Greetings / Editor's Note

In the world of online retailing, the only constant is change, and Doba is committed to helping you stay one step ahead of the curve. To achieve that goal, Doba continues to work toward providing the information, solutions, and products that you need to remain competitive.

In this month's eNewsletter, we demonstrate our commitment to your success by announcing one new article, "Erecting a Billboard on the Information Superhighway"; two new Web Seminars, "Picking Products That Sell" and "Wringing Every Cent Out of Your eBay Dollar with Efficient Selling"; a new tutorial; and four new Doba Suppliers. We also give you an early heads up on the upcoming eBay Live! 2007, so you can start planning now. We wrap up this edition with our Ask the Expert column that guides you through the process of choosing how to structure your business.

In online retailing, your continued success hinges on your eagerness and ability to continually gather information, discover solutions to new challenges, connect with industry leaders, and adapt to changing market conditions. In this edition of Doba's eNewsletter, you do all that and more!

—Doba's Community & Education Staff

Table of Contents

• March Product Sample Spectacular! Enter to win hundreds of dollars worth of product samples and $500 in Doba PrePay Cash
• New Article: Erecting a Billboard on the Information Superhighway
• Upcoming Web Seminars: "Picking Products That Sell" and "Wringing Every Cent Out of Your eBay Dollar with Efficient Selling"
• Tip of the Month: Doba's Newly Integrated Knowledgebase Makes Getting Help Easier than Ever
• New Doba Suppliers
• Did You Know? eBay Live! 2007 is Just a Few Months Away
• Corrections to Last Month's Ask the Expert
• This Month's Ask the Expert: Business Formation

March Product Sample Spectacular! Enter to win hundreds of dollars worth of product samples and $500 in Doba PrePay Cash

We know that one of the best ways to sell a product is to first see or use the product yourself. To help you do this, we have gathered hundreds of dollars in samples from our product catalog of more than 250,000 products to give away to one lucky Doba member.

If you place just one order between March 1st and March 25th, you will be entered to win hundreds of dollars worth of product samples from Doba suppliers, as well as $500.00 deposited into your very own Doba PrePay account.

At Doba, we want to make sure every single one of our members knows just how easy it is to place an order on our site and have the item shipped directly to your customer or even to yourself.

If you're already selling Doba products, then you know how simple it is to have products drop shipped directly to your buyers; but did you know you could also have products shipped straight to your home or business? All you have to do is enter your shipping info instead of your customer's.

Ordering samples of products you sell is a great way to:

• Learn more about your best selling items
• Take additional product pictures
• Craft better descriptions and merchandising copy
• Maintain an emergency backup for possible stock-out backorders

So have an order shipped to yourself or have an order shipped straight to your customer… either way, make sure you complete at least one order between March 1st and March 25th to be entered for a chance to win a bonanza of product samples and $500 that can be spent on any Doba products you want.

Visit the Doba Product Catalog and place an order today!

featured partner

Logoworks

Erecting a Billboard on the Information Superhighway

We tend to think that users stop to scrutinize every aspect of a web page and carefully evaluate their choices before making a decision. The truth is, users are screaming by your website like a car on the Autobahn, making split-second decisions about whether or not to stick around.

In this upcoming article, written by Web-usability expert Neal Jenks, you'll learn how to make your "billboard" stand out from the rest and convince any speeding Internet surfers to slow down and stay awhile. You'll be able to view the full article, starting on March 8, in our Education center.

Upcoming Web Seminars: "Picking Products That Sell" and "Wringing Every Cent Out of Your eBay Dollar with Efficient Selling"

The most common and nagging question online sellers face is "What should I sell?" Ideally, you want to find products that everyone wants or needs and that few retailers are selling. You also need a steady supply of whatever you're selling without taking on the risk of getting stuck with a warehouse full of products that are no longer hot items. "Picking Products That Sell" (March 6, 2007; 10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern) shows you how to make informed choices and develop a focused product line that has the potential to keep customers coming back for more.

eBay is the buyer's first choice for online shopping, so don't let higher fees drive your business off Main Street. By honing your marketing strategies to make them more efficient and effective, you can turn those higher fees into much higher profits. "Wringing Every Cent Out of Your eBay Dollar with Efficient Selling" (March 13, 2007; 10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern) shows you how to maximize the return on your eBay fees and make every cent count.

For more information about upcoming events, visit the Live Events Calendar.

featured partner

Turnkey Store Builder

Build a business website in less than 5 minutes! Over 1,000 templates to choose from and fully integrated with your Doba products. Free 10-day trial!

Tip of the Month: Doba's Newly Integrated Knowledgebase Makes Getting Help Easier than Ever

Doba has recently integrated a new support platform to assist in tracking down the help you need faster and easier.

You'll still be able to email customer support, access live chat, or call toll free just like before, but now you'll also have access to Doba's searchable Knowledgebase. Virtually anything you could possibly want or need to know about Doba is in our Knowledgebase.

If you ever get stuck with a problem after business hours and can't wait for an email response, you can turn to the Knowledgebase 24/7. Simply type your question into the Knowledgebase search field to display a list of possible solutions.

Access the new support knowledge base at http://www.doba.com/members/support

New Doba Suppliers

Doba's Merchandising department has been hard at work contacting new wholesale drop shippers. In February alone, our scouts attended several trade shows across the nation, meeting with over 300 manufacturers in various industries. We are in the process of working with these different companies and are looking forward to the boost in Doba's virtual inventory that they'll deliver.

