eBay Business All-in-One For Dummies [Paperback]

Marsha Collier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0470385367 | ISBN-13: 978-0470385364 | Edition: 2

Want to become an eBay entrepreneur? Nobody knows more about starting an eBay business than Marsha Collier, and she’s put it all in 1-2-3 order for you in eBay Business All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition.

This all-in-one guide includes nine handy minibooks that cover:

• eBay Basics
• Essential Tools
• Selling Like a Pro
• Sourcing Merchandise
• Presenting Your Items
• Promoting Your Goods
• Storing and Shipping
• Power Selling
• Office and Legal

eBay PowerSeller Marsha Collier shows you how to:

• Set up your business, find and manage inventory, and run your business like a pro
• Equip yourself with the tools that count—eBay’s search engine, online sources of information, the PayPal system, and eBay’s management tools
• Source your merchandise and learn valuable strategies for managing and maximizing sales
• Set up the optimal eBay photo studio and develop and market your eBay Web site
• Learn the ins and outs of online retailing and what it takes to buy and sell online safely and easily
• Find deals on the computer equipment you need
• Promote, market, and show off your goods, all the while keeping your business legal

Before you know it, you too can be a PowerSeller!  Get started today with eBay Business All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A fully updated eBay business primer from Marsha Collier, renowned eBay business expert!

Whether you're thinking about starting an eBay business or are already up and running, this step-by-step guide will lead you down the smart path to making a regular income on eBay. With solid tips from the bestselling eBay expert, this reference helps you get your eBay business off the ground and manage the basics of listing items, completing transactions, and keeping your buyers happy.

• Learn the nuts and bolts — discover how you can set up your business, find and manage inventory, and run your business like a pro

• Equip yourself with the tools that count — make the most of eBay's search engine, online sources of information, the PayPal system, and eBay's management tools

• Start selling like a whiz — learn valuable strategies for managing and maximizing sales

• Source your merchandise effortlessly — learn the ins and outs of online retailing and what it takes to buy and sell online with ease

• Get the word out — find out how to set up the optimal eBay photo studio and develop and market your eBay Web site

• Be the power seller you were born to be — from opening your eBay store to the nitty-gritty office set up, get your business up and running

Open the book and find:

• How to navigate through eBay's buyer and seller tools

• Tips on effectively using your My eBay page

• Insider advice on creating listings that win bids

• Sources for the merchandise that sells profitably on eBay

• How top sellers use photos and HTML to improve their sales

• Ideas for promoting your business both on eBay and off

• Worry-free shipping strategies

• Painless guidance on keeping your business legal

About the Author

Marsha Collier is a highly respected eBay expert as well as the best-selling author on all things eBay. Her books, including top sellers eBay For Dummies and Starting an eBay Business For Dummies, have sold over a million copies. She is also a highly experienced eBay seller who was one of the first eBay PowerSellers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470385367
• ISBN-13: 978-0470385364
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,902 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Culture > eBay
  • #19 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Marketing
  • #50 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Culture > Manager's Guides to Computing

More About the Author

In 1998 Marsha created the first edition of eBay For Dummies, then, followed up the success of the first book with a second book targeting individuals interested in making e-commerce their full time profession, Starting an eBay Business For Dummies. That book became an instant nationwide hit, making several notable Best Seller lists. Since then, Marsha has updated each of her books and published many more.

On a lighter note, for buyers who want to get a good deal online, Marsha penned a fun book, Santa Shops on eBay. Marsha's books have sold over 1,000,000 copies. (Not including the special editions in foreign countries; two in Australia, two in Canada and two in the United Kingdom - as well as translations in Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese and German).

Along with her writing, Marsha is also an experienced e-commerce educator. She was the lead instructor for eBay University (teaching at seminars all over the United States), as well as a regular presenter at the eBay Live national convention since its inception. Marsha also hosted "Make Your Fortune Online," a PBS special on online business that premiered in 2005. The show was the basis for her PBS premium five DVD set, "Your Online Business Plan." In 2006, she was invited to address the Innovations Conference in Singapore to present the ideas of e-commerce to a new market. In 2008, she was dubbed one of twenty influential iCitizens in Kelly Mooney's The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web Made World.

During the holiday season, she also does several national satellite media tours to explain the safety of shopping online. She hosts Computer & Technology Radio on KTRB 860 AM in San Francisco - as well as on the web at www.computerandtechnologyradio.com. She also makes regular appearances on television, radio, and in print to discuss customer needs and online commerce.

Marsha currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. She can be reached via her Web site, www.marshacollier.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

138 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good General Introduction, June 5, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: eBay Business All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) (Paperback)

There are now something like a half million people making a living from selling things using eBay. In this one book Ms. Collier attemts to tell everything there is about settin yourself up in such a business. It's about as complete a book on the subject that could be written.

My first advice is: "Before you sell, go buy some things." She talks about finding things to buy using eBay's various search tools. She also gives out some of the little secrets such as searching on mispellings. For instance searching for "motherboard" right now finds 5328 entries. Leaving out the "a" and searching for "motherbord" finds five entries that aren't getting much action. One "motherbord" has two bids, one penny and six pennies.

After that you're ready to sell things. This book is mostly on selling thing (check your spelling). And every aspect from signing up as a seller to getting payment (Paypal and other), to setting up your own store is included.

The section on getting products to sell is as good as you could expect in a general book, but you're going to have to work this out yourself as you will need to specialize in something. What that specialty is doesn't much matter, but you've got to find some little niche of your own. That's got to include what will sell and where to get more at a good price. Don't get me wrong, her comments aren't incorrect, just generalized.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars eBay Business All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies, February 1, 2006

By 

Janey "n6neb" (Willows, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: eBay Business All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) (Paperback)

This is a very comprehensive book. Much of the information you will already know if you have bought on eBay. Although it is a large volume, it will answer all your questions and give pieces of information you would not have thought of or give multiple choices to chose from. I think it is a great book and find doing all the reading well worth finding those "gems" of information that can make a difference in working on eBay. The more time put into the checking (whether a buyer, seller, looking for an item, etc.) the more successful an eBay business will be. A successful business is never done overnight and the author obviously didn't become successful without having done her homework and expended the effort to make it work.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Resource, February 13, 2007

By 

Spunkychk "Book Freak" (Mel Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: eBay Business All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) (Paperback)

If you're on a tight budget, much of what she tells you is actually explained on eBay in the "Site Map", but you can't spend ALL your time online! For example: I wanted to have my own domain outside eBay. Marsha provided a springboard saving me hours of research time. I ended up with one of her suggestions. That tip alone has saved me beaucoup $$. Ideal for beginning to intermediate sellers.

CON: this deals only with eBay. I find selling on Amazon often to be the better choice. Also no mention of Overstock nor Yahoo.