The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 150

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 150, 25th September 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: Changes & postage

2. Make your own

3. Lanzarote beckons

4. Let off steam with Molly

5. Ask Molly – Will I lose my status?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin.

Well, we made it, issue 150 of the eBay Bulletin. I can’t believe that I have been writing them for three years. Technically three years would be 156 issues, but then again I did miss a few due to holidays, busy times at Christmas and when I just completely forgot to write one! Somebody asked me this week how I managed to find something to write about concerning eBay for 150 weeks. I told them that most of it was inane babble written by a shed hermit and they moved on.

This week eBay finally removed the optional insurance facility (groan) which is a shame as it has been a ‘nice little earner’ over the years. However, they have made a couple of good improvements - read eBay news for more on this.

Most of this week’s bulletin has been written by you; I love ‘cut and paste’. Next week its back to normal and as the sales figures for August have just arrived, I’ll let you know how I fared.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

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1. EBAY NEWS: CHANGES & POSTAGE

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There is a lot of change about at the moment and exactly what impact it will have is not yet clear, however all is not doom and gloom at Molly HQ as eBay have introduced a couple of things that will actually make life easier (please don’t make them cost options in the future).

It is now possible to amend a description even if sales have already been made from the listing. In the past major changes would mean ending and re-listing, which would lose all your watchers and might impact on standing in search results.

The other, long awaited, change and one which Molly has been personally involved with, is the ability to block specific countries from your listings – hooray! It may seem strange blocking potential customers, but selling to some parts of the world can be fraught with problems.

Under German law it is illegal to sell used, unboxed or sample size cosmetics into Germany (Molly’s only policy breech so far). Previously if you blocked Germany but allowed the rest of Europe then the Germans could still bid. I would love to sell my cosmetics to everybody, but rules are rules. I can now amend the postage details on each listing to block only Germany and amend the description to remove unwanted text saying why I am blocking Germany – nice one eBay!

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2. MAKE YOUR OWN

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“Hi Molly,

Here’s my contribution for the anniversary edition, no bribe, I'm afraid, but I already bought your book!

As a scriptwriter (award-winning no less) I face a life of feast or famine and it was in an attempt to secure an income during the periods of famine while waiting for commissions that I thought about selling on eBay. After exhausting the household junk I desperately started searching for new items to sell. The obvious thing would have been e-books, but this was just when eBay banned the selling of digital items.

I had made a previous attempt to secure a non-writing income by selling t-shirts printed with designs I had created and ironed-on. This required a big capital outlay in buying blank t-shirts and freezing in local markets, which I did not fancy repeating. But could I sell just the transfers on eBay?

Some research showed me that others were selling these items and, digging a little further, I discovered precisely which designs they were selling and their volume of business. Newbies should note this – check your competition’s feedback.

This concept doesn’t actually require a huge amount of design skill or experience. One of the biggest sellers on eBay is the old ‘FRANKIE SAYS RELAX’ design from the '80s and you could do that on MS Word.

So, apart from transfer paper and ink, I don’t have to go out and buy product to sell, I just need a fertile imagination. Now, every new idea goes on my website (www.scriptschool.co.uk ) and onto eBay, and I still have the chance to sell the designs as a digital download, as well as licensing the designs to a company (zazzle.com) to print onto their t-shirts, for which I receive a royalty. Three income streams from each product idea is not a bad way of operating.

So, the conclusion is that if you can’t find products to sell, make them yourselves!”

ma2designs - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/ma2designs/m.html

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3. LANZAROTE BECKONS

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I read with great interest your newsletter, and the requests you get from people starting out. I read your book about three years ago on a beach in Lanzarote.

I just could not stand the humdrum life of getting up at 6 o’clock getting home at 5 o’clock, being bored doing something I had lost total interest in after 15 years in one position.

So what could I sell? It has to be something you know a lot about, so that was the answer to my dreams. I gave it a go. I did at first mix it with work, but it did not really work as I spent more time away from work than I was there, so I had to make a monumental decision.

I handed my notice in at the beginning of this year. I think they were getting fed up with me too. I never, ever regretted the decision, I still work just as many hours if not more when busy. I love it, yes every minute, apart maybe from the awkward ones. You do get them occasionally. I am now a power seller, having sold around 37,000 items and yes, you guessed it, I’m off to Lanzarote again on Thursday. My Goodness, THANK YOU for your book.

ian0804011 ians/seeds - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/ian0804011-ians-seeds

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4. LET OFF STEAM WITH MOLLY

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“I have recently become a power-seller. It has taken six years to achieve this status and I am very proud of this achievement.

Last week I had 12 unpaid items which made a significant dent in that week’s finances, so I tried to sort the problem out by having a three-day limit for payment. As I had not received payment for a jacket and it was over the three-day limit I decided to re-list the item, but I let the buyer know what I intended to do and it was clearly stated on the listing at the time.

I had not heard anything from this buyer. However, the buyer brought to my attention that it was eBay policy to have a seven-day limit, which meant I had to sell the jacket to this buyer slightly reluctantly, but in good faith I accepted the transaction and finally received the payment on the sixth day after the auction had ended!!

I think eBay should re-think their policy regarding this - it seems that the buyer receives more incentives, shall we say, than the seller, which is not right.”

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5. ASK MOLLY – WILL I LOSE MY STATUS?**

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Molly is back this week with a quick question as space is short and the kettle has just boiled.

“Dear Molly,

I have just received a negative rating, taking my percentage to 99.7%. Throughout the six years I have been an eBayer I have only received three negatives (including this one!) and four neutrals. They have all been similar transactions where I had not received any further contact from buyers after the item has been sent.

I have a clear policy on my listings that I am happy to help and can offer refunds without any question. I am now worried about my Power-seller status and just wondered if there is any way of boosting your rating or to win back any percentage of feedback lost through a negative rating?”

Rachie37 - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/CHILDUNIQUE

99.7% positive in this day and age is very high indeed and the good news is that it remains well above the 98% required to be a Power-seller. You can cancel out one negative for every 2000 positives as it becomes such a small percentage of the overall total. I had a negative in December for a lost parcel (I must try harder), but because of high turnover, it has been cancelled out.

Your feedback stars are fine, all being 4.8+, although I cannot see the number of low markings, which is what will matter from now on.

‘Selling Manager Pro’ might help with the communication side of things. It sends automated e-mails which you can customise, I will put together a brief overview of the real benefits in a future edition.

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

Sales are still slow, so much so that my local Post Office held a ‘welcome back Molly’ party on Thursday! Christmas should start this weekend and if only it would rain a bit more activity should pick up. All the recent site changes might add to the downturn, it is difficult to know for sure.

Whilst I love the Post Office and sort of understand the rationale of the current industrial action, I do wish the whole country would go on strike at the same time. Some buyers are getting items the next day and others are waiting for ages. Buyers in areas with no action are not as aware of the situation and causing me grief over ‘lost’ parcels, especially as I can never be 100% sure that I actually posted it in the first place!

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 149

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 149, 18th September 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: A couple of things

2. Paypal spoof, it’s a cracker!

3. Ask Suzanne - What is the legal situation?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin

It’s almost here, issue 150 is just a week away, and the excitement at Molly HQ is almost too much to bear. There's not much time left if you want to have your contribution included.

Here’s a great question in relation to my rather swanky puppy dog raincoats – “Would this fit a 16 week old Labrador retriever?” I don’t know; how big is it?

Only 3 articles this week, as I am very pleased to announce a new member of the bulletin team (that is to say, one that actually buys the bacon rolls from time to time) - Suzanne the legal whiz. Molly takes a back seat as Suzanne tackles a question around the legal implications of selling second-hand goods. I knew all this anyway, just fancied a night off.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

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1. EBAY NEWS: A COUPLE OF THINGS

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Just a quick reminder about the imminent introduction of ‘search impressions’; these are about to come into play and will impact on ‘BIN’ search results.

