Re: Questions for Ebay Experts (warning: very long-winded)

Hi MaaMaw,

I'm doing a 3-day eBay Training Seminar in Atlanta (GA) in October. I'll comp you two tickets to the event if you want to send you mother and daughter to the event. It's going to be ....

...GUUREATT!!

Let me know and I'll email you more details.

Warmly,
Michael Penland
http://www.instantcashmarketing.com

> Dear Ebay Kiddies,

> For years, my daughter and I have toyed with the idea of seriously selling
> on Ebay, but every time we actually take the plunge (not seriously, just
> odds and ends) we end up screaming, "WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?????"

> This is always the result of frustration after taking bzillions of
> photographs to get a few decent ones, writing the listings, answering
> emails from people who have no intention of buying, getting the payment,
> packing the bloody things (or thing, since we rarely sell much), and going
> to the P.O. however many times it takes.

> AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!! All for peanuts!

> I'm smart enough to know it isn't so complicated for the experts, and they
> aren't doing it for peanuts either -- but for us it has always been a
> total loss.

> And whenever I look at various Power Sellers' auctions, I see that for
> most product categories, they sell maybe 1 out of 15 items. That's so
> discouraging, especially to a total amateur who has bombed every time. (I
> should mention that knowing "what to sell when" is not one of my
> strong points.)

> Well, I don't have time anyway (I refuse to get sidetracked) -- but my
> mother and my daughter do.

> I stumbled onto this article , then I went to Ebay to look up the
> Cashco1000 lady's completed auctions (they talk about her in the article).

> I didn't actually count, but at first glance I noticed she, too, only
> sells 1 in 10 or 15 or 20 items (just like all the other poor saps).

> "HAH!!" said I. "Another poor sap!"

> Imagine my surprise when I added up her totals and found that YESTERDAY
> she sold a piddly $1,362.60 worth of stuff!!!!

> OH....

> MY....

> GAWWWWD!!!

> I looked at her current auctions and saw many repeat items -- and the
> light started to come on. (Five years in the dark seems about right to me,
> does it seem right to you?)

> I was picturing her with a warehouse full of stuff, like an Ebay lady I
> know who has a garage full of stuff she says she often has to hold for
> months on end in order to "sell at the right time."

> I'll bet this Cashco lady's stuff is drop-shipped!!

> That would solve most of the problems (since the dropshippers I've found
> provide pictures, descriptions, etc., all ready to plop in) -- and it
> would explain how it's possible to run dozens or hundreds of auctions and
> only sell a few items, and how so many cash-poor people have been able to
> do it without actually stocking a warehouse.

> Until I stumbled on various drop-shipping sites, I always thought
> drop-shipping on Ebay was a no-no because something might be out of stock.

> This dropshipper claims to be "Ebay Certified." I haven't done
> any checking on this particular company because I wanted to get opinions
> from "those in the know" -- not only about *this* dropshipper
> but about dropshipping on Ebay in general -- before I take time away from
> what I'm doing to dig up dirt.

> Once upon a time I started to sign up for a trial membership just to get a
> look inside, and they called me TWICE that day (which really ticked me
> off) to try to sell me a special deal. They claim they don't mark up any
> products -- that all their profit is made from membership fees -- and if
> they are really selling bzillions of items as they claim, I don't see how
> they can actually handle the mechanics of placing all those orders and
> still make money. Admittedly, I don't do higher math -- but it seems like
> an awful lot of work for each "power seller" who uses them and
> pays $29.95 or $49.95 a month.

> And there's this one -- which reminds me of SMC in some ways, and the
> "easy" claim up front makes me wary, since we all know that's
> bull.

> If you're still awake, I'll get to my questions now:

> 1. Do you suppose the Cashco1000 Ebay seller is an example of someone who
> has her products drop-shipped?

> 2. Is drop-shipping a safe way to do business on Ebay? (I think we've
> discussed this before, but I'd like to discuss it again if you don't mind;
> I suspect other Ebay-dense people want to know.) The first place I
> mentioned allows "premium members" to check availability of all
> products constantly, which is somewhat comforting but not totally.

> I'm sure I had other questions when I started, but I talked so much I have
> no idea where I was going with this.

> Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

> Luv,