Those gurus selling on eBay will tell you that you can make boo-koodles of money just by selling stuff from your attic, around your house, garage sales, flee markets and store wide clearance sales.

They even tell you that you can sell stuff that interests you and if you can’t think of anything – then just copy what you see Power Sellers selling on eBay and you’ll get rich.

But the UNTOLD TRUTH that they’re not willing to fess up and tell you is this…….

That crap won’t make you rich…..  let alone provide you with a consistent and secure financial future!

Listen……

eBay is not that same little company that it was 14 years ago.

And the reason why is because it has evolved!

You see, eBay has become a powerful marketplace that has attracted fortune 100 companies and above who are all trying to sell their products for a slice of the pie.

And not only that, but it’s also gotten overcrowded with 1000’s of new sellers that has come aboard in the last decade as well.

The cold hard truth is…..

Unless you know exactly what to sell on eBay – you’re hosed!

Those days of just grabbing something from thin air, listing it on eBay and then counting the buckets of cash you made are long gone.

You see…..

If you want a guaranteed chance of making MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY so you can keep a roof over your head, food on the table, pay your bills on time and have a better life……  then you gotta know what to sell!

And in order for you to know what to sell on eBay – you need to know how to explore, research, weigh and decide upon only outrageously profitable markets with pathetically weak competition.

The Auction Market Blueprint will take you by the hand and walk you step-by-step showing you how to do this. As a matter of fact – it’s so deadly accurate that it hasn’t missed a market yet for me or my clients!

But you’ll have to hurry – it closes at midnight tonight!

Have a super great week selling on eBay!

Blessings,

My BIGGEST mistake selling on eBay wasn’t just selling in the wrong market – it was actually the deadly “Boat Captain Syndrome”.

Let me explain…..

As you probably know by now, back in 2005 I was ready to just throw in the “white towel” and give up!

I was sick and tired of struggling on eBay working 7 days a week, 10, 15, and even 20 hours a day.

I was sacrificing everything trying to figure out “what to sell on eBay” that would make me and my family MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY so I could put a roof over our heads, food on the table, pay our bills and at least take my kids to get a happy meal every once in a while at McDonald’s.

But no matter what I sold  -  I was so determined to make it work that I suffered from what’s called the deadly “Boat Captain Syndrome” which means that no matter what I was selling on eBay – I was either:

• “emotionally attached” to it
• or, it was my “pride-n-joy”
• or, it was my “own idea”
• or, it was something that “I wanted” the market to buy

And because of that, when the “market” didn’t buy my stuff like I thought they should have – instead of me cutting it loose and moving on to better “markets”…..  I sank with the ship TRYING to save it and make it work (BIG mistake).

Today (6 years later) life is a little bit different.

I don’t suffer from the deadly “Boat Captain Syndrome” anymore.

And the reason why is because I adopted a new belief 6 years ago that says…..

“It’s Okay To Let Things Go That Isn’t Working Because
I Have Nothing To Lose And Everything To Gain”

And guess what?

You don’t have to suffer from the deadly “Boat Captain Syndrome” anymore either!

It’s okay to let things go.

Please listen carefully…….

If what you’re currently selling on eBay isn’t making you MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY right now to put a roof over your head, food on the table and pay ALL of your bills with plenty of money left over to fulfill your dreams and live YOUR desired lifestyle – then abandon ship!

You DO NOT have to SINK to the BOTTOM of the ocean!

And the reason why is because there are too many outrageously profitable markets out there with pathetically weak competition that will ALLOW you to make MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY!

Here’s what I want you to do next….

If you’re anywhere near where I was and you’re tired of struggling to make MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY – then do yourself a favor and go check out the  Auction Market Blueprint. It’s just that simple!

Have a super great week selling on eBay!

Blessings,

Duane Hope

The crowd thinks that the BIGGER your “sale” is when selling on eBay – the more “sales” you make. But what the crowd doesn’t know is…..  they’re wrong!

Here’s PROOF!

Continuing on with our year long case study – we tested having “various percentages off” during a “sale” equally, across two of our eBay test businesses.

Here’s the inside scoop of how it went down……

I took two of our eBay businesses and tested them side by side for 12 months.

Both businesses….

