Tipsblender
04-24-2007, 02:11 AM
As a successful Power Seller on eBay I often get turned to for advice. Since I registered on eBay in 2000, I've ran thousands of profitable auctions which I follow these guidelines. Most importantly always try to be fair with other users who deal with you and never be intimidated by any competition. eBay is big enough for us all, and currently there is 1 seller registered to 78 buyers.
1) Low starting Price
Before you list your auction, ask yourself what's the lowest amount you'd be prepared to accept for your item. A low starting price will attract more bids and at a quicker pace - usually within the first day of the listings. Research shows that a .99c starting price will get you bidder s within a few hours. Many vehicles and high value items are sold with a low starting price especially by established Power Sellers - because unless it's an extremely poor week the item will normally end up with hundreds of bids and at a cost that's acceptable
to the seller.
Additionally users are more likely to view auctions which already have a successful bid as it generates interest in your item. It's like if you see a market stall with hundreds of people standing around it - your curiosity would tell you to stop and see what's generating interest. Use curiosity to your advantage.
2) No Reserve
Many sellers still place reserve prices on their item. A reserve price is one which unless it is met by your sellers you are not obliged to sell the item. An example would be if you have an reserve of $10, and your item sells for $9.00 you do not have to complete the sale & release the item. Reserve items, although very occasionally may be necessary in the case of extremely high value items or businesses for sale are off putting to bidders. Why would you bid on an item with a reserve price on, unless you already knew were aware of what the reserve was. Personally I'd look for alternative items without a reserve price.
eBay has already removed the Reserve Price option from some of it's site in a move that is largely welcome by the majority of users. It could be a sign that this policy change will be extended to all of it's sites.
3) Images
An Image is worth a thousand words. Take photos of your item to clearly show the condition of it, and any damage or unusual aspects of it. eBay allows you to include one photo free of charge and if you use your own image hosting service you can easily include as many photos as necessary to show your item in a detailed manner.
Many Power Sellers use up to 20 photos for one single item. Ask yourself how many are necessary for your item, and also consider using the gallery option so the image will appear within the search listings.
4) Cross-Promotion
You've worked hard to get users to view your listing, so while their viewing it also include a link to any other items you've available. This is allowed in addition to the already provided link to "View other sellers!| items". You can use commercial services (such as Anadale) to include images and descriptions of your other items.
5) About Me Page
Sell yourself on your About Me Page. This is your chance to establish some credibility for yourself. The biggest reason people will not buy from you online is because you have failed to establish any credibility for yourself. So include details about you and your business. Where are you situated?, how long have you been registered on eBay?, What do you specializ e in? If your a high volume seller you may also want to include a photo of yourself. Have a look at other About Me pages to see what works and what doesn't.
6) Return Policy
Nothing gives buyers greater confidence than knowing that they can return the product if it's not for them. So consider drafting yourself a returns policy. Will you accept returns? What if the item arrives faulty? How long is the policy valid for?
It may seem like a big risk to offer such a policy knowing that you'll have to incur a cost relisting and reshipping items but only a very small amount of users will return the items.
7) Feedback
Leave feedback for the winning bidder as soon as the item is paid for. Some sellers like to protect themselves by only returning feedback when it is left for you. I consider this unprofessional and your bidders will most likely think the same too. Don't be scared of getting a negative or neutral comment on your feedback record. The majority of users will consider all of you feedback before bidding, not just looking at one or two comments.
Additionally if you deserve any feedback left for you such as if you were late shipping, accept it was you fault. Don't be too worried about admitting it with an apology in response to your feedback. You may also want to compensate your winning bidder with reduced postage or a bonus item to show it was a genuine error on your part.
More secrect will reveal for you, keep an eye on it for the last 3 secrects! http://tipsblender.com/Cellphone.html
1) Low starting Price
Before you list your auction, ask yourself what's the lowest amount you'd be prepared to accept for your item. A low starting price will attract more bids and at a quicker pace - usually within the first day of the listings. Research shows that a .99c starting price will get you bidder s within a few hours. Many vehicles and high value items are sold with a low starting price especially by established Power Sellers - because unless it's an extremely poor week the item will normally end up with hundreds of bids and at a cost that's acceptable
to the seller.
Additionally users are more likely to view auctions which already have a successful bid as it generates interest in your item. It's like if you see a market stall with hundreds of people standing around it - your curiosity would tell you to stop and see what's generating interest. Use curiosity to your advantage.
2) No Reserve
Many sellers still place reserve prices on their item. A reserve price is one which unless it is met by your sellers you are not obliged to sell the item. An example would be if you have an reserve of $10, and your item sells for $9.00 you do not have to complete the sale & release the item. Reserve items, although very occasionally may be necessary in the case of extremely high value items or businesses for sale are off putting to bidders. Why would you bid on an item with a reserve price on, unless you already knew were aware of what the reserve was. Personally I'd look for alternative items without a reserve price.
eBay has already removed the Reserve Price option from some of it's site in a move that is largely welcome by the majority of users. It could be a sign that this policy change will be extended to all of it's sites.
3) Images
An Image is worth a thousand words. Take photos of your item to clearly show the condition of it, and any damage or unusual aspects of it. eBay allows you to include one photo free of charge and if you use your own image hosting service you can easily include as many photos as necessary to show your item in a detailed manner.
Many Power Sellers use up to 20 photos for one single item. Ask yourself how many are necessary for your item, and also consider using the gallery option so the image will appear within the search listings.
4) Cross-Promotion
You've worked hard to get users to view your listing, so while their viewing it also include a link to any other items you've available. This is allowed in addition to the already provided link to "View other sellers!| items". You can use commercial services (such as Anadale) to include images and descriptions of your other items.
5) About Me Page
Sell yourself on your About Me Page. This is your chance to establish some credibility for yourself. The biggest reason people will not buy from you online is because you have failed to establish any credibility for yourself. So include details about you and your business. Where are you situated?, how long have you been registered on eBay?, What do you specializ e in? If your a high volume seller you may also want to include a photo of yourself. Have a look at other About Me pages to see what works and what doesn't.
6) Return Policy
Nothing gives buyers greater confidence than knowing that they can return the product if it's not for them. So consider drafting yourself a returns policy. Will you accept returns? What if the item arrives faulty? How long is the policy valid for?
It may seem like a big risk to offer such a policy knowing that you'll have to incur a cost relisting and reshipping items but only a very small amount of users will return the items.
7) Feedback
Leave feedback for the winning bidder as soon as the item is paid for. Some sellers like to protect themselves by only returning feedback when it is left for you. I consider this unprofessional and your bidders will most likely think the same too. Don't be scared of getting a negative or neutral comment on your feedback record. The majority of users will consider all of you feedback before bidding, not just looking at one or two comments.
Additionally if you deserve any feedback left for you such as if you were late shipping, accept it was you fault. Don't be too worried about admitting it with an apology in response to your feedback. You may also want to compensate your winning bidder with reduced postage or a bonus item to show it was a genuine error on your part.
More secrect will reveal for you, keep an eye on it for the last 3 secrects! http://tipsblender.com/Cellphone.html