by: Ebay Steve
Hey kids - EbaySteve here again! I just want to share with you guys'n'gals a few little tip-ettes and tricks that I personally have always found to be Steve-tasticly good for pulling in the greenbacks with the help of the mighty Ebay. Number one on EbaySteve's list - know your market!. Check Ebay for similar items BEFORE you start knocking up yours - a title search is the best way to do this - you want to find completed items sorted by price. These are the ones that actually sold - i.e. the seller got it right!
EbaySteve would never even CONSIDER an auction without checking out the competition first! Oh yeah! This gets us to ebaySteve's next super tip - decide on your price now. As you kiddies will know, you can set a 'Buy it Now' price on your auctions - this is generally what you think an item is actually worth (at least to you - ebaySteve often wastes a happy Friday afternoon searching the 'Bay for "domain" auctions - some of these wutangs think a 90-letter domain in greek is worth millions! Hah! call the dumbo police!).
Remember, ebaySteve says that your opening bid (the price you want to start the auction off at) should be MUCH lower, or everyone will think you are Pennywise the Clown. Don't ever forget, once an auction gets going, it can take on a life of its own, and setting a low start price is the easiest way to stimulate that initial excitement, especially on an item in mucho grande demand (like ebaySteve's used socks, for example!). While we are on this one, don't bother with secret 'reserve' prices. If you don't know what your item is worth, you shouldn't be selling it!
EbaySteve's next tip? How are your potential buyers gonna find your auction? They will search for it. That means you have to get your keywords into your auction title! No point having a title that bangs on about 'great opportunity, never to be repeated bargain' etc etc if yo forget to say '1967 Ford Mustang' too! EbaySteve super-tip - don't bother with punctuation, or silly characters - if you waste your title with that stuff, they'll never find you in the first place! Only mis-spell if it is likely to be searched for, because Ebay search finds exact matches. If you need more space, use a subtitle. These cost a cool 50 cents, so ebaySteve says use 'em on items below about $25.
When they find it, will it scare them away? There are, unfortunately, a number of auctions on the mighty Bay that scare ebaySteve! Choose your colors and font sizes carefully - the one thing you do NOT want is for everyone else to think you are a fruitcake. Even though ebaySteve likes fruit, and cake, he doesn't like 'em together. OK? Oh yeah! You will also need at least 1 good quality photo of your item. Try and make it a little 'different' from similar auctions - if everyone chooses the 'stock' photo, how do potential buyers differentiate between you? BUT, make sure it ain't bigger than 40 or 50k - plenty of people are still on dialup, and they won't bother with you if the page takes more than 10 seconds to load. And fer crying out loud, make SURE you allow payment via Paypal - it is Ebay's very own payment method, and by far the best. They charge only a TINY commission on your sales, and you will find buyers take you MUCH more seriously if you do. No harm in other payment options too, just start off with Paypal! (Super extra important tip - only allow Paypal payments from members with a CONFIRMED address. Helps to cut down on fraud and refund requests).
Payment tip - ebaySteve has in the past had problems with spam filters - there's nothing more annoying than to get an offer but miss it because your darn email system 'binned' the mail! Have a special email account for auctions (if you start getting too much spam, open up a new one). It's also worth mentioning in the text of your auction that potential buyers should 'whitelist' your email address. In the worst case, you can always contact other ebayers with the Contact Member form.
Auction timings - choose to start and end an auction during daylight hours (for your target audience!). These auctions statistically generate higher prices because bidding continues right up to the final bell. Use http://pages.ebay.com/turbolister to list your items quicker - it costs, but only a tad, and will help you get the whole process moving fast. That's about it fer now, Bayers! Keep it real!