| Introduction |
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xxiii | |
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PART I Tracing the Auction Phenomenon |
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1 | (42) |
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EBay and E-Commerce: How We Got Here and Where We're Going |
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3 | (10) |
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3 | (1) |
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4 | (9) |
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6 | (1) |
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7 | (2) |
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9 | (1) |
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There Was a Time When I Hated Auctions |
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10 | (3) |
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The Benefits of Auctioning for Buyers and Sellers |
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13 | (6) |
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Birth of a Free and Open Market |
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14 | (1) |
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Finding a Fair and Balanced Market |
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15 | (4) |
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16 | (1) |
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17 | (2) |
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Entrepreneur Alert! Understanding and Applying the Auction Model to Your Business |
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19 | (10) |
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Why Does Dynamic Pricing Work? |
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20 | (1) |
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The Dynamics of Dynamic Pricing |
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21 | (4) |
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A Fair and Balanced Model? |
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22 | (2) |
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The Secret Ingredient of Auctioning: Private Data |
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24 | (1) |
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Dynamic Domination: Why Has EBay Become and Remained the Biggest Player in Online Auctions? |
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25 | (2) |
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Fixed Versus Dynamic: A New Price War? |
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27 | (2) |
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Security and Privacy in the Cyber-Market |
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29 | (14) |
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A Rogues Gallery of Online Ruses |
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29 | (3) |
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30 | (1) |
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30 | (1) |
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Spam, Adware, and Spyware |
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31 | (1) |
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31 | (1) |
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31 | (1) |
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32 | (3) |
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32 | (1) |
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Step 2: Batten Down Your Browser |
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33 | (1) |
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Step 3: Clear Your Cookies; Erase Your History |
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34 | (1) |
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Establish a Virtual Vigilance |
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35 | (2) |
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35 | (1) |
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36 | (1) |
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Backup and Disaster Recovery |
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37 | (1) |
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37 | (1) |
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Beware the New (Criminal) Kids on the Block |
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38 | (4) |
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Adware, Spyware, and Dialers |
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39 | (1) |
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Spoof! You've Just Been Robbed |
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40 | (1) |
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40 | (2) |
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42 | (1) |
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PART 2 The EBay Way---Policies, Practices, and Preliminary Steps |
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43 | (64) |
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Seeing the Site, Learning the Rules, and Getting Started |
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45 | (16) |
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EBay Attributes: The Best of the Least |
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46 | (1) |
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46 | (3) |
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49 | (2) |
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A Deeper Look at the User Agreement |
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49 | (1) |
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49 | (1) |
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The Fee to Which You Agree |
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49 | (1) |
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49 | (1) |
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Don't Monkey with the Mechanism |
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50 | (1) |
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50 | (1) |
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50 | (1) |
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51 | (1) |
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Other Points of Interest Before Proceeding |
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51 | (2) |
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52 | (1) |
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53 | (8) |
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Creating a User's Account |
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53 | (4) |
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Creating a Seller's Account |
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57 | (4) |
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In Search Of . . . Anything and Everything |
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61 | (16) |
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61 | (2) |
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63 | (8) |
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63 | (3) |
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66 | (1) |
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67 | (1) |
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68 | (1) |
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69 | (1) |
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70 | (1) |
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The Keys Are in the Keywords |
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70 | (1) |
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Using Superior Search Commands |
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71 | (1) |
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Other Ways to Uncover Hidden Treasures |
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72 | (1) |
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Save Time by Saving Searches |
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73 | (1) |
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74 | (3) |
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Item Details and Bidding Basics |
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77 | (12) |
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77 | (4) |
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A Quick Lesson in Proxy Bidding |
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81 | (3) |
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The Simplicity of Bidding |
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84 | (3) |
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87 | (2) |
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E-Motions and Auction Affronts |
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89 | (18) |
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What Are the Other People Like? |
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90 | (3) |
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90 | (1) |
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91 | (1) |
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91 | (1) |
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92 | (1) |
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92 | (1) |
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93 | (1) |
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Personality Swings After the Auction |
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94 | (2) |
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94 | (1) |
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95 | (1) |
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95 | (1) |
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96 | (11) |
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96 | (1) |
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97 | (1) |
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Fake Photos and Dishonest Descriptions |
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98 | (1) |
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99 | (1) |
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Inflated Shipping and Handling Costs |
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99 | (1) |
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Failure to Ship Merchandise |
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100 | (2) |
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Selling Fakes and Reproductions |
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102 | (1) |
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Improper Grading Techniques |
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102 | (1) |
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Phony Loss and Damage Claims |
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103 | (1) |
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104 | (1) |
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105 | (2) |
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PART 3 Becoming a Savvy Bidder |
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107 | (52) |
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Key to Success: The Educated Bid |
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109 | (12) |
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Understanding Buyers' Motivations: Collectors, Resellers, and Investors |
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109 | (2) |
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111 | (6) |
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Analyzing Item Descriptions |
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111 | (1) |
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112 | (2) |
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114 | (2) |
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Becoming a Comparison Shopper |
