Royal Mail (as long as there isn’t a strike on) is good for the small stuff. But when you start sending parcels over 2kg or more bulk items a courier, of some kind, is vital.

Getting a courier sorted and priced up is actually a sales tool. When you say “Buyer Collects” you are immediately excluding a huge number of buyers all over the country who can’t get to you. By quoting carriage, at least with the UK, you immediately attract buyers further from afield and greatly increase chances of a sale.

For instance, I recently sent a box of books. It was a very heavy cardboard box full of books that the Royal Mail couldn’t have handled at a reasonable price. Sending that box via MyHermes, however, only cost me £8.21 inc. VAT to send a box weighing close to 15kg. I factored that cost into my listing and offered Free P&P.

The other thing I’ve liked about using MyHermes has been their prompt collection. It isn’t guaranteed as part of the service, but typically the chaps come and collect my dispatches first thing in the morning on the day of collection. I haven’t had to wait in yet. In fact, one day they came early, before 9am!

Of course, 30 items is a miniscule number of listings compared to many eBay sellers. People who make a living from eBay, and businesses who trade full time, often manage inventories of hundreds of lines and thousands of items. I’m in the nursery by comparison.

It’s a useful excuse for me though and a good impetus for me to make some eBay related posts over the next few days.

Here are some top line observations:

I remain astonished by the vibrancy of eBay. It has so much traffic. I’ve been selling stuff and getting good prices. I get loads of visits and have no complaints about what eBay claims when it calls itself the world’s biggest online marketplace. It is, it really is, a remarkable marketplace to plug in to.

Blimey, the fees have gone up. eBay is expensive. And it’s not just eBay’s fees. It’s PayPal too. More of which in a future post.

Most people on eBay are lovely. But I feel buyers have become more expectant and demanding. That’s fine. But I’m a bloke fitting my eBay selling around other things.

How crap is Turbo Lister? It was never really up to scratch: it’s always been an acceptable utility but it’s not classy, clever or comprehensive. It’s a 20th century app in an iPhone age. The integration, for instance, with eBay’s pre-filled items descriptions is arduous.

PayPal needs a massive shake up. It’s a good service. They handle money impeccably but it’s not a friendly and easy service to use. The help and advice sections are not good at all.

I guess my overall impression is a bit insubstantial. Why does using eBay and PayPal feel a bit like going back in time? I’m no tech snob, I’m not an early adopter. I’ll always value substance over style. But selling on eBay feels unpolished and unexciting.

It’s 2010. Sites like Twitter, software like WordPress and devices like the iPhone make eBay look and feel old. The only really important question is “does that matter?” The more I’ve been using eBay of late leaves me thinking that it really does. They’re at risk of being left behind in what is increasingly a shiny web world.

This article from DFID caught my eye today: Killing relief with kindness. Lots of people want to help and send things, but the agencies and charities involved basically just want your cash. It makes sense to me having read the article. That’s where eBay for Charity comes in.

If you feel a bit broke, or have stuff you don’t want, you can sell on eBay and donate the takings directly to the DEC (Disaster Emergency Committee). It may not be immediate, but let’s face it: they’ll still need your money in a week’s time when it’s not the top story on the news anymore.

It’s all above board and you don’t need to worry that someone is trousering your donation. eBay guarantees the cash, covers the admin costs and the listing fees if the item sells and you can donate anything between 10% and 100% of the sale price.

It’s a great way of turning something you’ve got knocking about the house, maybe an unwanted Christmas gift, into a few vital quid. Just choose the DEC as your beneficiary when you’re selling.

And, don’t forget you can also buy. All these items for sale will benefit the DEC. Just be sure to check what percentage of the sale price is going to Haiti.

I’ll certainly be flogging a few things in the next week or so.

(I must say, as an aside: why isn’t eBay promoting DEC Haiti items on the homepage? It’s a small gesture and it would be great to give the items for sale greater profile. The eBay Community has a great history of being generous: let’s unleash that spirit again!)

