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10 random thoughts for those contemplating going full time selling on Ebay UK.
- Get a good pair of scissors, tape measure and scales. Good scissors can cut a length of paper without having to open and close, makes a big diff. Everything needs to be measured. Good scales save you money on postage.
- Buy bubble wrap and brown paper by the 100 or 200 meters and beg, steal and borrow boxes. Don't dick around with under 100m.
- Work at it 7 days a week. Having 2 days off a week like regular folk will not work. Ebay is a 24 hour operation and so conventional working hours do not apply. If you want this to work then you have to work. Soon you will wonder at the folks who literally have nothing to do but please themselves 2 whole days per week!.
- Open a Royal Mail account and frank your own post, mail it 6 days a week. You will have to.
- Get an accountant, its easy, they are usually excellent (and keen) and the money you save pays its self back 10 fold.
- Get someone to pack for you, ideally for free but pay if you have to. Listing is where you need to be.
- Forget about any business cards, notelets, stationary, logos and all the peripheral stuff that eat at profits - buy stuff and sell stuff for more and concentrate on speed and listings efficiency. Don't waste your money on the hope that someone may like a nice note or may buy from you again as you have nice notepaper.
- Read Dale Carnegies "How to Win friends and Influence People" - it is better than any book written about Ebay or indeed customer service. Books about Ebay are about making authors money, not you.
- Don't think of Ebay as a friend or partner and never think your buyers are stupid. ever. Buyers make errors but so do you.
- Specialise if you can, ideally selling something you yourself love. Its a no brainer that you sell things better if you love them yourself.
Guide created: 10/10/06 (updated 29/06/08)
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