What do all these off the wall topics have in common?
-Learn to put on horseshoes
-Get your child into commercials
-Home designs from the 1800's
-How to build a skateboard half-pipe
-Making money using a food cart
-How to make a play house for your cat
-Knitting patterns
What do these topics have in common besides they are each individually horribly boring to 99% of the population?
These are all successful eBook or information product topics created by "amateur" sellers on eBay. Even the most remote "niche" topic can find a buyer if the audience is big enough. With eBay the audience is MASSIVE. WACKY info SELLS on eBay!
Remember the beauty of selling info products is that you keep about 95% of the price as pure profit. There is no shipping if you sell downloadable information. Even if you burn CD's or DVD's the price to create your product is nominal compared to the income opportunity.
Looking for your own unique niche idea for an info product?
Here are some ideas:
Using Amazon.com================
Look at best sellers lists on amazon.com. If a concept sells well there it will likely sell on eBay as an info product. Don't spend too much time on the top 10 sellers. Drill down a bit for the good ideas.
To browse the various top seller lists from amazon.com use the drop down list in the upper left hand corner of the homepage. Look for the "SEARCH" prompt and select "books" from the list. Next, click "go". You'll see all the categories of books each with its own top 100 selling books list. That's a great tool for searching out ideas.
Once you find an idea simply research it, test it (more on that in a moment) and begin selling it on eBay within days! I've told you about these ideas so many times that I won't go into more detail here...read my book and old newsletters for details
DRILL DOWN
==========
Let's get nichey! (sounds like an "Old Navy" commercial doesn't it?)
Don't be afraid to DRILL DOWN to a smaller, more passionate niche audience! Examples of drilling down are subjects like "how to put horseshoes on a horse", or "how to build a skateboard ramp", or "how to build a play house for a cat". Those are all REAL topics and they are each quite successful info products on eBay.
Some related topics that likely wouldn't have done as well as the info products above are the broader topics that don't appeal to the passions of the "die hard" enthusiasts. For example, consider these POOR topic choices: "The history of skateboarding" or "Why you should own a cat". Those are topics that are already common knowledge among the "die hard" fan of each topic and they are too general to get a fan interested.
What results should you expect if you find a good niche topic?
In some cases remote topics are bringing the info-preneur over $1,000 each week JUST on eBay. Notice I said info-preneur and I didn't say "author" because you don't have to necessarily write to get an info product of your own. You can record your voice, interview an expert, create a video etc. The options are limitless and the skills you lack can be bought cheap any step along the way.
STEP BY STEP SELLS==================
Consider an info product that will be useful for hobbyists or enthusiasts by showing them step by step how to do something. A good friend of mine did this in a word document by taking pictures of the process and writing descriptions next to each image to explain the process. He turned the Word document into a PDF (simple) and he was in business.
KEEP IT SIMPLE==============
It is easier than ever to create video, audio and appealing graphics, but don't feel like you have to have an amazing look and feel in order to sell an info product. My first info product still sells many copies everyday and has NO PICTURES and only one CHEESY graphic repeated in a few places. It's 20 pages long, but it gives the reader the info they want.
SUCCESS IS CERTAIN==================
Have a topic that you think MIGHT do well? You'll never know without testing it out first.
Step one: Write your sales letter (keep it simple - that's okay)
Step two: Put your sales letter on eBay and see if anyone wants the idea!
In the past I've even created eBook covers (a book image) BEFORE I've written my eBook. I then set up a "mock" 7 or 10 day auction on eBay with a sales letter BEFORE I EVEN STARTED THE BOOK. Next I monitor the interest level by watching traffic and bidders. If there is interest I cancel the auction BEFORE IT ENDS and notify the bidding customers who they will get a free copy of the book once it's finished.
If there isn't any interest after 7 to 10 days I cut my losses and try a new topic. The total time invested is a "losing" idea is minimal using this strategy.
The winning ideas start out as eBay auctions and then quickly move OFF eBay (hidden from competition) to a website, affiliate programs, mailing lists etc...that's more info than you need to get going though so I think I'll cut this article off right here...
Jim Cockrum
Author of the MOST READ EBAY eBook ever!
The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay
