A Los Angeles widow, Mrs. Richard Poncher, is auctioning her husband’s famous grave site so she can afford the mortgage payments on her $1.6 million house. The deceased, Mr. Poncher, is buried in a crypt right above Marilyn Monroe.

At the end of the eBay auction Mrs. Poncher will remove her husband from his resting place and deed the crypt to whoever wins the auction. According to news reports, Mr. Poncher bought the place from Joe DiMaggio. Mr. Poncher insisted he be buried face down, gazing on Marilyn Monroe in everlasting creepiness.

The new tenant will have to share Marilyn with the founder of Playboy Magazine, Hugh Heffner, who has the crypt next to her reserved.

What is so amazing to me is how poorly the auction is written. There isn’t even a photo. Here is a link to the auction:

It is amazing that the auction is up to $4.5 million. The problem is I don’t believe many of the bidders will follow through. Usually auctions of this type are run as private auctions and you have to register as a serious bidder before being allowed to bid.  Mrs. Pochner should have hired an eBay Trading Assistant like ShopItLA in Beverly Hills.  She would have real bidders who can actually write a check for what they bid on.

If you would like to learn how to sell on consignment on eBay, look at the link below to my eBay consignment business training manual.

How To Make Money With an eBay Consignment Business – Complete training manual written by an eBay PowerSeller who sells on eBay every day. Comes with forms, ads, contracts and step-by-step instructions.

The eight finalists, two in each of the four categories, were selected based on their perceived business challenges and obstacles, clarity of business plan, passion for using eBay and appropriateness to the contest’s theme.

Each of the four challenge winners will receive a $25,000 business grant from eBay, as well as marketing services and support from eBay; runners-up will each receive a $5,000 grant.

If you would like to vote for your favorite, go to: http://sellerschallenge.ebay.com/.     Even if you are not interested in the challenge, I suggest you watch the videos as several of them are a good lesson in business focus and niche marketing. New sellers who are struggling with figuring out what to sell will find the videos very helpful.

There is also a link on the page with tips for writing a business plan that readers may find helpful.

Here are the finalists with their eBay usernames. You may want to look at their auction listings to see what and how they do what they do.

Current or Former Members of the U.S. Armed Forces

Thomas Costello Jr. “tmctechnologies”

·        Member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve

·        Sells used computer equipment and components that wouldn’t really be able to be sold anywhere except eBay

·        Lives in Chicago, IL

Jesse Carmona “jessesrm”

·        Runs a nonprofit group called the Whittier Baseball Club 3.0 and uses eBay to raise funds and buy equipment for the group, which aims to help student athletes afford equipment and succeed in school

·        Lives in Whittier, CA (20 miles SE of LA)

Individuals or Small Business Who Have Not Sold on eBay

Tori Nichel “torinichel23”

·        She is a women’s fashion designer who would like to establish her online presence through eBay

·        Lives in Brooklyn, NY

Sam Widman “samuelw”

·        Is in the process of starting a company called “Recycled Cycles” using eBay as his store front to sell cleaned up motorcycles the buyers can “fix up”

·        Lives in Albany, GA

Part-Time Sellers Wanting to go Full-Time

Ryan Michelle Pugh “livclean”

·        She sells a variety of products she really believes in and that she thinks help people “live clean,” such as nutrition supplements, healthy chocolates and resistance bands

·        Lives in Las Vegas, NV

Silas Martine “smmbmm”

·        After being laid off last month, Silas is looking to join his wife, Bertha, as a full-time seller on eBay

·        Their video features their adorable son who is six and expresses how much they need more space to keep the business growing (his closet has been taken over)

·        Lives in Lakewood, CA (20 miles S of LA)

Full-Time Sellers Wanting to “Go Big”

Janell Anderson-Ehrke “grow_nebraska”

·        Grow Nebraska is a nonprofit that seeks to maximize the state’s entrepreneurial and small business spirit

·        She would use the funds to help grow the program, which is a major conduit for Nebraska-based artisans/producers to sell their products

·        Lives in Holbrook, NE

John P Eastman “thelistener”

·        Sells vintage audio electronics and accessories

·        He is hoping to further grow his business and be able to give back to the community more

·        Lives in Wells, Maine

See Also

• Learn How To Sell on eBay With The Complete eBay Marketing System
  our flagship printed training manual teaches you how to start and run a profitable eBay business

