No matter how you spin it, our business is about branding. Even if you do not have an eBay or eCommerce store, you still should concern yourself with building an image and a brand. It contributes to enhancing your professional image and therefore to enhancing the trust your customers hold in you.

One of the most effective steps I took toward polishing my image as an eBay store owner was adding business cards to each and every package I send out to my customers. This killed two birds with one stone, actually:

I needed to give my customers something they could physically hang on to in order to remember me. I also needed a way to easily identify the bonuses that I included in each package. Up until that point, I had been including splashy invoices and just writing “Lagniappe” on the bag holding the bonuses to fill these needs.

The solution was simple, brilliant, and highly effective:

MOO MiniCards!

At the time that I ordered my first set of MOO mini-cards, I wasn’t very design savvy at all, so I kept mine incredibly simple. I chose the MOO Text MiniCards and created a card that simply said “Lagniappe” on the front and included my name, contact information, store name and URL, and eBay ID on the back, as well as a simple “Thanks” graphic, available right in the MOO options.

However, for you more design-savvy folks, MOO allows you to upload your own graphics for use on all of their products. You can match your cards exactly to your store banners, logos, etc. When I order from them this next time, I will most definitely be doing that, and I’m not even that much more design-savvy than I was before.

I also bought some stickers using MOO’s ready-made designs to use to tape the cards onto each bonus bag. (Again, MOO allows you to custom design your stickers if you prefer.) These I coordinated with the color scheme of my store, as well as the tissue paper I use in each shipment for packaging.

Viola! I had a polished way to identify bonuses and also a very hip business card for my customers to keep. All total? I think it cost me 20 minutes and $20.

But you? Aah, it can cost you even less.

With BlogHer and a handful of other blogging conferences coming up this summer, I contacted MOO and asked them if they would help me answer the question of “Where is the best place to get business cards to promote my blog?” and offer a discount for our readers. Their answer was a resounding, “Yes!”

Without further ado, here are your discounts, exclusively from Sparkplugging, Velveteen Mind, and Blog Nosh Magazine:

1) moo48Q

• 15% off entire order for NEW MOO customers
• valid until end of June

2) moo8BE

• 10% off entire order for existing customers
• valid until end of June

Please note that these codes are only good through the end of June. Also, MOO is located in London, so they use the British date stamp for their projected shipping date. If they they tell you your order will ship on 12/6/08, that is actually June 12.

I can’t recommend MOO MiniCards enough. And if you ordered them in the past but were disappointed when you realized that they didn’t fit your regular business card holders, MOO was listening. They now offer MOO MiniCards Holders, so you can carry your cards with you in style.

They have everything you need to be prepared, polished, and ready to promote your eBay store, your eCommerce business, your blog, or your self. They are perfect for crafting and to use as gift tags, too, which is the next use on my list for these.

Enjoy and be sure to send pictures of your MOO cards so we can share some of your designs! Also, I’ll be taking a photo of all of the MOO cards people give me at BlogHer this July, so be sure to track me down and hand me your card so I can show it off and link to you, your blog, and your business!

Now go! Design! Promote! Think big!

Okay.  Finally - the “How To” title that I promised!

By now you have come up with several product ideas.  Hopefully, you started with a market and discovered their needs - checkout my article on Choosing a Market First if you missed it. 

There are three main components to understanding the potential success of a product or product line. 

1. Market Demand - Are They Looking for It?

The first step in determining the potential success of your idea is to identify how much demand there is for the product. 

The easiest way to research market demand is through keyword research.  Looking at whether potential customers are searching for what you are “selling”.  There are several free tools you can use to gather this information plus some paid tools that do a very good job of consolidating the results.  My favorite (because it’s free) is actually Google’s Keyword Tool.  Another one that I like to use is NicheBot.  It is less expensive that most of the others, but still uses the same information.  I find Wordtracker to be the easiest to use and the most comprehensive in terms of the data that is returned.  However, it is also the most expensive. 

The first step is to brainstorm words and phrases that you think a customer might type into a search engine to find the product.  For example, in my case, I would use “rc cars” as my search term.  Then I might type in some of the specific manufacturers or products that I am interested in selling.  When you get back the results from these research tools, take a look at the number of searches to determine how many people are looking for this item.  Each of the tools I listed above provides even more detail on the best way to analyze keyword data.

