What Is Your Dream?

Do you want to own your own business?

Are you pulling your hair out trying to figure out how to make money without endangering your home mortgage?

Do you hope to turn that dream of being your own boss into a reality, but you’re not sure where to turn for solid business advice?

You’ve heard that selling on the web is profitable, but…

You’re learning that in today’s tough economy; you are faced with increasing competition as more people start using web to earn income. As competition heats up, many established sellers are cutting corners – and profits – just to stay in the game.

You’re finding that the days of tossing off a listing and seeing what happens are gone. To be a successful merchant, you must outperform your competition. It is hard to keep up with all the rapid changes and still manage your day to day operation.

We want to help you with those challenges and more at the Web Sellers’ Circle.

This week I’m interviewing Dennis from Netoscan.com. He’s going to talk to us about the Amazon scouting tool and show us a new desktop researching tool that will be helpful for buying in bulk to resell on Amazon. I’ll have the recording up later this week.

Recently, we offered members a special discount price on the upcoming Internet Sellers Conference admission. I hope you took advantage of the deal; it was a time sensitive offer. I’d love to meet you at the conference.

We’ve got several more interviews with industry leaders coming up soon.

This is a small sample of the many programs we have planned once the site officially launches in June.

At that point the Web Sellers’ Circle will change from a free site to a paid subscription service.

I want you to continue enjoying all we have to offer so I’m giving you a chance to become a charter member.

Right now we’re offering the first 25 people who sign up a LIFETIME membership. No continued fees, just quality content for a one time sign-up fee.

Plus we have some amazing bonuses for those first few pioneers. Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit?  This is your chance to jump in on the ground floor and learn how to change those day dreams into real life.

I did over 20 years ago, when my partner Dany and I opened our first business – a garden shop, before the age of the Internet. As the retail climate has changed, so have we. Now we are successfully using the web to sell our products and services. The platform may have changed, but business principals haven’t. We’ve leveraged that knowledge to continue to ‘be our own boss.’

We’d love to help you build your dreams.

To find out more about becoming a charter member of the Web Sellers Circle please click over to:

www.websellerssecret.com

 

Cindy Shebley

eBay Certified Business Consultant

Author: eBay Marketing Bible

www.websellerssecret.com

 

PS: Don’t forget this is only for the first 25 subscribers. If you join us now we’re going to make your return on investment grow. Check out the bonuses we’re offering if you sign up now.

www.websellerssecret.com

This is a follow up post on my recent VeRO violations. I want to let you know that got it removed – YEAH! It took persistence, but it paid off in the end.

The reason why I’m bragging is I want you to fight too if you feel you’ve had an unfair VeRO. You must remember that these violations, in many cases are a subjective call, not hard evidence. In my opinion the VeRO department is full of untrained employees who seem more like the KeyStone Cops than mediators looking for the truth. And, if you don’t fight and receive too many violations eBay removes your PowerSeller Status or worse they kick you off the site.

I know most people are ashamed of these violations, even if they didn’t do anything wrong – and I suspect we just sweep them under the carpet without much of an outcry. Well, that thing about the ‘meek shall inherit the earth’ is wrong here. I had to be obnoxious and not let it drop. I kept writing to Skyler, Gilmar, Jayceon, Archibald, Garrett and the rest of the eBay Trust & Safety team. I also wrote the company that complained that I was ‘stealing their copy’ (which I was not – I was using manufacture approved wording).

I waited the specified five working days that the company had to respond and when no email response came – I wrote back to eBay. The Trust & Safety team then contacted the company, which forced them to contact me. When they responded here’s the exact wording as to why the filed a VeRO complaint: “Most likely we felt that your item:
220205692646 – eBay Photo Studio Kit Includes Cube Lights EZ Seminar infringed on (text and copy) one of our XXXXXXX (I’m protecting their name here)  lighting kits or tents.”

Notice the words: most likely we felt – I’m sorry, but if they couldn’t prove that I was in violation I consider it harassment. Which is exactly what I wrote back to the company. Who, assured me that they were not in the business of harassment and would contact eBay about removing the strike. They did! eBay sent me an email that the listing was returned to my unsold items and a few days later my seller dashboard cleared.

The lesson here – is that you must be persistent and be a bit of a jerk about not accepting these sorts of claims.

Previously I had a VeRO violation because I used the word ‘Style’ in my title to describe an Attache’ Case. It took about ten emails, but someone in the VeRO department finally sided with me and had the violation removed.

On a third occasion (yes, even eBay Certified Business Consultants have lots of these VeRO’s) I unwittingly added some Mrs Grossman stickers to a lot of Creative Memories stickers and in the title referred to it as a “lot of Creative Memories Scrapbook Stickers.” Well, Creative Memories had the listing shut down faster than a speeding bullet! And, because I agreed it was slightly misleading, and something I never intended to do was to mislead a buyer, I let the VeRO go. That is, until I started getting threatening emails and an official letter from the Creative Memories lawyer who threatened a lawsuit if  I refused to sign the letter saying I’d never sell Creative Memories again. All this over one little lot of scrapbook stickers on eBay.

Well, the continued bombardment from the lawyer sent me over the bend and I finally sent her an email. In the email I told her that she was ‘harrassing’ me and that I wanted it stopped. Guess what… she wrote back and said she’d never ‘harrass anyone’ and that was the last I heard from her.

So, again I know this is a long post – but I’m trying to get across to you that you do have rights, and you should fight in these cases. Don’t allow some minimum wage employee (probably from India) to push you around. Yes, it’s humiliating a to receive a VeRO violation (we’re all honest and don’t intend to break any rules) – but don’t sweep it under the rug or your competitors will start treating you like a carpet.

How about you? Have you fought VeRO and won? I’d love to hear, please post a comment.

I received this email from eBay Mainstreet. From the mess I had this year collecting and reporting sales tax based on buyer location in just my home state – I can tell you having a tax we sellers must collect and report would be a nightmare. Many of us would sink under the additional paperwork, not to mention the extra charges we’d have to pass along to our customers.

I strongly urge you click the link below, joing mainstreet (takes about two mouse clicks) and send an email to your representive. Don’t worry, eBay already has emails and addresses based on your zip code.

Tell Congress, “No New Net Taxes”

Internet Sales Taxes–Your costs go up. Your buyers’ costs go up. You are required to comply with the same tax laws as the nation’s largest retailers. This scenario could soon become reality.

The sales tax laws governing today’s Internet and catalog retailers are simple: If you sell something to a person living in your state, you collect sales tax. If that customer doesn’t live in your state, you don’t collect the tax. However, a number of state governments and the biggest retail giants in America are planning an aggressive lobbying campaign to change the law. They want to require small retailers to operate like the biggest retail chains, collecting taxes everywhere.

We all know times are tough and state governments are looking for more tax money. Likewise, big retailers see an opportunity to gain a competitive edge by imposing new costs and higher prices on their smallest competitors. Luckily, the tax ground-rules can’t be changed without congressional action. There’s still time to stand up and be counted. If you think adding a new tax burden on small Internet retailers is a bad idea, now is the time to make your voice heard. Click here to send a letter to your U.S. Representative and Senators today.

It won’t be easy. But together, Internet retailers like you can stop these new taxes.

Sincerely,

Tod Cohen
VP and Deputy General Counsel, Government Relations