Why is starting an eBay business so appealing?

How do you turn your hobby selling on eBay into a successful eBay home business? That’s what I wanted to know when I interviewed Jason Carroll a successful entrepreneur and one of the world’s top work-at-home consultants.

Jason started his eBay business in late 2008 and since then he has scaled it up to a million pound operation.

In the following interview transcript I present what I think are the keys to successful eBay selling and Jason gives me his opinions, after all he is the expert!

My Question: How important is researching your products and potential market on eBay before listing products for sale?

Jason’s Answer: Researching eBay before listing a product or launching a store will answer the following 5 questions that are vital to your success as an eBay Seller:

• Is there a market for this product?
• How much is this item worth?
• Is the profit margin there?
• How much competition is there?
• Can I compete with the competition?

You need to know the answer to at least the first three of these questions before you bother to list something on eBay.

If you do not put in this market research then your eBay business could be doomed to fail before you even list your first item.

My Question: How important is it to the success of your eBay business that the products you are selling are both easy to package and not too expensive to ship?

Jason’s Answer: This is critically important! This was one of the first processes in my eBay business that I made as automated as possible.

I see far too many eBay sellers go out of business because they are either spending far too much time packaging or posting their items that they are not concentrating on selling or their items cost so much to send out that customers are not willing to purchase their item.

Take this foolish example:

Suppose you want to sell British seaside pebbles and rocks on eBay. It cost £25 to ship each rock to a European address and even more to send one anywhere else in the world. However, no one seems to want to pay more than £5.00 for a rock. You can see what would happen to your business. Obviously, it would be bust before you even started!

You need to know all the details about shipping an item before you list anything on eBay. Again just like your first question it is essential that you research everything before listing an item on eBay. Only then will you stand the best chance of creating a successful eBay business.

My Question: What would you include in the description of your products to improve chances they will sell?

Jason’s Answer: When you’re selling on eBay, the description of your products is your “Unique Selling Proposition”. It’s one of your big chances to get the viewer to want your product. (The other is the picture of the item.) So if you don’t invest time in developing a mouth-watering description of your product, you’re throwing away half your chance to sell it.

So you need to include details (such as colour, size, weight etc.) as well as features that set your product apart from other such products and make it desirable. For instance, you don’t just sell “teddy bears” on eBay. You sell “handcrafted, one-of-a-kind teddy bears”. The trick is to think like a purchaser. What would you want to know about the item? What would make you buy it?

Also, I would recommend looking at your competitor’s listings to see who is selling the most and take inspiration from them.

My Question: Some people are eager to make “LOT’S OF MONEY” with an eBay business. How realistic is this? What should your focus really be at first so that you can eventually make a decent return?

Jason’s Answer: Making a “LOT’S OF MONEY”  when you first start out is not a realistic expectation – but if you have the right products, do things right and are prepared to put in a little work and effort into your business, then making a good living is a realistic aim.

Because of the way that eBay works, your focus at first should be establishing yourself as a proven, trusted seller and building up the positive feedback you need to do this. If you want to run a successful eBay business, you have to take the time to do this.

Once you have succeeded in doing this then literally anything is possible! eBay is constantly churning out new self-made millionaires – here are some stories to inspire you.

My Question: eBay sellers can sometimes come across as unreliable, or at the very least obscure. What can you do to make buyers feel you are a serious business?

Jason’s Answer: Run your eBay business as a proper business from the get go. That means going through the steps of setting up a real business, charging appropriate taxes, following standard business practices and investing in things such as professional looking packaging.

My Question: Any books, Web sites or other reliable sources you can recommend for those who want to start a successful eBay business?

Jason’s Answer: eBay itself is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to become an eBay seller or increase their eBay sales success. Besides the resources on eBay I now offer an eBay course that teaches people EXACTLY how to set-up an eBay business.

It’s a simple 5-Part Course and it also contains a lot of general business and marketing advice.

We have a few thousand members now and already have some success stories of our own which including a work-at-home mum Katie Matthews who now makes 6-figures a year from her eBay business.

To find out more about Jason Carroll’s eBay Course and how you can start a successful eBay business – read this detailed review here.

