I’ve often wondered what Drupal was all about as a CMS so I started playing with it the other day.  It’s actually a very flexible tool that could help people create wonderful affiliate sites but me, I’m used to Wordpress.

However, if you have a Drupal site and want to add some money making auctions from eBay to your site, this is a quick guide on how to do so.

How to use PhpBay and Drupal

Set up Drupal and make sure there are no error warnings.  I strongly
recommend that you use Hostgator for Drupal hosting as they offer many configurable options that ensure Drupal will work without a hitch.

When setting up Drupal, you want to turn on the “PHP filter” module so that you can execute PHP code.

Purchase PhpBay if you haven’t done so already and download the API.

Edit the config.php file to contain your ebay partner network (EPN) ID:
# CAMPAIGN ID (ALSO KNOWN AS PID OR AFFILIATE ID)
$config['ebay_pid'] = “123456789″;

Upload the following to your drupal root directory:
Folders:
images
phpbay
and the file auctions.php

Now, go to create a new Drupal page or post and enter your auction code like this example:

<?php
require_once(“phpbay/ebay.php”);
phpBayAPI(“macbook pro”, 15, “111422″, “”);
?>

and make sure to check “php code” in the input box.

Troubleshoting:
If after creating the page/post you only see the original code:
Make sure that you:
1- turned on the PHP filter
2- In the composition window, make sure you clicked on “php code”

If after creating a post the images don’t show up:
1- make sure that you copied the contents of the .htaccess file provided by phpbay to the TOP of the .htaccess file made by drupal

It still amazes me how few people actually understand the principle of eBay. You’d think that by now everyone would know how to use eBay properly, wouldn’t you? If that’s the case, how come auctions get botched up and prices get driven through the roof due to bad eBayers?

Especially when talking about technology, eBay is (or used to be?) a prime marketplace to find great deals on good technology. However, as of late, the number of bad bidders and overpriced goods on eBay has caused me to look elsewhere for my tech needs. Firstly, it seems as though buyers don’t do research before bidding. Secondly, sellers are taking advantage of this and really marking up the price of new, refurbished, and used goods. As for me, I don’t like to pay more than retail price for used goods, so I haven’t used eBay in a while when buying electronics.

I am writing this article in the hopes that people will learn some of the finer points of using eBay. If you follow the steps listed below, you will not only be able to find the products you are looking for but you will also know what the “going rates” are for these products so that you know what you should pay, and you will learn a few tips on how you can save money by using eBay.

Do Your Research

Spending money on eBay is easy. Too easy, some will say. However, anybody who is buying anything on eBay should go in to an auction knowing what a fair price is for the certain product they want to buy. It doesn’t make sense to pay sticker price (sometimes people pay even more than sticker!) for something on eBay. It makes even less sense to pay full price for something that’s used or refurbished. So, how should you know what to pay for something? Easy. Let’s say you are looking for a USB turntable. Specifically, the ION iTTUSB turntable.

• Check Amazon’s price. Go to Amazon.com and search for the item you want. Chances are you’ll find a variety of goods in varying quantities. For example, check out this turntable (click to make it big):
  
  You can get it new for $109.97, but used from $87.73. Does it make sense to pay more than this from eBay? No, it doesn’t.
• Check Google’s price. Likewise, check out Google’s search results and click on “shopping” at the top of the page. You’ll see a listing similar to this:
  
  You can see that even Google finds deals for under $107. Does it make sense to pay more than $107 on eBay? No, it doesn’t.
• Check eBay auctions have gone for in the past. Now head on over to eBay’s site and do a search for the item you’re looking for, but before you click “search”, click on “advanced search”. You’ll see an option that lets you select “Completed listings only”. This means that your search results will only include those auctions that have already ended. You’ll have to log on to see the results, but it’s worth your keystrokes. You’ll get to see what others have recently paid for this item and you can know what to you should expect to pay for this item on eBay.
  After running this search, I see that people have paid roughly $89 and got free shipping for this item. So, in this case, buying this turntable on eBay is a good investment.

Ok, now you’re done with step 1. You know that it’s a good idea to buy a certain item on eBay. Now you MUST learn how to bid properly on eBay. You can’t just go into the auction when there are 6 days left, enter $89 and assume you’ve won the auction. If you do this, chances are almost 100% that you’ll enter into a bidding war and end up overpaying for the item. You need to learn the art of patience, aka “Snipping”. The fewer people that bid on an auction prior to its end, the lower that the item’s final price will be. So sit back, add that auction to your favorites, and check back when there are roughly 2 hours left for the auction. Don’t bid yet, either. Enter your bid with less than 30 seconds to go in the auction and your win is almost certain.

