Disgruntled ebay auction sellers look elsewhere

By Robert Cyr

While ebay holds the title of worlds largest online auction there are other players in the field. Small ebay sellers are truly feeling "Pinched" as ebay slowly changes its policies and procedures for sellers who are trying to make an extra or even full time income.

Case in point:

As of July 1^st ebay will be implementing a “No Link” zone meaning you (as a seller) can no longer link to an outside website from your auction listings, about me pages, reviews, eBay blogs or community posts. This is a a very big deal to many who use ebay as a means to drive targeted traffic to an ecommerce website for additional sales.

In addition to this policy ebay will start cloaking buyers and seller's email addresses to further hinder the ability to actively communicate and cross-sell additional merchandise. The email cloaking will carry over to Paypal users eventually.

As ebay continues to restrict features and increase fees auction sellers are looking for other on line alternatives. There are some formidable players and a few up and coming auction sites to keep an eye on:

Bidtopia.com - Founded by Ebay's Titanium Powerseller: Bargainland Liquidation, Bidtopia is gaining momentum as a great auction site for name brand merchandise. Bidtopia offers proxy bidding with auctions starting a .99 with no reserve! Another unique feature is the "Inverted" Auction where a product starts at a minimum of $100 for one week and if no bids are received the item is discounted 1% every fours hours. Items can be purchased immediately at the discounted price or bidders can submit lower proxy bids. Sellers fees are 2.75% of final auction bid. Bidtopia charges sellers .25 if an item closes without a single bid.

Onlineauction.com - Started back by an Ebay Powerseller OnlineAuctions.com offers a new approach to selling. Once registered sellers are charged a flat $8 per month with no final value fees or listing fees. Sellers are encouraged to post links from auctions directly to their own websites.

Etsy.com - Started back in 2005 this online auction community only allows handmade items to be auctioned. The only exception to the handmade requiremnt being craft supplies and nostalgic items over 20 years old. Etsy does not charge a setup fee for new sellers and everyone receives an online store which an be customized. Etsy offers some very impressive stats including 1 million registered users; 1.7 million items currently listed and 2008 sales to date just under $29.5 million. Sellers are charged a small .20 item listing fee and final value fees of 3.5%.

Liquidation.com - Online auction targeting small to large retailers who have excess inventory to liquidate. You can buy or sell in quantities from small box lots up to truckloads in several categories including: apparel, computers, electronics, housewares, industrial equipment, vehicles, and much more. All auctions start at a minimum opening bid if $100 with no reserve set. Liquidation.com reports that 99% of what is posted online ends with a final bid. Liquidation.com is an excellent venue for those looking to move surplus merchandise.


This post brought to you by:

The Closeout Industry - A wealth of information centered around wholesale closeout merchandise. Author and consultant, Robert Cyr has educated thousands of entrepreneurs offering advice relating to sourcing name brand merchandise far below wholesale pricing.

Great Addition to PPC

By Robert Cyr

If you are reading this blog post I would be willing to bet that you are in the process of buying wholesale merchandise or have been buying wholesale merchandise online for some time now. Why would I make this statement? To prove a point...and the point is that blogging is a great way to drive traffic to you E-commerce website or ebay auctions.

Large and small internet retailers are realizing that well written, content rich blogs are a great addition to PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising campaigns. What is a Blog? The term blog is short for weblog which is simply a data-base driven website where an author can publish posts about any topic imaginable. Each blog post is date stamped and categorized by the blog author. When a web surfer stumbles upon a blog he can then choose from a variety of blog posts by simply clicking a category. The Blog's database then loads topic after topic into the web visitors browser.

Search engines love keyword rich content, therefore blogs tend to be indexed and served up in the form of organic search results in a higher ranking than the traditional "static website".

One of the best ways to be successful is simply to emulate those that are successful...right? Some major retailers, like walmart (Walmarts Blog) have realized that blogging is a great way to connect with people and drive traffic. A Blog will keep readers connected to your website through the use of an RSS feed. We have all noticed that little, often orange, button marked, "RSS". Web visitors can click on that link and have content (from that particular website) delivered through a Reader or directly to an email address. That "Opt In" visitor will receive updated content as the blog publisher writes it.

"How would a blog I write send traffic to my website?"

I am glad you asked...

Lets assume you have an E-commerce website where you are selling electronics...maybe MP3 players and cell phones. You could blog about several different topics, like:

• Product reviews
• Product features
• Upcoming new models
• Information about downloading music or ring tones
• Detailed user instructions
• Your opinions
• Current product news like "Cell phone usage while driving a car"

All of your blog posts could offer a link back to your E-commerce website; remember blog readers who find value in your blog will visit your website on a regular basis. Blogging will work for any type of tangible product or even a service.

When you are surfing then net pay close attention to the website that you visit...I think you will be surprised at the number of "savvy" Internet marketers who are using the power of blogging to drive targeted web traffic. Many websites today will have a link to their own blog. Spend some time investigating blog marketing and I think you will realize that blogging may just be the most economical way for you to drive traffic to your Ebiz!

You can start a blog for free and drive traffic to your website or ebay auctions:


Blogger - Setting up a Blogger account takes three easy steps. Create an account, name your blog, and choose a template. There is no charge for this service-

Wordpress.com - You will be blogging in minutes with a free Wordpress.com hosted blog. Wordpress is probably the most popular blogging platform today-

This post brought to you by:

The Closeout Industry - A wealth of information centered around wholesale closeout merchandise. Author and consultant, Robert Cyr has educated thousands of entrepreneurs offering advice relating to sourcing name brand merchandise far below wholesale pricing.

