Well, the truth is, the moment I knew I had to give Ebay a try was when I recently found myself out of a job...again. I have worked for Internet companies for the last 10 years and have been through it all. From the time of the Internet boom when venture capital firms were investing on a whim and shoving money at anything that had a ".com" after the company name to the Internet bust that found investors fearfully pulling out their money. Finally, the inevitable where our paychecks dwindled away to nothing as the fateful day arrived when it was announced around the conference room table that the company's doors would be closing. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson and stayed away from the risky Internet jobs, right? I wish I could say that was true. Being a customer service manager, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of industries, none as volatile as companies whose profits are solely made through the Internet. So, when I found myself being let go due to the sluggish economy and lack of sales, I did the first natural thing...I smartly decided to sell items online through Ebay (sensing the sarcasm, yet?).

I don't have connections with a store or distributor and I didn't have enough capital investment to buy too much of anything, so I started with what I knew: things around my house. Your first step should be gathering items from around your house that you don't want anymore. Your risk of loss is minimal, should the item not sell (so you lose a few cents on listing fees).This was where the golden nuggets of experience were sifted out of the silt. I learned how to use the "advanced search" feature on Ebay to look up items like the ones I wanted to sell. I then selected the "completed listings" box and viewed how many items like mine had sold and for how much they went for. This helped me see how much I should expect for the item to sell for, if I should list it at all, and how many bidders were trying to win an item like mine.

One of the things about selling on Ebay that scared me the most was how to get good pictures of my items. Over time, I learned how to photograph my items with the best backgrounds and lighting. Daylight is best, but not with the item in direct sunlight. Natural indirect light highlights the best features of whatever you're trying to photograph. For my background, I use a white sheet mostly, but I've also used a hot pink mat for girly sunglasses or a royal blue mat under a boy's baseball glove or soccer cleats. The more your photo stands out in the Ebay search results, the better your chances that someone will click in to see your auction item. I've even added some silk greenery around items to enhance them. I've also placed them in a nice mini-scene (such as on a pile of sand with a small plant behind it), or have photographed an item of clothing while it's being worn to show how it fits. Giving your bidders a realistic picture of how great the item looks while being worn always helps!

After your photographs are completed, you'll want to resize them to 1024 x 768 or smaller to best fit into Ebay's site. You'll have to use a photo editing program to do this, but most computers come with Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Simply find your photo, right click on it, then select "open with" and then choose the photo editing program desired. You'll want to crop out any extras such as excess background in the image. Adjust the brightness, if necessary as well. Save your changes! To post pictures on Ebay, they charge a bit to list more than 1 photo of your item. I use a web site called Auctiva.com to include as many as 20 pictures of my item for a low monthly fee. The other great thing about this site is that they have templated backgrounds to use with your listings to customize it and make it look really professional. I think some of my items sold due to this factor alone! Open an account with Auctiva and Ebay and try listing your first item. Start with something that doesn't require too much research or will be difficult to accurately price (don't choose grandma's heirloom thus-and-so). Remember that there are sites out there that valuate antique items as well as local shops that would be willing to help you know the value of your items if you need help with antiques.

After you've taken the plunge and have listed and sold a few household items on Ebay, you'll need to get access to a steady supply of items to list and sell. I've found that rather than sorting through piles of stuff at the flea markets where sellers are there to make money as a source of business income, I much prefer the garage sale circuit. I have found that people are much more willing to rid themselves of their excess "junk" for a lot less money than the "deals" I got at the flea market/swap meet. Also, with garage, yard, and rummage sales, people more often have new items with the tags still on. Items that they never got around to using can be sold as "New With Tags" (or "NWT" in Ebay-ese) for much more online than what you'll pay for it. Try to negotiate a purchase price with the garage sale holder for a "lot" of items such as 10 items of designer baby's clothing for an 18 month old. You can buy items like this for around $5 for a lot from a garage sale and then sell the lot on Ebay for more. I always list my items at double what I paid for them. It's still a low opening bid and you're likely to get your money back, plus make a profit!

This is an area that takes some practice before mastering. Visit the USPS Web site before you list an item's shipping costs. Find a box that you would likely ship the item in and then get the weight of the item. With the USPS's shipping calculator, you can input the measurements of the box and the weight; they will provide you with an approximate cost for shipping. Keep in mind that USPS offers Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping with their envelopes and flat rate boxes (these containers are free at any Post Office). If the shipping costs would be less by choosing the flat rate option, then definitely choose flat rate. I often times opt for Parcel Post for boxed items because it is the least expensive. If I ship out a book, DVD, CD, or other media, then I choose Media Mail because it is the least expensive method. Over the years, I have learned that requiring insurance for my buyers for items that will be over $10 in value is the best way to protect my investment. This way, you're covered completely! Insurance is less than $3 for items under $200 in value. If the item is lost or damaged by the Postal Service, you can claim the item's selling value, not what it would cost you to replace it. For items over $100, I pay a little extra to have Signature Confirmation that the item was delivered and signed for. If you need Priority Mail boxes or envelopes for shipping, there is a link on their site that will let you input your address and they will ship the mailing containers right to you! FedEx and UPS have similar programs for Ebay sellers who need supplies. Simply open an account with them and they will send you boxes and envelopes for free as long as you ship your items out using your UPS account.

Now that you're well versed in:

• How to find items
• How to price goods
  
• How to photograph for best results
• What online tools you can use to spruce up your auction listings
• Shipping and insurance guidelines

You can get out there this weekend and find some garage sales! I limit myself to $30 per weekend and usually come home with half a trunk full of great treasures to sell on Ebay. Remember to look for good condition or new sporting goods, designer jeans, designer baby clothing, Western gear, and anything else you think would sell well. Remember to research the Internet to see what items are best sellers (Google "best selling items on Ebay"). Shoes and designer purses are not a good idea if you can't verify their authenticity; that's an acquired skill and if you sell a "knock-off", your auction will be ended and your account can be suspended for multiple offenses.

Good luck and happy selling!

For more on all things Internet...check me out at http://www.EggStreamMarketing.com.