Lorrie Norrington, President, eBay Marketplaces announced that eBay’s annual convention, eBay Live, has bit the dust.  The last eBay Live was in Chicago in June of 2008. At that event, Norrington announced that eBay Live 2009 was cancelled but that eBay would resume holding eBay Live with an event in Orlando in August of 2010. Yesterday’s announcement confirmed several rumors that eBay would also cancel the Orlando event.

eBay’s announcement stated that eBay On Location is:

“…a new program that will bring eBay fun, learning and networking to cities around the country in 2010. eBay: On Location will kick off in Orlando in February, replacing the previously announced August date for eBay Live! Many sellers and buyers have told us that although eBay Live! is a terrific way to learn and network, they would enjoy more local events that don’t require costly travel. eBay: On Location will provide just that – an easier way for you to come together, learn about eBay from experts and each other, network and, of course, celebrate. Our goal is to provide eBay: On Location within a day’s drive for as many sellers and buyers as possible. eBay: On Location will deliver a compelling experience that will be easier on your wallet and require less valuable time away from your eBay business.”

Norrington also announced that eBay will celebrate its 15^th anniversary with an On Location,  “family friendly event” in eBay’s hometown of San Jose, CA. on August 15^th.

Karen and I have attended every eBay Live since the first one in Orange County, CA in 2002. Although I will miss it, I think this is a good move for eBay. In this economy, sellers would be reluctant to spend $1000 or more per-person that it takes to attend the event when you factor in travel, hotels, meals and the cost of the event itself.

eBay needs to repair its relations with sellers and a series of smaller events that allow more personal interaction with sellers could be a good step. I just returned from a small Amazon event in Seattle (see next story below) that set the perfect tone for the type of event eBay could hold.

Just before I posted this, a Wall Street Journal reporter called me about eBay Live. Here is a link to his article: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/07/14/ebay-live-is-going-going-gone/

Amazon Sellers Gather in Seattle

I spent last weekend (July 11-13) at a conference of Amazon sellers put on by SCOE (Sellers Conference of Online Entrepreneurs).  This was a highly fun and informative event attended by 250 independent sellers who sell on the Amazon.com platform. The event was not sponsored by Amazon, but Amazon provided speakers and a visit to Amazon’s headquarters, situated on Beacon Hill in Seattle that offers a breathtaking view of Seattle, the Puget Sound, the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountain Range.

Compared with the last eBay Live in Chicago and reports I have received from other eBay events, , I was struck by the positive atmosphere and genuine mutual respect that Amazon employees and Amazon sellers have for each other.

The event was focused, upbeat, and contained valuable learning opportunities for sellers. The keynote address was given by Peter Faricy, Amazon’s VP of Seller Services. Peter drove a very clear stake in the ground when he made it clear that Amazon values, and wants more, independent sellers on the platform. His statement: “Amazon is a customer driven company and we consider our sellers to be customers too…” drew wide applause and set just the right tone for the rest of the day that consisted of several excellent seminars and feedback sessions put on by the 25 Amazon employees and executives who attended. The next day’s visit to Amazon’s Headquarters provied a 2-hour Q&A with top Amazon executives and managers.

If you would like to learn how new sellers can get started on Amazon, go to Amazon Services. Another resources is Steve Lindhorst’s excellent training manual, Selling on the river (see below for more info).

See Also

• Selling on The River – A complete training manual with videos that teaches small online sellers how to sell on Amazon.
  Learn how to sell on the world’s largest shopping platform, Amazon.com

Before I get started let me clear something up.  A lot of people have complained that I don’t post their responses to my blog posts.  Unfortunately this blog is not moderated and posting is turned off. I would love to do this, but the simple truth is that I just don’t have the time. If you want to comment or ask a question, please go to my home page (www.skipmcgrath.com). Scroll to the bottom where you will find a contact form.

Now, Let’s get started. I have been to every eBay Live since the first one in Anaheim that fit in the space of a small hotel ballroom. For us eBay Live was an annual chance to meet and greet our readers, network with other sellers, get first-hand info from third party providers, see new products and services first hand –and most importantly, to recharge our eBay batteries.  This year we couldn’t find a place to plug in.