• Are in the exact same market
• Sell the exact same product
• Have the exact same manufacture
• Are well established 4 year old businesses
• Have similar feedback scores and DSR ratings
• Have nearly the same amount of *annual traffic (1,823,425 to 1,824,914) *based on a 4 year average
• Have nearly the same amount of *annual sales volume (1263 units to 1287 units) *based on a 4 year average
• Have nearly the same amount of *annual gross sales ($658,023 to $670,527) *based on a 4 year average

I took both A and B businesses each day and put their items on sale using the exact same amount of “percentage off” to double verify our testing results.

The “sale” would only last 24 hours and then I would change the “percentage off” each day on both businesses to a different amount.

I tested 7 different “percentage off variations”. One for each day of the week and then I repeated the same process again for the next 52 weeks to make sure that all factors would be considered while selling on eBay.

Here are the results:

As you can see, the amount of sales increased across both businesses until we reached the 17% mark and then it started sky diving from there – especially at the 29% and 33% off mark.

So why did the sales drop off when the discounts went higher?

It’s simple – shoppers have become numb to bigger discounts.

And the reason why is because so many people offer unrealistic discounts to try and “lure” shoppers in to buy there stuff.

They think that if they offer a “big FAKE discount” (50-75% off)  then buyers will just beat the doors down to buy their products so they can save money.

But what they don’t realize is that today’s shoppers are smarter than ever before. And they’re sick and tired of being lied to with hyped up, over-inflated discounts that aren’t realistic.

CONCLUSION:

If you’re selling a Sharp TV that consumers can buy all day long at a regular price for $1000.00 – don’t offer it for sale at 997.00 and say that it’s 75% off. Consumers see right past that crap and leave.

And the reason why is because they know you’re “lying” to them which just KILLED their trust in you (not to mention the fact that you just insulted their intelligence)!

If you’re going to truly put your items on sale like we do – then make sure that your sale is congruent with the realistic “value” of your offer.

When I tested past the 17% off mark – I knew that I wasn’t being realistic with my market but I wanted to push the envelop so I could prove a point to the crowd.

The bottom line here is that the smaller the “sale” – the BIGGER your “sales” will be in any market (unless you’re in the wrong market).

And remember, when you’re selling on eBay, don’t follow the crowd – the crowd doesn’t know!

I hope this helps

Have a super great week selling on eBay!

Blessings,

Duane Hope

Having a “sale” will make you more money when selling on eBay, but KNOWING what the “psychological triggers” are BEHIND a “sale” will create you a FORTUNE!

You see, there are 3 “psychological triggers” during a “sale” that instantly MESMERIZES your market and SEDUCES them to BUY your PRODUCTS.

And once you know WHAT they are and HOW they work – you can then easily add fuel to these triggers (honestly and ethically) by sprinkling them throughout your copy/description with AMAZING results!

But before we can dive in and talk about these triggers – it’s very important that you understand that there are only two “motivating forces” in life that drives us to take action.

And those two motivating forces are either “inspiration” or “desperation”.

Here’s the difference……

Inspiration operates out of the family realm of “hope” while desperation operates out of the family realm of “fear”.

And out of those two, FEAR is the greatest motivating force that drives us to take action.

Here’s an example of what I mean (see if you can identify which one is FEAR)

An employer says to his employee:

“If you finish the report by Friday – you’ll get a promotion”

-vs-

“If you don’t finish the report by Friday – you don’t get a promotion”

Which one do you think motivates more?

You see, the “fear” of not getting the promotion motivates the employee more than the “hope” or “inspiration” of getting it. And the reason why is because humans will always do MORE to AVOID PAIN than they will to gain pleasure (read that again – its your key to selling on eBay!).

Here are the 3 “psychological triggers” that motivates your visitors to take action during a “sale”:

• FEAR of loss…..
• FEAR of time…..
• FEAR of increase…..

Here’s a “real life” example of our “closing statement” taken from one of our businesses showing you how we add fuel honestly and ethically to those “psychological triggers”. See if you can “identify” all of them?

Have a super great week selling on eBay!

Blessings,
Duane Hope

P.S. Remember, I collected a lot of data from this case study such as…..

