dolls range from Charlie Brown to babies and children to elegant dressed women to glamorous and famous women like Greta Garbo and Judy Garland. With all the varieties of costumes, a single doll can be a 1920s flapper as easily as a member of the court of Louis XIV.
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2. The Cabbage Patch Kids began in 1978 and are never "sold". They are 'born' at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia and proud parents pay an 'adoption fee'. The Cabbage Patch Kids were one of the greatest toy phenomenons of the later 20th century. At one time, it was a common sight to see grown women shopping and lunching with their babies in hand. At restaurants, the Kids had their own chairs and were always appropriately dressed for the weather. 3. Lee Middleton dolls, according to legend, are so real in appearance that grown men sent for a rescue squad to save "the baby" from a locked car!
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Mistaken identity is supposedly a frequent occurrence and the dolls have been counted as "passengers" on airplanes and rescued from store countertops to prevent the 'baby' from falling. As one happy owner says, "These dolls are so lifelike it's uncanny."
4. American Girl dolls are loved by millions of little girls (and grown ups, too!) They are not only from different times and places, but are ethnically diverse: Felicity from colonial Virginia; Josephina from the 1830's in New Mexico; Kirsten is "a pioneer girl of strength and spirit growing up in Minnesota in 1854"; Addy is alive in the 186o's, having escaped from slavery with her mother; Samantha is "a bright Victorian girl living with her wealthy grandmother in 1904"; Kit is growing up in 193os, during America's Great Depression; Molly lives in the 1940's while her dad is away at war; Kaya is a Nez Perce Indian living in the northwest.
5. Precious Moments began in the early 1970s when creator Sam Butcher began drawing the endearing teardrop-eye children as gifts for family and friends. Today Sam's Precious Moments artwork is among the most recognized in the world, and eBay prices reflect this popularity.
6. Bratz dolls, unlike older dolls like Madame Alexander and Cabbage Patch Kids, have no long history as favorite toys or collectibles. Nevertheless, their price has astonished eBay sellers and the Bratz collection was one of the 'super hits' of the 2003 holiday season and sales have been strong ever since.
7. Hasbro dolls are one of the products of the gigantic Hasbro company, who claim to have been making toys for eight generations, including famous games like Monopoly, Scrabble and Clue.
8. And, no surprise, Barbie is the best-selling doll on eBay. Since Mattel has recently announced that Ken and Barbie will no longer be an "item", dolls from the 'good old days' when the name "Barbie" was rarely heard without 'Ken', will inevitably become more valuable.
Anyone who loves and understands the collectible doll market, can do very well selling dolls on eBay. They've been strong sellers for the 10 years eBay has been in existence and are almost certain to remain popular for years to come.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:40 PM | TrackBack
August 12, 2005
Two Fascinating eBay Auctions
Here are two fascinating eBay auctions. One is for the famous 'Neon Bar' from Le Cirque restaurant in NY City, which closed in 2004. It's fascinating to me because I've been to Le Cirque and seen the famous bar which has a neon "halo" over it.
According to the auction, Mayor Koch hated it and Madonna loved it (no surprise there). Personally, I was amused by it. It certainly made a statement but I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time there - too noisy and too many desperate people trying to be cool. The bar is 40' by 23' - imagine shipping that, much less having space for it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7536552665
An even better auction is from a group of famous authors who are auctioning names in upcoming books. What makes it even better is that the proceeds go to a very worthy cause: The First Amendment Project.
Here's the deal - if you win the auction, one of the participating authors will use your name - or whatever name you choose - in an upcoming book. The authors are:
* Michael Chabon
* Amy Tan
* Peter Straub
* Andrew Sean Greer
* Karen Joy Fowler
* Stephen King
* Lemony Snicket
* Dorothy Allison
* Jonathan Lethem
* Ayelet Waldman
* John Grisham
* Nora Roberts
* Neil Gaiman
* Dave Eggers
* Rick Moody
* ZZ Packer
I especially like the organization, whose goal is to protect and promote First Amendment rights (freedom of expression, in case you're weak on the Constitution). Since 9/11, our rights have been curtailed in an alarming manner and organizations like these are very welcome.
Be warned, though: if you win Stephen King's auction, you have to use a woman's name if you want to be viciously (no doubt) murdered.
"One (and only one) character name in a novel called CELL, which is now in work and which will appear in either 2006 or 2007. Buyer should be aware that CELL is a violent piece of work, which comes complete with zombies set in motion by bad cell phone signals that destroy the human brain. Like cheap whiskey, it's very nasty and extremely satisfying. Character can be male or female, but a buyer who wants to die must in this case be female. In any case, I'll require physical description of auction winner, including any nickname (can be made up, I don't give a rip)."
HOW does he think up this stuff?
http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=auctioncause
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 9:20 AM | TrackBack
August 11, 2005
Domain Name Auctions On eBay
If you're thinking of making your millions auctioning domain names on eBay, you're most likely going to be disappointed. Today there are 838 auctions relating to domain names, and the majority of them have no bids, or very low ones.
