Selling on eBay Gets Cheaper!

If you've ever tried selling on eBay, you know that the fees really break the bank.

However, eBay is always changing and of the many changes that they have made the one that I thought might be of interested to those of you looking to make some extra cash from home, is a reduction in listing fees. On eBay a listing fee is the fee eBay charges you to just list an item. The amount of the listing fee is based on your starting price.

It's purpose, besides letting eBay scoop up your money, is to keep poor quality listings from flooding the eBay market. Imagine how easy it would be list each and every item in your waste basket for sale, if you didn't have to worry about paying a listing fee. Then if it sold, yipee! and if it doesn't sell, there's no loss to you. By imposing a listing fee, eBay keep those kinds of garbage listings off the market and improves their buyer's experience.

eBay has since realized that people who only list occasionally are being turned off by listing fees and now offer every seller 5 free listings a month. That mean's no listing fee, regardless of the starting price, for 5 items you list on eBay each month. So with less pressure, why not clean out some of your junk that other people might just pay for! Now just because you get 5 free listings a month, doesn't mean that you should waste them on rubbish items. List things that are in good condition and have a real value to them. Make it worth you time.

If you have things that you're pretty sure won't sell either wait for your next garage sale or think about donating it to a local charity. Of course, your donation to a non-profit charity is tax deductible, so make sure to get a receipt.

Good luck!

Cash4Books Pays You For Your Used Books

Got a bunch of books just sitting around the house? Maybe you've already read them, maybe you bough but now have lost interest in reading them. Turn those books into cash!

Cash4Books.net is a great company that pays you for your books. They even pay the shipping to get your books to their processing center. All you need to do is gather your books and visit their website. Enter your book's ISBNs and they will give you a quote. Then print out their free shipping label and send your books off. Once they receive and process your books, they send you a payment.



Books are typically pretty bad sellers at garage sales, so why not turn those books you don't want anymore into some cold hard cash. This is about as easy at it gets! Good luck!

Monetizing Your Blog: Part I

This is the first in a series of posts on different ways to monetize your blog or website.  Check back for more articles on making money with your blog or website.

Blogging has exploded in recent years.  As websites make publishing content more and more simple, everyday web-surfers with limited knowledge of building a website (like myself) are able to blog.  Blogging is a good way to get your opinion out there, but if you have good readership the potential for generating from revenue is there.  

One of the giants in the world of monetization is Google's Adsense, however I'd like to introduce a few other companies that you should consider.

Chitika

One of the top alternatives to adsense is Chitika.  Chikita once offered multiple ad formats, but they have recently combined their formats into what they call Chitika Premium.  It still offers you the option of customizing you ad box to match the color scheme on your blog or website and they also have various sizes from which to choose.  This is a great place to start earning money with your blog.

AdBrite

AdBrite is another ad compnay that follows the same ad format that Google setup with Adsense.  They are fairly simliar to Chitika.  I use them more for advertising than for monetizing, but I've used them on a few of my blogs and generated some money.  AdBrite is another good place to start.  

Just remember not to over monetize your blog because a lot of ad clutter could turn some viewers off, however, under monetizing your blog could result in under performance when it comes to bringing in revenue.  

Selling on Criagslist

Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) is an online classifieds service that is basically free for everyone. Craigslist does generate some income by charging fees for businesses and related listing in certain areas. I first started using Craigslist when I was looking for used cars or boats. However, the potential of Craigslist should not be overlooked. Anyone who isn't locked in a cave underground will have heard of the huge auction site eBay.

Ebay is an online giant and attracts millions of visitors in traffic which makes it look very attractive to sellers. However, you should keep in mind that eBay charges sellers not just to list an item, but they also take a percentage of your final winning bid. Therefore some may find eBay's fee cut too far in to their profits that listing items there may not be worth it. That's where Craigslist comes to rescue.

Although Craigslist does not generate the kind of traffic eBay does, it is gaining popularity around the world. If you have things at home you are trying to get rid of, such as furniture or baby clothes or even tupperware, you can list it all for free on Craigslist. My mother has also done well for herself selling her crafts she sews at home. Craigslist has great categories and search option that make finding your item easier than you think. Also, Craigslist sorts listing by area or region, therefore you will target local customers that will most likely be able to pick up your item, alleviating the need to ship you item. (However, this also limits your customer base.) Craigslist is great for larger items especially like furniture that would otherwise be unpractical to sell online due to the enormous cost of shipping such a large item.

Craigslist PROS
-Absolutely free
-Good for listing large, unshippable items
-Listings by category
-No registration or sign-up
-No need to give financial information

Craigslist CONS
-Local listing only
-Limited traffic
-No online order form

Craigslist TIPS
-Add at least one picture to every listing
-Use an email rather than a phone number for contact
-If you are unsure about a category do a search for your item on Craigslist and see where everyone else is listing similar items.
-People are looking for bargains, put up a reasonable price but be willing to negotiate by placing "or offer" next to your price.
-List similar items in one listing, this may help you sell a bunch of items to one person.