Powersellers Blog

I’ve been an ebayer since 2005, and I thought, I already know the “ins and outs” of the online selling/buying until last week…I got scammed! 

I bought an ipod in ebay believing that the person I transacted with is an honest one.  I bidded believing that he would end the listing early.  And out of trust, I paid even if he hadn’t end the bidding yet.  After a day or 2, he ended the bidding right after another person bidded for the same item which means I got outbidded!  As a result, I cannot leave a feedback for that scammer.  I tried to bid in his other items so that I can still have a way to warn, however, I got the Transaction Blocked message.

I am sooooo sad because it is a hard-earned money. I feel soooo stupid. I learned my lessons in a very “expensive” manner.

Lessons learned:

1. Do not pay yet; wait for the seller to end the listing first

2. Get other information from the seller like bank account etc.
3. Before paying gcash or smart money, check the number if it’s prepaid or postpaid. If prepaid, be extra careful

4. Check the feedback ratings for anomalies (because based on the information I gathered, the scammer builds his rating by contacting sellers/buyers of ebayers with suspended accounts saying he is the same person and want them to leave feedbacks again)
5.  Lastly, don’t trust TOO MUCH.
 

I joined Ebay three years ago with the intent of browsing the ads and eventually bidding for some. I heard about this from a friend who was ecstatic that she won the bidding on a book which she got for a low price considering the fact that it was almost new. Well, I’m such a bargain addict and I couldn’t resist a good deal.

Ever since joining, I was able to win some bids and also lose on some. When the bid starts to get high, I just lose interest thinking that I could buy the same item for a lower price elsewhere. I have had regrets when I didn’t pursue an item I really liked after finding out that I couldn’t get a similar item anywhere. Oh well, charge it to experience.

Just last May, I saw this bag on Ebay which was exactly what I wanted. Without really thinking, I started bidding on it. Not until the price got higher than my budget only I realized that if I spend my money on the item, I wouldn’t have extra money until the next paycheck comes. That’s where the problem came in. I thought real hard if I could go on a tight and strict budget for the next two weeks. I remembered the regrets I had when I let something go and I’m never going to let the same thing happen this time. I went on, placed my bid and waited until the last minute to put my offer, and I won! Yay! It was sweet success indeed. In just 2 days, the bag arrived, brand-new, smelling like leather and I thought to myself, I made the right decision.

I was just minding my own business when a friends of mine IM’d me about a great opportunity.

You see, I am known for my Photoshop editing skills and my love for the internet. This friend of mine asked me to take pics and edit the pics of the bags she was selling in ebay and post it as well in her ebay site. As much as i love the internet, I am clueless about online selling. Nevertheless I agreed with her offer cause:

1. I will be paid and be at home.

2. I will learn

So she taught me the ins and outs of ebay.

I only worked for her for a month or two because her assistant came back, but I learned so much and after the experience I had I decided to put up my own ebay as well.

I am sure for everyone who knows about paypal probably, but for that one lost soul who was like me here this is .. any email ending in paypal.inc.com is not ok and is fake.  I got a paypal notice saying an over $300.00 post was put on my paypal account when I hadn’t used it in 2 years.  They want you to log in to a fake site to get your paypal account number. 

 I don’t know if this particular scam is up here or not I couldn’t find it, but please excuse me if there is.

After you have sold on eBay a while you might discover a big secret. But why wait? I’m going to give you a huge eBay secret that many powersellers know about. If you wish to become a powerseller, knowing this secret will help you become very successful.

Follow up with your customer or buyer. On every auction, have a flyer you can include in the package that you send to the buyer. On the flyer, put several other items for sale.

Next, include an order blank and self addressed envelope. You don’t have to stamp the envelope but it enables the buyer to fill out the form, put on a stamp and send you more money with an additional order.

A handwritten thank you note takes about two minutes to write. You can purchase generic thank you notes at the dollar store. Include a thank you note to your buyer in their product package. This makes the buyer feel important and more than just another eBay feedback score and money in someone else’s pocket.

Following up with your buyers is the best way to get repeat business and not have to pay as many eBay fees.

One of the great features of eBay is being able to purchase products with the “buy it now” feature from Powerseller stores. But, what happens after the product is purchased? Many powersellers have learned the secret to a successful eBay business is their customer service and their follow up service.

Make certain to ship the product immediately when the payment has cleared. Send a message through eBay letting the buyer know the product has shipped and thank them.

When you receive feedback, make sure to follow up with a response. Positive feedback can simply be a thank you for your business follow up or response comment. This is a great way to build a good reputation on eBay and have a very profitable powerseller status or reach your goal to become a powerseller.

The about me page is one of the most important areas of your eBay auctions that you should take advantage of.  The about me page is a free eBay resource that you can use instantly.  It is simple to do if you use the templates that eBay provides for this.

The about me page gives buyers confidence.  They can relate to you as a seller and as a person.  Include information about yourself that will help to gain the confidence of buyers and you will notice a significant increase in the number of bids that you receive on your products.

Another important part of the about me page is to include your latest feedback.  This will show buyers in one spot your great rating and great customer service.  They won’t have to go and look for your feedback.  It will automatically be there for them to review.

Take advantage of the about me page on eBay to boost your sales. It’s a free eBay resource for you.

Decorative eggs are a rage right now. You can get them wholesale or even from other eBay auctions to earn a great profitable return.  When you set up your powerseller store, think about adding five or more decorative eggs to the auction.  This will get people to your store and will increase your sales.

The most popular decorative eggs seem to be Emu eggs.  If you are a crafter, you can order Emu eggs to decorate and paint yourself.  If not, you can find many great wholesalers online and through the craft stores to add to your eBay stock.

I love this new site which gives you the ability to convert your blog to your own website address for free. It looks much more professional than seeing just a blog address so you will get more clicks this way. Which would you click on first:

1. http://aliciabodine.blogspot.com

or

2. http://www.aliciabodine.com

These are just for demonstration and are not real web addresses that I know of. As took a look you probably wanted to click on #2. That’s just natural.

Hyperwebenable will help you covert address #1 in to address #2. They will do it for free.

That’s not all the services they offer either. They also offer you your own forums, classified sites, social book marking sites, and much much more. You won’t know how much until you click on the banner above. If you truly are a Power Seller than you need Hyperwebenable!

Hello -  
There’s a new company which is entering the same field as PayPal and they do not charge fees for receipt of money.  In addition, they’re giving $25 to anyone who signs up for a free account.  There is no obligation on your part.  The promotion ends April 15th.  There’s an opportunity for you to generate a little cash if you’d like by referring people to them ($10 referral bonus).

If you’d like to get the info, please send me an email at:

elisterling@peoplepc.com

and please include YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS so I can send you a referral email.  Keep an eye on your inbox for an email with the subject:

“You are invited to join …”
Please email me if you have any questions.

Thanks