2. Competition - Are There Others Already Selling it?

Competition is a good thing.  It means that there are others already successful at selling this line of products.  But you do need to analyze the competition carefully to determine if there is “room for one more”.  Now some would advise that there is always room for one more.  I don’t disagree with that concept - my point is only that you don’t necessary want your first online biz to be an uphill battle against Walmart

The best place to start is to perform a Google search on the top keywords you found in the previous step.  The top 10 organic listings are those you want to focus on.  Take note of the AdWords competitors too - but you want to know how hard it will be to break into the top 10 organic spots. 

The data you want to check with each competitor is pricing & competitor quality.  Go to the competitor sites.  See what the quality of their site is.  Is it professional?  Would you be comfortable buying from this seller?  What are their product prices like? Record some of these to use in the next step.  Are the top 10 competitors similar in price?

When you get to the point where you understand the best practices involved in SEO, you should also check whether they have strong SEO skills.  This will give you a much better idea as to whether you can break into the top 10.

3. Product Sourcing - Can You Get it at a Good Price?

This last step is one that I rarely hear people talk about (except in the book I recommended in my last post.)  But is is SO IMPORTANT!  Don’t skip this one.  You can find out that your product idea has a ton of market interest and the competition is beatable - but if you can’t find a distributor, a dropshipper or a manufacturer that will sell it to you at a margin worth working for, you have a “loser”. 

This is by far the hardest step because it is going to require . . . . phone calls.  I know, I just heard a huge number of you gasp.  If you have a fear of talking to people and if you are getting into this business so that you can hide behind the computer, I have one reality check for you to grasp right now: If you want to own and run your own business, you will need treat it like a business.  That includes dealing with setting up the proper business entities (business license, bank account, etc.) and creating relationships with suppliers. 

I will tell you that this was my biggest hurdle in the beginning - but when I finally got over the hump, I was flying down a rollercoaster at full speed and it was a blast!! 

One place that many folks are finding their suppliers is through the folks at WorldWide Brands and their product OneSource.  Depending on the product you have chosen to research, you may find wholesalers or dropshippers in their database to contact.  The great thing about contacting suppliers through OneSource is that they have already shown interest in working with smaller, online businesses.  Which is one hurdle you can skip. Isn’t that Nice?

Take Action

All of these steps may seem intimidating at first. 

But just Get Started. 

Take Action. 

Commit to completing all of these steps on at least one product line. 

Once you’ve completed this research, you will feel empowered to keep doing it again and again until you’ve found your “Winner”.

Several of the tools and resources that I recommend can be found on my Online Business Tools and Resources page.

I insist that the only way to become an outstanding eBay seller is to be a consistent eBay buyer first. As such, you learn how it feels to participate in transactions from both sides. You learn what is important to both the buyer and the seller. What qualities make the biggest impressions. What to look for in future transactions.

One of the most interesting conundrums when viewed from both sides? Feedback.

Who says “I love you” first?

Ever since becoming an eBay seller, I’ve been interested in the “who should leave feedback first– buyer or seller?” debate. An endless debate, I assure you.

Initially, I left feedback for my buyers as soon as they paid for their item. It demonstrated trust and gratitude, in my opinion. But as my sales began to go up, so did my problems. Mo’ money, mo’ problems, indeed.

Evolution of My eBay Seller Feedback Policy

The beginning of the end of my eBay feedback naivety honeymoon began with a misunderstanding in terms. Not surprisingly, my first negative feedback came from a rather confused and confusing buyer.

My buyer was a woman who paid immediately and I left positive feedback immediately. I promised to ship her item within three business days of payment, clearly stated in the listing and in follow-up emails, and did so. However, on the third day after the auction ended, she left negative feedback because her item had not yet arrived.

First of all, had I shipped the item the moment the auction ended, it still would not have arrived on her doorstep, yet. Second of all, what?

The negative feedback was the first time I had heard from her since receiving her payment. I was completely blindsided and utterly crushed, as I saw my feedback as vital to my reputation as an eBay seller. I emailed the buyer and explained my shipping procedures again, took her step-by-step through what “business days” are, and explained the logistics of the postal system. All in a very friendly way.

She replied with a simple, “Oops. Sorry. Hope that negative doesn’t hurt your rating too much.”

Deep breath. Remind myself that, as sellers, we must work with the lowest common denominator, and just move on. I tried to broach the option of a mutual feedback withdrawal, although I had not left her negative feedback, but that was a lost cause before I even started. She was so confused by the entire process and genuinely felt that the feedback system could be used as a message system, blindly clicking past all of eBay’s warnings before you are allowed to leave a negative.