Signs of eBay cost cutting were evident everywhere. There were fewer eBay employees in attendance, fewer events with food and drink, lower cost entertainment, fewer vendors on the show floor, fewer seminars, fewer promotional items –in general less of everything. The cost cutbacks were most evident at last night’s gala.

The eBay applause tunnel was wider and shorter, the food simpler (lasagna and chicken), no more massage chairs, only one on-floor game, no more performance art and lower cost entertainment (a juggling group and Chris Izacks).  I heard eBay batting around numbers like 10,000 attendees at eBay Live.  Sorry but I never saw them. I am not an expert at judging crowd sizes, but I think 6-7000 would be a generous estimate and the gala had fewer than that.

To be fair, the slow economy and high fuel costs probably contributed, but as I look back, eBay’s own promotion of the event this year seemed lacking when compared to previous years.

I think that was a mistake on eBay’s part.  Given all the controversy and hard feelings from sellers over eBay’s new policies, this was not the year to cut back.  The whole point of eBay live is a seller appreciation event. Since eBay decided to cancel the 2009 event they could have used that money to make this year’s event bigger and better.

Many of the meetings where sellers were allowed to ask questions were highly contentious.  eBay is probably wishing that they had banned video cameras. Members were filming the meetings and putting the clips on YouTube within minutes.  Just go to YouTube and search eBay Live 2008. Some of the videos are really shocking.

There was plenty of news –and new policies announced and clarified. Some of them require quick action by sellers. Let’s look at a few.

First some good news for newer and smaller sellers

All sellers – now only 3 DSR ratings needed in 30 days for promotion in Best Match search results
eBay will elevate listings in Best Match for sellers with a 4.7 or higher across all four DSRs. To qualify for this boost in exposure, sellers have needed at least 10 DSRs left by buyers in the previous 30 days. (Without this minimum number, a seller’s listings would receive normal exposure.)

eBay listened to lower-volume sellers – that this bar was set too high. Now, sellers with DSRs of 4.7 or more will only need 3 DSRs left in the past 30 days to have their listings promoted. You can check your Seller Dashboard to see if your items are getting extra exposure in search.

eBay will soon make it impossible to email members directly  who ask questions with anonymous email forwarding

Starting in September eBay will “anonymize” email addresses sent through the member-to-member communication system (Ask Seller a Question, Reply to Question). eBay will replace the sender’s email address in the “From” field with a temporary anonymous address, and replies will be routed through eBay for processing prior to delivery. In turn, when recipients hit the “reply” button, their email address is also replaced with a temporary email address, which will then be routed through eBay before being sent to the original sender. And, starting in September, email addresses will no longer be allowed in listing descriptions. I asked the folks at Trust & Safety if we could put our direct email address in the body of the email, but they said they didn’t know.  I suspect that emails through eBay will not allow URLs or email addresses.

Required soon – Specified shipping, return policy, item condition, & handling time:

Starting in July, sellers will be required to specify their shipping cost and services. Then later this fall, sellers will also be required to specify : item condition (whether the item is new or used), your handling time (how long it will take you to put the item in the mail), and whether or not you offer a return policy, and if so, what the terms are.

More rewards for PowerSellers
eBay did add some new PowerSeller rewards to further encourage and top performing sellers:

• PowerSellers with 4.9 or higher across all four DSRs will receive a 20% discount on their final value fees.
• PowerSellers may now receive savings of up to 23% of UPS Ground Daily Rates in addition to the current UPS Special Savings Program for eBay sellers.

Now the bad news for small to medium sellers: It looks like eBay will abandon the “Level playing field concept.” Until now, eBay has always rebuffed pleas from large sellers for volume discounts. In the latest announcement by Jim Ambach’s replacement, Dinesh Lathi, eBay created a new Power Seller level called the Diamond level.  The Diamond level is for PowerSellers with $500,000 or 50,000 items in sales a month, who also maintain 4.8s or above across all their DSRs

Dinesh announced that eBay may consider “alternative fee structures”  (i.e. discounts) for Diamond PowerSellers. Consideration for alternative fee structures will be made on a case by case basis. This has already happened with Buy.com who sells on eBay under the user ID, Buy. The effect of this –offering lower listing fees to large sellers means more items from large sellers that could potentially swamp listings in certain categories –especially media (books, movies, music, etc.)

