| If you are a charity or school in this day and age there | | | | 1. Wii. This game console by Nintendo just came out |
| is a great tool to add to your fund-raising toolbox: online | | | | this year. Popular sellers featured the Wii console with |
| auctions at eBay. An eBay auction can be easy and | | | | remote and five games (that come standard with the |
| convenient to run, without the overhead of the | | | | console). Ending bids typically ended around $300.00 |
| traditional fancy dinner with a silent auction. Volunteers | | | | plus shipping. |
| will certainly be needed to photograph, package and | | | | 2. Xbox 360. The game console is seen on eBay with |
| ship items to bidders. | | | | starting bids at around $79. Games for Xbox 360 are |
| Still a bit shy about running an eBay auction? Here are | | | | selling for about $20 as a starting bid. There are many |
| some tips about the top-selling items on eBay and why | | | | games available for sale on eBay. |
| not-for-profit organizations should dive into the eBay | | | | 3. Apple Ipod. The Ipod Nanos both used and new are |
| pool. Don't worry - the water's warm! | | | | selling for around $100 to $150. Apple Ipod Shuffles |
| Jill Finlayson, author of Fundraising on eBay and former | | | | have starting bids at around $50. Ipods that are listed |
| Senior Category Manager at eBay is well versed in | | | | as "second generation" are of course older and are |
| the power of eBay for not-for-profit organizations. She | | | | therefore cheaper than the latest version. |
| was a founding member of the first eBay Foundation. | | | | 4. SONY Playstation 3. This Video Game Console is |
| She believes that not-for-profit organizations should sell | | | | another popular seller, with ending bids at around $400 |
| on eBay for two reasons: "I think the number one | | | | with many of bids. |
| reason is that it allows you to tap into a much larger | | | | 5. Webkinz. They are stuffed animals that are actually |
| group of people which allows you to get more bids | | | | interactive pets. You can own a Webkinz bunny, |
| and more supporters. I would say that's the first | | | | bullfrog, hippo, cat, unicorn or lots of other different kind |
| reason. The second reason is that eBay allows you to | | | | of animal. They are made by Ganz, the popular |
| accomplish several goals instead of just one goal, so | | | | stuffed animal maker. Each pet contains a secret |
| its not just about raising the funds, its about increasing | | | | code on the tag and when you "adopt" the pet |
| awareness, finding donors, converting in kind gifts to | | | | (purchase it), you go online and discover if it is a boy or |
| cash and getting the market value for your goods. | | | | a girl pet. Then you name your pet and get a certain |
| That's what eBay does, it allows you to leverage a | | | | amount of Kinz Kash to redecorate your pet's room |
| global marketplace and that's what allows you to get | | | | and buy food. |
| the most bang for the buck. That's why people use | | | | 6. Louis Vuitton. This popular handbag, wallet and |
| eBay." | | | | briefcase designer is a big seller on eBay. Wallets can |
| Finlayson states that top selling items on eBay include | | | | have opening bids at $100.00, handbags can start bids |
| 1) Collectibles | | | | at $250.00. Vintage handbags can be just as pricey as |
| 2) Practical or new items | | | | new ones. |
| 3) Experiences | | | | 7 . Sony Playstation Portable. The Sony Playstation |
| She is enthusiastic about not-for-profits being creative | | | | Portable is popular, as well as games for it are being |
| about the idea of creating experiences for eBay | | | | sold too. Bids for the game console start at $50 and |
| bidders to bid on. "Experiences do very well with | | | | reach into the $200s. Games are sold for ten or |
| non-profits. You can do them very large scale with | | | | twenty dollars. Memory cards for the game are being |
| celebrities, or you can do them at a much smaller | | | | sold typically for fifteen dollars. |
| scale such as San Jose did where you get to turn on | | | | Knowing what items are best sellers on eBay can help |
| the Christmas tree and flip the switch and have that | | | | you decide what items to feature in your online charity |
| experience, or maybe meet the mayor. So there are | | | | auction. You can get an idea of what types of auction |
| experiences that have mass appeal and then there | | | | items sell the best and what the ending bids could be. |
| are experiences that have local appeal." said Finlayson. | | | | By choosing some of the top selling items on eBay |
| For the week of April 8, 2007 the most popular items | | | | your auction can be more profitable than ever. |
| eBay bidders were searching for included: | | | | |