While many sellers complain about about the 'new' eBay vs. the 'old' eBay, I don't buy into the gloom and doom scenarios.  You can cry monopolistic and special treatment all you want, but eBay is simply in the business of catering to the market and, like any other large company, its shareholders.

Think of it as a small town growing into a metropolis.  At first, all you had to do was open a shop with merchandise that people wanted and couldn't get elsewhere without driving to the next town.  As the town grew, big business saw the potential and moved in.  Mom and Pop couldn't compete with MacDonald’s and Wal-Mart, which were selling the same merchandise with bigger advertising dollars and lower prices.  So Mom and Pop increased their advertising and lowered their prices and suddenly found profits had dropped to the point where it was no longer worth doing.

Most Mom and Pops simply closed up; however, the smart Mom and Pops took a look at their new competition and decided to go back to the basics:  They changed their product line to that which was successful in the beginning, namely something that people still wanted, but couldn't get elsewhere.  Mom and Pop's hamburger stand became Mom and Pop Specialty Deli.  Mom and Pop's computer store became Mom and Pop's Computer Service and Installation.  In some cases, Mom and Pops Video store became Mom and Pop's something else entirely.

The book business is no different.  If you are selling common books primarily to readers, you've now got a problem.  The average buyer who wants something to read is going to be price driven, since it's so simple in this grown-up metropolis Internet.  A few clicks and there's the book you wanted at the lowest price, including shipping costs.  Do I care that the seller has 200 negative feedbacks among the 1000's of positives?  Do I care if the seller sticks it in a flimsy envelope?  Do I care if the seller uses pre-filled with no other description?  Heck, as far as I'm concerned, the seller can stick a stamp and label on the book and mail it that way - I'm probably going to throw it away once I read it in any case...

On the other hand, if I'm buying a permanent copy of a book I treasured as a kid, a book to fill that hole in my collection, or even just a great looking book I can put on the bookshelf to impress my visitors, I'm going to pay attention to feedback, descriptions and packing.  And, when I find a seller who does all those things right, I'm going back to that seller first for future purchases.

In this capitalistic world, you either pony up the money and time to compete with the megasellers or you specialize in the things they can't offer.  With that in mind, here are a few suggestions to those who might be interested.

1.  Unless you are strictly a hobbyist, stay away from FOLs, thrift shops, Goodwill and the like.  For the most part, they've wised up to the new global Internet market, as have their customers.  The competition is fierce and the prices keep going up.  The few 'finds' are fewer and any potential profits are quickly eaten up by the dozens of 25¢ books you can't give away.

2.  Auctions and estate sales are not much better anymore unless you are lucky enough to live in an area where they're an everyday occurrence.  My local auction house now skims the cream to sell on eBay and what's left isn't worth the gas.

3.  Instead of all the old things that used to work and no longer do, use the the new technology.  You're now an online seller, so become an online buyer.  Let someone else cull out the dregs from the FOLs for you.  There are thousands of bargains available online from sellers who bulk upload thousands of books on the Internet, many of which they don't have the time to research properly.  There are also thousands of hobbyists who find (or already have) a $100 book and are happy to get $5 or $10 for it.  Instead of spending $50 for 100 books in the hope that one of them might be worth $25 - $50, spend $10 for one that you know is worth $25 - $50.

4.  Unless you are willing to spend 10 hours a day browsing and researching for the above bargains, your only choice is to specialize.  Start with what you like or collect and learn as much as you can about those books and/or authors so you can instantly recognize the bargain when you find it.  Then search regularly for those books.  For every overpriced book that has been languishing on the Internet for months or years, there are bargains listed everyday, many of which are priced based on the 'race to the bottom' theory, and others listed by someone who doesn't have a clue as to the book's worth.  If you recognize them, you can grab them before someone else does.

5.  Don't be afraid to buy in bulk.  If you find a dealer who has several books in your specialty, make an offer for the lot at an appropriate discount, taking the good with the bad to get your price (defining 'bad' as breaking even).  If you find a lot of 30 or so books, knowing that 10 of them are overpriced (before the discount), but relying on the other 20 for your profit, it’s probably a good buy.  An awful lot of dealers are tired of looking at the same books for months or years and will be willing to deal just to get some money out of them.

6.  Know your market.  If you are dealing in collectibles (which is what this whole guide is all about), you already know several things.  Collectors are picky.  They want adequate descriptions about condition, not volumes of prose about content.  They want photos of the book they're buying, not a stock photo.  They want proper packing, which means bubblewrap and padding in a sturdy box.  They want fast service, which means ship the next day if at all possible.  They prefer insurance, so offer it or build it in.  A lot of them don't want priority mail costs, as shipping costs are sunk costs, so at least offer media mail.  They also like to know what's going on, so let them know when you received payment and when you shipped the book.  If you do all these things right, you benefit from repeat business, even if your prices aren't the lowest.  When I'm buying, I like to see a big ratio of total feedback to 'official' feedback.  That usually means happy repeat customers.

Since I deal in books, this guide was written with books in mind; however, with a little bit of thought and tweaking, it can apply to most categories on eBay.