Customer Reviews

Starting an eBay Business for Dummies

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Trying to be positive, the best thing about this book is the exposure to some useful areas of concern and companies that I didn't know existed to serve eBay sellers (such as auction management sites and software, as well as the names of several payment service vendors). That, and the occasional nugget of useful information.
When I bought this book, I thought that Marsha Collier was going to reveal some powerful secrets behind eBay business success. Instead what I found was a high level overview of the various aspects of starting a business and of the eBay site. Even though she states upfront that the book is for people who already are familiar with eBay, at least 50% of the book details eBay services and options -- nothing that you can't easily discover from eBay online help for free. Why didn't she just recommend her other book, "eBay for Dummies" for that stuff! Also, several of the "Tips" that she gave online were pretty much common sense. Coming from a marketing background, I had hoped that she would apply some serious marketing strategies to selling online and share useful marketing statistics. I guess that was asking too much from a book geared for "dummies." Even worse, I felt that Marsha was often trying to sell her secrets and promote her own website rather than really help readers. An example is the "Ebay Sellers Lighting Kit" which Marsha will be happy to sell you (don't waste your money -- build it yourself)! This reader definitely got tired of the self-promotion and commercial feel of the book.

Don't even consider starting an eBay business without reading this book. It will pay for itself in no time by helping you avoid many of the pitfalls of new sellers. You will learn how to build more attractive auctions, write interesting and informative copy, take better photos, market your auctions well and provide top-notch customer service, all of which should increase your profits.

Perhaps what makes Collier's book more valuable than that other eBay "Bible" is that Collier's wasn't employed by eBay, so she could be frank about things she liked and didn't like about the auction management tools provided by eBay, and she could recommend sites not affiliated with eBay.

The chapter on auction management software seemed to be lacking. Numerous auction management programs are available, but some of the better ones were not mentioned, such as Inkfrog and Sparedollar. Collier does cover several of the larger auction management software providers, but after reading about several of them, it becomes difficult to differentiate between them. A side-by-side comparison chart summarizing the features would have been helpful. At first glace, all the programs seem the same. After looking into it, they can vary greatly not only in features but in price.

Keep in mind that this book focuses on eBay, only. When you need basic business legal or tax info, don't rely on this book, because Collier doesn't cover it in depth. There are plenty of other resources for that information.

Additionally, this book covers the basics of running a business on eBay, but there is more to learn regarding selling in SPECIFIC categories. One great resource is the eBay discussion board. There is a board for most of the eBay categories, and so much can be learned here. I sell clothing, and the eBay Clothing & Accessories Sellers discussion board is the portal where clothing sellers get together and help each other. Not a day goes by when I don't learn how to better my business from this group.

As a novice ebay buyer,the "selling" bug bit me. It takes some of us longer then others,haha I knew I would need more info besides the tutorials supplied on ebay. So I did my research and bought this book and ebay for dummies before I started selling to get the full picture. Thank goodness! This book in particular is LOADED with great time and cost saving tips for a start up business. Her writing style and humor is very comforting along the ebay learning curve. ebay is an overwhelming but vastly entertaining animal. She has done her homework, is brutally honest and frankly, gives you the "real deal". Hats off to Marsha!!Great job to a savvy business lady!

I'm sure this book might have been useful when it came out three years ago, but as a current eBay seller who just read the entire book, I have to say the information is so outdated it's laughable now. eBay has changed so much even in the last six months that many of the things the author discusses don't even exist anymore, and have been replaced by new eBay enhancements. I would estimate that 10% or less of this book was useful to me. A waste of your time and money until an updated version comes out!

This book is a must have, but I had expected more. The author gives you a lot of needed advice about shipping, organization, and finding a product. However, if you are looking to find out at what point you go from a hobby seller to one that needs a business lisence, or at what extent your income is tracked by ebay you are out of luck. If you are looking to find success stories of other ebay sellers you are out of luck. In general the book refers you to other web-sites (many of which are very helpful), however many of them are no longer in existance (not the authors fault, just how things are). I recommend this book for a starter, but I suggest you keep your hopes low...I think I'll invest in one of the other ones and see if it is any better...

What an awesome book!! Marsha's book helped me take my eBay business around the corner, turning it from a fun hobby into a serious money-making machine. I love her insights and stories, as well as helpful tips. Just finding out about her recommended auction software and the shipping folks at ShipperTools.com was worth far more than the price of the book. This title is destined for a LOT of underlining and constant reference in my library. Thank you, Marsha!!!!!!!!!!!

Marsha Collier's "Starting An Ebay Business For Dummies" is your golden gateway to self-relience in a fun business of your own. How about opening a store in a mall with 30,000,000 visitors daily? What would you pay for this opportunity? Marsha shows not only how to open the store, but how and what merchandise to stock, how to manage accounting, advertising, how to get the best site (location), how to price your merchandise, and how to display your wares. I was amazed at the depth of information about what is required to take and post photos and simple explaination about the best methods of being paid.

This is a Dummie book , but only for Dummies who are smart like a fox. Sure it is written with cartoons, tips (with targets and arrows), reminders, warnings (with cutsie bombs), and ancedotes so it's fun and understandable for "the rest of us". Marsha put her years of success making a living on Ebay into this book. It is simple enough for a beginner to follow, but with tips and ideas a computer guru will appreciate.

(...) Marsha, has shown the least expensive with the greatest upside potential of any business I've seen. Start it as a hobby, build it into a business, but do it right with "Starting An Ebay Business For Dummies" This book has my very HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

(...)

Having been an eBay buyer for some time, I found myself wanting to learn how I can make money using eBay. I came across this book and literally engulfed myself into the details...page by page. Not long after, I was selling items on eBay and doing very well.

This is a very comprehensive book for folks who want to start a business using eBay. I would highly recommend this book.

People, if you were ever serious about starting a legit home based business, you will benefit from Marsha Collier's "Starting an eBay Business for Dummies"! I'm a technical guy who specializes in computers.Using some of her tips and tactics helped me make over $2477.00 in my first two month's on eBay! You can't go wrong with this book if your willing to put in the time and effort....just like any other business, you only can only get out of it what you put in! Thank you Marsha Collier!

Hooray for Marsha Collier new book "Starting an E-bay Business for Dummies"! This book is like sharing a cup of coffee with an E-bay expert, it's easy to follow and fun to read. Each page is full of fantastic ideas, helpful hints, and even easy step by step instructions on how to build your own e-bay store. Ms. Collier shares her professional "know how" in a way that even a newbie like me can succeed. A MUST for anyone who wants to make some extra cash fast.