Ebay Books, Ebay Book

Buying and Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay Buying and Selling on Ebay

If you’re searching for one-of-a-kind collectibles, eBay offers a wealth of resources-right at your fingertips. “Buying & Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay” is the guide you need for conducting in-depth research, finding antiques online, and making intelligent bids, and for avoiding bad buys with insider tips on savvy bidding strategies. Are you interested in selling a rare antique on eBay? Find out how you can set up shop as you learn about taking and posting photos, writing catchy descriptions, setting your starting price, and standing out in the competitive eBay marketplace. Whether you’re searching for the buy of a lifetime or looking for the highest offer on the items you’ve listed, “Buying & Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay” gives you the skills you need to meet your goals quickly and hassle-free.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Selling On eBay For Beginners
More and more, I meet people who are selling things on eBay. Here’s a book that spells out how-to and reduces it to a manageable level.

Here are the contents of the book:

Part I: An Introduction to eBay for Buyers and Sellers

Chapter 1 - Getting Started

Chapter 2 - Research: Don’t Buy or Sell Without It

Part II: Buying Antiques and Collectibles on eBay

Chapter 3 - Finding Antiques and Collectibles on eBay

Chapter 4 - Buyer Be Aware: What to Know Before You Bid

Chapter 5 - Bidding Strategies

Chapter 6 - I Won an Auction! Now What?

Chapter 7 - Working Through the Bad Buy

Part III: Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay

Chapter 8 - Setting Up Shop on eBay: Getting Started Selling

Chpater 9 - Titles, Descriptions, Photos and More

Chapter 10 - Setting Your Starting Price, Understanding eBay’s Fees, and Creating a Basic Listing

Chapter 11 - Managing and Completing the Sale

Chapter 12 - Standing Out in a Comptetitive Market

Appendix - More Helpful Resources

5 Stars Buying and Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay
The book came so fast that I thought it was teliported!

Great price for very useful, informative information.

Thank you!

5 Stars What You Need to Know Before Selling on E-Bay
Here are the contents of the book:

Part I: An Introduction to eBay for Buyers and Sellers

Chapter 1 - Getting Started

Chapter 2 - Research: Don’t Buy or Sell Without It

Part II: Buying Antiques and Collectibles on eBay

Chapter 3 - Finding Antiques and Collectibles on eBay

Chapter 4 - Buyer Be Aware: What to Know Before You Bid

Chapter 5 - Bidding Strategies

Chapter 6 - I Won an Auction! Now What?

Chapter 7 - Working Through the Bad Buy

Part III: Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay

Chapter 8 - Setting Up Shop on eBay: Getting Started Selling

Chpater 9 - Titles, Descriptions, Photos and More

Chapter 10 - Setting Your Starting Price, Understanding eBay’s Fees, and Creating a Basic Listing

Chapter 11 - Managing and Completing the Sale

Chapter 12 - Standing Out in a Comptetitive Market

Appendix - More Helpful Resources

4 Stars Good book for the starters.
Good book if you just start to use ebay, but it is not offer much to e-bay users that are already familiar with standard features in e-bay. For example if you like to know, how to use web site to add pictures to your listing or like to know, how to write HTML to make your listing more organized, this book would not help. however, I will keep this book in my liberary as a referance for a few tips that I found usefull.

5 Stars You can never know enough about ebay
Just when you think you know Ebay out comes a great book that teaches you even more. A great learning book for the beginner and for the advanced auction seller. Don’t miss this book. Great writer that writes so everyone can understand.

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Better Business Bureaus Starting an eBay Business

Running an eBay or other internet auction business can provide both personal and financial freedom. Better Business Bureau’s Starting an eBay Business: Insider’s Guide to Success is packed with essential information. Worksheets help you pick the type of business that’s right for you, and experts offer tips on establishing a business, managing inventory, avoiding fraudulent payments and increasing sales.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Not what I expected.
Coming from the Better Business Bureau, I was expecting something to teach me about the “business” aspect of operating an ebay business. What I got was more info on how to actually set up auctions and sell on ebay. I already had 2 fine books that walk you through those steps quite adequately; I didn’t need a third. There are some helpful things (charts and lists) that my other books didn’t have, so it wasn’t a complete loss. Not a bad book if you need help with the nuts and bolts of ebay. But if you want something to help you out from a business aspect, look elsewheres.

5 Stars OUTSTANDING SERVICE
GREAT SERVICE & FAST SHIPPING…THIS IS WHAT MAKES BUYING ON THE INTERNET A PLEASURE! THANKS GUYS!

