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Courses >
Start Your Own Business > Learn to Buy and Sell on eBay
Syllabus:
All
courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two
lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course.
You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must
complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new
section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure
to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
Entering
the world of eBay can be somewhat like visiting a foreign land. It has
its own community, culture, and language (so to speak). In our first
lesson, you'll learn all the ins and outs of the eBay marketplace.
We'll go over eBay's history, the motivations for buying and selling,
and how to browse the categories of eBay.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
Knowing
how to search the eBay auction listings for items of interest is
fundamental if you're interested in buying or selling goods in the eBay
marketplace. In today's lesson, you'll learn the basics, as well as
some advanced search methods, allowing you to not only find what's
currently up for auction, but also to gather information on items that
have recently sold. We'll also go over the eBay registration process so
you can truly begin your eBay experience.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
Today,
we'll take a tour through the eBay auction pages to help you understand
the site's terminology and layout. You'll learn what specifics to look
for in item descriptions to help you become an astute buyer. We'll also
go over the My eBay section of eBay—an invaluable tool you'll use to
keep track of everything from your buying and selling activities to
keeping lists of favorite searches, sellers, categories, and much, much
more.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
In
this lesson, we'll guide you step-by-step through the eBay bidding and
buying process. Not only will you learn all the bidding basics, but
you'll discover the art of bidding, including proxy bidding, bid
sniping, and other tips for winning an auction at the best possible
price. We'll also prepare you for what happens after the auction
ends—communicating with the seller and making your payment.
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
Today
you'll learn how to prepare for your first sale on eBay. We'll go
through the first steps of the selling process, including locating
items to sell, creating effective auction descriptions, and properly
promoting your listings for maximum exposure.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
In
this lesson, you'll learn why digital photographs are so important when
selling an item on eBay. We'll go over what type of camera you need,
lighting and background techniques, picture editing, and even how to
protect the images you capture.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
Today
we'll go over the basics of pricing your auction items, and we'll
discuss setting your shipping rates. You'll learn why pricing your item
lower may actually get you more money in the end. We'll also discuss
how value plays a part in the price you ask and what a reserve price
is. Then we'll go over what supplies you'll need to ship your
merchandise, and where to find valuable shipping tools and resources.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
In
this lesson, we'll guide you step-by-step through the process of
launching your auction. You'll learn selling fundamentals such as
registering as a seller, understanding eBay's fee schedule, and filling
out the selling form for your item. We'll also go over adding pictures
to your listing description, accepting online payments, and using
online escrow services.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
In
today's lesson, you'll learn the steps you may need to take once you've
listed your item. We'll show you how to make revisions to an auction
currently in progress, how to answer questions from bidders regarding
an item you have up for sale, how to cancel bids from unwanted bidders,
and how to end an auction early.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
Today,
you'll truly be inducted into the eBay community! You'll discover all
the different elements that make up the social world of eBay, such as
the discussion forums, "About Me" pages, chat boards, and other eBay
tools such as eBay radio and the eBay News Section. When you're
finished with this lesson, eBay will be your online home away from home.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
In
this lesson, we'll take a tour through the world of eBay stores where
you can take your eBay selling experience to the next level. You'll
find out how to design and open an eBay store, and we'll go over other
valuable seller's resources, such as listing tools and auction
management software.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
We'll
spend our final lesson together going over some advanced selling
topics. You'll learn which items tend to sell the best, how to find out
what the hottest sellers are, and how and where to find inventory to
sell. We'll also discuss eBay's trading assistant program and other
auction Web sites. We'll end the course with some priceless parting
knowledge that will help you jump-start your eBay selling success.
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This
course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide
you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your
questions. The instructor for this course will be Kara Gordon and Shirley Muse.
 Kara
Gordon and Shirley Muse are avid entrepreneurs and longtime educators.
Both own small businesses that have been earning revenues exclusively
through eBay for the past four years. They believe that buying and
selling online offers the easiest and most rewarding way to work at
home, no matter whether your goal is simply to earn a little extra
money or to make a full-time living. They have a keen sense for finding
treasures to buy and sell. They have first-hand experienced with the
monumental growth of the online auction industry, and enjoy teaching
others the tricks they have developed to trade safely and efficiently
for maximum profit.
Requirements:
Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins
(two free and simple downloads you obtain at
http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and
Get Adobe Reader). and a computer of any type.
Student Reviews:
"Although I did not participate in the discussion part of
the class, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I learned a lot from this course
and I only hope I can do the justice to my auctions as Kara and Shirley
has done to this course. Thank you both."
"A terrific class! The instructors walk you through the
various components to successful ebay buying and selling in a way that
doesn't overwhelm you! Very, very helpful!"
"A very valuable course! I had no idea that there was so
much involved in buying and selling on eBay. The course material was
very clear and understandable."
