Time now to let you into a secret, people can’t spell, that right they can’t spell, so imagine all those listings where the title is spelt incorrectly, Tiffany spelt Tiffny or Panasonic spelt Panasoni – yes there are those listing out there so how do you find them and in the process get a bargain?

Well help is at hand as all you need is a free eBay misspelled search tool to find those bargains that still exist on eBay! There are literally thousands of items listed on eBay that go unsold or at a bargain price, due to mistyped or misspelled listings and you can find them by using the eBay misspelt search tool that will find the eBay misspellings, eBay typos and the misspelled variations of the bargain you are looking for and you find it here www.bargainchecker.com.

Let me know what you find, i have got a rather nice Tiffany or should I say Tiffny lamp!

What many people aren’t aware of is their Associate program that actually lets a website owner ‘tap into’ the Amazon success and promotes the products from Amazon on their website. The site is really simple to use and has such a wide variety of products you can’t fail to find something to link to, everything from Jewellery to CD’s even music downloads.

Product box and text links

Text links one their own.

There are also great tools for integrating into your site, from simple product links to full blown stores, yes you can create your own store, take a look at these two.

My Blog Store

WesternRunner online store

I personally use Amazon a lot I find it easy and simple, a good reporting tool and although it doesn’t make huge amount of money it does provide a small and useful ancillary income.

Amazon Associates advantages:
• there is a huge choice of products to choose from
• reliable payment system
• options for different payment types for both you and the customer
• I find it very easy to use
• a massive variety of linking tools
• Amazon are a well regarded brand and trusted by consumers

Amazon Associates disadvantages:
• only quarterly payments (many other programs are monthly such as Adsense)
• commissions can be lower than some other programs (although they have an incentive/bonus program that increases the % when you sell certain targets)
• some of their buttons and link methods can look a bit dated

I have written previously about eBay selling here

My thoughts on eBay for 2010 here
(*source Interbrand http://www.interbrand.com)

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So as we move into 2010 I am left asking how will eBay change in 2010, where is it going? You can’t fail to have read about the major brands setting up shop in eBay and I guess that leaves me asking where is this all going, is eBay simply going to be a place to buy branded goods at lower prices (sometimes) or just one big free for all car boot sale – for want of a better word, and it has to be said the world’s biggest!

Well I don’t know the answer to that question and with everything I read online I don’t think eBay do, as a private seller and buyer since March 2000 I can certainly say I have no idea.

I’m not sure anymore – and I’m not sure they are sure themselves anymore, either does this matter to me as a private seller? I don’t think so. If I was a major brand though I think this would be a different matter, as quick as the like of Debenhams and Tesco have jumped in they can leave and if you alienate the private sellers in the process that leaves eBay in a bit of a pickle.

Happy New Year everyone…..

See also – eBay what’s it all about, should you use it to sell? – my take on it

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I am now beginning to question whether I shall continue to use eBay as I have experienced a number of issues with the site and them recently which leads me to think there are better options out there,

Integration between eBay and PayPal
I work in the Internet Industry and I have to say the payment gateway between these two is rubbish, simple as that, they clearly haven’t read any sort of documentation of attaching a shopping cart and making it work properly.
Fees
In recent months the fees for private sellers have gradually crept up to such an extent now that small items being sold, you really have to question if it’s worth it. The fees are structured with an insertion fee and a final value fee and the ‘optional’ upgrade fees and payment fees.
Insertion Fee Private Seller fee
£0.01 – £0.99 No fee
£1 – £4.99 £0.15
£5 – £14.99 £0.25
£15-£29.99 £0.50
£30.00 – £99.99 £1
£100 + £1.30

Final Value Fee
If the item doesn’t sell then no final value fee, just the insertion fee
If the item sells for £0.01 and above you pay eBay 10.0% of the amount of the winning bid, up to a maximum Final Value Fee of £40.00
And then to add insult to this process if the buyer uses eBay, yet more fees, these are currently quoted at up to 3.4% plus 20p per transaction.

Private Seller Support
I have had a number of issues recently with chargebacks and Postal strike issues and I have to say the support I was offered by eBay and PayPal was poor at best, so be warned.

Also check out my post Debenhams Outlet on eBay.

In future posts i shall cover some other options for you that may suit you better.