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Atricle Dump - Getting The Most From Your eBay Store
Every business owner needs new customers. They are constantly on the lookout for the next customer, then the next and so on.Your computer services business is the same, you need customers. But do you need as many as you think? Maybe not.Do you know how much each customer contributes to your business? How about how much it costs to bring in a new customer? Or to keep them after they become your customer?It’s the classic dilemma of quantity verses quality. Would you rather have fifty customers that pay you $5000.00 per month or ten that pay you $5000.00 per month? The revenue per customer is a lot higher with the ten customers.You make the same amount of money, but servicing fifty customers may just run you ragged!Focus on acquiring quality customers and you will be amazed at how prosperous your business becomes.High quality customers become part of your family, your inner circle. By growing your business slowly you can build lasting relationships that will benefit both parties.I have customers that actively drum up business for me, because we have built up a relationship.How do you create these ongoing relationships? Be selective when choosing your customers. Choose only the customers that you wish to retain long term. I’m not saying turn down business, but focus on your core business partners.In our example we are getting $5000.00 per month from ten quality customers. If you were to add just one more of these customers per month, how much would you be making at the end of the year?You’d almost double your income o
13.1 oz. is where First Class postal rates ends and Priority Mail or Parcel Post rates begin up to 70 lbs. The cost of shipping most items Priority Mail vs. Parcel Post is small and can be the difference between getting positive feedback or negative feedback, a satisfied customer or a dissatisfied customer.
Depending on the weight and size, some items may be best shipped via Parcel Post instead of Priority Mail. The saving amount between Priority Mail and Parcel Post increases significantly as the weight increases and you can pass this saving on to your buyer.
Shipping Parcel Post takes a few days longer so make sure your buyer is willing to accept the delay. However, keep in mind that there are specific guidelines when shipping packages via Parcel Post. Notice 123 and the USPS web site lists all the required criteria.
Another s
Multitasking became a popular corporate buzzword in the mid-nineties, and now job ads routinely include the phrase "ability to multitask." For both support staff and management, juggling multiple responsibilities in the course of a day is expected, and employees who don't succeed in this juggling act rarely last long.However, more and more information suggests that multitasking, rather than being efficient and effective, more often than not results in outcomes that are far from optimum. Rather than doing one task at a time extremely well, many workers accomplish a lot in a day but with a significant drop in the quality of work. Executives that sit in on meetings and spend the time going over their plans for the day probably aren't going to retain all the information that was imparted in the meeting, and probably haven't planned their day as well as they could have if they'd taken a few quiet minutes to themselves, without interruptions.Is there a more effective alternative to multitasking? Yes! A combination of organization and scheduling can handle most routine tasks, whether at a management level or for support staff. Organizing needed information, both paperwork and electronic files, to allow easy access saves time and energy; scheduling work to be done in chunks of time, one task at a time, allows for more intense concentration.There will always be interruptions and emergencies to handle; but an organization that encourages its staff to plan ahead, schedule work in a realist
How much profit you want to make is entirely up to you. Depending on what you sell, if your products are priced too low you’ll be working for peanuts, price it too high and you won’t be selling any.
You need to factor in all the individual line item costs before you set your retail price. eBay takes a percentage of the final sale price (final value fee). If you use Paypal to accept payments electronically they'll take a percentage as well, plus a small transaction fee. eBay does not include shipping costs when they calculate their final value fee while Paypal does.
Other eBay fees include auction, buy it now, store inventory and those for additional pictures as well as any optional listing features.
However, you can save on the eBay insertion fees by pricing items just at or under the break range. For instance, if you want to sell an item for $50.00 then price it at $49.99 (instead of $50.00) and you'll save 50% on the insertion fee. (eBay Basic Fees)
You must also consider the cost of your shipping material. At the Laundry Bag Store Online we know the exact weight of each item down to the printed invoice. By knowing the exact weight of each item including the shipping material, you can tell if a buyer is being truthful if they claim that an item was not included with their order since the shipping weight is printed on the postal receipt.
Some sellers set up their listing to use the shipping calculators while others use the flat rate option. It may boil down to a matter of choice, but on some items one be better to use than the other and sometimes the calculator is unavailable which can result in a lost sale. Stores with a large volume of products should use the calculator.
Keep in mind that savvy buyers know if they are being overcharged for shipping. Don’t risk losing a repeat customer by overcharging for shipping. A small handling charge is an acceptable industry standard.
