• Welcome from Brian McGregor 
• Inspirational Quote of the Day
• News and Views
• How to Profit from eBay's Favourite Search Feature
• Why You Need to understand the Role of Keywords on eBay
• At Last, eBay is Helping You to Sell Digital Products
• A Gift from Me to You
• Someone's auctioning what? Unusual items currently available
• Finally
• My Products Catalogue
• Back to Newsletter Archive

Hello and welcome.

A particularly warm welcome to you if you're a new subscriber. It's good to have you as part of the family taking my eBay auction newsletter.

Why do we have so many rogues in the world?

A friend of mine has just been taken for £250 by a credit card telephone scam. It's a new scam to me, but it was so plausible that I thought you might like to be aware of how it works.

You get a telephone call from "VISA" or "MasterCard".

The person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card that was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for £249.99 from a Marketing company based in (name of any town or city)?"

When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from £150 to £249, just under the £250 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say "yes". The caller continues - "I will be starting a Fraud investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 0800 number listed on the back of your card and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works. The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card". Note, the caller does not ask for your card number; they already have it!
He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers". There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 digit Security Number to him.

After you tell the caller the number, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?"

After you say "No", the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do have any questions", and hangs up.

You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card number. But after my friend was called, he called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Is he glad he did!

The real VISA Security Department told him it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of £249.99 had been charged to his card. They also said that they would never ask for any information from the card as they already know it all since they issued it!

Long story made short - all the scammers want is the 3-digit Security Number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them.

VISA urged my friend to tell everybody he knew that this scam is happening. So, feel free to pass this on to your family and friends. By informing each other, we protect each other.

Look forward to speaking with you again soon.

Brian
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1. eBay Quarterly Results

eBay has just published its Quarter 4, 2005, company figures.

They make very impressive reading.

Q4 covers the three months of trading from 1st October, 2005 to 31st December, 2005. Also included is the performance of PayPal, which is owned by eBay.

"Q4 capped off a remarkable year for eBay,” said Meg Whitman, President and CEO of eBay, Inc. “We saw accelerating growth and momentum across the board, a testament to the fact that eBay has built the most outstanding portfolio of businesses on the Internet.”

It's difficult to argue against.

Here are some highlight numbers which I found interesting:

> 546.4 million listings in Q4, 2005. Up 35% over Q4, 2004.

> $12.0 billion value of auctions sales in Q4, 2005. Up 22% over Q4, 2004.

> $1.3 billion Gross Profit in Q4, 2005. Up 42% over Q4, 2004.

> 180.6 million eBay members as at 31 December, 2005. Up 33% as at 31December, 2004.

> On average, 135,800 new members joined eBay each day throughout Q4, 2005.

> $8.1 billion PayPal payments in Q4, 2005. Up 45% over Q4, 2004.

> 96.2 million PayPal accounts as at 31 December, 2005. Up 51% as at 31 December, 2004.

Whichever way you look at, this is another superb performance by eBay.

And this is totally relevant to you and to me, as this thriving market place is great news for all of us.

If you'd like to read the full report, you can view it from here.

2. A Brand New Report

If you're not making as much money as you'd like from your eBay auctions, here's an easy way to make your listings more successful ....

Sometimes it doesn't matter how good your auction is. You can have the most compelling description, the sharpest photograph, great value, or all of these - and yet the auction still doesn't work!

One of the reasons why, may be because you are in a dead-end category. A category which is rarely viewed.

Everybody knows there are loads of categories on eBay. In fact on eBay.com there are over 35,000 categories!

But were you aware that out of these, only 695 categories are currently defined as "hot". Hot is a formal description which eBay uses to define a category which has the greatest bid growth and listing growth over the previous month.

If you want more visitors and more bids on your auction, one way you can achieve this is to get your items into hot categories where the action is happening.

If your auctions are stalling, try placing them into hot categories.

My new report tells you exactly which categories are the hottest.

You can read all about this brand new report here.

3. On a similar theme

If you're looking to make money by developing your own web business, in addition to selling on eBay, this is for you.

If you're selling products or services online, chances are you've noticed the lightning fast rate at which
new Internet marketing products come out.

