Making Real Money on EBay - By Paul Katsande

Trading on eBay is one of the best businesses you can start on a shoestring. In fact, millions all over the world earn more than a full-time wage on the eBay sites. If you want to make money on eBay, there is a right way to do it. This article shows why you must trade on eBay, and points you to resources that will tell you how to trade on eBay for maximum profits.

eBay is the largest internet auction site in the world, with over 180 million registered users world-wide. In 2005, these registered users bought and sold goods worth somewhere in the regions of $40billion. That is a lot for a company which launched just over a decade ago, in 1995 to be precise.

Why You Must Trade On eBay

Targeted customers at your doorstep. With the eBay internet auction sites, millions of potential customers are there, waiting for you. You don’t need to spend time and money advertising your goods or services. Customers who look at your products are interested in them, and have voluntarily searched for such products.

Open for business 24/7.Your items are on sale 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers can have a look at your items at a time of their convenience. Being an internet trader, you are not bound by the opening hours regulations of your local government.

A world-wide market. On eBay you can choose to sell to the whole world (currently excludes most of Africa though). Your market is not limited to your geographic location. As they say, the world is your oyster.

No employees. All you need to trade is a computer. Unlike other businesses you don’t need to have employees. Of course, your computer is on your beck and call 24/7.

Part/Full time. Its up to you if you want to start off part-time or full-time. You can stay part-time for as long as you want. Most people choose to keep their old jobs, until their auction businesses can pay the bills.

No start-up costs. eBay is free to join, both as a buyer and a seller. The signing up process is easy, and not unnecessarily complicated. Within minutes of signing up, you will be ready to start trading on eBay. Where else have you heard of a business with no start-up costs?

No financial risk. All you stand to lose if your item does not sell is your listing fee, less than a fiver in most cases. Money to buy stock? You don’t need to buy items for sell. Why not start off by selling those old unwanted items stuck in your attic.

Market research. With this business, it is possible to do your market research in advance. It’s easy to get detailed knowledge on what sells, and for how much before you buy any stock. In business better informed decisions go hand-in-hand with profitability.

Auctions are simple to learn. As with any system, you need to learn how the auction site works and how you can maximize your benefits. Fortunately, it’s all very easy to learn. Net auctions are not like brain surgery or rocket science. All it takes to become a major player is observation, attention, and time.

"I am not a sales person." That’s fine. All that’s required of you is to describe your item honestly. Some people are scared to approach people to sell something because of the huge fear of rejection. That never happens on an internet auction. With net auctions, the transactions are impersonal. For most transactions, the only ‘physical’ contact is when you post the item!.

eBay shops. Besides the auction, eBay offer a shop front where you can list your items. You can customise your shop as you like. Your buyers can keep coming back to check what you have to offer, just like a regular online shop. It’s a snap to set-up an eBay shop.

Register on eBay

To register on eBay you must:

1. be at least 18 years of age.

2. have a valid email address

Just visit the eBay site for your country and fill out the registration form. Some general tips when registering:

1. be creative with your username, but don’t go overboard.

2. avoid using words that might give your products a negative connotation.

3. avoid using all-caps names. That might be considered to be SHOUTING.

4. agree to have a personal page on eBay, the "About Me" page.

Start Making Money

After registration, you can now start trading. But before you rush off to sell that first item, you should start by buying something from eBay. Why? You need to experience the whole process from the buyer's perspective. Get a feel for the thoughts in a buyer's mind when deciding whether to bid or not.

What do you trade? Just about anything, including goods and services. Read this Making It Big on eBay to see what others are doing.

If you are keen to get ahead and avoid the usual mistakes sellers make, then download the free ebook, Make Your Net Auctions Sell!, at Making Real Money on Ebay. Its a big read, but well worthy the effort.