Here are some of the many unsolicited testimonials I have received from my US readers. As we have just started selling the Complete eBay Marketing System in the UK, I don't yet have any testimonials from UK sellers, but I will be adding them here when I do.

(Dated: 17 July 06)

Hi Skip:

I have been ebaying for 8 years! I bought your book last week and read it at every free moment! You have so many GREAT ideas. I have 3 kids (ranging from 16 to 3 yrs.), and was only doing this for fun. Last year I hit powerseller silver level... THEN it hit me... you really can do this for a living. It is so much fun. I have checked out all of the websites you had, your website and your links... Thank you SO much for the tips and the bits of information that has taken me over 8 years to get 2 steps away from .... that was right there in your book! I have recommended the book to another seller friend, and am giving one to my dad for his birthday!

I just got an email tip, from one of your sources, about the sellers voice. I listened to the your spiel along with others, and since you keep referring to these fire pits, I had to look them up.

Of course, I HAD to send a link to my ebayer friends, and my dad!!

Thanks again & again!!

Amy

Skip & Karen,

I ordered the Complete eBay Marketing System late Thurs 6/16 receiving it via UPS Fri 6/17 afternoon --- thank you for the ULTRA FAST delivery! I haven't put it down!

I took the day off Fri to catch-up with much needed spring-time yard work, but felt compelled to go thru all your on-line material, affiliate web sites, etc ---- my day was spent on your various sites & trading partners sites. I'm on the computer all day at work but never touch it at home, so my 14 hr marathon came as a hugh surprise --- what a BLAST!

The info you supply both on-line & in written form is COMPLETE ---- PERIOD!

Thank you for your generous approach to doing business & I wish you continued success.

Mike in Overland park, KS

(Dated: 14 August 05)

Hi Skip!

I wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your product. The Complete eBay Marketing System is well worth the money... and thank you for not making it so high that no one can afford it! The wholesale information may be the best I have seen!! You are one of the very few I trust in this business. Again thank you. Great Product!

Sincerely,
David in Peoria, IL

(August 2005)

Dear Skip & Karen,

I received my manual and CD’s on “How To Start and Run an eBay Consignment Business,” and sat down and read them straight through!  I made notes on what I was doing wrong, then I revised every auction I had running and reposted them using the new methods I had learned from you.  Two things I changed immediately were in the way I scheduled them to close (for the market I was selling to), and the category for each listing (the collectors I needed weren’t even seeing my items!).  I also followed Skip’s guidelines and rewrote each and every auction.

Skip makes it all so easy, even for a retired 70-year old guy like me!  Right away I went from less than HALF of my auctions closing successfully to over 75% closing profitably.  My average sale jumped from less than $50 to over $75 a sale, for the exact same items I’d been auctioning for weeks!  I did over $2000 last month selling small stuff, and that was only my third month on eBay!  Using what I learned in your Consignment Manual I began calling on local businessmen and now I have items that retail for $2500 that I’m selling for a man that doesn't have time to do it.

 For years I’ve collected rocks, minerals and old bottles from the 1800’s.  I wanted to convert them to cash, so I started on eBay in 1999, but it didn’t work out for me. Got back on eBay a few months ago (April 2005), mainly to sell my bottles.  I can’t believe how many bottles and other collectibles I literally gave away, just because I didn’t know the things you teach in your course.  After learning Skip’s techniques, I listed a “nothing special” 30-year old baggage check at .99 cents, and the bidding went up to $51!  

I originally didn’t sell except to the U.S, but I learned from Skip’s book how to do international sales and shipping, and how easy and safe it was.  I was scared of getting taken, or of losing my shirt in shipping costs.  Making this one change IMMEDIATELY increased how many bids I got AND the dollar amounts!!

Now I’m focused on doing consignments.  Seems like everyone I meet has something they’d like to sell on eBay but can’t, or don’t have the time.  I’ve taken Skip's advice and started turning down low-end items for consignments.  I only take high-end items ($300 or more), and I DON’T sell anything I don't have my hand on.    

In just a few month’s time I’m making almost $1000 clear a month, and I know I’m just playing with it.  I know could do a whole lot more but I am a 70-year-old disabled veteran of 24 years service, and I like to do some other things with my wife, Polly.  Still, I have to say, making money is the best fun!  Skip’s material proved to this 70-year old eBayer the old adage is still true, “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know!!”

Thanks

Freddie M. Borden, Arizona

Skip and Karen,

Thank you so much for responding so quickly. The eBay Marketing System is AWESOME. It is answering so many of my questions and concerns. It is everything it was advertised to be.....Very impressive.

Fabulous job articulating your experiences in an simplistic manner.

Cheers,
Wendy, Sacramento, California

( August 2005)

Dear Skip and Karen-- 

I got started on eBay back in 1999 to sell my stuffed animal collection.  I had retired with disability as a Drill Instructor with the Air Force, and over the years my collection had grown to over 300 “pets!” My husband said enough is enough!  It tickled me no end when my first one sold for a lot more than I ever imagined! I was hooked!   

