Most all of us use search engines on a daily basis with the majority using either Google or Yahoo! to find what we want on the internet. Experts say the average internet user makes almost 500 searches per month so why not make money while doing so? Is it possible? Absolutely.

Scour is a meta search engine which combines results from Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. Registered Scour user get points for each search that you carry out. Each search gets you 1 point and you can make money by commenting on results or voting for sites in the search results.

Once you reach 6,500 points, you can redeem it for a $25 VISA gift card. It might not be much, but at least its $25 more than any other search engine

Yes, you heard that right. Scour will give you a $25 Visa gift card if you earn 6500 points in the system. Points can be earned by searching, voting for websites in the search results as well as commenting on sites in the listings. Yes, they have voting and comments for search results which is an added feature sure to make Scour the most interesting aggregate search engine on the planet.

If you use search regularly, why not give Scour a try and who knows, maybe you’ll get one of those $25 Visa gift cards.

Join Scour and Earn From Searching

With the state of the current economy, more and more consumers are turning to eBay to find deals on items they would normally purchase at retail outlets. As a seller, eBay can be a profitable way to test a new product, market an existing product or service or just clear out some of the clutter from your attic or garage. For a growing number of internet entrepreneurs eBay has become their sole place of business with their online storefront parked at eBay. The most appealing aspect of selling on eBay is that entrepreneurs can get their feet wet without having to set up a merchants account for credit card processing or setup a website of their own, both which can be time consuming and costly endeavors for inexperienced or first-time entrepreneurs. Hopefully these tips for selling on eBay will assist you in getting started down the path to being a successful seller on eBay.

1.) Pictures Sell Products - They say a picture IS worth 1000 words and it’s self evident that buyers will always like to see the goods before they place a bid on them. For successful eBay selling, make sure any itemss you list on eBay are accompanied by the best quality photographs you can muster. Poor quality pictures can cause as much of a negative impact as no picture at all. If you’re uncertain of your ability to take a convincing photograph, Nathan Huppatz has written an excellent tutorial Taking Great Product Photos which will help you through the process.

2.) Research is Golden - Always do some basic before you list a particular product. If you spend just a few minutes checking out history and price details of similar products on eBay, you will better know where you should set your reserve prices and starting points. eBay’s Advanced Search allows you to Show completed listings only which can be invaluable to making sure you don’t undercut yourself or over-value your item and end up without a sale.

3.) Master Your Niche - Niche mastery is an essential element for your prolonged success strategy. Find your own niche, define your market and you will come to understand the type of consumers who you will be selling to and how to specifically target them in your future acutions. Rome wasn’t built in one day and to become a power seller on eBay requies niche mastery and expertise in your given niche. These skills take time to develop but if you start out with the intention of developing these skills, you will cut out a lot of the baptismo del fuego (baptisim by fire).

4.) Avoid the Obvious - Forget about trying to sell cellphones, computers, digital cameras, iPods or plasma TVs. I’ve provided links to the first two of those afformentioned niches for you to take a look and see how stiff the competition is within those areas. Unless you have deep pockets, there is no way you can compete with the big guys who have the resources to post thousands of auctions per day and litter the listings. Also, the majority of drop shipping sites and programs which claim to have those products are mostly scams and will more than likely garner you bad reputation when they fail to deliver or ship items late (I have listed one reliable program at the end of this article).

5.) Don’t Forget Shipping - One critical aspect many novice eBay sellers overlook is packing and shipping costs. I routinely see new sellers offering free shipping or ridiculously low shipping rates. This mistake will eat away at your profits more so than any other costs involved in selling on eBay. Take the time to learn the costs involved in shipping and set your pricing accordingly. Most buyers purchase items on impulse and they are not paying attention to shipping costs when they want a product. Don’t shortchange yourself and don’t be greedy and try to turn a heft profit on shipping and handling.

6.) Use a Spell Checker - Always make sure to pay as much attention possible to your spelling and overall grammer when you’re writing up an eBay listing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve nailed a great item for a song because somebody mis-spelled the item in the title of an auction and didn’t realize their error until it was too late. Additionally, strong writing skills can be the difference between a few bids and a landslide of bids that rockets your auction into the profit zone. If you’re not the world’s greatest speller, by all means, use a word processor to spell check your copy.

