Whether you have just started out on eBay, have been in business for a while, or are just contemplating being an eBay seller you will want to start your year with a plan. By sitting down and evaluating what it is you want to accomplish you can keep yourself on the path to success and not feel like your just running in place.

On perk to being a stay at home parent is that your never finished keeping busy with your business. You business is always in constant motion – changing, improving, and growing. So when something happens to divert you from that business, you can always know in the back of your mind that you can keep working on it a little at a time. Businesses don’t become a success over night!

Here are some thoughts to help spark an idea that may help keep you on track for 2012:

• Organize your space to better meet your needs (check out this blog post about organizing your space)
• List 10 items a week, every week
• Rethink any inventory that has been sitting on your shelves and in your eBay store for longer than a year
• Introduce a new product line in your eBay store
• Set up an eBay store (if you haven’t already)
• Hold seasonal sales throughout the year
• Add a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to your eBay categories
• Start email marketing
• Improve your search visibility to attract more traffic to your items
• Build a blog using WordPress

Share your goals below, maybe they will give someone else an idea of a great new year goal.

Hope you find these suggestions helpful to building yourself a successful New Year!

1. Prevent Misunderstandings with Good Communication

Help avoid misunderstandings with good communication. For example, if surface shipping can take up to six to eight weeks, the customer may not know this and he may expect nearly immediate delivery. So that when delivery isn’t that quick, the customer may feel as if he/she has been cheated or that your service is poor and slow.

To avoid this you can spell out the delivery time frames and include as much detail as possible. Make sure your refund policy is clear, and make sure your product is accurately and clearly described in your auction listing. Try to ensure that your product’s quality meets or exceeds the expectations created by your auction listing.

2. Promptly Respond to Emails

If, for any reason, you are not prompt in your email response, the customer may assume that you aren’t going to deliver on your promises. Having prompt e-mail communication will help reassure the customer and gives evidence of your good customer service.

3. Encourage Queries

The best way to do this is to state: “If you have any questions about this auction, please email me.” If the customer is expecting instant delivery of an e-book but instead you send him information through the postal service, he may be disappointed. Prevent these problems before they happen by encouraging your prospective buyers to ask questions.

4. Ask for Positive Feedback

What is the best way to encourage buyers to leave you positive feedback? Just simply request that they leave you positive feedback for them after you have received their feedback.

Since they are leaving feedback first, they will then hesitate to leave negative feedback, knowing that you may do the same. However, if you leave positive feedback for the buyer first, they may decide not to return the favor.

5. Reversing Negative Feedback

By having good communication, you can often avoid receiving negative feedback. Try to whatever you can, within reason, to make your customers happy.

However, how do you handle it in the event that you do receive negative feedback on one of your auctions? Is there anything you can do about it?

Under certain, very limited circumstances (such as an extortion attempt), eBay might consider reversing negative feedback unjustly given to you. However, in most cases eBay will not reverse negative feedback.

You can use eBay’s ‘Mutual Feedback Withdrawal’ procedure. This procedure allows both the seller and buyer to withdraw negative feedback from each other, as long as you both agree. The negative feedback will be removed from both of your total feedback scores (that will then improve feedback ratings for both buyer and seller).

eBay will not remove the negative comments themselves. Your comments left in response to a negative feedback, however, will also stay in place to tell your side of the story.

So as you can see, good communication may lead to increased chances of positive feedback from your auctions. Maintaining good communication can also help you to avoid and possibly even reverse negative feedback. You can promote positive feedback on eBay through good communication.

If you are wanting to buy a motorcycle or accessories for your bike, then eBay’s motorcycle section is a great place to look. Take advantage of eBay’s browse and search feature to find motorcycle listings of interest to you. You will be able to specify the make, model, year range, and even the color you are looking for in your search within eBay’s motorcycle section.

Maximize your search by using the search functions maximum capability when you look for an item in the eBay motorcycle section. The more information you include in your search the more likely you are to get the exact results that you want from eBay’s motorcycle listings. For example, if you are looking for a red Honda VFR you will get the most accurate search results by searching “red Honda VFR 750 2000″ rather than entering just “Honda VFR” which could give you listing results that include decals, spare seats, owners manuals, and other items for every Honda VFR that has been built.

Another search option to consider is specifying the location that you want the motorcycle to be near. Most likely if you are looking to buy a motorcycle, you are going to be most interested in motorcycles that are close to your home address. So if you would like to you can go and check out the motorcycle before placing a bid. You may also want it close enough to go and pick it up if you should decide to purchase it. This search function will allow you to specify that you want the listings only for the motorcycles that are within a certain distance of a town or zip/postal code.

