When business is slow you need to watch your pennies. Here are some tips from our readers.

Mark from Connecticut, eBay ID Skyboss, has two eBay money-saving tips.  

If you host your images on eBay it can get expensive. eBay gives you one photo for free, then charges 15¢ for each additional image. If you are using three images in each listing, that is 30¢ per listing. I do about 150 listings per month, so that would cost me about $45 per month –actually more, because I often use 4 images in some auctions.  Mark uses a low-cost photo program called Corel PhotoPaint that can combine several images into one image.  So you can have 3 or 4 images for free. Here is a link to Mark’s listings where you can see what it looks like: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/skyboss_W0QQ_dmdZ1QQ_ipgZ50QQ_sopZ12?_rdc=1

Mark also saves money by reusing boxes that are in good condition. He simply takes the box apart and reassembles it inside out, so the original printing on the box is on the inside.  He uses a hot glue gun to quickly reassemble the boxes.

Jeanne S. from Vermont gets loads of free bubblepak and small boxes from a local large gift shop in her tourist town. They happily give her the shipping supplies rather than pay large local recycling fees. She tosses any boxes or materials in poor condition, but usually ends up with a full week’s supply of good boxes and materials with each trip to the store.

 In news from eBay:

A few weeks ago Amazon announced that they were putting restrictions on collectible book sellers to limit the sellers who could sell collectible books to large experienced sellers. eBay is taking advantage of those lots of small unhappy sellers by announcing a listing fee discount to 5-cents per listing in the collectible books category from now (May 27) through June 9^th.  The categories that are eligible include:

• Antiques – Books & Manuscripts

• Books – Antiquarian & Collectible

Used, including collectible books are a great business opportunity for eBay sellers. Our best-selling book, How To Make Good Money Selling Used Books on eBay, Amazon and the Internet gives step-by-step instructions to this great little online business. We show you which books to buy –and more importantly, which books NOT to buy, where to find them and how and where to sell them at margins of 500% or more.

See Also

• Try A Complete Professional Internet Marketing Course for only $2.95
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• Learn About Ten, Little Known, eBay Niche Businesses Anyone Can Do for Immediate Profits
  These are ten great little eBay business opportunities hiding on eBay…And, you can source the products locally for pennies

Intuit has given us 5 copies of Quickbooks Pro 2009 to give away to Sparkplugging readers! That’s a $199 value, baby! One copy will be given to a lucky eBay & eCommerce reader, and four others will be given away elsewhere on the Sparkplugging network.

Read Brandie Kajino’s QuickBooks 2009 review here.

So, now you can get your bookkeeping together and get your digits and customer information organized!

So, I bet you’re wondering how you win? That’s easy. Here’s how:

1. Leave us a comment below by the deadline, June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm (noon) PST / 3:00pm EST. (Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you if you win!)

2. Subscribe to this blog (if you haven’t already).

That’s it!

Winners will be announced Tuesday, June 2, 2009!

Please be sure to visit our giveaway sponsor:

They are running a Small Business Grant Contest – go and vote for your favorite HERE. There are some great small businesses up for some great prizes! Also, check out the Intuit Twitter peeps: @SharnQuickBooks, @kirasw and @rkeuretig

Good luck everyone!

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark An Idea that Will Keep You Motivated This Summer!

This is a really good one! Here’s what Michelle had to say about staying motivated in eCommerce:

Staying motivated in the summer is usually not that hard for me. It’s nice and sunny outside, warm, and I just feel more motivated in general. And I have more help around the house with my kids home from school, so I can work in my projects while they are doing their chores.

However, it is easy to get sidetracked with ball games, camping, doing stuff with friends, so here are some things that I do to keep me motivated, and that I think can help any online business owner.

1. Plan and implement projects for my business. Orders, in my industry, tend to slow down during the summer. People are offline, spending time with their kids and not on the computer. They’re going outside and generally enjoying the nice weather. So this is time to create that new information product, build that new website, or work on that new business model. For example, I just finished revamping my website hosting packages and consolidating several websites. My current project is creating full service website development, maintenance and promotion packages for Oklahoma women-owned businesses.

