Partnership: Easy WAy To Ebay Success

Even though you can become an eBay powerseller by yourself something youshould take into consideration regardless of weather you have a job or areunemployed is partnerships.It is a well known fact that businesses that are run by more than one personsucceed at a much higher rate than those business that are run by a single person.That is why it is easier to get a grant or a bank loan when you show up with apartner, another reason is because the bank has someone else to go after if youcan’t repay the loan. But that’s a whole other story.It can be a scary world out there when you are trying to make something work byyourself. It can be hard to even get started because you may not be self-motivatedand it can be nearly impossible to make everything work by yourself. Getting apartner can solve most of your problems, why not give it a shot?Getting a partner can be one of the best things you can do for yourbusiness!With ought anyone helping you, you must do everything yourself. Listing,answering questions, buying, packing, tracking, research, shipping, refunds and awhole lot of other stuff that needs to get done. Now don’t get me wrong; an eBaybusiness is something that can be run profitably by just one person and this bookteaches you just that. But while we are on the subject of partnerships lets get intoit a little more.Why should you share your money with someone?Because if you have a partner you can have 10 times more money toshare!How can that be? Let me explain. If you have a partner, just one partner you willbe able to divide your business in half Meaning: you take care of half and yourpartner takes care of the other half. What happens when you share the workloadlike that is it gives you time to concentrate on one part of the business and yourpartner can take care of the other part.Now everything you do gets twice the attention it used to get, thus making everypart of your business at least twice more efficient and profitable. No part of yourbusiness has to suffer any longer just because you don’t have time to payattention to it. When you can concentrate on a few parts of your business, andthat is when you can begin to shine and really start to get things done!It can be very hard to be good at many things all at the same time, a partner canmaster half of your business and you can master the other half. That way theauctions listings, costumer service, tracking, financing, packing, shipping andeverything else can all be the best they can, that can make your business into amoney making beast! GRRRR!!You will also be able to raise more money and raise it much faster. Problems willbe easier to solve because instead of one person trying to solve a problem therewill be 2. Your partner will be able to help you out in all sorts of different waysand you can feed of each others energy, encourage each other and push oneanother to get things done. One of the best things you can do when you are stuckis talk to someone who understands. So when you have eBay problems, you’re notalone!You will also be able to start much faster and you will have someone to be therewith you when you are doing something for the first time. Like getting a bankloan or trying to get a deal from a supplier.For some people the biggest problem while trying to start up a business is theirwork ethic or lack of it. If you have a partner you may feel obligated to do yourwork because he/she is doing his/hers part so you must do yours!So let’s look at the main benefits of going into business with a partner:
-you only have to do half of the work
-business becomes more efficient and profitable
-easier to raise money
-more free time
-someone to talk to who truly understands
-greater chance of success
Now that you know why it might be a good Idea to get a partner I must tell youagain,You don’t need a partner to be a successful eBay seller, but it can definitely help.Now go and get started! You already know more than enough to get started, so goand open an eBay account, it’s very easy and it’s free!