Put simply, the more sales your listing has in relation to the number of page views, the higher up the search results in ‘Best match’ the listing will appear. The thing to avoid is eye-catching, sensational titles which draw people in for a look but don’t result in a sale; key word spamming rings a bell.

eBay are about to introduce ‘Unpaid Item Assistant’ which lets eBay open and close ‘Non Paying Buyer’ dispute cases for sellers automatically. This looks like being quite a time saver especially as the number of non-payers is on the increase again.

Sellers will be able to choose to set that time at which a dispute case is opened, eBay will do the rest and if payment is not forthcoming after a further 4 days, the buyer will receive a strike, the case will be closed and the FVF refunded.

The time period to open a case can be set to 4, 16, 24 or 32 days after the listing closes. I think that 4 days is a little too quick, I generally open a case after 10 days, so it looks as though it will be 16 from now on.

The process is being trialled now, let’s hope it is up and running for the Christmas rush.

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2. PAYPAL SPOOF, IT’S A CRACKER!

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“Hi Molly

Here’s another Paypal scam email for your collection. At long last, the senders of this junk seem to be getting better: I couldn't spot any spelling or grammatical errors - and they've got the Paypal logo right.

‘RW_Solutions’ - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/RW_Solutions/m.html

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Dear PayPal Customer,

ZeLk23g0r11hNhw-z3Pb8bvWpyI6 -ZoBJzA

We need to inform you that during our security reform we are asking every user to become ID Verified, this security measure will protect our customers from account thefts and any other fraudulent activities. To secure your PayPal account please visit the link below:

https://www.paypal.co.uk/uk/webxxxxxxxxxxxd=_login-runcmd=_secure

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your assistance in helping us maintaining the integrity of the entire PayPal community.

For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and chose the "Help" link in the header of any page.

Sincerely,

PayPal Security

Copyright © 1999-2009 PayPal. All rights reserved.

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.91/2362 - Release Date: 09/11/09 05:50:00

----------------------------------------------------------

I can’t reproduce the logo in this e-mail, but it is spot on, I couldn’t make it any better myself.

I would say that the content sounds exactly like the sort of thing Paypal would say/do, but that would be mischievous!

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3. ASK SUZANNE – WHAT IS THE LEGAL SITUATION?**

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Good news, from now on I won’t just ignore any difficult legal questions and pretend that I didn’t receive them; instead I’ll pass them over to Suzanne who knows all the answers.

If you have a legal problem, just send it in – Mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk

“Dear Molly

I am hoping that you can answer my questions concerning the sale of second hand items on eBay, particularly toys or electrical items.

Basically, what are the legal safety requirements when selling such items? Is it just a simple matter of common sense and checking that an item is not faulty in any way before selling it, or is it a bit more complicated than that, with a long list of rules and regulations to be adhered to?

Also is it necessary to take out product liability insurance? Any advice you can offer would be much appreciated.”

Reply:

If you are selling certain second hand goods in the course of a business, a number of consumer protection and safety regulations will apply.

General product safety law is found in the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This Act applies equally to the sale of second hand goods as it does to new goods. Under these regulations, it is an offence (punishable by up to a £20,000 fine and a year in prison) for you (i) to sell a product which you know or should have presumed is a dangerous product, (ii) to fail to participate in monitoring the safety of a product you have sold (by passing on information on the risks posed by the product, keeping and producing the documentation necessary for tracing the origin of the product, and cooperating in action taken by a producer or an enforcement authority to avoid risks) and (iii) to fail to notify an enforcement authority when you know that a product poses safety risks. You do however have the defence of ‘due diligence’ if you can show that you took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing the offence.

There is no specific guidance on ‘all due diligence’ and the steps you should take to ensure that the product is safe. Things you can do to check the safety include checking the CE marking and the EC Declaration of Conformity, checking that there are no loose wires or accessible live components, checking that the product’s voltage, currency and frequency are marked clearly and, for complete peace of mind, arranging electrical testing of the product. You should of course also make sure that all instructions and safety information are included with the product. Finally, you should keep careful records of the producer, importer and anyone else in the supply chain, provide your customers with an easy forum to raise complaints and notify the producer and/or the authorities as soon as you discover a safety defect.

Specific regulations apply to the sale of toys and electrical items, namely the Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations and the UK Toys (Safety) Regulations. For the sale of toys, you would be wise to look at the particular risks set out in a government note on toy safety which can be found at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file11286.pdf and satisfy yourself that these risks don’t exist. Likewise for the sale of electrical equipment, have a look at Annex A of the government guidance note found at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file38623.pdf.

The Consumer Protection Act 1987 is the main Act that gives consumers the right to bring a claim against you for loss suffered from defective products. If you do not supply own brand products or import products from outside the EC, customers are unlikely to be able to bring a claim against you as long as, when requested, you provide the customer with details of the producer, importer or own brander of the product. However, if you are a seller who has put your name or trademark on the product or has imported the product from outside the EC, you may very well be subject to additional liability under this Act, unless you can provide one of the requisite defences.

With regard to product liability insurance, it is not required by law but you may think it advisable for your business, particularly if you are a seller who has put your name or trademark on the product or has imported the product from outside the EC and are therefore facing more stringent liability under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. However this insurance will only cover you for any loss suffered as a result of a civil claim from a customer who has suffered loss, and not against any criminal sanctions. Hence your best course of action will always be to check the safety of the product before sale.

Biography:

Niche Legal Solutions is an innovative legal practice that aims to provide niche groups of small businesses (such as ebaypreneurs) with affordable, high quality legal solutions. All of its lawyers are ex-City lawyers specialising in commercial law and areas particularly relevant to small businesses. As a virtual office with its lawyers working from home, Niche Legal Solutions has minimal overheads and can therefore provide affordable legal advice to small businesses whose budgets often won’t stretch to conventional law firms’ rates. The website is currently being updated but in the meantime should you wish to contact Niche Legal Solutions to discuss how it can help your small business, please email us at support@nichelegalsolutions.com or via Molly.

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

Sales have been slow again this week, which is just as well as the postal strike in the UK is causing long delays. The main problem seems to be that it is not countrywide, so not all buyers are aware. Add a little note to your dispatch e-mails warning of a delay, it might help.

A quick reminder for all large volume sellers to get stocked up on packing materials, you don’t want to be running low if and when the rush starts. Be sensible, though, with your order, unlike the Elves who ordered so much last time that I still can’t access half the shed!

It's issue 150 next week, so I’m off to cut and paste all your replies, over coffee of course.

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 148

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 148, 11th September 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: In brief

2. Starting out

3. For the record

4. Ask Molly – Have you changed your philosophy?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin.

I have been checking back through my 2008 sales figures, I do love these shop stats, and found that it was on September 26th that my sales doubled and Christmas officially started. If you are waiting for the busy times to arrive, it should not be long now.

For all you ‘car booters’ out there, I sense that the season is drawing to a close, this week was the first since March where I have sold more than I bought. Still the ‘lie-ins’ in the morning will be most welcome.

This week your help is needed for a record seller in distress, see below.

I have included a few pointers below for those readers considering starting their own business; they all worked very well for me.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

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1. EBAY NEWS: IN BRIEF

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All the big changes take effect on 22nd September; it is going to be a very interesting day. In the mean time there is not much to report on the news front, but here goes.

- This Sunday, 13th September, Private Sellers who list item(s) with any starting price in an eligible category using the Auction-style format on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie, will not pay an Insertion Fee per listing. Mind you, if you check out what’s excluded I can’t see many eligible listings finding their way onto the system.

eBay.co.uk - http://pages.ebay.co.uk/promos/0IF_090913/index.html

eBay.ie - http://pages.ebay.ie/promos/0IF_090913/index.html

- Categories are on the move again, these changes also take place on the 22nd, there is a full list here - http://pages.ebay.co.uk/categorychanges/

Make any necessary changes by verifying that your item is located in the appropriate updated category and by adopting Item Specifics to describe your item.

