Things u need to do computer/internet home business
2007-02-28
Before you can step up to the auction block, you need to connect to the Internet,
and in order to do that, you need some basic computer hardware and software.
Buying and selling through auctions, like other types of electronic commerce,
don’t require a super-fast connection to the Internet. Nor do you have to spend
thousands for a computer with the latest multimedia bells and whistles. A detailed
description of hardware and software you do need is presented in Chapter 2, but
here is an overview of the kinds of things you need to get started.
Buy the Right Computer and Monitor
The good news is that buying and selling on eBay don’t require much computing
overhead. In other words, if you can get on the Internet and surf Web sites, and if you have enough memory to run an image editing program as well, you should be
able to sell successfully on eBay. However, the speed and quality of your computer,
monitor, and other hardware can affect your auction experience.
Hard disk storage space isn’t an issue for most new computers, which come
with hard disk drives that store one or more gigabytes (GB) of data. (A gigabyte
is a thousand megabytes (MB).) Any hard disk capable of storing a gigabyte or
more should be fine for your needs. (Many new computers come with hard disks
of 10, 20, or more gigabytes these days.) If you’re buying a used computer, beware:
Don’t come home with less than a gigabyte of storage space, or you’ll run out of
room before you know it.
Going online, using a Web browser, and shopping for auction treasures doesn’t
require huge amounts of memory, but if you plan to put up goodies for sale, you
need some additional software, and each program requires RAM. For example,
you may want to do one of the following (all of which require RAM):
■ Create a Web page A Web page or Web site can help advertise you or
your business, if you have one .
■ Capture digital images You’re likely to get more bids if you provide a
clear computerized image of your items by scanning them or using a digital
camera (see Chapter 8). Saving the images on your hard disk can quickly
consume storage space unless you delete the image files as soon as the sale
ends. Running a good image editing program like Adobe Photoshop or
Photoshop Elements does require a lot of RAM, however.
The cost of RAM keeps going down, so you should load your computer with as
much as you can in order to streamline the process of creating auction listings, not
to mention listening to Internet radio, downloading video clips, and the many other
multimedia events that increasingly popular parts of the online user experience.
Pick a Scanner or Digital Camera
Hardware requirements for auction sellers are a bit more extensive than those for
buyers. You need a way to take images of the merchandise you want to sell and
capture those images as digitized computer files. Including a clear, sharp image
on your Web site greatly increases your chances of selling your product or service.
You have several choices for digitizing:
■ Taking photos with a digital camera and saving the image files on your
computer.
1 ■ Taking photos with a conventional camera and then scanning them into
your computer.
■ Taking conventional prints or slides and having a photo lab send them back
to you on CD-ROM or posting them online so you can copy or reuse them.
After you have an image in the form of a computer document, you can transfer
it to a Web site to let potential buyers take a look
Install Web Page and Auction Software
For the most part, the software you use to conduct transactions on eBay is the same
as the software you use to view sales, bid on items, surf Web sites, and exchange
e-mail with others. You don’t need special software to get your sales online, to
format auction listings or Web pages that describe you or your business, or edit
photos—but they can help, especially when your sales activity increases.
In addition, software that enables you to keep track of your financial activity so
you can prepare your taxes more efficiently, apply for loans or merchant accounts,
or perform other tasks can make your business life much easier as well. You’ll find
out aboutWeb page software in Chapter 7, digital image editors in Chapter 8, auction
listing software in Chapter 6, and accounting programs in Chapter 17.
Become a Power E-Mail User
Aside from theWeb browser that you use to create auction listings, e-mail is probably
the single most important tool you have as a seller. E-mail is what you use to answer
questions, notify bidders that they have won, tell bidders that their item has shipped,
and remind buyers when they are slow to follow through on their commitments.
When you sell at auction, it’s important to use all aspects of e-mail fully. These
include:
■ Signature files A signature file is a bit of text that you can append
automatically to each of your outgoing e-mails. Such a file tells others
your User ID, the name of your Web site if you have one, and any other
contact information you want to provide. It’s a great way to get free
marketing for your auction business.
■ Attachments Sometimes prospective bidders who are particularly
interested in an item will ask you for more information and possibly
more detailed photos. Although you should post such additional images
on the auction listing itself, you might also want to attach them to e-mails
you send to interested buyers.
■ Checking your e-mail Get an e-mail account that you can access from
the Web; also consider getting a wireless device that you can use to check
your e-mail, such as a Web-enabled cell phone or a handheld device, so
you can get those messages as soon as they arrive.
■ Vacation notices If you’re going to be out of town, make sure your sales
don’t end while you are gone. If you are going to be away, be sure to put
a vacation notice on each of your auction listings that tells bidders when
you’ll be back.
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