By - Michael Ellis
<)))
There isn't a week that goes by without someone asking me how to sell products on eBay. It's a great question! And I enjoy talking about the topic quite a bit, but my answer is always the same - sell like a Powerseller! Here's what I mean...
An eBay Powerseller is someone that generates $1000 or more in sales for three consecutive months. You don't have look too far on eBay to realize that the place is literally crawling with Powersellers.
I've spent over 5 years studying eBay, as well as, buying and selling products under several eBay IDs. I noticed that there are two types of eBay Powersellers:
1. Niche Powersellers
2. On-Demand Powersellers
The Niche Powersellers specialize in a particular area - like antiques, coins, dolls, etc. This particular area is a hobby to these people and they are very good at finding products at a low enough cost within this market to sell for a nice profit. These Powersellers are hard to imitate.
One the other hand, the On-Demand Powersellers are not very familiar with the products they sell, but they are very familiar with what the eBay community wants and how they can go about getting it. I call them On-Demand Powersellers because they seek out products to sell based on the level of demand inthe eBay community. These are the Powersellers that you should try to follow.
A common misconception that new eBay users have is thinking that all Powersellers are large retail outlet doing business on eBay. This simply isn't true. The majority of the Powersellers that I know typically run their business out of a basement or garage. Ebay has a great way of leveling the playing field in this respect. For example, a student can open an account and create ads that are just as enticing as any large company that happens to be selling the same products on ebay.
So how can you do business like On-Demand Powersellers?
That's actually an easy question to answer; obtain a seller's permit, find a demand for a particular product, and then find a wholesale supplier for that particular product.
A seller's permit will allow you to purchase products for wholesale from wholesale venders. This is the first thing any legitimate wholesale company will ask for, and if you don't have one, they could very likely not do business with you.
You can obtain a sellers permit at http://www.businessnameusa.com
You can find the demand for numerous products on eBay by using the eBay 'Hot Items' resource (in link below). This resource consists of (among other things) a 40+ page pdf document that lists which items are hot sellers in the numerous categories. The data is usually for the previous 2 months.
Find out 'What's Hot' on eBay at http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/whatshot.html
After you've identified which items were hot sellers, go to eBay's Advance Search and conduct a search for those products to make sure they're still hot sellers (have plenty of bids). Also do a search for the same product with the 'Completed Items' option in the Advanced Search checked. This will show you which auctions sold and how much they sold for.
Once you have a product in mind, do a search on Google for the manufacture of the product. When you get to the website, look for a contact number, or a 'Dealer inquiry' number. This information is also usually on the box of the product itself, so it may take a run to your local store if you don't have any luck on the web.
Give them a call. Inform them that you run a business and are interested in becoming a dealer of the product. Most are very helpful in getting you setup. However, be aware, some may have a minimum purchase order. Never the less, if you did your eBay research correctly, you'll know how much these items have recently sold for, and how much they are currently selling for, thus, you can be pretty confident that the money will be made back.
I recently came across two Powersellers that are extremely successful doing with this process. One Powerseller had sold over $100,000 worth of those little robotic-vacuuming-Frisbee thingies in 60 days! The other Powerseller does extremely well selling dog chews. Both Powersellers simply identified the demand for these products, then sought out the manufactures and became dealers… the rest is history.
Sincerely,
Michael Ellis
About the Author
Michael Ellis is an Internet technology expert that specializes in marketing products and services online. Be sure to visit Michael's website http://www.victorykey.com/ for FREE Internet Marketing articles, tips and discussion forums.
Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Selling Niche Items on Ebay
By - Stephan Miller
<)))
<)))
A website is great to have for residual income, for presence, to have a place called home on the internet. I admit I love it. Instead of hunting for sites to host my pictures and software for free, I have a place and it is all mine. But nothing beats eBay for instant, in your face sales.
Its like having a mall with millions of visitors a day built just for you. I mean, you could sell used vacuum cleaner bags and walk away with a bag full of money a week later if only you knew how to list your auctions with the right title, right ad, and right type of features or even no features.
Free eBay Seller's Guide
No features? Yes, you can make a consistent weekly income by listing auctions with no features. I have done it. You just have to find a niche and your customers will hunt for you. No extras will be necessary.
