OK, you run a home business of making crafts. You have a good marketplace to sell your crafts (eBay.com), probably you have a site of your own to promote your products. But now and then you think of new business ideas, you wonder: how to expand your crafts business? Are there any new opportunities to market your business our there?

I would draw your attention to Etsy.com service – Your place to buy and sell all things handmade. Site started back in 2005, but it has gained a considerable visibility and reputation within this short period of time.

I like their ‘About Etsy’ section – it is short, but informative:

What: Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. Etsy lets you shop by color, place, time and material.

Where: Rob is in Brooklyn, Jared is in Albuquerque, Haim is in Jersey City and Chris is in Philadelphia.

When: After several months of planning and building, Etsy was launched on June 18, 2005.

Why: There are lots of new ideas and technologies opening up new ways to shop online. The big corporate sites like eBay and Amazon seem to be content with a text-only advanced search. We’re here to show the range of possibilities, and just what’s possible.

Well, I am primarily interested in the process of selling at Etsy.com, so I will explore how it works for sellers. In fact, the entire system works much like eBay.com, so those who know the mechanism of eBay will grasp Etsy basics within a few minutes. Just a few facts that are of interest to potential sellers:

Selling an Item & Shipping

Etsy is a venue for you to list your items and for buyers to find them. We do not handle any part of the transaction between you and a buyer. We do, however, facilitate arranging for payment, letting you choose what payment methods you accept, and even handing the transaction off to PayPal® for you. In this sense, we handle this process much like eBay® does.

Once you sell an item, it is the buyer’s responsibility to pay you, and your responsibility to ship the item as described. Etsy does not offer any fulfillment services for shipping.

We recommend that you determine an item’s shipping cost before listing it. This way the final sale price may be paid promptly after purchase. Sites like www.ups.com, www.fedex.com and www.usps.com all offer handy online shipping calculators.

Feedback

We have a simple feedback system for buyers and sellers to rate each other’s quality of service (positive, neutral and negative, and textual feedback). After you sell an item, we’d appreciate it if you took the time to review your buyers.

Fees and Billing

It costs $0.10 per quantity to list an item on Etsy, regardless of the selling price. When you sell an item, there is a flat 3.5% commission fee assessed by Etsy.

And a few more questions that are important to sellers:

I’m in Canada, or the UK, or anywhere else in the world besides the US, can I sell on Etsy?
Yep, as long as you’ve got a valid credit card you can sign up. We’ve got a bunch of non-US sellers in places like Singapore, Australia, the UK and Canada. We’re working on making Etsy an even better international marketplace.

What items can I sell on Etsy?
You can sell anything that is handmade or, a bit more loosely put, hand-assembled or hand-altered. For example, screen-printed shirts are OK. A custom-built computer is OK, as long as you’re making the case and not buying prefab. Furniture is OK as long as it’s nothing mass-produced (yes, you can use power tools to build it). If human hands put some love into the object, odds are you can sell it on Etsy. Please note: we do allow some non-handmade items in the Supplies & Vintage categories.

What items can’t I sell on Etsy?
Anything that is mass-produced or a knock-off. Yes, some of that stuff may be made by hand, but it’s not made in the right spirit. Such items will be unlisted by Etsy admins and listed fees refunded.

You can sign up for free here

Welcome to the international niche focused marketplace to sell your crafts!

[tags]home business, work from home, sell crafts, craft business, etsy, paypal, ebay[/tags]

Mystery shopping is a way to get some cash fast. It is good for college students, stay-at-home moms, retired people, as a second job, etc. Never heard of it? Here is a detailed description of this way to make money:

A mystery shopper is a freelance, professional shopper hired by large retail, restaurant, and movie theater chains to check up on their local stores, in order to make sure that customer service is good, stores are clean, etc. Mystery shopping services are also used by banks, hotels, casinos, and other service providers.

Most mystery shoppers are independent contractors who do the job part-time to make extra money. Pay is typically per assignment, not per hour, and varies based on the requirements of the “shop.” Compensation may include reimbursement of required purchases, such as the purchase of meals at a restaurant being mystery shopped. Mystery shopping assignments can often be fitted around a job, school, or family schedules.

Typically, a mystery shopper will check on a store by actually going in and purchasing an item.

They will have a report sheet in which they are asked a variety of questions about their experience. After a mystery shopper has checked a store, this person then turns in the report, which is given a score and sent to management. These reports are also often shared with the employees so that they have a better idea of their own strengths and weaknesses.

[source: wikipedia.org]

Unfortunately, there is much scam with this way to earn money. Rule #1: Never pay for a list of shops (it is true in case with ALL types of home based work). All real mystery shopping companies are FREE to sign up. So, you can easily avoid any scam by submitting no payments – your aim is to get them from the companies.

What can you expect to earn? As a rule, between $10-20.00 plus reimbursement. There are some companies paying as much as $50 a shop. The goal is to spot the right companies. Don’t jump at $5.00 shops (probably, you can start with this and then search for better deals). Wait for some specials. Your place of residence matters: it is good to reside close or in the big city: you needs stores to shop.

This is a good place to learn and get updated on mystery shopping.

Good lists with mystery shopping companies:

Volition.com
Mymommybiz.com

Summary:
Mystery shopping is a way to earn some extra money, it is definitely worth testing. If you reside in a big city or near – give it a try. Just remember to never pay for any lists and promises.

[tags]mystery shopping, work at home, home based job, freelance, self-employment, home work, business opportunity[/tags]

I have received a few e-mails from the readers for more detailed information on eBay business (here is my post on eBay business). To tell the truth, I can just recommend the works of others who took their time to collect tips from their own and other successful eBay sellers’ experience. Here is the list of popular eBay guides:

The Silent Sales Machine Hiding On eBay® – All new! 120% Bigger – The Best eBay® success strategies all in one place – Automate your income Today (aff. link).

AuctionYen – Find What eBay® Buyers Want. Unique eBay® research software, Highest eBay® converting software! Very Low refunds (aff. link).

The eBay® Cash Machine – Make $1000s. I make $11,000 with the eBay® Cash Machine every single Month (aff. link).

Garage Sale Strategies For eBay® Success – The eBay® Sellers Guide to Finding Profitable Hidden Bargains at Garage Sales to resell on online auctions (aff. link).

The Auction Revolution eBay® System – Move into the top 5 percent of eBay® Sellers (aff. link).

If you would like to save at the start of your online eBay home business (this is the way most people choose) I recommend you to search Google for ‘free eBay tips’, ‘free eBay secrets’ and so on. There is tons of free information on this topic on the Internet. Though it will take your time to find those tips that are compiled into the above link list.

Remember to browse and explore eBay Help and FAQ. They provide extensive information for the sellers – their success depends on both: buyers and sellers satisfaction.

One free resource that I would recommend is AuctionBytes. They are online for many years (started back in 1999!) and have gathered maximum information on eBay and other online auctions:

Bookshelf
Fraud Resources
Auction Site Fees
Auction Management
Payment Services
Storefronts Chart
Sniping Chart
Consignment Services
Ecommerce Resources
Photo Tips
Marketing Inserts

Hopefully, it helps in your search of the proper way to start your eBay business.

[tag]eBay business, online auction, eBay, auction management[/tag]