"Communication style and practical examples were excellent. A real pleasure to have taken the course."
"Excellent resources made available at end of each lesson.
Overall, I was very impressed with the course. I greatly appreciated
the flexibility offered to the student. The convenience was priceless!"
"I enjoyed the course very much. The supplementary material is quite helpful."
"I enjoyed this class very much. The instructors were
positive, supportive and answered questions in a timely and effective
way. They really know eBay and generously shared their wisdom."
"I found eBay to be overwhelming and didn't have much to do
with it until your class. As I went through the class I discovered the
eBay learning center. I also enjoyed the Supplementary Materials, so
much fun to browse and search the urls you had provided. Also what was
great about this class; it opened many doors for me on eBay. I had many
moments of great discovery. Yes, I did bid and got a 1940's cookie jar.
I signed up on PayPal. I bought a camera too. Gave my niece some items
to sell on her store."
"I found this to be an excellent course that fully met all
my expectations. I most certainly would recommend it for anyone who
wants to become more proficient with the eBay auction process, both as
a buyer and as a seller. Now that I have completed the course, I feel
much more able to proceed to my ultimate goal of establishing a
home-based business aimed at selling on eBay and other online auction
sites. Thanks to Kara and Shirley for an enlightening learning
experience."
"I have already recommended your course to other people."
"I have been an eBay user for several years as both a Buyer
and a Seller, and have over 500 positive feedbacks. I consider myself
an experienced "eBayer", however I was self-taught which is why I
signed up for your class. In each and every lesson during your class I
learned something new! I highly recommend your class for not only the
beginner but also the experienced eBay user."
"I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed
taking this course. The course subject(Ebay) has really stimulated my
interest, and the instructors have done a very comprehensive job of
writing and presenting this course, along with their generous
interaction with students in the discussion area. Congratulations Kara
and Shirley."
"I have put off selling and buying on eBay in the past,
simply because I didn't know much about it. This course was full of
easy to follow information, and I will recommend it to anyone who has
not already become an eBay user. Thanks for the great experience."
"I know this is a day late, but I just discovered I could
still get in the classroom, so I wanted to thank you both for a great
course. I have taken several online courses and many of them have been
very beneficial and informative. However, I don't think I've ever taken
one with such good student/instructor interaction. Thanks for
responding to questions so quickly and for providing so much
information in such a clear, concise, package!"
"I loved not having to go "out" to class--I also feel in
class some hold back more than others and do not get the full benefit
that they get with the online courses--especially when questions are
answered in a timely fashion as I felt was with this class--last I LOVE
DOING IT ON MY TIME!!!"
"I thought this was an excellent course, and I learned a lot by going through it. Thanks!"
"It was a great course. I learned a lot. We were given a lot
of information in a very period of time, but the course was designed so
we, even someone like me who is new to ebay, could grasp the material
quickly. Discussion area was very informative, from instructors and
other students. Would highly recommend this class."
"I was brand new to ebay and nervous about using it. The
course was simply the best to get me started and was extremely helpful
in the ins and outs of the process. I enjoyed the examples the
instructors gave of their own experience which made them doers and not
just teachers!"
"I was first looking for this class as an on-campus course.
But once I got started I knew this was the place to be. I have totally
enjoyed the flexibility, the subject matter and being able to work in
the ebay site as I went along. I took another online class at the same
time and signed up for another that started last week. I'm hooked!!"
"I was more than satisfied with this course. It far exceeded
any expectations that I had and I will definitely consider taking
another course with these instructors."
"Kara and Shirley are extremely good instructors and very
extremely helpful and full of enthusiasm! I really enjoyed this course.
Thank you!"
"Kara and Shirley are wonderful instructors. Words can't
describe the knowledge and motivation I received by taking this course.
I am anxious to start selling on eBay as soon as possible. This is the
first course I have taken via distance learning. I just loved it and am
planning on taking more courses via distance learning. My thanks and
appreciation to my instructors and school."
"Ladies, I really enjoyed the course and I learned a lot. My
goal is now to be able to sell the "stuff" I've bought at local
auctions. Thank you both very much and my favorite feature was your
personal experiences."
"Thanks for having this course. I have learned about a new
area to explore and enjoyed exploring! I also found a few good
bargains. This course was easy to move through. The reading and
homework was simple enough. I look forward to visiting another online
classroom."
"Thank you for a great course."
"Thank you for an informative and enjoyable course that I am
already using and will be using and utilizing more in my future. It was
well worth the money spent and the only thing I was wondering is the
name of your stores on ebay, it would be fun to check them out."
"Thank you for helping me get started. I have wanted to do
this for quite a while, but had too many other irons in the fire to
take the time to learn how on my own. This is exactly what I needed!"
"Thank you for paving the way to my selling on Ebay. I have
been wanting to begin, but was so hesitant. Your course let me know of
any mistakes to avoid. I am stil llearning, but I am a lot more
confident about selling, etc. Thank you."