Four new suppliers recently joined our ranks:

• Supplier Kappa distributes unique fragrances and personal care products clinically developed and tested at the University of Ferrari in Italy. All of their high quality products are made from essential oils and herbal extracts.
• Supplier Walnut is an environmentally conscience body line offering products made with natural and organic walnuts collected from the heartland of America. Not only will their products enrich your body and soul, but they will also benefit the community. Ten percent of every sale goes to support the Committee for National Resources, a non-profit organization created to help educate rural farmers about crop rotation, prevention of soil erosion, and other sustainable farming techniques.
• Supplier Alta is a national distributor of computer peripherals, digital imaging equipment, gaming, and outdoor equipment. They are a pioneer of and a leader in the distribution of digital imaging lines.
• Supplier Tau is one of the leading computer component distributors in the United States. The company specializes in memory modules and also distributes CPUs, storage products, motherboards, multimedia products, communication products, video graphic cards, notebooks, and Microsoft products. Supplier Tau averages over 5,000 hardware and software products in stock.

Our merchandising department continues to work hard for you bringing on new suppliers to add diversity, increase inventory, and bring down prices by negotiating better deals and working directly with manufacturers.

eBay Stores

One of the fastest ways to build your eBay business is by opening an eBay Store. eBay Stores have a flat $0.05 to $0.10 listing fee, and you can get started today!

Did You Know? eBay Live! 2007 is Coming

If you're looking to increase your business on eBay, network with like-minded online retailers, and find potential partners and service providers, or are just looking to have a whole lot of eBay fun, then pack your bags and get ready to join us at eBay Live! 2007 in Boston Massachusetts, July 14-16.

As in years past, Doba's own Jeremy Hanks will be presenting on the Product Sourcing panel moderated by eBay University instructor and frequent Doba webinar guest Steve Lindhorst. Director of Education at Doba, Mikal Belicove, will also be presenting a class on how to increase your eBay business through blogging.

eBay Live! also provides you with an excellent opportunity to meet several of the Doba crew, as Doba will be attending as an exhibitor as well.

For more information about eBay Live! 2007, visit the official eBay Live! website.

Corrections to Last Month's Ask the Expert

Last month for the Ask the Expert section, we featured a seller that used copy from the Garmin.com website in an eBay auction for a Garmin Quest GPS unit.

As it turns out, the Garmin.com user agreement forbids use of its website copy for commercial purposes, as was pointed out to us by several savvy readers. We would like to thank those readers for setting us straight, and apologize to everybody for not looking into that example further. We took the word of the seller that the copy he used was legitimate and not in violation of any copyright laws.

We would also like to reiterate the recommendation we made to "be sure not to violate any copyright laws when [grabbing copy or images from other websites]."

Keep in mind that you can still use copyrighted material as a source of inspiration when creating your own product descriptions. Just be sure to rewrite the description in your own words. You can also use some information without changing it, such as product specifications.

Ask the Expert: Member Q&A

If you have a question related to eBay, drop shipping, or running an online business, email your question to education@doba.com. If your question is highlighted in an upcoming issue of the eNewsletter, you will receive two free months worth of all your Doba-related services!

This Month's Question: When starting a new online business, what's the best way for a husband and wife to set it up? Which of the following is best: Partnership, LLC (Limited Liability Company), S Corp., or just incorporate?

Answer: That's a great question. But before answering, we need to share that Doba is neither an attorney nor financial advisor. We provide this information only to give you a basic understanding of your options and enable you to discuss your options more intelligently with a qualified professional. As always, you should consult a professional in the proper field.

To make an intelligent choice, first consider the differences between the following business types:

• Sole Proprietor: If you're looking for an easy way to set up your business, a sole proprietorship is the choice for you. This simply tells the IRS that you have a business and are receiving business income. You may need to pay quarterly estimated income tax on the profits you earn to avoid having to pay a penalty at the end of the year, but otherwise, a sole proprietorship is fairly straightforward.
• Partnership: A partnership is essentially the same as a sole proprietorship, except that you split your profits with your partner. If you and your wife want to keep your finances separate, you may want to consider forming a partnership and formalizing the way you divvy up the proceeds.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC): The main reasons that business owners choose an LLC is because it's relatively easy to set up and manage (like a sole proprietorship), but it offers extra legal protection (like a corporation) in the event that someone files a lawsuit against your business. What sort of lawsuit? People can sue your business for all sorts of reasons. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, someone can trip and fall on the premises and sue you for injuries. As an online retailer, someone may decide to sue you for selling a defective product that caused some injury.
• Corporation: The main reasons that small-business owners incorporate is to pay less in self-employment tax and obtain some additional legal protection afforded to corporations. With a corporation, you can take about half of your income as salary and the other half as dividends. You pay self-employment tax only on the salary portion of your income. Because self-employment tax can be up to 15 percent of your income, paying the tax on only half of your earnings can save you a considerable amount of money. This does, however, lead to a reduction in future social security benefits, but if you invest the money you save in a retirement fund, theoretically, you will have a more secure retirement as a result. You can structure your business as an S-Corp or a C-Corp. Small businesses are typically structured as S-Corps for simplicity, but S-Corps do have several restrictions on ownership, so discuss the pros and cons with your attorney.

What's best for you is up to you to decide. Consider three important factors: simplicity, legal protection, and tax savings. Because every person's situation is different and because laws vary by state and municipality, we strongly encourage you to discuss your options with your attorney and a qualified financial advisor. How you choose to structure your business could affect your personal finances, including your ability to qualify for loans, life insurance, or financial aid. Consider the big picture before making the leap.

Don't forget to submit your questions to education@doba.com for your chance to win two free months of service! (Please note: If you need help right away, contact our support team at support@doba.com. You may still submit your question to the eNewsletter separately for your chance to win, but questions submitted to education@doba.com will be answered only if selected for the Ask the Expert column.)