Need cash?

Work from home and blogging. I need to write more about this. There are communities of bloggers popping up all over the place. Not your typical blogging community but places where you submit a blog and the owners do all the marketing. People join these communities specifically to earn money. The way it works is that you start a blog and an adsense account. When you submit a blog your ads are shown half the time and the owner of the communities ads are shown the other half of the time.
I signed up with one of these communties a little over a month ago to see if it would work. It did improve my earnings but I had a couple of concerns and this morning when I logged in my concerns increased to the point that I pulled my adsense information just to be safe.
If you have an adsense acct it is kind of like gold. You want to protect it at all costs. My concern with this community is that they may have people who don't understand this and just click in an effort to be "helpful". This may sound like no big deal but to the advertisers who are paying for those clicks it is a very big deal. Sure I imagine they expect to have a certain number of clicks that don't generate any income but if they are seeing a ton of click throughs with no increase in revenue it could get frustrating. This means that they would pull their google acct and in turn google loses money and in turn you lose money.
I think that within these communities you probably get a lot of people with no experience with google and adsense. They just see that they can join, write about anything they want and as long as they write everyday they have the potential to make a lot of money. After awhile they realize they need clicks to make money so they start clicking. They ask others to click their links and in exchange they will click back. They just don't really understand that some people really depend on adsense as an income and that they are putting everyone in jeopardy.
You can make money from blogging and using google adsense but it really isn't imperative that you go through one of these "communities". Try setting up your own blog and adsense acct right here at blogger. Join feedburner and pingomatic to make it easy to get your blog out there. Read some articles on publishing and managing a blog and you will do fine!

http://www.katieshugs.com

You can make money from home but don't fall for the scams. Anyone who wants you to pay for a membership fee or for a list or just for the chance to work for them is probably going to take your money and run.There are tons of people claiming you can make thousands of dollars a month just for taking surveys. There are people claiming you can make money shopping and get to keep all the stuff you buy. There are people who want you to give away free airline tickets and you get to make $100 for each ticket you give away, people who claim you can make money stuffing envelopes or making crafts.The truth is that you never have to pay someone to work for them. Never pay a one time membership fee or for a list of survey companies or mystery shopping companies.If you want to stuff envelopes you won't get far and the same goes for the crafts. There are also some newer scams that involve "payment processors" or something close to that. These people want to send you money have you deposit it in your acct and then send western union them a portion and you keep a portion. One reason for this is that they are stealing money out of peoples bank accts and it can't be traced through western union.I need to add something here. When I say never pay someone to work for them, I mean just that. This does NOT include start up costs that you will incur if you go into direct sales. When you join a direct sales company there is typically a fee for your starter kit. This is a valid fee. Direct sales companies are along the lines of Avon, Mary Kay, Leaving Prints, Tupperware, etc. There are tons of different companies you can sell for.There are free lists of survey companies and mystery shopping companies all over the place and you can get to my free list by following the link at the bottom of this post. Good luck in your endeavors!

www.katieshugs.com FREE list of survey sites that pay, FREE list of mystery shopping companies, FREE list of Telecommuting companies. Join our message board for daily survey and freebie updates!

Working at home through the holidays

Working at home through the holidays was hard! It was hard to stay focused, it was hard to find customers that weren't busy with the holidays themselves and it was hard to get everything done in general!
The upside was that everyone was looking for good deals and there were lots of good deals to be found. This made the affiliate promotions pretty darn easy!
For next year I would advise having a plan. Save some of your previous months earnings in case your holiday earnings aren't what you hoped for.
Make sure you set some goals and stick to them. If you need to work 4 hours a day to make enough money to live on you should set a goal to work a set time period during the day and don't let other things get in the way. Plan on needing to set aside time for parties, baking, friends, etc and then decide what hours you will work each day.
The thing I found hardest was the need to shop! I wanted to shop instead of work. I wanted to chat instead of work. I wanted to play instead of work.
Now that all the fun is over it is also hard to get back to a normal schedule and routine. It is also a relief though as well.
It is nice to get up in the morning and know that I can get to work and not have to focus a lot of my energy on holiday planning.
I guess the important message here is that you will need to spend some time planning your work schedule through the holidays instead of letting yourself fly by the seat of your pants and get sidetracked!

www.katieshugs.com FREE list of survey sites that pay, FREE list of mystery shopping companies, FREE list of Telecommuting companies. Join our message board for daily survey and freebie updates!