What type of products would qualify as a niche item? Lets say your hobby is scrapbooking and you have just written the perfect ebook on the subject. You know it will sell, but how do you go about selling it. You could put up a website, spend weeks submitting it to search engines, and then, maybe months later watch sales start coming in. That's great for the long term. In fact its something you should do.
But, if you want to start getting sales sooner, list it on eBay. It takes some work to do it right though. You will need to figure out what search terms your customer will be using to find your auction. Then search both the current and completed auctions to find out what your competitors are doing to get their bids.
Okay, what if the search terms you entered comes up with few searches or none. Well, this is a sign that hell just froze over. But if it does happen, can you spell "jackpot." You will need to find closely related search terms that actually will come up and use them along with your rare terms. Think about what other items your ideal customers will also be buying and mention them in the body of your ad. Don't spam though. Write your ad like you are speaking face to face to your customers and you can't go wrong.
Check out your competitors features. Did they highlight? Did they choose Bold? Did they spend the extra money and category feature the auction? I did this once on a niche product that I was selling and actually made less money than when I didn't choose to feature the item. But you will have to test your results. Why spend extra money that you don't have to?
Also, study the title of the auction and the ad itself. Remember that the default search on eBay is title only, so make sure you pack your title with keywords that you know people will be using. But don't go overboard. You can always tell when a seller is trying to spam the search engine instead of providing a descriptive title provides their customers with the information they need.
The days when you could put up a text ad and sell are over. Well, maybe not. But at least put in the extra effort and design an HTML ad. It lets your customer know that you are actually running a business and that the image your products present matter to you. Turbo Lister is great if you are just starting out.
Learn some ad writing techniques. If you are selling an info product or software, the mini-site model works great. It will provide your customer with all the information he or she needs to make a buying decision. Also learn hypnotic writing and NLP. I am not saying that you have to do all of this at once. Just pick up as you go along.
Just to get started, do your marketing research and list your ad and wait for sales. Yes, it will become addictive, especially after you get that first bid. You will set your homepage to your "My Ebay" page and check it every few minutes. I did.
About The Author
Stephan Miller is a ebay seller, freelance programmer, writer, and webmaster at http://www.profit-ware.com/
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Ten Ways To Sell On eBay
By - Barbara Snyder
Hearing that there are more than 1.2 million registered eBay users, that more than 25,000 members make five figure income as full time eBay entrepreneurs, and that more than 250,000 part timers make several thousand dollars a year of supplementary income from eBay enterprises would make anyone comment in disbelief with, “No Way”.
But the correct response to this is, “Yes, way.” In fact, it has also been reported that the number one eBay entrepreneur makes over a million dollars a year. As Austin Powers would say, “Yeah, Baby.” Or should we say, “E-Baby.”
So what’s the deal with eBay, anyway? There is a lot more to it than one would think. It can be simple for an occasional buyer, but it gets increasing complex as users/sellers become more entrenched at deeper levels of use. Here are 10 key ideas or themes for sellers to consider about this phenomenon called “eBay”.
1. What‘s for sale? While some sellers are out scavengering the garage sales and their own garages, others are purchasing quantities of items wholesale to put up for auction. One would think that the right product is of paramount consideration, and most sellers agree that the unusual or the hard to find is the best bet. However, this is not always true either. Timing, meaning the right person at the right time seeing your item, is where it is at. You have to be visible and be out there with a clear message or product that seems like a steal, or at least reasonably priced. With the thousands and thousands of items for sale, there is no shortage of competition. However, the good thing is that there are a lot of buyers out there that should enable the sale of just about anything.
2. Communication and descriptive details about your product is a key in getting noticed. The description of your item and the pictures to display it will get the buyer’s attention. If a person is a serious seller, having an adequate digital camera is a must. Again, photos are extremely important.
3. The well written detailed description to accompany the item is of great benefit. Being open and honest about the item will demonstrate integrity as a seller and will keep people coming back. Being available to answer questions for prospective buyers and remembering to be courteous and helpful follows along with the never-to-be forgotten premise of “the customer is always right.”