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2. STARTING OUT

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A couple of e-mails arrived at HQ this week from readers considering starting their own business. This can be a daunting thought, just pop into Waterstones and look at the books on Accountancy to see what I mean.

eBay may well be a good route to market, but it is not necessarily the only way to go. Sales channels such as eBay will only work if you have your product ready for market, developing ideas and sorting out a business plan needs specialist help.

Your local 'Business Link' office - http://www.businesslink.gov.uk would be a good place to start, or your local ‘enterprise agency’. Each area has an office and they are able to help with most start-up business ideas. I have used these experts for a whole range of financial stuff, accounts etc. – their services are free.

You can of course check out my favourite home working website – ‘Enterprisenation’ - http://www.enterprisenation.com for a whole raft of ideas and access to some very clever people.

Once your product is sorted, evaluate the benefits of eBay alongside other more traditional options such as independent websites, mail order, trade shows and maybe even ‘bricks and mortar’.

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3. FOR THE RECORD**

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I love making up these snappy titles, even if they don’t really have any relevance to the subject, this note arrived looking for help from any record sellers using eBay.

“Hello Molly,
I am in the process of preparing myself for the changes that come about at the end of September. I would love to hear from others as to how they are going to deal with this, if they, like me, are affected by it.

Here is my dilemma. I must now give free post & packaging for Records. Have eBay ever felt the weight of some of these records? The lightest ones cost £2.15 to post second class, and that is not including the price of the record mailers & stiffeners.

How is anyone else selling records going to deal with this? I am considering adding this cost onto the selling price, but then this seems silly, as surely people will not pay that much more? I have some albums which are 6 records, and can cost up to £4.95 to post! I will be seriously out of pocket!
Any thoughts would be great, because the only one I am having is to stop selling records as it will cost me money not make me any.”

‘jenny250582’ - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Jennys-Retail-Therapy

If records are your thing, please let me know your views.

I did have a couple of thoughts, but must stress that I don’t sell in this marketplace.

1) All sellers should be in the same boat, which should keep competition levels about the same.

2) Adding £5.00 to your asking price will still leave you 50p out of pocket due to the fees on the new selling price.

3) You can no longer offer a reduction on postage costs for multiple orders as they are all free. This might increase your profits as you have added p&p into your asking price, but will send both items together. It may also mean that the buyer will not continue shopping resulting in fewer sales for you and less fees for eBay.

4) Switch categories into one that allows postage costs. Some records are very old and could be considered collectables, some may be movie soundtracks and find their way into say Toys & Games > TV & Film Character Toys > Film/ Disney Characters >

Follow this strategy with care.

5) Charge postage anyway, just like the dozens of sellers I found who have to offer free postage, but then tell buyers to ignore this and add postage onto the invoice – works for me.

Send your thoughts to Molly – Mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk

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4. ASK MOLLY – HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR PHILOSOPHY?**

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“Hi Molly,

I have just finished reading your book "The eBay Business Handbook" and thought I would visit your site to get a visual impression of what I had been reading.

I was very surprised to see that although you had many hundreds of products for sale, not a single one was available via an auction sale! Since writing the book, have you changed your philosophy?”

"Yes" is the short answer to this one, recent changes have made fixed price a better bet in my view.

The higher rankings in search results for items from one listing coupled with the ‘good 'til cancelled’ option in shops changed my mind.

BIN is more boring, but I can't run the risk of no bids or even worse only one. Items in the shop only cost me 60p per year to list, they automatically re-list and are just waiting for the right buyer to come along.

Saying all this, if eBay were to change the rules again, I would rethink.

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

Are you having trouble sending money directly via Paypal? Do you get an annoying message saying that the e-mail address “must be in the format abc.com”? Try this: go to the front of the address and insert a space, then delete the space and it should work fine. It’s a clever little glitch that stumped me for quite a while.

My apologies go to ‘Tablescar’ - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/tablescar/m.html? who sent in the question last week, I forgot your link [Ed: again]. A copy of the eBay Business Handbook is in the post.

Molly is feeling a lot better, but still not lifting very much; even a full kettle is a little taxing. I might just have to sit here for a few more days while the Elves do all the work and make the tea.

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 147

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 147, 4th September 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: Better e-mails

2. Poor old Molly

3. Let off steam with Molly

4. Ask Molly – What about the small seller?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin

Before I start, my apologies to those readers who sent in e-mails and are awaiting a response, I have been running slowly for a few days, you can read below why. As a consequence I am way behind with my replies. I remember that I had a note about sending email newsletters to buyers, but just can’t find it, could you send it in again please?

Thanks for all the contributions towards issue 150, remember this is a week off for me, so please send me your articles and I’ll squeeze them in.

A reader lets off steam this week concerning DSRs, always a good topic of conversation.

Maybe there is some good news for the small seller as it gets harder to qualify for eBay discounts. More in ‘Ask Molly’.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

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1. EBAY NEWS: BETTER E-MAILS

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There is not much eBay news to mention this week; they have sold Skype which is a shame as I was just about to start using it – nah, just kidding. I did stumble across this piece about the new integrated e-mails option which is about to go live, although I couldn’t determine exactly when.

I have long been a fan of the ‘respond’ method of reply to e-mails as a copy will be stored on the recipient’s eBay messages, often using ‘reply’ results in a lost e-mail.

It will be possible to see the whole e-mail exchange as previous messages will be ‘threaded’. The biggest change to communication e-mails is in the area of ‘post transaction’. The new post-transaction emails will be:

*1. Buyer Successful Notification* (includes a reminder to pay: only goes out if the buyer doesn’t pay within the first five minutes).

*2. Payment Reminder* Only goes out if the buyer hasn’t paid after three days.

*3. Order Confirmation* Sent when the buyer completes checkout and pays. This will be the first email for buyers who pay right away.

*4. Order Update* Sent when the status of any item in the buyer’s order changes, e.g. when the payment status changes or if the seller uploads tracking information.

*5. Follow-up email* This checks buyer satisfaction and reminds them to leave feedback. Only sent if the buyer has not left feedback and is optional for sellers.

There is a change to some functionality within ‘Selling Manager Pro’; it will no longer be possible to configure the frequency of the Buyer Successful Order Confirmation, Order Update and Payment Reminder emails.

Well I did say there was not much news about.

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2. POOR OLD MOLLY

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Molly is a bit under the weather after a visit to hospital with a suspected hernia. After an examination involving a very small camera, it was found that I do have a weakness, but no actual hernia as yet. A warning to all eBay traders – watch those heavy parcels.

As an aside, the new mobile phone is fantastic; you can run almost all your eBay business from your hospital bed. I did have to turn it off in the anaesthetic room as things were getting a bit blurry!

The shop was shut for a couple of days as the thought of packing and bending was not an attractive one, but I still sold 14 things!

My thanks go to all the nurses who looked after me, copies of the eBay book are on their way. I did appreciate all the care and sympathy, although I have gone right off peppermint tea!

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3. LET OFF STEAM WITH MOLLY**

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“Hi Molly

Thank you for your newsletters. They are always a worthwhile read. The book's great too!

I have recently experienced annoying feedback as a seller on my DSR and thought I would ‘let off steam’ in your bulletin.

When I've sold items, I ensure that all goods are dispatched within 3 days (as stated under my P&P description), sometimes I dispatch within a day. I accurately price the postal charges (based on weight, size and type of service), and communicate the dispatch time to my customers. I would expect to get 5's for communication, dispatch and post and packing charges. For some reason I've recently scored 4.8/9 in these areas even though the feedback is good. That's life, there is always someone that wants to pay £2.50 for 5 kilos of clothing and expects same day delivery.

