Trading on Craigslist

There are several good ways an online retailer can utilize Craiglist.  Whether you are buying things to resell on other sites or selling your own wares, Craigslist has a bustling community of buyers and sellers and is almost always free.

For those of you not familiar with craigslist, it is a site with on line classified ads.  It is set up so you can search just in your local area (or in any other local area.)   To get to your own local area on the site, select your country, your state and then your town or the nearest town listed. 

You will then find the site broken down into several sections.  There are sections on housing, jobs, personals, and my favorite--"for sale."  You can browse this section by catagory and find things you may be able to resell for a profit on eBay.  Do your own research or use my favorite eBay selling tool, Terapeak, to see what the market value is before you buy.

Craigslist is also a great place to sell.  I use it mostly to see bulky or hard to ship items.  When we remodeled our kitchen, I sold our oven for $250.  Not bad--and it was wonderful not having to pay selling or listing fees, the sales price was total profit.

Craigslist is also where many folks are going to advertise their garage sales.  Use a combination of your local paper and craigslist to learn about all the sales.  There is even a section on craislist where people give stuff away--this is a section you want to check often because the good stuff moves quick.

Creating an eBay Listing Title: 55 Very Important Characters

When listing an item for sale on eBay, there are several important things to consider, but probably the MOST important aspect of your listing is what you put in the listing title.


You get 55 characters to use to help your buyer find your item. If you use these characters inefficiently, there is a good chance your listing will be seen less frequently (or not at all) and therefore will sell for less than you want.

80% of buyers search using eBay's "best match." This is the default search method when a buyer doesn't select another search method.

"Best match" is a somewhat secret and difficult to decipher logarithm created by eBay to assist buyers in finding what they are looking for. "Best match" criteria seems to change frequently, but it always matches items first and foremost on keyword matches.

If your title doesn't contain the EXACT word that a buyer is searching with, good chance the buyer will never see it.

So, when listing your item for sale, think like a buyer. Buyers do not search for a "cute" plate or a "must see" blender, so do not waste your words with these adjectives. Buyers might search on New or NIB, so make sure to include the word new if it describes your item.

Before creating your title, search for your item like a buyer. What words did you use? That is a good start for your description.

Now, can you think of other words someone might use? Make sure to state the obvious, Nike SHOES or Kitchen Aid BLENDER. If your item has the possibility of being looked for in both singular and plural forms, write it out both ways. For example "Hummel figurine figurines" when listing a group of figurines.

Include a common misspelling if you have room. Also include synonyms. Carhartt Carhart jacket coat.

Do not worry about how your title reads. The title needs to get your listing to show up; it doesn't have to be pretty. Kitchen Aid Toaster Stainless Steel 4 four slice toast will get a lot more eyeballs than Kitchen Aid Toaster *MUST SEE* works well Sharp!

Serious sellers spend time testing and tracking listings to see which keywords work best. Terapeak offers keyword suggestions and shows what other sellers are using and how successful various keywords are.

Flea Marketing 201

EBay has earned it's place in cyberspace as the world's largest rummage sale. It is a great place to resell vintage and preowned items. The profit margin can be huge when you know what to buy.

Some great ideas for finding second hand inventory were given in earlier in Flea Marketing 101.

Here are some more things to look for when shopping for eBay inventory:

Scrapbooking Supplies (Creative Memories)
Stamping Supplies (Stampin' Up)
Games for Wii, XBox, DS
Digital Cameras (even broken can be sold for $20-30)
Vintage Phones (color and style matter here)
Electric Rollers (Richard Caruso Brand or Remington certain colors)
Hooked on Phonics Sets/Learn to Read, Write or Do Math Sets
Unopened, unused makeup (Brand names)
Perfume (Brand Name, can be opened or used)
Dance and gymnastic costumes and shoes
Sport Shoes, Cleats (Brand Names)
Longaberger Baskets
Pier One Pottery and Dishes
Fishing Gear
Board Games (intact and complete with instructions)

Always get items as cheap as possible. If you are at a personal sale, strike up a bargain. If you are shopping the thrift markets, go on discount days or shop for items that are on sale.

Make sure to use Terapeak Price Report or do your own research on eBay to see what items are selling for.

A resource that will pay for itself over and over again is Garage Sale Goldmines.

Ebay Pricing Strategies

The final selling price of your products has everything to do with how you price your item to get that first bid.

There are many ways to list products and many strategies on getting the highest possible final price. After reviewing dozens of successful selling strategies and selling thousands of items on eBay, the process of pricing can still be a matter of "gut" feeling, especially when I'm listing a product for the first time.

There are several things to look at as you develop your own pricing strategy.

Is the item a commodity or a unique, one of kind item? A commodity, for this purpose, is something that sells over and over on eBay for the about the same price. Look at final selling prices on eBay by checking the "completed listings" box under "advanced" search or use a research tool like Hammertap or Terapeak. My favorite tool, Terapeak, will help you Price your eBay Items for Success.


If your product is easy to find and sells often on eBay for around the same price, consider listing it in a fixed price format or putting it in your eBay store. Most easy to find products are not going to end higher in an auction than what they typically sell for. If it is not a commonly purchased product (i.e. there is a good chance a week or 10 days could pass without the right buyer searching for it), a fixed price or store listing is also a good idea.