Nevertheless, I chose to remain optimistic and continued to leave feedback for my buyers immediately upon receiving their payment. I was doing so with some trepidation, though, as I was quickly learning that a buyer’s responsibility to contribute to a fair and honest transaction does not end with their clicking the “Pay Now” button.

I would soon change my approach to eBay feedback.

No good deed goes unpunished.

I routinely offer bonuses to my buyers as thanks for their choosing my auctions. I call them “lagniappe,” which means “something extra and unexpected.” When a buyer purchases multiple auctions or is particularly pleasant to work with, I will often upgrade their bonuses, sometimes to a duplicate of the item they have purchased. This is always met with surprise and gratitude, not to mention repeat business.

Except for one buyer that would be the catalyst for my feedback policy change.

The buyer was a man who had purchased some bath items for his wife. I knew that he was excited to have found her favorite discontinued bath goodies, so I decided to double the amount of bonuses that he had earned. Since this resulted in quite a few little travel-size bath items, I wrapped them all up in a little reusable plastic toiletry bag. My, what a thoughtful seller am I! He will be thrilled.

Um, no. Not so much.

The day he received his items, he emailed me and said, “Everything arrived as promised, but you only sent one bonus. I should have received three. Please rectify immediately.”

Hmmmm. Well, he must just be confused, because I actually sent six bonuses plus a gift bag. And is he really complaining about free gifts? Yes, he is. No good deed goes unpunished.

I emailed him and explained that what he must be considering “one” bonus was actually one gift bag full of double the bonuses. He had not, in fact, earned three gift bags full of bonuses. I then redirected him to the achingly clear language in my listings, explaining what the bonuses entailed.

His response? “I understand that I misunderstood when I saw the gift bag. However, if you see fit, I would appreciate two more gift bags of bonuses. I particularly like such and such scent. I’ll leave feedback once those gift bags arrive.”

I immediately changed my feedback policy.

Who is the feedback hostage here?

From that auction forward, I began noting in each transaction that I will happily leave feedback for buyers once they have acknowledged receipt of their items. I was very specific that I was not withholding feedback until I had received feedback from the buyers, however. A simple email letting me know that they had received their package was sufficient.

I felt this protected me from several bad buyer habits. Most notably, it ended the free-for-all that I had created by leaving feedback immediately upon payment. Instead, I made it more evident that I expected my buyers to do more than just pay on time: they should also honestly acknowledge that I had fulfilled my end of the bargain. No funny business.

If I had not fulfilled my duties as a seller? I would more than make it up to them and negative feedback would not be disputed. However, I could no longer allow myself to be held hostage by my buyers’ feedback. As I had been handling feedback, there was nothing stopping buyers from scamming me once their packages arrived. And yes, there are plenty of ways to cause havoc long after you have paid for an auction.

Which I think I have illustrated.

Still undecided.

But am I right in my decision to withhold feedback until I have at least received acknowledgment that the buyer has received his package? Is not being an honest and diligent seller enough to protect me? Does it not set a positive tone for the remainder of the transaction when I demonstrate good faith by leaving positive feedback upon receipt of payment?

Would a buyer be more or less likely to take advantage of me once they have secured positive feedback?

That last question is of particular interest right now. eBay has recently implemented a change to their feedback policies: Sellers may no longer leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers. Buyers are the only transaction participants enabled to leave negative feedback, as of May 2008.

A can of worms for another day, in which I ask you, “Who is the feedback hostage now?”

In the meantime, what is your approach to feedback? As both a buyer and a seller? I’ve shared my approach with you, but I admit that I am still open to change. How do you handle eBay feedback?

Let’s talk about some ways that you can generate your product ideas.

Some of you are looking for the overall idea for a new business. Others are looking for idea after idea as to what products to sell on a platform like eBay. And as I mentioned in my last post, you should really consider choosing your market before a product. With all of these strategies in mind, there are so many ways to keep your eyes open and start to come up with ideas. Once you have an idea, you will need to perform market and competitor research, but that’s another post . . .

When I started looking for my first eCommerce idea, I looked within my own hobbies and interests. However, as you know, I ended up going with a product idea that was completely outside of my own hobbies which has worked out great.

One must-read book in my library has helped me a great deal on this topic. It is What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It. It has some terrific idea generation techniques and the section on “where to get it” is invaluable. One of the habits that I have formed after reading this book is to keep a notebook with me at all time for ideas. I’ve expanded into a “business journal” will all ideas regarding products, marketing, business management - you name it. But for the purpose of this discussion, it is important to have something with you at all times to remember your ideas.