GUARANTEE:
Just what is your guarantee? Your guarantee and any store policies should be clear and well defined. Wishy-washy policies are sure to confuse your buyers. Work with your buyers. Consider bending the rules for a valued customer or a large order if it will mean future business.
FEEDBACK:
Open any business and you automatically have a reputation. It is within your power to create a good reputation or a bad one. For eBay sellers and buyers your feedback page is your reputation and is one of the most widely viewed pages.
Trying to keep a 100% positive feedback is the ultimate goal. However, there are some things that may be beyond your control, for instance, a buyer may have had a bad day and decided to take their frustration out on you.
Still certain buyers may have their email accounts set up to block spam, AOL and hotmail accounts are notorious for this. Avoid including any links, pictures, attachments and/or HTML code in any emails sent to these accounts.
If you need to contact a buyer with an AOL or hotmail email address, first send a basic text only email to let them know you are contacting them and then follow it up with an email that contains HTML.
Lapse a store policy if it could mean the difference between getting positive feedback and negative feedback.
If an item is out of stock, email the buyer as soon as possible. Include an estimated shipping date.
SHIPPING:
Some sellers use UPS while others use the USPS. The Laundry Bag Store Online uses the USPS so these tips are based on shipping with the USPS. Some of the information you may already be aware of.
The USPS offers several types of free shipping boxes, mailers and envelopes. However, some of these can add extra weight and thus add extra cost to your shipping. Aside from using postal rate calculators you can print or ask your local post office for Notice 123, rate fold. The notice includes all the current postal rates. You will also need a postal zone chart.
13.1 oz. is where First Class postal rates ends and Priority Mail or Parcel Post rates begin up to 70 lbs. The cost of shipping most items Priority Mail vs. Parcel Post is small and can be the difference between getting positive feedback or negative feedback, a satisfied customer or a dissatisfied customer.
Depending on the weight and size, some items may be best shipped via Parcel Post instead of Priority Mail. The saving amount between Priority Mail and Parcel Post increases significantly as the weight increases and you can pass this saving on to your buyer.
Shipping Parcel Post takes a few days longer so make sure your buyer is willing to accept the delay. However, keep in mind that there are specific guidelines when shipping packages via Parcel Post. Notice 123 and the USPS web site lists all the required criteria.
Another sh
There are a variety of measures you can take to insure that your PBX is safe from hackers.Listed below are tips you can use right now to protect your business.1. Take steps to secure your authorization codes on a permanent basis. Remind employees of the need to keep all access codes secure and change them frequently.2. Contact your equipment vendors and ask for any and all information on the available security systems in place to detect toll fraud. They should also provide information on monitoring services available to help you quickly detect unusual usage.3. Work closely with your PBX administrator to ensure that all of the PBX security features available are in place and are being implemented.4. Unless needed for routine business, block outgoing international calling, 809 and 900 calling capabilities.5. Conduct regular and routine auditing of your telecommunication systems and bills, especially just after regular vacation months and holiday seasons. It is during these times of year that PBX toll fraud most often occurs.6. Wherever possible, limit the number of employees who are authorized to use remote access. And if possible, change pass codes and authorization codes when an employee permanently leaves the company.7. NEVER transfer a call outside your PBX if you are unaware of the identity of the caller. Instruct employees that phone companies will never ask customers to be part of a "test" - no matter how official the caller may sound.8. Always be alert to possible PBX abuse signs. These could include repeated calls
You must also consider the cost of your shipping material. At the Laundry Bag Store Online we know the exact weight of each item down to the printed invoice. By knowing the exact weight of each item including the shipping material, you can tell if a buyer is being truthful if they claim that an item was not included with their order since the shipping weight is printed on the postal receipt.
Some sellers set up their listing to use the shipping calculators while others use the flat rate option. It may boil down to a matter of choice, but on some items one be better to use than the other and sometimes the calculator is unavailable which can result in a lost sale. Stores with a large volume of products should use the calculator.
Keep in mind that savvy buyers know if they are being overcharged for shipping. Don’t risk losing a repeat customer by overcharging for shipping. A small handling charge is an acceptable industry standard.
GUARANTEE:
Just what is your guarantee? Your guarantee and any store policies should be clear and well defined. Wishy-washy policies are sure to confuse your buyers. Work with your buyers. Consider bending the rules for a valued customer or a large order if it will mean future business.