If you haven’t heard about Small Business 2.0, it’s a day dedicated to small businesses who want to get a bit of online action and develop their biz. That could be building a brilliant website, ecommerce, search marketing, SEO (search engine optimisation) social media, email marketing and all the rest. If we had a motto it would be “there are no stupid questions” because we recognise that plenty of small firms haven’t even begun to seriously exploit the online opportunity.

So what have we got at SB2 this time? Loads!

- Richard Kanareck from eBay will be in the house talking about developments there.
- The simply wonderful Emma Jones from Enterprise Nation will be hosting some of the sessions and be on hand to help out.
- The BT Tradespace team are sponsoring the event and the brilliant Ivan Croxford will be speaking.
- And we’ll have people on hand to talk Google, Bing, SEO and the rest from our host of exhibitors.
- And plenty more. It’ll only set you back a mere tenner.

It’s a good time to think about embracing the web, I reckon. Turning over a new leaf and learning new things is what January is all about. And the atmosphere at SB2 is good. We keep it informal and discourage the hard sell. Yes, we want to connect SMEs with service providers… but who said it can’t be a fun experience? There’s a bar this time so hopefully the time honoured British tradition of doing business over a pint will be in evidence too! People who came last time said they had a great day. Networking is definitely part of the fun and we can facilitate that if you’re shy.

And obviously I’ll be there. So it would be good to catch up. Incidentally we have a few spots for exhibitors left and if you’ve got a topic close to your heart we may be able to squeeze in a short talk or two. I may even have a few freebie tickets knocking around if you ask nicely.

Hopefully see you there.

Labour List: on why I think Gordon Brown should go to Wooton Bassett.

The rest is all eBay related and predominantly related to the launch of the new edition of my book, Make Serious Money on eBay UK.

I was happy to talk to my old chums at Tamebay.com: eBay is a Sphinx. Be warned the piece comes replete with a video of me jabbering on.

There was a fun piece in the Argus and interestingly that piqued the interest of the BBC's Working Lunch.

Check out SupersavvyMe too, where I've also been talking eBay.

But they’ve made a hash of it. The poor listings mean that (so far) the signs are raising rather miserable sums. The signs do have significant value and they aren’t getting the prices I think they should.

Here’s hoping that this is the first foray into ecommerce for my local authority. So, free of charge, here is some advice on how to get more out of eBay. And remember, dear burghers of Brighton and Hove, I’m always available to help further for a modest fee.

What exactly is for sale?
The description used for each of the 11 signs is generic and the single picture doesn’t do the signs justice. 11 signs are for sale and each individual sign needs a specific description of what exactly is up for grabs. The individual descriptions should note the different destinations of each sign and describe the individual flaws and foibles of each one. They aren’t identical, after all.

A Bad Picture
The pictures don’t tell buyers all that much. For items such as this a few images per item are easily justifiable. Images offering close ups and extra info for buyers would have been brilliant and fascinating. Snaps tapered to each and every sign would have been ideal.

Heavy Lifting
By stating that collection is compulsory and buyers will need heavy listing gear if they buy a sign, the seller is limiting the potential pool of eager buyers. Presumably the council has vehicles and kit and could manage delivery? A nominal fee of (say) £20 carriage within the city limits would cover costs and attract buyers.

Not Enough Trust
The council has also committed one of the most frequent eBay beginners’ errors: they’ve listed a ‘big ticket’ item without having first established a track record. We simply don’t know if the council is a good eBay citizen. Selling a few small items first and getting some feedback would have been a good idea. An About Me/My World page complete with bona fides would have helped too.

They Flooded the Market
By listing all 11 signs in one go, the council has failed to maximise the perception of scarcity. These are rather neat things and by listing a few at a time would have got the competitive bidding going. As it stands, listing them all in one go means that some have only a single bid.

I was present at the birth, after all, and enough of a media tart to hope I have something quotable to say. As ever, the material provided was much greater than material used and, you lucky people, here’s the full transcript of my jabbering in the hope that it is of interest to someone out there. It’s doing no good in my inbox, after all. A scan of the published article lives here.

The brief: Essentially I was wondering if you could tell me what, in your opinion, has made eBay stand out from the pack, how it has survived for 10 years and avoid the failure of so many dotcom start-ups around the turn of the millennium, and what you might imagine will happen in the future. You were there on day one: include a bit of info about what that first day and the build-up to it was like. Don't suppose you remember what the first item sold was?

