X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f996b,87b356e307578bce,start X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public Path: controlnews3.google.com!news1.google.com!newshub.sdsu.edu!news.glorb.com!bigfeed.bellsouth.net!bignumb.bellsouth.net!news.bellsouth.net!bignews4.bellsouth.net.POSTED!ae7a5b6c!not-for-mail From: "Lynn Dartez" Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art Subject: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHAT IF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lines: 1003 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409 Message-ID: <8d7tc.8592$ff2.125@bignews4.bellsouth.net> X-Complaints-To: abuse@bellsouth.net X-Abuse-Info: Please forward a copy of all headers for proper handling X-Trace: npbhgpngjbkmjfegdbdpiflmbcekedmfhojhikkbagflhcbobeoahbnbjdimabnejgdbonpfcaedoopckjodachdpchelimdekkjflfncmkmngeielnnjkchaccofpbehgalfiljcahmfjhnpamcehcpbdbghpni NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 16:36:20 EDT Organization: BellSouth Internet Group Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 15:39:16 -0500 Xref: controlnews3.google.com alt.ascii-art:316 Make money on eBay First how to make thousands of dollars in cash overflowing your paypal account. Or you can just skip down to the ebay section. But you'll regret not reading this first part. PLEASE do not pass this up now!! I thought you might be interested in making some extra free money alongside of what you are already doing. After all, we could all use some extra income, no matter what we do!$! How does $20,000 in two weeks sound? It IS possible... Maybe you have seen an older version of this $5 letter going around, but WHAT IF you haven't seen this NEWEST version?? WHAT IF you don't SAVE THIS LETTER...then the idea has time to sink in and you realize THIS VERSION is SIMPLE, CHEAT PROOF, LEGAL, and SPAM FREE!! Finally a proven method of making extra money on line! SAVE THIS EMAIL!! If you are already working a home business, you can do this one along with it. If not, this is the easiest way to earn $$$ online that you've ever seen! Just be sure to read it all...take your time, come back to it... go over and over it, you won't be sorry. WHAT IF I share with you a way to make some fast and easy cash, using a copy of this letter and the simplest Internet Payment System around? You have most likely seen or heard about "The Letter" $5.00 program that was recently televised on 20/20, OPRAH WINFREY, and an article published in the Wall Street Journal on 6/16/2001. If not, here it is!! WHAT IF it took only a half hour to set it up? Even if you are already in another program, stay with it, but do yourself a favor and DO THIS ONE as well. There is NO LIMIT to the income you can generate from this business!! You can do it over and over again, ANY TIME you need extra income. THE FACTS ARE SIMPLE;- IF YOU NEED TO MAKE A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS REALLY FAST, THEN THIS PROGRAM I'M GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU IS THE WAY TO DO IT! IT'S THE FASTEST, EASIEST PROGRAM YOU WILL EVER DO!!! Please read all of this, right to the very last sentence. If you don't have time now, then SAVE THIS LETTER, and read it later. Everyone has heard about " PayPal" ( if you haven't you will soon) and, when I came across this concept I knew it would work because, as a member of Pay Pal, I had already experienced their efficiency and excellent standing. PayPal is the simplest method of making and receiving payments online anyone has ever seen.! Anyone with an email address can join, for FREE! Please read further before you go there... You can complete this whole process in less than one hour and you will never forget the day you decided to do so!!! Oh! Did I say FAST? By fast I mean 'the speed of the Internet-type fast.' Everything is done on the Internet by E-mail. And, if you abide by the rules, it is NOT considered SPAM, so it's perfectly legal!NEED PROOF? Here are just two testimonials from individuals who decided to invest nothing more than a little of their time. TESTIMONIALS FROM: Tony Stevens, Vandenberg AFB, CA: Hey! I got your e-mail! YOU ROCK! I sent it to all of our frat brothers.....and while I haven't seen my $20 grand yet, I'm up to $8,285. Hook me up when you run this program again........ Mary Gathers, Columbia, SC: Hey cuz! This is Mary. I only have one thing to say to you... OH MY GOD! I sent 20 e-mail's out like you said and went on vacation. When I got back, my account was up to over $12,000! I owe you! GETTING STARTED. If you're not already a user, the very first thing you need to do is go to PayPal and SIGN UP. It takes two minutes and PayPal will deposit $5.00 in your account once you start using it. That makes this program FREE! HERE'S THE LINK: BE SURE TO USE THE LINK ABOVE, THEN SIGN UP FOR A PREMIER (FREE) ACCOUNT OR YOU'LL BE LIMITED TO ACCEPTING $100 DOLLARS ONLY!!! YOU WILL MAKE MUCH MORE THAN THIS!!! Then...... SEND a $5.00 payment from your PayPal account ($5.00 you can earn back from Paypal, which makes this program FREE!) to the FIRST email address in this letter (No.1) along with a note saying "Please add me to your mailing list." BE PREPARED TO GET EXCITED.... YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!! Don't laugh! Try this while you wait for the others to start working. One half hour of work to get started - no mailing lists. No printing, copying or waiting and the concept is 100% legal (refer to US Lottery Laws, Title 18, Section 1302 and 1341, or Title 18, Section 3005 in the US code, also in the code of Federal Regulations, Volume 16, Sections 255 and 436, which state a roduct or service must be exchanged for money received). This version has nothing to do with Postal Laws, as it' EMAIL ONLY. Here's How It Works. Unlike many other PayPal programs, this THREE LEVEL PROGRAM costs only $5, that's right, only $5 ONCE, which is much more realistic and brings much, much faster results. No cheating can occur (Don't be fooled by other PayPal letters that mention cheaters) as Paypal only allows one Account per person. Because it is so easy, the response rate is VERY HIGH, VERY FAST-Internet E-mail FAST-and you will start seeing results in less than one week! JUST IN TIME FOR NEXT MONTHS BILLS! You need only mail out 20 copies, to start with. Start right away, as soon as you pay the #1 email address below! Send to personal contacts, reply to people who send their programs to you as they are already working on the web, and they know these programs work. They are already believers in the system! Once you have paid the $5 to the number one (No. 1) email position, please send an email to the No.3 postion, with "THANKS I'VE JOINED" in the subject (topic) area, and I'll send you a copy of the "Follow Up Letter" that is FULL of TIPS and HINTS on where to obtain THOUSANDS of spam free email addresses to send to, where to find free web based email accounts to send your emails from, instructions on how NOT to lose a web based email account, and much, much MORE.This program is MUCH, MUCH FASTER and has a HIGHER RESPONSE RATE than any other program! Even if you are already in another program, stay with it, but do yourself a favor and DO THIS ONE as well. START RIGHT NOW! It's simple and will only cost $5.00 max. It will pay off long before others even begin to receive letters! Just give ONE person a $5.00 gift (REMEMBER THOUGH, this $5.00 is the $5.00 YOU GET BACK WHEN YOU START USING YOUR new PayPal account). That's all! If you already have a PayPal account, please still donate a $5.00 GIFT to the person in the No.1 spot and add your name on the list at No.3 position having moved up the remaining two. Follow the simple instructions and in two weeks you will have approximately $20,000 in your PayPal account! Because of the VIRTUALLY ZERO INVESTMENT, SPEED and HIGH PROFIT POTENTIAL, this program has a VERY HIGH RESPONSE RATE! All from just one $5.00 transaction that you can get back from PayPal!!! Follow These Simple Instructions: Click below to open your free Paypal account, and be sure to open a Premiere Account, as it does not limit you to how much money you can have deposited to your account. Then come https: https://www.paypal.com/us/mrb/pal=ES7BQ3VPG87XW back to these instructions. Once you link to the Paypal site using the link above, open your PayPal account, and E-mail the $5.00 payment to the FIRST name on the list (#.1) along with a "note" in the NOTE AREA of that page, saying "SUBSCRIBE ME TO YOUR MAILING LIST". Be certain to add this note, as this is what KEEPS THIS LETTER LEGAL. Instructions on how to send a payment are under "SEND MONEY" at the Paypal site. It's soooo easy!! Only the first person on the list gets your $5.00 gift. Edit the list, REMOVING the FIRST #.1) EMAIL ADDRESS FROM THE LIST after you have made the $5 payment. Then, move the other two email addresses UP and ADD YOUR PAYPAL EMAIL ADDRESS in the #3 position. Don't try to add your name in the first place in order to earn money fast! If you do that, you will ONLY reach people you send e- mail to then your name will be immediately removed from the No.1 place and you won't reach thousands of people! But if you add your name on the No.3 place, there will be millions of people receiving and sending e-mail's later, when your name is No.1!!! NOTE: Do not forget to replace the PayPal referring URL in the body of the letter with your own PayPal referring URL. You can find YOUR referring URL at Paypal after you join, just look at the bottom of the first page once you sign into Paypal, and click on the "referrals" link. Send out 20 copies (minimum) of this letter, but