How To Avoid Fraud While Working From Home On eBay
There is a lot of money tobe made selling items on the internet. One venue many people are aware of is
eBay. The great thing about eBay is that it is so popular. That is also its
downside. With so much popularity, there is a great potential for fraud. The
question is how to avoid fraud while working from home on eBay.
To be fair, I am not stating
that eBay is a rip off - far from it. There are many reputable sellers on this
site. Overall, most people are honest and they try to do the right thing. That
said there is fraud on eBay and by unscrupulous businesses who wrongfully claim
to be eBay business partners. How to avoid fraud while working from home on
eBay is a very important topic to discuss.
Take a look at eBay. All of
those wonderful products for sale and many are at unbelievable prices. Here is
the key if that designer bag is priced so low that it is too good to be true –
it probably is a fake. Does the seller know if it is fake: maybe? Here are some
tips to keep you from unknowingly selling fake merchandise.
First, know you vendors.
Where did you get the merchandise from? Are they reputable? Do not rely on
longevity as a sign of selling reputable merchandise. There are deals to be
had, however, when you get into higher end merchandise or rare antiques and
collectibles be very careful. In North
Carolina
Another scam you can run
into is a company offering drop ship services. Some of these vendors claim to
be eBay certified. FYI – eBay does not certify resellers. They might have
agreements with some, but most of those involve PowerSellers. How can you tell
if a drop shipping company is legitimate? Take a look at their website. Do you
need to supply a credit card in order to get pricing? Do they offer a
"special deal" to set up your eBay business for a yearly fee? Is
there a customer service number posted on the website? Do they answer it – call
them and find out. If you need to provide a credit card or other payment
information in order to get pricing information – run don't walk to another
vendor. A legitimate vendor may ask you for a tax Id number or sales tax resale
number, but they should not require you to provide a credit card to get
pricing. What special deal are they offering? You can set up your own eBay
business for free, why do you need to pay them? Do you have to sign up for this
plan in order to get drop shipping? That sounds kind of shady to me.
The best way to check on a
potential vendor is not the Better Business Bureau. Instead, check with the
State Attorney General's Office in your state and in the state where the
company claims to be located in. There is no fee to inquire. You will get an
answer right away. Another place to check is to see if the company is
incorporated. Check with their state's Department of Treasury. You should be
able to tell if the company is in compliance with state laws and reporting
procedures. If they are not, choose someone else.
Overall, you just need to
exert a little caution when figuring out how to avoid fraud while working from
home on eBay. Make sure you know what you are buying and selling. Check out all
vendors carefully. This way you can rest assured that the bargains you get are
genuine.
How To Set Up a Work From Home Business On eBay
Many people want to know how
to set up a work from home business on eBay.
This can depend on what you are selling, but there are some
considerations that every seller should follow. Laying proper groundwork for
any business is an extremely important step. Just like building a house, a
business built on a solid foundation will last for years. Overlooking these
details can result in your eBay business not going as well as you would like.
First you need to have a
camera – preferably digital and internet access – ideally from home. Without
these items selling on eBay will be difficult at best. Next, you should have a
bank account and a PayPal account. PayPal is not required to sell on eBay, but
it is the easiest way to accept online payments if you do not already have a
merchant account. Find an area in your home, shed, or rent a storage unit for
your inventory. Be sure that any rental unit is rodent and pest free. The same
holds for a storage shed or attic. If possible, do not smoke in the area where
you plan to keep inventory.
Now you have the very basics
in place. Are you ready to sell? Not quite yet. There are still a few areas to
cover. Check with your zoning regulations for laws about running a home
business. If your area has a property owners or home owners association and
there are restrictive covenants in your neighborhood, be sure that you can
legally run a home business. Starting out this may not be a problem but once
you start getting large deliveries several times a week, if you are in
violation of zoning or HOA/POA rules, someone will complain. Apply for any
variances now, before your business gets really busy. Just a few more things to
cover before you start to sell, get a resale certificate or sales tax ID
number. In order to purchase form many wholesalers this is required. Otherwise
they will charge you full retail price or not sell to you at all. You can sell
under your own name, or file a D.B.A or fictitious name. D.B.A. stands for
doing business as. You can open a bank account in the business name once you
file the correct papers. Finally, be prepared to file quarterly income taxes.
If you are self employed and you make money in any quarter, you need to file
this. Now you are ready to sell on eBay.
You have found out the
basics of how to set up a work from home business on eBay. The foundation is in
place. Now what? You need to have an eBay ID. It's easy to register on eBay. Go
to ebay.com and fill out the registration form. You'll need a credit card to
verify your identity. Now you have everything in place to start selling.
Almost, what are you going to sell? Before answering this I suggest that you
take a look and search through eBay to see what is selling and what items
appeal to you. Selling off some of your unwanted stuff is a good idea, as it
generates easy capital for your business and it gets rid of unwanted items in
your home. Furthermore, you can get an idea of how eBay works.
These
are the very basics of how to set up a work from home business on eBay. There
are a lot more details that you should cover such as product selection, market
research, choosing an accountant or accounting software and more. Before you go
and spend a lot of money, go through these basic steps and see how successful
you are at selling a couple of items or two. Then you will know if setting up awork from home business on eBay is really right for you. This article was
designed to give you just the basics so that your work from home eBay business
starts off on a solid foundation
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