The ups and downs financially of working at home

Working at home is like any other business. You are going to have days and even months when things go great and you make plenty of money and you are going to have times that you make very little.
It is important to be prepared for either event.
The good months are wonderful but that lean months can be a bear! Be prepared by setting a budget for yourself and sticking to it. When you have a great month put some away so you can get through the bad months. It can be very tempting when you get a good check to assume that you are off and rolling and every month from here on out will be terrific so let's go on a shopping spree!
Keep in mind though that during the next month you might get sick and not be able to work for a week, or you could also find that people just aren't buying as much the next month. There are tons of things that can and do happen.
During the lean months it is also important that you know how to live within a budget and frugally. This does not mean that you have to eat only soup broth and crackers and sit in the dark.
There are lots of ways to live frugally. For myself, I only buy things if they are on sale. I very rarely pay full price for anything. I know that the price of hamburger drops to .99 cents a pound in the evenings at my local grocery store and I go and stock up. I search for the sales all year and post them on the message board at www.katieshugs.com. When a great deal pops up I am ready and I buy birthday and Christmas gifts this way. I cook very frugally. If I make steak one night, I will take the leftovers and make vegetable beef soup the next night. This way I get two meals for the price of one.
If I need to make a big purchase I shop around for the best price. When I find the store with the best price I will also look around for free shipping codes or dollars off coupon codes. These can also be found on the message board.
The key is to take your time with everything. Don't be in such a rush or wait until the last minute so that you have to accept the first price you find on anything.
This might all sound a little strange but believe me, the money you save all adds up and you should view it as income you are earning as well. If you can buy $300 worth of stuff in one month that you needed or will need and you only had to pay $50, well then, that is an extra $250 you kept in your pocket that month and it counts!
Don't forget to get your freebies too. If you can get 1/3 of the stuff you buy for free, then why not? There are tons of freebies to be found that will save you lots of money. Last month I got a shaker that will make a good gift, a complete set of 12 pre-inked holiday stamps, a vapor plug, a bottle of lotion, a bottle of dishwashing liquid, a game for my daughters v-smile, a complete wooden game setup and a zippo lighter! The only thing I paid postage on was the v-smile game!
You can work from home and make money in many different ways. Don't cut yourself short by overspending.

www.katieshugs.com FREE list of survey sites that pay, FREE list of mystery shopping companies, TONS of FREE stuff everyday on our message board!

How long does it take to get paid when you take surveys?

It depends on the company. One company sends you a check the same week you take a survey. Most companies however take 4-6 weeks. Other companies won't send you a check until you request it. It is important to know how each company pays when you sign up. If you don't you will probably forget you have money at a company unless you keep good records. Whenever you qualify for a survey you should write down the company, the amount of the survey and when you took it. This way you can keep track and go back to make sure you got paid. With the companies you have to request money from, I typically try to check my accounts at the beginning of every month and request my checks. This allows me to have a sort of "payday" every month since they all arrive around the same time. With some of the product trials you will generally recieve the product first and be asked to try it for two weeks or a month. At the end of the trial you will recieve a follow up survey that you must fill out as well. After you have filled out that survey then you get to wait for your payment. Again, typically 4-6 weeks. Remember to keep good records and you will not be disappointed!
http://www.katieshugs.com Take surveys, make money! FREE list of survey companies that pay, FREE list of mystery shopping companies. Tons of FREE stuff! Join our message board for daily updates!