only to people you know, or respond to MLM offers. Once you've paid the person in the #1 position, be sure to email the person in the #3 position, with "Thanks, I've Joined" as a topic in the reply. You will then receive a follow up letter that is full of SPAM free hints and tips to insure your success in this version of the PayPal letter. ALSO NOTE: By sending this letter and the payment via E-MAIL, the response time is much faster... ELECTRONIC TRANSFER INTERNET FAST! Consider this! Millions of people surf the Internet everyday, all day, all over the world! Here are the 3 people to start with. Sign up, send $5.00 to the first person, move the other two up to Nos 1 & 2 respectively and add your own e-mail address at No.3. Be sure to use your email address that is associated with your PayPal account. 1. isabellacrema@hotmail.com 2. johan72329@yahoo.com 3.pldartez@bellsouth.net ************************************* There are fifty thousand new people who get on the Internet every month! An excellent source of email addresses is the people who send you offers by email. The source is UNLIMITED! It boggles my mind to think of all the possibilities! Mail, or should I say 'E-mail', your letter and payment TODAY! It's so easy. One hour of your time, THAT'S IT! To send your letter by e-mail, copy this ENTIRE PAGE and paste it in a new message of your E-mail. TO DO THIS: 1. Go in your toolbar to "edit" and "select all" 2. Go in your toolbar to "edit" and select "copy" 3. Start (compose) a new E-mail message (make sure it's PLAIN TEXT so everyone can view it!) 4. Fill in your Address and Subject Box 5. Go to "edit" and "paste" (Then you can format it anyway you want!)Now you can edit the addresses with ease. Delete the top name, adding your name and address to the bottom of the list, then simply changing the numbers. Remember, YOUR NAME goes on the BOTTOM and the other 2 names move up. But DO NOT forget to send $5.00 via PayPal (along with your note) to the position #1 - TOP E-MAIL address before deleting it! NOTE: Be sure to replace the PayPal referring URL in this e-mail of the letter with your own PayPal referring URL; THERE'S NOTHING MORE TO DO. When your name reaches the first position in a few days, it will be your turn to collect your MONEY! The money will be sent to you by 2,000 to 4,000 people like yourself, who are willing to invest one half hour to receive $20,000 in cash! That's all! There should be a total of $20,000 in $5.00 bills in your mailbox (account) in two weeks. $20,000 for one hour's work! This is real money that you can spend on anything you wish! Just deposit it to your own bank account or spend it directly from your PayPal account!!! It's just that easy!!! I think it's WORTH IT, don't you? GO AHEAD--- TRY IT!!! EVEN IF YOU MAKE JUST 3 OR 4 THOUSAND, WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE? IF YOU TRY IT, IT WILL PAY! CAN YOU DO IT AGAIN? OF COURSE YOU CAN--- This plan is structured for everyone to send only 20 letters each to start. However, you are certainly not limited to 20. Mail out as many as you want. Every 20 letters you send has a return of $20,000 or more. If you can E-MAIL forty, sixty, eighty, or whatever, GO FOR IT! THE MORE YOU PUT INTO IT THE MORE YOU GET OUT OF IT! Each time you run this program, just follow steps 1 through 3 and everyone on your gift list benefits! Simple enough? You bet it is! Besides, there are no mailing lists to buy (and wait for), and trips to the printer or copier, and you can do it again and again with your regular groups or gift givers, or start up a new group. Be SURE and PAY the first person on the list. This is proof that you paid to get put on the list which is the service rendered to make all this legal!!! Why not? It's working! Each time you receive an MLM offer, respond with this letter! Your name will climb to the number one position at dizzying rates. Follow the simple instructions, and above all, PLEASE PLAY FAIR. That's the key to this program's success. Your name must run the full gamut on the list to produce the end results. Sneaking your name higher up on the list WILL NOT produce the results you think, and it only cheats the other people who have worked hard and have earned the right to be there. So please, play by the rules and the $$$ will come to you! $$$ E-MAIL YOUR LETTERS OUT TODAY! Together we will prosper! $$$ You are probably skeptical of this, especially with all the different programs out there on the web, but if you don't try this you will never know. That's the way I felt. I'm glad I did it! I've been watching this type of program for years and this is about as easy and fast as you can get it and it can even be free to try now with Pay Pal, no stamps, no envelopes, no copies to be made - just a little effort and faith!!! This program really "Keeps It Short and