Short Bio:

Based in the U.S. Jason Carroll a former analysis and process consultant for Fortune 500 companies – He now runs a multi-million dollar eBay and Drop-shipping business. He also runs a eBay Success Course and a Success Consulting company.

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And the truth is entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes.

There are some who are full of big ideas and are willing to plough thousands of dollars into risky projects. Then there are other more subtle entrepreneurs who prefer to work in the background and take smaller risks to experience bigger results. There are also, the people who work on their home business in their spare time and are happy to make a small amount of money to supplement their income.

Now you might be thinking that these classifications are so broad that anyone can become an entrepreneur and it is true that with the right training you can. But there are a few things that all successful entrepreneurs have in common:

• The desire to become their own boss
• The drive and enthusiasm to implement their own ideas
• The thirst to take control of their own destiny
• The determination to persevere even when things get tough
• The willingness to learn and seek advice from others

Now if you are genuinely interested in starting your own home business, then you seriously need to take into consideration the following characteristics. You may feel like an entrepreneur, but have you got what it really takes to make it work?

Problem Solving

No business is smooth sailing. You will always be confronted by problems that will need you to spend some time troubleshooting, pinpointing the problem and resolving them. It is a sad fact, but that is the reality of being an entrepreneur.

In truth it would be a rare story to come across an entrepreneur whose business is puzzle free. If it was that simple then we would all be entrepreneurs.

Creative and Persuasive

It is often said that to be an entrepreneur you need to be a visionary; that you have to have the creativity, the selling skills and the persistence to be able to persuade others: to lend you money, work longer hours, invest in new products and sell your products on favourable terms.

Without this strong desire to promote your company, product/service or new ideas, you cannot inspire others to be committed towards this visionary path and get excited.

Motivation

Your average entrepreneur is impatient, full of energy and is constantly thinking about how to improve their business – and this all stems from their desire to translate all their skills, experiences and knowledge straight into their business.

It is an undeniable fact that without motivation you cannot hope to succeed in getting your business off the floor. You need to have this impatience, this desire to run your ideas otherwise your business will fail.

Intangible Assets

The best entrepreneurs are successful because of the business skills, know-how and contacts they push into their business. They are aware of their talents, who are their best networks and which of their experiences are more valuable, and they have put taken action.

As an entrepreneur you need to make the same assessments – what can be transferred into your business idea? Will they work? If they won’t, what else can you do? Without questioning yourself and what is possible, your business will never pass its first stages.

Preparation

A successful business cannot be launched overnight. You need to be prepared to put in the time, the effort and the research to make sure your knowledge of the industry is fully transferred into your business plan.

Only once you are confident that you have done everything in your power to succeed can you comfortably take the next step.

Do you really have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

Ask an entrepreneur and they will tell you that setting up your own home business is not for the faint of heart.

Over 80% of all new businesses fail within the first 5 years – a daunting figure for any prospective business – yet these failures have occurred not through lack of experience. For many it has simply been down to making the transitional step from employer to entrepreneur.

You see, not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, so you need to ask yourself honestly: have you got the passion, the motivation and the creativity to see it through? If you have, then there will be nothing stopping you.

Most people think of at-home work as doing some type of online business, or perhaps beginning their own business in their home.  However, there are many businesses these days who are allowing their employees to do work from home.  What with available computers, broadband internet, faxes and advances in communication software, corporations are coming up with more work-from-home policies.  Oftentimes this type of set-up is more economical for all concerned.

Whether you remain with your same place of employment and work from home, or whether you are starting your own in-home business, will it work for you in your particular situation?   If we take a realistic look, what are the valid benefits of working from home?  And are there any disadvantages?  If so how can they be understood and alleviated?

Saving Money

Working from home is definitely a money saver.  The very first thought is the cost of getting back and forth to and from work.  Whether you use public transportation or gas up your own vehicle, those expenses will be a thing of the past.  Wear and tear on your vehicle will also be greatly lessened.   What about parking?  If you pay for parking five days a week, you can cross that expense off your list.  Your day-to-day wardrobe will be much different.  You can wear sweats or a T-shirt and short, or pajamas – whatever you please.  No more dressing to impress those around you.