One seller, for instance, has bought multiple variations of John Roberts' name and is trying to sell them for up to $8,000. There don't seem to be any takers, although the auctions aren't over.
(Would YOU pay $8K for those names? No way I would!)
The only really substantial sum that we note today is OvernightDelivery.com, which is currently bid up to $1250. For more on this fascinating game ...
http://auction-genius-course.com/domain-name-auction-online.shtml
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 1:09 PM | TrackBack
August 10, 2005
How To Have An eBay Business Instead Of An eBay Hobby
When we started the Auction Genius Course more than three years ago, we naturally had no idea how many lives we would affect and how satisfying it would be. And the content has naturally evolved, along with changes in the auction world.
For instance, we spend a lot more time on how to qualify products. With a thorough understanding of supply and demand, our chances of success are slim and none. This is made more difficult by the fact that it's not cut & dried. For instance, take a look at this email:
- - -
“Dear Sydney, I have a problem and I don't know what to do. I want to sell a (particular kind of model airplane) on eBay. The trouble is that there are several hundred of them for sale right now and I guess that only about 10-20% of them have any bids. What do you think I ought to do?”
- - -
What do you think the writer ought to do? The prudent thing, which I would advise almost every time, is to move along and forget this particular widget. But of course a really skilled marketer, or someone who was an expert in this field, might be able to bring some ideas and insights to this biz that would make it a gold mine. The point is there is no fill-in-the-blanks answer that is right for everyone. That's why a skilled seller really needs to understand what (s)he's doing. It ain't easy, folks.
We bought some expensive new recording equipment this summer, and if you'd like to listen to our newly-recorded class, you can find it here:
http://www.auction-genius-course.com/cd/freeclass/index.html
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:48 PM | TrackBack
August 7, 2005
"Selling Physical Products" Seminar In November
I am proud to announce that I am hosting an Internet seminar in Atlanta, along with my friends Brad Fallon, Andy Jenkins and Todd Taylor, my star student to date. It's not until November, but it's coming along nicely, so here are some preliminary details:
Where: Atlanta, GA
When: November 11-13
What: Selling physical products on the Internet
New contributor: We are thrilled to announce that Chris Malta & Rob Cowie of Worldwide Brands have agreed to participate in this seminar. This is a first for Worldwide Brands - they are extremely careful about how they use their name and who they ally themselves with, so we are honored by their confidence. They've never participated in a seminar like before, and perhaps they never will again. They are THE product sourcing experts in the US - as proven by their new radio show sponsored by Entrepreneur magazine and focused exclusively on product sourcing.
The seminar will begin on Friday night with a 'Get-Acquainted' session to meet the participants and speakers.
Friday and Saturday will be long days, filled with top quality teaching. We're not pitching products - we're revealing how we conduct business and what we do to get our results. Come prepared to take humongous amounts of notes and have your brain exhausted by Sunday evening! :-)
If you're curious about seminars, and whether you should go to one, what to look for to find quality seminars, etc., you might want to listen to a radio show from this past Monday. Chris Malta, Rob Cowie, Andy Jenkins and I spent an hour on the Entrepreneur Radio Show discussing "Internet Seminars: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly".
You can listen to it here:
http://auction-genius-course.com/radio.shtml
More details to follow ...
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 9:23 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 5, 2005
Don't Make This Mistake When Selling On eBay
Selling on eBay is like every other kind of selling on the Net - it requires discipline, knowledge and effort. So sabotaging our efforts with effects that annoy customers isn't the smartest game in town. For instance, what do you notice the most on this entire page?
It's the bat, isn't it? If you're selling something wonderful, why oh why would you want to take buyer attention away from it by causing his eye to be constantly drawn back to the Halloween bat? Being entertaining on eBay isn't as important as selling! So check out four reasons you should never use animations in your auction listings - unless selling on eBay isn't what you really want to do!
http://auction-genius-course.com/auction/auction-listings.shtml
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 3, 2005
Article Announcer: A Frank Review of Article Announcer
A month ago, Jason Potash announced the launch of a product called Article Announcer. The purpose of Article Announcer is to teach marketers how to write articles and to get them published all over the Internet, resulting in links, higher search engine position and targeted traffic to their stores and sites. Here are my frank comments on this new product - the good & the bad.
Unfortunately, Jason Potash's new product launch wasn't as smooth as he undoubtedly wanted it to be. He originally had 500 copies but more than that were ordered (nice problem to have!) causing a wait while more kits were produced.
Then the site went offline, causing much buyer panic.
To compound the disaster, his fulfillment house went out of business before all product was shipped. This certainly wasn't Jason's fault, but contributed to the hysteria in the forums.
My take on Article Announcer:
After a considerable time, I received Article Announcer. I was unhappy with the delay, but after using Announcer for several days I am pleased to announce that it is an incredibly valuable tool and well worth waiting for. It will save me awesome amounts of time. Notice that I said "will" save - future tense - because there is a definite learning curve. The actual mechanics of using the Article Announcer software are simple, but there is a lot of involvement required.
There are three specific groups that Article Announcer contacts ...
