Non Beginner Books On Ebay?
March 3, 2013 11:09 AM Subscribe
What are the best books about Ebay?
Preferably books that assume an intermediate knowledge of the site, i.e. I'll buy the Dummies book and give it a go if that's really what is highly recommended, but I'm already selling 4 figures a month on the site, and hoping to ramp that up. What I'm having trouble with is workflow, the ins and outs of different storefront tiers and fee structures, and how to list things as quickly as possible without sacrificing listing quality. Probably other things as well, those come to mind first.
I've started using Garage Sale and I see a lot of potential with that, but it took me hours of research just to decide on using that as a listing tool. I'd like to read a book that starts where I am at instead of creating an account, how to search, etc.
Big bonus if a book covers how to take good pictures, i.e. a quick overview on lighting and cameras and that sort of thing. Creating a dedicated photo area in an office. I don't need my images to be perfect, but I'm struggling with this pretty badly right now.
eBooks are fine, I don't really care if the book is useful.
I'd also take blog and website suggestions if anyone has any on the topic.
Preferably books that assume an intermediate knowledge of the site, i.e. I'll buy the Dummies book and give it a go if that's really what is highly recommended, but I'm already selling 4 figures a month on the site, and hoping to ramp that up. What I'm having trouble with is workflow, the ins and outs of different storefront tiers and fee structures, and how to list things as quickly as possible without sacrificing listing quality. Probably other things as well, those come to mind first.
I've started using Garage Sale and I see a lot of potential with that, but it took me hours of research just to decide on using that as a listing tool. I'd like to read a book that starts where I am at instead of creating an account, how to search, etc.
Big bonus if a book covers how to take good pictures, i.e. a quick overview on lighting and cameras and that sort of thing. Creating a dedicated photo area in an office. I don't need my images to be perfect, but I'm struggling with this pretty badly right now.
eBooks are fine, I don't really care if the book is useful.
I'd also take blog and website suggestions if anyone has any on the topic.
Best answer: http://www.ecommercebytes.com/ - formerly AuctionBytes. Check out the service ratings sidebar to start, including their "photo tips".
The greatest wisdom I found, when I was in ecommerce full time, came from the eBay forums. YMMV. Things change a lot over a decade. Newer technology made what I was selling obsolete.
Ultimately, I would suggest you look at branching out to your own site and your own merchandising. It's tricky to handle and still maintain a relationship with a third party site like Amazon or EBay, who wants to develop an exclusive relationship with your buyer. But Ecommercebytes is a great site for helping you do that. I have nothing but respect for Ina.
Other suggestions -
Use UPIC or self-insurance
Endicia over Stamps.com or printing postage with PayPal
Know your competitors! Know your market!
Develop repeat customers. If I were to do it over again, I would put a lot more time, effort, and money into this type of marketing, using something like an emailing service rather than direct mail or radio/TV advertising, which was a huge waste of my money and time.
posted by mitschlag at 8:58 AM on March 8, 2013
The greatest wisdom I found, when I was in ecommerce full time, came from the eBay forums. YMMV. Things change a lot over a decade. Newer technology made what I was selling obsolete.
Ultimately, I would suggest you look at branching out to your own site and your own merchandising. It's tricky to handle and still maintain a relationship with a third party site like Amazon or EBay, who wants to develop an exclusive relationship with your buyer. But Ecommercebytes is a great site for helping you do that. I have nothing but respect for Ina.
Other suggestions -
Use UPIC or self-insurance
Endicia over Stamps.com or printing postage with PayPal
Know your competitors! Know your market!
Develop repeat customers. If I were to do it over again, I would put a lot more time, effort, and money into this type of marketing, using something like an emailing service rather than direct mail or radio/TV advertising, which was a huge waste of my money and time.
posted by mitschlag at 8:58 AM on March 8, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kmennie at 12:05 PM on March 3, 2013