Author: Greg Holden

Publisher: Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-0805-8

ISBN-10: 1-4022-0805-7

1000 BEST eBay success secrets is a softbound book with 4 parts or sections comprised of twenty-two chapters, 2 appendices, an index and a very brief author biography.  The parts/sections are titled: (1) before the sale, (2) during the sale, (3) after the sale, and (4) opening e-commerce stores.  Appendix A contains a variety of resources likely to be of considerable value to the eBay buyer or seller.  Appendix B contains a listing of more than twenty discussion group and support sites for information exchanges and buying and selling tips.  The suggested retail price is $12.95 (US) and $16.95 (CAN).

Having never purchased or sold anything on eBay, I was very much looking forward to reading this book and learning how to make my fortune on eBay.  And for those truly interested in learning and earning about and on eBay, I can only say that Greg Holden successfully anticipated every question that I had about the process of buying and selling on eBay.  This is his fourth book on eBay, and there can be no doubt that he is an expert (and a power seller, as the book cover suggests) on eBay and all matters related to eBay-related purchases and sales.

As a wanna be neophyte eBay seller, I found the first section of greatest interest.  The chapters on deciding what to sell (Chapter 1) and capturing clear digital images (Chapter 4) peaked my interest.  There are many useful tips in this first section, and for those seeking a worldwide market, you will not find this book lacking, as chapter 6 covers this topic, as well.

I had never considering the need to answer questions from customers, but the second section addresses this topic (Chapter 7), in addition to some marketing recommendations on both selling and measuring the success or impact of sales techniques (Chapters 8 and 9).

The fourth section appears to be written for those more advanced in the area of online buying and selling.  Topics include development and maintenance of your own website (Chapter 18) and working with auction service providers (Chapters 19).  Those with greater experience than my own may find these sections of greatest interest.

It was after reading the third section, involving payments (Chapter 10), packing (Chapter 11), postage and shipping charges (Chapter 12), and returns and other problems (Chapter 14), that I found myself reconsidering my career as an eBay seller.  This was, after all, beginning to sound like a real job!  And perhaps this is the most appealing feature of Holden’s book.  Those considering the eBay seller (or buyer and reseller) career path are looking for a reliable and trustworthy source of information that will sufficiently prepare them for the journey.  This book provides for the necessary balance to such an audience.  And it is for this reason that this book receives my highest possible recommendation.

Within the first few minutes of reading this book, I found myself underlining passages.  This, in my humble opinion, is the true test of the value of a “how to” or “self-help” book.  There can be little doubt that the modest cost of this book is likely to be saved, many times over, by the frequent (and, possibly, even the infrequent) eBay buyer or seller.

 The above review was contributed by:  Anthony (A.J.) Cataldo II.    Dr. Cataldo holds a PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , MAc ( University of Arizona)  unofficial minor in Marketing , BSBA  (University of Arizona). He is a Certified Management Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant:  Click Here to view Anthony's Reviews