It seems like every other day another new product offer hits my inbox, so I know how easy it is to feel confused or overwhelmed about which products are right for you.

There's only one product I know of that boils down, step by step, what you need to do and how you need to do it into a simple "point, click and follow the steps" system.

That product is the Marlon Sanders' Marketing Dashboard (2006 Version)

"The Marketing Dashboard" has been updated with hot new content for the year 2006 which means you can get your hands on all the latest marketing information, tools and resources right now just by going to this URL

http://getyourprofits.com/z/169/CD20110

A more accurate name might be the "Money Dashboard for '06" because what it's going to do is give you simple step by step instructions and actions to take to get products promoted, sold, delivered and the money banked.

There's a lot of models on marketing and most or all of them make money, but how many models do you really need? And how hard are most to follow? The answer is, you need 1 simple to use model that works.

The bottom line is, you can either sit back and watch the fireworks show and keep going "ooh and aah" or pick 1 model proven to work and just do it.

"The Marketing Dashboard" is built on one of the simplest and oldest models, which is to find out what people want to buy, get it or create it, then promote it and profit from it.

If you've been sitting around saying you need to get something done or need to get a product out or you wish that some day the ebooks you bought on Internet marketing would somehow magically turn into money or if you're frustrated waiting for your search engine pages to finally, maybe, possibly get some darn traffic, then maybe it's time to take this step and just get it done.

Here's the formula: Dashboard = Get It Done

If you want to get it done, check out the dashboard today:
http://getyourprofits.com/z/169/CD20110

As an incentive to take "The Marketing Dashboard" for a 90 day, 100% risk free test drive, the FIRST 100 people to grab a copy of the Marketing Dashboard will receive a 1 month bonus membership to Marlon's Milcers Private Site.

PLUS: You'll also receive the next printed version of Marlon's 12+ page Milcers Newsletter titled "6 Steps To Finding Your Own Hot Target Market Even If You're Starting From Scratch And Don't Know Where To Begin."

To get the bonus 1 month private site membership and the next printed Milcers newsletter you've got to be one of the first 100 people to grab "The Marketing Dashboard" before the date shown on the top of the web site at
http://getyourprofits.com/z/169/CD20110

Marlon just updated "The Marketing Dashboard" with hot new content for the year 2006 which means you can get your hands on all the latest marketing information, tools and resources right now just by going to:

http://getyourprofits.com/z/169/CD20110

4. One Tremendous Offer

While I'm talking about your own internet business, here is an incredible offer.

This isn't for everyone.

It's really relevant if you're already developing a website empire, and you're looking for the cream of products to help you.

This is the most amazing deal I've seen in recent months. Even if you don't intend to buy, it's worth a look to see just what the big guys are up to.

This is proving to be so popular, you may find it difficult to get into. If you take my advice, you'll keep trying!

It's all here.


5. More About eBay Stores (Shops)

I don't know if you've had the chance to read about eBay Express?

To be launched in the spring, eBay Express is a new eBay venture which is effectively a shopping site. In other words, visitors will be able to select products, add them to a shopping basket and pay instantly by credit card when they checkout.

The great news for eBay Store owners is that eBay Express will automatically include their products at no additional charge.

Although at launch eBay Express will be available only for US based eBayers, there are plans to go international.

Now might be the time to reconsider getting your own eBay store! See the item on eBay Stores in a recent newsletter here.

You can get the low down on eBay Express here.


6. eBay Eats its Words

It doesn't happen too often, but it looks like eBay's business planners got it wrong in China!

At the end of 2004 eBay announced that China was one of its strategic growth countries. Money and resources were piled in with a view to taking on the online auction leader in China, owned by a company called Alibaba!

Alibaba's auction site Taobao, offered free listings and guaranteed payments. In other words, with Taobao you get a superb market to sell in, plus there's no fraud. Some competitor!

At the time, eBay said that free auctions was a model that was unsustainable and that eBay had sufficient safety mechanisms in place to handle the fraud issue.