Simple"! OH BY THE WAY....each time someone signs up with your link under your name... you also make $5.00 from PayPal... so they pay to open up the account but they also pay you when someone signs up from being referred by you. AWESOME! Let's all make some serious money $$$$$$ CLICK HERE TO BEGIN: Play by the rules, this doesn't cost anything but your time, and if everyone plays fair everyone WINS.FOLLOWING ARE SOME NOTES FROM THE PAYPAL SITE WHICH YOU MAY FIND HELPFUL: PayPal lets you pay anyone with an e-mail address and is the world's No.1 online payment service - it's accepted on over 3 million eBay T auctions and thousands and thousands of online shops. You can also use PayPal to pay your friends - example; it's a convenient way to split the phone bill with your roommate, send cash to your kids in college,or send cash to someone in another country. Better yet, you can also earn $5 while you do it. Each time someone signs up for an account and completes the Refer-a-Friend requirements, we'll give you a $5 BONUS! When you send money through Pay Pal, you can fund your payments with your credit card or checking account. You won't have to worry about your privacy, because PayPal keeps your accounting information safe. Making a purchase with PayPal is more secure than mailing a check or giving your credit card number to a stranger. That's why over 9 MILLION people from around the world use PayPal to move money. Signing up for a PayPal account is easy. It takes only a couple of minutes and, if you complete the bonus requirements PayPal will automatically add $5 to your account balance. To learn more about PayPal visit the web site "Best of the Web" -Forbes "Using the service is actually safer than a check or money order"- Wall Street Journal"PayPal can play a major role in your life. You can use it to pay for stuff at auction sites, settle dinner debts with friends or nudge your cousin to repay that $50 he borrowed at the family reunion.- Time MagazinePS. Does this sound too good? Well maybe to some skeptics it is. But it actually works, and is worth a few minutes of your time now. P.S.S. If You Decide to Join in on this Venture Please Return a blank Email to the third person on the list (#3) with "Thanks, I've Joined" in the Subject line. This Helps everyone keep track of their progress, and assures you will receive the Follow Up Letter. You Will Not be added to any other Email Lists. P.S.S.S. The letter is not written by PayPal, and it's creator is not an employee or contracted by PayPal to send out this letter. This is a totally independent SPAM FREE and LEGAL method of earning extra money online. *************************************************************************** ***** This is a "ONE TIME" mailing sent to those interested in Home and Business Opportunities, and to friends. Your address is not added to any other lists, so this is NOT considered spam.Thank you & good luck in your ventures. Make money on eBay and other auction sites online. They provide a hot opportunity for your craft sales. Many artists report most of their Internet revenues spring from working with online auctions. Register to become a seller at Ebay.com, the largest and most popular auction site with over 1.5 billion page views per month. One huge advantage of getting your products up on Ebay.com is that they already get the traffic you want so badly - like 12 million customers or more. You may be able to take advantage of your auction pages' traffic. However, Stoney of Island Illusions emailed me that Ebay has now tightened their policies of linking to outside sites. They will only allow you to link to your web site IF the sole purpose of the page you're linking to is to provide the potential bidders with more photos and/or information about the item or items you are auctioning on ebay. Once they have arrived to your auction related page, many of these new visitors may click through to your home page. Marketing via auctions requires time and study in the start-up phase. Later in this report, you will learn how to locate and use software exists to automate the time consuming tasks of posting auctions and recording results. It's a good idea to check out other craft items selling on the auction sites. Study the search engines at Ebay.com and the other auction sites so that you understand how they work. Don't give up the first few times you run auctions and get poor results. It takes time to get a feel for how they work. The auction phenomena is as much art as it is science and because online auctioning is still a relatively new phenomena in business, you may find yourself discovering selling techniques that no one else has used. Types of auctions Absolute auction - Products are sold to the highest bidder regardless of price. There is no minimum price set. Minimum bid auction - In a minimum bid