How to Earn Money Online by Writing for Examiner.com

Earn money online by writing about what you love to do! I do. I am the Springfield eBay Examiner for Examiner.com. You can find my page at http://www.examiner.com/x-23016-Springfield-eBay-Examiner. I'd love to know what you think!

So far, my experience with Examiner.com has been great and I'm enjoying learning how to share my knowledge about my topic with people all over the world.

They asked me to refer anyone I know who might be a good Examiner, and that is where you come in. We all know something on a particular topic, whether it be children, dogs, cats, gardening, school, golfing, basketball, etc. I think Examiner.com might be a good way for you to share your expertise, reach a large audience, establish yourself as an authority, and make online money.

I think you would do well, so if you'd like to learn more, you can read up on Examiner.com or if you're ready, you can apply now. If you decide to apply, would you mind letting them know I referred you? Currently, Examiner.com is paying a $50 referral bonus for each person that I refer as long as their application is accepted – if you forget my ID number (23016) when applying, I won't receive the credit for your referral. Keep in mind that this program is open to you too if you are accepted as an Examiner!

This video will make it really clear how to tell them I sent you. If you have any questions you'd like to ask me before you apply, please let me know.

Thank you for taking a look at my page, and, if you decide to apply, good luck!
Zandra Katauskas

Apply now to become an Examiner and start earning money today.

Free Christmas Cards w/ Dogs Photos & Cats Images

Send a FREE Christmas card from FurAllOver.com. The online greeting card site contains a huge selection of ecards all with a dog and cat theme. Select from specific card categories (Christmas, Birthday, New Years, Valentine's Day), or select a certain breed of dogs or cat breeds. While you are there, search the site's huge clip art and free graphics collection. See you there!

PieceOfScrap eBay Seller Success Story: Kohls Plush

I have been selling (and buying) on eBay since April 2000, almost 10 years! Through the years, I have learned a lot. I am sharing my tips, techniques and eBay success stories so that you, too, may also share in my success. The key to successful selling on eBay is knowing what to sell. I have had much success reselling products, some that I purchase new at retail stores, other products are used and purchased at garage sales and thrift shops. This success story happened by accident. I purchased 3 Peanuts Gang Stuffed Animals from the Kohls Cares for Kids Collection while at a garage sale, each for 25 cents. After the listing the 3 plush animals in a set for $19.99 and receiving no bids, I decided to break up the set and sell each one individually.
The plush Snoopy Flying Ace sold for $19.99, the plush Woodstock sold for $8.49 and I still have the plush Charlie Brown in store inventory. A great sale considering I purchased each stuffed animal for 25 cents!

Snoopy	$19.99
Woodstock	$8.49
Total Sale	$28.48
My Cost	-.50
Profit on Sale	$27.98

CVS Paid Me to Buy NIVEA Body Wash

That's right, CVS pharmacy paid me to buy a 16.9 ounce bottle of NIVEA Body Wash. You can get paid, too! Simply visit coupons.com, search, download and print the $2 off coupon for NIVEA Body Wash. CVS drug store is offering the body wash for $.99 this week (12/20/2009) with a CVS Extra Card Customer Card (CVS coupons not necessary). The bath soap usually retails for $5.99, but on checkout, you will receive $5 extra cash bucks to use on your next purchase, valid through January 2010. With the coupon and extra cash back, you receive the body wash absolutely FREE! This body wash makes a great Christmas Stocking Stuffer for the women in your life.

Increase eBay Store Traffic with a Domain Name

Those of us with an eBay store or perhaps just starting an eBay store are looking for ways to increase traffic, thus possibly increasing our sales. Using a simple, easy-to-remember domain name to point potential customers to is much easier than having buyers remember stores.ebay.com/storename I learned this from several years of experience selling items on eBay. While many customers knew my store name, it was hard to find on eBay especially for new buyers. One can purchase a domain name for less than $10 per year … a very affordable marketing strategy that is worth a try (it worked for me!) To get started:

1. Point your browser to godaddy.com
2. Search for a domain name to make sure it is available (.com domains are most common)
3. If available, click on add to cart to continue to purchase the domain name
4. Once purchased, return to Domain Manager and then check the box. Near the top, click on “Forwarding”. On this popup, enter the URL of your ebay store (for example: stores.ebay.com/pieceofscrap)
. Click OK and wait a few hours. It will take awhile for the DNS changes to kick in.
5. To test, point your browser to the domain name you just purchased. Once the changes take effect, the domain will redirect to your eBay store.

Now you have an own easy-to-remember domain name to direct potential eBay customers too. This is fairly inexpensive and easy to do. A great marketing tip increasing traffic to your eBay store.

What to sell on eBay ... Baby Formula Coupons & Samples

Baby formula is a huge expense for parents of newborns. Therefore, free baby formula samples and coupons are in high demand. I recently sold a free sample of Enfamil that I received in the mail (not sure why?!) on eBay for almost $10. Sure, this $10 won’t make me a millionaire, but I did get little something in return for nothing but my time to package and ship. To get your own free samples and coupons of baby formula, including: soy based products, DHA / Omega 3, Enfamil Lipil, Lactose-Free, Lipil with Iron, try these suggestions:


Print a certificate and take that certificate to your baby’s doctor for the free sample of baby formula. The certificate is available in the resource section below.