I learned eBay the hard way, plowing thru eBay’s endless pages of help.  I wish I’d found you sooner!  I could have saved a ton of money on worthless ebooks that had nothing more than rehashed information that eBay gave me for free!   But I kept listing and learning, and my friends and family started calling me the “eBay Queen,” and asking me sell stuff for them. I figured, Why not?  I never took any real action on it, because I was a little preoccupied in getting a second Bachelor’s Degree at the time!

One day I was Googling for some information and came across your “Auction Sellers Resource.”  I couldn’t believe all the incredible resources on your site!  I figured if you GAVE me THAT much information on your site, your courses had to be awesome!  I bought your Consignment book on the spot (I LOVE the fact that you actually still print REAL BOOKS, full of real, meaty information)!  When I got it, I read it cover to cover... it was an incredibly easy read compared to most textbooks, and had a LOT more good tips and techniques than anything I’d read about selling on eBay, even what’s on the eBay site itself!

After reading "How to Start an eBay Consignment Business," I decided to take action and finally become an eBay Trading Assistant, so I could handle items for other people.  Almost as soon as I was listed, I got my very first customer.  He was an elderly widower whose wife had been a church organist.  He still had her Hammond Organ, even though she had been dead for several years.  His son suggested he sell it on eBay, and gave him my contact information off of eBay. 

It was the biggest item I’d ever sold!  I used your recommendations and the sources in your book to figure out the right price for it.  I originally listed it for sale in the local area only, because I figured the shipping would be way too expensive.  But a pastor in Indiana wanted it so badly, he paid $600 to have it shipped to him, on top of the full asking price!  My consignment customer was so happy he paid me double my fee, and I was so happy I copied and framed the check! 

Now that I’ve graduated, I’m ramping up my auctions.  I don't want some job that bores me to tears, just to make money.  Since I’ve been using what you taught me, I figure I’ll be able to replace my husband’s income over the next year, and we can continue to build our eBay business together, wherever we want to be. 

I can’t stress enough how great your course is, and how much of a difference it’s made in our lives and in my eBay business.  Thanks to you, I’m making what I want, doing what want, and going where I want to go.

Skip, you are fantastic!

 Donna Austin
"spellingjenious" on eBay

(July 05)
Skip...Thanks for the great newsletter. I get great ideas every month. I made over $2000 last month from your wholesale source for the electric scooters.

Jason from Denver, CO

(July 19, 2005)

Dear Skip and Karen

 I started selling on eBay in 2001, when my company started cutting back on hours and money started getting tight.  First, I did the garage sale thing.  Practically gave stuff away.  I GAVE away my husbands troll collection for $.25 apiece.  One guy came back for more… turns out he sold on eBay. 

When I looked on eBay he was SELLING my husband’s trolls for a $100 or more!  I felt sick!  So I started selling my stuff online, too.   First I sold garage sale junk, later I did estate sales.  Back then it was real easy to sell anything on eBay.  I would list, it would sell -- no problem.   

After 9/11 everything changed. Items were selling for nothing and I was spending a fortune on fees relisting over and over.  I was working an incredible number of hours full-time, and did eBay around time with my 4 small children, and the profit was just gone.  It was becoming an expensive hobby that was putting me deeper and deeper in debt.

So I began searching for a way to turn things around. I spent a small fortune on

books, programs, and ebooks.  Some helped a little but most were way too basic.  A lot of the eBooks I found were full of old or even bad information.  Skip’s material works! 

I was literally at the end of my rope and ready to have a yard sale to just clear out my stock, when a friend told me about you and your courses. I purchased "The Complete eBay Marketing System" and it arrived a lot faster than I expected.  I was so down about my eBay business, I felt like it was a bottomless hole sucking away my money and my time.  I procrastinated about even cracking it open.

When I finally started reading it I got a little sidetracked by your incredible

Auction Sellers Resource website. :)  You have the most complete, most thorough information imaginable on your site, and even more in your courses!   

To make a long story short, I changed a few little things in my auction listings and what a difference!  A huge difference!  One item I had relisted 6 times over 6 months, each time for $.99.  Not a single bid.  Using just a few of Skip’s techniques I finally SOLD it, and not only that, I sold it for MORE than other listings for the same thing, on the same page! 

I was blown away!  For the first time in a long, long while I began to feel hopeful and excited again! I decided to buckle down and get serious about reading your course, and using everything I can in my business.  You got me to start thinking about my business as business….DUH!  I never did before, even though I’m a consultant myself!  I found out I was putting in too much detail, and not using the right words to get people to buy.

I am still only in Section I and I am amazed at the difference I am seeing in my auctions! I can't wait to learn and use the ideas in the rest of your course to improve my auctions and my profits! 