Article directories: Jason has included a nice list of directories. The way the software works is that we fill in certain information fields, and then the Article Announcer software auto-fills the directory forms. Jason warns that with a few directories this isn't possible, and he is correct. Further, a few directories want articles emailed, and Article Announcer isn't useful for those.
There have been some forum comments that Article Announcer is a "spam" tool. Nothing could be further from the truth!
First, each directory entry must be entered individually. For some directories, it's an instant click of a button to submit an article. Some of them require minimal editing. Regardless, you can't "click a button and mail to thousands of sites".
Secondly, there is no virtue whatsoever in hand-submitting each article. The value is in the content, not in the submission process and such criticisms are utterly ridiculous. Why is an article more valuable if it's submitted by hand or via software? The time we save can be spent creating more quality content.
Its possible to enter new directories that aren't included in the original software. I entered five and only one of those will auto-fill the form. I don't know if this is the fault of the software or the way the directory has set up its requirements.
One thing I'm not sure of yet is efficiency. For instance, I was submitting four articles. Is it more efficient to stop on one directory and submit all four articles? or to go through the entire directory list with one article and repeat with the next directory? Don't know yet.
Announcement lists: there are a small number of general announcement lists already in the software. Jason recommends finding more specific ones and teaches us how. I have to say, though, that I haven't been able to find any good ones yet. Perhaps I haven't looked long enough.
Ezine publishers: this was the weakest section, in my view. A huge percentage of the emails I sent came back as bad email addresses and several ezine publishers asked to be removed instantly. Supposedly this list was screened, but of course we know how quickly emails address can go out of date. It's very possible that these publishers received so many submissions from Article Announcer users that they changed their contact information quickly.
There are a couple of features that I would like added and hopefully they will be included in future updates.
First, when adding new articles it gets tedious to keep entering the same information again and again. I would really like either a "clone" feature or a dropdown menu so that I can fill in the form more efficiently and quickly.
The second issue is major: Article Announcer really, REALLY needs a way to back my data. I've spent a lot of time editing entries, including articles, purging some sources and adding others. I would really hate to lose all information and have to start over.
One suggestion: get a separate email address. I actually bought a domain name. Unfortunately, I bought a ".info" simply because it was cheap and I'm not using it for anything else. I say that's unfortunate because some of the article directories insist that it isn't a valid email address. It is, of course, but apparently they only accept older names like .com and possibly .net.
There is other material that comes in the Article Announcer box, including a long conversation with John Reese on the subject of article writing. This is old hat to me, but newer article writers may find it quite useful.
Support hasn't been all that terrific because I've sent several emails that were ignored.
Overall, this review might sound negative, and there have been some definite problems with this new product. However, from everything I've heard Jason Potash is an upright sort of guy and is doing everything he can to smooth this out and make his customers happy. So, for the really important question ...
Would I buy Article Announcer again? You bet! In spite of the problems, I see it as one of my most inportant tools in promoting my websites and stores. Now that I have spent hours working with it, making it suit my needs, I can see the awesome power of the software. It's a definite thumbs up for my business.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 12:27 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Overstock Auctions Leading The Way In Auction Safety
Applause for Overstock auctions, and its small sellers. It's encouraging that online auction sites, and their sellers, are voluntarily taking steps to make auctions safer. It's morally right and it's also smart business (isn't it wonderful when the two obviously mesh?) With all the publicity about auction fraud, naturally some buyers are wary about the safety of their credit cards.
Back in March, Overstock auctions announced that it was partnering with BuySafe to insure trusted sellers up to $25,000 per transaction.
http://auctions.overstock.com/cgi-bin/auctions.cgi?PAGE=static&pagenum=551
The program is free until September when members will pay 1% of closing fees on each purchase.
The problem, from the point of view of small sellers, is that sales must equal $1000/month in order to participate. So begins the "Trusted Overstock Auction Sellers Affiliate". There is no $25,000 guarantee, but sellers must meet certain criteria, which includes "exceptional service, personal responses, professional ratings and commitment to your satisfaction as the buyer." TOASA certainly favors the little guys and gals over the corporate giants, which is all to the good.
Overstock auctions and its sellers are to be commended. Anyone who makes the Internet a safer place to shop is doing all net citizens a big, BIG favor.
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 11:01 AM | TrackBack
August 1, 2005
How NOT To Sell On eBay!
Here is a quick, simple down-and-dirty course in how not to sell on eBay ...
Just this morning, I clicked on an eBay auction and was assaulted! Yep, that is the only correct word for the treatment I received. As soon as the auction page loaded, loud, obnoxious music began playing. I get up really early. My house was quiet, no phones ringing, one of my cats was snoozing on my lap - and suddenly we're both startled and jarred by horrible so-called music. I couldn't get off that page fast enough!
Obviously, the seller didn't have any intention of driving a customer away. Nevertheless, that was the result. Here are five reasons why you should really think twice, three times or four times about including music or any kind of audio in your listings:
http://auction-genius-course.com/auction/online-auction-listings.shtml
Posted by SydneyJohnston at 8:31 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
