Venturing into eBooks

Well I’m trying out eBooks. Low cost and I get to flex my design muscle a tad.

eBay’s new rules for selling digital material is very limiting however. I understand that they are trying to cut down on the problem products (spam, junk and virus infected files) but it really hurts those of us who are trying to start a legitimate business. Because I have to list my item as a “classified ad” and only under a very specific subcategory, not an auction or buy-it-now, my product will be nearly impossible to find. And it’s so expensive to list. It costs $9.95 for a month long classified listing!

The subcategory that eBay allows digital items to be listed under is “Everything Else/Information Products” which doesn’t even describe my item. I am selling a fiction book not a non-fiction.

Of course there are many, many people still posting their digital products as buy-it-now. So what do you do? Go against eBay’s terms and take the chance of getting caught? Or follow the rules and get cheated by all those who break them? My only course is to get more visitors to my listings, add more eBooks and hope that the numbers will eventually lead to big dollar numbers for me. For now I think I may end up loosing money.

Any advise?

My first eBook, Emma by Jane Austen, is available for sale on eBay.

Now what? 2 ideas on what I might sell online.

I haven’t run out of stuff in my house to sell online yet but there will come a time when I’ve purged all the clutter. (Imagine? A house full of only the things I use and love? I can’t wait.) So, what’s next?

There is bulk buying, wholesaling and… but they all involve middle men or a large investment. I’m just not ready for that…and probably will never be.

1. Hobby items
You can probably find paint-by-numbers kits just about anywhere. And yarn and fabric are pretty plentiful as well. But there some hobbies and crafts that require things that just aren’t readily available in all places.

Did you know you can use Kool-aid to dye yarn but they don’t sell it in Britian? And in Australia, freezer paper is hard to find and when you do it’s expensive. These are “emerging” crafts that will also probably fade out fast so there is some risk. If you are engaged in a particular hobby though you may be aware of the latest fads and be able to jump on them to make some sales on the accouterments.

Focus your marketing on the geographical areas where your items will be most valuable.  And make sure to provide international shipping!

2. Hand made items
Again, this would involve being engaged in a craft.  But maybe your mom crochets or your friend makes jewelry?  You could sell their things online and share the profits.  Most consignments split 25/75 with the bulk going to the owner or maker of the item.  Well made items can sell for quite a bit if you are hip to the current styles (ie. brown is a trendy color for baby items this year) and present them well.  Great photos will always help sell items but also consider the packaging.  Some tissue paper and ribbon go a long way in classing up a shipped product.

(To get more ideas on handmade items to sell visit Etsy.com or ArtFire.com. )

More great articles on what to sell online:
What should I sell on eBay? by Skip McGrath