Product ideas are all around you.

Most importantly, you want to keep your eyes and ears open to market trends and consumer desires. Kick off the process with newspapers, magazines, trade journals and newsletters. If you are targeting a specific market, pick up the consumer magazines targeted to that market - there are a flood of ideas based on what both the content AND the advertisements. Trade Journals show you what the manufacturers and distributors are doing which is golden as well.

Something to consider if you have chosen a specific niche or market is to attend trade shows relating to your market or niche. These events, like the trade journals, will give you a mountain of information and ideas as to what is hot in that particular market place. Once you have chosen your market and product line, trade shows are a must to build relationships and stay informed.

Trend Watching

There are several websites, as well, that focus on trends, such as www.trendwatching.com. Keeping an eye on what is hot overall or in the target market you have chosen will keep you on the right path.

I have only scratched the surface on places to find product ideas. You get the idea - hang where your market hangs; Understand their needs, desires and problems. The important outcome of the activity is to generate many ideas. Once we have these ideas, we will research their viability using market and competitor research tools and techniques we will describe in another post.

In determining what to sell, people tend to start brainstorming on individual products.  Not necessarily a bad thing to do - in fact, in the next few posts, we are going to talk about different ways to drum up product ideas from the world around you. 

However, let me give you some food for thought that might help you to really nail down ideas that can help you build a viable and successful eCommerce business:

Choose a Market First

Instead of choosing a product, choose a target market.  You might start with a couple of product ideas, but then take those ideas to the next level and think about the market you will be selling to. 

By market, I mean the demographic that will be interested in your products.  In my case, my market is RC car enthusiasts.  But yours might be young stay at home mothers, golfers, cyclists, etc.  The list is endless but I strongly suggest that you try narrow down a smaller niche.  For example, golfers is a huge market and it can be daunting to try and understand and market to all of the niches in that market - you might want to focus on beginner golfers or young female golfers or maybe children golfers (well, their parents, really).

Understand Their Needs and Desires

The reason for selecting a market first is that you can study them and dermine their needs and desires which will lead you to think of products and services that will fill those needs and satisfy those desires.  Rather than thinking of products first and then trying to figure out if there is any demand - think of the market first and see what they are demanding! 

It’s Okay to Move Out of Your Comfort Zone

Similar to our last discussion on passion vs. profit, you can choose a market that you are deeply familiar with or one that you need to learn about.  I’ve done both and yes, it is easier to market to a group that is similar to you - you already understand their needs, they are easier to “speak” to and they will readily identify with you. 

But don’t limit yourself, there are so many profitable markets out there you may miss out on if you only focus on your comfort zone.  Plus, in my case, focusing on a different demographic has allowed me to work closely with my husband to get to know his mindset and passion for the hobby - and that has been alot of fun and very rewarding.

Connect With Your Market

The bottom line is that if you choose your market and research them thoroughly, you will not only be better equipped to choose products that will truly appeal to them, you will be ready to connect with them in many different ways which will lead to good customer relationships and SALES!

The first couple of topics I want to touch on here are for beginners.  I know many folks may think “well, that’s not me”, but wait . . . think about reading these anyway.  Sometimes, even after we’ve been through it all, it makes sense to take a fresh look at how we got where we are.  It may help improve your business in some small ways or it may help you to start yet another endeavor.

What Products Should I Sell?

There is an ongoing debate in many of the internet marketing circles about where to focus your attention when deciding what to sell.  Some feel that you should focus your attention on products that you are passionate about.  What do you love to do in your spare time? What gets you really excited?

Others feel that you should forget about your personal passions and just focus on what makes money.  What are the profitable markets? Where are other people spending their money?

Passion is Motivating

There are many advantages to going with your passion.  First, and probably the most important, is motivation! Selling something you are passionate about can be very motivating.  And as you know, motivation can be a very large problem for the work-at-home entrepreneur. 

I took this concept a step further and chose a market that my husband is passionate about.  For all of you that have fought tooth and nail with your spouse about starting a home business - chew on this angle for a moment.  You are building a business around and selling something that they are excited and passionate about - there is no better way to get the ultimate “buy-in” from your second-in-command!  It has worked wonders for us and made it into a true family business that we both get excited about - for different reasons.

