eBay PowerSeller Secrets: Insider Tips from eBay's Most Successful Sellers (Paperback)

by Debra Schepp (Author), Brad Schepp (Author) "So, you have decided to run your own eBay business..." (more)
Key Phrases: shipping your items, auction management software, auction management program, Selling Manager Pro, United States, What's Hot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Full of good advice. [The authors] went out and talked to real PowerSellers, and their book shows it!" -- --AuctionBytes.com

Product Description
Learn from Hundreds of Top eBay Sellers

Go beyond the basics and learn the trade secrets that have propelled the savviest entrepreneurs into eBay PowerSellers--those earning $1,000 to $150,000 per month or more through eBay auctions. Sharpen your skills with this healthy blend of time-tested business principles and the advice of real PowerSellers who share with you how they have achieved success. Get valuable advice on finding little-known sources for products, advertising your wares, managing inventory, collecting payments, keeping records, shipping, running an eBay Store, and much more. Plus, learn the keys to keeping your customers so happy they’ll shop with you again and again. eBay PowerSeller Secrets: Insider Tips from eBay’s Most Successful Sellers will help you effectively run a store that never closes, sells globally, and offers virtually unlimited income potential.

Tap the more than 100 million registered users that make eBay the leading online marketplace

Determine what sells best on eBay and why

Find little-known sources for products

Learn about tools that will make your eBay business more efficient and professional

Develop auctions that create high traffic and product demand

Handle end-of-sale payments and protect yourself from fraud and loss

Manage auctions, inventories, and communications effectively

Provide superior customer service to get an edge over the competition

Track incidentals, deductions, expenses, and other tax-related items

Automate to ease processes such as listings, managing images, e-mail, and shipping

Learn from hundreds of PowerSellers what it takes to succeed on eBay

Debra and Brad Schepp have written about cutting-edge technologies for more than 20 years. They are the authors of nine books, and their work has been featured in publications such as Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, and U.S. News and World Report. They have been online since 1984, and buying and selling on eBay since 1999.

Technical Advisor Michael Kaiser is an Instructor with eBay University. An eBay seller since 1997, Michael is the bestselling co-author of The Official eBay Guide to Buying, Selling, and Collecting Just About Anything.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (September 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072258691
• ISBN-13: 978-0072258691
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,233 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #48 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Business & Culture > E-Commerce
  #82 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Business & Culture > eBay

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

264 of 273 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Book for Internet Entrepreneurs, April 27, 2005

By	Kathleen J. Salisbury "Kathy Salisbury" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(The following is a recap of a review I wrote for a DP Directory newsletter, having found the book quite impressive.)

I was mesmerized by this book. I actually read all 374 pages of it in one sitting, pausing only to take a few notes.

Okay, I will admit - it was Super Bowl Sunday, and what else was I going to do? But that by no means can explain how intensely fascinating I found this inside glance into the world of eBay's elite club of "Power Sellers."

In my few meager attempts, I haven't been very successful at selling on eBay. Having a quick trigger finger for those high-pressure final minutes of an auction, I'm much better at buying. Now at least I know why my sales didn't go so well - I was doing almost everything wrong.

Did you know that the color blue sells better than any other color on eBay? I certainly didn't. Did you know that ending your auction on one certain day of the week, at certain peak hours, dramatically increases your chances of success? It never occurred to me that ending my auctions at 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning was a bad idea. (But when I read the book I certainly had a "duh" moment.)

While reading this book I learned about the scads of services that have grown up to support and enhance trading on eBay. For example, Sellathon tracking software will help you run multiple auctions, a free auction newsletter (AuctionBytes) keeps you informed of the latest trends, and you can even listen to eBay Radio broadcasts!

"eBay PowerSeller Secrets" covers everything, from calculating sell-through rates (although I think the math was a little fuzzy at times) to working with shipping services. I liked the stories about the "real people" behind the eBay handles.

Why do I care about eBay Power Sellers? I am a software developer who sells games on the internet. The Power Sellers are very successful at selling online. According to the eBay criteria, they must sell at least $1000 a month for 3 months running. Some of these Power Sellers average $150,000 per month in online sales, and these top sellers were the main focus of this book. Software developers should pay close attention to what they are doing right.

Automate Everything. More than anything else, perhaps, the book stressed the necessity of automating every possible process. In one excellent passage the authors pointed out that time spent in doing things by hand is just like money out of your pocket.

Software developers who want to sell their wares on eBay may well find the actual listing tips to be the most valuable information in "eBay PowerSeller Secrets." Once again we find that content and selling go hand-in-hand. This fascinating book explains that you need to fully describe exactly what you are selling; the more information the better. Make it fun; that's a big part of eBay's charm. Use the About Me page to give some personal details about you or your company. The buyers want to know there is a real person behind the listing, and one whom they can trust.

Linking your auctions gives them a better chance of success too. "eBay PowerSeller Secrets" covers this topic, and a great deal more.

Anyone who wants to achieve a degree of success selling on eBay, or anywhere else for that matter, should find this book useful. Since it is particularly relevant to online selling, I predict this book will intrigue both budding and seasoned Internet entrepreneurs.

188 of 196 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is for Sellers on the Varsity team, October 17, 2004

By	Bruce Preston (Fairfield County, CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is not for the casual or hobbiest eBay seller. It is targetted
directly at those who want to either extensively supplement their income or
even make selling via eBay their sole source of income. To that end it details
such things as source of product, pricing strategies, auction listing composition,
automating the process, photography, tools and resources, shipping and
customer service issues. With it, you will benefit from the shared "how to"
provided by of dozens of eBay Power Sellers. Think of it as a
graduate school reference and you won't be far off. I wish it was available
when I started.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaks the mould for eBay manuals, April 7, 2005

By	Andy Geldman "The Auction Software Review" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

Too many eBay books have nothing more than common-sense and filler that is easily picked up from the eBay help pages. This book is different because it does not waste time on the basics and draws on the experience of successful sellers. Even seasoned PowerSellers will pick up enough ideas to make it an excellent investment.