Thinking different about making money

I have changed my way of thinking when it comes to making money to pay my bills and cover expenses. I first started out with a goal of $500.00 a week as a goal. With this I could squeak out a living. At least I would have to work for someone else and make them money and be rewarded with an hourly rate. Let me say this. Having a job where someone pays you what they think you are worth is stupid! and how many years have you not thought about it? Okay where was I. A few weeks ago I started do all this a little different. I set down and listed all of my bills personal and business. Then I started assigning products that I sell to them. For intense: my DIRECTV bill-$70.00 a month. I looked in my listings picked out one that I sell around 70 dollars a month and that item now pays my TV bill . I did this with all my bills. My plan is that if I want something new I will find a new product and assign it that product and now it's paid for. Don't just do this with your eBay account. Look for different ways to make money to add to your income.

 

Tips to starting and running a eBay Business.

 

First of all you must to have more passion and dedication for this than any other job you have had or will ever will have. It is hard and nerve raking to say the least.We have all seen the commercials. Work from the comfort of your own home and make millions. This and I hate to tell you this. Will not happen.Below is a list that I have started to help you on your way.

 

• A comfortable chair. This is a must. You will be sitting here a lot and I am talking 10 to 12 hours a day. I start around seven in the morning until 12 or 1 .I do take breaks and make trips to the post office ect.
  
   
• Get a Business license. You cannot do this without one. You will have no deductions and you will lose your ass come tax time. All of the income you report is taxable. You need to reduce that as much as you can. You can deduct .42 a mile every mile for the entire year. Also postage, shipping supplies. If you set aside a room in your house/apt that does not have a bed in it. You can deduct a percentage of your mortgage or rent as well. Then you can add electric , phone ,internet. Anything that is a cost for you to do business is a deduction. Find a good tax expert. I have a lady that helps me and offers good advice for free. She also does my taxes every year. You have to do this, it is not a option. Find one and pick his or her brain.
   

1. Research. Before you sell or list any auction. Research it first-I am assuming you already have a EBay account. Don't just look to see if the same item is listed. Do a completed item search. What I do is .First search the item in question. Then look to the left hand side of the page. Go down about half way. Check the completed box then it search. This is where you can tell if and for how much if any you will get for an item.
   
   
2. Fees. Know what you fees are before you list. You need to know how much an item will cost before and after the listing has or not. I found a great site that will calculate the cost for you. It even includes cost to acquire. You can click here to check it out.
   
   
3. Photobucket Get a photobucket account. It's free and reliable. Go to photobucket.com and sign up.
   
4. Tagbot This is a free program. Why it is free I don't know. This guy is genius . This small footprint of a program will save you tons of time and give you professional looking auctions. It doesn't take long to master and it saves information / details that you would entire for each auction. All you have to do is. Set it up once and list like hell. This will not upload your item to eBay. It just writes the HTML. He has a bunch of free stuff to help you on your way.If you search google you can find the site.
   
   
5. Listing Program This is up to you. Turbo lister is free, but does has its limitations. I like Blackthrone Pro. I can set my own presets and revise all listing with that preset. If there is a price change or I want to raise or lower a price. I just change the preset and revise all listing that uses that one.
   
   
6. Scale Get a scale for your shipping. Shipping can kill you. Not knowing what an item ways and how much it will cost to ship is suicide. This one purchase will pay for its self in the first week alone. Buying a scale was the single best investment I have made this year! I bought one at Walmart for $23.88. You will lose all your profit if you guess at your shipping cost. You can also print shipping labels through PayPal, if you know the weight of your item. Then just drop them off at the post office. This will say you loads of time.
   
   

What can I sell on eBay?

This is the number one question I get asked. "What do or can I sell?". My answer is always "whatever you can make money on". Start first with your stuff just laying around in the house. Yes most of it is just junk, but stop and think. You bought it .. Maybe the chances are someone else will to .Sell something you know about. This will give your customers confidence buying from you if you know what you are talking about. Why do people go to eBay? To get a good deal, hard to find items, things from their childhood ? Yes. All these things are reasons people shop there. Some items may not be available in their hometown or they don't have time to look for them. Whatever the reason you need to fill that need. This will help increase your sales and overall profit.

Still... self employed

It has been awhile since I have made a post. Almost three months. I have been busy keeping my eBay biz running . If you think ..man I want to stay at home and start my own home biz. All I can say is "be careful what you wish for". It is a ton of work and long hours. What I can tell you is I am my own boss. That is what is the important to me. Yes, I work long hours and at least 6 days a week, but my schedule is up to me. If my girl wants to go to the lake for a couple hours. I go, and get caught up later that night. Can you do that. Would your boss let you take a 2 hour lunch ? When I worked on any job it always seem to rain on the weekends I was off. Now it is up to me if I want to take off for awhile. I have come to realize life is too short. There isn't enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. Spending time with the people I care about the most is my priority one. I have missed to many birthdays special events and family gathering because I had to work. I won't let that happen anymore.

Seeking approval of others

I have founds in countless encounters with others the minute you udder the words I am self employed the whole room goes silent. The reply is "What... you can't do that". You have to get a real job. Like us. I just don't get it. Why do we work anyway. For the money. You have to understand the people around here. They all have a job or are working in a job they don't like. They do it, their parents did the same thing. Its all the conditioning from years of fear. I refuse to think for a single moment you have to work in a job that you don't like.

When the Panic sets in

There will come a time when panic sets in and you start to think. Oh shit I quit my job and Iam not selling anything this week. I need to make money now! I was there and it wasn't fun. I hit the wall . One day just like any other. It just stopped. Nothing at all. For one whole day no sales, bids or e-mails'. By 1:00 that afternoon I thought is wasn't no big deal, but by 7 in the evening I was getting scared, Nothing at all. The next two I keep going doing my thing. Ignoring this banishment I felt may have been a test by eBay to see how or what I would do. "it was panic". I don't know what or why this happened, but by the weekend my sales were back to norm and then some. It was like I was taken out of the rotation . I did notice later I was out selling my 2 main competitors. Powersellers that dwarfed my in comparison. At that time I was doing around 800.00 a week and what I figured eBay is in biz to make money. If I made money that meant they were to. Kind of I'll scratch your back you scratch mine. If this ever happens to you just keep your cool it will pass.

Dedication to eBay

Dedication. If you decide this is what you want to do with your life. You will need to commit yourself to this lifestyle: to commit yourself or your life to your business. You don't have your boss to tell you what to do. You are the boss. If something doesn't get done it is your fault. If you get lazy, it is your lose. I say you are your own boss, but in reality eBay and your customers are your boss. They are the ones who will ultimately decide if you make it on your own endeavor. I know this all may seem a little overwhelming but rewards are worth it.