FEEDBACK:
Open any business and you automatically have a reputation. It is within your power to create a good reputation or a bad one. For eBay sellers and buyers your feedback page is your reputation and is one of the most widely viewed pages.
Trying to keep a 100% positive feedback is the ultimate goal. However, there are some things that may be beyond your control, for instance, a buyer may have had a bad day and decided to take their frustration out on you.
Still certain buyers may have their email accounts set up to block spam, AOL and hotmail accounts are notorious for this. Avoid including any links, pictures, attachments and/or HTML code in any emails sent to these accounts.
If you need to contact a buyer with an AOL or hotmail email address, first send a basic text only email to let them know you are contacting them and then follow it up with an email that contains HTML.
Lapse a store policy if it could mean the difference between getting positive feedback and negative feedback.
If an item is out of stock, email the buyer as soon as possible. Include an estimated shipping date.
SHIPPING:
Some sellers use UPS while others use the USPS. The Laundry Bag Store Online uses the USPS so these tips are based on shipping with the USPS. Some of the information you may already be aware of.
The USPS offers several types of free shipping boxes, mailers and envelopes. However, some of these can add extra weight and thus add extra cost to your shipping. Aside from using postal rate calculators you can print or ask your local post office for Notice 123, rate fold. The notice includes all the current postal rates. You will also need a postal zone chart.
13.1 oz. is where First Class postal rates ends and Priority Mail or Parcel Post rates begin up to 70 lbs. The cost of shipping most items Priority Mail vs. Parcel Post is small and can be the difference between getting positive feedback or negative feedback, a satisfied customer or a dissatisfied customer.
Depending on the weight and size, some items may be best shipped via Parcel Post instead of Priority Mail. The saving amount between Priority Mail and Parcel Post increases significantly as the weight increases and you can pass this saving on to your buyer.
Shipping Parcel Post takes a few days longer so make sure your buyer is willing to accept the delay. However, keep in mind that there are specific guidelines when shipping packages via Parcel Post. Notice 123 and the USPS web site lists all the required criteria.
Another s
One of the challenges for any group or organization is finding new ways to raise funds. It seems that everyone sells candy bars or puts on a car wash. Below are some fundraising ideas that might be a nice change and help your group raise funds using something unique that isn't being done by every other group out there.1. Silent AuctionHave various members of your group donate items and then hold a silent auction. It is easy to do this. Just set aside a table or shelf. Give each item a piece of paper that people can write their bids on. The highest bidder wins the auction.2. Direct Sales CompaniesSeveral of the direct sales and party plan companies also have fundraising programs. Some of these programs are quite good. What is nice about some of these plans is that your group does not have to buy any stock in advance. Everything is done using catalogs. People place their orders and the consultant orders all the items. The majority of the time the consultant will pack all the orders and separate them by seller. Usually the consultant will give some type of incentive for the highest seller to encourage more fundraiser sales. Examples of direct sales companies that have fundraiser programs are Tupperware and Avon. These companies have a good reputation and a well know brand name. This helps to encourage your sales. If you use a company that is not well know, your sales may not be as good.3. Rummage SalePut on a rummage sale. Ask for donations from all groups members. Advertise your rummage sale in the yard sale section of your local newspaper. Ha
GUARANTEE:
Just what is your guarantee? Your guarantee and any store policies should be clear and well defined. Wishy-washy policies are sure to confuse your buyers. Work with your buyers. Consider bending the rules for a valued customer or a large order if it will mean future business.
FEEDBACK:
Open any business and you automatically have a reputation. It is within your power to create a good reputation or a bad one. For eBay sellers and buyers your feedback page is your reputation and is one of the most widely viewed pages.
Trying to keep a 100% positive feedback is the ultimate goal. However, there are some things that may be beyond your control, for instance, a buyer may have had a bad day and decided to take their frustration out on you.
Still certain buyers may have their email accounts set up to block spam, AOL and hotmail accounts are notorious for this. Avoid including any links, pictures, attachments and/or HTML code in any emails sent to these accounts.
If you need to contact a buyer with an AOL or hotmail email address, first send a basic text only email to let them know you are contacting them and then follow it up with an email that contains HTML.
Lapse a store policy if it could mean the difference between getting positive feedback and negative feedback.
If an item is out of stock, email the buyer as soon as possible. Include an estimated shipping date.