Also, my husband has power seller status which he will lose together with discount from October as he's received three 2's in the last twelve months on dispatch time. I can vouch that he dispatches very quickly indeed. I don't think this is a particularly fair system.

However, what galls me is that we are expected to leave positive feedback as a seller when payment is received even if it arrives 5-7 days late but cannot give neutral feedback on payments that eventually turn up. It seems like buyers get a better deal with DSR scoring, which is an important part of being a seller.

This also leads on to another (what I consider to be a flaw in the system) issue:

I received immediate payment for a bundle of clothes I sold a couple of weeks ago. I delivered the clothes myself (the person is fairly local to me). Five days later, I am informed that the payment has been reversed and she now has my clothes!! It's being followed up. However, what I would like to know is why eBay do not check these payments before they show on the system. I could have been in a position where I wanted to bid for something myself and relied on the funds I had in Paypal.”

3282andrew - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Thanks-4-the-Memory-Andrew

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4. ASK MOLLY – WHAT ABOUT THE SMALL SELLER?**

-------------------------------------------------

“Hi M,

I have just been reading your newsletter about ‘Best match’. All that is for the big sellers like yourself (which is fine by me) but what about us little sellers? Will we be at the bottom of the heap when it comes to showing our things for sale?

Ps I do love your letters they make me see things in a clearer light.”

I agree, the whole site has switched away from its roots and become a little less fun along the way. The main issue is the 'best match' search results which promote multiple BIN listings. The only interesting point is that 'time ending soonest' items do take priority as they move towards closure. So it may be possible to achieve sales with well timed auctions of a shorter duration such that they are in the top results more often.

eBay has never stayed still very long and I am sure it will all change again soon. The new 'top rated seller' programme will remove many high volume sellers from the top spot and reduce or remove their discounts; their listings will not be promoted. The competition will fall away to some degree and they may be forced to increase prices to counter the loss of discounts.

I think the best advice is to stick with it, choose items to sell carefully, make them as unique as possible, maybe bundling them for ease of packing and reduction of admin time and costs. Use any of these savings to pay the extra fee and start your auctions at the minimum price you will accept for the item - auctions are still not performing very well, do not start auctions at 99p just because they are free, this is a false economy.

Follow all the usual good practices, cross-promote, reasonable p&p, easy Ts & Cs and create a happy environment for people to buy in, push the fact that you are a small seller with above average attention to detail and customer care.

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

I have been walking of late rather than running as you can imagine, but still managed to tie up with a new supplier of soaps and body lotions – boring.

Much more interesting was a purchase made through the small ads of the local rag which has resulted in HQ being swathed in ‘Build A Bear’ costumes. You may have seen the shops on the High Street, never again will I turn my nose up at these toys, and you would not believe what they sell for. Check out the relevant category in my shop and if you have any, DO NOT sell them in one job lot through your local paper!

I’m off for another peppermint tea and a rest, the Elves can do the packing.

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 146

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 146, 28th August 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: EPN linking accounts
2. eBay spoof
3. The online auction site
4. Molly gets ‘Blogged’
5. Ask Molly – How do I get started?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin

‘Steady’ is the best way to describe sales during the past week. Nothing of substance to report, no great wins - just boring run of the mill business. When you’ve packed your 200th anti-aging day cream, the novelty does tend to diminish.

On a more positive note, nothing much has gone wrong. Okay, so I sent the wrong model of ‘Henry the Train’ to Japan (these mix ups are always overseas) and managed to mail a whole sheet of £1.00 stamps to a buyer in Bristol by mistake! But still.

This week, Molly gets ‘Blogged’ and survives. More on this follows.

And another eBay spoof is doing the rounds - check it out below.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

-------------------------------------
1. EBAY NEWS: EPN LINKING ACCOUNTS
-------------------------------------

eBay have introduced the ability for you to link your eBay trading account with your eBay ‘Partner Network’ account. There may well be some special features for sellers and especially Power-Sellers in the future. Here’s what eBay have to say:
• Linking your accounts will enable eBay to better advise and answer your questions as we can look at your eBay activity to better understand your account and your particular situation.
• We may do special eBay Partner Network promotions for eBay PowerSellers from time to time. In order to ensure that you are included in any such promotions, your accounts must be linked.
• Starting August 25th, all eBay Partner Network affiliates above $200 in monthly commissions that are also eBay PowerSellers will also be given access to a personal account manager.
To link your accounts, go to the "Account" tab, select ‘Business Information’ and click "Link to eBay Account" to enter your eBay ID and password.

If you have not yet signed up for the ‘EPN’, it might be worth looking into and could be a useful source of income.

Details - https://publisher.ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/index.html

-------------------------------------
2. EBAY SPOOF
-------------------------------------

Another one for the shed wall!

“Hi Mol,

This is a ‘Phish’ attempt I have not seen before. It came through to an e-mail address not associated with my eBay account and the item number in question does not exist. Apart from that a good attempt.”

Cbeeeeee1111111 - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Reversingcamerasuk

----

eBay sent this message from Fisher Greg (optimum_solution).
Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.

Buyer has responded to your question about this item

Do not respond to the sender if this message requests that you complete the transaction outside of eBay. This type of offer is against eBay policy, may be fraudulent, and is not covered by buyer protection programs. Learn More.
Dear member,

How much is the shipping to Swansea, United Kingdom???
Let me know because I'm online and I can pay you right now.
- optimum_solution

Item URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130315676972

3801412747101
Monday, August 24, 2009 09:31:55 PDT

Listing Status: This message was sent while the listing was closed.

----

Very interesting, but utter bunk! Messages from eBay are addressed to the receiver, not from the sender.

The other interesting point about this e-mail is that it even says it ‘was sent while the listing was closed’.

Saying all this, in a moment of weakness it could catch you out. If you see something like this, send a copy to me and then delete it.

-------------------------------------------------
3. THE ONLINE AUCTION SITE?
-------------------------------------------------

eBay is the world’s largest online auction site, or so they say, but I am beginning to think otherwise.

Over the past week I have noticed several of my fixed price listings have sold for significantly more than auctions for the same item and this theme is repeated by other fixed price sellers.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=310163899440 sold for £9.99, auctions reached for £5.75, £2.20, £4.00 & £6.00.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=310163443852 sold for £6.49, auctions reached £3.23, £2.31, £2.94 & £4.50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=310163898022 sold for £7.59, auctions reached £5.50, £0.99 & £1.70.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=310144853869 sold for £10.00, auctions reached £2.99, £3.40 & £4.56

The Elves were watching an auction for a DVD of the film ‘National Treasure’ - not a bad yarn - and they have lost their copy. In the end we forgot to bid. It closed at £1.24, which is probably cheaper than renting it for a night.

With free p&p, eBay and Paypal costs, a stamp and bubble bag, the seller would be left with around 30p!

It is time to re-brand as ‘the online department store’!

-------------------------------------------------
4. MOLLY GETS BLOGGED
-------------------------------------------------

I am so proud; the website has just been ‘blogged’ and I didn’t feel a thing. It passed with an equivalent of a grade ‘C’ at GCSE.

“Dear Molly,

Our editors recently reviewed your blog and have given it a 6.3 score out of (10) in the recreation category of Blogged.com.

http://www.blogged.com/blogs/the-ebay-uk-bulletin.html

We evaluated your blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.
After carefully reviewing each of these criteria, your site was given its 6.3 score.

Please accept my congratulations on a blog well-done!!”

Sincerely,

Amy Liu
Marketing Department
http://www.blogged.com

If only I could remember the password I’d update it more often.

-------------------------------------------------
5. ASK MOLLY – HOW DO I GET STARTED?
-------------------------------------------------

Several e-mails arrived this week from ‘newbie sellers’ hoping to ease the recession with a few sales on eBay, I wish them well.

