There are a lot of cars, trucks, and other vehicles out there, and there are infinitely many more parts. Add to the picture remanufactured, pulled, aftermarket, and performance parts, and the automotive parts picture gets really complicated.

For buyers and sellers alike, this can mean headaches if purchased parts don't actually fit the vehicle for which the purchase was intended. This is where eBay's My Garage feature comes in. Here's how to use it, whether you're an eBay Motors buyer or sellers.

See Also:

     • Watch for Red Flags on eBay Motors
     • How does Vehicle Purchase Protection work?
     • What is AutoCheck and what does it tell me?

If you sell a variety of goods that demand different payment, shipping, and returns policies in each case, entering these on the selling form can be a time-consuming and error-prone process.

eBay's new pilot Business Policies tool helps to make the process easier, enabling you to predefine and give names to a variety of policies, then easily choose from these each time you list an item.

See Also:

     • Do Your Selling in Less Time
     • Make Packing and Shipping Easy
     • Inexpensively Outsource Bookkeeping

eBay is a great place to start your online selling life, but as your small business grows, it can pay to think beyond eBay's borders. Though it can seem intimidating at first, selling on multiple other channels—like Amazon, Etsy, or even your own website—can enhance both profits and growth opportunities.

Of course, there's also extra work involved, since you'll be managing inventory for and creating listings on multiple platforms, rather than just on one. But these days, there are lots of tools to help you streamline the process and make multichannel selling a reality for your operation, at any size.

See Also:

     • Use Terapeak for Market Research
     • Use Outright to Streamline Your Accounting
     • Don't Limit Yourself to eBay Selling

Deciding what to source based on "experience" or "gut feeling" is a mistake made by many aspiring eBay sellers, and one that can lead a young business into troubled water.

Your competition probably doesn't guess when they decide to acquire inventory; they acquire only what they know will turn a profit in the end.

You can be similarly certain just by using the same simple kinds of data that they use. It's not mind-bogglingly confusing (it certainly isn't rocket science in most cases), but it does take either legwork or cash to get the kind of data that you need to make good sourcing decisions.

See Also:

     • Should I join that drop-shipping website?
     • Use Terapeak for eBay Market Research
     • Time Your Listings for Results