SHIPPING:
Some sellers use UPS while others use the USPS. The Laundry Bag Store Online uses the USPS so these tips are based on shipping with the USPS. Some of the information you may already be aware of.
The USPS offers several types of free shipping boxes, mailers and envelopes. However, some of these can add extra weight and thus add extra cost to your shipping. Aside from using postal rate calculators you can print or ask your local post office for Notice 123, rate fold. The notice includes all the current postal rates. You will also need a postal zone chart.
13.1 oz. is where First Class postal rates ends and Priority Mail or Parcel Post rates begin up to 70 lbs. The cost of shipping most items Priority Mail vs. Parcel Post is small and can be the difference between getting positive feedback or negative feedback, a satisfied customer or a dissatisfied customer.
Depending on the weight and size, some items may be best shipped via Parcel Post instead of Priority Mail. The saving amount between Priority Mail and Parcel Post increases significantly as the weight increases and you can pass this saving on to your buyer.
Shipping Parcel Post takes a few days longer so make sure your buyer is willing to accept the delay. However, keep in mind that there are specific guidelines when shipping packages via Parcel Post. Notice 123 and the USPS web site lists all the required criteria.
Another s
Patrick, the baby of my extended family, started kindergarten this year. As a graduate of pre-school, we thought he’d be right at home in his new class. But after the very first day, he firmly announced that he wouldn’t be going back to school. When questioned about this decision, he admitted that the teacher was nice enough, and all his friends were glad to see him, but (and to Patrick, this was the deal breaker) there was no naptime.No naptime! In Patrick’s school, 5-year olds are being asked to “pay attention” from 8 am to 3 pm without an opportunity to rest and recharge. Have we learned nothing about educating young children?Which started me thinking about my work . . .I’ve spent the past twenty years helping individuals and organizations thrive on change. Yet, recently, I’ve seen leaders making some of the same mistakes I noticed two decades ago. Have we learned nothing about managing change?I don't mean to minimize the complexity and chaos that leaders are facing. Rapidly changing technologies make yesterday’s choices obsolete. The turbulent economy increases pressure to “do more with less.” Companies rely on a shifting stream of alliances – competitors one day and partners the next – and sometimes both at the same time. Corporate reorganizing is becoming an annual affair. Mergers and acquisitions are on the rise. Customers are demanding “better, faster, cheaper” everything. Competition is fierce. The pace of change is accelerating. And employees are increasingly skeptical about committing to business strategies that
If you need to contact a buyer with an AOL or hotmail email address, first send a basic text only email to let them know you are contacting them and then follow it up with an email that contains HTML.
Lapse a store policy if it could mean the difference between getting positive feedback and negative feedback.
If an item is out of stock, email the buyer as soon as possible. Include an estimated shipping date.
SHIPPING:
Some sellers use UPS while others use the USPS. The Laundry Bag Store Online uses the USPS so these tips are based on shipping with the USPS. Some of the information you may already be aware of.
The USPS offers several types of free shipping boxes, mailers and envelopes. However, some of these can add extra weight and thus add extra cost to your shipping. Aside from using postal rate calculators you can print or ask your local post office for Notice 123, rate fold. The notice includes all the current postal rates. You will also need a postal zone chart.
13.1 oz. is where First Class postal rates ends and Priority Mail or Parcel Post rates begin up to 70 lbs. The cost of shipping most items Priority Mail vs. Parcel Post is small and can be the difference between getting positive feedback or negative feedback, a satisfied customer or a dissatisfied customer.
Depending on the weight and size, some items may be best shipped via Parcel Post instead of Priority Mail. The saving amount between Priority Mail and Parcel Post increases significantly as the weight increases and you can pass this saving on to your buyer.
Shipping Parcel Post takes a few days longer so make sure your buyer is willing to accept the delay. However, keep in mind that there are specific guidelines when shipping packages via Parcel Post. Notice 123 and the USPS web site lists all the required criteria.