Dan Wilson said: eBay's strength has always been the amazing, crazy, weird and wonderful things for sale: everything, literally everything you can imagine is up for sale on eBay. eBay is addictive and people pore over the site for hours and hours pursuing their passion or seeking out a bargain.

eBay transformed collecting. Before, it was car boot sales and collectors' fairs possibly spending years looking for that elusive item. All of a sudden, you could buy from fellow collectors all over the world. It was revolutionary.

eBay diversified very successfully. Starting off as a second hand auction marketplace and becoming a place for everyday and mundane things: hoovers, saucepans, cushions. Buy it Now is the favourite way of buying on eBay now. Hundreds of thousands of business operate through the site, selling billions of pounds worth of goods every year.

eBay side-stepped the dotcom bubble bursting because it was light years ahead of the pack in terms of philosophy. eBay was the first Web 2.0 company, relying on buyers and sellers to lead the way with feedback and people power. eBay realised before Wikipedia or Youtube that the users are in charge and they chart the course of the business. Giving up control is vital on the internet.

It is also such a staggeringly simple idea: people trading with other people online. Lots of the companies that toppled when the bubble burst were absurd, niche or just damned crazy. eBay was always a cracking concept: a real 'why didn't I think of that?' idea. eBay is also a remarkable business in that it has always generated profits since day one. Lots of businesses that went bust had never made a penny.

eBay's having a tough time right now and facing increased competition from Amazon. Profits are down and there are lots of angry sellers. But eBay is a clever, dynamic company with a loyal community: there will always be an eBay.

eBay was already very successful stateside when it came to the UK in 1999. When we launched in the UK, we were working in a shabby, rented office like any typical start up. It was total chaos and we had no idea that what seemed like a very American concept would work over here. Lots of antique sellers and collectable traders were very sceptical about the internet and worried that it would do them out of business. The internet was risky and scary in 1999 to people who didn’t know it well.

As it is, of course, eBay has been a godsend to many businesses. Most selling in 1999 was to buyers overseas. Lots of buyers in America and Australia wanted to get their hands on a British collectables and that was the source of amazing early growth. Before PayPal, lots of international trading was done in cash. I sold stacks of Doctor Who memorabilia back then and I was always going to get dollars changed at the bank.

I think the first item sold was a CD by the Scorpions... but my memory is hazy. It was ten years ago...

It’s now possible to say with certainty:

Every eBay buyer of Michael Jackson tickets, regardless of how they paid, is a due a refund for the full amount paid.

In the first instance you should contact the seller you bought the ticket from requesting the refund. It’s worth being polite and patient. But reputable ticket sellers are reportedly already refunding the full purchase price of Michael Jackson tickets.

In some cases, sellers are offering refunds for the face value of the tickets rather than the amount paid if this was greater than face value. As a buyer in this instance you don’t need to compromise, if your seller isn’t offering you a full refund then you should contact eBay or raise a dispute with PayPal. eBay has said that they will be in touch with all buyers and sellers of Michael Jackson tickets so keep an eye out for that email. Repeat: don't accept a partial refund.

But what if you don’t hear anything at all from your seller? Some Michael Jackson ticket sellers will drop off the radar. In this instance, inform eBay and file a dispute with PayPal. My reading of eBay’s Announcement is that eBay will ensure everyone gets a refund. It’s not clear how they will do this, or how long it will take, but their statement is unambiguous: eBay doesn’t believe that any buyer should lose out financially.

You may receive an email from your seller saying that they can’t afford to refund you because they have already spent the profits they have made and will only be refunded the face value of the ticket by the promoters. However convincing the sob story, it’s worth remembering that when someone decides to have a punt and profit from selling anything on eBay they take the rough with the smooth. No one who made a tidy gain when they sold the tickets was complaining when they trousered the spoils.

I’d be interested to hear from buyers who have bought Michael Jackson tickets on eBay. Have you got your refunds? What’s the situation? Can I help?

