Collier - EBay Business All-in-One For Dummies

eBay Business All-in-One For Dummies, 4th Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017962213

ISBN: 978-1-119-42771-1

ISBN: 978-1-119-42774-2 (ePDF)

ISBN: 978-1-119-42770-4 (ePub)

1. Table of Contents

Ive been selling on eBay for over two decades, since before it was eBay. My fascination with ecommerce made me realize that online sellers may not have business backgrounds, and a business book would help them set up their new business professionally. The Internet changes from year to year (as does the ecommerce market), and I am obsessive about keeping my advice for small businesses updated.

My books about eBay dont just give you the information you can find in help pages; they give you the ins and outs of selling and connecting online, based on my daily experience and research. I also stay on top of the current trends in online and social marketing, test them out, and pass the results back to you. This book gives you more information than even many longtime sellers know.

I am lucky enough to have watched eBay evolve since 1996, a charter member of the PowerSeller program, and now a Top Rated Plus Seller. Running a business online has given me the opportunity to spend more time with my loved ones and have better control of my life. I can make my own schedule and enjoy what Im doing because my business makes money. Owning a small business is empowering and profitable.

But those of us who run a small business (even part time) always seem to be doing something. Buying, selling, and communicating even when going on a vacation, our businesses keep humming. Theres no 9-to-5 schedule, no regular weekends or holidays. Our stores on eBay can always be open.

Alas, all that success and freedom takes some work. Thats why you have this book.

This book will give you the basics, the hows and whys of setting up a business selling on eBay and on your own website. Ive authored several best-selling books about running a business and marketing online. This book gives you the information you need to get started in one nifty (albeit heavy) volume. You can get the info found in several books about eBay all in one place. Here are some good-to-know features of this All-in-One:

• Theres no need to read straight through all the chapters and minibooks in order. Use the Table of Contents to find information you want to learn. When you have a question, use the Index to find your answer, as you might do with a Google search.
• Within this book, you may note that some printed web addresses break across two lines of text. If youre reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply type in the web address exactly as its noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesnt exist. If youre reading this as an ebook, youve got it easy just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.
• When instructions in the book tell you exactly what to type on your keyboard, youll see those letters, numbers, and symbols in boldface type. Of course, if the instruction itself is boldface, youll see what to type in non-bold type.
• I occasionally give you key combinations to use as keyboard shortcuts. For example, when you see something like Ctrl+S, that means to hold down the Ctrl key and press S.

While writing this book, Ive made a few assumptions about you. Because you bought this book, naturally I assume youre an intelligent person with refined tastes. Kidding aside, that may well be true but the main assumption Ive really made about you is that you want to find out more about eBay and selling online.

I assume also that you

• Have a computer and/or mobile device and an Internet connection
• Are comfortable browsing the Internet
• Are familiar with email
• Are looking for a way to make some extra money
• Have checked out eBay and bought more than a few items