Now you know the proper way to eBay. Go on and start researching. Find those hot items and get them at a discount, but remember to do your research and most importantly, be patient with your bidding!

It’s should be no surprise to you that there are many people making a lot of money by doing business with eBay. I’ve read about their successes and I’ve read lots of bloggers bragging about how easy it is to make money on eBay. There are countless e-books, manuals, video series, blogs and classes about the subject and many people have been successful at making money on eBay. From cars to stamps to airplanes to small parts for just about anything, eBay is the place to market your goods.

The problem is, what if you don’t have any goods to sell? What if you don’t have a wholesale account with anyone? What if you’re just an average Joe wanting to make a buck off of eBay? Although this seems like a hard question to answer, it’s really not. If you’re like me and are not a manufacturer and you don’t have any inventory to liquidate, then the best option available is to start a niche website made for eBay.

What is a Niche Website?

Do you know what a niche is? Merriam-Webster defines the word niche as: “a specialized market”. In other words, a niche is something very specific tailored to a particular group of people. For example, a niche could be “resistance exercise bands”. This niche is very specific in that it targets those people looking to buy resistance exercise bands and nothing else. The type of people looking at these items could be gyms or individuals looking for resistance bands for home or travel. This specific niche could have an eBay store made for it that would sell various kinds of resistance bands.

The first step in creating a niche website is, obviously, to define your niche. You need to think about what sells well on eBay, what people are looking for on the search engines, and how much money you could stand to make on certain items.

In order to find out what sells on eBay, you can do one of several things. You could use your intuition, you could read the news about hot products, or…you could take the easy way out and check out eBay Pulse. Ebay Pulse lists several of eBay’s most sought after items in addition to providing you with trends of what has been selling well over certain periods.

Set Up Your Affiliate Account

After looking at eBay Pulse and deciding on a product, you need to establish an affiliate account with eBay. With an affilaite account you can earn money by either having people sign up for eBay or by having people buy stuff from your eBay store. We’ll stick to the second thing, but once in a while you’ll have people sign up for eBay through you for an added bonus.

eBay’s payout is pretty generous, I receive 50% of eBay’s cut for the first $99 you sell through your website, and the percentage grows from there. Check out eBay’s payout schedule for more details.

Build Your Website

Now comes the fun part. You already have a winning product selected. You already have your eBay affiliate account ready to roll. At this point, you can start making a website that will maximize your earnings on eBay. But how do you build a winning website? There are several options, of course.

Firstly, you need a good domain name. Domain names are so cheap that you can get one for about $6. Check out Godaddy.com to sign up for a new domain and start earning. Think of domain names relevant to your niche. If you’re doing exercise bands, try to get exercisebands.com or some variation. Use your imagination and do your best to lock in a .com domain name.

Next thing you need to do is to have your own web host. Whatever you do, don’t use a free hosting service. In addition to hurting your rankings on the search engines, free hosting services are often unreliable and give your site less credibility. Sign up for a solid web host like Hostgator.com where you can have unlimited domains, unlimited databases, super easy software installation through Fantastico and much more for as little as $4.95 per month. I use Hostgator.com and have not yet been let down! Their support is incredibly fast and the service is excellent. If you don’t have a host yet, sign up for Hostgator.com right now!

Once you have a domain name and a web host, you can build your website. The easiest way to accomplish this is by automatically pulling in live auctions from eBay to your website. Not only does this give your website a ring of authenticity, but it also provides your customers with relevant auctions where they can buy goods straight from your website and generate your commissions. Believe it or now, this is MUCH easier than it sounds! With Hostgator.com, you can install Wordpress in under 2 minutes. All you need after Wordpress is a nifty plugin called PHPBay Pro. PHPBay Pro plugs in to eBay and pulls in live auctions automatically. For only $39, you can start building your eBay empire.

PHPBay Pro is extremely easy to use and set up. Wade, PHPBay Pro’s developer is very helpful and responsive through email and helps you through any questions you may have.

Check out one of my made for eBay stores. This store is targeted to those looking for cheap digital frames. I found a domain name, have it hosted at Hostgator.com and am now making a few bucks every day with the help of PHPBay Pro. If you haven’t purchased yourself a Christmas gift, this is the package that I recommend. It will pay you back in dividends if you do your homework and work the system.