Another s
Negotiations are often associated with labor union contract, with strongly held positions, or with conflicting situations. However, looking at negotiating from a better perspective, we are surprised to find that it is much a part of our daily life. Daily, we bring negotiations into our relationships, our businesses, and our employment practices.In recalling the different negotiations in which I have been involved, one stands clearly in my mind. It was a performance appraisal meeting at a former place of employment. I can recall how the meeting took place and its unproductive results. Later I learned effective negotiation skills that would have produced a winning outcome for all parties involved.Performance appraisals were conducted once a year in my former organization. I dreaded that review because a new manager that had not observed the employees' job performance would conduct it. Rumor had it that she would evaluate every one as merely competent employees, and contrary to my expectations, the rumor turned out to be true.My performance appraisal meeting became no more than a full review of all the dimensions in my job description. To each dimension she attached an equal sign to signify that I had performed as expected. There were no instances in which she thought that I had performed above expectations, and with that, I firmly disagreed. Not only did I disagree, but also I sensed I was becoming angry and resentful.In that meeting, I took the position approach described in Fisher and Ury (1991) in their book Getting to Yes . I let my supervisor know that
13.1 oz. is where First Class postal rates ends and Priority Mail or Parcel Post rates begin up to 70 lbs. The cost of shipping most items Priority Mail vs. Parcel Post is small and can be the difference between getting positive feedback or negative feedback, a satisfied customer or a dissatisfied customer.
Depending on the weight and size, some items may be best shipped via Parcel Post instead of Priority Mail. The saving amount between Priority Mail and Parcel Post increases significantly as the weight increases and you can pass this saving on to your buyer.
Shipping Parcel Post takes a few days longer so make sure your buyer is willing to accept the delay. However, keep in mind that there are specific guidelines when shipping packages via Parcel Post. Notice 123 and the USPS web site lists all the required criteria.
Another shipping option offered by the USPS is Priority Mail Flat Rate. You can ship to any US destination regardless of weight for a specific cost. The post office offers free flat rate boxes in two sizes as well as a flat rate envelope.
If you buy your own shipping boxes the size of the box may exceed the USPS shipping limits and you may have to pay additional shipping. The combined length and girth of a piece (the length of its longest side plus the distance around its thickest part) may not exceed 108 inches.
However, to be safe in most cases the combined length and girth should not exceed 84 inches. The formula is simple. It is 2x the height + 2x the width + the length. For example, a box measuring 24” L x 12” H x 16” W is 80 inches. (24H+32W+24L)
Self adhesive poly bags come in various sizes and are extremely durable. These may provide an inexpensive way of shipping certain items and may even save your some money on shipping if you are including it in the sale price.
If you print your own shipping labels on an ink jet printer, tape over the entire label covering the ship to and return address. The ink will run if it comes in contact with any water making the label illegible.
INSURANCE AND CONFIRMATION:
Depending on the retail cost of your products, insuring shipments is always a wise choice. If you ship via UPS then your packages up to $100 in value are insured for free. USPS insurance is extra. For USPS online and APC you can insure packages up to $500, over $500 requires a trip to the post office.
The USPS refers to tracking as delivery confirmation. There is standard confirmation and signature confirmation. You should use signature confirmation for shipping expensive purchases and standard for the others. Insured shipments over $50.00 require a signature anyway so signature confirmation may be redundant. When you do ship with confirmation or insurance the counter person will give you a green receipt for confirmation and a blue receipt for insurance. On each is a section to write the name of the buyer.
APC MACHINES:
In the lobby of certain post offices is an automatic postal machine. These can speed up shipping significantly. The machine is easy to use and walks you through the shipping process. However the system and the current version of the software have a few drawbacks. Sometimes the package drum is full. Make sure you can open the drum before you start shipping. Don’t ship any fragile items or they could get damaged when other packages are inserted on top of them.
The machine is capable of confirmation or insurance but not both. You can ship a flat rate envelope but not a flat rate box. You can’t ship to an APO.
It can print two sizes of labels, a large and a small. If you plan on using the large label make sure you leave enough room on your package for it. Use this label if you plan on adding insurance or confirmation.
Since you have to type in the destination zip code make sure you double check it before printing the label.
You can pay with a debit or credit card but not cash. When you use a debit card it requires you to make separate payments for each package, thus separate receipts. Credit card transactions are printed on one receipt. When you add confirmation to a package the tracking number is printed on the receipt as well as destination zip code.
eBay TOOLS:
Thee are many free and fee based seller tools available from eBay. Some of the more common ones include Selling Manager, Turbo Lister, Andale Counters, Picture Manager and Sales Reports Plus.
However, another great tool is Omniture’s Site Catalyst. It provides detailed reports on your site’s traffic. Some of the stats include: the most often viewed pages and listing, the web sites and search term keywords that generated the most visitors and the path reports wi
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