The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting an eBay Business (BUSINESS, REFERENCE)

So, you've got eBay ambitions. Do you want to become a full-time seller or make money from a sideline business to supplement existing income? Millions of new sellers will list their wares on eBay this year alone. But 41% of all listings never sell. And putting an ad for an antique teddy bear on eBay is no guarantee that it will sell or that a hoped-for business will succeed. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Starting an eBay Business will guide readers-step-by-step-in creating the eBay business they've dreamed of. It will help them understand what's involved in running an eBay business and how to go out about it.

* Covers the basics of eBay, the auction process, and getting your business down on paper, including record keeping, accounting, taxes, insurance, legal issues, and other details you need to know.

* Helps the reader determine what to sell, how to value and price it, and the details of working with services like PayPal and how to organise fulfillment.

* Contains new information on fraud and how to protect yourself and your business.

* Gives readers the ins and outs of the biggest growing areas of eBay business-sourcing, wholesaling, and fixed price sales.

* Includes a special business troubleshooting section focuses on issues affecting your business as eBay grows-cutting through the competition; improving your margins; changing strategies; improved advertising and promotions; and more.

Part 1: There's No Business Like eBay Business
Chapter 1: Why start an eBay business?
Chapter 2: Barebones startup
Chapter 3: The ABCs of eBay

Part 2: Your stock in trade
Chapter 4: What should you sell?
Chapter 5: Valuing your items
Chapter 6: Where to find inventory

Part 3: Making It Work
Chapter 7: Selling-Part 1
Chapter 8: Selling-Part 2
Chapter 9: Customer service
Chapter 10: Packing and shipping
Chapter 11: Marketing miracles
Chapter 12: Protecting your business from fraud
Chapter 13: International sales

Part 4: Running your business
Chapter 14: Keeping books and records
Chapter 15: Keeping it legal
Chapter 16: Prepare for Catastrophe
Chapter 17: Cutting in Uncle Sam
Chapter 18: Getting paid

Part 5: Taking things to the next level
Chapter 19: Building credibility
Chapter 20: Taking on help
Chapter 21: Using auction management tools
Chapter 22: Raising money to grow your business

Part 6: Getting Personal
Chapter 23: Working from home
Chapter 24: Part-time to full-time
Chapter 25: Learning and growing

Part 7: Troubleshooting Your eBay Business
Chapter 26: I have too much competition.
Chapter 27: I end up spending more money getting noticed than I make on my sales.
Chapter 28: I have to drop my prices to compete.
Chapter 29: I may have to take my business off eBay to make more money.
Chapter 30: How do I figure out how to take this to the next level?

Barbara Weltman is an attorney and small business tax expert. She has written over a dozen business books including J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes, 6E, and The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Starting a Home-Based Business, Second Edition (ISBN: 0028638425). Barbara serves as Staples.com's Small Business Tax Expert and also works with WE Inc., and Inc.com. She has appeared as a tax and small business expert on CNN, CNBC, the Today show, Bloomberg TV, and numerous radio stations nationwide. She is a frequent guest on Jim "Griff" Griffeth's eBay radio show and will be a speaker at 2004 eBay Live.

Kara Gordon runs a highly successful eBay maternity business and co-hosts the Internet radio show Entrepreneur Magazine's Making Money on eBay, heard on www.wsradio.com. She is an eBay course instructor for a six-week online course Learn to Buy and Sell on eBay, that is offered in over 800 schools in the U.S. and abroad.

Shirley Muse is an entrepreneur, eBay course instructor, and radio talk show host along with Kara Gordon. She has run a successful eBay business since 1998 selling a line of puppets and just about anything else she finds to sell.