eBay Power Seller Secrets: Practical Advice for Everyone Selling on EBay or (Starting a Business)
Written: Jan 11 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Later chapters contain the most useful information about using eBay to its full potential
Cons: First few chapters are ill-placed for the target audience and can be condensed considerably
The Bottom Line: Starting with Chapter 4, this book contains some of the most valuable information about selling on eBay I've seen. Much can be put to good use immediately.
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| swopedesign's Full Review: Brad Schepp - eBay Powerseller Secrets: Insider Ti... |
Got Sales?
I'm probably like the majority of eBay sellers. I have some experience buying and selling on eBay (since 1996), use the Internet daily, purchase supplies and equipment from e-commerce web sites, and would like to make more sales on eBay so I could quit my regular job and just do what I love to do. If you're an eBay seller, chances are high you'd like to do the same. eBay Power Seller Secrets is one book with sound advice to help you increase sales and, if you're lucky, live and play on the profits from your auctions. It just takes a while to get to the sound advice, if one begins reading at Chapter 1.
Chapters 1-4: A Slow-Starter
eBay Power Seller Secrets is a slow starter for its target audience. The first 4 1/2 chapters are the dullest in the book. They cover the pre-planning and strategies necessary to start a large eBay Power Seller business – or any small business for that matter, in most regards. Though they make sense and the topics are interesting to sellers with a high number of sales who need to source more inventory to keep up, I don't think they make sense for most readers, because they begin where few readers will: at the beginning of their eBay selling career. It may be best if eBay sellers begin reading at Chapter 4 and then come back to Chapters 1-3 when their sales are up.
The first 3 chapters are, unfortunately, also long-winded, again missing the target audience, especially if that audience already has a roaring eBay business and can use the information in these chapters. The choice reader is likely to have considerable previous experience with eBay, with the Internet, with computers, etc, so I believe they would appreciate brevity and conciseness over all else so they can start learning the Power Seller secrets immediately. The tone of these early chapters is conversational and attempt to hold the readers' hands, when doing so is likely unnecessary. Business owners I know personally don't have or take time for leisurely reading. They like to get to the heart of the matter.
The perfect reader will begin with some positive experiences with eBay so they believe that eBay has the potential to become a larger and/or continuous revenue stream for them, and that they are capable of making a commitment to that revenue stream to turn it into a full-time business, but just aren't too sure which step to take next, especially if they've had several disappointing years with eBay's markets. These first 4 1/2 chapters, I feel, would be better if they were sharply edited and positioned towards the back of the book, perhaps even some of the information as an appendix. If the book were restructured, it would better coach average eBay sellers into Power Sellers, step-by-step. Which is what the book's title seems to want to do for those prepared to be Power Sellers.
The authors make several false assumptions that help make the book a slow-starter for its intended audience. Chapter 1 (37 pages) assumes that readers don't know themselves very well and may not be prepared to spend and probably not already spending a great deal of time on the Internet in front of their computers. In contrast, I believe that people interested in starting a business on eBay are in fact likely spending a lot of time on eBay and buying from e-commerce web sites, too. They likely have an extended history of such experiences. Else they wouldn't be convinced that being online or selling on eBay in particular has the potential to free them from their day-to-day employers and make them Power Sellers.
eBay Power Seller Secrets also assumes in Chapter 2 (50 pages) that readers will be willing and able to purchase inventory which they would naturally Power-Buy. Sounds like large quantities to me, even after I've read the book. I've never power-bought anything, and I don't have thousands of dollars sitting around waiting for me to do something with it. Most readers, I believe, will be in the same financial situation as I and looking for specific tips to help them become a better eBay seller and, if all goes well with the secrets in the book, eventually an eBay Power Seller with everything that entails. This path does not require a huge investment in inventory so early. Chapter 2, IMHO, could easily be a later chapter, when readers are financially and emotionally prepared to stock real inventory as the next logical step in their eBay evolution.
Chapter 3 (30 pages) offers similar potentially expensive advice as Chapter 2. Buy computers. Automate everything. Build a computer network. Purchase and use accounting software. Buy or build a web site. Set up a photography studio. Buy a digital camera. Purchase a digital scale. Buy a printer. Whew! That's a lot of money to spend before even posting a single auction! The advice in Chapter 3 could, like that of Chapter 2, be moved to later pages and in doing so get to the book's Power Seller Secrets much more quickly.
Chapter 4 (20 pages) finally begins to reveal some Power Seller Secrets to help readers make more sales on eBay without spending thousands of dollars to do so. For this chapter, the authors advocate automating eBay auctions, so that readers can effectively manage both small and large volumes of auctions. Though some of these automation tools require some investment (some an ongoing investment), it is clear that this chapter is time well spent for all eBay sellers. Chapter 4, for the first time, is succinct and can be read in a single sitting, the information clearly organized for easy consumption and recall by readers.
Chapters 5-11: Foundation for Success!
It is in the last half of the book that eBay Power Seller Secrets comes into its own and builds steam and interest – for every eBay seller, not just Power Sellers. Chapter 4 introduces some tools to help eBay sellers manage higher volumes of auctions, but these later chapters help guide sellers about professional habits and attitudes, which make all the difference between success and failure. Anyone can sell an item. Successful businesses create and foster relationships.