Work from home ideas

There are lots of ways you can make money while working from home. You can start a business in direct sales, you can start a website and make money from affiliate advertising. You can come up with a product or idea and start a business the old fashioned way if you want!What you can't do is nothing. So many people believe they are going to make money by just turning on their computer and doing nothing. It is not possible to sign up for some program, pay $19.95 and start raking in $3k a week.There are tons of autosurf programs, programs that let you read email, programs that pay per click etc. If it was really possible to make $3k a week or even $100 a week wouldn't everyone be doing it?Right now there is an autosurf program that is getting lots of attention on scam sites. The people in the program swear by it and the people on the outside insist it is a ponzi. This program lets you invest some money, put up your website and then promises a certain percentage can be made daily. Now here is the kicker.. No one seems to know where the money comes from. The believers insist it is from investments but that the owners can't tell us where it is being invested because everyone would pull their money out and invest directly. Give me a break! I can't believe that others really believe this! The money is coming from the thousands of new people who are signing up daily.Quit looking for these types of programs that let you do nothing. If you have money to invest put it in the stock market or use it to start your legitimate business.Do not fall for the "programs".

http://www.katiehugs.com FREE list of survey sites that pay, FREE list of mystery shopping companies, FREE list of telecommuting companies. Join our message board for new freebies everyday!

Make money working at home

Here is another way to make money working at home. We have covered a lot in the paid survey area and a little about blogging. Now lets talk about direct sales. Direct sales is running your own business but selling something already established for another company. For instance Avon, Mary Kay and Home Interior would all be direct sales businesses.
Typically you will need to invest a little of your own money. This is different than paying to work for someone which we will get into another day. Most companies offer different packages to get you started. When you invest you will generally get your order forms, catalogues, some products etc.
If you are interested in direct sales the first thing you will want to do is choose an area that interests you. Some people love candles so they sell them, I love scrapbooking so that was my first choice in direct sales. You really can sell anything, there are makeup, scrapbooking, toys, candles, perfumes, home decor, insurance, jerky and virtually anything else you can think of type of companies.
Next do your research. If you are not looking at a well established company you might not feel comfortable and you will probably have to deal with glitches when they happen. Find out what exactly is expected from you. Do they require you spend a certain amount every month? Do they require you recruit a certain amount every month? Personally those are not my favorite types of companies.
I personally feel the money to be made and the success of the company should depend on product sales and not recruitment.
If there is something you don't feel comfortable about, follow your instints and look for another company. There are typically more than one in each catagory!
After you have decided on a company, start talking to family and friends. Let them know what you are doing! Word of mouth is going to be a powerful tool for you.
You will want to book parties and more parties.
Start networking. Find new ways to make your parties excited and get others excited.
You will need to be out there talking. You will be going into peoples home or having them into your own. Imagine yourself giving a speech, being exciting and generating excitement. Can you see yourself doing it and having a great time?
If the answer is yes, then direct sales might just be the thing for you!

www.katieshugs.com Lots of work at home information, telecommuting companies, direct sales companies, mystery shopping companies, FREE list of paid survey companies. Don't forget to join our message board!

Blogging to make money

Can you make money working at home with a blog? I think you probably can. I imagine it would take time.
First you need to create a blog and then get an adsense account. The good thing with blogger.com is that they are connected with google which makes it simple to get your adsense account.
Adsense is a program that lets google put ads on your blog or website pages. It is a very valuable tool for making money whether you have a website or just a blog.
Everytime you write in your blog and publish it you will have ads show up on your pages. They are always relevant to whatever you are writing about. If you were writing about dog shows you would probably see ads that relate to dogs, dog shows, kennels, etc.
These ads generate money for you. How much money you make will depend on how many people are searching on the information you are providing and how many people are interested in the ads shown. It will also depend on how often you write. If you only write once a month you probably wont make much more than pennies. If you write daily and write more than nonsense you could probably generate some decent pocket money.
If you want to write, first think of something that you are either very experienced in or at least very interested in. You can write about anything you want but if no one else is interested you won't get very far and you will get bored.
Start writing! Write daily. You don't have to write much, 200 words or so is just fine for an entry.
Promote your blog. I use pingalot and feedburner. Make sure to go ping everytime you update your blog. Put your blog in your signature. You can do this on message boards and emails. Tell everyone about it. Word of mouth is great advertising.
Have Fun! If you aren't enjoying your writing you will give up.
Finally, have patience. Things never happen overnight. It all takes time and good faith effort. If you find after a couple of months that you aren't really doing as well as you hoped, just try again. Maybe with a different topic. :)
Connie
www.katieshugs.com free list of survey sites that pay!

