Monthly Archives: February 2011

At Last, eBay is Helping You to Sell Digital Products

Posted by admin on February 25, 2011 No comments

It looks like eBay is at last embracing the fact that many sellers want to offer digital products on eBay, and many buyers are interested in buying them.

If you’ve been selling digital products on eBay, you will know that they haven’t made it too easy for you.

And yet, digital products are THE ideal product for eBay sellers.

You can define digital products as having (almost) 100% profit, cost nothing to deliver, may not have any competition, is available in unlimited quantities, costs nothing to re-stock and can sell very well.

So many people are now selling digital products on eBay, that eBay.com is now making it easier for us.
They have produced a whole new section on the selling forms for us to complete.

If you’re based in the UK, you too can list your digital products on eBay.com. You can take advantage of the new digital goods listings process and offer your products to the vast US eBay market. Simply go to www.ebay.com, and log in with your usual eBay ID and password. Now you’re ready to us the new selling forms.

First, however, just what are digital or downloadable products?

eBay defines a digital item as “a computer file or special information that you can access online or have delivered electronically.”

Examples of digital items are a word processor or pdf file (usually called ebooks), an image taken with a digital camera, an MP3 file of an original song, software, an original recipe etc.

Here are some of the benefits of selling digital goods:

1. No shipping cost for buyer or seller

2. Virtually NO competition

3. Swarms of customers if done right

4. Very high profit margins

5. No restocking expense

6. No boxes to pack

7. No visits to the Post Office

8. Immediate confirmed delivery to customers

9. Sellers can grow a mailing list with every sale

10. Facilitates useful 2-step marketing tool (i.e. sell a $1 report on eBay for leads)

Until recently there was quite a bit of confusion for some people when it came to selling digital items on eBay, however eBay is now embracing the concept of selling digital goods.

Let’s talk now about what eBay has created to help us sell digital products.

They explain everything fully here – http://pages.ebay.com/choosingformats/digitalitems/faqs/?ssPageName=CM

This is a massive step forward.

It answers most of the questions sellers had about selling digital goods, removes most of the obstacles that were previously there, and indeed goes much further than most of had hoped.

You can now, for example, establish a download page where customers are automatically sent after paying for a digital item through PayPal. This could be quite a difficult task before, but now it’s automatic.

Also, if you have a web address where you host your digital files for sale, eBay can provide your
buyers (after they pay) with direct access to the files they have purchased. All you do is to “Provide Web address for download” from the pull-down menu when creating your auction.

This is all intimately linked to PayPal, as digital item buyers and sellers want to be able to have the product delivered automatically and immediately after payment. You don’t have to do this, you can still deliver by email if you wish.

It seems to imply that digital goods will be allowed in many categories now, instead of being restricted to the one “information” category that they have hitherto required digital item sellers to use. Although not clearly spelled out, the new policy does make reference to “multiple categories” being used for digital goods. Keep an eye out for clarification on that matter.

All of this is really good news.

If you sell digital items, or want to, the doors of opportunity have been opened wide by eBay. I hope you can take advantage of it. I know I will!

The Benefits of an Adsl Broadband Internet Connection

Posted by admin on February 25, 2011 No comments

An Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is one of the many options that are available for achieving a high speed connection to the Internet.  Although there are always pros and cons with everything, let’s consider the main benefits that come with employing an ADSL line in your business or residence.

 

An ADSL is known as an “always on” connection because it provides you with a continuous connection to the Internet.  You simply access the connection by clicking on your browser unlike the antiquated method of dial-up access where it is necessary to sign on to your account.

 

ADSL broadband allows you to use your telephone and fax line while surfing the Internet at the same time.  You do not have to worry about disconnecting your Internet connection whenever you want to talk on the telephone.

 

With an ADSL broadband connection downloading information from the Internet is much faster than the standard dial-up access connection and your multimedia applications will work much more efficiently with this type of connection.

 

Instead of paying for the time that you spend online, you can now enjoy a low fixed monthly fee that offers unlimited Internet access.  This is a giant step forward from the days where you had to restrict yourself to surfing the Internet during off hours to save on the costs.  With the many connection options that are emerging on the market, Internet Service Providers are reducing the monthly charge to compete with other providers.