4. With customer feedback being a key element in the ratings statistics that will promote you or haunt you during your eBay career, it is important for a seller to be professional and kindly in all business dealings. People like and appreciate personal attention. Take the time to give it. Being positive, accommodating and helpful is a winning combination for good customer relations.
5. Shipping information and how you present it can win over a customer because they notice when a buyer is tying to take advantage and ask an unreasonable amount for shipping. Of course, a seller must take into account time spent, the handling charge, when pricing the shipping. Time is money, and a seller should be compensated for all aspects of the service that is provided.
6. Some advice about setting up your auction items would be to consider having your item run seven days with an end of bidding time somewhere between 7 PM and 9 PM on a Sunday night. That seems to be the consensus amongst the top sellers. There has been much dialog on just how to increase the amount and number of bids, but there are too many variables to consider. Suffice to say, it really does depend on the product itself (and what the condition and competition is our there).
7. Some of the most unique aspects of selling have to do with the seasonal items that permeate the auction block at certain times of the year. If a seller wants to work year-round, he or she will have to broaden the horizon by finding seasonal items for all seasons. Yes, you can sell Christmas items and move right into Valentines Day and Easter and so on. Why not? These are what people are looking for.
8. One controversial topic is drop shipping. If a seller is getting a product from a third party, drop shipping is a convenient way for the seller to deliver the product. It keeps them out of it. However, that means that a back ordered item could result in a poor rating for the seller because the item was delayed. Most buyers picture the item in the hands of the seller and expect to receive it within a few days. The pros and cons of this arrangement need to be carefully considered.
9. Now to the fun part. How do you get the money? More and more people are using PayPal. It is quick, efficient and simple. A seller can make other arrangements and accept a check or money order, but the wave of the future is setting up an account with PayPal. In addition, setting up an online account with the United States Postal Service will also save countless hours in the lines at the post office. Work smarter, not harder, etc., etc.
10. A seller can look at other things to sell besides a physical product or item. Many are getting into self publishing or offering a service. Some expanding entrepreneurs are opening up a consignment shop situation, which helps those who want to sell but “don’t do computers.” The possibilities are unlimited.
Selling products and services from a home-based business can be an exciting, and hopefully profitable, situation. Go into it with a solid plan based on accurate information and with the knowledge that it is going to be hard work, just like any other job.
About the Author
Barbara Snyder is a retired California Distinguished School Principal and Coordinator For Human Resources. She has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She holds elementary education, secondary, community college, and administrative credentials. She is currently the publisher of http://EducationResourcesNetwork.com, and co-publisher of Strictly Business Magazine.
Hearing that there are more than 1.2 million registered eBay users, that more than 25,000 members make five figure income as full time eBay entrepreneurs, and that more than 250,000 part timers make several thousand dollars a year of supplementary income from eBay enterprises would make anyone comment in disbelief with, “No Way”.
But the correct response to this is, “Yes, way.” In fact, it has also been reported that the number one eBay entrepreneur makes over a million dollars a year. As Austin Powers would say, “Yeah, Baby.” Or should we say, “E-Baby.”
So what’s the deal with eBay, anyway? There is a lot more to it than one would think. It can be simple for an occasional buyer, but it gets increasing complex as users/sellers become more entrenched at deeper levels of use. Here are 10 key ideas or themes for sellers to consider about this phenomenon called “eBay”.
1. What‘s for sale? While some sellers are out scavengering the garage sales and their own garages, others are purchasing quantities of items wholesale to put up for auction. One would think that the right product is of paramount consideration, and most sellers agree that the unusual or the hard to find is the best bet. However, this is not always true either. Timing, meaning the right person at the right time seeing your item, is where it is at. You have to be visible and be out there with a clear message or product that seems like a steal, or at least reasonably priced. With the thousands and thousands of items for sale, there is no shortage of competition. However, the good thing is that there are a lot of buyers out there that should enable the sale of just about anything.
2. Communication and descriptive details about your product is a key in getting noticed. The description of your item and the pictures to display it will get the buyer’s attention. If a person is a serious seller, having an adequate digital camera is a must. Again, photos are extremely important.
3. The well written detailed description to accompany the item is of great benefit. Being open and honest about the item will demonstrate integrity as a seller and will keep people coming back. Being available to answer questions for prospective buyers and remembering to be courteous and helpful follows along with the never-to-be forgotten premise of “the customer is always right.”