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The Ebay Community Cookbook

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How to Make Money with YouTube

Tips for capitalizing on the power of YouTube—from the gurus of e-commerce

The video sharing website YouTube has changed the way products and brands are marketed. How to Make Money with YouTube shows readers how to harness the website’s power and turn a profit.

Bestselling authors Brad and Debra Schepp provide indepth coverage on everything from shooting and uploading videos, to fundraising and marketing, to building buzz and getting videos noticed. The book is filled with valuable advice and practical tips to help readers maximize their earning potential with YouTube. It’s an ideal resource for business owners and individuals looking for a unique and profitable marketing tool.

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The eBay Success Chronicles Secrets and Techniques eBay PowerSellers Use Every Day to Make Millions

Atlantic Publishing Company spent over a year compiling this new book. The author contacted hundreds of PowerSellers were contacted and over 60 of them agreed to talk–sharing their stories and helpful ideas. They talked about the basics and how they do those on eBay as well as giving tips and hard-learned advice for those who also want to become successful. There are many books on eBay; this is the only one that will provide you with insider secrets. We asked the PowerSeller experts who make their living on eBay every day–and they talked. We spent countless hours researching, interviewing and e-mailing eBay PowerSellers. This book is a compilation of their secrets and proven successful ideas. If you are interested in learning hundreds of hints, tricks, and secrets on how to make money (or more money) on eBay, then this book is for you. The experts chronicled in this book earn $1,000 to $150,000 per month through eBay. Inside the pages of this new exhaustively researched guide you will find a jam-packed assortment of innovative ideas that you can put to use today. This book gives you the proven strategies that you need to sell more with less time and effort. With over 430,000 sellers make a living off eBay today, there is no reason you shouldn?t become financially successful. This book will arm you with the knowledge to become an eBay PowerSeller. **Award-Winning Finalist in the Business Category of the National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards **Silver Winner in the Computer/ Internet Category of the 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Amazing!
I am an experienced Ebay user and plan to take it to the next level by opening up an Ebay store. I found this book to be chock full of the exact kind of information that would help me jump start my sales. Full of inspiration and practical tips from real Power Sellers, this book is a must if you want to learn how Power Sellers think and sell.

5 Stars Start Cashing Monster Checks as an eBay PowerSeller!!
When it comes to growing a business on eBay, everybody has the same shot at making the big bucks, right? Wrong! For most eBay sellers, it’s at best a hit-or-miss proposition. No matter what you think, the odds aren’t with you–unless you have an edge. And this book gives you that edge!!

As Angela Adams tells us in her information-packed pages, you win on eBay by learning from the success stories–the ones who’ve discovered how to put the “power” in their selling! Yes, people out there are selling steadily and consistently on eBay. They’re the mega sellers–and you’ll meet them in this book. Nothing’s more valuable than discovering the secrets, hints, and tricks from the ones who’ve “been there, done that” on eBay. These are the ones who’ve done their homework, developed the blueprints, and put their winning plan in action. Result: SALES SUCCESS. Angela’s done all the legwork for you. Whether you’re a new or experienced eBay seller, working part-time or full-time, if you’re out to learn what you need to do to get that selling edge on eBay, you must have this book.

– Robert Gardner, Ph.D.

5 Stars The eBay Success Chronicles: Secrets and Techniques eBay PowerSellers Use Every Day to Make Millions by Angela C. Adams
I have been inspired by the book, The eBay Success Chronicles: Secrets and Techniques eBay PowerSellers Use Every Day to Make Millions, because this book provides insights on how to proceed with selling items on eBay and chronicles the success testimonies of others who have become Power Sellers in the business of e-trading and ecommerce.

The personal testimonies of those who have made eBay a profitable business venture encourages others of the possibilities for personal growth and development. Having listed on eBay with no success, I found this book to provide helpful hints and practical suggestions on how I too can become successful.

The do’s and don’ts, proven skills and experiences of the Power Sellers enable the Readers to become better informed and also sparks ideas for setting up ones own eBay business. The author took great effort to not only interview top Sellers but to layout those interviews in a way that Readers could easily understand who they are, their contact information as well as their websites.

Web resources as well as graphical statistics through charts and graphs provide the Readers with additional resources to obtain further information on how to get started on eBay. The most intriguing part of this book was the final advice and words of wisdom from those who have made it on eBay.

