eBay can you still make money

GUEST BLOGGER: Amanda Perkins Tucson, AZ 

                      I asked to write an article on this blog to share a little known fact about eBay .A little known but very profitable fact actually. I'm not selling or endorsing anything just wanted to share some info that has REALLY help me immensely so enjoy.  .I've been on the bay for 7 years now and love it of course it seems like eBay has been around for ever. Not really just the sign of a great company. I mean as long as you have the ability to adapt you can also do a pretty good job as well. I started out selling small Ceramic figures on eBay. They went pretty well but it was more of a learning process for me as you may have guessed. Luckily the demand for them back then was relatively high and I was able to make something in return for my efforts. I sold them with moderate success for the 1^st two years.

                

About two years ago a strange thing happened I noticed that American made denim Jeans were on eBay selling like hot cakes! I immediately got in on this Niche and was glad because it became very profitable as the price steady rose from buyers mainly overseas and abroad. I still don't fully understand the why the “Made In America” tag has gained such popularity here lately but I am noticing that there is also a demand for other American Affiliated merchandise such as 1950's and 60's Baseball Cards, Classic Vinyl (especially Jazz) and antique Books which seems to becoming more and more popular as collectors items with the current domination of eBooks.

                      These items are in fact a lot easier to find than you might think and the most work comes in researching exactly what you have then pricing it competitively in the market. Once you get a pretty good system on how to define and price goods the rest is down hill. There really is no set place to find goods. They are literally all around I have gotten merchandise from storage auctions, yard sales, off of Craigslist, out of the Classifieds, from Neighbors, family friends like I said from all over the place. I think the most important rule is simply disregard your own opinion altogether. The theory “One man's trash another man's treasure” really applies here. I have on several occasions went to the Goodwill and spend maybe a few dollars only to see a full blown bidding war break out on eBay over the same merchandise! We have so many things here in America we take for granted that are in high demand in other parts of the world would be the best way to put it. Research international pricing as well it should give you a better overall idea of how to set your own price. Ironically eBay is great for price research and offers several different ways in which to do so.

               

              In the process you will come across a lot of stuff some of which you simply may not be able to sell on e Bay. Maybe it too big to ship, a forbidden item what ever reason simply place them on your local Craigslist Ad of accumulate enough to have a Yard Sale of your own! I have about 2 Yard Sales a month mostly clear out inventory and get rid of items that may not have sold on eBay. A few years ago I started my own website. For a little balance so to speak plus the fact it has gotten so easy to create and maintain a website here in the last year. It seems the plausible thing to do here certain items can stay online for sale indefinitely. I like my website because I have a little more control and can sell what items I like there.

So my suggestion is of course you can still use eBay to make some money. As I mentioned try the “Made In America” niche and see if you too can make it work. I would add a website to boot just as sort of an equalizer. The trade off is simple as eBay does have control of their website but your website will never get a fraction of the exposure eBay does so the tradeoff seems fair. So yes as an active member averaging $5,000 monthly on eBay I would give my wholehearted recommendation to anyone looking for a solid stay at home e-Business. I'm trying to get my husband to quit his day job and join me!

Amanda xoxox

Paid Surveys How Do They Work ?

            Paid surveys are not new, despite all the hoopla. Marketing research firms have been paying consumers to participate in surveys, focus groups and such for awhile now. But the Web has granted them a more-efficient way to collect data. So, many now conduct legit online paid surveys and other types of paid online marketing research. Companies are now able to offer opportunities to individuals like never before. The Internet makes it possible to communicate in a way like never before. Now that everything is electronic most of the issue's that once made such a market implausible are now gone. There is no more paperwork, postage companies can now get the results they desire instantly and are willing to pay for them.
           Paid research has always fallen under Market Data Research. Companies have always wanted to know what consumers were willing to spend their money on before they went ahead and mass-produced some product. It's what made market research such a valuable tool. The issue was that just a few decades ago Market Data Research was expensive so expensive to where only the few largest corporations where able to afford it. It sort of made the playing field uneven so to speak. Now everyone can benefit from the Market research as it has become something much more affordable and a lot easier to obtain. Just one more industry that World Wide Web single handedly changed all by itself.
             As a major part of Market Research the "survey" has become the all important way to obtain valuable customer generated information that can be implemented in the creation of new products and services. The fact that you are an unbiased party with an unbiased opinion in in fact literally worth money. As many of us know the "paid" survey in actually the second-take I mean initially companies asked consumer to take valuable time from their day and fill out a "survey" needless to say the approach wasn't met very well. Only when they made a few changes to the system such as putting the survey in an electronic format so that you can access it anytime and simply shoot it back in a n email or something similar plus offering compensation really changed public opinion on surveys rather quickly. Now we even have full-time survey takers that pretty much take various surveys for various companies on a full time basis. Ideally this is a perfect income for college students, stay at home moms or even retirees looking to supplement a monthly income. I decided to write an article on paid surveys. I took a few months and researched how the whole thing worked. I was actually delighted in what I found out. I mean for the most part there were a lot more positive responses than negative one's. I went onto a lot of forums, read post, blogs, went to websites, asked questions on sites and little bit of everything else. The response I received was more than enough and the one company I heard on more than one occasion was called Get Cash For Surveys I took a look at the site and contacted a few of it's members. The overall response as I said was good. Overall I was able to compile a small list of things that could possibly help you understand how paid surveys work.  So take a look and I hope this article has helped.

