Start selling online

Clear away clutter and earn big bucks while you are at it.



BIG MONEY: Chan showing off some of the items that can be traded online.

DO YOU wish you could reclaim valuable space in your house? Why not offload the junk that you’ve ­collected over the years and while you are at it make some money from them.

As the saying goes, one man’s junk is another’s treasure.

And an auction site such as eBay is a great place to start and one day you may even use it to supplement your income.

According to a survey by eBay South East Asia, more Malaysians are using its platform to earn extra income and set up their online store.

While at first they start as casual auctioneers but the extra income usually motivates them to become serious sellers, said Chris Chan, the company’s education specialist.

Also, there are some who chose to quit their day jobs and become full time online traders, she said.

For the uninitiated, eBay is a global online marketplace where anyone can trade practically anything as long as it’s legal.

Launched in 1995, eBay has a presence in 39 markets with over 83.9 million active users worldwide.

The local website, eBay Malaysia was officially launched in 2004 and currently has over 100,000 members.

Getting started
Chan, who is also a verified eBay member, started selling on the auction site in 2005and earns an average of US$1,000 (RM3,300) to US$2,000 (RM6,600) a month.

She returned to Malaysia after completing her studies in Australia and was keen to start a business that would allow her to work from home.

After some research, Chan found her niche — selling collectible toys and memorabilia, mostly of Japanese design, from local stores to buyers in Australia.

“eBay is my primary source of income, and it gave me an avenue to access the Australian market without having to invest heavily,” she said.

She has since expanded her ­business to markets in the United States and Europe.
It’s not difficult to take the leap into the online auctioning world — the first step just requires you to register for an account with eBay. Once verified, the same ID can be used with all of eBay’s 39 websites.

While it’s free to sell on eBay Malaysia, a small fee will be charged for trading on eBay’s international sites.

For newbies, eBay provides a step-by-step guide to help them get started on posting items for sale.

The website also offers trading tools such as Selling Manager to help sellers schedule their listings and manage items for sale.

If you are still unsure, you can easily contact eBay’s helpline or ask fellow members via its forums.

Going global
Chan advises aspiring online traders to go for the international market if they are up to it.

“Your item will get more ­exposure and will be available to more buyers, as the Malaysian market is still small and you will not be able to make as much money,” she said.

“But if you are not ready to take the risk then start locally.”

Also, most local buyers tend to ask for discounts and demand extra stuff once they find out you are a Malaysian too, she said.

To become a successful seller, there are a few simple tips that you should follow, according to Chan.

First, determine the value of the item that you wish to sell by checking other sellers’ prices in order to price your items competitively.

“Although a low starting price usually encourages a lot of bidding but if it doesn’t then you are still legally bound to sell it at the final price even if it’s too low,” she said.

Also, find out what can and cannot be traded on a particular country’s site because eBay adheres to the laws of the markets where it operates in.

Ultimately users are responsible for making sure that buying or ­selling an item on eBay is legal in the eyes of the law, she said.

For instance, you are allowed to sell puppies on eBay China but not elsewhere.
And to courier items from Malaysia to Israel, sellers are required to get prior approval from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

Listings that violate eBay’s ­policies may result in disciplinary action, including temporary or indefinite suspension of a user’s account.

More tips
To attract buyers, especially when selling items similar to thousands of other sellers, prepare a good description.

A funny description usually helps as it gets the post noticed and if it’s mentioned in blogs or other sites, you will get free advertisement.

Also, always accompany your post with good photos that look professional, said Chan.
“People may want your item but could be put off by a bad picture,” she said.

Also, include detailed info on the services that you are willing to provide.
For payment, PayPal is one of the best choices because it protects the sellers from fraudulent buyers, she said. PayPal offers sellers protection against claims and charge backs.

Plus, you can search PayPal’s records in several different ways, which is helpful in locating a record when you have been trading a lot.

For those who don’t want to use PayPal, eBay Malaysia has partnered with MOL AccessPortal Bhd to offer an escrow-based payment system.

Called MOL SafePay, the system will temporarily hold the payment from the buyer until the ­merchandise is delivered to the seller, after which MOL SafePay will credit the money into the seller’s MOL Freedom Prepaid MasterCard account.

Money can then be withdrawn from any EON Bank and ATM supporting the Cirrus system.

Taking chances
There is always a risk when ­shipping items internationally and although items rarely go missing or are damaged, it is something sellers should keep in mind, said Chan.

To cut down on the cost of ­wrappings and boxes, there is a simple way you can procure the materials for free or next to nothing, she said.

You can go to a furniture shop and ask (nicely) for their used boxes and bubble wraps, and most will be willing to give it up for free.

Sellers have a responsibility to package items safely and proper packing materials can reduce the chance of damage to an item.

They also have a responsibility to ship the item in a timely manner, she said.
Also, it doesn’t hurt to add a return policy to increase the chance of selling the item and getting a better final price.

Finally, keep it professional, positive and friendly.

If you have a dispute with the buyer, try to work it out with him or her first, she added.

If you’re threatened, it is better not to report to eBay immediately, she said. In case of fraud, members can use the eBay resolution section to resolve their problems.

Fun but tough
Being your own boss and working from home may be fun but it also involves a lot of hard work to make it a success.

Most people tend to grossly underestimate the efforts that go into maintaining a good reputation on eBay.

“If you’re interested in achieving financial freedom via eBay, you have to be serious and professional,” said Chan.

A successful online venture isn’t going to happen overnight, she added.

Ciao



My old rugged Suzuki GP 100 up for sale. Anyone interested?

My trading patners


My Malaysia Store!

My Singapura Store!

My International Store!

If

Greetings

Hi,

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

If— is a notable poem by Rudyard Kipling. It was written in 1895; the poem was first published in the Brother Square Toes chapter of Rewards and Fairies, Kipling's 1910 collection of short stories and poems. Like William Ernest Henley's Invictus, it is a memorable evocation of Victorian stoicism and the "stiff upper lip" that popular culture has made into a traditional British virtue. Its status is both confirmed by the number of parodies it has inspired, and by the widespread popularity it still draws amongst Britons (it was voted Britain's favourite poem in a 1995 BBC opinion poll).

According to Kipling in his autobiography Something of Myself (1937), the poem was inspired by Dr Leander Starr Jameson, who in 1895 led a raid by British forces against the Boers in South Africa, subsequently called the Jameson Raid. This defeat increased the tensions that ultimately led to the Second Boer War. The British press, however, portrayed Jameson as a hero in the middle of the disaster, and the actual defeat as a British victory.

Ciao



My old rugged Suzuki GP 100 up for sale. Anyone interested?

My trading patners


My Malaysia Store!

My Singapura Store!

My International Store!

Easter Bunny on Life

Greetings

Hi,

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There's no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans.
Good things come in small sugarcoated packages.
The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey!

-Author Unknown-



I'm the Bunny. Click On Me!

Ciao



My old rugged Suzuki GP 100 up for sale. Anyone interested?

My trading patners


My Malaysia Store!

My Singapura Store!

My International Store!

Farewell TSC

Greetings

Hi,

Farewell lunch for a friend at THE SHIP on 30/10/2008. All the best to you "siew chu". Any contribution to caption the pictures is wellcome.


(Cheers)


(Buy 3 free 1 ...... including the lady who is holding the Tabasco sauce :)


(Greet)


(The twin)


(Best friend)













Ciao



My old rugged Suzuki GP 100 up for sale. Anyone interested?

My trading patners


My Malaysia Store!

My Singapura Store!

My International Store!