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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Setting Up Your Consignment Business | |
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| Why Start a Consignment Business on eBay? | |
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| What Are the Benefits of Becoming a Trading Assistant? | |
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| Are There Successful Consignment Businesses Operating Now? | |
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| How Big Can an eBay Consignment Business Grow? | |
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| Get Started | |
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| Setting Up Your Business | |
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| Naming Your Business | |
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| Business Types | |
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| Business Licenses | |
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| Business Telephone | |
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| Letterhead and Business Cards | |
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| Computer and Software Resources | |
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| Insurance | |
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| Reference Material | |
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| Record Keeping | |
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| Taxes | |
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| Legal Issues | |
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| Getting Help | |
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| How Much Should I Charge? | |
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| Consignment Math | |
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| Suggested Commission Schedule | |
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| Flat Fees | |
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| Your Unique Selling Proposition | |
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| Find Consignment Customers | |
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| Marketing Your Business | |
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| Advertising | |
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| Cold Calling | |
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| Charities | |
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| Estate Sales and Garage Sales | |
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| Networking | |
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| Presenting Yourself | |
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| Creating a Presentation Book | |
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| Public Relations | |
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| The eBay Co-Op Advertising Program | |
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| What Sells on eBay? | |
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| What Sells on eBay | |
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| Should I Specialize? | |
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| Business and Industrial Category | |
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| Go for Quality | |
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| Other Considerations | |
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| Marketing Your Business | |
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| Sell Retail Store Closeouts | |
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| What Types of Retailers Should I Approach? | |
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| What Fees Should I Charge Retailers? | |
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| Merchandise to Avoid | |
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| Raise Money for Nonprofit Organizations | |
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| Local Charities | |
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| Working with Large Charities and Nonprofits | |
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| The eBay Giving Works Program | |
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| Conduct Estate Auctions | |
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| Unofficial Estate Sales | |
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| How Do I Contact These People? | |
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| Official Estate Sales | |
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| How Do I Contact Estate Attorneys? | |
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| Marketing to Attorneys | |
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| Other Considerations | |
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| Conduct Bankruptcy and Repossession Sales | |
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| Bankruptcy Auction Overview | |
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| Marketing Your Bankruptcy Auction Business | |
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| Police and Sheriffs' Auctions | |
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| Distressed Companies and Corporate Downsizing | |
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| Corporate Consignment Sales | |
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| How to Find Big-Ticket Merchandise to Sell on eBay | |
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| Construction Equipment | |
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| Agricultural Equipment | |
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| Medical Equipment | |
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| Corporate Equipment Sales | |
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| Other Considerations | |
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| Running Your Business for Maximum Profits | |
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| Set Up for Mass Production | |
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| Increasing Your Selling Price | |
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| Launching More Auctions and Launching Them Faster | |
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| Charging Higher Fees | |
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| Lowering Your Costs | |
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| Automate Your Auctions | |
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| The Need for Automation | |
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| Auction Software | |
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| Liberty4 Trading Assistants | |
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| MarketBlast | |
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| Acution Management Services | |
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| Mpire | |
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| AuctionWagon | |
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| Auction Photography and the Photo Studio | |
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| Taking Good Photos | |
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| Camera Selection | |
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| Take Sharp Photos | |
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| Composition | |
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| Get Close to Your Subject | |
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| Lighting | |
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| White Balance | |
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| Your Studio | |
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| Image Management | |
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| Photo Selection | |
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| Set Up a Consignment Storefront | |
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| What Are the Advantages of a Storefront? | |
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| What Are the Disadvantages of a Storefront? | |
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| What Kind of Store Should I Open? | |
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| Store Layout | |
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| How Much Space Will I Need for All of This? | |
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| Commercial Lease Checklist | |
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| Fees and Costs | |
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| Costs of Doing Business | |
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| Cost Control | |
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| Advertising | |
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| eBay Fees | |
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| Employment and Employee Costs | |
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| Employee Leasing | |
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| Independent Contractors | |
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| Organization and Record Keeping | |
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| Getting Organized | |
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| Consignor Records | |
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| Financial Record Keeping | |
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| Write Your Business Plan | |
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| Your Business Plan | |
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| Business Plan Basics | |
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| Your Financial Plan | |
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| Invest in Your Business | |
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| What Sort of Investments Should You Make? | |
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| Raising Money for Your Business | |
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| Types of Capital | |