Which survey sites are scams, which are real?

Are survey companies a scam? No they aren't but there are some misconceptions about which sites are research companies and which are not. Quite often you will come across ads that offer you a free ipod, a 500.00 shopping spree etc, all for just taking a survey!This is not a real survey site. These sites will give you a free ipod or shopping trip but instead of taking surveys you have to complete offers. You typically complete 6-8 offers. These can be things like signing up for AOL and using it for at least two months, or signing up and going with a different insurance company for a couple of months.Real survey sites will give you product trials just because you complete a survey and fit a certain demographic. These trial offers have been known to include expensive products but typically they are for a new shampoo, a new dishwasher detergent, a new makeup, a new type of shoes or jeans.Be very careful when you are joining survey companies that you are truly joining a research company and not a place that wants you to complete offers.A free list of legitimate survey sites can be found at http://www.katieshugs.com

How much can you make?

How much can you make working at home? I don't know. I can tell you what it is like for me and that is about it. It took me almost 6 mos before I ever saw a check when I started my website. Thank goodness for the daycare business! If you start something like a daycare business you can expect to see money right away obviously. With the website I remember when I made my first $45, I was so excited I called everyone!
It is really up to you to decide how much you will make. If you are in direct sales and do 20 parties a month and push the sales you would probably be able to see a profit the first month even after putting some of it back into your business. If you work in affiliate advertising and spend a good portion of your day (6-8 hrs) promoting it, you might see a profit the first month too. I think realistically, in affiliate advertising though, you are going to spend a lot of time just trying to find a good place to advertise. Once you do though, watch out! It will come in faster than you can imagine. Last month I hit upon a great place to advertise for one of my affiliates and made over $400 over a two day time frame. I was amazed with that one! Keep in mind, the affiliate was running a fantastic special so it worked. This month they have a pretty blah special and I am not seeing nearly that kind of return.
If you build your own website to advertise for affiliates and plan to just promote your website, expect to put in 8-12 hours a day and still not see a profit for close to a year. It just takes that long to find good places, build a good reputation, get into all the search engines etc.
No matter what you do, if you put in time, energy and research you will be able to make a decent amount of money.

Building a website

One of the most prolific ways to make money at home is to build a website. Once you have a website you can promote anything, clothes, jewelry, other websites, etc. You don't even need to know a ton of HTML to get started. There are tons of sitebuilder programs you can join, some are very expensive and some are super reasonable. One thing to think about is what do you want in a host? If you know a lot about website building and search engine optimization you might vote for just a basic deal. If you really want a website but don't know much about all this other stuff you might want to spend a little more and get a host that can do a lot of it for you or at least walk you through it. There is a link here about building websites: http://www.katieshugs.com/Webstuff.html

Networking

Just like in the outside business world you need to network to make your business happen. Whether you are running a website, working in direct sales or even if you have started your business from scratch. It is important for your business and for your personal wellbeing to get out and talk about it. You can network online and offline. Talk to your family and friends tell them about your business and give them some business cards. If you get them excited they will talk to their friends or inevitably they will have a conversation where whatever you specialize in comes up. People everywhere need or want whatever you are selling. They won't know you have what they need though if you don't tell them.
Online, find websites that compliment yours, if you are selling baby rattles you will want to frequent and join message boards at parenting sites. Some places will let you post your link in your signature line and others will not, make sure to check. Just by being there and getting involved in the conversations though will give you opportunities. If someone says, "hey I am trying to find a very special baby rattle for my sisters baby shower" you can always send her a private message or possibly email her with your web address. Don't take this to extremes. If you are sending emails and pm's to every member of the board you will sabotage yourself. Only offer your business if it is asked for.