If your product is unique or collectible (but not so unique that 7 or 10 days could pass without someone searching on it) or "hot", an auction format will work quite well. There are many strategies when it comes to the starting price in auction formats, but generally the lower the starting price, the higher the ending value. Many auctions start at just .99 even when the expected closing fee is in the hundreds of dollars.

Use Terapeak or your own research to see how many items like yours have sold in the last week. If there are at least three or four closed sales in the previous week, you are probably pretty safe with starting your auction low.

It can be hard to follow this advice, but study after study has shown that low starting prices drive the most interest and end at the highest price. Use Terapeak and notice the opening bid and the ending price.

If there are only one or two closed sales in the previous week, you might want to consider listing it a the lowest possible price you will take. That way, if only one or two buyers are watching and bidding on your item, you don't lose your shirt.

Remember to pay close attention to the day of the week and the time of the day auctions end in your research. Your auction will close exactly 3,7 or 10 days after you list it depending on how long your auction runs. Evenings are generally the best time to have an auction end (consider the time across the country--you don't want potential bidders to be asleep when it ends) and Sunday evenings generally get the highest prices. The Sunday evening suggestion is general, however, you will find that different products do best on different days.

Even after you develop your strategy you will need to keep doing your research and testing your own methods. EBay is changing constantly and the best strategy for today may not be the best strategy in the future.

Creating Multiple Streams of Internet Income: Writing For Pay

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

We've all heard that quote, but what does it mean when it comes to earning money in general and earning money on line in particular?

It means getting streams on income from as many different sources as possible. If you sell on eBay, have several different products or suppliers. Don't get too comfortable when one line is doing great, be sure to have another one in the works. Markets change fast and you need to be evolving right along with them.

The same goes for suppliers. Have at least two or three main suppliers, that way you are less affected when one changes prices or policies.

It also means selling "wide." If you only sell on eBay, consider also selling on Amazon. Start building your own web site. When you sell on multiple sites, you have the opportunity to earn more. You are also less at the mercy of any one site's rate changes.

It is important to also consider completely new revenue streams. Many online people earn money writing articles. There are great opportunities to share your knowledge and earn some money at the same time.

One place you can earn money writing is the Examiner. You can apply to become an examiner in just about any area. They offer pay based on traffic and ad revenue. They also have a great referral program. For every new writer you send them, they will pay you $50!

Writing on line is a great place to share the knowledge and expertise you have about your niche or what you sell. Check out the Examiner and please tell them I sent you.

Retail Resale--Risk Free Ebay Inventory

If you live in an urban area of any significant size you have a great opportunity to acquire inventory (risk free) to sell on eBay. Many eBay sellers earn decent money reselling items purchased at their local stores.

Many online shoppers live in rural areas or in foreign countries and don't have access to the stores we take for granted. They especially lack access to sales and to clearance items. This is where an eBay seller can help out! You do the digging and find the bargains and sell it to them on eBay.

Here are some tips to get started:

1.) Stick to name brands. They sell much better on Ebay and are what people search for.
2.) Look for clearance and deeply discounted items. EBay items usually sell for 10-20% below retail, so you will need to buy things discounted at least 40%.
3.) Make sure you list it as "new" and mention in your description that it is "new with tags."
4.) Research before you buy. You may need to make two trips, to see what is on sale and compare it to the completed listings on eBay. A smart phone helps out here.
5.) Save your receipts and pay attention to return policies; this makes it simple to return unsold items.
6.) Store Suggestions: TJ Maxx, Marshalls, American Eagle, Hollister, Abercrombie, DSW Shoes, Outlet Malls

Last Spring, I walked into Walmart and noticed the Twilight Board Game for sale. I knew the Twilight books and new movie were very popular. I bought a couple of the games to see if I could sell them on eBay. They were $15 at Walmart and I put them on Ebay for $30. By the next morning, both of the games had sold. I returned to Walmart and bought all the games they had in stock. It was a nice week for me on Ebay thanks to that one item.

If you have any "retail resale" success stories, I would love to hear about them!

Creative Ebay Auctions

My six year-old daughter loves Zhu Zhu pets and she loves shopping on Ebay. Tonight she was shopping on Ebay for a new mechanical hamster to add to her collection. She came across some cute, tie dye Zhu Zhus. At first, I thought the manufacturers of this latest toy obsession were capitalizing on their luck and the Zhu Zhu craze by offering a wider range of hamsters. Upon closer inspection, however, I learned that these are CUSTOM MADE Zhu Zhus that are being sold by a creative ebay seller.

I LOVE IT! Some of these little guys (around $8 at Walmart) are going for $40-$50 with their custom paint jobs.

Zhu Zhu pets were THE toy to buy and sell on ebay this past holiday season. Sellers who were able to get the pets were easily able to triple their investment reselling them on Ebay. As the holiday season came to a close and the supply of hamsters caught up with the demand, the ebay value of these guys eroded quickly. It was fun while it lasted.

However, this creative seller is taking the Zhu Zhu obsession to the next level. By adding a little paint and a little time, she is to making the Zhu Zhu unique and capitalizing on the latest toy trend.

Seeing sellers like this one is inspiring. There are hundreds of popular products that could be improved or customized and sold on ebay. Using the advanced search option in ebay and the words "custom" or "refurbished" can get your gears rolling.