After their experiences in 2005, eBay have now announced that they are scrapping seller transaction fees in China and that eBay sellers in that country have to operate under eBay Safe Payments policies. This means in China the only acceptable payment methods are PayPal and eBay's local escrow.

No fees and a genuine attempt to reduce fraud? Wow, is this eBay?

Incidentally, eBay Stores are also free for Chinese eBayers.

Wouldn't it be lovely if eBay could treat its members in the rest of the world to the same trading conditions?

I don't know if you realized, but eBay offers you a little known feature which you can use to help locate products cheap. You might be a buyer or collector, or you may be seeking items out to resell.

The feature is called Favourite Search, and here's how it works....

Let's imagine you're researching items relating to Sven Goran Eriksson. You may be an England fan, or you could think there is a good resell market here, with the World Cup coming up. As I'm writing, this is even more topical as it has just been announced that Mr Eriksson will be leaving his position as Head Coach to the England football team after the World Cup.

Key the word "sven" into the search box on eBay, and you will be presented with a list of auctions meeting that criteria. If you find your search is too broad, you can refine it in any way you wish until you get the type of result you're happy with. In this case you might try "sven goran".

At the top right of the search return list there is a link to "Add to Favourite Searches".

Click on this link, and you will be taken to a screen where you are given the option to name your search, save it, and to be sent a daily email when newly listed items meet your search criteria.

Now, without doing any more searches, you're always in possession of the latest information relating to listings meeting your search criteria.

You are now in the ideal position to nip in and buy items, particularly those which you feel are undervalued by the seller.

Whether you're a buyer, collector or reseller, try Favourite Searches and see if you can turn up opportunities in the markets and products in which you have an interest.

If there's one thing that dismays me, it's that so many sellers on eBay are simply throwing their listing fees away!

First off, can we agree that there's little point in listing your item unless buyers are going to view your auction? Yes?

In which case, why do so many eBay sellers create auctions which are NEVER going to get viewed? There are millions of eBay sellers who do this.

What many sellers don't realise when they create their auction is that they've wasted their listing fee before they even get to filling in the auction description page.

They make a fundamental error earlier on in their auction creation. And that is in their auction title.

The reality is, if your auction title is not effective, it really doesn’t matter how good your description page is - your auction won't get seen.

Here are some facts.

If you sell on eBay, learn them well!

1. To find items they want to bid on, 70% of buyers use eBay's search box first

2. Words keyed into the search box are compared ONLY with auction titles

3. Words keyed into the search box are NOT compared with auction descriptions

4. Words keyed into the search box are NOT compared with auction sub-titles

Which all means that your auction title must contain the keyed-in search words used by buyers, or your auction won't get brought back in search return lists.

And if it isn't in the search return list, it can't be clicked on by a potential buyer.

And if it isn't clicked on, how can the item get sold?

The harsh truth is that unless your item appears in search return lists, it isn't going to sell! And that's what will happen if your auction title is not effective.

How do you get your auctions in search return lists more often?

It's simple. You just make sure you put keywords in your auction titles which you believe eBayers will search on.

To decide on the keywords to use, you have to think like a buyer. What words would be used by a person interested in searching for an item like yours?

At this stage, just list them. Don't put the words into a sentence yet. Spend as long as you like on this exercise. The more effective you are with this, the less likely you are to have one of those sleepy auctions that rarely gets a visitor.

Having listed as many keywords as you can think of, you have to decide which are the strongest. Remember, you only have 55 precious characters for your auction title.

Taking your best keywords, you now create your auction title. It's not an English exam, so it doesn't matter if it doesn't scan like a sentence.

You can add a power word or two if you've space. By this I mean words like stunning, limited edition, unique, rare, new, one-off, exclusive, distinctive, dramatic etc. These are words which can influence buyers to click through to your auction description. They aren’t keywords searched on by buyers, so use them sparingly. For the same reason, I don’t advocate the use of "clever" words like l@@k or w0w!

Finally, do the words in your title convey what the item is? If so, that's it. You've created a powerful, compelling and keyword rich auction title. And your auction will appear more often in search return lists.

And, that’s the key!

Now you know how fundamental keywords are to your auction, why not review your current auction titles today? Get those keywords into your auction title and take it from me you’ll get your fair share of the 79 million eBay daily searchers.