1. Research research research! Find out whats the best user rated survey website and consider the pay, the amount of surveys, the targeted user, etc.
2. Sign up for the website you have chosen, please note survey websites usually pay you through raffles and websites like PayPal, so make sure you have a credit card or PayPal.
3. Explore the website, find out how to select surveys that target you, how to get payed, information about the company
4. Usually, you have to wait a couple days to receive a survey in your email inbox, so be patient, if you don't get a survey within a month, contact the company.
5. Once you receive a survey, complete the survey with valid opinions, if the website asks for personal information that you don't want to share, Its time to find a new website.
6. Once completed your first survey, find out how to redeem your prize or raffle ticket.
7. After you have a good amount of money, either save it, or go enjoy it. Now you can buy that new video game, or not be so stuck to store brands while buying groceries
8. Repeat the last 3 steps over and over again, if survey taking is right for you, so be it.

The first post... A simple explanation

 

     I know you maybe wondering what exactly does the term e-business means. Since there are well over a thousand definitions on line. The over kill is a bit confusing as well as frustrating. So I'll keep it short, sweet and simple and we can all learn a little today. The entire reason for the creation of this blog was to learn, understand and tap into the billion dollar field of e-business. There will be information on a variety of topics all in the field of e-business. So let us first understand what it is...

A Small History
     Originally  E-business (electronic business), derived from such terms as "e-mail" and "e-commerce," is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. One of the first to use the term was IBM, when, in October, 1997, it launched a thematic campaign built around the term. Today, major corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of the Internet and its new culture and capabilities. Companies are using the Web to buy parts and supplies from other companies, to collaborate on sales promotions, and to do joint research. Exploiting the convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many companies, such as Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully.
Increasingly, much direct selling (or e-tailing) is taking place on the Internet of computer-related equipment and software. One of the first to report sales in the millions of dollars directly from the Web was Dell Computer. Travel bookings directly or indirectly as a result of Web research are becoming significant. Custom-orderable golf clubs and similar specialties are considered good prospects for the immediate future.
With the security built into today's browsers and with digital certificates now available for individuals and companies from Verisign, a certificate issuer, much of the early concern about the security of business transaction on the Web has abated and e-business by whatever name is accelerating.
IBM considers the development of intranets and extranets to be part of e-business. e-business can be said to include e-service, the provision of services and tasks over the Internet by application service providers (ASP).

Modern Terminology and Usage
         Currently E-business is a term used to describe businesses run on the Internet, or utilizing Internet technologies to improve the productivity or profitability of a business. In a more general sense, the term may be used to describe any form of electronic business —- that is to say, any business which utilizes a computer. This usage is somewhat archaic, however, and in most contexts e-business refers exclusively to Internet businesses.
The most common implementation of e business is as an additional, or in some cases primary, storefront. By selling products and services online, an e business is able to reach a much wider consumer base than any traditional brick-and-mortar store could ever hope for. This function of e business is referred to as eCommerce, and the terms are occasionally used interchangeably.
An e business may also use the Internet to acquire

wholesale products or supplies for in-house production. This facet of e business is sometimes referred to as eprocurement, and may offer businesses the opportunity to cut their costs dramatically. Even many e businesses which operate without an electronic storefront now use eprocurement as a way to better track and manage their purchasing.

      *****  And so you ask "Why e Business" the answer is simple especially in regards to how today's marketplace is slowly turning more and more electronic each day. To answer honestly it is the only level  playing field available these days. And I mean that in so many ways, literally in e-business is one of the few places were credentials are not a factor. It doesn't matter where you went to college unless it is used as a selling point or as proof of credentials then it really is not mentioned that often. What matters most in an E-Business is the work period. You have to put the work in in order to see the results. I mean you could learn a little about coding and maybe a little HTML and a few other aspects of web design and development in order to build your own sites and blogs which saves a lot of money. Otherwise in the e-business you find your niche and then you find a way to get paid for just what you know about it. There are so many types of e-business that everyone has a niche they can easily slip into. And with with either one or all of "The Big 3" a website, a blog or an e-Book you can pretty much sell or promote anything. So welcome to a new blog and lets learn about e-business.