7.) More Payment Options Equals More Bids - Offering as many payment options as possible can literally double or triple the number of bids on an auction. Don’t be scared to accept money orders or personal checks and don’t limit yourself to Paypal only auctions. Sometimes buyers who need to pay by check or money order will bid higher on an item than if they were using Paypal. Remember, not everybody trusts Paypal, so don’t limit yourself or your auction’s potential.

8.) Keywords, Keywords, Keywords - Always use keywords in your auction headline and description. It is a known fact that over 65% of eBay bidders find what they are looking for by using eBay’s search function. Be sure to use carefully chosen and accurate key words in your title and description. eBay gives you 55 characters in your headline. Be sure to use all of them. This will help you get more traffic to your auction. Important keywords include the brand, color, size, and model number.

9.) Feedback is King - While many people feel that feedback is a necessary evil of selling on eBay, getting positive feedback is one of themost important keys to success as an eBay seller. Merchants who have an overall positive feedback record will find an easier time finding perspective buyers who will not only bid more often but they will also be willing to pay higher prices for your offerings. It is highly recommended when starting out to first spend a few months buying items on eBay and establishing at least 10-20 positive feedback ratings before trying your hand at selling. If you do want to rush in, start with your most inexpensive items or items you’re willing to lose a few bucks on ot establish your feedback rating.

10.) Be Professional - Never forget that when you are selling on eBay, you have a responsibility to your customers to act professionally. Be courteous and provide the type of superior customer service that you would expect from any major corporation or business. This will not only build your reputation but it will bring you repeat buyers who follow your auctions to purchase time and again.

That’s my 10 best tips for selling on eBay, but I would like to add that you make sure that you’re following all the standard business rules that apply, such as registering your business and paying any applicable taxes associated with your online business. Selling on eBay is just like any other business in that success lies in customer satisfaction and fair business practices. eBay has an uncanny way of weeding out the bad eggs, so make sure you’re following the terms of service and striving for excellence and you’re success on eBay is guaranteed.

Feel free to discuss this at our forum: Buying and Selling on eBay

If you’re not already an eBay member, please click the banner below to join !!!

If you’re already an eBay member and you’re looking for a fast track to being a PowerSeller, here’s a few products that may be of interest to you :

eBay for Dummies - eBay for Dummies Auction Success Kit is the easiest way to get your share of the fast-growing $10.6 Billion eBay pie. The wide range of topics covered include : How you can start selling in under 10 minutes, How to get the highest bids and maximize profits, How over 25 successful Powersellers have generated easy profits from eBay and much more.

SaleHoo - SaleHoo is where over 50,000 other online sellers, retailers and bargain hunters have discovered the best place to find legitimate, pre-screened wholesalers, dropshippers, liquidators and manufacturers for every type of product imaginable. A great service for anybody contemplating serious selling on ebay.

eBay EZ Auction - EZ-Auction offers a free starter kit to help you get started selling on eBay right away. This program has been featured on TV, so visit the site and get your freebie from them today.

How would you like to win a chance to have a “Power Lunch” with one of the world’s greatest financial geniuses of all time? This is the chance of a lifetime to experience first hand the one-and-only Warren Buffett. As CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Mr. Buffett is famed for his strikingly successful investment strategies and is as well known for his personal integrity as his business savvy. He is, quite simply, a legend, and he will sit down with you and up to seven of your friends for lunch.

Mr. Buffett will dine with the winning bidder and up to seven friends at Smith and Wollensky in New York, which has been called “the steakhouse to end all arguments” by The New York Times. A mutually agreed upon date and time for the lunch will be selected by Mr. Buffett and the winning bidder.

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Win a Power Lunch With Warren Buffet

Payment to the Glide Foundation for this Warren Buffett Lunch experience is considered a charitable contribution to a 501 (c)(3) organization and may be tax deductible. Please consult with your tax advisor for additional information.