Here is A quick “listing update” checklist from Dinesh’s announcement:

1. 1. Remove any links to 3rd-party sites to stay in compliance with recent updates to eBay’s Links Policy (Read eBay’s previous announcement for details).
   2. Specify shipping, return policy, item condition & handing time in the specified fields. This information will be required soon so now’s the time to get started.
   3. Remove any email addresses from your listing descriptions by September.

So we are heading for the airport and home. I have started on my next newsletter and am trying to get it out by next Wednesday. So stay tuned and look for my next email.  If you haven’t subscribed, just go to http://www.skipmcgrath.com/newsletters to sign up. It’s free, and we don’t spam our readers and rent or sell their names.

See Also

• FREE Newsletter for eBay Sellers
  The eBay Seller’s News is the oldest and largest newsletter for professional eBay sellers – Now in our 8th year of publication
• Ten Little Known, Highly Profitable eBay Niche Businesses Anyone Can Do
  Having trouble figuring out what to sell on eBay or how to get started? Check out our best selling book and get a discount on The Complete eBay Marketing System

There were about 300 people at the event which was held at the Alhambra Palace –a retro-kitsch Middle Eastern themed restaurant with a Lebanese band and Belly Dancers, tons of free food and booze and about 300 party-till-we-drop eBay PowerSellers.

For those of you who don’t know the history, Alibaba is a wholesale sourcing website that lists thousands of companies outside the US who are looking for eBay and online sellers to buy merchandise from exporters in dozens of foreign countries –mostly in the Far East, but actually from many countries.  Problems started a few years ago when eBay wanted to expand into China, but Alibaba’s parent company was already the big auction site in China and they went head to head. I don’t have space here for all the details and background (which is very interesting if you Google “eBay + Alibaba” but suffice to say there is no love lost between eBay and Alibaba.  Alibaba was set to exhibit at eBay Live in San Jose a few years ago, and right before the show, eBay kicked Alibaba out in favor of their competitor, www.globalsources.com.

So Alibaba –thinking fast, conceived one of the greatest Guerrilla Marketing tactics of all time:  When you got off the airplane at the San Jose Airport, there were dozens of well-dressed nice people saying “Welcome to eBay Live. Here is your free tote bag.”  They were also standing on all the corners leading to the convention center and at all of the bus and metro stops.  The result was that thousands of eBay Live attendees were walking around eBay Live toting the Alibaba signature bright orange tote bags.   And Alibaba took over the Presidential Suite in the hotel across the street from the convention center where they held a free lunch and gave PowerPoint presentations to hundreds of eBay sellers about importing and the Alibaba services each day.

eBay decided to cast their lot with Alibaba’s leading competitor, www.Globalsources.com.  So what is interesting about this story?

Well Alibaba isn’t allowed anywhere near eBay. Tonight’s party was originally sponsored by PESA, The Professional eBay Seller’s Alliance, but at the last moment, the Ecommerce Merchants Trade Association –an offshoot of PESA, suddenly became the sponsor.  And Global Sources –what became of them?  I looked all over the floor at eBay Live for them and they were nowhere to be found.  It seems they didn’t want to support eBay Live this year.  And who is the loser in this story –it’s us, the eBay sellers. Alibaba and Global Sources are both good companies who provide a valuable service to eBay sellers –but neither one of them is in the Solutions Center (trade show floor) at eBay Live.

Importing is a fast growing area of profits for eBay sellers and it would be so cool if sellers could meet with both companies and evaluate them and see for themselves which one they want to work with. It’s such a shame that the sellers who pay the fees that provide the profits to increase the stock options of eBay’s management and employees are the ones that lose.

Other news from eBay Live

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, if you want really up-to-date news from eBay Live, check in with www.auctionbytes.com.  Ina Steiner is blogging much more often and more on top of the news than I am.  But two things came out today that are interesting.

eBay will soon no longer allow third party checkout. So  if you use a service like Vendio (like I do) you can no longer use Vendio’s check out service that exposes your customers to other products you have to sell in your Vendio store (because eBay doesn’t earn fees on those).

The other news is that eBay will announce in the morning that sellers with a 4.9 or above rating (on all 4 levels) will now get a 20% reduction in eBay final value fees.  So that is good news for good sellers. Twenty percent is a pretty substantial fee discount.  It will be interesting to see how many sellers hit the 20% threshold.

