Online Sales Intro Class

Draft class outline for online sales class Spring 2013

Introduction

• John Ashcraft - Amazon.com sales of ink and toner at Free Geek
• Brian Keefer - Online Sales Associate at Free Geek

Class Objectives - Students Will Be Exposed To:

• General information about selling items on Amazon.com and Ebay.com
• Setting up accounts
• Making listings
• Fulfilling orders
• Getting paid
• Open discussions with experienced and sucessful sellers

General information:

Supplies

• Printer
• Scale - John recommends: Accurate to .2oz with capacity up to 35lbs
• Packaging Tape - with convenient dispenser
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Packaging material - Reduce/Reuse
• Digital camera - Important for Ebay but optional for amazon.com

Technical considerations

• Email access reliable and regular
• Bank account
• Credit card
• Telephone #
• Computer/printer
• Storage space - Secure / seperate.

Useful skills and mindset

Patience

• List -> wait ->fulfill orders -> wait -> Get Paid!
• Sales may be slow
• Customers will be upset and the fault may or may not be yours
• There may be setbacks!

Be Self Motivated

• Work while you wait!
• Not every listing will turn into a sale.
  • More listings generally means more sales.

Amazon.com vs. ebay:

• Listing
  • Amazon.com 1-5 minutes per listing
• Fees:
  • Amazon.com is about 15%+$2]
• Payments
  • Amazon.com: buyers pay Amazon. Direct deposits gto your bank after a 2 week hold.
• Customer Interactions
• Returns and refunds
  • Amazon gurantees that buyers can return any item for any reason you have to deal with it.

Ebay vs. Amazon.com

• Listing
  • Ebay 5-10 minutes per listing

1. Fees

• 10% Final Value fee plus any optional services
• Payments
  • Customer pays you directly, often immediately including shipping charges
• Customer Interactions
• Returns and refunds
  • You decide to accept returns or not, refunds - flexible options

Amazon.com

• Online reasource: http://www.amazon.com/help/selling

Listing your item

• finding the exact product listing
• accurately choosing a condition
• composing description details
• Determining a price
• selecting shipping options
  • Potential to lose money on shipping

Creating your account

• Standard Amazon.com account
• Amazon seller account

Making the sale

• Email: "Sold, ship now:"
• Logging in to seller account
• Print packaging slip
• Pack item
• Buy shipping
• Verify that the shipping label, packaging slip and item all match!
• Ship

After the sale

• Returns & Refunds
  • In general the buyer can return anything for any reason
  • Be helpful and polite your reputation is at stake

Other options

• pro merchant subscription
• Fullfillment by amazon.

General Advice

• It is ok to lose money on some sales.
  • Expect this and be sure that you are having an overall profitable experience.
• Feedback is worth money.
  • Sellers with better feedback ratings can expect quicker sales and higher prices.
  • New sellers can be devastated by a single negative feedback.
  • Half of the negative feedback that John sees is probably undeserved.
  • Communicate with buyers early and quickly to resolve issues.
• Be emotionally resilient
  • When negative feedback comes in or large orders are refunded it common to become demoralized.

Bonus topics:

Where to get things to sell

• This can be what makes your businesss special!
• Start at home: low risk, your old stuff may have value online.
• Research before investing. Use a computer or phone to check prices.

Craigslist

• something