Second, you will have a vast knowledge about your products and your market. You are your market - what better way to understand them?  Both writing and marketing become a lot easier when you are submerged in your passion instead of trying to study your market. 

Hobby or Business?

If it isn’t profitable, it’s a hobby.  Yes, it can take some time, but in the big picture, you are doing this to build an income.  In researching your target product and your market, you should always focus on profits - passion or not.  If this business is something you want to pay your bills with and build your retirement on, you need to be serious about the numbers.

You need to conduct the proper market research up front (more on this in coming posts) to understand whether the long term potential exists.

Without profits, all of your hard work and passion won’t mean a thing.  There are many products and markets out there that sound great at first, but once you dig into them, you realize that the margins are so tight, you couldn’t possibly squeak out the profits you are looking for. 

Don’t disregard different ideas just because they don’t match your personal desires.  You may find new hobbies or markets to get excited about that you never even knew existed.

Sell What Sells

So the moral of the story here is that I want you to be sure to research, research and then research some more before you put your heart and soul into this business. You certainly can start with your passions and see where they lead, but in the end, make the decision based on the numbers.

I think I can actually hear you all asking “But, How?” and that’s the plan - We’ll talk more about how to go about that research in the next few posts.

There are so many ways today to create a successful online business.  You hear about them all the time - Info products, monetizing great content, etc, etc.  But I have found personally, one of the most satisfying ways has been to sell products online.  Find a really interesting and popular product line and build a store.  (Yes, I do know it’s not that simple, but we’ll get to all those details soon). 

If that sounds like you, then you are going to love what we have in store with this newly revised column!   

The New Expanded eBay & eCommerce Column

You’ve gotten to know Megan Jordan on her eBay column at eMoms.  She has been answering so many of your questions about starting and growing an eBay business with her first-hand experience.  Now, Sparkplugging has decided to expand the column to include general eCommerce topics and discussions of other platforms.  This is where I come in.  I have been running a Yahoo! Store for 2 years and built mine from scratch as well. 

We are passionate about selling products online and excited to talk to you about the ups and the downs and the how’s and the what’s.  Between the two of us, we have a ton of experience (and practically a Masters education) in selling on eBay and on Yahoo! Stores.  Not to mention keeping-the-family-happy while you build your business!

So, what are the types of things we are going to cover here? 

Getting Started in eCommerce

First, we are going to focus our attention on Getting Started.  We’ll cover topics like choosing and researching a product to sell, building your store and understanding all of the technology and tools involved. 

Getting Traffic

Once we have gotten you started, we’ll talk about getting traffic to your site. This isn’t as relevant in the eBay realm, but with other platforms once your store is live and ready, it is a little like being on a deserted island - you realize you are completely alone!!  But we can fix that with a mix of PPC, SEO & Social Marketing.  Don’t worry if these acronyms don’t mean anything to you yet . . . they will.

Conversion = Analytics + Testing

Now, unfortunately, many online retailers stop here.  “Okay, I’ve built my store (isn’t it gorgeous?).  I have a bunch of visitors coming and going every day.  Now what?  Where are my sales?” 

Does that sound familiar?  This is where the ball really got rolling for me.  Analytics, Testing & Conversion!  Without applying these tools and skills, all of the time you have taken to build your store and attract new visitors was wasted.  I don’t care how nice your site is, how much traffic you are generating - if you don’t know the details about what your customers are doing on your site, you are driving blind. And if you don’t test what is working with them, you have no idea what you might be leaving on the table.  We will discuss how to get started in analytics & testing and how to turn your new knowledge into new customers. 

Customer Management

And finally customer relationship management.  What’s better than getting a brand new customer?  Selling more to your existing customers!  It’s less expensive and actually more fun when you start to build relationships with your customers that bring them back for more.

Get Ready, Get Set, . . .

Okay, so there is a lot for us to cover.  This has been an amazing ride for me - one that I have absolutely loved, even with its ups and downs.  My husband and my kids have been along on this ride and we are having a blast!  Come and join us for more info, tips and tricks on the “perfect home business”.

The question I am asked most often is, “Can you really make money on eBay?”

The answer is, “Absolutely.”

But between you and me, you can make so much more than a living on eBay. You can make a life.

Hold on tight, because it can be quite the ride. Allow me to share with you the latest twists and turns on my very own eBay roller coaster…

The last time I wrote about eBay was in November, right as the holiday sales season was amping up. I found myself so busy with my eBay store that I had to step away from my eBay Selling for eParents channel at eMoms at Home, the previous version of our current Sparkplugging. Even having hired part-time help to assist in wrapping and shipping, I was absolutely swamped with eBay work from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to bed.