5 Stars The eBay Success Chronicle: Secrets and Techniques eBay Powersellers Use Every Day to Make Millions
The eBay Success Chronicle: Secrets and Techniques eBay Powersellers Use Every Day to Make Millions by Angela C. Adams is the perfect book for anyone interested in becoming an eBay seller. The book provides practical information in a down-to-earth format, and it is neither sensationalized nor exaggerated. Tips are provided from successful eBay sellers who are making a living and loving it. Background information about eBay as well as the Powersellers make the dream of becoming an eBay entrepreneur seem truly feasible for anyone with the desire to make it happen. The format is arranged in a logical and simple manner that will make sense to readers of every level. You won’t need to know any technical jargon to enjoy the full value of the book. This is a highly recommended text, with a 5 star rating.

5 Stars Probably my favorite eBay book!
Great for beginner and experienced. Covers the basics on how “IT” works, but then fills it in with rich insights from those proven successful. According to the cover, written by “eBay’s #1 Rated U.S. Education Specialist”. It certainly shows in her content. Beyond simply “how to”, the inside scoop on the type of people who are succeeding, and in what way they have implemented eBay. Ton’s of interviews and profiles packed with to-the-point insider secrets. Information on pages 138-143 was VERY helpful. Must also check out suggestions on 329.

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Making a Living from Your eBay Business 2nd Edition

The power of online auctions is attracting hundreds of thousands–if not millions–of users who want to turn their eBay hobbies into profitable businesses. While turning an eBay hobby into an eBay business might look easy, making that business profitable is much more difficult. Not enough sellers treat their eBay sales as a business, and subsequently are disappointed in the results. To launch a successful and profitable eBay business, the detailed instructions in this book will show you how to get started. It will help you determine what kind of business you want to run, write an action-oriented business plan, establish an effective accounting system, set up a home office, obtain starting inventory, arrange initial funding, establish an eBay presence, and arrange for automated post-auction management. This book is a step-by-step guide for anyone serious about making money from their eBay sales. Unlike other computer-oriented titles, this is a straight-ahead business book that shows how to set up and run different types of eBay businesses, and how to maximize sales and profits while doing so. This book includes a section titled “Choosing Your eBay Business” that details six different types of eBay businesses you can start. Included in this section is a chapter on eBay Trading Assistants (AKA drop-off stores or consignment stores), which is the newest form of an eBay business.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars book review
This book gives you a basic foundation to use in launching an ebay business. This is not a “pie in the sky” kind of book. It is “down to earth” and introduces you to all areas of ebay selling. I like the way it is an easy read, yet a very informative and detailed guide.

2 Stars eBay Through Rose-Colored Glasses
A good introduction to eBay for hopelessly optimistic newbies but this relentlessly upbeat whitewash is only half–or more like a tenth–of the real story. And it’s highly unlikely that anyone who’s serious about making a living through online sales will need to bother wading through the rudimentary eBay For Dummies-style boiler plate info (writing listings, setting up a PayPal account, determing prime scheduling hours, etc.) that makes up much of the book.

For harsh realities about the true risks of doing business with this online auction behemoth (subjects either given short shrift or totally ignored by this Pollyanna-esque primer include eBay’s insanely convoluted and arbitrarily enforced rules, impossibility of actually speaking to a knowedgable staff member when troubles arise, pointless form letters supposedly answering questions, company’s high-handed my-way-or-the-highway attitude, etc., etc.), look elsewhere.

Such info won’t be hard to locate–just find anyone who’s been attempting to conduct business on this despotic site for, say, six months. . . and prepare to get an earful. But admittedly that would have been a different book altogether. And, needless to say, a much, much longer one.

4 Stars I’m not
I sure am trying. Great tips, and hope to be atleast making a part time living doing eBay. It’s alot of work, but it’s also alot of fun. My photography skills have gotten better. Here is my “me” page, hope you like it. Proof is in the pudding:

[...]

5 Stars Comprehensive!
Although I’ve been an eBay seller for over 7 years - and am featured in this book - I found much of value in this book’s pages. Not only can you learn about selling on eBay, Miller provides some basic “starting a business” info which is useful, especially to the eBay newbie.

2 Stars Making a Living from Your eBay Business
Same information is on eBay and it’s FREE !

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Estate Sale Prospecting for Fun and Profit with craigslist and eBay

craigslist and eBay have created exciting new electronic venues for locating and reselling obscure but valuable estate sale items, making it easier to be a successful estate sale “prospector” today than ever before. But with so many items to choose from at a typical estate sale, as well as other buyers to contend with, how can you quickly choose a few inexpensive items that you can resell at a significant profit, either as an interesting hobby or as an income-producing small business? What will you need to plan for before you start? And how do you use craigslist and eBay to the greatest advantage? This book will help you get started!