4. With customer feedback being a key element in the ratings statistics that will promote you or haunt you during your eBay career, it is important for a seller to be professional and kindly in all business dealings. People like and appreciate personal attention. Take the time to give it. Being positive, accommodating and helpful is a winning combination for good customer relations.
5. Shipping information and how you present it can win over a customer because they notice when a buyer is tying to take advantage and ask an unreasonable amount for shipping. Of course, a seller must take into account time spent, the handling charge, when pricing the shipping. Time is money, and a seller should be compensated for all aspects of the service that is provided.
6. Some advice about setting up your auction items would be to consider having your item run seven days with an end of bidding time somewhere between 7 PM and 9 PM on a Sunday night. That seems to be the consensus amongst the top sellers. There has been much dialog on just how to increase the amount and number of bids, but there are too many variables to consider. Suffice to say, it really does depend on the product itself (and what the condition and competition is our there).
7. Some of the most unique aspects of selling have to do with the seasonal items that permeate the auction block at certain times of the year. If a seller wants to work year-round, he or she will have to broaden the horizon by finding seasonal items for all seasons. Yes, you can sell Christmas items and move right into Valentines Day and Easter and so on. Why not? These are what people are looking for.
8. One controversial topic is drop shipping. If a seller is getting a product from a third party, drop shipping is a convenient way for the seller to deliver the product. It keeps them out of it. However, that means that a back ordered item could result in a poor rating for the seller because the item was delayed. Most buyers picture the item in the hands of the seller and expect to receive it within a few days. The pros and cons of this arrangement need to be carefully considered.
9. Now to the fun part. How do you get the money? More and more people are using PayPal. It is quick, efficient and simple. A seller can make other arrangements and accept a check or money order, but the wave of the future is setting up an account with PayPal. In addition, setting up an online account with the United States Postal Service will also save countless hours in the lines at the post office. Work smarter, not harder, etc., etc.
10. A seller can look at other things to sell besides a physical product or item. Many are getting into self publishing or offering a service. Some expanding entrepreneurs are opening up a consignment shop situation, which helps those who want to sell but “don’t do computers.” The possibilities are unlimited.
Selling products and services from a home-based business can be an exciting, and hopefully profitable, situation. Go into it with a solid plan based on accurate information and with the knowledge that it is going to be hard work, just like any other job.
About the Author
Barbara Snyder is a retired California Distinguished School Principal and Coordinator For Human Resources. She has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She holds elementary education, secondary, community college, and administrative credentials. She is currently the publisher of http://EducationResourcesNetwork.com, and co-publisher of Strictly Business Magazine.
Monday, June 4, 2007
eBay About Me Page
By - John W. Howe
If you are going to sell on eBay, you should take advantage of the About Me page. This is a webpage that eBay will let you set up to tell your customers about yourself. It also can be used to drive traffic to your website from eBay.
The About Me page on eBay is a very powerful tool for improving your auction traffic and for taking advantage of the tremendous traffic that looks at eBay auctions everyday. One of the best features of the About Me page - it is free. You can use it as a giant billboard on the Internet to direct traffic to your site or you can include a sign up form for your newsletter or mailing list.
My friend and mentor, Jim Cockrum, developed the concept of using eBay for more than an auction site. In his bestselling ebook, The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay, Jim discusses in detail how to perfect the use of the About Me page. The fact that he has developed a mailing list of over 100,000 names is proof that using the About Me page correctly really works.
The easiest way to set up an about me page is to sign on to your eBay account and click the HELP link at the top of the page. This will open the Search Help page. Enter "About Me Page" in the search box and click the "Search Help" button. This will present a page with the information that you should read about the About Me page.
Read the About Me Guidelines so you know the rules. eBay does have rules about how to use it and you must be careful not to violate those rules. If you do not play by eBay rules, eBay justice is swift and absolute.
When you have finished the rules and registrations, click on the About Me Page - Overview. This will open a page with additional information about the About Me page and finally at the bottom of that page will be a link, "Go to the Create About Me Page". Click that link and the "Edit About Me Page" will open. Click "Edit Your Page". The next page will give you the option of using the eBay Step by Step Process or loading your own HTML. If you do not know HTML, use the eBay process.
