Internet Entrepreneurs Blog

There’s been alot of talk recently about the upcoming “true video” iPod and the rumored iPhone but little attention has been given to the iPod shuffle. I have to admit I snored a bit when I first heard about it (what, it’s just smaller than the original?) but I have quickly come to love it more than any iPod I’ve owned.

You see, this isn’t my first iPod (or even second). In fact I bought my first iPod before they had a PC version and I’ve upgraded about every other generation. I’ve always stuck with the full size versions (though Leah has the green iPod mini) because I like to have all my music with me. However, I never really used my iPod much outside my home or car and would only exercise with it if I were using the treadmill or a stationary bike at the gym. Too clunky, the headphones cord always got in the way, and it was just plain awkward.

Then along came the Shuffle. The new version is a nifty clip that you can attach pretty much anywhere (your pants, shirt, etc.). The size is small but the sound is surprisingly powerful. Plus, since it doesn’t have a flashy color screen (or any screen for that matter) you’ll get close to 12 hours of play time on a single charge.

Apple didn’t miss any details with this revision, making the cord for the earbuds just the right length (not as long as the others, cuts down on the “flapping” when running). The 1Gb capacity is actually more than enough I’ve found and the latest iTunes does a good job refreshing your playlist with a new random selection each time you sync your iPod. The shuffle doesn’t come with a power plug so you’ll always need to have your computer handy to charge it up but who is away from the computer for more than a few hours anymore

The new iPod shuffle is seriously dope, so dope in fact that I decided to replace my 15Gb iPod (sold it on eBay). If you’re into fitness or just wearing your music while you do stuff, definitely consider the new iPod shuffle. For $79 you can’t find a better music player!

I’ve been going through all our junk in storage (shed, basement, attic) and I’ve come across some bulky collections I want to get rid of. There’s an unopened/unused George Foreman grill, a 21″ Sony Trinitron Computer Monitor, a remote “training” collar for a dog (read: shock collar), and countless other gems that should be a cinch to sell on eBay or Craig’s list.

In addition to these one off items I also have two rather large collections: CDs and Nintendos. The Nintendos span 3 generations: 2 8-bit NES systems, 1 Super NES, and the Nintendo 64 plus games for each system (50 games for the 8-bit system alone). My question: should I sell the games (and systems) as a lot or individually? Which will make the most money after accounting for listing fees?

The question is not as simple as it sounds. Listing as lots of say 5 or 10 games should give me lower selling fees on eBay but will I maximize the final selling price? Let’s start with an example. Mike Tyson’s Punch Out has been selling on eBay for between $10 and $15 on its own and the Legend of Zelda (gold cartridge) sells in approximately the same range (coincidentally I have 2 of each). If I put Zelda and Mike together in a lot of 5 games (let’s say the other games have marginal value) what should I expect the final price to be? Will the two popular games (plus the other 3) draw more potential buyers to the lot than each individual game would draw on its own? Will this send the price higher as Punch Out and Zelda fans duke it out to win the auction? Sadly I haven’t found any conclusive discussion on the subject.

I had hoped I would have duplicates of 5 games so I could set up a perfect test but alas, I do not. Looking at the values of completed auctions it doesn’t look good for lots of 5 (most sold for under $10). My approach will be to list the games individually with minimal promotion (no bold listings, no subtitle, etc.) and no reserve. For those games that don’t sell I’ll put them in a bundle to sell as a group. My plan for the CDs is similar, though I’ll use Amazon to list those instead. The only factor that may derail my plan is the time required, I’ll keep you posted on how that goes…

Man, that PayPal is some powerful stuff! I’ve been on PayPal for almost five years now (actually 4 years, 8 months, and 14 days according to my member information box) and only recently have I realized how strong PayPal really is.

Most of are probably familiar with PayPal’s eBay integration (they are, after all, owned by the same corporation) but the tools go WAY beyond simple auction payment. One of the first things many webmasters might find useful is the FREE PayPal shopping cart you can use for your website. PayPal has made great strides to allow customization of shopping cart pages and there is actually a good bit of flexibility in setting shipping charges (like flat amount, free shipping for orders over $X, etc.). Buyers don’t even need a PayPal account to buy through your cart, they can simply use a credit card just as they would on any other e-commerce site. Best of all, you only pay processing fees when purchases are completed as opposed to services like Authorize.net that charge multiple minimum monthly fees.

Another awesome feature that some might not be aware of is Instant Payment Notification (IPN). IPN is a great way to sell online subscriptions (we use this on singletracks) because it automatically notifies your website when a successful payment has been made. Integrating IPN is a bit tricky but there is great support online and PayPal offers great tools for testing your IPN system before you go live. If you offer instant access to online content via PayPal you may want to disable e-check payments since these take a couple days to clear which can be confusing to some users.

My latest PayPal discovery (and I’m actually pretty behind on this) is the ability to purchase and print USPS postage online. We’ve been using Edicia’s Dazzle program for Unity3 and it is a huge time and money saver but it’s kinda hard to get over the $15 a month fee we pay to use the service. With PayPal you can print shipping labels through the site without any special software and no subscription fee! Delivery confirmation is included and you can even purchase insurance through the site. Best of all, it automatically records and notifies your buyers (assuming they paid through PayPal) and even disguises the actual shipping cost on the label. My one complaint is that the label printout takes up an entire sheet of 8.5″x11″ paper while the actual postage label is only half a sheet (labels are expensive). Apparently people have found ingenious ways to save labels like feeding half sheets of paper into the printer so there are ways to conserve labels if you try.

PayPal is also a legit bank and I haven’t used their ATM/Debit Card or banking services but it seems like a good idea if you use your account alot. If you’re looking for a good way to start selling online, consider using PayPal for your shopping cart and payment gateway. How can you argue with free?