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eBay Selling Tips: How to Achieve Higher Detailed Seller Ratings

I’ve been selling on eBay for years, though mostly on-and-off in the last couple of years. eBay has mostly been my “sideline” allowing me to indulge in my twin passions of collecting (and selling) vintage postcards and pearl necklaces. However, much as I love the extra income I get from eBay, it’s extremely hard for me to find the time to prepare my listings and handle the sales process. Plus, I never really fully recovered from the closure of my favorite eBay auction management software Timbercreek’s Sold!. Last spring, eBay made a number of changes, including detailed seller ratings. Achieving

Starting a Website: Build a Broad Authority or Niche Site?

Someone posted a very interesting question in Yahoo Answers: when you start a website, should you build a broad authority site, or a smaller niche site? The asker wants to know the impact of the size of the website in terms of search engine optimization as well as potential revenues. Personally, I would go for a broad authority site, as it has the best potential for huge traffic as well as higher revenues. But there are a number of pros and cons for each approach, and here are some of them: BUILD AN UMBRELLA SITE can grow to become an

What Should be the Topic of Your Website?

I meet a lot of folks who want to start their own websites, but are stumped with the very basic question: “What should be the topic of my website?” The topic and focus of your website is a result of a number of factors: What is your objective for creating the website? A website for personal expression is vastly different from a website created to change the way people do things. A website where you are happy to communicate to others your thoughts is different from a website where you aim to earn a million dollars (or more). A website

How to Select the Right Business Partner

In some instances, a business you want to start can only be achieved if you partner with someone else. It can be because you need more capital to augment your resources, or you need someone with capital while you provide the knowhow and skillset. Sometimes, the right partner can round up all the necessary elements needed for the business to succeed (e.g. you’re good in programming but needs someone who does marketing well). Then of course, the question is: how do you select the right business partner? Some start out as friends and decide to work on the business together

What Makes an Effective Email Subject Line?

Online Marketing Daily has a very interesting article on the best length of email subject lines. According to the article, Alchemy Worx examined 250 million messages sent out for the last 2 years and found that “open rates climb when the subject lines are in the 50-character range or 80-character range. But, perhaps counterintuitively, they fall in the middle when the length is 60 or 70.” The best open rates are those with 50-character subject line touting a “powerful” offer (30% off Spring Getaway flights to Florida on Delta) or those with a longer 80-character-plus line description (Find out Secrets

Importance of Managing Customer Expectations

I’ve been participating in an interesting discussion in Yahoo Answers of what YA is really all about. Some members are saying that YA should be about the knowledge base, and as such strive first and foremost for the accuracy of the answers given. Others, on the other hand, are saying that YA is all about the user community, sharing knowledge and having fun. This led me to ask the following questions: Do your customers really know what your business is all about? Or do they have a different idea or perception about your business? And if so, are they frustrated

The Secret to Perfect Search Engine Marketing

Mark Simon wrote a very interesting piece on how to handle paid search in the article “The Secret to Perfect SEM? It’s in the Mail”. According to Simon, you can have a good paid search campaign if you understand the similarities between search marketing and direct mail: Importance of targeting: A successful direct mail campaign starts with the right targeting, the right lists, and the right data. Targeting is likewise crucial to search marketing, from reaching searchers based on geography or market area, day of the week, and other variables. The pull of envelopes and letters: For direct mail to

Using Social Media: PowerHomeBiz.com in Facebook

PowerHomeBiz.com has finally created its page on the social networking site Facebook today. It will be fun to connect to home business entrepreneurs and those who are thinking of starting their own businesses. Initially, the PowerHomeBiz.com page will feature feeds from this blog, our recent articles and hopefully contribution from fans and other users. Later, we will offer free downloads to courses and ebooks we’ve developed. I was inspired to create my own profile, as well as that of PowerHomeBiz.com’s page on Facebook from an article I read on eM+C magazine. The article was an interview with Chad Ciesil of

The Art of Saying "Thank You"

Everyone loves to feel appreciated and valued. It’s human nature. We love to hear how important we are to other people, how much they value our friendship, and how much they want and need our company. And most of all, we love to hear the words “Thank you.” As a business owner, do you say “Thank you” to your customers? Do you tell them how much you appreciate their patronage and loyalty? Me, I’m a sucker for thank yous. I love to receive thank you notes, or even thank you emails. And I am particularly appreciative of businesses who say

Top Products Sold on the Internet

I just got my copy of the Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide Report (2008) http://www.internetretailer.com/top500/ and the report has a lot of interesting data on selling online. Using 2007 data, the top product categories in terms of sales and the top 2 ecommerce merchants for that category are: Mass Merchant/Department Store = $29.309 billion [Amazon.com; Sears.com] Computers/Electronics = $23.337 billion [Dell; HP Home and Home Office Store] Office supplies = $13.970 billion [Staples; Office Depot] Apparel/Accessories = $12.359 billion [Victoria’s Secret; LL Bean] Books/Music/Video = $4.142 billion [Netflix; Blockbuster] Housewares/Home furnishings = $3.891 billion [Williams Sonoma; Crate and Barrel] Specialty/Non

Green Marketing for Small Businesses

Green marketing is the new “in” thing. Celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Leonardo di Caprio prefer to drive hybrid cars. HGTV channel is giving away a “green” home. Ikea has done away with the free plastic bags. Crate and Barrel are marketing eco-friendly furniture. Name it — from baby clothes to appliances to home furnishings to food — “green” is the main thing. According to Good and Green http://www.goodandgreen.biz/, which sponsors the Green Marketing Conference, an increasing number of consumers are embracing green marketing: In the US, the Green Marketplace is conservatively pegged at $250 million – and growing! Over

Basics of Factoring

If you are trying to raise cash for your existing business, one way is through factoring or accounts receivable financing. With factoring, a business can receive immediate cash for its accounts receivable. This option works best if you cannot get secured commercial debt or if you are not willing to give up shares of your company. If this is a financing option you’d like to consider for your business, read the article “Basics of Factoring: What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About Factoring.” The article discusses when a business is right for factoring, how factoring works, pros and cons