The tax advantages also will create a savings as there are definite tax breaks for having an office in the home.  Be sure to consult an accountant regarding what can and cannot be used as deductions.

Time

For those who work at home, that time of sitting in stalled rush-hour traffic will be over and forgotten.  Think of the hours that can now be put to productive use.  Likewise, many of the distractions that are found in an office/work setting are eliminated.  Those who work at home are in a better position to spend more time with their family and to have family times together.  Likewise, you choose your hours.  Are you a night owl? Then work at night.  Are your freshest in the morning hours?  Then you have the option of getting up early and getting the work completed.

For most people who office at home, they find their work time is more productive.  They are free from the continual office noises, distractions, and interruptions.  No more stress of feeling that someone is looking over your shoulder.  You will feel freer and better able to concentrate on the task at hand.

The flip side of this picture is that family members can become a distraction especially when small children are involved.  If you are home, the kids won’t understand that you can’t come out and play catch in the back yard.  When you are at home all day, acquaintances will call and want to endlessly chat about nothing.  It’s difficult for them to comprehend that you are actually at work.  It will take tact, discipline and wisdom to avoid these problems.

Also regarding time is that fact that you are always at work when you work from home.  It is always with you.  If you are a real “workaholic,” you may have a problem stopping work. At that rate, you could easily burn out.  It will be important to learn to pace yourself and factor in some healthy down time.

Location

If you can work from home, chances are you can work from a vacation spot as well – a cabin in the mountains, a cottage at the lake, in your hotel room overlooking the beachfront.  This will be especially true if you have your own online business and are not still answering to a corporation.  If your business involves products – those of your own creation such as woodworking or culinary items or quilting – this aspect will not apply as readily.  However, no matter what business you have set up, you will still be in control of your time, so when you want to take a few days off and head to the lake, you have the flexibility to do so.

Work-At- Home Personality

While working at home may sound wonderful, not everyone can do it.  There are those who thrive on personal interaction and brainstorming.  They thrive on structure and need someone to tell them to come in at eight and leave at five.  If left to their own devices they would begin their work after their favourite TV show is over, after they walked the dog, and after they took the kids to the zoo.  If this describes you, you may not do well working from home.

The key is the motivation.  How badly do you want to be in control of your life?  How badly do you want to exit the rat race of the corporate world?  How badly do you want to be your own boss?  If your “want to” is strong enough, then any disadvantages of working from home can be overcome.  The good news is that self-discipline, goal setting, and time management are all attainable skills.   Anyone can be trained in these areas.

Summary

Look closely at all the pros and cons before quitting your day job.  If you’re still not sure, you can work at home and get a part-time job in order to make the transition a little easier.

For those who love working from home, they would not even classify what is listed here as disadvantages.  To them, it’s just part of the package.  And they’re too happy being their own boss to care what they are called.

However, it’s easy to see the attraction people have with wanting to make money from home. Not only does working from home offer you the freedom to choose your own working hours, but it also saves you the cost of petrol and environmental damage of commuting each day. Also, you get a great amount of satisfaction as you build up your own home business and start to make money from home. You have something which belongs to you and something you can be proud of.

The main problem you will face is how to go about choosing the best home based business. Perhaps you already have a product idea that you can sell, or perhaps you would rather sell products an affiliate for a company.

Choosing the best home based business is not easy and you must be willing to put in a lot of time into research before diving in head first to the first opportunity that presents itself.

You should also avoid websites that make claims of ‘quick cash’ and ‘huge earnings’ more often than not these sites are complete scams and you will learn very little from joining them.

If you are completely new to the internet then a good recommendation would be to look for companies that supply you with personal coaching, training courses and offer telephone assistance.

Legitimate companies offer this because they know that it is almost impossible to start a home business with a single PDF guide. There is so much to get your head around including:

• Setting up a website or blog
• Working with affiliate programs
• Purchasing stock
• Taking payments
• Shipping orders
• Customer support
• Advertising solutions
• Search engine marketing
• And the list goes on!