2. Set realistic goals. I tend to be optimistic, generally speaking, and in setting my goals for the summer. I think I’m going to get all these projects done — revamping websites, writing blog posts, updating software, etc. But it IS summer and I have to remind myself that I need a break. So I cut back on client work, focus on building my business during this slow time, and make sure I don’t bite off more than I can chew over a given period of time. For example, I don’t schedule 10 blog posts in one week. Instead, I’ve consolidated several websites and now only need to write two thought-provoking posts and two newsy and short posts. Woo!

Just remember — if your business cycle is like mine, and this is your slow time, be easy on yourself and take a break. But also take advantage of the slow time. If this is your busy time, then bookmark this page and come back for inspiration when your slow season arrives.

Awesome, Michelle!

For me – with eBay on my mind 24/7, I’m constantly thinking of what to sell the next season. I know from experience that while specializing in clothing – you HAVE to know the latest trends, and keep up with what the retailers are pushing off of their racks.

It’s idealy a perfect time to shop for any off season clearance items and get ready for back to school sales!  Summer is generally slow if you sell clothing on eBay as well, so what perfect time to catch up on how you want to improve your business in the up and coming busy times.

Of course with a new baby in the mix, and a 6 year old on my heals – making the time for everything is going to be a challenge.  One thing that I always have to keep in mind is that working from home is going to always warrant me to work on my terms!  It’s a wonderful thing to be your own boss! 

I stick to a very strict schedule, making sure to leave any extra time for those unexpected interuptions.  It’s also important to put time aside for yourself and your family so you don’t get too overwhelmed.  You’ll feel refreshed and ready to go when you make sure your time is wisely planned. 

When mommy is happy – everyone is happy!    Have a productive Summer!

You Won that eBay Auction! Now What Do You Do?

It’s a heady feeling when you win your first eBay auction: a mixture of happiness and perhaps just a little fear. After all, there seems to be so much to do before you can actually get your item. What do you do next?

The simple answer is: you send payment to the seller, as quickly as possible. The quicker you pay, the more your seller will like you, and the sooner your item will arrive. But how you go about it? That all depends on how you plan to pay.

PayPal.

PayPal is one of the most popular options for paying on eBay, to the point where eBay decided to buy the company. It allows instant electronic payment across the Internet. Money goes instantly from your credit or debit card to the seller’s PayPal account, where they can either use it for Internet purchases or transfer it out to their bank.

eBay offer incentives for using PayPal, and almost all sellers now accept it. Its instant nature makes sellers very happy, and means that they can have your item packed and sent and leave you some positive feedback within a few hours of the auction ending. When paying by PayPal, you will be covered by PayPal’s own insurances and guarantees, as well as any that your card might have.

Cheques and Money Orders.

This is payment the old-fashioned way, and will lead to a long wait to your item. You need to post the cheque or money order, then the seller has to take it to the bank and get it cleared, and only then do they send the item. The only reason to use this method is if either you or the seller distrusts electronic payment methods. If you’re willing to go to the trouble with these sellers, though, you might get an item very cheaply, as most buyers just can’t be bothered.

When you pay by cheque or money order, make sure to print the eBay order confirmation page (it will be emailed to you) and put it in the envelope with your payment. Underline or circle key information like your mailing address and the item number. Finally, remember to be patient: keep in contact with the seller, as it really can take a month or two before everything falls into place and your item turns up.

Money Transfers and Bank Deposits.

Some sellers may ask you to pay them using a wire service like Western Union, or simply give you a bank account number and ask you to pay money into it. Unless you really trust the seller, this is generally a bad idea – these methods are hard to trace and you’re unlikely to get any money back if anything goes wrong. Paying in cash, it hardly needs to be said, is an even worse idea.

It’s all a lot to take in, isn’t it? I’m sure by now you’ve got a few questions, which is why the next email/post will be a little eBay buyer’s FAQ. Let’s hope we can solve any problems you might have.