EBAY is the first business that I know of that is open for 365 days, 24 hours a day.  It works for every time zone in the world.  It offers products and merchandise to you, without even traveling.  It's so important to learn how it works.

SECRET 1 - Finding Your Items all Year Long.  Once you determine your interests, accessing them is next.  You can find them all year long.  It's fun to shop all year,  it's cheaper, and so much less stress.  I am not exhausted any more from holiday madness, I am prepared.

Out of Season items are listed inside stores and through Ebay Express.  Climates are also different all over the country, so you can get long sleeves and sweaters in summer, and tank tops in winter.  These prices are much less than you would pay during peak holiday times.  I love certain designer sweaters, I type in, and see what new listings are up.  This summer I have bought about 5 sweaters.

SECRET 2 - Spread out your Shopping   Everyone's holiday list is stressful and exciting.  It's better to spread that list out over 12 months, instread of 2, and enjoy yourself more.  Very unique items are on here because it's global.  Some things are just not available in all parts of the country.

SECRET 3 - Know Where you Put things   I created a special set of shelves in the spare room, so that I haven't lost the gifts by the time I need to give them.  I even wrote some sticky notes on the outside of the bags.   That was a huge discovery for me, to actually save and find those things I bought in Feb. or March and know where they are 10 months later.

SECRET 4 - Learn Listings by Volume l  Since I love Christmas, I keep up on how many things there are.  Right now in July, more than 50,000 items are up.  Closer to Christmas, it's more like 190,000.  There are several thousand items up for Easter, etc.  So, I just keep looking, buy what I want and need, and I make it a habbit to continue to buy, to continue to check.

SECRET 5 - Keep the Gift List next to the Computer   I had a hard time at first, even organizing what I was buying, and I lost track.  Now, I have the list by names, and sizes, and I write down what I have purchased.  It's hard to keep it all straight unless you have a system.

SECRET 6 - BUY IT NOW  -  On live auctions from 1 - 10 days, some sellers will change them to buy it now for you, if you write to them and ask.  The most important thing with BUY IT NOW, is that it can backfire on you.  It's the very next person in this global network that sees that and bids that gets that item.  I have changed several auctions for people from live auction to buy it now.   Once that happened, someone else bought it, other than the person who wrote me.  You have to be very quick, and time the change when both people are on line at the same time.  It's frustrating when you are trying to do it for someone, and it does not work out for them.  And there is nothing the seller can do, unless they have duplicates.

There are people who do not want to change their auctions from bidding to buy it now.  I respect that,  it's different for everyone.  I do it whenever I can.  My view is that I would rather have a sure thing, than a maybe.  Some people can't wait for the end of the auction, or they need it right away.

We all have to understand how this all works so that both buyers and sellers get the benefits of Ebay.  It definately works for me, and I had to learn alot before I had a system down for myself, as a seller and as a buyer.