To get the most out of the About Me page, you need to use the HTML features. To add audio or video (yes, you can do that) you will need to load your own HTML. You can also have a data collection form on the About Me page to get people to sign up for a mailing list.
When you have set up the About Me page, a small blue and red icon "ME" will appear to the right of your eBay name at the top of each auction. When the visitor clicks on this link, they will be taken to you About Me Page.
For an example of what can be done on an eBay About Me page, you can view our "About Me" page at http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=e--boomer. It has audio so turn on your speakers (or turn them off as wish).
In summary, the eBay About Me page is a very powerful (free) tool that you can use to drive traffic to your website or to sign up visitors on your mailing list. Be sure to take advantage of it to build your Internet business.
Copyright 2006 John Howe, Inc.
About The Author
John V. W. Howe is an entrepreneur, author, inventor, patent holder, husband, father, and grandfather. He has been involved in entrepreneurial activities for over 40 years. He founded www.boomer-ezine.com and www.retirement-jobs-online.com to help Boomers (baby boomers) become entrepreneurs when they retire.
If you are going to sell on eBay, you should take advantage of the About Me page. This is a webpage that eBay will let you set up to tell your customers about yourself. It also can be used to drive traffic to your website from eBay.
The About Me page on eBay is a very powerful tool for improving your auction traffic and for taking advantage of the tremendous traffic that looks at eBay auctions everyday. One of the best features of the About Me page - it is free. You can use it as a giant billboard on the Internet to direct traffic to your site or you can include a sign up form for your newsletter or mailing list.
My friend and mentor, Jim Cockrum, developed the concept of using eBay for more than an auction site. In his bestselling ebook, The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay, Jim discusses in detail how to perfect the use of the About Me page. The fact that he has developed a mailing list of over 100,000 names is proof that using the About Me page correctly really works.
The easiest way to set up an about me page is to sign on to your eBay account and click the HELP link at the top of the page. This will open the Search Help page. Enter "About Me Page" in the search box and click the "Search Help" button. This will present a page with the information that you should read about the About Me page.
Read the About Me Guidelines so you know the rules. eBay does have rules about how to use it and you must be careful not to violate those rules. If you do not play by eBay rules, eBay justice is swift and absolute.
When you have finished the rules and registrations, click on the About Me Page - Overview. This will open a page with additional information about the About Me page and finally at the bottom of that page will be a link, "Go to the Create About Me Page". Click that link and the "Edit About Me Page" will open. Click "Edit Your Page". The next page will give you the option of using the eBay Step by Step Process or loading your own HTML. If you do not know HTML, use the eBay process.
To get the most out of the About Me page, you need to use the HTML features. To add audio or video (yes, you can do that) you will need to load your own HTML. You can also have a data collection form on the About Me page to get people to sign up for a mailing list.
When you have set up the About Me page, a small blue and red icon "ME" will appear to the right of your eBay name at the top of each auction. When the visitor clicks on this link, they will be taken to you About Me Page.
For an example of what can be done on an eBay About Me page, you can view our "About Me" page at http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=e--boomer. It has audio so turn on your speakers (or turn them off as wish).
In summary, the eBay About Me page is a very powerful (free) tool that you can use to drive traffic to your website or to sign up visitors on your mailing list. Be sure to take advantage of it to build your Internet business.
Copyright 2006 John Howe, Inc.
About The Author
John V. W. Howe is an entrepreneur, author, inventor, patent holder, husband, father, and grandfather. He has been involved in entrepreneurial activities for over 40 years. He founded www.boomer-ezine.com and www.retirement-jobs-online.com to help Boomers (baby boomers) become entrepreneurs when they retire.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Writing Effective eBay Auction Listings
By - Gary Hendrickson
Once you've created the best possible title for your item, you will move on to writing your auction description. Here, you have more space to give a detailed description of the item you are selling in the body of your auction. While the photo and title are what get a person interested in your auction and bringing them to your listing, it's your description that is going to have to induce them to actually bid on it.
Free eBay Seller's GuideThe sole purpose of your description is to get people to place a bid by presenting them with an honest and factual description of what you are selling.