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars More like a long pamphlet than a book
I enjoyed the antecdotal bits dealing with the author’s ‘finds’ and how he was able to turn them into profit on eBay. Plus it was helpful to hear his experiences on what didn’t work.

HOWEVER - for upwards of $19 (incl shipping), this book simply does not offer the value to match it’s pricetag. I was hoping for much more information/experiences about the culture of yard/estate/garage sales. Something perhaps like the highlights of a journal he created to chronicle his experiences at these events.

There just simply wasn’t enough meat on these bones and I did not come away with any new insights, really.

Plus there were some pretty egregious problems with the editing.

If the cost was in the less then $10 range, I’d say okay. But you can go out and buy a “Dummies” book (unfortunately, not specifically on this topic that I know of) and see easily tenfold the content.

5 Stars How to find treasures and resell them online
I sell books for a living, and get quite a few of them at estate sales. Something I’ve never gotten around to is trying to buy some of the other knick-knacks you see at sales and reselling them on eBay. One of my favorite TV shows is Antiques Roadshow, but I’ve always stuck with books when it comes to my Internet business. After reading this book, perhaps I’ll reconsider.

“Estate Sale Prospecting for Fun and Profit with craigslist and eBay” is a nice, easy-to-read book about how to get started selling obscure but valuable items bought at estate sales.

The idea behind the book is that two key tools have made it easier than ever to be a successful estate sale “prospector.” First, craigslist, a free online classified service, allows you to quickly find all the upcoming sales in your region. And, of course, eBay enables you to put your items up for auction before a worldwide pool of buyers. The advice in this book helps you develop a system for buying a few inexpensive items at each estate sale for reselling profitably on eBay. And in that sense, it’s just like bookselling — you get better with experience. And you’re not going to get rich, but you’ll probably have some fun.

The author, John Landahl, got into online selling when he was cleaning out a closet and found a box of old marbles, which he nearly threw in the garbage. Instead he listed the marbles on eBay, where they sold for $94, and a new hobby was born. Landahl gives many more examples of successes and mistakes he’s made along the way.

If you’re interested in estate sale prospecting as a hobby or a business, I recommend this book.

4 Stars Some useful tips for raw beginners.
`Estate Sale Prospecting for Fun and Profit with craigslist and eBay’ by John Landahl is a self-published (vanity press published) book on how to use these two Internet resources to come out ahead with buying and selling things purchased at estate sales. Since I reviewed `The Home-Based Bookstore’ is written by Steve Weber, Mr. Landahl, like Mr. Weber, solicited this review from me and provided me with a copy of his book free of charge.

One thing that may be confusing is the meaning of `Estate Sales’. It does not mean, and this book does not deal with the buying and selling of Real Estate! Estate Sales are a very special kind of tag sale where the entire contents of a person’s estate are put up for sale, generally on the premises of the probably deceased individual’s property. The big difference between Estate Sales and `yard sales’ is that while at the latter, people are largely selling off their white elephants and at the former, an agent is selling EVERYTHING which a person owned. This means that Estate Sales are far more likely to include things of real value. But, that doesn’t mean the advice in this book is not relevant to things acquired at garage sales, flea markets, church bazaars, or second hand shops. I only know from long experience with a very large annual `white elephant’ sale that the chance of finding good stuff at such sales is small, and it is much more to expect to have fun than to acquire lucre from these venues.

In rating Mr. Landahl’s book, I am being generous with four stars because the author is quite realistic about the pitfalls and the fact that success is not guaranteed. Coming out with more money you invest requires a lot of work and attention to detail. I am not giving him five stars because even though I am not an expert in this subject, I believe Mr. Landahl left out some important advice which would have bulked up this slim volume and made it more valuable than the run of the mill `dummy’ manual.

Regarding the book’s design features, I think it suffers from a too cluttered table of contents and a lack of an index. The latter omission is not fatal in a small book, but it does not bode well. The former issue is clearly a problem when you look over the chapter titles, and see the same subjects coming up again and again in non-contiguous chapter titles. `Selling on eBay’ appears in the titles of four different non-contiguous chapters. I thing a single chapter covering these four topics is subsidiary sections may have been better. This organization leads to an annoying tendency we often see on CNN and other longish news shows where we get teasers about upcoming segments that may be anywhere from 10 minutes to five days away! I often sit and wait for some of these promoted items and they don’t come up as promised. Mr. Landahl certainly delivers everything he promises, but the writing style has noisome associations. I suspect that Mr. Landahl would have done much better with only five or six main chapters in a book of less than 95 pages.

