Have you noticed that whenever you open a newspaper, watch the TV or have a conversation, people seem to be talking about eBay…

AuctionInfo.org
An iconic portrait of Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China, has been spared the auction block and will be permanently preserved in a museum, state media reported.
The original model for the Mao painting that hangs above Tiananmen Square was due for auction in June and had been expected to fetch as much as 1.2 million […]

I would like to thank the Store Owners at Wagglepop for making the newbies so welcome. They are honestly working to build a solid business for themselves. The site is a refreshing environment compared to the CORPORATE way of selling online.
Please sto…

Get free publicity from eBay and you could win up to $2500!

While many sellers may think they don’t have time to write a review or guide, consider this - if it is good, it may make it to these search pages for relevant products. This is free publicity.

Here is an actual example of how a seller is using Reviews and Guides to build his business:

ebay PowerSeller BuyTommy sells Tommy Bahama items. There are a lot of fakes on eBay and this hurts his business and credibility. He wrote a guide titled Fake Tommy Bahama which informs buyers how to spot a fake Tommy Bahama item, and how to confirm that the ones they have purchased are genuine.

Since he wrote the guide in October 2005, it has been viewed 17728 times. On the right side of the guide page, eBay lists his user information, a link to his store, and two relevant items his has listed at auction at this time.

Not only does he have buyers exposed directly to his items and store, but his credibility is increased because of the nature of the guide he wrote. As a buyer, I am more likely to purchase a designer item from a seller who tells me how to spot a fake. It is logical that that same seller would not be selling fakes, particularly one with over 10,000 feedback at 99.9% positive.

eBay ranks reviews and guides based on the votes received from readers. Once you have 100 "helpfulness" votes from readers, you get a pencil and paper icon next to your username. Once you reach the top 10,000 it will say "top 10,000 reviewer" next to that icon. The rank breaks are:

Top 1 - given to only one person, who has the most positive votes.

Top 25

Top 100

Top 1000

Top 5000

Top 10,000

Incidently, BuyTommy’s review is a Top 1000.

There are a few rules that you must adhere to:

• No links allowed to outside sites selling anything.
• No links to subscribe to newsletters/mailing lists hosted outside of eBay.
• No links to specific items listed (eBay will do this for you and keep them current).
• No identical reviews/guides listed in different categories.
• No advertising credits for assistance writing the guide, or product specifics unless that is the topic of the review/guide. (For example, writing about MP3 players in general would not permit the use of the Apple logo, but if your review/guide is specifically about the different types of iPods and their accessories, then you could use the company logo.)

eBay’s policy guidelines cover Reviews and Guides quite thoroughly.

You can search for and/or write a review/guide here. 

The reviews and guide page has a section promoting various guides. It also has a section for newly listed guides, so you may get some publicity quite early on. Also, eBay promotes reviews and guides on the search results pages too. It’s all free publicity!

Win $100-$2500 for your review or guide

And at the moment eBay is running a contest for eBay gift certificates. There are two periods left of the contest- The current one ends on October 3rd, and the final period is from October 4th to 17th. Reviews, Guides and Blogposts will be reviewed on the following criteria:

Activity (how many people read it):  20%

Thoroughness:  20%

Originality:  20%

Aesthetic Appeal (formatting, etc.):  10%

Knowledge of Content:  10%

Consistency of Content:  10%

Frequency of Posting:  10%

The prizes (in eBay Gift Certificates) for each 2 week period the contest runs are:

You can find out more about the contest here. And the rules here.

See Also

• 99 tips for eBay Buyers and Sellers
  99 things every buyer and seller should know to be successful on eBay
• Subscribe to The eBay Seller’s News
  The oldest and largest FREE newsletter for auction sellers

UK Auction Info
Christie’s launched extra October sales,and this year is offering art valued at 30 million pounds.
It aims not only at wealthy buyers vying for top lots like Peter Doig’s “Pink Mountain”, valued at 500-700,000 pounds, or Marlene Dumas’ “The Cover-Up” (350-450,000 pounds), but also at younger collectors looking for less expensive art.
Christie’s is also […]

It looks as if Ebay has FINALLY stepped on TOO MANY toes this time.As of August, Ebay raised thier fees AGAIN to the sellers. I, along with many others have chosen to drift away from the CORPORATE site and join the new revolution of online trade at Wag…

How eBay business owners can maximize their eBay profits during the holiday season

It is only the end of September, but people have already started their holiday shopping.  If you are selling products on eBay that sell well as Christmas gifts, now is the time to get them listed. 

Here are some tips for maximizing holiday profits on eBay:

• Test your ebay auction titles for keywords that work.  People find products by searching. If you don’t have the right keywords they won’t find you
• Don’t be in a hurry to cut your prices.  Gas prices are falling, the economy is good and people will pay for quality and service
• Free shipping always works well around the holidays
• If you have multiple quantities or a product, launch an auction listing and a fixed price listing for the same item at the same time.  They will appear together and one will support the other
• As you get closer to Christmas, be sure to offer a fast shipping option
• Select the Gift option and check the box that says you will ship to a gift recipient
• If you have the time to do it, check the gift box that says you will gift wrap.  You can charge extra for this.  If done right it can be a real money maker
• Tell your bidders you will give them excellent service –and then do it.  Feedback is like show business.  You are only as good as your last performance.  A negative sitting right at the top of your feedback comments can hurt your business anytime –but it can really kill it this time of year.
• Keep going right up to the last minute.  Last year I sold several items that people paid overnight FedEx to get them in time.
• Don’t position your products as a bargain.  People are used to paying top prices this time of year
• Package your products carefully.  When someone receives a gift that is broken they are usually far more upset than if it were not a gift.
• Don’t save time by cutting corners with your photos and descriptions.  Although people will pay higher prices this time of year, they are still cautious and don’t want to be disappointed. The overall image of your listing is critical.

See Also

• Skip McGrath’s eBay Auction Seller’s Resource
  Free tips, information and a free monthly newsletter for eBay sellers

Australian Auction Info
Businessman Jim Byrnes has offered 148 people who sold goods through his failed Cromwell’s Sydney auction house just 44c in the dollar for debts totalling $268,394.
Cromwell’s administrator Gavin Moss, who said in his report to creditors that the funds had been “misappropriated” from the company trust account, described the offer as “wishy-washy” and […]