It has been shown that the chances are high that if a person doesn't place a bid the first time they view your auction, they won't come back and place one later. Furthermore, if you can get someone to bid on your auction early, this in itself will attract more possible buyers to your auction. There is an inherent curiosity when searching listings to see why someone has bid on a particular item, so auctions that already have bids stand out from those that don't. This brings even more potential bidders to your auctions.
When writing your auction description, you want to list every attribute that will make it sound as appealing as possible. However, you must also be careful to be as accurate as possible in your description. Details are extremely important.
The more detailed you can be about what you are selling, the better. Potential bidders want to know as much as possible about something before placing a bid on it.
Even things that may seem obvious should be included. Take a few minutes and ask yourself if you were considering buying the item you're listing, what details would you want to know about it? Your description should paint a picture of the item in the persons mind. Write your auction description as if your auction didn't have any photos attached to it.
If there is an imperfection or a flaw with the item, be honest and upfront about it. Ask yourself if you were the buyer and the seller left out the imperfection in the description, how would you feel when you received the item? By making your description as accurate as possible, stressing the attributes, but also giving all the details about any imperfections, you will greatly reduce the chance of having problems when the sale is completed. Your honesty will also quickly gain you a reputation for describing your items accurately.
Your descriptions are also another way of attracting buyers to your auctions. While the main way people search eBay is through the search engine that uses the item titles, they can also refine their search to include words or phrases found in auction descriptions. By writing a thorough longer description, you automatically create more words that in return increase the chances of your auction being included in someone's search criteria.
If there is a story that goes along with the item, include it. The buyer just has your photos and descriptions to make an informed decision with. The more flavor, detail and warmth you put into your listing, the more likely the person looking at your auction will be to bid on it.
Free eBay Buyer's GuideUse adjectives freely and play on any unique attributes the item has. Take the time to create a description that will make the buyer feel completely comfortable with placing a bid if it is something that he or she is interested in.
Also be sure that you include all your after auction information in your description. Don't leave potential bidders in the dark concerning the shipping cost. List all shipping options and the cost of each. List the types of payments you accept. Include a definite date by which payment must be received. The clearer your instructions, the more comfortable the bidder will be and the less likely you will run into problems at the end of the transaction.
Naturally all the items you sell are going to be the same. However, there will be portions of your description that can remain the same for virtually every product you sell. Once you have created a description you like and seems to get people to bid, save it and make it your template for auctions.
Then simply change words and add extra information where needed. This will not only guarantee that each of your auctions will have a quality description, it will also allow you to list more auctions since you won't have to write a completely new description for every auction you list.
About The Author
Gary Hendrickson has been making his living selling on eBay for more than six years. He's the author of two eBay related ebooks, has a The Auction Rebel Blog for eBay sellers, and is the owner of ColdItems.Com.
Once you've created the best possible title for your item, you will move on to writing your auction description. Here, you have more space to give a detailed description of the item you are selling in the body of your auction. While the photo and title are what get a person interested in your auction and bringing them to your listing, it's your description that is going to have to induce them to actually bid on it.
Free eBay Seller's GuideThe sole purpose of your description is to get people to place a bid by presenting them with an honest and factual description of what you are selling.
It has been shown that the chances are high that if a person doesn't place a bid the first time they view your auction, they won't come back and place one later. Furthermore, if you can get someone to bid on your auction early, this in itself will attract more possible buyers to your auction. There is an inherent curiosity when searching listings to see why someone has bid on a particular item, so auctions that already have bids stand out from those that don't. This brings even more potential bidders to your auctions.
When writing your auction description, you want to list every attribute that will make it sound as appealing as possible. However, you must also be careful to be as accurate as possible in your description. Details are extremely important.
The more detailed you can be about what you are selling, the better. Potential bidders want to know as much as possible about something before placing a bid on it.
Even things that may seem obvious should be included. Take a few minutes and ask yourself if you were considering buying the item you're listing, what details would you want to know about it? Your description should paint a picture of the item in the persons mind. Write your auction description as if your auction didn't have any photos attached to it.