“Dear Molly,

How easy is it to get the first few sales when you start selling on eBay if - like me - you have zero History / feedback? Are there any recommended tactics for getting passed this hurdle?”

Well, the first few sales are tricky as you are untested. Buy some small things and pay promptly, this should ensure positive feedback; you need a minimum to be able to sell using fixed price, see below for these requirements.

When you start to sell, select low price items that will instil confidence with buyers. They are unlikely to buy something for £300 from a seller with no track record.

If you use auctions, select a short duration and you will squeeze more in thus creating a higher feedback score quicker. Watch your start price though and select one that you would be happy with.

Requirements to sell an item at a fixed price:

- Minimum Feedback score of 5 or 15 if you list multiple items

- PayPal accepted as payment method on listing

- If you’re selling through a Premium or Anchor Shop, you also need to be ‘PayPal Verified’.



If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

The bulletin has now been in existence for almost 3 years with issue 150 not far away. To celebrate this momentous occasion we will hand the 150th issue over to you the reader. If you would like to write an article, maybe to plug your eBay business or vent your frustration at the system, just send them in – mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk. Those submissions which include gifts for the editor will be given priority!


Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 145

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 145, 21st August 2009

Topics in this issue:
1. eBay News: Zero insertion fees

2. Interesting!

3. Look after the pennies

4. Ask Molly – Should I let them bid?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin.

Can it really be a whole week since the last bulletin, how time flies when you are sitting around waiting for sales to pick up! There has been more coffee drunk this week than any other since records began. OK, so things are slow, but take the time to get your processes in order, catch up with admin and list all the odd things lying around your office, house or shed; a few ideas later in the bulletin.

My apologies go to ‘Crafting Angels’ - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Crafting-Angels

who sent in last weeks article on shop holiday settings; I forgot to add the eBay link [Ed – blame me for that one!!]

Free listing fees always grab the headlines, but don’t expect too much, more below on this.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]
-------------------------------------
1. EBAY NEWS: ZERO INSERTION FEES

-------------------------------------

It is a great title and one that caught my eye this week, but don’t get too excited. eBay.co.uk is ten years old and to celebrate they are offering a ‘birthday promotion’ with zero insertion fees for 10 days starting Saturday 22nd August.

There is of course a catch; this promotion only applies to private sellers who list with the ‘auction format’. It could still be worth looking into if you have been considering taking the plunge and selling for the first time.

One point of interest this time is that second categories are also free so double the exposure for no outlay. My only words of advice would be to start your auction at the minimum price you are willing to accept as auctions still don’t seem to be achieving high end prices.

Full details - http://pages.ebay.co.uk/promos/10thanniversary/index.html

-------------------------------------
2. INTERESTING!

-------------------------------------

We all know that sellers can no longer leave negative or neutral feedback for buyers which has been debated quite a lot in the past, but did you know that ‘non-paying buyer’ (NPB) strikes can also be removed from a buyers account? I was not aware of this until an e-mail from arrived at HQ:

“Dear Molly

I thought you would like to read the following message from eBay. I received a NPB strike when I refused to pay for an item. I appealed against the strike and had this note arrive.

‘Thanks for getting in touch about the unpaid item strike you received.

As this is the first time you've appealed one of these strikes, we're pleased to let you know that we've removed it from your account.

Please bear in mind that any future strikes could have a negative effect on your account. We'd encourage you to familiarise yourself with our policies on unpaid item strikes and how to appeal them.’

I am very happy that the NPB strike has gone, but am a little surprised at how quickly it all happened. I just thought your readers would be interested.”

The NPB process allows a seller to ‘strike’ a buyer if they don’t pay for an item, pick up 3 strikes and you’re out – removed from eBay. It seems that if you appeal against a strike, at least the first one, then it will be removed; eBay don’t really want to remove buyers do they.

So it is now 4 strikes (or maybe many more) and you’re out. Why do I feel as though I have just had more teeth pulled?

-------------------------------------------------
3. LOOK AFTER THE PENNIES**

-------------------------------------------------

Things are certainly quiet on eBay at the moment, so much so that I had to let two Elves go! At least the sun is shining so the garden looks nice.

I had a wander through my shop stats and they make sorry reading with hits down by almost two-thirds. Sold items are not so bad considering the tail-off in visits; sold items for July stood at 1022 down from 1621 in May. Some good news though - the number of repeat buyers is up to 18.2%.

It is at times like these that I scrape the bottom of the barrel so to speak and list all the small value items that have been kicking around for months. All ‘car booters’ out there will know that often when you buy a box of goodies there will be items included that you don’t really want, but might be of some value. Even with mainstay product lines there can be samples or promotional items which get put to one side. Now is the time to dig them out and increase your turnover.

Molly’s cosmetic supplier has very generously over the past year donated loads of ‘gift with purchase’ packs full of sample size make-up items; these are now all listed. In the world of ‘trash to cash’ or car boot sales, take another look at the instruction books that come with toys, odd figures, used tins of model paint and even the box you bought them in. A few pots of coffee, some quick photography, an even quicker one line description and they are up for sale.

The upshot of this is Mollybol listings have passed the 500 mark. This is a useful contribution towards costs and employment for the Elves. Average sale prices have seemed to dive, with Mollybol now averaging just £4.81, but a turnover of £5K in July is very good, especially given that most of the items arrived free of any real direct costs.

One further advantage of this strategy comes as Power-seller discounts are calculated by either turnover or number of items sold. Last month I missed the turnover figure, but hit the volume level, thus keeping an additional 5% FVF discount.

It is tough, but Christmas starts in a few weeks – I hope!

-------------------------------------------------
4. ASK MOLLY – SHOULD I LET THEM BID?**

-------------------------------------------------

Molly is back this week as Alan takes a well earned rest.

“Hi Molly,

Can I please have your opinion on this problem? I have received a note from a potential buyer who wants to bid on an item, but is not able to as they are on my ‘blocked bidder’ list, probably for non-payment.

Would you lift the block to make the sale?”

Under normal circumstances and by that I mean loads of sales and loads of profit, I would say no way! However, as things are a little tight, I might be tempted to relax a little. If the item is ‘BIN’, click the ‘immediate payment required’ option if you are able.

I have been known to remove my ‘buyer requirement’ which blocks bidders who have 2 strikes and these sales have been fine. To be honest it would depend upon how much I wanted the sale and what risks it might carry.

As we have seen from the article above, buyers who have received strikes might not have them any more anyway!

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

Molly has a new phone, well the chief Elf has a new phone to be precise and this toy is amazing. Apart from playing some amusing ring tones, it allows us to run the eBay business from almost anywhere.

The old phone (soon to be listed) was OK for e-mails and a quick glimpse at eBay, but this new one has full functionality. There is almost no need for a computer. With a big pile of bubble bags in the boot we can now even get most of the packing done in the car on the way back from the café; this does make steering the car a bit tricky though!

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 144

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 144, 14th August 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: Best match

2. Shop holiday settings

3. A Molly moment

4. Ask Alan – How do I account for damaged goods?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin.

Another landmark passed this week as Mollybol feedback passed 20,000, many thanks for all (both) the notes of congratulation. The event did prompt a look at feedback in general, more on this below.

You have got to check this out - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310150611453 . The question was “Hi, how many beads are there?” I’ll get one of the Elves onto it straight away!

Sales are a lot slower on eBay at the moment as the holiday season continues; we are still managing two sacks of parcels a day, although they do seem to be of a lower value. Roll on term time.

This week Alan the financial whiz is back with the answer to another taxing question, and there's a quick word of caution for shop owners who are going on holiday.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

-------------------------------------
1. EBAY NEWS: BEST MATCH

-------------------------------------

The default search results are about to change again in a subtle way which might have a significant impact on your sales volumes. These are the things you need to be aware of as they dictate how far up the list of search results your ‘fixed price listing’ appears:

- Number of recent sales: The more sales that are made from a multi-quantity listing, the higher that listing appears in search results.