So although the trappings of being your own boss and starting a successful home business all seem very tempting it’s important to remember that this cannot happen overnight. So avoid get-rich-quick scams and programs that offer unrealistic earnings. Be prepared to put time into research and investment into starting your home business, before you can start making money from home!

Most importantly seek advice from professional companies!

The overwhelming number of people who have decided to work from home today is a clear indicator if anything about how people have changed their perspective about these jobs and seem to be taking it quite seriously today.

What makes them so special?

There are a number of reasons why you would want to go in for these jobs over the other kind of jobs. The biggest reason why you would want to care about work at home opportunities is the flexibility that this kind of job offers. After all, people constantly dream about being their own boss and when such an opportunity presents itself, you would want to take advantage of it. There are both pros and cons about being your own boss, but when you want to work at home, there is basically no option that you can choose from!

As you gain experience when you work from home, you can soon pick the kinds of work at home opportunities that you would want to take advantage of. There are many out there and not all of them pay the same. The other special thing about these kinds of jobs is that you can pick what you want to do and decide on the one that you are going to be sticking with. In many cases, your first option might not necessarily be the best one, but then, that is how you might learn and eventually, you shouldn’t commit as many mistakes. You will even reach a point when you can demand a higher pay than what is being offered so that you don’t have to work as hard as you used to before.

Do you need special skills to sign up for any job?

There are no requirements per se, but you definitely will need to have some kind of basic skills to do the job. After all, there is no such job in the world which does not require some kind of skill. It is no different with work at home opportunities either, and the kind of skill which you will make use of is dependent more or less on what kind of job you might be doing. Some jobs require you to develop new skills while others might not have any such requirement and can be done with your existing skills.

Be careful out there when you sift through the many work at home opportunities that are posted every single day. You wouldn’t want to pick something that is going to leave you dry or even an option that could prove to be very costly for you. In fact, take your time and find out all the details about the job. Some people claim that you can work from home but might expect you to report in every now and then. If it such a kind of job, you should be careful and perhaps look at something else.

My best advice would be to look towards more professional companies that offer real training and coaching on how to set-up a successful work at home business.

For all data entry jobs it has been observed that the pay depends upon your performance skills. The more you perform the more you will earn. Ideal for retired persons, ex service men, housewives, students etc, these jobs help to generate a steady income and save a lot of commuting costs to an office. This also saves a lot of money and you can be flexible and make your own work environment. Data entry jobs give you the opportunity to earn extra income and hence you can earn as per the efforts you put in. The job is very simple and hence does not require elaborate training. In fact working from home will help you save a lot of money as you do not have to commute to the office for work. You can save on both time and money and hence get the best earning potential from working at home. These jobs can be done by any person and hence is suitable for housewives, students, retired persons etc.

Till a few years ago the idea of earning from the comforts of your home was a distant dream that was unthinkable. Today, with the advent of the internet and many online earning opportunities this distant dream has now become a reality. Out of all the business opportunities that are available on the internet, one of the most effective and popular one is work from home data entry. Data entry jobs are very popular today and there are many people who are earning lucrative profits just by sitting at home. Data entry jobs give you the opportunity of getting that extra money that you need for meeting emergency expenses or is a good source of pocket money for students. Whatever be the reason these online data entry jobs are increasing day by day.

Work from home data entry jobs can be immensely beneficial to those who need to stay at home and look after small children. These jobs give the person the flexibility of working and so he or she can adjust the time of work accordingly. A person has the option of either working in the morning or in the night. These jobs do contain deadlines like other jobs but you can choose your time of work and thus meet each deadline as per your own time table.

In order to get the right data entry job on the internet you need to do some research and check into the credentials of the data entry site. You should check into the background of the company and than register. If you keep this in mind, you can earn well and hence get a steady income from work from home data entry jobs with ease.

The idea of doing an additional job is not quite attractive for many, especially for those who are already associated with tiresome jobs. But, there is something that everyone can try to make some extra money. Starting a work from home job is something that can help you earn that extra money without which you can not live a comfortable life.

There are many people who are already associated with such types of jobs, and they are quite happy with it. Actually, there are different amazing benefits that inspire people to continue with their work from home jobs.