The eBay motorcycle section is sub-divided into brands so it can be a good idea to browse the appropriate category as you could find an item that you never considered. For example, if you select the “Honda” sub-section of eBay’s motorcycle section you could come across a framed print that you would love to have in your bedroom or a Honda team cap to wear when you take your motorcycle helmet off.

I’m going to end this short informative blog post with a warning to be cautious when buying anything on eBay. With motorcycles, as with anything on eBay, be cautious and use your best judgment to avoid getting ripped off by unscrupulous con artists. NEVER send an advance payment for any item in eBay’s motorcycle section, or anything sold on eBay. And as always be sure to research and check vendor’s details and verify that the item for sale in the marketplace is legitimate.

Different durations are good for different reasons. To help you determine which duration length you should use, ask yourself the following questions when deciding on your auction duration.

Do you want the item to sell quickly? If you are wanting to sell your item now rather than wait a few more days, even if you may lose a little of your profit, then choose the shortest duration possible. However, if you can be a little more patient then you may as well choose a longer auction length.

What is your item worth? Higher priced items are worth re-listing every 3 days or so using Buy it Now. The fees aren’t as high as the percentage of the item cost and you will sell more when your auction listing constantly shows up higher in the search results.

Would your item price benefit from competitive bidding? Not all items will make buyers excited enough to try and outbid each other. However, if you have an item that consistently attracts more than five bidders, you should always list the item for the longest auction length possible, to get the best price. People are quite happy to follow your auction for days and keep bidding the price higher and higher as they wait for the auction end.

What are the sellers with the best ending prices doing? Check out the completed items listing, and look particularly at the durations for the items that top sellers used most often. Chances are that what they are doing is working.

Can you ship items quickly? You may find that buyers will get frustrated if they have to wait for an auction to end, only to have to wait even longer for the item to get to them. If you run your auctions for the longest length, try to have your item packaged and ready to ship the day that the auction ends.

How visible do you want your item to be? You may have noticed that by default eBay sorts their search results so that items ending soonest appear at the top of the search list. Since most people leave the default setting for eBay searches, this is the view that most people are getting. This means that the items that are ending soonest are viewed more often.

Keep these tips in mind as you decide your auction lengths and you should get the best ending bids that you can.

As a buyer you need to beware. If something on eBay seems too good to be true, it very well may be. Don’t waste your time and money on these common scams and signs of fraud. It is important as an eBay buyer to be aware and be able to detect fraudulent activities.

Here are a few tips to help protect you:

1 – Always check the seller’s feedback rating. If a seller has lots of negative feedback ratings or no feedback, there is a chance that that auction is a fraud or a set up for a scam.

2 – Watch out for phishing emails. Do not enter your eBay account details in response to any emails asking you to do so. Some emails will even include a fake link asking you to log into your eBay account through. Always go directly to www.ebay.com to log into your eBay account.

3 – Beware of any seller that asks you to complete a transaction through wire transfers such as Western Union. In fact, eBay does not recommend or suggest buyers use wire transfer services. Have no doubt that it is a scam if the seller insists on this type of payment. If planning to buy really expensive items on eBay use escrow services.

4 – Use caution on items with “too-good-to-be-true” prices. There is a good chance that an item that is priced way below other like items is a sign of fraudulent activity. A good example of this is with DVDs. I have noticed quite a few bootleg and illegal copies of DVDs being sold on eBay.

5 – Online shoppers should be aware of any institution that claims they are an escrow but ask you to make payments to an individual person instead of a corporation. This is clearly a scam.

6 – Also buyers should be aware of seller that allow you to make a winning bid payment directly to from the buyer’s checking account. Or worse the seller tells you that the account you are transferring money to is an escrow’s account.

So, take advantage of the great deals that eBay offers. Just be aware of the frauds and scams that may present themselves to you. After all, it is better to play it safe than feel dumb for being taken in by someone.

The truth is that many of us are managing our selling on eBay in between running our households, raising our kids, and even while working a full time job.  You need a way to streamline those hard to handle everyday tasks.  If you can relate, then check out the list of quick and easy tips to help you save time on your eBay selling tasks.

Here are a few tips to help you simplify your eBay tasks and reduce the amount of time spent on them.