- Keyword relevance: Based on items buyers have clicked and bought when the same search has been done previously.

- Seller Ratings performance: DSR scores are used to figure how high a listing will appear in search results; soon to include low counts or rates of 1s and 2s. Top-rated sellers will get promoted in Best Match and sellers not meeting the new minimum standard will be demoted.

- Price/value: The better the value of a listing, the more likely is it to attract buyers and therefore the higher the recent sales score.

- Free P&P: Listings offering free postage & packaging are promoted in search results.

The forthcoming changes will place more importance on the item title as the number of impressions will be included. This will be a ratio of impressions to sales, so attracting viewers who don’t buy will demote your listing.

For example, in the new version of Best Match, a listing with 100 recent impressions and 10 recent sales will score higher than a similar listing with 1000 recent impressions and only 10 recent sales.

An “impression” is any time a buyer sees a search results page that includes the listing.

I am so glad that eBay have made this system easy to follow!

-------------------------------------
2. SHOP HOLIDAY SETTINGS

-------------------------------------

Here is a quick word of caution for any seller about to leave for their hols.

“Hi Mollybol,

I thought this might be a timely reminder to all eBay sellers with shops.

I found out today that although I had my eBay shop settings switched to 'ON' so that they were not visible and all the settings were switched to 'OFF' so that buyers could not buy, one buyer still managed to buy an item from me because they had already been watching the item when I switched the holiday settings on.

Despite the fact that I had a large message in my shop to say that the shop is closed for the next week and there are messages at the top of every listing, the buyer did not realise that I was on holiday.

It could result in negative feedback if the buyer thinks that you have either not sent the item or are not responding to their emails. I have now ended all the listings that have watchers so that nobody can buy from me while I am away. I thought that might be a useful bit of info for your readers.”

Good advice, you can also make sales from buyers who find their way in via external search engines such as Google. Come on eBay; find a way to stop anybody buying anything when the holiday settings are on.

-------------------------------------------------
3. A MOLLY MOMENT**

-------------------------------------------------

It was a great moment in HQ this week as Molly’s feedback score passed 20,000. This event in itself means nothing, not even a different colour star. To mark the occasion it was coffees all round and a slice of cake.

This landmark did cause me to look closer at the whole feedback issue, especially in light of the imminent changes to the eBay seller discount scheme. Since going full time Mollybol has made 30,000 sales, so that’s one third where no feedback has been left. In the past year I have received 9,000 pieces of feedback, but only 6,000 ‘DSR’ star markings, so a third of those who left feedback did not complete the DSR grading.

The new seller rewards programme which starts in October will penalise ‘top rated’ sellers who have greater than 0.5% of their DSR scores at 1 or 2. Mollybol received 3 last month, probably from the buyer who got his sellers mixed up.

As less than half of transactions are ‘star’ graded and given that anybody who is particularly unhappy is bound to leave low marks, maintaining a <=0.5% figure could be a challenge.

To try and encourage completion of the DSRs (I am assuming these marks would be 3+), I have included a request in my dispatch note to this effect.

It seems that providing a good standard of customer service is not unachievable, getting the recognition for it via the DSRs is a little more problematic.

-------------------------------------------------
4. ASK ALAN – HOW DO I ACCOUNT FOR DAMAGED GOODS?**

-------------------------------------------------

It seems that a lot of readers are making use of the quiet time to complete their tax return. Fortunately I am way in front and completed mine well over a year ago. Another question for our financial expert to ponder!

“Hi Molly,

Hope you are well.

Just wondering do you know how to handle damages when it comes to doing your taxes.
I have some items damaged but didn't realise when I bought them - too late to go back to supplier.

Don't know what to do with them - can they be dumped, do you have to prove that you had damages?”

Alan says:

“To answer the question, damages are almost self accounting, in rather the same way as, for example, staff or other stock theft.

The cost is automatically included in our accounts when we buy the goods, so the loss is included in the accounts, by default, as we are now unable to sell them on and generate income from them.

The invoice/receipt serves as proof of the transaction, so we have no need to record what we have done with the items once we have bought them.

In these situations, HM Revenue & Customs are more interested in the overall situation (total sales less total expenses = profit) rather than the ins and outs of where each individual item has gone to. That said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a brief note of any damages, as this note will, if required, ultimately provide details of any items that were scrapped, as opposed to those which were taken for personal use (where there would be a potential tax implication).

You can find out more about Alan here - http://www.1stadditions.biz/30920/info.php?p=6&pno=0

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

A quick update on the Warhammer book bought for £1.00 mentioned in bulletin 143, a buyer in the States stumped up the asking price of £75.00 – the bargains are still to be had.

eBay wrote to me this week and confirmed that Molly should be a ‘Top rated seller’ in October. I can’t wait to see the new badge of office, although the drop in FVF discounts of 5% kind of outweighs it a bit.

Before I go a warning about eCheques: do not post until they clear as 50% are now failing to complete. Here’s another request for eBay and I know you are reading this. Can we please have an automated response that can be sent from ‘Selling Manager Pro’ when a buyer pays using an eCheque. This would save loads of time explaining why there is a delay in dispatch.

Keep smiling; it will soon be wintertime again.

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 143

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 143, 30th July 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: Top rated seller status

2. End of optional insurance

3. Not one, but two

4. Ask Alan – Can I offset pre-business assets?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin.

The shed elves have been busy again (Harry Potter has house elves, I have shed elves!) buying more cosmetic bags, another 5000 arrived at HQ on Monday. There is now more space allocated to bags than all my other lines added together. They are comfortable to sit on though!

eBay.co.uk is 10 years old and has seen the sale of 964 million items, and Mollybol played its part. Interesting reading - http://www.ebay-mediacentre.co.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=174&NewsAreaID=2

Molly launched a new line this week – digital thermometers, which for some reason seem very popular in the UK right now. My supplier is a new contact and over coffee we explained what we sell on eBay and how we work. He likened me to Del Boy, citing the ever changing stock and irregular work pattern. “Not at all,” I said. “It’s nothing like that at all. No way Pedro!”

This week, advance warning for sellers – it's all change again!

‘Mr Money’ is back for another insight into the world of accountancy, see below for more.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

-------------------------------------
1. EBAY NEWS: TOP-RATED SELLER STATUS

-------------------------------------

It’s all change again from this October as eBay phase out the current ‘Power-seller’ programme in favour of a new rating system.

The ‘top-rated seller’ programme will reward those sellers who have few DSR scores of 2 or lower, in theory those sellers who provide high levels or customer service. There is a super page on eBay which explains the various outcomes for different numbers of low scores for varying periods of trading and number of items sold – all very confusing. The bottom line is that sellers who want to enjoy discounts on FVFs must receive as few scores of either 1 or 2 as possible.

More details - http://pages.ebay.co.uk/sell/sellerupdate/topratedseller.html

The power seller logo will also be removed and those who qualify as ‘top sellers’ will display a badge of ‘customer satisfaction'. In addition these elite sellers will also get an enhanced showing in search results. If you do your best to make your customer happy then the rewards will either follow or not, but if you don’t do your best then you may be losing out on some serious discounts.

One final point on this; it appears that the amounts of discounts given to sellers are also set to fall with a ‘Gold’ Power-seller discount dropping to 25% from 30%. So even if you offer the best service levels in the world and your customers return every week, you will still be down 5% – this equates to a fair few quid for yours truly!

-------------------------------------
2. END OF OPTIONAL INSURANCE

-------------------------------------

Well, it had to end sometime and I will shed a small tear. eBay has decided to scrap the facility for sellers to include an optional insurance premium as of 22 September 2009.

“P&P insurance will no longer be included in the purchase process as either an option or requirement for buyers. This change will remove the perception that buyers need to buy insurance as a protection on eBay. In fact, business sellers are responsible for their items until they arrive safely in the buyer's hands.