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116 | (1) |
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Knowing When to Buy It Now |
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117 | (2) |
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Fast Sale for Tight Times |
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117 | (1) |
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118 | (1) |
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119 | (1) |
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119 | (2) |
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Mastering the Auction Variations |
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121 | (8) |
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The Ascending-Price Auction |
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121 | (1) |
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122 | (4) |
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Fixed Price and Buy-It-Now Listings |
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126 | (1) |
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127 | (1) |
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Restricted Access Auctions |
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128 | (1) |
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Expert Bidding Strategies |
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129 | (16) |
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A Quick Recap of the Proxy System |
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129 | (1) |
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130 | (1) |
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I Snipe; Therefore, I Win |
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130 | (6) |
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131 | (1) |
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132 | (3) |
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You Need Not Be Present to Snipe |
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135 | (1) |
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136 | (3) |
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Dutch Pricing and the Winner's Circle |
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136 | (1) |
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137 | (1) |
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138 | (1) |
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139 | (1) |
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The Strategy of Not Bidding |
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139 | (1) |
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Additional Strategies That Give You the Edge |
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140 | (5) |
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Dealing with Bidding Rivalries |
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140 | (1) |
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141 | (4) |
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Exercising Control, Imposing Your Will, and Seizing the Moment |
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145 | (14) |
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145 | (3) |
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It's All in the Mind, Y'Know |
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145 | (1) |
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Who Says You're an Impulsive Bidder? |
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145 | (2) |
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147 | (1) |
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A Little Help from Your Friends |
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148 | (1) |
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148 | (3) |
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Easy Payment, Quick Service |
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149 | (1) |
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149 | (1) |
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How Long Should You Wait? |
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150 | (1) |
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Communicate, Communicate, Communicate! |
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150 | (1) |
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Establishing a Bidding Budget |
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151 | (2) |
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152 | (1) |
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Help Your Hobby Pay For Itself |
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152 | (1) |
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153 | (1) |
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When to Buy (and When to Consider Selling) |
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153 | (2) |
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Recognizing the Best Times to Buy |
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153 | (1) |
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Recognizing the Best Times to Sell |
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154 | (1) |
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Understanding the Elliptical Marketplace |
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155 | (2) |
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155 | (1) |
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So How Is This Market Elliptical? |
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156 | (1) |
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Your Personal Power at the Auction Place |
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157 | (2) |
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PART 4 Selling at EBay: For Fun and Profit |
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159 | (116) |
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Immediate Success with Your First Listing |
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161 | (20) |
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First Things First: What Will You List? |
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161 | (1) |
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Using EBay's Single Item Listing Forms |
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162 | (12) |
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174 | (5) |
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178 | (1) |
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179 | (2) |
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Supply, Demand, and Proper Positioning |
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181 | (16) |
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181 | (4) |
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182 | (2) |
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184 | (1) |
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184 | (1) |
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185 | (1) |
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Item Titles: The Key Is in the Keywords |
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185 | (2) |
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185 | (1) |
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186 | (1) |
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186 | (1) |
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187 | (1) |
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Writing the Perfect Item Description |
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187 | (2) |
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187 | (1) |
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188 | (1) |
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189 | (1) |
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189 | (2) |
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The Long and the Short of It |
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189 | (1) |
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What a Difference a Day Makes |
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190 | (1) |
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191 | (1) |
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Enticing Pricing: Strategies That Work |
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191 | (2) |
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Know Thy Stuff; Know Thy Market |
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191 | (1) |
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192 | (1) |
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192 | (1) |
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193 | (1) |
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The Art of Product Rotation |
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193 | (4) |
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193 | (1) |
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Don't Be Afraid to Get Cheap |
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194 | (1) |
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194 | (1) |
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Getting a Win from a Loss |
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194 | (1) |
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Position, and Then Reposition |
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195 | (1) |
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Learn a Lesson from Your Customers |
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195 | (2) |
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Photo Shop: Images Made Easy |
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197 | (12) |
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197 | (3) |
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198 | (1) |
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199 | (1) |
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199 | (1) |
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Setting Up a Simple Photo Studio |
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200 | (3) |
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200 | (1) |
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200 | (2) |
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202 | (1) |
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Touching Up Your Item Images |
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203 | (1) |
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When Are Touch-Ups Necessary? |
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203 | (1) |
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Picture Im-Perfect: Eight Common Imaging Mistakes to Avoid |
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204 | (2) |
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206 | (3) |
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Fine-Tuning the Fine Details |
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207 | (1) |
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Too Big for Your Bidders? |
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208 | (1) |
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Easy Money: Hassle-Free Payment Collection |
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209 | (12) |
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The Fear Factor: Is Online Payment Safe? |
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209 | (1) |
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The How's and Why's of Online Payment |
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210 | (2) |
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Who's Who in Online Payment Services |
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212 | (5) |
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PayPal (http://www.paypal.com) |
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212 | (1) |