auction, a minimum price is set that you, the seller will accept for your product. This minimum amount is shown clearly on the auction page for bidders to see. Reserve auctions - A reserve price is a specific price that you will absolutely not sell lower than. Bidders are aware there's a reserve price, but they do not have access to what it is. To win the auction, the bidder have submitted the high bid and must meet or go beyond the reserve price. Typically, when the reserve price is not met, the seller does not make the sale and the highest bidder is not obligated to buy. In general, reserve auctions are not to your advantage. A reserve price is hidden to the bidders and is an amount you predetermine the bidding must meet to win. Most people avoid reserve price auctions because they have no idea what the value of the piece is. Start your prices at the lowest amount you will accept. If the item doesn't sell, start again at a lower price or list different items. Dutch auctions - This type of auction is for selling multiple copies of the same item. An example would be 10 mugs, 17 sets of earrings or 25 pattern books. Sellers list an opening bid or minimum price along with the number of items for sale. Bidders enter the price they want to pay and the quantity to buy. All winning bidders pay the same price- the lowest successful bid. Private auctions - This kind of auction protects a buyer's privacy. Bidders' email addresses are not displayed on the item or bidding-history screens. When the auction ends, the seller is the only one who knows the winner. Private auctions can't be tracked by the bidder and so, are less popular. Costs of selling on auctions As a seller, you pay an insertion fee to list your item on an auction. Insertion fees range from $.25 to $10 or higher. When the item sells, you will be charged a value fee which ranges from 1% to 5% of the selling price. To get your item listed in bold print or as a featured item, expect to pay additional charges. I recommend you avoid spending extra money in the beginning on listing features such as bold letters. Most people will find your auction because they are searching for keywords related to your product. You might attract a few viewers from a feature listing, but your most likely prospects for placing bids will be searchers looking for specific items. Each auction is different in their fee structure, so read their terms carefully before starting. How to get started The following steps will get you to started on the auction sites. You may also want to take a look at what other craft artists are doing on Ebay.com as examples. 1. Draft a benefit laden description of your product. Gather all your images and text descriptions. Use graphic bullets to emphasize each benefit or feature. 2. Determine your minimum selling price. You may have to experiment at first. Learn what prices people will start bidding on. If you need help on pricing your craft work for wholesale or retail markets, click here. 3. Set up an account with the auction site. Each site has easy to follow instructions to guide you through the process. 4. Create your page(s) at the auction site(s) using your text descriptions and images. 5. Link to your website if your auction prices are not lower than prices shown on your Web catalog. 6. Decide which categories your item falls under - there should be several. Determine other areas your customers will visit and list there, too. 7. Save all the above info in a spreadsheet or database file or one of the software programs described later in this chapter. 8. Enter the auction site's "sell your item" page and fill out the appropriate forms. Each auction will require you to register as a seller with your own ID, user name and password. 9. You will get a confirmation page or email with a number for each auction you are posting. Write this number down or enter the number in your spreadsheet or software for tracking auctions. 10. When your auction closes, contact your winning bidder or bidders, usually within three business days. Confirm the final cost, including any shipping charges, and tell them where to send payment. When the bidder sends in payment to you, send them your item. More tips for selling on auctions . Try listing your items as both regular auctions and dutch auctions to see which type of auction produces more sales and higher profits. . Don't close your auction down early just because there are no bids. Many bidders wait until the last minute to bid. . Make your emails to potential customers friendly and it will help you create a larger group of customers. A friend of mine who sells computer parts via auctions as a full time business tells me that because he has personalized his email responses to bidders, he has built up a regular base of customers who email him regularly with requests for new