Setting a schedule

I never used to keep a schedule and I am still having troubles with keeping one. The thing I like about working at home is the freedom to work when I want and take care of housework and kids around it. I have found that I don't get much done this way though. Last week I sat down to work and then realized my house was just a mess. I couldn't really focus on the work because I kept looking around the house.
You have to find a happy medium. I don't feel very qualified to give any advice in this area since I am so bad at practicing it but I think the secret is to have a plan. First you need to know what your goals are and make a plan of what you need to do to reach those goals. Second figure out everything you need to accomplish everyday, laundry, dishes, feeding and dressing kids, playtime, etc. Then you can set up a monthly or weekly schedule of things that get done everyday. For instance I know that everyday I need to feed, bathe and dress kids, I know that I need to take pics for ebay listings and get those listings posted. I know that I need to promote my website and add content to it. I know that I need to take surveys and cook dinner.
So for me first thing in the morning is feeding and dressing kids, while they are eating I pick up the house and start the laundry, while they are bathing I can check my email for surveys and get those out of the way. Then we can have playtime. After playtime there is lunch and while they are eating I take pictures. Once lunch is done there is tv time. During that time I can answer emails, post surveys and promote the website. After tv time is preschool, once she is at school I know I have a few hours of uninterrupted time, that is when I get things done that take a lot of focus like writing content for the website and posting ebay listings. After school I don't get much done workwise until after dinner and bedtime. Then I can again work on things that take a lot of focus or just take some time for myself. I usually use this time for more website promotion though. As you can see my schedule needs a lot of work to keep me better focused but the point was to give you some idea of the things that you need to fit into your schedule so hopefully you can do a better job of scheduling than I do!

Scam or not?

I frequently visit a site dealing with work at home issues and trying to help people avoid scams. I am constantly amazed! I know everyone in the world wants to win the lottery and I know everyone would love to make easy money but working at home isn't like winning the lottery.
I am very active on that board, my own message board and a couple of others and what always gets me is that no matter how many times I post a message about NOT paying for a list of surveys etc, someone comes along and asks "Is certainpaidsurvey.com a scam?" Yesterday I just really wanted to bang my head against a wall or door over this question. If you are researching a work at home opportunity take a few minutes to do a search and see if that question has been answered! One person in particular who I took under my wing on one of these message boards came up with a million reasons everyday why he couldn't make any money working at home. I found two or three different things he could do even within limitations and then I see a post that he is looking at investing his money in one of the pyramid schemes going on! This was the same person who couldn't invest $10 in products to start selling on ebay.
I have come to the conclusion that some people are just not willing to accept that they have to actually WORK from home if that is where they want to be. There are no easy ways to make a living unless you do happen to get lucky and win the lottery.
Here are a few basic work at home jobs:

Ebay...buy low and sell higher
Start a website and make money from advertising
Come up with a product and sell it
Direct sales (You won't make money from a downline, you MUST actively sell)

Extra cash:
Take surveys and only cash out once a month
Mystery shop (this could possibly be done full time too)
Yard sales
Auctions
Ebay again :)

Good luck and please don't pay for a job!

