Deciding that you want to utilize the number one auction site on the World Wide Web, to market your goods and services to, can be a risky as well as a scary proposition. You're going to have to do your homework to see if what you have to offer falls into the list of "Hot Items" to sell. Without some research your success will be hypothetical at best. Without realizing some profits, the recurring fees just mount up as you watch your advertising budget fly out the window. If you do not have an in demand product or service, you have no one bidding, consequently you have no sales.

So where do you start? What products would be on the list of "Hot Items" to sell? I've put a small list of tips below to start you off.

1. Keep your finger on the pulse of the marketplace. Read magazines, newspaper classifieds, and pay attention to TV and radio commercials. What's being marketed the most, don't rely on what you already know. Go beyond that. What are advertisers competing for? Whatever it is, chances are it's a pretty hot market. If you feel there is too much competion then do something that can enhance it. For instance, iPods and MP3's are "Hot" right now. You could put together an eBook with all the sources for those items listed in it to aid your customer in their search for the best possible prices. See what folks are looking for and give it to them.

2. eBay has a pretty extensive collection of tools associated with your sellers account. Run a search to see what's being sold and for how much. Determine if you can compete with the price its being sold for. Human nature says that the masses will go for the best possible price. Everybody loves a bargain. However, if you've gone the distance with your product and made it just a little bit better than most or if you've offered some bonuses that add real value to their purchase, chances are you'll win the bid and make the sale.

3. The Internet is not referred to as The Information Super Highway for nothing. With all these resources at your fingertips, this would be a good first choice for researching your campaign. Google, Overture, Yahoo and any number of other search engines can give you some eye opening facts regarding the number of times a particular item has been searched for. You could also go to nichebot.com and utilize the Keyword Discovery Tool, among others, at their site. andale.com is an eBay tool which is a pay site as is the Keyword Discovery Tool on nichebot. If you can afford it, they are highly recommended. If you take a bit of time the information you can compile will be worth its weight in gold. It will mean the success or failure of your campaign.

4. Keep in mind that most of what is popular in the Real World will, in most cases be popular on eBay. Entertainment is immensely popular. Sports items and memorabilia, Music, Movies, and all their electronic counterparts. The list is huge as are the profits.

5. If you've been following the latest technological developments, you may want to try your hand at speculation by putting a plan in motion to benefit you before they're actually released. Simply use the tips above and make your plan accordingly.