| Auctions have long been a staple in the toolkit of | | | | All you have to do is set up your auction, and sell the |
| nonprofit development professionals. The emergence | | | | product. You then pass the customer?s information |
| of ubiquitous online access have made online auctions | | | | on to the drop shipping company. The drop shipper |
| an excellent vehicle for nonprofits and charities to | | | | does the rest, and they will even use your company |
| raise funds while engaging stakeholders and other | | | | information, as well as your company logo if you |
| consituencies in their causes.eBay, the leader platform | | | | have provided it to them. When the product arrives |
| for online auctions also provides a number of | | | | at your customer?s home, they will have no idea that |
| offerings for running nonprofit auctions. Running a | | | | your company didn?t send it. The drop shipper will |
| charity auction on eBay is simple, but getting the | | | | package, label, and ship the products that you sell, |
| most from your efforts involves developing a | | | | allowing you more time to set up even more |
| strategy and understanding the ins and outs of eBay. | | | | auctions, for greater profits. |
| Luckily eBay provides lots of information on how to | | | | You must establish a relationship with several drop |
| be successful using their services. | | | | shipping companies in order to become successful.In |
| One creative option is to leveraging a drop-shipping | | | | the beginning, most companies will require you to pay |
| company to handle all of the customer fulfillment | | | | for the items that your customers order before they |
| tasks allowing your nonprofit to focus on consituent | | | | are shipped. You need to fill orders in a timely |
| outreach and promotion. | | | | manner, so you should pay for the items with a |
| If you hope to own an eBay business, and make a | | | | credit card for speedy service. Eventually, you will be |
| full time living at it, you can easily make that dream | | | | able to have the drop shipper fill your orders, and |
| come true ? even if you don?t have a product of | | | | then bill you for them later. |
| your own to sell. eBay provides many people who | | | | When you set up your eBay auctions, make sure |
| want to quit their corporate nine-to-five jobs with a | | | | that your reserve price is set higher than the price |
| way to make a good living, without having to put up | | | | that the drop shipper will be charging you for the |
| a lot of start up capital. This is made possible with | | | | item. The idea, of course, is to earn a profit! |
| the help of drop shippers. Drop shippers send | | | | Depending on the item you are selling, a markup of |
| merchandise to the customers of business owners. If | | | | about 10% should be about right, but you should do |
| you have an eBay business, you are a business | | | | some research to see if the item is selling for a lower |
| owner. This will allow you to offer a wide variety of | | | | price in another eBay auction, or through other online |
| stock in your eBay store, without having the need to | | | | sources. |
| warehouseall of those products! | | | | By starting an eBay business using the drop shipping |
| In addition to eBay, other vendors offer vehicles for | | | | method, there is essentially no financial riskinvolved. |
| nonprofits to run fundraising auctions. CMarket - | | | | The product will be sold before you pay the drop |
| offers services emphasizing the importance of | | | | shipper for the item. This is one of the few |
| bidders, donors and sponsors, and their respective | | | | businesses where you can actually turn a profit |
| roles in a successful auction. Their Website is a | | | | before you have expenditures! |
| valuable source of fundraising auction tips. | | | | Article written by Michael Saunders. |