Mystery Shopping

I was just reading a magazine article where the author alluded to the fact that mystery shopping is a scam. Mystery shopping is not a scam. Someone selling a list of mystery shopping companies is a scam. I have even been hearing advertising on the radio from so called legitimate companies trying to get you to pay them for a list so you too can be a mystery shopper! I couldn't believe that the market had gotten so large they could afford radio advertising in the middle of the day.
You can make money mystery shopping in fact one lady even wrote a book about her experiences and she was making really good money. It is like any other job, the more experience you have the more money you will make. As a mystery shopper just starting out you will probably get jobs paying $5-$10 or jobs that just reimburse you for a meal etc. As your experience grows and you prove yourself to be an excellent shopper you will see the better jobs come along.
The mystery shopping industry prides itself on having great shoppers. You will need to be able to follow through on all aspects of the job if you are going to accept it. Don't take a job thinking I might be able to get to the store on this date if I can find a babysitter. If you can't make the deadline the company is probably not going to continue to use your services again. Same thing with the paperwork, if you can't follow the instructions or if you do a sloppy job you are going to get a bad reputation as a shopper and you won't get jobs.
I suggest signing up with a few companies at first and getting some experience under your belt. Then apply with other companies showing that you have experience so you can start getting higher paying jobs. Before applying for an actual job read all the qualifications, instructions etc. Some companies have online training that you must complete before you can apply for jobs, show you are serious by completing all the available training.
You can also become certified. The certification costs a few dollars, less than $20 to become silver level I believe, but isn't required to become a mystery shopper. I am not certified because I only shop occassionally. If I start shopping on a fairly regular basis I will take the time to become certified.
There is a free list of mystery shopping companies at www.katieshugs.com and anyone is free to use it. There are a ton of companies out there but my favorites are listed here. You can also join the message board to talk with other shoppers and find out if this is for you.

Connie

Why work from home?

The answer really depends on you. It might be that you can't work outside your home for whatever reason and need to make money. It might be that you want to stay home with your kids and still make money. It might be that you are just sick of corporate America and want to stay home and make money. It might be that you just like the challenge and want to see if you can do it.
No matter what your reasons you can find it to be either very rewarding or very frustrating. If you are among the thousands of people who just want to make a quick buck you will probably fall for most of the work at home scams and find yourself pulling your hair out.
If you realize that working from home means just that "working" you can have a great time.
Working from home can give you a lot of freedom to do other things. You don't have to get dressed all day if you don't want to. You can take breaks whenever the mood hits. You can work a few hours and spend the rest of the day on the golf course. You can work at your own pace with little pressure.
Working at home can be the best job you ever had if you find the right "job" or business for you. If this is what you want to do, don't give up!

Connie

The truth behind paid surveys.

You've seen the ad's, "Make $75 an hr taking surveys from home!". You have thought to yourself, "I can do that!".
The truth is, you can make $75 an hr taking surveys, but you won't have the chance to take surveys 8 hrs a day 5 days a week! Now doesn't that make more sense?
First you have to sign up with all the research companies themselves. Second you have to wait for an invitation to a survey and then you have to qualify for the study based on your demographics.
Surveys can be a LOT of fun and you can get a lot of cool free stuff when you qualify for a product trial. I am currently in four different product trials this month. You get really great stuff and you usually get to keep what they send you. I heard of one trial recently that gave their participants a product worth $1200.00! That is a rarity but I wish I had gotten in!
A lot of the companies will first send you a survey to see if you qualify for the study, quite often this first survey will offer you a chance to win in a drawing. The great thing here is that most of the people taking surveys will delete these chances. Take these surveys! These are generally the ones that will ask in the end if you would like to participate in a product test and sometimes these product tests also include payment!
Don't pay for a list of survey sites. These lists can be found for free all over the place. I have a list at www.katieshugs.com/paidsurvey.html and I have made sure that all the companies are legit. They won't ask you to purchase anything, they won't ask you to sign up for free offers, etc. In fact if you are using a different list and run into places that ask if you are interested in insurance etc, back out and don't finish signing up. You will just get a bunch of junk mail. Now there is one that does not require you to complete an offer but they always give you the opportunity at the end of their surveys and this particular one is the same one that had the $1200.00 product test. I now take all their surveys, but when I get to the end I just close out once the offer page comes up. When you are signing up for this site though they do NOT ask you tons of irrelevant questions like the others do.
A lot of the companies will also only offer you points for taking surveys. I personally don't mind most of these. Some will let you cash in for money, and others for gifts. If they only let you cash in your points for gifts I always take a look at the gift list to make sure there is something I actually would want before I spend a lot of time on surveys.
You can make more money by getting into focus groups. These generally pay $100-$250 for a couple hours of your time. You will want to sign up with as many research companies as possible to get into these. Same goes for the surveys, the more companies you are signed up with the better your chances of getting invitations.
If you want to take surveys and stay up to date with what is going on in the survey world take some time to join our message board at www.katieshugs.com. Everyone is very honest and helpful!