Sellers can always choose to purchase insurance for their deliveries, but they shouldn’t ask buyers to insure purchases separately. In some categories like Antiques, Collectibles and Jewellery, delivery insurance for sellers is the norm. Where appropriate, sellers can include the cost of insurance in their item or postage price.”

This has been a handy facility over the years as often an auction will reach such a level that the item should really be insured. Often an optional fee of half the costs will be accepted by the winner giving them piece of mind for a reduced fee.

Full details - http://pages.ebay.co.uk/sell/sellerupdate/buyerinsurance.html

-------------------------------------------------
3. NOT ONE, BUT TWO**

-------------------------------------------------

Many thanks to everybody who sends in examples of spoof e-mails; I print them out in colour and cover the shed walls with them.

My heart goes out this week to ‘loughneagh’ - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/loughneagh who to say the least is a little fed up with them. Here are a couple which you might have seen recently.

----------------------------------------------------------

*eBay sent this message from (jpierce9801).
*Your registered name is included to show this message originated from eBay. Learn more.

*Message from eBay member , jpierce9801*

Do not respond to the sender if this message requests that you complete the transaction outside of eBay. This type of offer is against eBay policy, may be fraudulent and is not covered by buyer protection programs. Learn More.

*Dear *,

I was just wondering if you received the payment, also can you provide a tracking number for my package? Waiting for your answer asap. Thanks so much!
Thanks

-jpierce9801

-------------------------------------------------------

If you do see something like this, check the grammar. Notice that there is a space after the word ‘member’. A genuine message from eBay will include your address, not who it is from. And why is your name not following the word ‘Dear’? There will also be a load of ‘clickable links’ which I have removed, if you move you mouse over these; you will see that they all have the same address, which is not right – DELETE.

-----------------------------------------------------

*Temporary Account Suspension*

Dear eBay member:

We regret to inform you that your *eBay* account has been temporarily blocked due to various login attempts from different global locations.
As Romania is one of the most high rated fraudulent countries, we temporarily blocked your account to avoid future problems or mis-usage of your *eBay* account.
If you are travelling and made these login attempts yourself or borrowed your *eBay* account to someone else , please log in below.

*If you want to re-activate your eBay** account , please follow our instructions*

If this situation is not solved in the next 24 hours your account will be permanently suspended.
Sincerely, *eBay Team*

------------------------------------------------------

Another example of incorrect grammar and just check the bad speellling [Ed - even worse than you'd find in the eBay Bulletin]!

The various links will again take you to the same location, a spoof site that will try and relieve you of your ID and password. I cannot show the graphics in this bulletin and some spoofs look quite convincing so be warned. If you see something like this, hit the DELETE button.

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4. ASK ALAN – CAN I OFFSET PRE-BUSINESS ASSETS?**

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Although qualified to AAT level, Molly takes a back seat this week to make way for ‘Mr Money’.

“Dear Molly

I have an accounts question about business start-up, can you help?

The items I will mainly be (hopefully) selling are magazines and magazine clippings packs. I already have about 3000 magazines - both purchased & given to me, over the past few years. The bought items are both individual and bulk purchases. As all are in my possession pre-business start-up/registration date, I am assuming I will not be able to offset any costs of the magazines that have been purchased (rather than given), in my business accounts?

My big concern is how I will take these magazines into account in terms of stock held at the end of the first year/part year, as I assume I will still have a lot of them at that time. I am going to make an appointment with a local accountant, but wondered whether this is going to cause me a big headache, if I will need to itemise & value this "stock" before I start, and have to differentiate between purchased items and items given to me by family.”

Alan says:

“When we start out in business, it is often the case that we will have assets to bring into play. This can be stock (as in this case) equipment, tooling, office or equipment.

In this situation, we would normally look at what is a fair valuation for the goods or assets introduced. The point is that, when we introduce these items, they will have an intrinsic value to the business, at that point in time.

This can work either way. For example, we may have paid £100 for a piece of equipment, which, due to wear and tear, could now be worth just £25, which is the value we would bring it into the business at. Conversely, as in this case, the asset may have a value to the business, even if it was given to us in the first place.

What we need to do is to list every item of stock, equipment etc, with what we feel to be a fair value at the start of the business. In this case, this will have a double benefit, which makes it worth the effort;

Firstly, by introducing these assets, we have the benefit of increasing our proprietor's capital or director's loan account, by the value of the assets.

Secondly, by bringing the magazines in at a fair value, we are automatically increasing the costs, and, therefore, reducing the taxable profits of the business, when they are ultimately sold.”

You can find out more about Alan here - http://www.1stadditions.biz/30920/info.php?p=6&pno=0

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

Christmas is only a few weeks away and the Elves are very excited as they prepare for the big event. A lot of planning has gone into Christmas this year as money still seems very tight and overseas sales have dipped due to the stronger Pound. This year could see less volume and smaller margins, so now is the time to get ready, assemble your stock and persuade your Elves to take a pay cut!

The deal of the week must be a hardback rulebook for the game ‘Warhammer’. Purchased for £1.00, it is currently on eBay for £75 or best offer with a £52 offer on the table – “Lovely Jubbly!”

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 142

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 142, 24th July 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: Signatures required
2. Paypal – a reader’s tale
3. Quick tip
4. Shameless book plug
5. Ask Molly – Why are these sponsored links here?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin.

Molly HQ is looking very smart indeed; in fact the refit went so well that we managed a few days away in Turkey courtesy of Tesco Clubcard points. What a great place to visit, the people are so friendly and the tea drinking was non-stop! It is funny how all the Elves suddenly become available when a holiday in mentioned.

It happened again; a listing for 3 cute dolls (310146505123) – BIN £6.49 or best offer. We received an offer of £8.00 which was considered for all of 20 seconds – has the world gone mad?

This week a very important job for all bulletin readers [Ed – got your serious hat on then], read the eBay news below.

Also below a couple of quick tips and right at the bottom, another possible source for stock!

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

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1. EBAY NEWS: SIGNATURES REQUIRED

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You may already have seen this notice and may already have signed the online petition, if not I would ask you to do so. If not for me, then for all those small children who may grow up in world without eBay!

Certain brand owners are trying to block the sale of their products via online marketplaces and other websites - regardless of whether such items are new or second-hand, genuine or fake. This could be quite a problem for eBay and a bit awkward for those of us who earn a living on the site.

eBay are therefore calling on the European Commission to amend EU competition law to stop these unfair trade practices. Your help is needed to persuade them to take action. There is a link to an online petition on this eBay page -

http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/200907.shtml#2009-07-06115357

Please take the time to fill it in; it is not often I ask a favour.

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2. PAYPAL – A READER’S TALE

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"I have had the same experience as ‘traveltavern’ (see Bulletin 140) with Paypal in the past when I changed my email address.

It was really embarrassing to have to email all my customers and re-invoice them and made me look very unprofessional. It took ages to get all the payments into the right places.

My advice now to anyone changing their email address is not to delete the old email address from your Paypal account. Instead, add your new email address to your Paypal and make that your primary email, leaving your old address as a secondary one.

This way, if you do accidentally forget to change your email address in your listing (particularly easy to do when re-listing) then the money still goes into your Paypal account and is properly claimed (you just won't see the email notification of payment)."

‘Hazels-Homegrown’ - http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Hazels-Homegrown

On the subject of Paypal, I have received a few e-mails this week asking for the ‘Micro-payments’ link, so here it is again -
https://micropayments.paypal-labs.com

Just watch out if you attract the merchant rate on your main account as the breakeven level will drop. If you currently pay 3.4% then £9.50 is the breakeven point.

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3. QUICK TIP**

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As I mentioned earlier the Elves and I have just returned from a short break paid for with Tesco Clubcard points. These were acquired in exchange for mobile phones and empty ink cartridges bought on eBay; it seems that there are still some good deals to be had!

