Waiting for the John McCain Onion!

Did you hear this one? Some guy sold a sweet potato that "looks like Barack Obama."

Seems said sweet potato (which sold on May 28) garnered three bids for a grand total of:

$8.49

And now, the original seller is selling a photograph of the sweet potato that sold. The photo starting bid is $4, but as of this writing, there are no bids. (Come on, people, it's a photo of the Barack Obama sweet potato for criminy sakes!)

I went into the completed auctions on eBay and took a look at the supersized image of the potato. To me the potato looks like a pair of lips with herpes sores all over it. But, I guess I just don't have that "eye" for potatoes or politics.

So, yes, I'm now going to scour the supermarket for the "John McCain Onion" or maybe the "Hillary Clinton Apple." I know they're out there.

Wigix - the New Player on the Block

Are you among those eBayers who are frustrated by the cost of selling on eBay?

Wigix is hoping there are a lot of you.

What is Wigix? It's a new site which brings buyers and sellers together. Wigix stands for "Want It Got It Exchange" and is based on a different selling model than eBay. For one thing, it's not an auction site. So, how do you sell stuff? Well, as far as I can tell (and, I have to tell you, the site's a bit confusing) is that when you want to buy something you place an "order" for something. Maybe it's for sale on the site, maybe it's not. when you have something for sale, you put it in your portfolio. You and the buyer can then negotiate the price, and, if it's fine for both of you, then you can seal the deal. They feel this helps to eliminate auction scams and helps sellers be competitive.

Call me crazy, but I thought an auction was helping to set the market price for something. If there's enough desire the price goes up.

Of course Wigix is new (just started), so I'll have to see it in action.

The good part are the selling fees. They're much lower than eBay. If you sell something under $25 there are no fees. That's the great part. How many of you labored to photograph, write up a great description, list the item, package it up and send it out, only to have your profit almost wiped out by their fees? Oh, and the listing fees are free as well.

For items that sell from $25 to $100, the fee is $1.50. That's it. For items over $100, there is an additional 2%. If over $1,000 there's an additional 1% over that.

Now, here's another big difference. You can make money without actually selling something. You can be a "Homesteader." You see, Wigix has a catalog of items that are out there in the marketplace. They may not even be for sale yet on the site. You can suggest items that aren't in their catalog and, if the category expert approves it and adds it to the catalog, you'll be that item's homesteader and earn 5% of that item's revenue should that item be sold in the future.

Anyway, you can go check it out at wigix.com and see if their business model might work for you.

Ferris Wheel Sells on eBay!

And you thought you had packing nightmares! How much bubble wrap do you think it will take to safely send a Ferris Wheel?

That's right, a Ferris Wheel, which has been a wonderful fixture on the Santa Monica Pier, has been sold on eBay for $132,400. What's even weirder is that the buyer, Grant Humpreys, has never bought on eBay before. This was his first purchase!

Just goes to show you that maybe you shouldn't be too picky selling to newbies (some sellers are).

Maybe this is a good time to sell any Ferris Wheel memorabilia.

Currently, there are 14 bids for a "muling of the popular HK 171 Ferris Wheel Dollar and the HK 168 Chicago Dollar."

Better eBay Pictures Mean Better Profits

What often makes or breaks a sale on eBay? The picture. If it's fuzzy or dark or the item is too small many people won't bother even clicking on the item. But, take a crisp, outstanding photo and you're halfway to making a decent profit.

Here are some eBay photo tips to get you started.

1. Make sure your item looks its best before photographing it. A dusty, cobwebby item won't entice buyers to buy. Before taking the photo, wipe away any dust, wash glass items, or iron any clothing. You want the item to look its best.

2. Carefully inspect the item. If there are any flaws you can't fix, make note of them. Document any stains or tears in clothing; any chips in glass or pottery, any crazing. These are things you'll want to snap a close-up of and mention in your description. True, you're pointing out the flaws, but you have to be totally honest with the potential buyers. You don't want buyers expecting perfection and receiving flaws. That doesn't make for good feedback. And good feedback is what eBay sellers live for.

3. When setting up your photo session, aim for natural light and good contrast. Take pictures near a window when the sun is shining. Avoid using a flash if you can; flash photos often turn out too bright and detract from the item’s detail.

4. If your items are light in color, photograph them on dark backgrounds, and vice versa.

5. Take pictures from two or three different angles if possible.

6. Make sure the item is displayed by itself, unless it’s a part of an entire lot for sale.

7. Take as a close a picture as you can of the item; you want it to fill the camera screen.

8. When setting up your item to be photographed, choose a surface or background which isn't reflective. Also, make sure the background isn't messy or distracting. You want the buyer's eye on the item, not on the dirty socks tossed on the floor.

9. Try to keep colors and hues of the item as close to the original as possible. If the resulting photo is not entirely representative of the item, do mention that in your description.

10. If there any manufacturer's marks (such as marks on the bottom of pottery), be sure to photograph them as well. You want the buyer to know the item is authentic.

Declaration of Independence Found at Thrift Store

I'm sure by now you all have heard about the rare 1823 copy of the Declaration of Independence that a man bought at a thrift store for $2.48 and later sold at auction for $477,650. This just shows what's out there to be found at places like thrift stores and garage sales. Some people dismiss thrift stores because they're typically more expensive than garage sales, and some may assume that the good stuff never gets put on display. But, you really should include thrift stores in your search for eBay products. And, don't be discouraged if you go and come out empty handed. Products are constantly being added to thrift stores, so you have to keep going back.

Be sure to also check the shoe racks. There are almost always some used shoes or cowboy boots that can sell easily on eBay.

Business Plan for your eBay Business

Ask yourself these simple questions. Are you serious about making your eBay Store or online auction business a success? Do you want to make your eBay Store or home business your full-time career? Do you have a business plan good enough to gain an SBA loan?

If you answered yes to the first two questions but no to the first question about having a business plan in place, you may be headed for serious trouble. If you want to have your eBay Store be your primary income, then you have to start treating your eBay business like a true Business. And, a true Business has to have a business plan.

To read more of this article on how a business plan can help your eBay business bottom line, go to our eBay Selling site and read more about SBA business plans.

Generating Traffic to your eBay Store

Do you already have an eBay store and need more traffic? Try using a technique that website owners use: submit to free article sites.

Here's how it works. You write an article about your product. Say you sell juicers. You can write articles about juicing, what vegetables to juice, etc. These articles should be around 350 to 600 words. Then, go to some of the better article sites and submit your article. If they have a place for your bio, then tell who you are, including a link to your eBay store. Your article will be viewed by people searching for the items you sell, as well as website owners who can take your article and put it on their websites, along with the link back to your eBay store.

This is also a great way to get your page picked up by the search engines, so that people searching for your item can find you by going to the search engines.

The better article sites are GoArticles.com; EzineArticles.com; Searchwarp.com; and iSnare.com.