Chapter 5 (52 pages) reveals some helpful advice that eBay sellers can put to use immediately, but the chapter could also be condensed, like the first three chapters. Create an About Me page on eBay. Decide and set your auction rules. Spend time on the eBay Q&A boards. Both share and learn on the Q&A boards. Be neat. Don't be cutesy. The hard information in this chapter includes how to information about creating an effective listing title, choosing categories, grading items for sale, finding effective key words, taking photos that help sell product, and more. There's much useful information here in Chapter 5. eBay Power Seller Secrets really begins to take shape at this point with the how-to secrets disclosed in the last 25 or so pages of this chapter. This helps readers pick up steam and grow hungry for its information. Reading the book becomes more invigorating and empowering.
The Schepps recognize that auction listings are just one step towards success on eBay. Chapter 6 (40 pages) explores how some Power Sellers court their customers (their words, not mine). At heart, the authors believe in long-lasting (sales) relationships, not just a quick buck. This gives eBay Power Seller Secrets the humanity and depth that makes it tower above less useful books. Chapter 6 encourages eBay sellers to develop sales relationships using an e-mail database, a custom e-mail signature, and a monthly newsletter, and to use tools already at their disposal, such as Paypal, SquareTrade, eBay's ID verification program, coupons and small "thank you" rewards, to further reassure customers about the sellers' professionalism and integrity, especially for repeat sales. This book also suggests that sellers can begin to gather and use sales statistics to help them make better business decisions.
PayPal is an important part of eBay's business. eBay itself recognized this when it purchased PayPal. Chapter 7 (36 pages) discusses the ins and outs of collecting payments from buyers and making payments to sellers (you buy items over eBay, too, right?). While PayPal is an obvious choice for many reasons, Chapter 7 also discusses payments by personal check, money orders, cashier's checks and even wire transfers. An important part of buying and selling on eBay is to be an educated buyer and seller. In this case, Chapter 7 also reveals secrets about doing business internationally, using escrow services, identifying spoof e-mails, what to do about unpaid items, avoiding problem bidders, and the like. It also educates readers about the most common buyer scams and how to avoid them. Another worthwhile chapter for all eBay sellers!
No book about Power Selling would be complete without a chapter on shipping. How else are customer's to receive their winnings? Chapter 8 (20 pages) the importance of good shipping practices, including packaging, invoicing, determining costs, insuring shipments, and choice of carriers. Though a short chapter, Chapter 8 is not short on useful and valuable information. The authors recognize that professional shipping practices have a significant impact on buyer perception and, therefore, on repeat purchases. Packaging and shipping are no place to skimp.
In a perfect world, every buyer would be 100% satisfied with his/her purchase. But we don't live in a perfect world. So eBay Power Seller Secrets is wise to acknowledge that customer dissatisfaction is inevitable. For those sellers who have or have had a brick-and-mortar experience, customer dissatisfaction can become emotionally charged before anything is ever discussed, and things can be said and things can be done that both buyer and seller may regret, almost immediately. Chapter 9 (36 pages) helps sellers navigate this unpleasant minefield to best resolve each customer complaint, regardless of the reason, but also recognizes that documentation is important should a need ever arise for it to be provided to eBay or others, including authorities.
The least exciting aspect of operating any business, in this reviewer's humble opinion, is record keeping. All other business activities are exciting because they can help grow sales and put more money in the coffer. Keeping a business's books, though, is just as important. So eBay Power Seller Secrets reminds us. It is not only important to record sales, but also to record deductions. The authors suggest hiring an accountant. I cannot think of any better advice here, if a seller can afford to do so. This also has the added benefit of freeing up the seller to focus on growing sales, which is really what the seller wants to do anyway. But if the seller can't afford an accountant, Chapter 10 (18 pages) offers some practical advice about keeping track of business transactions to keep sellers out of hot IRS water.
Chapter 11 (10 pages) is not only where readers will end up, it is also where readers should want to end up. Opening a profitable eBay store. But how does a seller know when it is time to open an eBay store, or how much it costs? eBay Power Seller Secrets serves up some advice to help readers determine the answers for themselves. While Internet marketing is a whole other topic altogether, eBay Power Seller Secrets also provides a starting point for readers to drive traffic to their new eBay store.
Practical Advice for Any Business
eBay Power Seller Secrets is a useful book for all eBay sellers, not just Power Sellers, and for readers who expect to start their own small business, including brick-and-mortar businesses. Though the first 3 or 4 chapters are misplaced, lengthy and off-target for the intended audience, the remaining chapters get right to it, for the most part, with practical advice that every small business owner can put to use immediately, from identifying and purchasing wholesale merchandise; taking photographs for eBay, web sites and catalogs; and developing professional habits and attitudes to create long-lasting sales relationships to many other important aspects of operating a small business, including basic advice about accounting practices. If the reader has just opened or intends to open a small business either online, on eBay or on the corner, the reader should take time to read eBay Power Seller Secrets and put its information into practice. They'll be off to a running start above those who have not received the practical advice of other successful business owners. In this case, eBay Power Sellers.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
swopedesign
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Member: Mike Swope
Location: Wichita, KS
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Graphic/web designer. Grew brother's retail tire business. Now managing a similar long-established business.
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