Ready to Try EBay? Check Out Lynn Dralle's the UNOFFICAL GUIDE to MAKING MONEY on EBAY

Lynn (The Queen of Auctions) Dralle has a lot of great experience as an eBay seller. She operates a website, has written numerous books, and is a committed eBay entrepreneur. In this quickly read book which you'll keep at hand, she imparts the knowledge she's accumulated that will unquestionably help you get ahead on eBay.

Personally, I only scanned the technical details on getting onto eBay and listing items because I've been on eBay for a long time and you should know this is always going to be a little dated because eBay changes the format frequently due to constant refinements. To figure out how to get started, consult eBay itself. They provide plenty of information on how the site works. I worked my way through the process 10 years ago with few problems. It took awhile, but I just went by Howes' Law: everything you do on the internet the first time takes two hours.

Believe me...I'm not like those guys who say "if I can do it, anyone can" because I never find that reassuring because I basically don't believe them. And with good reason. But I did it so anyone can.

I even signed up back then for Paypal which I found worth the slight extra expense since it meant instant payments in my hot little hands as well as nice tracking of transactions. Nowadays, eBay, which owns Paypal, requires you only advertise that you take payments by Paypal (although you are free to take checks or money orders; you just can't say so).

So you can skip or scan the chapter on how to sign up and start focusing on the ton of useful information from the book on selling strategies.

Lynn Dralle explores what to sell, where to get your merchandise, and emphasizes careful records as exemplified by the I Sell-I Buy record books she sells ( I interviewed her for my radio show several years ago when she brought these out). She also offers gratuitous nuggets you'll find scattered throughout (keep an eye out for anything bonsai shape, of whatever material; dog owners will buy anything representing their favorite dog breed).　

I like her commonsense approach to eBay as business which comes through in her writing: use whatever time-saving methods you can, list as much as possible, and keep in mind that although fun and profitable, eBay is labor intensive. The more you list, the faster you list, the faster you move your products, the better your chances of success.

Recommendation

You can pick up this book and also subscribe to her useful newsletter which I recommend as part of your self-education strategy. Her website is at http://www.thequeenofauctions.com/thankyousign.html. And, for the record, I'm not getting a commission or anything for these recommendations -- I just a big fan. By the way, Lynn is also a frequent guest on eBay Radio which is available live and in archived form.

Start Now!

I know there are still a lot of people out there who have been thinking about eBay but still haven't taken the step. There's no better time. Remember, you can dabble a bit while you get your feet wet. Nothing says you have to corner the market all at once.)

Self-education is an important part of the process and there are plenty of how to books out there. Lynn Dralle's book is very readable, very helpful. You'll find it marvelously useful.

If you're planning to get started on eBay, or even if you've been at it awhile, this is a great reference.