It looks like eBay is at last embracing the fact that many sellers want to offer digital products on eBay, and many buyers are interested in buying them.

If you've been selling digital products on eBay, you will know that they haven't made it too easy for you.

And yet, digital products are THE ideal product for eBay sellers.

You can define digital products as having (almost) 100% profit, cost nothing to deliver, may not have any competition, is available in unlimited quantities, costs nothing to re-stock and can sell very well.

So many people are now selling digital products on eBay, that eBay.com is now making it easier for us.
They have produced a whole new section on the selling forms for us to complete.

If you're based in the UK, you too can list your digital products on eBay.com. You can take advantage of the new digital goods listings process and offer your products to the vast US eBay market. Simply go to www.ebay.com, and log in with your usual eBay ID and password. Now you're ready to us the new selling forms.

First, however, just what are digital or downloadable products?

eBay defines a digital item as "a computer file or special information that you can access online or have delivered electronically."

Examples of digital items are a word processor or pdf file (usually called ebooks), an image taken with a digital camera, an MP3 file of an original song, software, an original recipe etc.

Here are some of the benefits of selling digital goods:

1. No shipping cost for buyer or seller

2. Virtually NO competition

3. Swarms of customers if done right

4. Very high profit margins

5. No restocking expense

6. No boxes to pack

7. No visits to the Post Office

8. Immediate confirmed delivery to customers

9. Sellers can grow a mailing list with every sale

10. Facilitates useful 2-step marketing tool (i.e. sell a $1 report on eBay for leads)

Until recently there was quite a bit of confusion for some people when it came to selling digital items on eBay, however eBay is now embracing the concept of selling digital goods.

Let's talk now about what eBay has created to help us sell digital products.

They explain everything fully here.

This is a massive step forward.

It answers most of the questions sellers had about selling digital goods, removes most of the obstacles that were previously there, and indeed goes much further than most of had hoped.

You can now, for example, establish a download page where customers are automatically sent after paying for a digital item through PayPal. This could be quite a difficult task before, but now it's automatic.

Also, if you have a web address where you host your digital files for sale, eBay can provide your
buyers (after they pay) with direct access to the files they have purchased. All you do is to "Provide Web address for download" from the pull-down menu when creating your auction.

This is all intimately linked to PayPal, as digital item buyers and sellers want to be able to have the product delivered automatically and immediately after payment. You don't have to do this, you can still deliver by email if you wish.

It seems to imply that digital goods will be allowed in many categories now, instead of being restricted to the one "information" category that they have hitherto required digital item sellers to use. Although not clearly spelled out, the new policy does make reference to "multiple categories" being used for digital goods. Keep an eye out for clarification on that matter.

All of this is really good news.

If you sell digital items, or want to, the doors of opportunity have been opened wide by eBay. I hope you can take advantage of it. I know I will!

Incidentally, if you're not into digital products, here is a great way to start. It's from UK based Platinum PowerSeller Justin Ormerod.

See how Justin can help you take instant advantage of the digital item opportunity here.

By the way, if you follow his instructions he guarantees you will become a PowerSeller within 90 days!

I remember an early business training course I attended.

They talked about when the business faced financial problems, there were really only two things that could be done. This was the formula:

Increase sales and/or reduce costs.

I guess that same principle is relevant to any household where there isn't any spare cash at the end of the month.

Hopefully, this free ebook can help.

Called "101 Ways to Stop the Money Leak", it attacks the second part of the formula - that of reducing costs.

There is almost bound to be something in this ebook for every household.

I liked the one that said if I made one more mortgage payment each year, my 30 year mortgage would be reduced to an 18 year mortgage!

You can download "101 Ways to Stop the Money Leak" here.

Nothing surprises me when it comes to internet auctions. Amuse yourself with some of these beauties.

Yeah. But apart from that, what else can you tell me?

Wow! I can almost taste this

Please don't read this if you're offended by bad language!

If only it was that easy!

Could be useful - no mother-in-law jokes please!

Disclaimer - I have no association with any of the sellers of the above items.