• What % (5%, 8%, 10%, 13%, 15%, etc., etc.) causes more sales than others – (this was mind blowing because it wasn’t the higher %)
• What three words you must have in your listings to skyrocket your sales when your items are “on sale”
• Best times to start and end a sale  – (this went totally against the grain)
• A cool trick when using the “markdown manager” that allows you to have a “sale” every day
• The 3 “Psychological Triggers” during a “sale” that instantly MESMERIZES your market and SEDUCES them to BUY your PRODUCTS.
• How long a “sale” should last for maximum sales
• Plus a whole lot more….

If you’re interested in the next one – then do me a favor and post a comment below to let me know. If I get enough comments – I’ll take the time to put the next one on the list together and post it here for you.

But if I don’t hear from you – then I’ll assume that you’re not interested and I’ll just move forward.

If you’re not putting your items “on sale” when selling on eBay – then you’re leaving a wad of cash on the table for your competition to scoop up. Here’s why…..

I just wrapped up a year long case study where I tested putting items “on sale” -vs- “no sale” at all.

Now the reason why I tested this is simply because the “crowd” says that putting your items “on sale” every day will…..

• Cause you to make less money because your prices will now be lower
• Cause you to lose “buyer loyalty” from having “sales” repeat every day
• Cause your market to become “numb” or “blind” to your “sales” after seeing you have them all the time
• Cause you to lose “buyer trust” because shoppers know that “sales” are only a marketing tactic to get people to spend money

And to top that list off…..

The #1 reason the crowd said that putting your items “on sale” doesn’t work is because “sales” are DEAD. They’ve been around forever and are ineffective because people are tired of them.

Hmmmmm?

Now, if you’ve been on my list or have read my posts for any length of time, then you know that I test like crazy because “following the crowd” is like committing suicide when selling on eBay!

And it’s a good thing that I don’t like following the crowd either because these results were shocking!

Here’s the inside scoop of how it went down……

I took two of our businesses and tested them side by side for 12 months.

Both businesses….

• Are in the exact same market
• Sell the exact same product
• Have the exact same manufacture
• Are well established 4 year old businesses
• Have similar feedback scores and DSR ratings
• Have nearly the same amount of *annual traffic (1,823,425 to 1,824,914) *based on a 4 year average
  
• Have nearly the same amount of *annual sales volume (1263 units to 1287 units) *based on a 4 year average
• Have nearly the same amount of *annual gross sales ($658,023 to $670,527) *based on a 4 year average
  

Now, to keep the playing field level, I took “Business B” and raised the price so that when it’s “on sale”, both businesses would have the exact same retail price. And then I put those items “on sale” throughout the next 12 months.

That’s it – nothing else was done or changed to either business.

SIDE NOTE: (I know that I may have just rattled a few cages because some people think that “raising your prices” is somehow unfair, lying, cheating or ripping people off. The truth is, I did this for two reasons. First, to keep a level playing field and to show folks that you don’t have to lose money in order to put your items “on sale”. Second, to really emphasis again that price is always built around the “Total Value” of your ENTIRE offer – NOT the product alone. And because we already OVER deliver tremendous VALUE to our customers – raising the price was still a “no brainier” to them. Heck, from our test results below – we could have easily charged another 15% on top of that and they would have still lined up to buy from us.)

Here are the results…….

As you can see, both businesses were off just a bit in their “annual traffic” compared to their *4 year averages. But “Business B” still sold 528 more units than “Business A” from just putting our items “on sale” which resulted in us making an additional $275,088 in gross sales.

And that’s not all either…..

At no point in my year long testing did I experience ANY of the following:

• Making less money because I put my items “on sale” (nope, I raised my prices – so I didn’t lose any money and actually, I made more money because I had more sales)
  
• Lose “buyer loyalty” from having “sales” repeated every day (nope, it actually did the opposite and shot my “buyer loyalty” up with more repeat buyers)
  
• Cause buyers to become “numb” or “blind” to my on going daily “sales” (nope, remember – my annual sales volume went up, not down)
  
• Lose “buyer trust” because I participate in that so called marketing tactic of putting my items “on sale” (nope, they actually thanked me and referred more of their friends and family members to buy from me)
  

So why did this work?

It’s simple…..  regardless of what the “crowd” says – people LOVE “sales”!

