Start Selling On eBay - Getting Started On The Right Foot

You've started your own eBay business and, even though it's part time right now, you know it's going to become a huge success. You are able to see the day when you can set your own hours, set your own dress code and call your own shots. The world is your oyster and you are raring to go. Just be careful you don't fall into the one of the major work-at-home traps.

Congratulations! But before you go any further, it's a good idea to insure that your new ebay business is built on a solid foundation.

One of the most often seen problems behind the failure of a home business is the lack of productivity. Many people, particularly when starting a part time eBay business, find that they just don't get things done.

When you have no one who you are responsible to, you may find that procrastination and poor time management begin to rear their ugly heads. It's important that you take some of the productive elements of a regular 9-5 job and incorporate them into your budding eBay business. Here are some pointers:

First: Setting a schedule can be crucial to your success. Simply saying "I'll get some auctions listed this evening" just doesn't cut it. It leaves too much room for something else to come up.

Set a schedule and stick to it. Maybe this is 9 to 3 when your kids are at school, or maybe late at night when the kids are in bed. Maybe you decide to get up an hour and a half earlier to work before going to your regular job. Regardless of the time you choose, make sure you honor it.

Second: Police your productivity. When working on your eBay business you're your own boss. There isn't anyone looking over your shoulder. This can be a great feeling, but it can also drastically reduce your productivity.

When you sit down at your work desk, make sure you're being as productive as possible. No computer games, no web surfing, no personal phone calls. It's not necessary your chain yourself to your desk - just be as productive as possible.

Third: Dress the part. This may seem silly to many of you, but it's extremely important. If you're dressed in sweats or your pajamas, your mind is much more likely to wander. It's fine to be comfortable, but dress reasonably.

Fourth: Create an effective work space. The basics of working at home can be more disruptive than you realize. If you're not careful your work can be interrupted every few minutes to deal with other things. If there's a television in the room or you're right next to the family phone, you're not going to get a lot done.

Set aside a quiet, out of the way space in your home and make it off limits during your work hours. This may be a spare bedroom, or just the corner of your bedroom. Whichever you choose, just make sure there's a door between you and the world.

Once you've established your workspace, go ahead and decorate it and keep it neat. Set up your space like a real office. Put up a couple of pictures, get a plant if you'd like, whatever you think will motivate you. Then keep your papers organized and your trash bin emptied. A nice looking, organized space will really contribute to your productivity.

Take your eBay business seriously right from the start. If you follow these tips, you'll find yourself getting a lot more work done, and that can mean more profit and more time to spend with your family.

Gary Hendrickson has been making his living selling on eBay for more than six years. He's the author of two eBay related ebooks, has a blog for eBay sellers, and is the owner of ColdItems.Com.

ColdItems.Com The Auction Rebel Blog

Aviation Week
Continental Airlines Applauds FAA Order to Stop Newark Slot Auction
MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
The FAA Chief Counsel said he acted under the authority from the FAA Acting Administrator and found Continental and other airline protesters of the auction ...
FAA delays first slot auction for Newark Forbes
FAA Suspends Auction of Flight Slot at Newark Airport (Update2) Bloomberg
Airport Landings Auction Halted NY1
New York Times - Business Travel Newsall 161 news articles

HispanicBusiness.com
FACTBOX-Fed's liquidity tools
Forbes, NY - 9 hours ago
The $50 billion option draws will be in addition to the $200 billion that may be offered under regular TSLF auctions. Under the TSLF, the Federal Reserve ...
Fed actions to boost liquidity guardian.co.uk
Federal Reserve auctions $75B in loans to aid banks Youngstown Vindicator
Fed auctions another $75B to ease credit stresses Forbes
guardian.co.ukall 33 news articles

Ocean Tomo to Sell Highly-Cited Social Networking Patent at Live ...
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
Ocean Tomo Auctions has received global recognition as the leader in the live auctioning of intellectual property assets for some of the world's largest and ...

Katy Perry Auctions Off Her Breasts For Charity
Ecorazzi, NY - 6 hours ago
Anyways, she’s famous enough that she’s decided to auction off her breasts for charity. Now, you won’t actually have dominion over her breasts should you ...

Reuters
rate buybacks add to bank writedown worries
guardian.co.uk, UK - Aug 27, 2008
They were typically long-term notes or preferred shares whose yields reset periodically through auctions. As those auctions started failing, the securities ...
Royal Bank in Talks With Cuomo Over Auction-Rate Securities Bloomberg
Report: BofA to buy back $43M in auction-rate securities Bizjournals.com
B of A Agrees to Securities Buybacks Wall Street Journal
all 93 news articles

Earthtimes (press release)
New York probes Fidelity, Goldman ties -- sources
guardian.co.uk, UK - Aug 27, 2008
Auction-rate securities are long-dated municipal, student-loan or mutual fund debt that paid interest rates that reset periodically in auctions. ...
Cuomo probes Fidelity-Goldman ARS link: report MarketWatch
Inquiry probes Fidelity-Goldman ties: report Reuters
Auction Rate Securities Probe Focusing on Fidelity, Goldman Sachs Ties Newsinferno.com
Forbes - Reutersall 201 news articles

Treasury Auctions Set for This Week
New York Times, United States - Aug 24, 2008
By THE NEW YORK TIMES The Treasury’s schedule of financing this week included Monday’s regular weekly auction of new three- and six-month bills, auctions of ...
RBC, US watchdogs talk securities settlement Globe and Mail
SEC Reaches Preliminary ARS Buyback Settlement With Merrill CNNMoney.com
Merrill to buy back $10b in securities Boston Globe
Reuters - Exchange News Directall 1,002 news articles

Wired News
Zetabid(TM) Auctions Make It Easy to Buy Bank-Owned and Builder ...
MarketWatch - Aug 25, 2008
Buyers can bid in-person at Zetabid auctions, via live webcast or have their agent submit an offer. Zetabid opens up the auction market of bank-owned and ...
New Auction Company Redefines Approach to REO Sales DSNews.com
LA Times Launches Real Estate Site MediaPost Publications
LA Times Media Group Wants to Sell Your House Wired News
Los Angeles Times - Dallas Morning Newsall 23 news articles

4.5 Million Ferrari Leads Classic Car Auction
Fullboost, Australia - 57 minutes ago
“The strength of our European sales had a positive effect on the weekend's auction with many of our international clients in attendance. ...

NY Fed announces details on TSLF options auctions
Reuters - Aug 26, 2008
NEW YORK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The New York Federal Reserve announced on Tuesday details on its first two options auctions for US dealers to bid for the Fed's ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Sell Your Items at Cost and Make a Fortune on eBay!