1 – Create a library of eBay bookmarks.  This can be done by adding the bookmarks directly to the web browser’s toolbar or just by using the bookmarks menu.  You will want to add links to all your most commonly used resources on eBay.  For example, you may frequently visit the selling form, your Selling Manager summary, the Leave Feedback page, your lists of sold and unsold items, eBay’s help page, the bid cancellation page, and any other eBay tools that you normally use.

You may also want to take advantage of the Free eBay toolbar at http://pages.ebay.com/ebay_toolbar/

2 – Create a library of your listing templates.  Create your listing text in a word processor and then save the documents in a folder dedicated to eBay under the names of different item types.  Then when you go to create the listing you can just copy and paste the text into the eBay listing form.

This can be helpful even if you are not selling the same types of items.  Parts of your listings will usually be the same, like the shipping and handling terms, return processes, and explanations of quality ratings.  Saving this information in a document will save you time in the future.

3 – Simplify the photo process.  Change the photo setting on your camera or camera phone so that photos are taken at VGA (640×480) resolution or lower. Use the instruction manual to help you.  Doing this will save you time resizing the photos later.

Install an user-friendly photo management program like Fast Photos, Picasa, or iPhoto so that you can edit quickly and easily and so you can organize photos to be reused.  Most of the new smart phones now have an eBay application that will even allow you to list your items straight from the phone itself!  Now that is a way to get things done quickly!

4 – Consider using Turbo Lister.  If you list several items a week, the free Turbo Lister program can save you time.  The program offers you the ability to do bulk listings, has built-in templates, and offers the ability to post and edit your listing in an application rather than in the web browser.

5 – Consider an eBay Store and Selling Manager Pro.  Both the eBay Stores and Selling Manager Pro offer you the ability to list in bulk, set-up automation, and use scheduling tools to help make life easier for growing sellers.

6 – Set-up and stock a home shipping station.  Use a cabinet, corner counter, desktop, or other area that is convenient for you.  Use this as a packaging area, stock it with a postage scale, and any supplies you regularly use for packaging and shipping.  Keep your boxes, padded envelopes, bubble wrap, labels, tape, and scissors in this area and keep it stocked.  This will save you time in searching for needed supplies when items sell.

7 – Print your postage online.  Use PayPal shipping to pay for your shipping and print it at your shipping station.  Then you can either drop off your packages at the Post Office or schedule a pick-up right from your residence.  The best part is that buyers are automatically sent tracking numbers, this will help keep your customers happy.

For international shipping I use Stamps.com to send items first class internationally, since PayPal doesn’t offer that service.  Use promo code C-8RRH-ZNJ at Stamps.com. Imagine all the time you will save not having to stand in line at the Post Office.

Most importantly, keep yourself organized and always offer excellent quality and service.  Nothing can take more time than dealing with dissatisfied and worried customers, and nothing can make a customer more worried than a disorganized seller.  To reduce your customer service time, always ship promptly and do your best to make sure your customers don’t have any reason or need to contact you.

In honor of the launch of this new eBay store, there is a special bonus – for a limited time all GiftCardMall purchases qualify for free shipping!  Buyers are also eligible to earn eBay Bucks on all gift card purchases from GiftCardMall, this includes the Double Bucks offer available through the end of the year 2010.

What is GiftCardMall?
GiftCardMall is a new store in the US eBay marketplace, in the form of an online gift card kiosk.  The eBay store is managed by the same company that manages the trusted and professional gift card kiosks that are seen at many local supermarkets.  As of today, there are 33 different brands available in the store, with more being added every week.  This store will be ongoing, not just available for the holidays.  Currently accepted forms of payment are BillMeLater and PayPal.

Check out the new GiftCardMall and finish your holiday shopping now, from the comfort of your home.

For those that are new to eBay or who are small-time sellers, it can seem nearly impossible to gain visibility on eBay.  With the presence of so many PowerSellers it may be hard to cope with the pressure when you are new on eBay.  The rules on eBay state that it is forbidden to promote your own website or alternate storefront from your eBay auctions.  That being said, there are a few easy methods to help your eBay listings gain more exposure and help you get those repeat customers.

1.  Every eBay listing is an opportunity to promote your business.  If you have a website or blog – change your eBay member ID to the name of your website (i.e. “clothing decor and more” if your website is “clothingdecorandmore.com”)  Mention your website/blog in your auction listings (but DO NOT put a link to it, since including a link is prohibited by eBay’s links policy.)