I had to drop everything, including my personal blog, and hunker down with all things eBay.

Unfortunately for our lovely Sparkplugging host, Wendy Piersall, about the time that the holidays wrapped up was exactly the time that my offline life took on, well, a life of its own. All within days of each other, I lost a family friend, gained temporary responsibility of his son, permanently crashed my computer, and insanely began the process of buying our first home since losing utterly everything in Hurricane Katrina.

I was quite happy to not even hear the name “eBay” whispered in my presence, I was so overwhelmed.

Funny how life works. As it turns out, the sole reason we were ultimately able to purchase this longed-for home is because of one tiny, ubiquitous word: eBay.

As it turns out, an eBay store is considered a viable job by some mortgage lenders. Some very large and respectable mortgage lenders, in fact. Furthermore, based on my credit and my eBay records, my family was able to secure a sound mortgage based on my eBay store income alone.

Had you told me two years ago that I could turn a case of baby lotion into a home for my family, I would have laughed. I would have rolled my eyes. I would have written you off as an infomercial hack.

But that is precisely what I did.

And you can do it, too.

So many months later, I find myself back online, understanding the in’s and out’s of this business better than ever. While I am still unpacking in our new home, I am preparing to relaunch my eBay store and see where I can take it this time.

You up for the ride?

This time around, our eBay channel will be more all-encompassing as an eBay and eCommerce channel, co-authored with Kristie McDonald, the owner of Nitro Toyz. While I will most probably spend most of my posts sharing personal stories and experiences, Kristie will finally deliver what you have been asking for all along: the nuts and bolts how-to of eCommerce.

In the meantime, for those looking to catch up, a few of my favorite eBay posts so far (imported from eMoms at Home, so the formatting may be a bit funky, but the content is still solid):

Tell Me About Your Big eBay But…

Savvy eBay Sellers Think Like Customers First. Savvy?

eBay Sellers and Completed Listings Search: Best Friends Forever

Deal or No Deal? Will it sell on eBay? Volume 1.

eBay Marketplace Research. The third wheel to you and your Completed Listings Search dynamic duo.

*********

Caught up on the highlights, so far? Look, here’s the main point:

If you treat selling on eBay as a job, if you approach it professionally, but also personally and with humor, you can make a living on eBay. And that living can free you to live your life.

Take a deep breath and believe yourself when you say, “I can make real money on eBay.” And then hold on to your seats… Or throw your hands above your head and just scream. Everyone has their own roller coaster riding style, after all.

You asked! Here are some answers:

With all of its challenges, is eBay still more rewarding than monetizing a blog… from a work-at-home parent’s perspective?

I don’t know what kind of monetizing you are doing with your blog, but in my opinion, eBay is much more financially rewarding versus monetizing a blog. I can make $1,000+ a month selling on eBay, while it would take me quite some time to make that same amount through my blog. However, I am aware that many people do make upwards of $1,000 a month on their blogs, so the question then boils down to time.

With both eBay and monetizing a blog, the system will begin to manage itself at some point. The income becomes more and more passive as you move along, given a certain amount of maintenance and growth. However, after doing some affiliate marketing research this week, I couldn’t help but notice that the amount of time it took for me to set up a handful of affiliate marketing accounts that will probably result in a few dozen dollars, I could have used that same amount of time selling on eBay and made hundreds of dollars.

Again, this depends on the profit margin for your listings, however. If you are making only a couple of dollars per sale and then having to start from scratch again, versus relisting products of which you have multiples, the profit margin may not be worth the work.

Speaking of work, do you consider your blog work? If you are writing a personal blog and thinking of adding some ads here and there, but continuing writing just as you would without the ads, that is ideal passive income. You would not be doing any extra “work,” whereas eBay is definitely work that you wouldn’t be doing otherwise.

Do you work 50-50 doing eBay and your personal blog?

When my eBay store is fully stocked, I work more on my eBay store than my personal blog. However, my personal blog is just that: personal. I don’t do any SEO or other marketing. The handful of social networking sites I have dabbled in have taught me very quickly that you could make blog promotion a full-time job if you so chose. I don’t write my personal blog for financial gain. Though, if any of my readers want to give me any money…

Will you be discussing Turbo Lister in a future post?

Yes. However, I do not use Turbo Lister. I