If there is an imperfection or a flaw with the item, be honest and upfront about it. Ask yourself if you were the buyer and the seller left out the imperfection in the description, how would you feel when you received the item? By making your description as accurate as possible, stressing the attributes, but also giving all the details about any imperfections, you will greatly reduce the chance of having problems when the sale is completed. Your honesty will also quickly gain you a reputation for describing your items accurately.
Your descriptions are also another way of attracting buyers to your auctions. While the main way people search eBay is through the search engine that uses the item titles, they can also refine their search to include words or phrases found in auction descriptions. By writing a thorough longer description, you automatically create more words that in return increase the chances of your auction being included in someone's search criteria.
If there is a story that goes along with the item, include it. The buyer just has your photos and descriptions to make an informed decision with. The more flavor, detail and warmth you put into your listing, the more likely the person looking at your auction will be to bid on it.
Free eBay Buyer's GuideUse adjectives freely and play on any unique attributes the item has. Take the time to create a description that will make the buyer feel completely comfortable with placing a bid if it is something that he or she is interested in.
Also be sure that you include all your after auction information in your description. Don't leave potential bidders in the dark concerning the shipping cost. List all shipping options and the cost of each. List the types of payments you accept. Include a definite date by which payment must be received. The clearer your instructions, the more comfortable the bidder will be and the less likely you will run into problems at the end of the transaction.
Naturally all the items you sell are going to be the same. However, there will be portions of your description that can remain the same for virtually every product you sell. Once you have created a description you like and seems to get people to bid, save it and make it your template for auctions.
Then simply change words and add extra information where needed. This will not only guarantee that each of your auctions will have a quality description, it will also allow you to list more auctions since you won't have to write a completely new description for every auction you list.
About The Author
Gary Hendrickson has been making his living selling on eBay for more than six years. He's the author of two eBay related ebooks, has a The Auction Rebel Blog for eBay sellers, and is the owner of ColdItems.Com.
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Down Side Of Using Drop-Shippers On Ebay!
By - Robert C. Potter
<)))
Ok, let me just say right up front that I am not against drop-shipping! I love the concept. If you are dealing with a particular wholesale drop-shipping distributor that is serving your Ebay ambitions well, then hold onto that company with bonds of steel, for truly good drop-shippers are hard to find!
Drop-Shipping sounds like the utopian business model. No up front investment in inventory. You don’t have to carry packages to the Post Office, United Parcel, or Fedex. All you have to do is set up your own business, auction, or retail website and advertise the products that the company provides. Once the orders come in, you forward it to the drop-shipper and they send the product directly to your customer.
Free eBay Seller's GuideBut, the devil is always in the details. Dropshipping is best suited for a stand alone E-Commerce website, mail order, or catalog advertising venue. If you are considering using a wholesale drop shipper for your Ebay auction, then you might want to take a step back and let me provide you with some “points to ponder.”
Back ordered products..The reality is that drop-shipping companies run out of product and will be back ordered. Ebay bidders purchase product in “real time.” They are under the impression that the item you auction, is the item they bought, not a product that is subject to shortages.
One or two customers might be understanding about the situation, but most will not. If you happen to run out of product on a regular basis then your negative feedback rating will go through the roof, and your reputation will suffer.
One way to combat shortages is to buy a pallet of product in advance, and have the drop-shipper store it in their warehouse so that you are assured of an ample supply. This method sort of goes against the idea of Drop-Shipping (buying the product in advance) but if you are selling on Ebay, you would be best served by employing this method.
Also, if possible, find a drop-shipper in your area, or within a comfortable traveling distance. If you run into any supply or shipping problems, then you could be on hand to visit the facility, should any shipping or logistic concerns arise.
Fees..Some dropshippers will charge you a sign up, or entry fee of about twenty five to fifty dollars just for the privilege of selling their product. You are also charged a “processing fee” for sending the product to your customer.
The “price for processing” can range anywhere from seven to twenty dollars per item, depending on the type of merchandise you are selling. These expenses, plus Ebay fees, can take a big chunk out of your bottom line. Finding a product that can bring you a profit, as well as offseting these types of expenses, can be a delicate balancing act.
Circumventing your customers..While I do not believe that this is a pervasive practice among drop-shipping companies, anecdotal evidence has suggested that some unscrupulous enterprises can cut you out of the sales loop. They could they easily substitute your return address for their company logo, selling directly to your customers.