“Hi Mollybol,

Here’s a quick tip for you, Tesco are selling perfumes for £8 with 500 extra Clubcard points. These are worth £20 in deals tokens. The perfume sells for about £8.00 on eBay!

‘lucia8391’ - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/m4minishop

They are also selling a very drinkable Colombian ground coffee for £2.00 with 50 extra points – worth £2.00 in holiday vouchers. Free coffee is always welcome at HQ!

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4. SHAMELESS BOOK PLUG**

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“Hi Mollybol

Just had to write and say thanks for writing your eBay Q&A book. I have been playing around with an eBay shop for the last year and thought it was about time I studied it a bit more if I want to make it a proper business.

I bought your book to read on holiday, but even before I left it had earned its money back! I was about to go away for 3 weeks and had put my shop into holiday mode. Despite this someone bought something - fortunately I was able to get it in the post before I left.

Of course I then realised there must be a better method to use so looked it up in your book and completely closed my shop. So thanks for that. Having read the book on holiday I now need to action lots of things so will work through it doing this before I start reading your Handbook.”

‘lady-jaynes-gift-emporium’ - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Lady-Jaynes-Gift-Emporium

I love e-mails like this, they bring a tear to my eye. If you would like a copy of the Q&A book, I have listed some on eBay - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310094492514 If you send me an e-mail quoting this bulletin, I’ll send it free postage – what a bargain!

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5. ASK MOLLY – WHY ARE THESE SPONSORED LINKS HERE?**

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This question highlights how easy it is for eBay to annoy sellers whilst in pursuit of a little extra revenue.

“Hi Molly,

I would like your comments on the following.

I just started selling sim cards as a tryout as my other auctions don’t seem to be doing too well in the present climate.

I purchased 200 as a job lot - 100 orange and 100 Vodaphone and put up two listings. As I was selling at 99p and £1 I thought I might make a killing. When this failed to happen I checked my listing for possible errors. That’s when I found the phantom adverts offering free sim cards on my auction (no wonder I am not selling many).

I rang eBay and they said it was nothing to do with them and they could not do anything about it. It comes under the ‘eBay recommended services’ sponsored link. It comes and goes but it is there. What can I do about this situation?”

‘1690cyril’ - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/1690cyril

These links appear on listings for popular items such as sim cards. Basically eBay is making a few quid by including links to other locations that offer similar products including main network providers.

I am not sure if eBay charge for the service or collect a commission for any sales that might result from a buyer clicking through on the sponsored link. In the case of your sim cards a link promising them for free will certainly have driven buyers elsewhere.

There is nothing that can be done unless eBay decide to stop including the links, which is unlikely.

The sim market is a very competitive one, I found one guy offering free postage at a 99p price and he would even accept a best offer.

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

While I remember, don’t forget to check out eBay for your postage stamps. You should be able to pick up new unused 1st & 2nd class for around 15% discount, it all helps.

Many thanks for all the tips sent in over the past few weeks, I’ll squeeze them all in eventually. Here’s another to see me out this week:

“Further to 'Item 2 Wholesalers: Worth a look?' in Bulletin 141:

Another magazine that might also be 'worth a look' is 'The Trader'(www.thetrader.co.uk ). I bought a few copies last year from W.H Smiths when it cost £3.30 monthly. An annual subscription was £30 in 2008. It sounds similar to 'The Market Trader' as described by ‘Railway Relics’ but is relatively easy to get hold of and you only have to buy an occasional copy, if you wish."

‘Scrobbesbyrig’ - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/scrobbesbyrig

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 141

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 141, 15th July 2009

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay News: Fee reduction period extended

2. Wholesalers; worth a look?

3. eBay spoof

4. Ask Molly – Auctiva, worth a try?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin

Here's a great statement I picked up from the web:

“The current economic climate is forcing many to sell their most cherished possessions.”
”When I tried to sell the wife last year I was offered two camels and a goat. This year it was just the one camel.” For the record, husbands are only fetching one goat!

It has been a super break with not a parcel packed in two weeks. The shed looks immaculate and stock for Christmas is neatly stacked. The Elves were useless, spending the time on the beach yet still demanding money!

If you are still looking for a wholesaler, check out the link below, it might just help.

A really sophisticated spoof has been sent in this week, details below and you can view the actual spoof on the blog.

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

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1. EBAY NEWS: FEE REDUCTION PERIOD EXTENDED

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Don’t get too excited about the title, this fee reduction is not site-wide; however if you own an eBay shop and sell in the following categories, it will be of interest:

i) CSA (Clothes, Shoes, & Accessories);

ii)Video games;

iii)Technology;

iv)DVDs sub-category

eBay have announced that the 20% reduction of Final Value Fees promotion will be extended until 30th September. This applies to listings using the Auction-style or Fixed Price-style format on eBay.co.uk with FREE domestic postage.

Full details - http://pages.ebay.co.uk/promos/0409/index.html

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2. WHOLESALERS; WORTH A LOOK?

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“Hi Mollybol,

I read your contributor's comment about wholesalers (Bulletin 139). If you buy from a Market Trader why don't you buy from Market Trader sources?

Many years ago I did and you would be amazed at the low cost of some of their goods - watch the quality though!! The Market Trader’s bible is a weekly newspaper called 'Market Trader' which is produced by World's Fair (http://www.worldsfair.co.uk/).

It used to be crammed full of adverts for cheap wholesale goods. I haven't had a copy for a long, long while, but if you are unaware of it a copy might be worth a browse.”

“Railway Relics” - http://uk.nine.ebid.net/perl/main.cgi?mo=user-store&title=Railway-Relics

I have checked out the website, 52 issues will set you back £40.

If you opt for it, please let me know what you think – Mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk

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3. EBAY SPOOF**

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“Hi Bob (oh, OK - 'Molly')

Thanks for posting the eBay UK Bulletin every week: it's essential reading and extremely worthwhile (I'm particularly grateful for your explanation of the 'secret' Paypal micro-payment tariff - which has saved me a bob or two; and I would never have otherwise discovered).

Like you, I enjoy reading poor quality eBay/Paypal spam messages: but I've not seen one like this before: it actually looks quite convincing!

Don't suppose you can post it in the Bulletin, due to its graphical nature - but at least you can paper the wall with it!”

RW_Solutions - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/RW_Solutions

This spoof was too clever to get into the bulletin; I have published it on the blog – www.ebaybulletin.co.uk

Keep ‘em coming folks!

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4. ASK MOLLY – AUCTIVA, WORTH A TRY?**

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“Hello M,

I have been receiving mailings from Auctiva about signing up for their listing service on e-bay.

I already subscribe to the pro manager plus. Is there any advantage in having Auctiva for listing etc?”

‘Uniqui 4 U’ - http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/UNIQUI-4-U

Auctiva can be a good showcase for your items, but it does cost $10.00 per month for unlimited listings and 1GB of hosting. As you know I am very mean and don't like paying for anything. Prices do start at $3.00 per month for a reduced option package.

I have received a couple of notes this week from readers who are about to cancel their subscriptions, hence the Auctiva e-mail campaign for new customers.

It might be worth a month’s free trial and monitoring sales to see if they pick up.

Details - http://www.auctiva.com/

If you use the service, please let me know what you think and which package offers the best value for money.

If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.

-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.

The light has been really good in the UK lately, ideal for taking photographs. By the way if your camera batteries are always running out, invest in a mains adaptor and a long lead.

To try and improve on presentation a purchase (with real money) of new backing card was made and I must admit it was a good idea (not mine as you can tell). Selling toys such as houses, castles or animals, a green base and blue background makes them look more realistic.

I am also taking pictures at 640 x 480, which saves time cropping them and I can get more on the memory card before I have to download them. More time saved = more time in the café!

Best wishes and happy eBaying!

Mollybol

Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness