Auction Power Guide

I want to go to a government seized auto auction to get a car. Since your not allowed to test drive these cars, I definetly will bring along my mechanic to look at the car. What are the most important things for him to check since the car is sold "as is"?

Also, most of these vehicles are newer (2000 or newer) so they’re not very old.
Somebody here said to not buy a car that is clean on the outside because it usually means that it is in bad mechanical condition. Why is that?

If your mechanic is an ASE Certified mechanic familiar with used car inspections he’ll know exactly what to look for. If he’s not, find one that is.

Auctions are a very risky venture, you need to be extremely cautious since there are so many hidden things that can go wrong with a car. Many of them undetectable, even after a thorough inspection.

The positive thing is you can generally find a real bargain at the auction. But don’t expect to buy a car that is free of defects and won’t need to be serviced. Assume that anything you buy will need at least one repair as soon as you drive it home.

Quilters can find a huge selection of discount quilting books on eBay.  In addition to the rock-bottom prices, there are many other advantages for buying quilting books on eBay.

New quilting book titles can often be purchased before they are released to the brick and mortar stores.

Quilters who enjoy collecting books written by a particular author can often find a seller listing their entire collection on eBay.

Rare, out-of-print, and otherwise hard-to-find quilting books can often be found for sale on eBay.

Before purchasing any quilting books on eBay there are several important things to be aware of.  Here are five useful tips for buying discount quilting books on eBay:

Pay Attention to the Advertised Condition

Be sure to carefully read the description of the quilting book offered for sale.  If a book is advertised as being ‘second hand,’ or ‘used condition’ be aware that the book may contain flaws such as page discoloration, and scratches, bends, and folds on the cover.

Be Aware of The Book’s History

Many quilting books offered for sale on eBay are acquired from estate sales.  That means that the buyer does not know the history of the book being offered for sale.  The book may have been in storage for months and could have a musty odor or smell faintly of mothballs.

This is important to be aware of if you have allergies or are sensitive to odors.  If the book actually belonged to the seller, they will often disclose if the book came from a smoke-free or pet-free home in the description.  Some sellers, however, do not provide this information. When in doubt, always ask!

Watch Those Shipping Costs

Most sellers will ship quilting books via US Postal Service Media Mail or Parcel Post.  The shipping cost, therefore, is generally not that great, unless the book being sold is oversized or a large lot is purchased.  However it is important to note that not every seller will charge ‘actual’ shipping costs. 

Those special ‘handling’ costs that are often tacked on can include such items as tape, packing envelopes, time spent packing the books, etc.  Many sellers offer to consolidate orders, for multiple wins.  This can save greatly on shipping costs.  Some sellers even offer free pickup for local buyers.

Read The Return Policy

Always read the return policy. Be aware that a seller will not offer a refund just because a buyer changed their mind about purchasing the quilting book.  Some will refund the purchase cost if the item is not as described.  Normally, however, the buyer is responsible for the cost of the return shipping.  If the item is damaged during transit, a seller will not offer a refund unless insurance was purchased. 

If you follow these four buying tips, buying discount quilting books on eBay will be a rewarding, profitable, and pleasant experience.

Sue B. Quillen

You open a store on eBay and off you go! Once you’ve done this you have more than you need to start doing business online. Everything has been set up for you. Yes, everything, including marketing, and you will find your customers there already. This is one of the only places where you can submit your product and have a buyer for it within minutes. If you feel you need to market your eBay store, by all means to do that. Your store’s web address will be unique and will remain the same, so marketing it is very easy. You can direct traffic to your wholesale online store at eBay by building links.

So what do you have to do to make this scenario happen?

Deciding what to sell and sourcing the product you’ll be selling on eBay isn‘t easy. You need to do your research and determine what products are popular and what is actually selling. Look at the history, find out how many units of a given product have sold in the last couple of months, and determine the price that people are willing to pay for this item.  Continue this research until you have come up with a viable product line for your store.

Once you have figured out a great product line to carry and sell, you need to seek out wholesale closeout suppliers to meet your needs. There are a number of places on the Internet where you can access this information.  Searching the web for wholesale suppliers of specific products will give you instant results. Sift through the results and find a reputable company. Make sure your supplier is reliable and that you can make some profit when re-selling. It is important for you to note that finding a good supplier is one of the most important things when in a business dealing with liquidations.  It is also highly important to be wary of people waiting for newbie like you to scam through the guise of eBay. I recommend never clicking links from eBay emails.  Instead, you must point your browser to their web site. A lot of people use fake emails from eBay as a phishing tool to seek out private information.  This is a situation that you most certainly want to avoid.

Wholesale closeouts move a lot at eBay and you should consider selling them there. Products from liquidations enable you to have a wide variety of products at your store without a huge financial outlay on your part.

Watches are good examples of wholesale merchandise that does well, even more so during the holiday season. However, you must ensure that your approach is right because the competition there is international. You have to work to be the best and ensure that you build a good client base. Always make sure to build on customer trust. If you don’t do this, they will go to the next seller of liquidations merchandise.

You should start making some good money selling the closeout products within a short time on eBay if you did your homework well. You should try to build your closeouts venture over time by always improving your product line and sales tactics.

Start small and grow with your eBay sales by working with the wholesale closeouts company of your choice. Make sure you take time to learn what happens at eBay. Look at how the top performers operate and see whether you can learn a thing or two from them. Work to be the best. You can easily expand your business by creating a website and growing further. You also have the choice of just selling through your eBay store – we are sure you can make good money doing this if you invest time and thought to the process.

Joel McLaughlin