CONCLUSION:

“Sales” aren’t dead by any stretch of the imagination (nor will they ever be). If you’re not currently putting your items “on sale” when selling on eBay – you may want to.

Have a super great week selling on eBay!

Blessings,
Duane Hope

P.S. I collected a lot of data from this case study such as…..

• What % (5%, 8%, 10%, 13%, 15%, etc., etc.) causes more sales than others – (this was mind blowing because it wasn’t the higher %)
• What three words you must have in your listings to skyrocket your sales when your items are “on sale”
• Best times to start and end a sale  – (this went totally against the grain)
• A cool trick when using the “markdown manager” that allows you to have a “sale” every day
  
• The 3 “Psychological Triggers” during a “sale” that instantly mesmerizes your market and seduces them to buy your products.
• How long a “sale” should last for maximum sales
• Plus a whole lot more….
  

If you’re interested and want to know this stuff – then post me a comment below and let me know. If I get enough comments – I’ll take the time to put it together and post it here for you.

But if I don’t hear from you – then I’ll assume that you’re not interested and I’ll just move forward.

Here are the test results below of how a freak accident doubled our sales and blew conventional wisdom out the window when selling on eBay……

So, how did this freak accident happen?

Simple……

Our listing software (Blackthorne) screwed up the “start time” of our listings and sent them out 77 minutes BEFORE they were actually scheduled to go out.

Now if you’ve ever used Blackthorne – then you know firsthand that freaky things like this happens from time to time without your knowledge or permission.

But what happened next was definitely freakier….

Instead of our listings now ending 77 minutes earlier as well – they ended 77 minutes LATER (I know…..  totally freaky, right?).

And because of that freaky accident…..  OUR SALES DOUBLED!

Let me explain why…..

I’m sure you’ve been taught (or at least heard) to send your listings out during “peak times” of your traffic, right? And chances are – you’ve done that simply because either eBay has told you to do it that way or someone else selling on eBay did.

Either way, conventional wisdom from the crowd (and eBay for that matter) is totally WRONG!

And the reason why is simply because there is a huge difference between “peak time” and what I stumbled upon that I now call “prime shopping time”.

“Peak Time” is the highest point of your traffic for that day. But if you send your listings out at “peak time” – then you’ll miss out on all those shoppers beforehand – which kill’s your sales.

On the other hand, “prime shopping time” is like an umbrella that covers each end of “peak time” – so you won’t miss out on any shoppers before or after “peak time”.

Let’s wrap this up…..

When Blackthorne sent our listings out 77 minutes earlier and ended them 77 minutes later – it took them out of “peak time” and actually listed them during what I now call “prime shopping time”.

And “prime shopping time” is usually up to 90 minutes BEFORE “peak time” and as much as 90 minutes AFTER “peak time”.

In other words, the “peak time” for our market was 6pm but due to the freaky accident – they started going out at 4:30pm and didn’t stop until 7:30pm.

And when that happened – it EXPOSED our PRODUCTS to our MARKET during the TIME that THEY were LOOKING for them. And as a result – sales doubled because more shoppers seen our products.

CONCLUSION:

I have tested “prime shopping time” in every market that we sell in since that freak accident happened and it has DOUBLED our sales in EVERY single one of them.

So, if you want to double (or at least increase) your sales – then you should always send your listing out during “PRIME SHOPPING TIME”. And because that time is different for EVERY MARKET – you should look at your traffic stats to determine EXACTLY when that time is.

I hope this helps you to sell more like it did for us when selling on eBay……

Blessings,

Duane Hope

Here’s a clever little traffic technique that will help you get more traffic when selling on eBay. All you have to do is “balance” your listings like this…..

Instead of sending your listings out sporadically, in patches or all at once – make sure you balance them evenly by sending them out equally every day throughout the entire month.

Here’s why….

Smart buyers use different search options (other than Best Match) more often than you think when searching for your products.

Here’s the short story on how I found this out by total accident:

Back when eBay introduced “Best Match”, one of our small test businesses went from hero to zero in traffic almost overnight. And it had me puzzled because our DSR scores were 5.0’s, our sales history was being attached correctly and I knew that I had our “title box” along with our “prime shopping time” nailed for this particular market.