 

ASDL broadband has made working from home a reality with its low cost and ability to split a single line into voice and Internet.  Additionally, use of a Web cam when working from home is a snap due to the high speed of a broadband connection.  This feature has provided many workers with relief from the stress of the daily commute to work.

 

If you are interested in online games, the technology for these applications has become quite sophisticated and virtually incompatible with a dial-up access connection.  Additionally, multimedia applications such as iTunes and DVD movies are very dependent upon the speed of a broadband connection.  Dial-up access is not even an option in this instance due to its slow speed.

 

ASDL broadband has changed the face of business by providing a way for workers to receive and respond to details of company business in a cost effective manner.  Additionally, employees can easily obtain the information they need via the Internet very quickly and complete work responsibilities much faster. 

 

Broadband Internet has also made it possible for companies to reduce the costs of employing an ISDN (Integrated Digital Services Network) line for accuracy, speed, and reliability.  ASDL costs much less and works just as efficiently as an ISDN line.

 

Although there are a host of options for connecting to the Internet, you will find that ASDL is the most widely used because it is efficient, cost effective, and increases your productivity because you are not wasting time waiting for information to download.  What’s more is that you are always connected and you never have to worry about busy signals that usually occur with a dial-up access connection.

Eco Friendly Gadgets Get The Green Light

Posted by admin on February 25, 2011 No comments

Global warming and climate change is big in the news at present, and calls for a more sustainable way of living are being directed at consumers at every level. It has become common practice to recycle household waste, sorting through cans, bottles, plastic and paper. Not as common, but eagerly encouraged is collecting organic waste to feed the compost bin, which in turn feeds the vegetables growing in the garden to complete a small sustainable cycle.


These are small, simple things that each of us can choose to do, but sometimes the move towards a more sustainable and eco friendly way of life is out of our control. It is time to convince the manufacturers and suppliers of everyday gadgets and gizmos that they too should be adopting a greener approach to their industry. This will give the consumer the power to choose to purchase from an ethically minded business, bolstering the correct attitude towards green consumerism.


Of course, some would say that we should be doing without certain products altogether if the thought of climate change is so worrying. The truth of the fact is it is difficult to change the attitudes of the masses by being puritanical. If the lads and lassies still want their gadgets, then let them play, but give them opportunity to buy eco friendly versions of energy hungry ‘toys’. Solar power, wind power, wind-up power and kinetic charging are all ways that everyday products we have can become Eco Friendly.


One of the more exciting products to have had a trial is the kinetic mobile phone charger developed by Orange. Through a contraption that has internal weights and pullies that is strapped to your arm, a charge is generated while you dance, walk or run. Initially tested on the grooving masses at Glastonbury, it is hoped that this technology will be a success and become available to the general public. Imagine never needing to find a plug for your charger again, and the possibilities of getting super fit because you need to make a phone call!


A favourite of festival goers, campers, and those who like to escape the confines of city life, wind-up radios and torches have been on the scene for many years now. The dynamo system was originally designed to power radios in South Africa, to enable poor communities to have access to radio even without access to batteries. This technology is also ideal for emergency situations where sources of power are not available; and for equipping places that are visited infrequently, such as holiday homes or log cabins.


When it comes to solar power, it’s shocking how long we’ve been living with the technology and probably barely noticed. The common calculator has been using the sun to charge its energy cells for years. The technology has progressed to the point where a company has manufactured a solar charger for laptop computers, compact enough to carry wherever you go just to make sure you never miss another email! Solar energy is also being used in garden trinkets, such as outdoor fairy lights and garden lanterns.


Harnessing the energy of the wind is generally considered for use on a large scale, along with tidal power. Of course, if thousands of units of energy are needed to power all the energy consumption of a house, a turbine is needed, but smaller options are available to power a gadget fetish. Compact 24 volt wind generators are available to charge a leisure battery, the energy from which can be used just like the juice that comes from a household socket. The generators are incredibly popular on boats and caravans as a reliable and transportable source of energy; and there is no reason why harnessing renewable power shouldn’t be used in the home too.