eBay-buying-selling-solutions
~ eBay-selling ~
Ebay selling. Now we're getting to some exciting
stuff. Have you ever had a yard
sale? Remember how much work it was.
Dragging things from the attic, basement and all parts of the house
out onto the front lawn or driveway, setting things up on tables,
pricing them. All this after spending a few hours making and hanging
signs and advertising in the local paper. Then a few people show up
buy a couple things only after negotiating the price down to half
of what you were asking. Half a day gone, 50 bucks to show for it
and now all you have to do is drag everything right back in the house
to where it came from.
ENOUGH, I'll never do that again you said. Well don't. Sell it all on eBay. Its much easier than you can imagine, and you'll actually make more money than that yard sale.
The following is a list of selling tips for you to follow. I've tried to arrange them in order of importance.
-
The first step in listing an item is choosing your category. It's important you get your item listed in the proper category for people to find your item. Do a search for similar items to be sure you choose the best category. Also look at the number of items in the categories (number next to each category) and try to choose an active category. I think anything over 2,000 is good. 5,000 is very active and anything over that is the most active. These active categories have the most potential buyers.
- Item Title, this is very important for searches.
If you want your item to come up in someone's search you need to use
the right keywords for your item. Remember most people use searches
to find the items they're looking for.
- Item description, here is where you can get the
bid or lose it to another persons auction. Be very descriptive about
your item. If it is a used item from around your home describe it
in great detail. Be accurate and honest. If you are not it will come
back to haunt you later. Be creative with your descriptions. Keep
your sentences short and sweet. Use bullets for listing features and
benefits of your item.
- Keywords. Use keywords in your auction title and
description most buyers find their items through searches. Carefully
chosen and accurate keywords will make your items come out on top.
- Pricing, This is a bit tricky sometimes. But start
your auctions as low as you are comfortable. If you have an item you
know will get bids don't worry about starting it too low. A low start
price will generate a lot of early interest and bids. Once people
start bidding an item it can soon become a competition (this is what
you want) and their need to WIN will drive them to bidding for your
item and driving up the price.
- Shipping. Offer 2 levels of shipping for people
to choose from. Some people want their item fast. Others want the
cheapest shipping possible. Don't over charge for shipping. But, cover
your cost for shipping, handling and supplies.
- I like to use the U.S. Postal Service they have
good service and usually very good prices compared to U.P.S. or Fed
Ex. Also you can get free shipping supplies delivered right to your
home. http://shop.usps.com
- Auction Start Time. This is important for getting
more action on your auctions. Sunday evenings are about the best time
to have your auctions ending. Between 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm Pacific
Standard Time. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are not bad.
You may need to experiment a bit for your particular products. Remember
to take into account the time difference where you are. Here is a
handy
eBay-time chart you can print out.
- What should I sell on eBay? Assuming you've exhausted
the supply of unused things around your house, the next step is finding
more products to sell.
Everyone wants to sell the latest high-tech gadgets, iPods, electronics etc.. The truth is this is a very difficult market to get into. There is just too much competition already. You will have much more success if you find some niche market that you already have a love and knowledge for. Look for ideas in your own life and experiences, everyone's are different. Look for ideas related to your own hobbies and interests.
Go to my wholesale-solutions page for specific ideas and links to some of what I think are the better wholesale suppliers and dropshippers.
- eBay offers a free program called turbo
lister which is a great tool for creating your auction listings.
It allows you to create multiple listings anytime that is convenient
and then you just upload them all to eBay at the time you want your
auctions to start.
- Packaging, make it look professional. Nobody wants
the item they just bought to arrive in a beat up old shoe box wrapped
in duct tape.
- Communicate with your buyers. Send them an email at the end of the auction congratulating them on their winning bid and with payment and shipping information. Email them again when you ship the item and provide tracking numbers if you have them. Finally send a follow-up email asking if they received their item and at this time you can remind them you left them positive feedback and to remember to do the same. This communication will score you big points, its easy to do. You'll have repeat customers guaranteed.
eBay-buying-selling-solutions
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