So I knew this traffic problem wasn’t related to keywords or the time of day that our listings were starting/ending or any of that other stuff that you need to get right when selling on eBay.

But what I didn’t know was that eBay made a tiny change in their algorithms when they introduced Best Match.

Let me explain……

When we launched that test business, I was in such a hurry to collect the results from my ideas that I made a *stupid mistake* by just throwing all of our listings out there at once. And even though I’ve never had a problem with dominating traffic – that tiny algorithm change whipped my butt and taught me a valuable lesson which is…..

“You should never send out your listings sporadically, in patches or all at once when selling on eBay”

You see, if you have a total of 620 listings and you send them out in groups of 20 per day for the entire month (20 x 31 = 620) – then that would be better than sending all 600 listings out sporadically, in patches or all at once.

Here’s why…..

When sending out 20 listings per day, buyers who search for “newly listed” as well as “ending soonest” would be able to find your listings on the first page of search results “EVERY DAY OF THE MONTH”.

And the reason why is because you have 20 listings starting every day as well as 20 listings ending every day THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MONTH. This technique balances the marketplace, your traffic, your sales and your business.

Whereas…….

If you send all 600 of your listings out in one day – then you would only have one (1) day OUT OF THE ENTIRE MONTH where your listings would show up for “newly listed” as well as “ending soonest”. This kills your traffic, your sales and your bank account.

BIG DIFFERENCE!

Conclusion: Since there are 31 days in a month, you need to make sure that you have a “good balance” of listings in the marketplace EVERY DAY OF THE MONTH to work with all of the different “search options” that buyers use when searching for your products.

This clever traffic technique of “good balance” has helped us accomplish several things like…..

• “Increased” Daily Traffic
• Daily Traffic “Consistency”
• Market Traffic “Domination”

By doing this you will have more traffic – consistently every day throughout the entire month. And of course, we all know what more traffic equals when selling on eBay, right?

I hope this helps!

Blessings,
Duane Hope

P.S. I would love to hear your feedback and tell me what you think. Your voice motivates me to write the next post…..

Welcome to the UnderGroundAuctionLab!

I just wanted to personally introduce myself and let you know that I’m really pumped up and excited about helping you make money selling on eBay!

Watch The Short Video Below And Get The Inside Scoop On
What You’ll Discover At The UndergroundAuctionLab That
Will Help You To Build A Wildly Profitable-Long Lasting
eBay Business That Dominates The Marketplace

I’ve been working like a mad man the last six months assembling together some of the best training arsenal that you will ever see available on audios, videos and manuals that will show you how to sell on ebay correctly and profitably. It will help YOU Learn, Build and then Dominate the eBay marketplace. PERIOD!

As a matter of fact, I’ve been sacrificing a lot of quality time here lately with my family because I’m burning up the mid-night oil trying to wrap up the 7 DEADLIEST eBAY SINS course that will be released within the next couple of weeks (June 1st).

And I don’t easily give up quality time away from my wife and kids for any reason unless it’s really worth while (and I mean really-really worthwhile  …like life changing!).

And here’s the best part of this course…..

Its 100% FREE!

Now wait just a second before you roll your eyes. I know that you’ve probably gotten free courses before only to be let down, right?

Heck, you’ve probably paid hundreds of dollars to feel cheated, disappointed or lead in the wrong direction, correct?

Well, not this time my friend!

And the reason why is simply because I’m a different kind of breed (really, I am!). You see, I’m stuffing enough meat in this course to choke a pack of mules. And I’m not talking about cheap pork meat either.

What I’m talking about is the kind of meat that “satisfies the belly”. This course will absolutely challenge your mind, the way you do business on eBay and YOUR bank account. You’ll never be the same again ….I promise!

Here’s the bottom line….

If you really want to know how to sell on eBay the right way that creates automated businesses that pump cash into your bank account year after year, then make sure you stay plugged into our weekly training right here at the UnderGroundAuctionLab as we diligently cover underground strategies of selling on ebay.

And whatever you do, make double-triple sure that you’ve opted in to get the 7 DEADLIEST eBAY SINS course when it’s released. It would kill me to know that what I’ve divulged in this course could of been the deciding factor in whether or not you make money selling on ebay .

Chat Soon….

Blessings – Duane

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