Skip, you have once again given me real hope that this business is workable, and I can attain my goal of being able to support my family from my little corner of eBay. I cannot even express how important it is for me to make my eBay business really work. I have 4 small children and I must be able to support them!  My husband and I both work in a high paying but high stress engineering jobs. With all the stress and layoffs and cutbacks, all I want is for Larry and I to get out and enjoy life with him and our wonderful children.  I know I am finally going in the right direction.  

One more thing.  I’m doing more and more consignments, especially for the elderly retirees in my area.  It makes me sick when I see what estate sale companies do to these people.  I can make real good money handling someone’s estate on consignment basis.  But I get an immense sense of gratification from knowing that I’m helping them keep a LOT more of their hard earned money, too!  Likewise, I help my church out with consignment sales to help them raise money… it sure beats what they get at a rummage sale!

The information you give in your courses and newsletters has been invaluable to my business!  I look forward to every new issue!  Plus, I would personally like to thank you for your quick responses to my questions. I know when I deal with you guys I'll always be greeted with a smile and a great attitude! You guys are one of my favorite eBay sellers. I recommend you to everyone I talk to who is looking for a way to improve their eBay sales.

Making money is fun.  Not making money is the pits.  Thank you for making eBay “fun” for me again!  If it wasn’t for you, I would have quit a long time ago… thank you for all you have done for me and my family! Thank You!

 Lori Ezzo

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(24 June 05)
Your Consignment manual is awesome. I have had a consignment store for 3 years and have almost doubled my business by selling on eBay with your system. I am selling things in a week that used to sit in my shop for months.

Tilden M. of Detroit, MI

Skip – You newsletter is awesome. I can’t believe you are doing this for free. You could charge a ton for this information.

Sally B –Chicago, IL

(June 05)
Love your newsletter. We signed up for the drop ship source directory and found three manufacturers of garden items who will drop ship for me on the first day. We sold 17 items at a really nice profit our very first week of listing them.

Warm regards,
Dell & Marion in Wyoming

I love your free articles. I printed everyone of them out and put in a 3-ring notebook and refer to them all the time. I have made so much money with your stuff.

Addison from Naples, FL

(May 2005)

Skip and Karen:

Thanks so much for all your help --it's nice to know you are not a big impersonal company. You actually answer the phone and return emails. I have both of your manuals, the consignment book and the complete eBay system and use them all the time. David and I just hit silver power seller and we are closing in on Gold just six months after getting the complete ebay system.

CeCe and David, Oakland, CA

_______________________________________________________________________

Hi, I am just thrilled with the book I bought from you. ( How to start & run an eBay consignment business). I wanted to share some of the ways it has changed my life in just a few short weeks.

   I went to a trade show this weekend and found wholesale sources to buy products  I have a to-do list on my cork board to keep me on track and motivated  I have your book right next to my computer for reference  I have found so much good information in the book.

  Thank you for printing this book. It has helped me focus. (I decided to go the route of using wholesale sources for most of my goods, rather than 100% consignment. As a stay at home Mother it is better if I don't deal with driving all over to get goods.)

  One more thing: I printed all the newsletters archived and read them on the way to the trade show. Very good information. I like the new 'musing' section.

  Thank you again, I look forward to going to eBay live next year. We'll see if I met all my goals by then! I aim to surpass them!

  Ericka of Naples, FL

Wanted to let you know that I made the Bronze level of Power Seller on Ebay only 4 months after buying your fantastic manual, "How to start and run an Ebay Consignment business." Thanks for giving to me the "keys to the Ebay kingdom!" Your manual is straight forward and great practical advice and down to earth do's and dont's to being successful on Ebay.

Respectfully,
Steve from Denver, CO

Dear Skip,

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how fantastic your material is. I have used your consignment book to hit my goal of $1,000.00 sales in December, 2004. On my way to becoming and Ebay Power Seller, thanks to you! I highly reccommend your material to anyone who is "serious" about their Ebay business.

I have already sold $1,000.00 this month, January, with two weeks to go! I cannot express enough thanks for your valuable material which I bought from you. You two are remarkable Ebayers. Keep up the great work you do on Ebay!

Respectfully,
Steve from Denver, CO

(Dated 22 September 04)

Hi,

We received the eBay Consignment book from you and we think it is great. We have been in the eBay consignment business for some time, you have some great ideas.

We recently severed ties with a franchise operation that doesn't work and your material should prove to be a great asset as we go forward on our own.

Thanks,

Sid from Georgia

Dear Mr. McGrath,

I received your manual on starting and running a consignment business on eBay a few days ago.  I promptly read through it and I must say that I was suprised and impressed.  The whole process of your auction was very thorough from the item description to the final product.  I have bought things on eBay before many times and when they arrive the items are either not as described or are not complete.  It reassures me that people are still out there who conduct business with integrity and are not only in business to make money but also to please the customer, especially on eBay where chasing the next marginal dollar and throwing sound business practices out the door is all too common.  I will say that there is a lot more to the consignment business than I originally thought, but it is interesting enough to look into. 

Thank you,

Trey from Texas