Thousands of People are Making Money Online by Starting an Ebay Online Home Business - By Joshua Spaulding

Selling items of Ebay involves being able to provide a quality description of your item as well as a photo. You can list items without a photo, but most people are not interested in buying what they can’t see. If you plan to sell items on Ebay for an ongoing income, it is wise to invest in a digital camera.

Listing fees on Ebay are very minimal, making the endeavor a low investment. If you sell items on Ebay for a living, make sure you keep detailed records of your expenses. This can include the purchase of a digital camera, listing fees, and the cost of items that you resell. You can deduct the cost of packaging, labels, and packing materials that you use.

You will need to keep very good records of the items you sell and the price you sell them for. Since this type of selling on Ebay is considered a home business, you might be able to deduct a portion of your home office or Internet connection costs on your income tax return.

Since you will want the items you list on Ebay to sell, make sure you are listing items that are in demand. You can check by searching for the item in the listings already on the site. If there are several bids on each of the items listed, it is likely yours will sell. If there are several items listed, but no bids, you are encouraged not to list your item, as it will not likely sell. You will lose money because of the listing fees. Looking at other people’s listings is a great way to set your opening bid price as well.

Some sellers decide to set a flat fee for shipping costs. Be careful as this can end up costing you money if the actual shipping cost is more. Ebay has made it easy with built in features that help calculate shipping to a specific zip code. You might have to enter the weight of the item, so a small scale might be a great investment for your home business.

The most popular items for sale on Ebay include clothing, jewelry, toys, computers, cameras, collectibles, vehicles, video games, and CD’s. You will often get a better price for your items if they are new, or nearly new. To obtain items that you can resell on Ebay, hit the stores. Look for sales. The day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas are excellent times to find great items you can pick up, and then resell for a profit.

The best Ebay sellers are prepared to meet the demand of online shoppers. For example, find sells in your area on winter jackets. Put them away until the next fall. The demand for new winter jackets will be high, and you can sell them at a profit. The day after Christmas and Easter are a great time to find dress up clothing for children at a very low price. Purchase Halloween costumes the day after for a substantial savings, then list the costumes the following season in plenty of time for the costumes to be shipped before Halloween.

No matter how good your price is or what you are offering, you won’t sell much of anything on Ebay if you don’t have a good feedback rating. When you buy or sell an item on Ebay, you are given a rating about the transaction. As a seller, you need to make sure your customers are satisfied. Be very clear about what you are selling and the quality. State any return policies you might have. If a buyer is not happy, offer solutions to make you both happy. It is strongly recommended that you clearly state that the buyer must purchase insurance on the item or you will not give a refund if they don’t receive their item. This will help cover you from potential fraud and income loss. Stay organized with shipping and make sure the items go out within a day or two of the closing date.

Should you encounter issues with buyers that you can’t resolve, Ebay offers many solutions. You can file a complaint against a buyer for non-payment, non-communication, and being difficult to work with. There is arbitration available for such issues. Make sure you clearly state in your listings that you do not accept cash. This will prevent a buyer from making fraudulent claims that they paid for the item. Paypal is a great online way of getting paid that allows buyers to instantly pay you for an item. You can also accept personal checks and money orders.

Making money on Ebay is very easy if you are organized, you keep an eye on what is selling, buy items at a cheap price to resell, and offer quality customer service. This home business can earn you hundreds to thousands of dollars per month. It depends on the price of the items you sell, how many you sell, and how much time and effort you want to put into managing your online business.

Joshua Spaulding is an Author and Webmaster providing Proven ways to Make Money Online. Joshua also runs a Quality Article Directory.