Places To Find Stuffs To Sell On Ebay

Now here are the B2B websites and other places where you can find stuff to sell:http://www.yellowpages.com – I recommend you try this before you try anythingelse. This is the best way to find suppliers in your area and you can do it over theinternet! This website will find you suppliers in your area, give you theiraddresses and phone #’s and even shows you where they are located on a map.When searching try key words like overstock, closeout, liquidation, salvage,auction, surplus, refurbished, refurb, wholesale, supplier and other similarwords.Below is a small list of website directories that are full of suppliers from all overthe world. Using the websites bellow you will be able to find suppliers forhundreds of thousands of products. These are the websites that wholesale-listsellers get all their information from, now you will have the ability to access thatinformation anytime you want for free.Best:http://www.yellowpages.com – I recommend you try this before you tryanything else. This is the best way to find suppliers in your area and you can doit over the internet! This website will find you suppliers in your area, give youtheir addresses and phone #’s and even shows you where they are located on amap. Remember; a good supplier close to home is better than a greatone far away.Yellow pages is what 4 out of every 10 power sellers I interviewed use to findsuppliers. This is a very underrated and overlooked website, the reason youshould use yellow pages is because it will find suppliers in your city (why look inIndia when you can get it in your city?).To use this website properly simply type in “wholesale” into the search box andyou will be given a bunch of subdirectories, it’s amazing how many suppliersthere are right under your nose!http://www.ec21.com –suppliers from all over the worldhttp://www.exportbureau.com – another web directory, all the suppliers arelegitimate businesses and a lot of them are the actual manufacturers of theproducts they sell.http://www.made-in-china.com – suppliers and manufacturers from china,similar to ec21 – very good.Second best:http://www.wholesale411.com – this website is not as good as the ones listedabove but is still 100 times better than a wholesale listhttp://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Wholesale_Trade/ - The googledirectory is also a good place to find links to suppler websiteshttp://www.toydirectory.com – toy wholesale directoryhttp://www.fleamarketguide.com/wholesal.htm flea market guidehttp://www.topwholesalesuppliers.com - another supplier directory, not as easyto use as alibaba or ec21 but worth a look anywayhttp://www.wholesalehub.com - a small directory, has links to wholesalers anddrop shippershttp://www.4wholesaleusa.com - a USA wholesale directoryhttp://www.wholesalecentral.com – wholesale directoryhttp://www.andale.com – in case you can’t decide what it is you want to sell; youcan go to Andale and type your choices into their price finder tool. This tool letsyou see the average selling price the item(s) you want to sell go for on eBay andtells you if the product is “HOT” or not. Andale also has a supplier search tool.Now you have to get out there and look for suppliers until you find one. It’s easyto make money on eBay and finding a supplier is one of the hardest steps, thesooner you get this out of the way the sooner you will start making money andhaving fun. Finding a supplier is something you only have to do once so don’t getall depressed when you are having a hard time finding the stuff you want to sell,not everything to do with eBay is frustrating.You might find a great supplier on your first day or it might take you a week.Please don’t get discouraged. Every powerseller had to go through this processand one powerseller even called the step of finding a supplier “the initiation”. Sogo out and get “initiated”!

Product Condition Selection (Part 1)

Now you need to decide what condition the products you are selling is going to be inand where are you going to get those products.What I mean by condition is: are the products you sell going to be new, used orrefurbished?I will start with new products first:
NEW products advantages:
• They are new, in shiny boxes and have factory backed warranties! Thosethings are all very important to the person buying the products off of you.
• If the product turns out to be flawed you will be able to send it back towhere you got it from and get a replacement or repairs.
• New products will attract more attention and usually get more bids.Everyone wants new stuff! So when you sell new stuff make sure you letpeople know that it’s new! New products are something to brag about.NEW products disadvantages;
• It is harder to get your hands on new products and you will almost alwaysneed a tax ID. Stuff like kitchen knives and toasters is usually easy to findand available to anyone who can afford the minimum order quantity.
• Stuff like plasma TVs, laptop computers and DVD players are a littleharder to find and unless you order a truck load can sometimes leave littleroom for profit (on eBay). Stuff like expensive watches can be nearlyimpossible to get new unless you have a friend or partner who already hasaccess to what you want.
• Most suppliers sell new products to retail stores, you are not a retail store!Retail stores sell everything for full price, most of your sales will be at least25% lower than retail, this leaves you with less room for profit!Now even though the disadvantages seem discouraging, you can make a ton ofmoney selling new stuff! When you sell new you usually have the latest productsthat are being advertised while you sell them, if the competition is selling used orrefurbished stuff the probably have last years models. So your products areprobably superior.Used products can be great sellers, depending on what you sell. Not everyused product is a good seller and most used products are hard to sell. Becauseevery one wants NEW stuff and used products usually don’t come with aguarantee.You need to sell stuff that keeps its value over time. Watches, jewelry, antiquesand collectibles are examples of things that keep their value very well. Usedelectronics and even clothing can also be good sellers, as long as their relativelynew. A camcorder that is only one year old and is in good condition will alwayssell. A 20 year old stereo with scratches and cracks won’t.If you are going to sell used products that don’t keep their value very well(electronics, shoes, food?) you should sell relatively young products that are goodsellers. Camcorders, DVD players, MP3 players, designer clothing etc. etc.In other words if you are selling stuff like electronics, clothing, accessories andother stuff that doesn’t keep its value very well. You should sell stuff that isrelatively new and is somewhat “hot”.If you are going to sell stuff that keeps its value well than sell stuff like watches,jewelry, collectibles, antiques and unique items. Unique items sell good becausethey are interesting and rare, the age sometimes ads to the value just like incollectibles.
USED products advantages:

• Used products are extremely cheap, especially when bought in bulk.Unlike new products, used ones don’t have a concrete value. The value isusually either guessed or what ever someone will pay. This is a greatadvantage because sometimes you will be able to buy a product for just afraction of what it will go for on eBay.