I applaud Mr. Landahl’s citing the large number of books available on how to make the best of eBay, since these books are probably in direct competition with his own work! But as long as you are doing this, why not go the next step and include a bibliography of these book titles, beginning with the very nice work by Mr. Weber, cited above. I’m also just a bit surprised that he limits himself to craigslist and eBay (with an appendectical reference to Amazon). I have a hunch that there are dozens of other sources of bargains, from government auctions to Christie’s to Sotheby’s to local auctioneers. And, there may be other rich sources for tracking things down such as the Internet classifieds done by local newspapers.

One point, I think Mr. Landahl could have done much better for us. He makes no mention at all of the dozens of sources for prices for everything from glass to toys to comic books to baseball cards to Beanie Babies. I’m sure eBay will be more up to date on most of these things, but unless you are really at the high end of technology, it’s unlikely you will be able to carry around a handheld device with a live connection to eBay while you are at a flea market out in the middle of darkest Bucks county (PA).

It’s possible I’m taking the subject much further afield than Mr. Landahl wishes to go, but I think some of these notions may have value if he finds himself doing a revised edition.

One thing I really liked about the book was the baseball analogy, where one thinks of rate of sales as one’s batting average. My only suggestion here is that even the very best batters only have an average of .35, and I think one will want to do a lot better than `breaking even’. I might suggest that purchases and sales might be compared to playing poker. One looses most of the pots, but you win big on a few, so that if you play well, you come out ahead in the long run. I would also suggest that if you are in this more for the profit than for the fun, you also make out a business plan and invest in a bit of simple accounting software to keep track of overall sales and expenses, even if you never apply for a bank loan. Also, I’m just a bit surprised that the author makes no mention of sales taxes (unless I missed it).

A worthy effort by an amateur book `publisher’ and author.

4 Stars A good place to start if your are thinking about selling on e-Bay as a hobby or business
One of the things I have learned while working for myself is that most people harbor a dream of working on their own. They don’t know how hard and difficult it is in reality, but they know that they like the regular paycheck and security (however illusory) of having a place to go everyday. Those for whom the dream becomes a need begin looking for side businesses they can do as a hobby or something a bit more. This book is a good beginner’s guide for those who love to shop for real buys at estate sales and yard sales. Beginning with this information, including the author’s well expressed cautions, these folks can begin to turn what they enjoy into some extra cash.

John Landahl shares what he has learned from his own experience about how to get started in this. He tells you how to use craigslist to find likely sale events (and to dump items that didn’t sell on e-Bay) and how to conduct yourself while looking for good things to resell. Probably the best part of the book is when he shares examples of what worked for him and what did NOT work. He even includes some photographs of those items. The cautions, if heeded, can save you lots of time and money.

He shares with the reader how to get into this hobby / business without too much upfront cost, what you will need to do it right, and what is overkill. One of the things most people find when they get into business is that what they thought would work usually doesn’t. Landahl tries to save you some time without having to learn these for yourself.

Towards the end he explains the business in terms of baseball. It is a terrific metaphor and helped me to understand what the experience is likely to be. Things won’t be sunny and perfect in any business, but each has its own pattern of challenges and opportunites.

The author does share with us that there are hundreds of books on how to learn the mechanics of e-Bay and that this isn’t the purpose of his book, and I agree that this would have consumed too much time away from his topic. However, I wished that he had shared a few likely titles. Maybe he avoided that because they are continually coming on the market and didn’t want to list something that would be too soon outdated.

If you are thinking about selling on e-Bay for fun or as a business, this is a pretty darn good place to start.

5 Stars A really useful handbook
Like a lot of people these days, I’m a regular eBayer- it’s a great way to clean out the basement and pick up a few $$$ for the toy account while you’re at it. And like a lot of people, I can’t pass up a good estate sale. I’m always looking for a deal. So of course when I was given a chace to review this book, it seemed like a natural.

What Landahl has writtten is a short, but very useful how-to that guides the absolute beginner through both finding goods to resale, and the best way to sell them on eBay, Craigslist and other outlets. He’s got a lot of great tips and specifics that go beyond the mchanics of posting and selling. Lendahl gives you strategies for setting prices, posting photos, writing titles, and making your sales look as attrative as possible. He even covers details like the best source for inexpensive scales to determine shipping costs.

There are chapters on how to find good estate sales, how to identify good merchandise, examples of good and bad finds, maintaining a good rating, and what kinds of books to buy- and what kinds of books not to buy.

