The Internet isn’t a local phenomenon, it is not just in the United States and Canada, it is a world phenomenon and people from around the globe will be checking out your auctions and bidding on them. This section will help you to create the most professional image possible so that anyone, anywhere, will trust you and want to buy from you.

When looking at other auctions, one of the things you’ve probably noticed is the web design and pictures on many of them, especially the most successful ones. You may be asking, “Why do they do that?” or even, “How do they do that?”

The picture or pictures are included so that the buyer can see exactly what they are getting for their money. This is important because many people will not make a purchase, even for inexpensive items, if they cannot see what they are buying. Would you? A picture helps sell more goods and you want to sell as much as possible. Taking a picture of the item you are selling and placing it online is one way for potential customers to become more comfortable with you.

Behind many pictures are backgrounds. The background can be different colors or patterns. This too draws attention to your site and makes the potential customer feel at ease with you and what you are trying to sell. Along with the background colors you might’ve noticed that there are different sizes and types of fonts. These help make your listing look more professional. It draws attention to your listing and makes the customer feel comfortable in bidding on your items.

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The tools for creating a professional looking page are probably already installed on your computer or can easily be downloaded from the Internet. They include the notepad and can extend to a full size web design application like HotDog or Microsoft’s Frontpage. The method by which you make your listings look more professional is up to you, but learning how to do it may take a little time.

The basic element of a professional listing is the creation of a small web page that is then added to the description box when you list your product. This small web page will contain the programming characters for the background color, the size of the font, the font type, as well as links to your personal website and pictures of the item you are selling. Learning all of the codes and tags involved in creating a web page may seem a bit overwhelming. Using a web page builder like HotDog or Frontpage makes the whole process a lot easier.

Web page building applications are called WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) applications and will allow you to quickly and simply create a design for your listing. There are even companies on the web that offer the use of templates for your auction listing. These templates will also copy the code when you list the item on eBay. Most of these websites charge a small fee for the use of their products.

Regardless of what you use to create the look of your listings it is important to realize that the more professional you look the more you will sell and the more money you will make. Remember to keep it simple. When you learn how much is possible it might be tempting to go a little overboard. Don’t. Keep your listings simple so they generate faster. No one likes waiting for a graphics-overloaded page to come up. But always use pictures, backgrounds, and fonts.

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You can also make money by selling your merchandise outside of online auctions. It makes a lot of sense once you’ve established yourself as a merchant.

To make the most money possible you will want to have several storefronts. You can make money from more than just auctions if you have your own website. A link should be placed in each auction listing that directs people to your site where you list all of the things that you have for sale. You can even create a storefront on your website. This way you allow people to purchase from you directly thereby eliminating eBay fees.

There are many reasons to have a website. One of these is to add to your professional appearance. It is also a place where customers can go to find out more about you and your products. They can also buy other items you have for sale that aren’t currently listed in an auction. In short, a website is a tool to help you sell more merchandise to more people.

Once you’ve gotten to the point where you are making pretty good money, the next logical step is to expand your market. In order to do this you will need some kind of a storefront. This can be accomplished through simple web design or even paying someone to create a web page for you. After the website is put on the Internet you can create a page that answers common questions or you can have more pictures and better descriptions of your merchandise.

One of the more personal reasons to have a website is because it’s cool. You can tell your friends and family to check out your web page. You can add the URL to business cards, e-mails, and a host of other places. All of this leads to getting your business name out there so that more people will stop by and look at what you are selling. Once again, people looking at what you’re selling ultimately leads to more sales. You want a lot of people to see your web page, your merchandise and your auctions.

One rule of thumb, whether you are building your own website or enhancing your auction listings, is to keep the downloadable content to a minimum. Many new users want to throw as much as possible on their websites. The more pictures and graphics you use, the longer it will take to download. If the page takes too long to load many of your customers will hit the back button and look elsewhere for something to buy. Simple and fast is always better than complicated and long.

You might decide to create your own website once you’ve gotten to the point where you need one. Great. Good luck with that. You will want to go out and look at as many different websites as possible to see what they offer and what you like about them. You may even decide to buy a book on web design. There may be animations, professional fonts, unique designs that you want to incorporate into your own website. You can design one using HotDog or Microsoft’s Frontpage or even using the notepad application already on your computer. Learning to use these applications can be done through the software manufacturer’s web page or by acquiring a manual.

However, if you are making a fair amount of money then it might be wise to let someone who really knows what they are doing create the website for you. My favorite of course is my web designing team at Louish.net. It doesn't get any better than this...