• You can make the products come to you, instead of gong to the supplier.You can run ads in newspapers and have a website that says you buy usedstuff (the stuff you want to buy), so if you want to buy bikes simply say “Ibuy used bicycles”. This way you are also invantages:

the driver’s seat, you decidewhat you want to pay!
• Used products can be easier to get your hands on than new ones. Whilenew products are easier to find a supplier for, used products can be easierto actually buy for resale. You don’t need a tax ID, you don’t need lots ofmoney and you can make the product come to you!USED products disadvantages:
• Used products are not NEW. When most people buy something they wantit to be brand new, they want a guarantee, they want to be the first ones tolay their hands on what they bought, they want that “new smell”. If you areselling a used product, there is no “new smell”.
• Used products are usually at least one year old and sometimes they areoutdated. To some people an outdated product is useless, they want thelatest model.
• There are tons of people selling used stuff on eBay, and many of thosepeople are powersellers. If you do decide to sell used products, I and manypowersellers recommend that you sell something that holds its value verywell.

Product Condition Selection (Part 2)

Refurbished products fall somewhere in between new and used products.Refurbished products are not new, but they aren’t used either. In case you don’tknow what refurbished means I will explain:Most retail stores offer a money back guarantee, sometimes the costumer thatbuys the product returns it for a refund, the item is then returned to the factory,given an inspection and sold as refurbished.The packaging of an item can be damaged during shipping. In that case the itemis sent back to the manufacturer, repackaged and sold as refurbished.Items that have a slight defect of flaw like a scratch or mechanical flaw arereturned to the manufacturer. The manufactures repairs the items, repackages them and marks them refurbished.Demonstration units are also considered refurbished, but only when they arereturned to the manufacturer, inspected and repackaged.Brand new overstock items can also be marked refurbished. These items arebrand new, but sold as refurbished.Sometimes the packaging of an item is opened; this is also marked asrefurbished. The only thing “wrong” with these items is; the box was simplyopened.Refurbished items almost always come with manufacturers warranties, althoughsometimes the warranties that come with refurbished items are for a shorterperiod of time, the products are usually in mint condition.Most refurbished items look brand new and some are overstock, damagedpackaging, open box etc. But are marked refurbished and come with shorterwarranties.Selling refurbished products is in more ways than not more profitable thanselling new or used products. Refurbished products have many advantages and afew disadvantages;
Refurbished products advantages:
• Refurbished products are much cheaper than new products, even thoughthey come with warranties, boxes and everything else new products comewith (including the smell). Refurbished products are just like newproducts but cheaper, many people that buy refurbs can’t tell thedifference between refurbished products and new ones.
• Selling refurbished products is more profitable, even though refurbishedproducts cost much less than new products. On eBay refurbished productscan sell for the same prices as new ones. If you sell refurbished products,you can sell them for 50% off the MSRP and still make a big profit!
• Refurbished products are sometimes new! When you buy a lot ofrefurbished products they might actually be overstock items or factoryoverruns. In that case you would be buying new products at a fraction ofthe price.
Refurbished products disadvantages:
• Refurbished is not NEW, even though refurbished products can be exactlythe same as new ones, people simply want new stuff. That’s why so muchstuff has big yellow NEW stickers on it.
• Refurbished products are sometimes last year’s models. With products likewatches it won’t matter, but if you are selling computers or electronics itmight bring the selling prices down.Refurbished products can be very profitable, even more profitable than newproducts. The fact that refurbs come with guaranties and boxes makes them asgood as new but much cheaper.Here are a few examples of websites that sell refurbished products:http://www.refurbdepot.com – you can see that the prices are extremely low, butremember this website makes a nice big profit off of each product. Imagine howcheap these products can be had if you buy bulk directly from the supplier!http://www.hotbuy4u.com – also has very cheap products, they also providedrop-shipping for eBay sellers. But I do NOT recommend using them as asupplier, everyone seems to use them and there is way too much competition ifyou chose to sell their stuff.http://www.swissoutpost.com – sells mainly new watches and knives, but alsosells refurbished products. This is a great supplier if you want to start sellingwatches. Their refurbished products are very cheap and sell well on eBay.By visiting the websites above you can see how cheap refurbished products are! Ifyou are thinking of making one of the above websites your supplier:don’t just buy from them, contact them first and try to get a discount. Most ofthese websites are run by people that are interested and open to new things, sotry and work out some sort of bulk discount deal.There are thousands of similar websites on the internet and most wholesale listsare made up of them. The thing about these websites is they sell to the end user,they are not actual suppliers and their prices are much higher than a realsupplier’s prices.That still doesn’t mean you can’t make any profits, just remember to contact thecompany first and try to work out a bulk discount.