For instance:

* As mentioned already, everyone is in need for some extra cash, and that’s where these jobs can help in a big way. You can earn as much money as you want, but you have to work for more hours.

* Another big reason why these jobs are attractive is that you don’t have to leave your regular job. It means you can continue with both these jobs at the same time.

* A work from home job is attractive because it offers a lot of money. What it means is that you can make more money by putting in more effort. In fact, it is worth mentioning that there are people who make more money in work from home jobs as compared to regular jobs. This is the reason why these jobs are fast becoming popular.

* The opportunity of doing your work at will is another great reason behind the popularity of these jobs. Many people don’t want to leave their regular jobs. They can always find a job that gives them a 24 hour deadline. In this situation, they can easily complete their work after getting back from their regular job. What it means is that these work from hope opportunities allow you to work according to your own schedule.

These are few of the most important reasons why people are now interested in work from home opportunities. They know they can always make more money by starting one such job. Though it is not easy to secure a work from home job, it is not impossible. If you are willing to do some research, you will always be able to find a job according to your skills and potential. So, consider doing one such job, but only trust authentic sources.

Apart from good organization skills one needs to have self discipline and the week’s schedule according to other events in the family, but still allowing enough hours for actually working for their work at home job. The flexibility of the schedule is the fact that you can work three hours today and four tomorrow and you can work one morning and then the next afternoon. Because you are working from home it does not mean that you are not working so it is your job to tell the member of the families as well as your friends that they should not delegate you to run errands for them. In fact you should tell them that even if you are working from home their responsibilities remain the same. Organize a corner for your work at home job and tell them that it is your office and they should treat it accordingly. You can also organize the home together with your family and make sure each of them knows where to find the things they need. This way they won’t keep calling you for every single thing they need and you will have more time to focus on your work at home job.

Training Sites – To know more about the Making Money Secrets:

If you research on the web, you can also find many websites that will provide you free training to make cash with the auctions. Even though the basic idea is to find something that is unique and then promoting it to a niche is the basic sense of approaching in this business, the simple presence of websites promising those purpose on making money secrets will also boost the income also help you to become a hot property overnight. Every day, thousand of people are joining this venture and finding their way for making money. With the help of this business venture, they are easily making money at home.

Select the right product or service:

As the market is becoming more competitive, it is very important to select the right business for you. There are different types of online business available in the internet. It is your job to select the right one for you. If you think that you are a complete fresher to this domain, you can also take the help of an experienced person who will help you to move in the right path. The growths of your business also depend upon the product or service you select. Therefore it is very important to select the right product that also has a good demand ion the market. Make sure you are selecting a product or service that can be used by all types of people. It is also important to promote quality product. The service or product you select should have the capacity to grab the attention of the people in the market.

Get The Right Business Plan:

Before you start an online business that will help you to make money, you should have the right business plan with you. There are many people who have failed in this domain only because they did not plan their business properly. It is wise to consult and expert before you start up a business.

In addition to the above mentioned advantages there are job opportunities for people from all over the world. The internet has opened up a horizon of jobs and thus you do not have to be very technically qualified. There are jobs for all people from all backgrounds. You just need to do a thorough research and then you can select the one that is suitable for you. You should be wise and make necessary enquiries before you choose your venture. If you are asked to deposit a sum of money you must make sure that you have checked all the credentials of the job site before you register. There are many people who have fallen victim to fake sites so it is always prudent to take time and check all the details of the job before deciding on what to take up.

Housewives and students can also benefit immensely from work from home opportunities. Before the advent of the internet, many women had to give up regular jobs for the purpose of looking after household chores and children at home. Now, the internet gives them to stay at home and do both with equal élan. The flexibility of work from home opportunities is immense and hence they are very helpful to women today. For students, the same benefit also applies as they do not have to venture outside their homes for part time jobs. They can now learn and earn at the same time from the comforts and the privacy of their homes easily.

Retired persons who are not in service also can benefit from these home based jobs and thus keep themselves engaged with work and the money. They so not have to depend on anyone financially and hence they can work and be happy at the same time. Thus, these work from home opportunities are ideal for every person who is above the age of 18 years and can be safely taken up for earning a decent income.