See Also

• The 2008 Version of The Complete eBay Marketing System teaches you everything you need to know to succeed on eBay
  Updated for 2008, the Complete eBay Marketing System takes you step by step through starting and running a full-time eBay business.

I always look forward to eBay Live. It is a chance to meet and greet many old friends and make new ones, see the latest third party technologies and services, talk to key eBay employees one on one and basically recharge my eBay batteries.  But this year has been a big yawn so far.  OK – It’s only the first day and yes the big announcements are scheduled for tomorrow, but what happened to all the people?

I was really looking forward to Chicago –its central location in the US should have made it as big a draw as Las Vegas –but not so.  This is easiest the smallest eBay Live since Anaheim in 2002. There is just no one here.  If I had to guess I would put the number of registered attendees at around 5,000 –far less than the 10,000 who went to Boston and the 15,000+ who were in Las Vegas.  Las Vegas was so popular that people were scalping tickets.  If I had extra tickets here I couldn’t give them away.

At previous eBay Lives’ the registration lines stretched on forever. This morning we were in line and registered in minutes. The solutions floor used to be huge with over a hundred exhibitors…It took all 3 days to see all the booths. Today there are so few exhibitors you can see the whole floor in a couple of hours.

The biggest difference is the lack of energy and excitement. There used to be such a high level of energy –people in funny hats and people elbowing each other out of the way to get pins and collectibles.  When we went to Vegas, New Orleans, San Jose and Orlando there were signs at the airport and welcome signs all over town. Everyone knew eBay was in town.  In Chicago no one seemed to notice. We didn’t see any welcome signs at the airport and there was nothing outside the convention center.

The seminars were the one bright point.  There are plenty of really great sessions with great speakers and topics so eBay Live is still a great learning event.

You are probably reading this and thinking “Skip, you are telling me to sell on eBay, but it sounds like eBay is over.”  No – I think eBay is still very viable. I am meeting plenty of sellers who tell me business is great –and although my business was down it is now coming back strong.  So eBay is far from over. What I think has happened here is that so many sellers have been turned off by the new policies they just didn’t care. Basically eBay has a PR problem and it’s not with the general public –it is with the community. I will be talking about this over the next few days and in my newsletter next week.

There is some news and there will be some announcements tomorrow.  And some of the news is important to sellers. I am not a news blogger, but the de-fatigable, Ina Steiner is. I suggest you go to Auctionbytes.com where Ina is covering all the important news and headlines. Ina is blogging several times a day so you can get the latest news. Then I will be giving you my analysis of the news a few days after the show.

World Wide Brands Rolls out their new product.

‘It’s live. You have to move fast…

It’s finally here. Today you’ll get the 6th and final video in the ‘Beat the Recession with eCommerce’ series by Worldwide Brands. You can view it here:

In this video, you’ll see why the members of the Worldwide Brands community are among the most successful eBiz owners on the internet. And you’ll finally get a chance to take a look at a new educational product that I’m very excited about. These past few weeks, you’ve seen the free videos by Worldwide Brands in the ‘Beat the Recession with eCommerce’ series. So you know what kind of ‘top-notch’ material they produce. But what you saw was just the tip of the iceberg. They’ve spent the past 12 months creating new videos, tools and resources to grow your internet business.

Way more than what could fit in a single video series. Worldwide Brands took every single trick, technique and strategy they’ve learned in the past 8 years and poured it into something that will have a major impact on your business. It’s called ‘The Whole Sale’. Click here to see it:

It cost over a quarter of a million dollars to produce and it’s literally an encyclopedia of product sourcing information. There is nothing like it currently available. If there was one resource I would say is ‘absolutely vital’ for your internet business, it would be ‘The Whole Sale’. Here’s why:

The two main questions everyone always asks is ‘what do I sell and where do I get it’. ‘The Whole Sale’ answers those questions and more from the #1 provider of product sourcing information online. Here’s what you’ll get with ‘The Whole Sale’:

1.  19 Separate eBiz and Product Sourcing Video Courses The video courses will walk you though step-by-step how to build real internet profits. It covers everything they’ve learned the past 8 years working working with thousands of wholesale suppliers and eCommerce business owners.