Register for the Enfamil Family Beginnings program to receive over $250 in free gifts, samples and coupons. An email address, name, address, city, state as well as children names & birth dates are required information.

Register for $141 in free baby formula coupons and samples available at Nestle Good Start. An email address, name, address, city, state as well as children names & birth dates are required information.

Register for $329 in free offers, gifts, coupons and samples by joining the StrongMoms club offered at Similac.


How to get free Enfamil Baby Formula Coupons

Earn money by writing about what you love to do

We all have something we are good at, whether it be scrapbooking, baking, photography, cats / dogs / horses. Why not put your expertise to use in a new way while reaching an audience worldwide?

Examiner.com has thousands of informed local and national writers contributing hundreds of thousands of useful, informative, topic-specific articles every week, and they're fast becoming the go-to source for local information in the U.S. I am honored to have been selected as the eBay examiner in my area, Springfield, IL. You can find my page at http://www.examiner.com/x-23016-Springfield-eBay-Examiner I'd love to know what you think!

If you'd like to learn more, you can read up on Examiner.com or if you're ready, you can apply now. If you decide to apply, would you mind letting them know I referred you? Currently, Examiner.com is paying a $50 referral bonus for each person that I refer as long as their application is accepted – if you forget my ID number (23016) when applying, I won't receive the credit for your referral. Keep in mind that this program is open to you too if you are accepted as an Examiner!

This video will make it really clear how to tell them I sent you.


If you have any questions you'd like to ask me before you apply, please let me know.

Thanks for taking a look at my page, and, if you decide to apply, good luck!

What to sell on eBay ... Halloween Costumes

Halloween is just around the corner. Now is the time to sell your children’s Halloween costumes on eBay, or perhaps create your own costumes to sell.

Costumes have their own category on eBay under Clothing, Shoes & Accessories – Costumes & Reenactment Attire – Costumes. From that point, they can be broken down into Men, Women, Boys, Girls, Unisex, Pets, Other. If a costume fits under more than one category, I encourage listing in multiple categories for maximum exposure.

Traditional costumes are always a big hit (clown, pirate, witch). Commercial costumes from Disney and Tom Arma always maintain value as long as they are in good condition. This year, look for the Michael Jackson costume to be a big hit for adults and children. For tips on making your own Michael Jackson costume, click here. Hand made costumes that are unique and one-of-a-kind also sell very well. For tips on making a No Sew Child's Crayola Crayon costume, click here.

Clean out your closet and make some extra cash by selling Halloween costumes on eBay

What to sell on eBay ... patriotic clothing

Is it just me, or do other Moms dress their children in red, white and blue for patriotic dates? As a tribute to all those men and women who lost their lives on September 11, my family is wearing red, white and blue today. You might be surprised, but I have had much success selling adult patriotic apparel on eBay. In the past, I’ve sold women’s patriotic halter tops and denim shorts, men’s polo shirts in red, white and blue colors. I have also sold clothing supporting our military. Not necessarily camouflaged clothing, but those clothes that specifically say “USMC, Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard”. Below is a list of items that I have recently sold on eBay:

1. Women's halter top, navy blue with white stars on top, red bottom half. Very unique and sexy.
2. Red, white and blue women's denim shorts. Half of the shorts was red, the other half was navy with white stars.
3. Black unisex windbreaker with "Marines" printed in red across the front.

Patriotic apparel tends to sell well anytime of the year, not just around Independence Day.

Let us remember all those men and women who lost their lives on this date, 8 years ago. Thank you to all of the volunteers and courageous folks who risked their lives to help others on that tragic day. Happy Patriot Day!

Kudos to the Post Office ... today! How To Ship a Package

I had a great day at the post office today dropping off my bag of packages ready for shipping! A clerk that is usually behind the counter greeted me at the front door today and took my big IKEA bag of packages. When I asked her if I could have my bag back (please), she smiled and said "Why of course! Has anyone ever offered you one of our post office bags to bring your packages in with?" I softly said "no" and shook my head. She then took my big bag with holes in it to the back room, emptied it and returned with several USPS plastic bags for me to carry my packages in with. I was so elated! You would have thought she had given me a gift. I thanked her profusely and left there with a huge smile on my face. You see, I will not even visit my local post office because they have nothing but grumpy old men working there. They will take each and every one of my ready-to-ship packages and weigh them individually to make sure I'm not 1 ounce over the limit stated on the label. Talk about time consuming! I thought that is why I printed my own labels at home using this Weighmax Capacity Postal Shipping Scale. Not only that, but I was told that a Flat Rate package had to be "flat". Huh? Flat rate means that you can mail anything, up to 70lbs, for one flat rate price. Am I wrong? Has anyone else had trouble shipping with the USPS? Perhaps I'm the only one having trouble because my ex-husband works there. Surely, he doesn't pull that much weight at the post office. 

Do you know you can complete a customer satisfaction survey for your post office? To do so, visit postalexperience.com/pos 

 

Scrapbook Paper Piecings & Chore Charts

I started out selling on ebay several years ago selling only Handmade Scrapbook Paper Piecings and Page Kits. These paper piecings are highly customized and include little kid faces made to match your little ones. You specify gender, hair and skin color. Visit my ebay store at:

http://stores.ebay.com/piece-of-scrap

and click on the link for Scrapbook Paper Piecings. There are many more layouts, die cuts, chore charts, albums available on my website at:

http://www.PieceOfScrap.com

As always, requests are welcome. See you there!