offers. . With some auctions you may be able to contact losing bidders by email and offer them a product at their high bid. You know they wanted the item because they took the time to bid. Creating a database of your bidders emails provides you a list of potential customers for new products, sale items and announcements. However, avoid this on Ebay as it is against their policy. (Thanks to Deborah Spence for this update.) . Mail invitations to your auctions to your existing customers by email or post cards. Offer free shipping, discount coupons off future auctions or purchases from your Web site, free promotional giveaways and any other promotional scheme that would motivate visitors to check out your auctions or Web site. Choosing categories to list under List your items in as many categories as possible. Doing so will maximize the number of bidders you get which in turn, drives up the bid price. Take some time to peruse the categories at the major auction sites. You'll probably come up with several ideas just browsing. Don't limit yourself to categories under which your items obviously seem to fit. Look for more areas where customers go who would buy your items. For instance, if you produce handmade photo albums, one category to list under would be "Collectibles." One way to come up with different possibilities is to take your important keywords that describe your craft and create a list of related terms. I use an online service called WordTracker that has helped me come up with words and phrases people are using in actual searches. The more general the category, the more likely your auction will get lost. Try to get into specific categories. For example, say you make metal sculptures of dinosaurs. You would probably get bids listing under the following categories: Collectibles: Crafts: Handcrafted Arts Collectibles: Animals: Dinosaur Collectibles: Animals: Reptile Collectibles: Animals: Fantasy Collectibles: Animals: Wildlife Collectibles: Animation Art Collectibles: Art: Fine: Sculptures Collectibles: Metalware Collectibles: Decorative Collectibles: Science Fiction: Godzilla Collectibles: Miscellaneous Although auction sites have their own search engine under which buyers search for what they want, users are likely to go to one of the category headings first and continue narrowing their search before they use the search engine. This means the category heading is your first group of potential bidders. For example, in an Ebay.com auction you would list silver jewelry under the main category "Gemstones/Jewelry." Then you could further target visitors within that category by listing under "Jewelry: Silver: Designer, Signed." Bidders will also come from your item description which contains keywords, buyers search for. Therefore, construct your item's description using your most important keywords. Since searchers will follow the category headings toward "Jewelry: Silver: Designer, Signed," there is no need for you to include those keywords in your description. Instead, you might write a description with keywords like "sterling", "necklace", or your name as the designer. This method of listing allows you to get the most lookers from an efficient use of keyword descriptions. Most auctions have feedback ratings for buyers and sellers. Feedback ratings, positive ones that is, are the most important way of conveying trust to the potential customers who don't know you. For sellers, you can check up on your bidders to see if they have a history of not paying after winning bids. Top auction sites The following is a list of the major auction sites. Each site has its own rules but once you become familiar with how one online auction works, you will find it easier to post to other sites. http://ww.ebay.com http://www.amazon.com http://auctions.yahoo.com http://www.auctionport.com http://auctions.lycos.com http://www.haggle.com http://www.biddingtons.com Because of the rapid changes in the Internet industry, it pays to keep up with trends and reviews of auction sites. Check out the following sites that offer newsletters and articles: http://www.auctionwatch.com http://www.auctiontalk.com http://auctiontribune.com http://www.internetauctionlist.com Auction software To be successful with auctions, you must post multiple auctions and post frequently. Multiple posting by hand would be a logistical nightmare so here are alternatives that will save you time and money. For listing multiple items or many auctions, you can save descriptions in a word processing or notebook file, then cut and paste text to the "list your auction" pages at the auction sites. Ebay, Amazon, Yahoo and UAuction provide "bulk loaders" that use a table for loading multiple items. Other software programs accomplish bulk loading to auctions. Here is a list: AuctionPoster AuctionAssistant Auction Submit Bidmaster Ebay