Essential Ebay Selling Tips

Introduction

Ebay is a hugely popular online auction where eBay sellers meet eBay buyers to sell and purchase every conceivable type of goods and services. We have put together a useful guide to help you maximise your profits when selling on eBay.

1. Identifying Popular Products

Our first essential eBay selling tip is to conduct some research online to identify popular products either by looking through the eBay auction pages or by using a search engine like Google or Yahoo. You should look for products that sell quickly or have multiple bids per product as these will suggest that there is a significant demand for them. Identifying the demand for a product is essential and is something that all businesses should do before deciding to enter a particular market and selling on eBay is no different. Also be aware of seasonal demand and look for popular products around Christmas or significant occasions like sports events or festivals. Make sure to watch the news and pick up on products linked to famous celebrities who happen to be in the news at the time or new cinema releases that are likely to generate significant demand. The reason that identifying popular products is our number one essential eBay selling tip is because without a demand for a product you are less likely to generate a significant profit on each item you sell. Avoid the mentality of what you would or wouldn't like to buy and be led by what the market is telling you is popular.

2. Writing Attractive Ad Copy

The common mistake that eBay sellers make is to describe the product they are attempting to sell without listing the potential benefits to the buyer. Good sales tactics suggest that you should adopt what is known as the feature benefit approach to selling and that's why we have listed it as our second essential eBay selling tip. For example if you are selling a mobile phone on eBay you might want to consider the following;
  • Bluetooth - ideally for sharing information quickly with your friends and family without the need for cables.

  • WAP (Wireless application protocol) - The perfect solution to help you stay in touch on the move as you can use it to access the internet and your emails.

  • Hands Fee Kit - The ideal solution for you to maintain communication with your friends, family or the office whilst driving your vehicle, without the worry of being arrested for using your mobile illegally.

These are just examples of the feature benefit approach in operation but you can apply it to any product and it actively sells the product to your target audience by explaining to them concisely why they need your product, rather than simply listing what it can do.

In your ad copy it is important that you provide as much information as possible about the product and the benefits to a potential buyer along with an honest description of its condition. If you product is damaged or scratched in any way it is critical that you are completely transparent as this will build trust between you and the buyer and encourage future purchases from you. It will also avoid negative feedback once they discover it's true condition.

3. Upload A Picture

Uploading a picture is more likely to guarantee you a sale and that's why we have listed it as an essential eBay selling tip. It is amazing how many sellers ignore this and decline to upload a picture of their product and is likely to make a buyer automatically suspicious about why a picture has not been uploaded. Think about it, would you buy something that you have never seen before?

When taking you picture make sure that you do so on a neutral background and ensure that there is good lighting to boost the chances of the image looking crisp and clear. Avoid any clutter in the background as you want your product to take centre stage. If you are selling multiple products think about the layout of the picture and how you will arrange your products to give the best overall impression. Do not airbrush pictures to make products look better than they really area, just be honest. If someone buys a product that is not as described they have a legal right under consumer law to request and receive a full refund. Remember that the more accurate information you provide the more likely you are to ensure a successful sale.

4. Block Buyers With Poor Ratings

I once sold a product on eBay and received no payment even after patiently waiting 8 weeks. I went through the formal dispute process on eBay to resolve the dispute and also emailed the seller separately to encourage them to either pay or inform me that they had changed their mind. Eventually I gave up and relisted it for sale. 10 weeks later I received negative feedback from the seller stating that I had been impatient!

I couldn't do anything about it and for a few weeks after I noticed that the negative feedback affected my sales despite the fact that it was my only piece of negative feedback. I later discovered by browsing through the particular buyers feedback pages that they had a previous negative feedback rating for doing exactly the same thing! It is possible to bock buyers who have a negative feedback rating in relation to an unpaid item strike and I would strongly advise this to protect the integrity of your own personal feedback ratings. You will only narrowly reduce potential buyers and to be frank I don't really want to risk selling an item to a person who has previously failed to pay.

5. Packaging

This is the most important essential eBay selling tip. I have purchased many excellent items on eBay but product packaging is a key area where it can all fail. Ensure that you take care in packaging your product. Use bubble wrap wherever possible eBay on smaller purchases. There is nothing worse than buying a product to find it has been poorly packaged and it will affect your feedback ratings in a negative sense unless you pay extra attention.

6. Postage Offers

Make use of postage offers to entice buyers. Offer discounts on postage for multiple purchases as this can clinch sales and give you an advantage in a highly competitive market. Also send all your goods out promptly, the same day as purchases are made.

7. Thank Customers

Essential eBay selling tip number seven is to thank customers personally every time they purchase an item from you. Consider emailing the buyer personally through their email account to thank them for their purchase, don't just rely upon the standard eBay purchase notification as a personal message will make the buyer feel special and will display good customer service. This will build trust and encourage repeat business as customers are likely to return to buy further products from you.

8. Product Cleanliness

An often overlooked but essential eBay selling tip is to ensure that you carefully prepare your products before posting them to a buyer. Take time to check that they are clean and presentable. If you smoke or have a pet be aware that those odours can be off putting to a buyer when they open their purchase so store your purchases away from strong odours.

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