This book alone won’t make you a successful estate sale prospector- you still need the drive to shop those sales and maintain your eBay sales. Not everyone can do that. But if you’re motivated, and looking for a good source of additional income, Lendahl’s book is a very good place to start.

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Shooting for Dollars Simple Photo Techniques for Greater eBay Profits

It’s a simple fact of selling on eBay: better product shots directly translate into higher bids and greater profits. Shooting for Dollars: Simple Photo Techniques for More Profitable eBay Auctions provides detailed, comprehensive, easy-to-understand advice, guidelines, and instruction that will assist both new and experienced eBayers through every step necessary to produce consistent, accurate, appealing and effective visual listings.

Shooting for Dollars covers, in a logical fashion, everything eBayers will need to know about taking product shots and posting them in auction listings, including:

• Buying the right digital camera appropriate for eBay photography * Assembling a shooting studio out of commonly available household items or inexpensive photographic equipment Getting the right exposure, focus and color without fuss

• How and when to use a flatbed scanner instead of a digital camera

• How to setup and shoot great shots of a wide range of typical products

• Effective photographic lighting the easy way

• Easily organizing, correcting, improving and perfecting your pictures with software

• Preparing and posting photos of your products on eBay

• Developing a workflow for quick, easy and efficient assembly line-type product photography

This is a step-by-step, solutions-oriented book that gives online auction sellers all the information and confidence they will need for shooting great product shots. It covers everything essential to digital photography for eBay, including practical tips and tricks, shared experiences by successful eBayers, graphic before-and-after shots that demonstrate how and how not to take photos, and practical assistance in working with eBay’s photographic rules and procedures.

Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta, two of the top experts of digital photography and “PC Magazine’s” digital camera gurus, have been buying and selling on eBay since 1998. In addition, they teach eBay digital photography workshops at the renown traveling eBay University. “Shooting for Dollars” combines the Grottas’ expertise in digital photography and their personal and professional experience with eBay, to provide readers with invaluable guidance in creating more profitable auction listings.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars More than Photo Tips, Get More from e-Bay Bidders
I got this book a nights ago and read a few pages a night. Then a few minutes ago I went on-line to e-Bay looking for a RAID controller for my web server. The picture of the first unit was so dark that it almost looked like a big black blob. The image was way underexposed. You can see exactly what I’m talking about in the center picture on page 62.

The second unit had a picture taken using a flash. It was a straight on shot that caused the light from the flash to bounce straight back at the camera. The entire center of the item was pure white from the reflected light. All you could see was the few items at each end of the card. You can see exactly what I’m talking about in the picture on page 91 of this book.

A little simple math. To shoot either pictures of the RAID controllers would take say a minute. To shoot a much better picture might take three minutes. That’s two additional minutes. Let’s say that the better picture caused the item to sell for $5 more. That’s $5 for two minutes. That’s equivalent to $150 an hour. That’s pretty good pay.

There are lots of good books on photography. This one talks about the standard photographic stuff, but explains in simple terms how it will help sell the item on e-Bay.

5 Stars GREAT Photo Techniques
As a long-time eBay seller who’s taken too many photos to mention, the hints in this book are helping us to re-work our photo set up. I recommend this highly to anyone who has to take photos for eBay or any other web site on which they sell products.

4 Stars common sense tips
Step back for a moment and consider this. Just a few years ago, the very idea of an online auction site that anyone could use would have been pure science fiction. Then along came eBay. Now we have this book, which is not even about the general experience of selling or buying on eBay, but just on taking photos of items you want to sell. Talk about specialised!

Yet the authors have a very valid point. It has been recognised that having a well taken photo, or several photos, of an auction item can tangibly boost the number of bids and ultimately the final price. [Quite independently of this book, there have been studies of eBay auctions that have quantified this effect.]

To this ends, the book gives many tips as to optimising those images. Having a well lit object, perhaps in a pleasing background. Or sometimes, if an object can be scanned using a flatbed scanner, doing that instead of using a camera. Certainly, a scanner is usually easier and quicker to use. So when should you do so?

The authors’ judgment about the esthetics of the photos seems pretty good. While you might quibble about a few of their assessments, it’s mostly very common sense.