"Thank you for this course. I liked the way I had the
flexibility to do the work on my time frame. AND I learned and got the
courage to SELL and boy, am I selling (and my husband, too) In the last
2 weeks, we have sold (and made) over $700..and more to come. This
course accomplished what I signed up for, and I learned so much more;
and have so much more to learn from the lessons even after this class
is officially over. I will continue to explore other areas of eBay. It
is so complex, and WONDERFUL. Never ceased to amaze me everyday. I will
recommend the course to others. Numerous friends of mine are already
impressed with my accomplishments and want to "join' to experience.
Thanks again."
"Thank you ladies for making this course available. I find
that I am a person who can not just fool around with a computer program
or website and learn it adequately. I need the step-by-step lessons. In
the past, before I knew your course existed, I had basically stared at
the eBay website without knowing where to start. Your course made it
easy for me."
"Thank you so much. This course has been a tremendous help.
I have improved my selling skills and learned quite a bit with your
lessons. It has been fun, now I am not afraid to sell on ebay. You are
wonderful. This class being online was a blessing, my Mom is not going
to live long ... maybe less than 2 years, so I have to travel 5 hours
one way to care for her, an on campus class would have never worked.
God bless you two. Keep up the great work."
"The 6 weeks went by quickly and I look forward to using eBay now that I have the knowledge learned in this course."
"There were two instructors for this course and they were
both wonderful. (This course was really informative, enjoyable and
complete) Keep up the good work! And I will recommend it to others."
"This a great course, I have purchased numerous expensive
books on this subject and this course is by far the best reference and
directions on how to sell on ebay. Thanks to the great instructors and
their knowledge and the course content and hints. Glad I took this
one..."
"This course on ebay is better than any book I have read on ebay."
"This course really exceeded my expectations, it was
enlightening, entertaining and informative. This course has removed all
of my obstacles to becoming an active eBay participant. Many thanks."
"This course was excellent! By final-exam time, even the
"newbiest" students were buying & selling with confidence --
competence -- and courtesy (in the best eBaysian tradition); meanwhile,
experienced eBayers found plenty of food for thought and also enjoyed a
thorough review of the basics that included teaching us older "e-dawgs"
some new e-twists. As a graduate of eBay University On-Line + a very
experienced eBayer with green-star feedback totalling nearly 10,000
total transactions, I probably learned the most just from being able to
participate in an interactive learning environment. Kara & Shirley
did a fabulous job of riding herd on our rowdy crew, whose own varied
backgrounds, disparate ambitions and assorted levels of expertise all
boiled down to nourishment for the brain, heart & soul. Thank you,
Kara & Shirley + classmates; I am proud and happy to be graduating
with the Class of eby3214."
"This course was much better than I was hoping for when I signed up. Thanks for all the help!"
"This course was very informative and covered the subject
matter thoroughly. I learned a great deal and plan to use this in the
future. It was presented in an organized way and was both educational
and enjoyable. I could not make a single recommendation for
improvement. Thank you very much."
"This is the first on-line course I have taken. It was Excellent!"
"This was a great class....so fun. I learned so much and would highly recomend it! Thanks! I felt you really cared about us."
"This was just what I needed. Your class was very thorough
and an amazing value. I expect to make the price back after my first
few auctions. I have already recommended this class to several of my
friends. Thanks again."
"This was the first online class I have taken and both Kara
and Shirley were great instructors. Questions were answered quickly.
This course offered a wealth of information for the price. Thanks so
much for all I learned and for all the fun the past six weeks!"
"Two great instructors. You have put me in business! I took
this course to learn how to generate additional income on the internet.
It appears that you have given me a fool proof formula for success.
THANKS!"
"Very useful course. I plan to use most of the lessons from this course to help occasionally sell some unneeded items."
"Wow! This course has been great--I've earned my yellow star
and I will soon graduate from my shining newbie icon. I had no idea
though that there was so much to eBay--so many resources and ways to
buy and sell. I am working up the courage to sell, now, and was glad to
hear that there are tools to help with tracking and auto emailing.
Before I got to this lesson, it seemed it would be overwhelming to keep
up with each step when offering more than one item."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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Online
auctions match buyers with sellers in a global marketplace for almost
any item. If you've ever dreamed of working from home or just earning
extra income by buying and selling goods online, our experienced
instructors will guide you every step of the way. You'll learn how to
create titles that get noticed, how to craft advertising copy that
sells items quickly and for top dollar, and how to create and upload
photos of the items you are selling. You'll also learn how to safely
conduct financial transactions, how to accept credit card payments, and
how to pack and ship any item hassle-free. If you're a buyer, you'll
learn how to value almost any item up for auction, how to get the best
possible price, how to protect yourself against fraud, and how to
compete effectively against other bidders.