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You can find good deals on almost everything you need on internet auction sites. There is almost nothing that you can’t find over the internet. You can find great deals on Avon collectables, collectable toys, sports memorabilia, or anything else that you can think of on auction sites such as ebay.com and ubid.com.

Most people think of eBay when they think of online auctions, but Ubid has everything that you could need in an internet auction website. There are many things that you can find on Ubid that you can’t find using traditional stores.

You can find out of stock items, specialty collectables or many other items on websites such as Ubid, eBay and Yahoo Auctions. The advantage of sites such as these is that you’re fairly assured of getting the fair market value for your items. This is good for both the buyer and the seller.

These types of websites can sell items for you that are hard to sell outside of an internet website. If you have a lot of items to sell, but can’t afford a storefront, don’t want to sell items on consignment, or live in a smaller community, you can make a lot of great deals selling your items in online auctions.

You Can Sell Your Items on Ubid

Many different types of items are sold on Ubid and eBay. Collectables generally do very well on Ubid. Many collectors watch the internet websites for great auctions. You can also find deals on anything you need on eBay or Ubid.

There are some differences from one auction site to another, so if you’re used to eBay it pays to spend a little time getting to know the way the other sites work. For example, Yahoo Auctions automatically extends the ending time of an auction if there is a bid in the last couple of minutes. This prevents last-second sniping like you often see on eBay.

John Lenaghan writes about eBay and other online auctions for the Online Auction Advisor website, where he writes about things such as dropshippers, how to make money on eBay and many other auction-related topics.

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On another forum I’m involved with, someone’s asked a great question: I want to
sell products on eBay, but I
want to include photographs with my items. How do I do that? What kind of camera
do I need, and what settings should I use?

The first step is to buy a digital camera. You can use a film camera, get the prints
developed and then scan them in, but you can now buy an entry-level digital camera
for the same price as a low-end scanner, and it’s a lot easier to use!

A few example cameras that have a good reputation, from Amazon: A very
inexpensive camera - on sale currently - is the Digital Concepts VGA Camera (currently $49), and if you want to
get a known brand, as I’d recommend, then you can’t go wrong with the Fujifilm FinePix 1400 (about $70), the Kodak DC215 (about $60), or the slightly more
expensive
Epson PhotoPC 750Z (about $100).

Getting good results from a digital camera isn’t trivial, however, particularly if you’re
trying to take a picture of a book, statue, CD cover or item of clothing. That’s where
it’s nice to be able to take fifty pictures, download them all to your computer, and
pick the best one of the lot. Unlike film photography, this won’t cost you a nickel.
Just time…

A general tip for taking good product shots is to have lots of light. If
you’re in a room with ceiling lights, turn ‘em all on. If you have floor lamps, move
them over and point them directly on the item. In addition, use a neutral color
blanket or sheet as a background for the item: you don’t want to distract potential
buyers with your household clutter. Then hold your camera very, very steady
(consider having it on a chair or, ideally, a tripod) and slowly click the button to take
the shot. If your shots are blurry, try moving back a foot or so and taking another
photograph.

Once you’ve taken a product photograph you like (and don’t be discouraged if it
seems hard. There are professional photographers who specialize in product and
catalog photography and it’s quite an art!) then crop it tightly so that the
photograph is about the product and as little else as possible. If you’re using a
blanket as a background, for example, it should only be visible on the edges of the
photograph. Bidders will appreciate a product photo that reveals a lot of detail
about the product and nothing else.

Finally, within your photo editor (Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Graphic Converter,
iPhoto, whatever), make sure that the final image resolution is 75dpi, not 300dpi,
then resize the image down to a maximum width of 400 pixels and a maximum
height of 300 pixels: and do it with “keep image proportions” enabled so that you
don’t distort the photo. Save it as a JPEG, not a GIF, since it will keep the
nuances of color much better.

Great. Now you have a photo ready to upload to eBay with your next auction! When
you’re entering the auction information, you’ll get to a step where it offers you the
chance to add a photograph, and that’s what you want to do. Click on “upload
photo” and pick your saved image, then it’ll automatically be sent to the eBay
servers along with your other auction information, and you’ll be well on your way to
becoming a true Powerseller!

When I add photographs to my eBay auctions, I use a rather more expensive
(about $2000) camera setup, a Nikon D100 digital with studio lighting and similar
gear. You can see some of my photographic work at Colorado Portraits.

Dave Taylor has been involved with online auctions for almost a decade, including
having written the book “The eAuction Insider”. His latest projects are startup info and Ask Dave Taylor!.

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