2.  19 Comprehensive Online Workbooks The workbooks expand each of the subjects covered on the videos in much greater detail. Each of the courses have real world exercises and interactive self testing modules, so you’ll be able to see exactly what you’ve learned and what you need to review.

3. Worldwide Brands’ eCommerce Insider Report The world of eCommerce is always changing. So they teamed up with the research giant, Forrester Research, to bring you this ongoing report. Every single issue is jam-packed with specific, targeted information you can use to grow your online business. This report will give you insights on eCommerce and consumer behavior that 99% of your competitors will never have. It’s a huge unfair advantage for you in any marketplace you enter.

4. Worldwide Brands eCommerce Industry Forum In this forum, you’ll be able to ask questions and get answers from the real experts, that are specific to your business. This is the personal access that is rare online. Plus, they have a large collection of extra bonus material that you’ll get when you buy ‘The Whole Sale’, including a special bonus from Amazon.com Worldwide Brands has partnered with Amazon to give you 2 FREE months of ‘Selling on Amazon’ services. This alone is worth $79.98 and will allow you to expose your products to Amazon’s millions of buyers.

You also get liquidation deals from two of America’s largest B2B liquidation suppliers and inventory specials that are only available to ‘The Whole Sale’ owners. Just one of these special deals could easily pay for ‘The Whole Sale’ many times over.

All in all, it’s one impressive package and I believe it will be a key resource that can get you going if you don’t already have an online business or improve your current internet business dramatically.

Yes –as you can see from the link that this is an affiliate program that I earn money on when you buy, but if you have been one of my readers for a while, you know I never recommend anything to you that I wouldn’t recommend to my sister. I have seen the product and can say without reservation that I personally endorse this new product and that it is well worth the money.  Best of all, we are now in a multi-channel world. If you want to make money online and enjoy the benefits or working from home you need to move beyond eBay and this product will help you if you sell on eBay, Amazon or your own website.

You’ll be able to get ‘The Whole Sale’ at a discounted price today, Thursday, at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. But, you must move fast because in addition to the other bonuses I just mentioned, we have some incredible fast action bonuses lined up for the first 125 people who purchase.

Click Here to see the final video and get a preview peek at the new product with some great bonuses for those who purchase early.

I think you’ll agree, that with everything you get with ‘The Whole Sale’, this will be one of the biggest bargains you’ll see all year. Let me know what you think.

Instead, eBay plans to hold a series of small events around the country during 2009.  The cities have not been announced yet, but will be announced at eBay Live 2008 in Chicago.

In the announcement Lorrie also said:

"In 2009 we are focusing our energy on smaller venues to facilitate more face-to-face interactions with our customers and community. While I can’t yet name all of the places we’ll be visiting in 2009, I can say that we intend to spend more quality time with more of you in 2009 than we have in recent memory. So while eBay Live! will not be held in 2009, we will be back with eBay Live! on August 12-14, 2010 in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center."

 Lorrie have you ever been to Orlando in August?  Do you have any idea how crowded, hot and humid Orlando is in August?

eBay just opened registration to eBay Live in Chicago, June 19-21, 2008. Registration is $75 per person if you register before April 30th.  You can also obtain a Priority Pass for $125, but these go very fast –I doubt if they will be available more than one week.  Basically a Priority Pass allows you to jump to the head of the line and to obtain special up front seating at most of the events at eBay Live including the keynote address and the eBay Live Gala.

They are a bit expensive, but Karen and I invested in them last year and they really came in handy.  The line for the Gala was over 2 hours long, but we got in within 15 minutes.

You can register at ebay.com/ebaylive. Once you register you will also get a chance to pick hotels from a block of hotel rooms eBay has set aside. I did this and got a great discount at a 4-star hotel close to the convention center. However basically any downtown hotel will work as there is a shuttle from most hotels to the convention center.  Here is a link to the shuttle map and the hotels. https://www.xpressreg.net/register/eblv068/eBayshuttle.pdf

You can also still find great deals at www.hotwire.com. When you search for hotels a lot of the airport hotels come up but I would avoid those as there are plenty of affordable hotels right downtown.

I will be speaking at this year’s eBay Live. I am joining with WorldWide Brands to do a presentation on the topic of wholesale sourcing.  Stay tuned – I will give my readers the exact date and times as soon as they are confirmed.

