Auction eZine - Issue 1

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AuctionInsights Newsletter
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November 5, 2004 

Edited by Doug Feiring
http://www.AuctionInsights.info

Hi,

Today I am going to show you the fastest, easiest ways
to increase your eBay Profits. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

o FEATURED ARTICLE...

  1) Increase your eBay Profits the Easy Way

o NEWS FROM AUCTION INSIGHTS...

o FEATURED ARTICLE...

  2) How Pop-Culture Collectibles Can Increase Your
     Online Auction Profits

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    Increase Your eBay Profits the Easy Way

           by:  Doug Feiring

Sometimes the simplest things can boost the number
of visitors and bids to your auction listings.

Robert G. Allen, author of Multiple Streams of
Internet Income, writes, "If you are going to play
online, then act like your life depended on it. Embed
your web address and e-mail address in your off-line
brochures, on your business cards, in every
marketing message, and in every advertisement
you place."

This advice rings true for eBay auction sellers as
well. You need to make it easy for web-surfers to
find your current auction listings. The more visitors
your auctions have, the more bids you will receive.

Create a signature file and add a link to your
auctions with every e-mail that you send. Most
e-mail programs will allow the reader to click on any
phase that begins with http://. Your signature should
include a short marketing message that directs the
reader to your current auction listings. Here's an
example:

STAR WARS COMIC SALE!
All auctions open at 99 cents with NO RESERVE
Click --> http://www.AuctionLink.to/saddleonline

To create a signature file in Microsoft Outlook
Express 6 simply:

On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the
Signatures tab. To create a signature, click New and
then either enter text in the Edit Signature box or
click File, and then find the text or HTML file you'd
like to use. Select the Add signatures to all outgoing
messages check box. 

Additionally, you should consider promoting your
auctions by including a link with every post you
make on bulletin board discussions (such as Yahoo!
Groups), news groups, and in the various classified
ad listing services around the internet. 

According to Allen, these venues can often create the
opportunity "to reach huge numbers of people,
multiple times, over a long period of time."

Make sure you include the web address to your
auction listings on the thank-you note you include in
the package sent to your winning bidders. A repeat
customer is much easier to develop than a new
customer.

It's a waste of time and dinero to post an elaborate
auction listing if you are the only one who knows
that it exists.  Don't overlook or underestimate these
powerful grassroots marketing campaigns when you
are looking to drum up bids on your online auctions.

Use a free AuctionLink Gallery today to start
increasing your eBay profits the easy way.

http://www.AuctionLink.to

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NEWS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AuctionInsights has improved its free eBay
templates.  Try them today:

http://www.template-o-matic.com

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How Pop-Culture Collectibles Can Increase Your
Online Auction Profits

    by: David Espino 

With the increasingly competitive environment for
products to sell in the online auction arena, sellers
are getting more creative as to the items they
purchase for re-sale. 

While some of the Dutch Auction items that are
frequently sold on eBay will always maintain their
commodity status and always sell well, Pop Culture
collectibles will usually generate a higher profit-per-
item simply because of a combination of two forces. 

Scarcity and Desirability. 

Pop Culture collectibles can run the gamut from a
special early edition pair of Levis to a rare Coca
Cola collectible.



However, when
I discuss Pop
Culture items
in this article,
I will limit the
definition to
only the types
of collectibles
that I've
managed to
have any
experience
with and that
would be T.V.,
Movie and
Toy collectibles.


Obviously, the category of Pop Culture collectibles
is much bigger than this limited definition, but in the
interests of keeping this a knowledgeable article, I
will focus on the limited definition here. 

One of my first experiences with Pop Culture
collectibles was with a box of unused "The Fonz"
posters that I found at an antiques swap meet a few
years ago. 

I came across this box at a seller's stand. It had one
poster taped to the outside of the box and the price
tag on the box said $5 each. 

I asked the seller "How much are the posters?", not
ever assuming that the price on the box was the
current price. 

The seller replied with "Three bucks each." 

Being new to eBay and wanting to experiment, I
counted the posters, which were still in shrink wrap
material. There were 25 posters in the box. The box
looked like it had been loaded and unloaded too
many times, but the posters were in perfect
condition. 

So I asked the seller, "How much for the whole
box?" 

He asked, "How many are there?" 

I told him, "25". 

He said, "How about $40 for the box?" 

I said, "O.K.", and handed him $40. 

I posted an auction for one of the Fonz posters that
week. It was a large photo of "The Fonz for Prez",
sort of a campaign poster with Fonzie in his
traditional Leather jacket, thumbs up and a "Sit on it"
button on his jacket. 

The auction was set to close on a Sunday, and when
I checked it on Friday, it was up to $22 ! 

I was shocked and happy at the same time. 

On Sunday, I took my family out to dinner and got
home to see that the auction had closed at an
astonishing $42.50 ! 

That experience was the one that cemented me in
the area of Pop Culture collectibles! 

I continued to sell the Fonz posters, one at a time
(so as not to "flood the market") at prices from the
$42.50 high to a low of $12.50. 

My estimate for gross sales is somewhere around
$450 for that box of posters. 

This type of profit exists in the area of Pop Culture
collectibles, but it does take some guts to seek out
and "gamble" on these types of deals. 

I had no idea what the posters were worth when I
purchased them, but I had a good hunch, which
proved to be correct. 

Other Pop Culture deals I've made, most found at
antique swap meets: 

M.A.S.H. action figures - purchased a box of 28 of
them for $50, sold them individually for between
$9.00 and $15.50 

Star Wars Figures - purchased a box of special
limited edition figures for $120 at a regular swap
meet, sold the box to a Star Wars dealer for $2,100. 

Evel Knievel figure, mint in box, purchased for $10,
sold for $115. 

Alien 3 movie theater poster (massive, about 4' tall
by 12' wide), found at a yard sale for $10, sold on
eBay for $50. 

Bionic Woman action figure, mint in box, purchased
for $30, sold for $85. 

In each of these cases, I had no idea what the value
was, I just went with my gut. But the fact that they
were Pop Culture collectibles made it much easier to
take that chance and buy the items. 

Another solution many sellers use is to have their
spouse at home, ready at the computer to do price
research on unknown  items! 

Armed with a cell phone and a significant other at
home doing research, your results will be less of a
risk and more fun, too! 

About The Author

David Espino is the author of "Beyond eBay"
To learn more about this breakthrough book, visit:
http://hop.clickbank.net/?auction223/davehbbo

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