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Letters to Ebay Hilarious Auctions Crazy Emails and Bongos for Grandma

By day, Paul Meadors is a fifth grade teacher in a small California town. By night, he trolls the millions of items for sale on eBay, posing as his alter ego Art Farkas, and catching sellers off guard with his ludicrous and bizarre questions about their auctions. As he amusingly demonstrates time and time again, even in today’s hyper-vigilant and impersonal digital world, the spirit of human salesmanship lives on, no matter how outrageous the question or request. For example, Art asks the seller of a set of bongo drums if there would be a way to attach them to his grandmother’s back so that she could take them to the corner and play on the street to earn her rent money–which elicits a sincere, yet bitingly humorous response. From the entertaining auctions themselves, to Paul’s loony letters and the serious responses they provoke, LETTERS TO eBAY provides a fascinating and humourous glimpse into the strange world of eBay and those who dwell within.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Just an okay book
I purchased this book before going on a long trip, thinking that it would be a great, light book to have on the plane and in the hotel room when I had nothing better to do.

I’m not going to bash this book over and over, but I must say that it did not live up to the hype that other, similar books have.

The writing, while somewhat creative, is just simply BORING for me. Yeah, it was interesting to see some of the eBay sellers reactions to the questions, but after a while it was just like “meh, whatever…not funny.” One other book, similar to this but what I recommend MUCH, MUCH more is Consumer Joe, but Paul Davidson.

If you get this book for under $5.00, I would say that’s not a bad deal. But don’t shell out $12.00 like I did for this book, thinking that it would provide pages and pages of comedy and entertainment, because it won’t.

5 Stars Letters to Ebay
Hilarious Book! Had us all laughing hysterically. Stories are skillfuly created in author’s mind and it’s fascinating to see how one bluff skillfully is intertwined with the next. Great bathroom reading for those who love some fun! Absolutely comical.

5 Stars What a Find!!!
I have been a buyer and seller on Ebay for years, so when Letters to Ebay came out I knew it would be a fun read. And like most of my purchases, I was not disappointed. This is a very funny book!

In my opinion, this book is best enjoyed when browsed through. I don’t recommend reading cover to cover, although it can be tough to put down; some of the entries are hilarious.

Letters to Ebay reminded me of the old-school radio station pranks that kept me glued to my radio when I was a kid. The stunts that Art Farkas pulls off with his letters to unsuspecting sellers are as funny as some of the best pranks from years ago.

The real question for Mr. Farkas is can he do it again? As a satisfied reader of his first effort, I sure hope so!

5 Stars Letters to Ebay Twisted and Hilarious
If you’re looking for something weird, twisted, and hilarious to pass some down time, then pick up a copy of Art Farkas’ (pen name of Central Valley eBay enthusiast and author Paul Meadors) Letters to Ebay.

Amazon lists the book’s key phrases as “happy bidding,” “lint rollers,” “deer jerky,” and “depression glass” - fitting for this farcical, oftentimes obsessive, exploration of the virtual world of online consumerism.

Letters to Ebay is one of those books that’s just plain good to have around when there’s a possibility of a few moments down time. The letters/answers are quick reads and can be taken in small doses. Farkas knows how to shape an incredibly ridiculous question with just enough detail and earnest tone to make it believable. And the unsuspecting vendors bite, responding here with good natured sincerity, there with exasperation. The questions - funny; the real-life responses - even funnier!

Keep this book around - it’s worth a big laugh a day.

Letters to Ebay: Hilarious Auctions, Crazy Emails, and Bongos for Grandma

5 Stars Letters to Ebay
This is a very funny book, that is sure to entertain the people who receive it for Christmas.

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Degunking eBay

Degunking™ eBay is the smart guide for buyers and sellers who want to really fine-tune and optimize their eBay experiences, regardless whether they are buying or selling products, or building an eBay-based business. Written in the conversational, no-nonsense approach that has made the Degunking™ series a huge success, this book can help save you tons of time and money with your eBay activities. It provides a wealth of valuable “clutter reduction” and organization tips for both buyers and sellers. Buyers will learn insider tips and tricks to search through massive amounts of product listings to find what they want, and then to bid and complete successful transactions. Sellers will learn how to assess their markets, find how to get the best price for their merchandise, and how to write attention-grabbing copy.Whether you are buying or selling, you’ll get the best results if you have a winning strategy. Avid eBay-er and best-selling author Greg Holden will show you techniques for bidding that will greatly increase your chances of winning auctions. And he offers important information to help you avoid defective merchandise, problem sellers and scams, and where to turn if you do have a problem. eBay sellers will learn techniques for getting their items noticed, making their items look attractive in postings, marketing their products, degunking and streamlining eBay features for sellers, setting up clutter free up eBay Stores, and learning how to research and take advantage of the hot trends. This book gives all eBay users the opportunity to profit from their bursting closets and garages.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Designed especially to help novice to intermediate users
Written by seasoned computer and internet writer Greg Holden, whose previous titles include “Internet Auctions for Dummies” and “Cliff Notes Guide to Buying and Selling on eBay”, Degunking eBay is a resource especially for eBay buyers and sellers who are high on transaction volume, short on time, and need to make their eBay buying and selling activities as quick and clutter-free as possible. Chapters address how to swiftly look through massive numbers of product listings to find the right items, how to spruce up one’s auction descriptions to make more money, how to take advantage of hot trends, how to maintain excellent feedback ratings, and much more. Designed especially to help novice to intermediate level eBay users, Degunking eBay includes tips directly from eBay’s PowerSellers, and a “Quick Degunking Sheet” at the front of the book for easy reference. A “must-have” for anyone interested in amassing private collections from or making money off of eBay.