Assistant Merlin Bulk Lister reSale When looking at auction software, check for the following functions: . automatic online entry of multiple listings . write ad copy once, then recycle it . conduct large number of sales campaigns a day How to handle shipping In most mail order transactions, the buyer pays for shipping. The same is generally true for auction purchases. If you scan several listings in the auctions, you will find a variety of shipping and handling charges from various vendors. Some sellers try to raise their profits by adding on handling charges. I recommend you don't try to profit through inflated shipping costs. Auction shoppers are looking for bargains and they recognize exorbitant shipping costs. For recovering your shipping and handling expenses, include a high enough shipping price that you are reimbursed for your postage, envelope, any protective foam or wrapping and your auction commissions. Another approach is to include these charges in the amount you set as the opening bid price for the item and offer free shipping. Put the words "free shipping" in bold letters on your auction description and you will get more bids. Try both of the above methods and track the results. If you see a measurable drop in sales where you have raised the opening bids, you may get better results from adding the handling charges into the shipping amount. When you become adept at selling through auctions, you will run multiple auctions at the same time. Consider adding a statement on your item description that the buyer will save on shipping costs of several items if they win more than one auction. Remember that auction bidders are looking for the best deal or they wouldn't be bidding. Insurance Provide an additional charge for insurance. Suppose you gave your customer an option of paying $1 for extra insurance. If your products are not easily damaged in shipping, you could earn extra money from those who elect to pay the insurance charge. The money would go into your own "self-insurance" fund. Odds are that you will always have more money coming into the fund than going out to pay for replacements. According to Deborah Spence GlassyLady.com, who has been selling on eBay.com, "whether an item is breakable or not, it is a good idea to insist on it. The USPS insures against more than just breakage. It also insures against "non-delivery" of an item. This protects both seller and buyer. In the event an item is not received, both parties sign a statement on the claim form - the seller swearing under penalty that they shipped, and the buyer swearing under penalty that they did not receive. Many sellers will not ship without insurance. If the buyer waives it, the seller often will tell them that they will not issue a refund for non-receipt. Without insurance, the buyer could be left high and dry." Selling supplies on auctions When you buy supplies for making your craft, you probably look for wholesale prices and special deals whenever possible. Put your excess supplies up for sale on auction sites. This could easily grow into a profitable second income stream for you. Some craft persons are experiencing great success with this. There a lot more people making crafts than looking to buy handcrafted work. An estimate of persons involved in craft is anywhere between 6 and 10 million people based on subscriptions to craft magazines. What if you got 1/10 of 1% of those as customers for your craft supplies? That would be 6,000 to 10,000 prospects! How price your crafts What is the best selling price range for your work sold on auction sites? If you make something that can be sold for between $5 and $20, you will do well. Higher priced items do sell, but you wait longer between sales than if you have a supply of items priced $20 or less. What if you only sell higher priced items? On Ebay.com's search page, I ran a search for the word "craft" to be found in the title and description of the auction. I specified a price range between $20 and $500. The results totaled 1,284 auctions, many of which had bids shown. So yes, high priced crafts sell at auction sites, too. In fact, almost anything will sell at online auctions. Just browse Ebay.com's categories for examples. For getting new customers, consider selling low cost items as loss leaders, that is, selling items at a loss in order to get customers for higher ticket items you introduce after the initial sale. A link from the auction page could lead them to your Web site. Or, include a flyer with the first purchased item when shipping it to the buyer. If your aim is to generate direct sales with a specific profit margin, figure in all your costs and price your work so that you recover those costs. Don't forget to add in a profit margin. For help on different ways to use pricing techniques, see The Basic Guide to Pricing Your Craftwork.