Chicago Ebay Live 2008

Whew!  Our week in Chicago and attending the Ebay Live 2008 went by in a whirlwind.  I brought the family and we had a mini vacation along with Ebay Live.  Love the windy city!

We were “power” sightseeing for the first few days and came limping into Ebay Live.

Ebay Live this year was rather subdued compared to the Vegas Live I had previously attended.  Attendance and vendors seemed to be down in number.  While there was a full slate of classes, I found it a bit difficult to find the kind of information that I was looking for to help me take my business to a new level.

The exception here was my favorite speaker, Seth Godin, creator of the wildly popular Squidoo site.  He is an entertaining and thought provoking speaker with a unique take on the world of online sales.  I’m still pondering his suggestions and looking for a way to stand out and be “remarkable”.

Janelle Elms of OSI Rock Stars had a fun promotion running through a “Spot the Rock Stars” contest.  It was fun participating and spreading the word to fellow Ebayers about Janelle’s wonderful online education site!

The McCormick West Convention center is the largest in the USA – as my blisters can attest to.  Check out the view over the center from the McCormick Hyatt Hotel.

  As usual Ebay, throws a great party and we thoroughly enjoyed the Gala celebration with Chris Isaak entertaining.

Ebay sellers consider selling on Amazon

I’ve been selling on Ebay for about 3 years now and last year broadened my online presence to include Amazon.  It was a great move for me.  Ebay is a wonderful sales venue and I continue to build my store there while I look for additional opportunities. 

Amazon is ideal for a seller of easily restockable items – you set your listing up once and just add quantity.  I love having a site that requires little maintenance.  There is a definite learning curve with Amazon as with any new venture – but patience and persistence pays off.  During the fall and holiday season, you’ll find sales will absolutely take off – particularly if you’ve worked on filling your site with quality items throughout the year.

If you’d like to learn more about the “ins and outs” of becoming an Amazon seller, negotiating their rules and operating within the system, check out my (Alice Rudolph) podcast at OSI Rock Stars, with Janelle Elms.  If you’re not yet a member of OSI Rock Stars, you’ll find a site here that’s filled with useful information to create the business you’ve always dreamed of.

Let OSI Rock Stars be your guide to selling on Ebay

Since OSI Rock Stars launched in the Fall of 2007, I’ve made the site my online selling resource.  The newsletters alone, are worth the investment.  Janelle sends newsletters filled with the latest breaking ebay news, tips on the best new business tools, contests, marketing opportunities and of course, the new podcasts and webinars.

This past week, we’ve learned little known secrets of utilizing Ebay Classified Ads, the process of having an item manufactured and the benefits of blogging.  This is just an example of the diverse selection of classes you’ll come across at OSI Rock Stars.  Past weeks have included keyword trainings, accounting and tax tips, SEO, inventory sourcing and research.  That’s just a small selection of your education choices at OSI Rock Stars.

Creating a successful online business takes a lot of hard work, creativity and a bit of luck.  Along with those ingredients add some practical advice and support from knowledgeable advisors.  Don’t fall for the Ebay “get rich quick” schemes – nothing good comes easy!  Janelle Elms is an established and respected resource in the Ebay world of business.  Invest in success with OSI Rock Stars.

 

A Wealth of Online Information at OSI Rock Stars

OK, I’m a little biased because I’ve known Janelle Elms, creator of OSI Rock Stars, for a few years through her Ebay education meetings and classes here in Seattle.  Janelle prodded and cheered me along from an absolute computer novice selling my kid’s toys on Ebay, to the proud online store owner of Alice in Stitches.  I was one of those people whose friends teased me for still having a rotary phone, no cell phone and not getting a computer until about 2003.  So, I was a tough case!

Janelle is still my cheerleader, as she is now online for many others.  At OSI Rock Stars we have a sense of community among members where no question is a dumb question in the forums, posts are respectful and knowledge is shared in building our online businesses.

Janelle has filled the OSI Rock Star site with countless podcasts and webinars of interviews with experts in the business world, from taxes and accounting to research and sourcing.  You’ll find experts on search engine optimization, creating profitable keywords, time management and organization, website design and so much more.  New classes are added to the site every week.

I consider OSI Rock Stars an investment in my business that pays for itself many times over with the techniques and best practices that I can implement to increase my profitability.   Visit OSI Rock Stars and choose success for your online business!