Are you a business owner? Have you ever found yourself strapped for working capital to expand or remodel your business? Have you ever been short on funds to purchase essential supplies or advertising and promotional services? Have you ever had a perfect opportunity to upgrade your inventory with a potentially hot product line and missed out only because you were short on cash? Many business owners find themselves in the position of needing of working capital to finance operational costs while they have incoming sales but just not enough to fund the costs of getting ahead. For any entrepeneur who has found themselves in this type of financial bind, the answer to getting Quick Business Cash may just be a few mouse clicks away.

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The American dream is one of happiness and prosperity yet so many people today spend their lives in pursuit of these ambitions without ever finding fufillment. Owning your own business can be a perfect opportunity to live the American dream but sometimes the conceptualization of a successful business model is out of the grasp of the average entrepeneur. Franchising is a very popular method of owning a business where the vast majority of tangibles and intangible operational elements such as national or international advertising, training, and other support services are provided to the franchisee by the franchisor for a fee and a percentage of sales or profits. With an ever increasing number of successful companies to choose from such as Minuteman Press, Cold Stone Creamery, Meineke Car Care and more, RedHotFranchies.com is an invaluable source of information on choosing a franchise that’s right for you. RedHotFranchises.com allows you to select franchise opportunities by Industry, Investment Level or you can simply browse the world’s hottest franchises and biz ops. The site contains comprehensive data regarding franchise fees, start-up costs, royalties and earnings claims from other franchisees. If you want to stop dreaming about prosperity and start living the American dream in 2008, you owe it to yourself to check out these opportunities that could make those dreams come true.

As many of my faithful blog readers are well aware, I’m constantly looking for new opportunities in real estate, the stock market and online affiliate programs to spotlight here for discussion. After having retired from my previous career as an IBM financials programmer, my current investment vehicles are purchasing real estate, preferrably beachfront properties combined with manipulating the stock market using my knowledge of the technology sector. Both are areas I’m very familiar with and feel comfortable with, although I am constantly looking for new and innovative opportunities on the internet. While I find the vast majority of internet based opps to be somewhat lacking in their legitimacy, presentation or their viability, it’s a rare occurrence to find something that truly excites me in the mind-numbing quagmire of offerings that that the internet is flooded with.

Well, whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks evidently never used the internet. Case in point, I recently stumbled across a very enlightening and inspiring website Nouveau Riche University that teaches entrepeneurs ways to create wealth in an educational enviornment utilizing fundamental principles common to all higher-education institutions. Nouveau Riche is unique in that it allows adult students to study at their own pace which means a stress free learning process suited to adults who are seeking to move on from working a dead end day job into creating wealth by working for themselves. The program is also suited to entrepeneurs pursuing expanded horizons by supplementing their earning abilities. The focus is on educating adults without being hurried or worried about meeting deadlines that might detract the average adult who is interested in learning but has the responsibilities of managing a household, raising a family, working to pay bills or other activities that take up the vast majority our time.

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Nouveau Riche offers a personal coaching program where experienced vetrans work in a one-on-one capacity with each student sharing knowledge of investment strategies intended to foster a long-term knowledge of the varying elements of developing a productive investment career. Information is balanaced with action and the investment concepts taught are broken down into easily digestible components designed to deliver positive results. Along with the delivery of fundamental strategies and techniques to succeed, they work to inspire innovative ideology, create personal drive, stimulate motivation, build confidence, and deliver insight into these characteristics that are ultimately important to achieving success in all areas of life.

The Investment Concierge

One of the most exciting aspects of Nouveau Riche is the The Investor Concierge which is billed as the most unique franchise networks of real estate acquisition specialists ever created. Through this program, potential candidates will be able to participate in real estate based opportunities that are carefully examined by the The Real Market Experts (RME) and offered exclusively through their proprietary web-based software system, the Investor Concierge.

Nouveau Riche University Real Estate Investing Blog

Featured in the leading newsstand magazine, Your Business at Home, which is a nationally distributed publication dedicated to independent entrepreneurs, Nouveau Riche additionally offers a comprehensive blog detailing an incredible array of highly informative and opinionated articles dealing with real estate investments. I’ve personally found the blog to be highly inspirational and motivating in my own entrepenurial efforts.

Take a few moments and give Nouveau Riche a look and as always, please feel free to comment on this article.