If you have never attended, here is some of what goes on at eBay Live:

• Attend our education classes, labs, and discussions designed to help you grow your business
• Walk the Solution Center floor where you’ll get to meet companies that will help streamline your eBay business
• Develop relationships with hundreds of sourcing companies in the newly added ASD/AMD Sourcing Pavilion
• Hear eBay gurus explore the latest updates and insights into eBay
• Network with thousands of Community members-and maybe even a star or two-to share, learn, and celebrate
• Learn new ways to accelerate your profits
• Celebrate another great eBay Live! at the Closing Gala, complete with dining and dancing

Hope to see you there.

See Also

• 2008 Complete eBay Marketing System release by Skip McGrath
  eBay PowerSeller Skip McGrath has just released the new 2008 update version of the best-selling Complete eBay Marketing System

If you run an eBay business, be sure and put this in your calendar for next Tuesday at Noon Pacific – 3PM Eastern Time.

PESA (Professional eBay Sellers Alliance) and ECMTA (eCommerce Merchants Trade Association) are pleased to announce a round table conference call for all eBay power sellers and all other interested parties. Last week eBay announced a series of bold sweeping changes. This community roundtable discussion is an open invitation to all powersellers to discuss these changes and better understand how they will affect all our businesses in the near future.

DSR, Finding 2.0, Feedback, Fees and other topics that will soon affect all eBay sellers.

This important call is a timely opportunity for us to exchange ideas and share the best practices that we as a community will need to adopt going forward into the uncertainty that we face together over the next few months.

PESA and ECMTA are trade organizations for all sellers. Our collective voice has already evoked considerable positive change in the eBay marketplace. For more information about these trade organizations please visit their dedicated websites.

PESA/ECMTA are facilitating and hosting the call. This is your conference call. Let your voice be heard.

Tuesday February 12, 12 noon PST (eBay time) ; 3 PM EST

Call-in instructions:

1. At the specified time, dial the Access Number 1.404.920.6689
2. When prompted, enter your Participant Code followed by #
3. Your Participant Code is: 657175 #

This is a teleconference you do not want to miss.

——————————————————-
Baghdad Bob is alive and well on a new T-Shirt for eBay sellers

One of my readers sells T-shirts on eBay and CafePress.  If you don’t link eBay’s recent changes, check out this link to see a great T-shirt.  I am betting we will see a few of these being worn at eBay Live this year.

Here is the link: http://www.cafepress.com/sanitymad

See Also

• FREE Wholesale Search Engine for eBay Sellers
  Completely free search engine helps eBay sellers find wholesale products to sell on eBay. No registration or fees required.

If this is you, please join me and Jen Cano from Magniphy.com for a free one-hour webinar on Unique Wholesale Sourcing methods. This online webinar will allow you to see a presentation and listen in on the phone as Jen and I discuss four new methods to source products for eBay

The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15th at 5:00 PM pacific Time / 8PM Eastern Time

The webinar will go for 45 minutes and then we will allow 15 minutes for questions. I will show you some of the products I drop ship on eBay every day and how to find wholesale sources for them as well as other sourcing tips, tricks and techniques.

At the end of the webinar we will also have some additional information on our upcoming Wholesale Sourcing Seminar in Las Vegas, so if you are thinking of registering for that, or would just like to hear more about the seminar –or if you just want to learn more about wholesale sourcing for eBay, then be sure and join us.

Click Here to Register for the FREE Webinar.

Don’t wait – sign up today.  Once you register you will see a link that you can click on to automatically add the event to your outlook calendar…and we will send you a reminder email a few hours before the event.

******************************************

New Item

Exciting New Product Coming Soon from The Internet Marketing Center.

I just got a sneak preview of the newest training product from Derek Gehl at the Internet Marketing Center.

This is a completely new system that anyone with basic computer and internet skills can put into practice within days to start making serious amounts of money on the internet.  BUT…It is limited to the first 250 customers.  When you see what the product is you will understand why they have to have this limit.

This totally new turnkey system will be introduced on January 24th. But, the only way to get a look at it is to register first.  Take a look at this 2-minute video to learn more about this.  There is no cost to join the announcement list and when you see what this is you will be really blown away.  Believe me this will sell out within a few hours of the announcement, so you really need to be on the list.

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