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| Retained Earnings | |
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| Debt Capital | |
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| Investment Capital | |
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| Where to Find Capital | |
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| How to Find Venture Capitalists | |
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| eBay Consignment Franchises | |
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| Franchising Basics | |
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| Franchise Checklist | |
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| A Franchise Alternative | |
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| eBay Stores and Web Sites | |
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| eBay Stores | |
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| eBay ProStores | |
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| ProStores Express | |
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| ProStores Business | |
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| ProStores Advanced | |
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| ProStores Enterprise | |
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| Web Sites | |
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| Reduce and Control Your eBay Fees | |
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| eBay Listing Fees | |
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| Reserve Price Auction Fees | |
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| Final Value (Selling Fees) | |
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| Optional Feature Fees | |
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| Controlling Your eBay Fees | |
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| Which Optional Fees Are a Good Value? | |
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| Become an Auction Master | |
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| Standard Auction | |
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| Reserve Price Auction | |
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| Dutch Auctions | |
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| Fixed Price Listings and BIN | |
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| Private Auctions | |
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| Listing and Pricing Strategies | |
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| Reserve Price Auctions | |
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| The $1 No Reserve Strategy | |
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| List at Cost | |
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| Fixed Price Listing | |
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| Best Time to Launch Auctions | |
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| Other Considerations | |
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| Scheduling Your Auctions | |
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| International Auctions | |
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| Research: The Key to Profits | |
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| Ask the Seller | |
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| Searching Online | |
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| The eBay Search Engine | |
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| Searching More Effectively | |
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| Locating Auctions That Include a Specific Word | |
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| Narrowing Your Search | |
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| Narrowing Your Search Even More | |
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| Finding Listings with One of Multiple Words | |
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| Locating Listings with One Word, But Not Another | |
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| Third-Party Online Services | |
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| Andale | |
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| Terapeak | |
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| Offline Research Tools | |
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| Building Your Sales on eBay | |
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| Create Killer Listings | |
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| Writing Dynamic Headlines | |
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| Keyword-Rich Headlines | |
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| Checklist for Headlines | |
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| Selecting the Right Category | |
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| List in Two Categories | |
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| eBay Specifics | |
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| Write Winning Auction Descriptions | |
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| Features Describe; Benefits Sell | |
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| Power Words and Emotional Appeal | |
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| White Space and Boldface | |
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| Increasing Sales with a Call to Action | |
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| How to Kill Bids | |
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| Build Your Credibility to Build Your Business | |
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| Keep Your Auctions Clean | |
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| Building Trust and Safety | |
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| eBay Trust and Safety Tools | |
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| Third-Party Trust and Safety Tools | |
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| Give Superior Customer Service | |
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| Consignor Service | |
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| eBay Bidders | |
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| Business Policies to Build Your Business | |
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| Shipping Policy | |
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| Payment Policy | |
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| Return Policy | |
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| Promote Your Auctions with Special Features | |
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| Keyword-Rich Titles | |
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| eBay Subtitles | |
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| Bold, Highlight, and Border | |
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| The eBay Gallery | |
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| Featured Plus | |
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| Super (Home Page) Featured | |
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| Other Features | |
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| The Consignment Seller's Web Site | |
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| Do-It-Yourself Web Site | |
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| Marketing: If You Build It, Will They Come? | |
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| What Should I Put on My Web Site? | |
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| Bring It All Together | |
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| What Are the Keys to Success in the Online Consignment Business? | |
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| Can You Give Me a Step-by-Step Plan for Success? | |
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| What Are the Real Secrets to Success on eBay? | |
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| Appendixes | |
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| Sample Agreements, Forms, and Letters | |
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| Consignment Agreement | |
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| Consignor Inventory Form | |
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| Alternate Non-Consignment Contract | |
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| Sample Auction Report | |
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| Sample Sales Letters to Prospective Consignors | |
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| Letter to an Estate and/or Bankruptcy Attorney | |
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| Letter to Local Business Owners Outlining Your Services | |
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| Letter to a Retail Storeowner | |
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| Letter to a Charity | |
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| Advertising Posters | |
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| Resources and References | |
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| eBay and Consignment Selling Online Resources | |
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| News and Information | |
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| Escrow Services | |
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| Authentication and Grading Services | |
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| Business Plans | |
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| Consulting | |
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| Legal and Tax Advice | |
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| Online Fraud Resources | |
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| Suggested Reading | |
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| Consignment Startup Checklist | |
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| Glossary | |
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| Index | |