Q: I am new to the alerts and see that you refer to BigCrumbs and Ebates, can you explain a little about them?

A: Absolutely! I love, love, love both of these sites! I use it for personal purchases as well as resale. Both are FREE to join.

Select the Store you are going to shop through – shop as you normally would and Ebates/BigCrumbs automatically credits you the designated % back from your purchase amount into your PayPal account!

If you are in a site and you suddenly remember about either site, you can still log on, select the store and simply hit refresh – this will update your cart information while your other window is opened and you should be good to go. Keep in mind that some online sites will offer separate sales and not honor eBates or BigCrumbs at the same time of their ‘special’ sale. It’s usually either one or the other. This doesn’t happen that often, so just something to keep an eye on.

Ever get sucked in by a $ale?!

Do you ever wonder what you were thinking when you look at some of your eBay inventory?

Of Course!!  It’s only natural to get drawn in by super huge discounts!

Admit it, we all have those buying boo-boo’s  – beginners mistakes, newbie no-no’s… etc.  Whatever you want to call it!

The fact is NOT everything will sell on eBay just because it’s a good sale item.  Don’t buy something for resale because you don’t see what you really want and feel like you have to buy something.  Unfortunately a lot of people go through this and end up spending money on unwanted items.  This only leads to returning to the store, wasting gas and/or postage and your precious time!  Plus – if it’s a final sale item, it may not be returnable – so you’re stuck with it… possibly loosing money because you stick it up on eBay and take a loss, plus pay fees.  Or you bring it to a consignment shop and get half of what you originally paid.

These days, with technology as advanced as it is, a majority of us have camera’s on our cell phones, or blackberry – whatever you use.  Eliminate unwanted trips back and forth to stores by taking pictures with your cell phone, email yourself, look it up online, or call an eBay buddy!

Taking Pictures – Our sister site Toy Auction Profits, requires some trips to toy stores.  A lot of times I’ll forget what an item looks like when I’m researching something to see if it’s worth it for resale.  Mainly because there will be a couple versions or new style out – take a picture with your cell phone!  You’ll have it with you to reference, and there’s no need to run back to the store to see if you have the correct version.

Email yourself – Most cell phones give you the capability to email.  It makes it easier to remember while you’re working from home, you can easily add it to your ‘to do’ list.

Look it up online – If you’re really in a pinch and don’t have the Internet connected on your cell phone, you may have the option to get it on a day-by-day basis.  Some cell phone carriers will offer a $2 a day Internet access.  It comes in so handy when you aren’t in town, or really need to look up an item to see if it’s a hot one to pick up.

Call an eBay buddy – We all know somebody who sells on eBay, don’t we??  Give ‘em a call to see if they’ll look something up for you.  Better yet, alternate trips to the stores to save on gas and pick ‘eBay days’ that you can research for eachother.

Hope this helps!