First, don’t panic. You may have spent a great deal of money on a ticket in the secondary market (on a site like eBay, for instance.) In any case, it’s unlikely that you will resolve the problem today. The situation’s still pretty unclear, so be patient with anyone you’re dealing with. There’s a lot of uncertainty.

If you bought your Michael Jackson ticket directly from a ticket agency (and not on eBay), then just contact them and sit tight. Presumably a refund policy will be announced shortly compensating buyers to the full face value of the tickets bought.

If you bought your ticket on eBay, likely for more than the face value of the ticket, your first stop should be the seller you bought the ticket from. I advise sending a polite email to the seller asking whether they will be issuing refunds for the amount you paid for the ticket. I’d expect that most reputable sellers will honour a refund for a concert that isn’t going ahead. They in turn (I assume) will be in a position to claim a refund from the promoter in due course. Be patient. The situation for sellers is unclear and chances are that they’ll have to shell out before they’re refunded.

If you bought your Michael Jackson tickets from an eBay seller in the last 45 days and paid by PayPal, then you can initiate the refund process on PayPal. To file a dispute, find out how to do that here. Personally, unless your 45 day limit is imminent I’d probably hold off this course until you’ve emailed the seller in the first instance.

If you funded your PayPal payment for tickets using a Credit Card and are unable to get a refund via PayPal, don’t forget that you are able to initiate a ‘chargeback’. To get going, you’ll need to contact your Credit Card provider.

If you paid an eBay seller directly by Credit Card (not via PayPal) for Michael Jackson tickets then you can also initiate a chargeback with your Credit Card provider. Contact them directly for advice on how to do that: the process varies.

eBay have published some information and plan to make a further announcement, so it will be worth keeping an eye on their Announcement Board. I’ll also update this post with any further information as and when it’s provided.

Update 27/06/09:
eBay have announced that "eBay is committed to ensuring that no buyer is left out of pocket as a result of the unique nature of the event, and will ensure all buyers on the site can receive a full refund for their ticket purchase." This would indicate that they will be bending their rules to ensure that all Michael Jackson Ticket buyers will be refunded. So best advice is to enjoy the weekend and see what eBay have to say on monday.

Has it become easier or harder to make money on eBay now it has become so popular?
eBay has killed auctions. Businesses that want to get started on eBay need to concentrate on fixed price (Buy it Now) sales from day one. eBay is also increasingly favouring big businesses and even high street names: originally the home of small businesses online, eBay is making it harder for SMEs to find an ecommerce toehold as it pursues profits. The way that eBay is charging business sellers favours those with higher turnovers and the new way items are displayed in search results benefits sellers with a longer track record. It can take months for new eBay sellers to compete effectively these days on what was once a level-playing field.

Budding eBay sellers should also know that eBay is losing its share of ecommerce. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Yes, eBay continues to deliver sales and customers but also think about Amazon which is growing more quickly.

What are the golden rules for people looking to set up an online business?
Measure everything. Understand what’s working and what’s not. Examine your sales and web traffic so you appreciate where to direct your efforts. What’s selling best with the best margins? Too many newbies waste time on unprofitable lines.

Be organised. Keep records, track stock efficiently, despatch quickly. Chaos is time consuming and time is money. So try and be ruthlessly ordered in everything you do.

Be professional. Your business might be online and operating from home But don’t let the fact you’re in working from the spare room in your pyjamas dent your professionalism. Your customers deserve the best regardless.

What are the most common mistakes they make?
Lot’s of fledgling sellers forget costs, margins and profits and concentrate on turnover. It’s easy to look at your sales total and be satisfied but once costs are taken into account (and that includes tax) the profits can be small or even non-existant. Also, factor your own time into your costs. It’s the most valuable commodity you have.

Any trends/other comments that might be relevant?
Plan long term from the start. eBay is just one opportunity but selling online is best done using multiple channels. Opening a webshop of your own, using Amazon and other outlets, as well as Google to advertise, are all well trodden paths to ecommerce success. Even in the recession, online retailing continues to grow so there is a huge opportunity for anyone who wants to have a go.

One of the most attractive aspects of starting a home ecommerce business is that you don’t need massive funds to get started. At a time where banks are reluctant to lend, you only need a few hundred pounds to get started.