3 Stars Good for Novices, But Author Attempts to Do Too Much
Have you ever been at a party where you get to talking with someone who has a very nice way about them. Very stylish, very engaging and the topic she’s talking about is very trendy. You listen and interject some “oohs” and “ahs” and “I see” and “really, how interesting” but you begin to realize that almost everything the person is telling you is obvious. And you notice how they keep repeating this obvious information as if they were telling you the secrets of the universe. Well, that’s how I felt while reading DEGUNKING EBAY by Greg Holden. Greg has a nice breezy way of communicating and Ebay is a word on everyone’s lips.

Greg has come up with an all purpose catchphrase, degunk, which he uses quite liberally. Probably because he is promoting the DeGunking series of books.

After reading a few chapters I realized Greg was like that partygoer, a prophet of the obvious. Not that he doesn’t have a wealth of information packed into the book, some of which can certainly help a Novice Ebayer. It’s just that I feel there the book attempts to do too much.

The premise of the book is the entire universe of Ebay. Buying. Selling, AND degunking your computer. If you are not a PC Pro and you noticed your computer slowing down, the step by step clean-up techniques Greg shares are good.

The buying aspect is pretty straightforward. How to do better searches for items. How to bid more successfully. This is the stage at the party where you are really into talking with Greg. This takes you up to about page 77 in a 280 page book. Then the enthusiasm wanes.

The thought that the average person can start a sustainable business using Ebay is a very INTRIQUING. I’m sure it can be done-IF that person has a heartfelt passion for a craft, closeout merchandise, antiques, and a foundation of knowledge on the subject. If that kind of person reads this book for specific Ebay enhancing tips, the book will prove somewhat useful.

So much of the selling information is common sense: write good descriptions and take clear digital photos. I guess it doesn’t hurt to read any of this.

On page 208 the author does indeed tell us to Focus on What You Love as a key to being a good seller.

A few times, Greg made me laugh out loud. That in itself is worth the cost of the book. For example, he writes “Some wholesalers are just interested in getting your money and not in providing you with a regular supply of quality products.”

I am SHOCKED to hear that.

Hey, I like the way Greg writes and I bet if i met him at a party I’d listen avidly for awhile. And there maybe others at the party who might find everything that Greg says about Ebay to be fascinating and something they could put to use.

In summing up, if you buy Greg’s book there is enough here that you will recoup your investment.

4 Stars good help, but doesn’t discuss alternatives
As eBay has grown enormously, it has continually added new features, for both buyers and sellers. The complexities of which help drive the need for a book like this. Holden doesn’t just confine himself to explaining procedures on the eBay website. He goes into ancillary topics like what the selling of seasonal items might involve, or the finding of wholesalers of items that you might buy from, and then resell on eBay.

While he discusses both buying and selling, you quickly find that the attention is focused on being a heavy seller. When you read elsewhere of people supporting themselves on eBay, it is by being these sellers. So a lot of the utility of the book is in the advice around building up sales, where the mechanics of running auctions is really a lesser detail.

His advice is generally good, with one important caveat. The book never really questions under what circumstances you might not want to sell on eBay. It does not discuss alternatives like Amazon, if you are selling non-collectible items like books, CDs, DVDs and software. eBay charges a listing fee, even if no bids are placed. And currently, some 53% of its auctions end with no bids. So the listing fees can significantly add to your cost, especially since an auction is just for 10 days at most. By contrast, Amazon levies no listing fees. Though if something sells on Amazon, its commission percentage is higher than eBay’s. So there are tradeoffs. Plus, in recent years, eBay has repeatedly raised many of its fees. Leading to deep dissatisfaction from many of its largest sellers, who feel that the company is ripping them off.

The book would be of more use to a reader if it broached such topics.

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