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BidPay (http://www.bidpay.com) |
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213 | (2) |
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Yahoo PayDirect (http://paydirect.yahoo.com) |
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215 | (1) |
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Escrow Services (http://www.escrow.com) |
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216 | (1) |
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217 | (1) |
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Why Bother with Online Payment? |
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217 | (1) |
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In a Hurry? Buy-It-Now with Pay-It-Now |
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218 | (3) |
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Managing Your Auctions: Sell More, Earn More, Work Less |
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221 | (28) |
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Establishing a Sane Sales Policy |
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221 | (8) |
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222 | (2) |
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224 | (2) |
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226 | (1) |
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Guarantees, Refunds, and Exchanges |
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227 | (1) |
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227 | (1) |
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228 | (1) |
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Review, Respond, and Revise |
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228 | (1) |
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Establishing an End-of-Auction Routine |
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229 | (5) |
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Buyer Notification and Invoicing |
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229 | (3) |
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232 | (1) |
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233 | (1) |
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Receipt Confirmation and Feedback |
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234 | (1) |
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Controlling Costs to Pump Up Profits |
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234 | (4) |
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235 | (3) |
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Add More and Save More Using HTML |
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238 | (2) |
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Listing More by Doing Less |
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240 | (9) |
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Pack It In: Shipping Like a Pro |
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249 | (12) |
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Setting Up Your Ship Shop |
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250 | (3) |
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Establishing a Supply Room |
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250 | (1) |
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251 | (2) |
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253 | (1) |
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Source of Shipping Supplies |
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253 | (2) |
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255 | (2) |
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Getting Specific: What Are You Shipping? |
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257 | (1) |
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Additional Packing Considerations |
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258 | (3) |
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258 | (1) |
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259 | (1) |
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259 | (1) |
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259 | (1) |
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Small Touches with Big Impacts |
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260 | (1) |
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Building and Maintaining Your Inventory |
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261 | (14) |
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Reality Check: Know Your Margins |
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261 | (2) |
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Establishing Sources of Inventory |
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263 | (4) |
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A Closer Look at the Inventory You Already Own |
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267 | (2) |
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Reinvestment: Budget and Buy for Resale |
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269 | (1) |
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Tools and Techniques to Keep Track of It All |
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270 | (2) |
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270 | (1) |
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271 | (1) |
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Let EBay Keep Track of It All |
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272 | (1) |
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272 | (1) |
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Rotate Your Stock; Follow the Trends |
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273 | (2) |
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275 | (48) |
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Building a Stellar Online Reputation |
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277 | (18) |
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Building an EBay Feedback Rating |
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278 | (4) |
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The Origin of the Feedback Forum |
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278 | (1) |
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Getting Past the Goose Egg |
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279 | (1) |
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You Can't Win If You Don't Play |
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280 | (1) |
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Don't Be Afraid to Get Suggestive |
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280 | (2) |
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So Much Ado 'Bout Feedback? |
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282 | (1) |
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282 | (6) |
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282 | (2) |
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284 | (1) |
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284 | (1) |
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285 | (3) |
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Serving the Auction Newbie |
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288 | (2) |
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289 | (1) |
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290 | (1) |
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One Last Look at the Distinctive Differentiators |
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291 | (4) |
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295 | (10) |
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296 | (1) |
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297 | (1) |
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Tax Liability for Online Sales |
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298 | (4) |
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298 | (1) |
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How Big Is Your Business? |
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299 | (3) |
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A Couple More Taxing Matters |
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302 | (1) |
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302 | (1) |
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Taking Shelter from Taxes |
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303 | (1) |
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Business Insurance and Other Protections |
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304 | (1) |
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Venturing Outside of EBay |
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305 | (18) |
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A Self-Assessment to Determine If You're Ready for the Next Step |
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305 | (2) |
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The Do-It-Yourself Marketing Campaign |
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307 | (6) |
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307 | (4) |
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Considering an Official Web Site? |
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311 | (2) |
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313 | (1) |
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Who's Visiting Your Store? |
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314 | (3) |
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317 | (1) |
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Is Your Web Store Sticky? |
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318 | (2) |
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319 | (1) |
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Keep Your Web Store Current |
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320 | (1) |
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Keep Your Web Store Simple |
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320 | (1) |
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Transforming Customers into Repeat Buyers |
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320 | (3) |
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Little Things That Can Make a Difference |
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321 | (1) |
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Customer Satisfaction: Their Words, Not Yours |
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322 | (1) |
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Appendix A Additional Resources |
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323 | (6) |
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More About EBay and Auctions |
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323 | (2) |
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324 | (1) |
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324 | (1) |
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Learn More About PCs, Web Browsers, and the Internet |
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325 | (1) |
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325 | (1) |
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326 | (1) |
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Internet Safety and Good Practices |
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326 | (2) |
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326 | (1) |
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327 | (1) |
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Building Web Sites with HTML |
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328 | (1) |
| Index |
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329 | |
Other versions by this Author