Retailing with little overhead...How?

By Robert Cyr



Are you looking to start a retail business on a limited budget? There are several ways to retail merchandise, but opening a traditional store can be very expensive. Another option other than a “Brick and Mortar” storefront is selling at festivals, fairs and parade events. You can set up as a vendor at these attractions for as little as $50 to $100 for a 10 X 10 booth. One and two day events attract thousands of people who are willing to spend money on just about anything.


I have found that just about any type of merchandise will sell at fairs and festivals, but to be honest the big dollars can be made by selling to one category of fair attendees....children. Kids love to buy toys or novelties. I, myself can attend a festival or fair and not spend a dime, but when I have my children with me they are “hounding” me to buy souvenirs or toys relentlessly.

You can sell just about anything at festivals and fairs providing you follow vendor guidelines which will be apart of each event you participate in. Some festivals will only allow a certain number of related vendors in each event so it is imperative that you sign up to become a vendor well in advance.

I have set up as a vendor at probably 30-40 different events and some have been more profitable than others. There is a learning curve involved and much of the success you will have will come with trial and error. In my circumstance selling toys and novelties I know that for every 10,000 in attendance I average about $1,500 in retail sales. Larger cities will hold annual festivals and fairs where it is not uncommon to have 50,000 to 75,000 people attending daily!

As a vendor it can become overwhelming at the volume of people viewing your merchandise and trying to hand you money. For larger events you must have help selling and watching your merchandise to prevent theft.

You will need to purchase a couple of large items to make selling easier:


10 X 10 sun canopy to provide shade for your selling area; also provides protection in the event of rain. Canopies can range in price from $79 for a lower end unit up to $350 for a sturdy commercial grade canopy designed to be setup over and over. Look for a canopy that provides ease of setup, often in minutes with two to three people assisting.





Folding tables are a must and can be purchased just about anywhere. Folding tables come in various lengths, but the standard are six to eight feet long. 3-4 tables will provide an excellent way to merchandise your inventory.

In addition to the above I recommend bringing:

1. Electrical extension cords at least 50-100 feet in length
2. Bungee cords to secure your canopy for windy days
   
3. Lights for night events
4. Secure cash box
5. Rolling hand truck to pack your equipment/merchandise from the parking area to your selling location

How do I find out about upcoming events in my area?

Contact the Chamber of Commerce in your geographical region. Ask for a schedule of community events which allow retail vendors to sell.

Get friendly with other vendors at the events you set up at as they can offer additional information about upcoming places to sell-

This post brought to you by:

The Closeout Industry - A wealth of information centered around wholesale closeout merchandise. Author and consultant, Robert Cyr has educated thousands of entrepreneurs offering advice relating to sourcing name brand merchandise far below wholesale pricing.

Why do I need a State Sales Tax License?

Have you been searching the web for wholesale merchandise? There are literally thousands of companies who either specialize in specific categories of wholesale merchandise or offer multiple lines of merchandise to meet your reselling needs. Many of the web's largest wholesale distributors have online catalogs where you can shop and compare pricing.

Have you noticed that some wholesale companies/websites require you to register as a wholesale buyer before you are able to view product pricing? Companies who ask you to register are doing so for a few reasons:

1. They want to protect wholesale pricing from competitors & end consumers
   
2. They want to make sure you are actively engaged in reselling the merchandise you want to purchase
   
3. Marketing: The contact information you provide upon registration will allow the wholesaler to email or mail catalogs, latest offerings etc

I personally like the idea of a wholesale company keeping pricing exclusive to resellers and feel more wholesalers should practice this requirement. It does take some time to fill out the registration forms, but typically once completed you will have instant access to inventory pricing.

Lets take a closer look at step 2 above as this is where some questions will arise. Many wholesale companies will ask you for a resale number or State Sales Tax ID. Providing your State Sales Tax ID will prove to the wholesale company you are actively involved in reselling merchandise (Retailing) and thereby will allow them to sell to you without charging you sales tax.

Why do I need a State Sales Tax ID?

If you live in a State that charges sales tax and you are retailing merchandise to someone that resides in your State you must collect sales tax. The sales tax you collect must be paid to your state on a quarterly or yearly basis.

If you are retailing your merchandise and shipping out of your home state you do not need to collect sales tax. For example, if your business is located in California and you sell and ship to Texas...you do not need to collect sales tax.

Applying for a State Sales Tax License is very easy and in most cases inexpensive. Most States allow you to apply online, start by visiting USA.gov which will provide you with a direct link to your States' government website. Once you click on your individual state there will be links to information relating to licensing and starting a business specific to your state of residence.

Once you have applied and been issued a Sales tax license for your business you will be given specific information about how to collect sales tax, reporting and general information relating to tax laws.

If you plan on selling merchandise in bulk (wholesaling) you will want to ask for your customer's State Sales Tax license information. You must keep an accurate record of the sales you make to resellers where you do not charge sales tax.

This requirement is why the wholesale company you are thinking of buying from is asking for your specific resale number...otherwise they will have to charge you sales tax on your wholesale purchase...


Here is an example of a California Sellers permit. Each State that collects sales tax will issue a permit to resellers once you provide specific information about your business.

This post brought to you by:

The Closeout Industry - A wealth of information centered around wholesale closeout merchandise. Author and consultant, Robert Cyr has educated thousands of entrepreneurs offering advice relating to sourcing name brand merchandise far below wholesale pricing.