2.  Cross-promote.  In the description of every item, make sure and add the text “Please check out my other auctions!”  Make it large, bold, and bright, insert it multiple times if necessary, and put a connection to yout eBay seller’s items page (accessible by clicking the “View seller’s other items” link in the upper-right of any one of your listing) using the following HTML tag in your listing:  
<a href=”http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=YOUR EBAY ID HERE”>
Please check out my other auctions! 
</a>
(Replace YOUR EBAY ID HERE with your own eBay member ID) 

3.  Include links on your other websites to your eBay auctions.  Once you list your items on eBay, don’t just forget about them.  Place links on your blog and your own website to your auctions.  In the same way search engines like Google index your storefront, they will also pick up and index your eBay auctions.  The more external links to your auctions, the better.

4.  Ensure a repeat customer.  Visibility and promotion only begins with your auction listing.  Turn every step in the process after the close of the auction into an opportunity to promote your business to the buyer.  Start by sending a Thank-You email telling them you appreciate their business and then point them to your website/blog and ask them to sign up for your email list to get special promotions.  Use a letterhead on your invoices that advertises your seller name.  Ask the buyer to add you to their favorite sellers list.  Include a little something extra with your delivery – an inexpensive package of jelly beans or mints may surprise you with the amount of repeat business it will bring back.  State repeatedly that you are looking to earn their repeat business and that you want your customers to be happy enough with your service to promote your business to their friends.  They will.

These are just a few easy methods to get you started.  These methods require little cost to you and are applicable to every eBay business.  Using these methods can help you increase your visibility and promote both your listings on eBay and your e-storefront off of eBay.

You can find all of the offers at the eBay Coupon Event main page.

Here’s a look at the participating sellers and their corresponding coupons:

Seller ID: budgetgolfer
Coupon Code: CBUDGTGOLF10
Offer: 10% off Golf Clothing, Shoes and Accessories

Seller ID: Go4computers
Coupon Code: CGO4COMPTR20
Offer: 20% off Select Items – Video Games
Coupon Code: CGO4COMPTR5
Offer: 5% off Select Items – Electronics

Seller ID: gmcmarket
Coupon Code: CGMCMKT30
Offer: 30% off Select Items – Home & Garden

Seller ID: pens_n_more
Coupon Code: CPENSNMORE10
Offer: 10% off Select Items – Office Supplies (pen gifts)

Seller ID: BlackandDecker
Coupon Code: CBLKDECKER20
Offer: 20% off Other – Home & Garden
Special Coupon Landing Page – Black and Decker Special Page

Seller ID: cametaauctions
Coupon Code: CCAMETAMAP10
Offer: 10% off Select Items – Electronics
Coupon Code: CCAMETAAUCT10
Offer: 10% off Select Items – Electronics

Seller ID: beachcamera
Coupon Code: CBEACHTV10
Offer: 10% off TV’s
Coupon Code: CBEACHGPS10
Offer: 10% off GPS Products
Coupon Code: CBEACHCAM10
Offer: 10% off Select Cameras
Coupon Code: CBEACHPRINT10
Offer: 10% off Printers
Special Coupon Landing Page – Beach Camera Special Promo Page

Seller ID: fishwest
Coupon Code: CFISHWEST15
Offer: 15% off Select Items – Sporting Goods

Seller ID: Macmall
Coupon Code: CMACMALL10
Offer: 10% off Select Items – Computers & Networking

Seller ID: Kkmusicstore2
Coupon Code: CKKMUSIC20
Offer: 20% off Whole Store – Musical Instruments
Special Coupon Landing Page – K-K Music Store Promo Page

Seller ID: jockeystore
Coupon Code: CJOCKEY35
Offer: 35% off Whole Store – Apparel
Special Coupon Landing Page – Jockey Store Promo Page

Seller ID: Hopmeup
Coupon Code: C10HOPMEUP
Offer: 10% off Select Items – Toys

Seller ID: authenticwatches*com
Coupon Code: CAUTHWATCH10
Offer: 10% off Select Items – Jewelry & Watches

Seller ID: maxtoolsales
Coupon Code: CMAXTOOL15
Offer: 15% off Select Items – Home& Garden

Seller ID: vacuumwarehouse
Coupon Code: CVACMWRHSE15
Offer: 15% off Select Items – Home & Garden

Seller ID: gemstoneking
Coupon Code: CGEMSTONE20
Offer: 20% off Select Items – Jewelry & Watches

Seller ID: fragrancenet
Coupon Code: CFRAGNET10
Offer: 10% off Whole Store – Health & Beauty (perfumes)
Special Coupon Landing Page – Fragrance Net Promo Page

PayPal payment is required to redeem the coupons.  Have Fun!