Relationships

I was reading a post from a lady asking if other moms who work at home have husbands who make them feel bad for getting out of the house and doing something for themselves. I was surprised that out of 35 responses only two of us had husbands who are supportive and encourage us to get out and do something other than housework, taking care of the kids and our businesses.
I had to wonder this morning why all the rest married the men that they did. Were they different before marriage? I doubt it. Is it because they love them? Well of course but is that enough? Shouldn't two people be in a marriage together in every way?
I just wanted to put something out here that lets women know that they have to make choices before marrying. What exactly does that mean? It means look at your potential mate as a whole. It might be flattering right now when he tells his mom to go jump in the lake he is going out on a date with you and doesn't care what she thinks. How will you feel in ten years though when it is YOU that he is telling to go jump in the lake, he is going out with his friends and doesn't care if you need help with the kids? It might be endearing now that he takes you out to fancy restaurants and spends all his money within two days of payday but how will you fill when you are married and have rent and car payments and he is still out spending all the money in two days?
The point is, you have a choice when you decide to marry someone but you must look at the whole picture. You make the choice to marry someone who is a spendthrift and never saves, you make a choice to marry someone who doesn't treat others with respect, you make a choice to marry someone who wants to spend every waking moment with you and needs to know where you are and who you are with at all times.
Instead of listening only to your heart make sure you listen to your head as well and make a choice to be with someone who respects you, who is responsible, who is caring and kind and wants only the best for you and your life together.

Connie

Still more on ebay

Okay, we are covering every aspect of ebay. I have decided over the past week that the most important thing in making money on ebay is to have a large volume. I am trying to get up to where I will have at least 100 listings at any given time. How to do that? Shop and sell! The hard part is to spend more time listing and selling and less time shopping.
You have to go out and find the bargains. As a sales manager I always told people not to put themselves in someone elses pocket meaning that just because we were selling something they themselves couldn't afford don't assume that the customer can't afford it. This applies to ebay but in a different way, don't assume that just because you have found something you wouldn't want that there isn't a customer out there that would want it. Look at ebay, you can find ANYTHING. Someone is selling those items.
Next you have to list your bargains and Im not sure if I covered this already but you can't start out with a high price. If you have an item that you absolutely must get a certain amount from just set a reserve price. If you have an item that is worth $20 and you set the starting bid at $19.99 you won't get many bids but if you put a reserve of $20 and start the bidding at 1.99 you will be sure to get people bidding and probably end up with more than the $20 you wanted. Now it is true there are some people who don't like to bid if they have to guess what the reserve is but you have to do what you have to do.

Connie
www.katieshugs.com

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Something else I was thinking about that you should know. You will need to decide what kinds of payment you will accept. During my auctions this past week I elected to accept paypal, money orders, cashiers checks and personal checks. By the time the auctions ended I was re-thinking my decision to accept personal checks. Now ebay is based on the concept that people in general are good and I believe this to be true but we also know there are bad people out there. What if I got one of those bad people? What if their check bounced and it cost me money? My bank charges $20 if deposit a check and it bounces! Luckily everyone paid with paypal and I didn't have to worry about it but this weeks auctions are only accepting paypal, cashiers checks and money orders :)
Now with paypal you have options to think about too. You can have a paypal acct and receive payments for free but your customers will not be able to use their credit cards. This means you limit the number of people who can bid on your item but I see a lot of people doing it this way. If you have upgrade to a premier/business acct you will be able to accept credit card payments. The advantages of paypal are that you get your money right away. The disadvantage is that with a premier or business acct you will be charged a fee, generally around 2.9% of the transaction. So I use paypal for everything and after I upgraded one of my larger payments came in from my business and it ended up costing me over $10 for the transaction. I want to keep the ability to accept credit cards but I don't want to lose a lot of money. So for that particular company I am now requesting my money be sent in a check and I can still use paypal for my smaller ebay transactions without it costing me an arm and a leg. If you also have large payments coming in through your paypal acct you might want to switch those over before upgrading.