Rules & Mistakes To Avoid When Buying Products & Looking For Suppliers:

MAKE MONEY WHEN YOU BUY, this is HUGE! I hear many peopletossing the term around carelessly, not really knowing what it means. First of all,you can’t make money if you are buying something for your own personal use.You can only save money. You can only make money when you buy if you arebuying something for the purpose of reselling it. So how is it that someone canmake money when buying something?Let’s say you are about to buy 100 sweaters from a supplier: $10 per sweater,which equals to $1,000 for 100 sweaters.Let’s say the sweaters can be sold on eBay for $15 each, it would look somethinglike this:Bought for: $1,000Sold for: $1,500Profit: $500Now let’s make some money when we buy! Before buying the 100 sweaters for$1,000, why don’t you try and get the price down a little, maybe to $9 persweater. It will only take a few minutes, sometimes just asking will be enough andsometimes you might need to haggle for a half hour.Anyways, let’s say you succeed in getting a better deal. You buy the hundredsweaters for $9 each and sell them for $15 each:Bought for; $900Sold for; $1,500Profit; $600Look at that, you made $100 dollars extra in profit just because you decided tomake some money when you buy as well as when you sell. What? It’s to muchbother? You don’t want to spend half an hour trying to get $1 of every shirt? Ifyou are actually saying those words, what you are really saying is “its to muchbother to make $100 in a half hour” and “I don’t want to make $100 in a halfhour”.Making money when you buy is a way to increase your profits withoutraising your prices. Why everyone doesn’t do this is a mystery to me. In theexample I provided, you learned how you can make $100 when buying awholesale lot. If you are planning to be a powerseller, you will be making a lotmore than a $100.If you are a powerseller, you may be selling 500 sweaters per month. In theprevious example, you were able to make an extra $100 of profit for 100 sweaterssold. If you sell 500 sweaters per month, which means you will be making anextra $500 per month just because you haggled for a half hour, an extra $500 permonth, $6000 per year….all in a half an hour….don’t you think its worth it?
ALWAYS ORDER SAMPLES if you don’t have a chance to inspect and see theproducts you are ordering in person. Many people that are starting out on eBaymake the mistake of placing a big order before actually seeing what they areordering.By ordering samples you will be able to not only see the quality of the productsyou are ordering but the service, communication and legitimacy of the companyyou are ordering from.There are way too many scammers out there, especially on the internet. Somewebsites may have clear pictures of the products they are selling, don’t make themistake of assuming that the pictures on their website are actual pictures of theproducts you are ordering.If you are thinking of selling designer clothing on eBay. Be extra careful whenordering your supplies from the internet. There is way too much fake(counterfeit) clothing being sold on the internet. Remember the pictures on thesupplier’s website may look real, but that doesn’t mean they will be sending youwhat’s in the picture.Order samples! If you don’t you are begging to get ripped off. If the person youare buying from won’t allow you to order a sample, simply stop communicatingwith that person before they have the chance to take advantage of you.Some “suppliers” actually have the nerve to have $5,000 - $10,000 minimumorder quantities and not allow their future costumers to order samples. But that’snot all, a lot of these idiots will also want you to pay by wire-transfer!So please, if you find a great deal but the “supplier” won’t allow any sampleorders and wants you to pay through an untraceable method, do NOT continueto communicate with the idiot. People like that are simply looking to rip othersoff and a lot of these sorry losers have their local authorities looking for them.