Market saturation..One of the largest wholesale drop-shippers in the county is the B&F System, BNFusa.com. A lot of Ebayer’s started selling their products, one in particular, called Giovanni Navarre leather jackets. At first, it was a profitable item. After a while, everyone started selling the same product. Too much of the same supply, creates market saturation, ultimately destroying profit potential for the seller.
The Giovanni Navarre leather jackets are still being sold on Ebay today, but I doubt that they still provide a very profitable return for the seller. Even though B&F carries over 500 products in 14 different categories, they are intimately familiar to the Ebay community. You could probably make a great profit from just about any B&F product if you were to sell them off line, and out of the auction arena.
When a company becomes too well known to the general public it becomes almost impossible to make money from products that have flooded the marketplace. In addition to finding a drop-shipper who is close to home, it might be a good idea to find a DS company that is not well known to the Ebay market, or who’s products have not been scattered all over cyberspace.
These days however, it is hard to find drop-shippers that will cater to the smaller seller. Most will find it more profitable to sell in volume than by the piece. The larger wholesale dropshipping distributors are used by retail catalog operations. To get involved with the larger operations, you would have to be doing a tremendous sales volume.
If you still want to pursue drop-shipping as a source of supply for your Ebay auction, then I would suggest that you read other opinions, and become as educated as you can about the drop-shipping company you do business with.
Remember, when it comes to Ebay auction selling, “own what you sell.” Never leave customer service, or your feedback rating in the hands of other people!!
About The Author
Robert C. Potter is a wholesale and retail surplus products specialist. He is the author of “The Ultimate Guide To Products For Resale!” Over 300 Wholesale & Surplus Supply Sources For Ebay Auction Sellers, E-Commerce Websites, Flea Market Vendors, and Retail Store Owners! You can find his 160 page ebook at: http://www.productsforresale.com
<)))
Ok, let me just say right up front that I am not against drop-shipping! I love the concept. If you are dealing with a particular wholesale drop-shipping distributor that is serving your Ebay ambitions well, then hold onto that company with bonds of steel, for truly good drop-shippers are hard to find!
Drop-Shipping sounds like the utopian business model. No up front investment in inventory. You don’t have to carry packages to the Post Office, United Parcel, or Fedex. All you have to do is set up your own business, auction, or retail website and advertise the products that the company provides. Once the orders come in, you forward it to the drop-shipper and they send the product directly to your customer.
Free eBay Seller's GuideBut, the devil is always in the details. Dropshipping is best suited for a stand alone E-Commerce website, mail order, or catalog advertising venue. If you are considering using a wholesale drop shipper for your Ebay auction, then you might want to take a step back and let me provide you with some “points to ponder.”
Back ordered products..The reality is that drop-shipping companies run out of product and will be back ordered. Ebay bidders purchase product in “real time.” They are under the impression that the item you auction, is the item they bought, not a product that is subject to shortages.
One or two customers might be understanding about the situation, but most will not. If you happen to run out of product on a regular basis then your negative feedback rating will go through the roof, and your reputation will suffer.
One way to combat shortages is to buy a pallet of product in advance, and have the drop-shipper store it in their warehouse so that you are assured of an ample supply. This method sort of goes against the idea of Drop-Shipping (buying the product in advance) but if you are selling on Ebay, you would be best served by employing this method.
Also, if possible, find a drop-shipper in your area, or within a comfortable traveling distance. If you run into any supply or shipping problems, then you could be on hand to visit the facility, should any shipping or logistic concerns arise.
Fees..Some dropshippers will charge you a sign up, or entry fee of about twenty five to fifty dollars just for the privilege of selling their product. You are also charged a “processing fee” for sending the product to your customer.
The “price for processing” can range anywhere from seven to twenty dollars per item, depending on the type of merchandise you are selling. These expenses, plus Ebay fees, can take a big chunk out of your bottom line. Finding a product that can bring you a profit, as well as offseting these types of expenses, can be a delicate balancing act.
Circumventing your customers..While I do not believe that this is a pervasive practice among drop-shipping companies, anecdotal evidence has suggested that some unscrupulous enterprises can cut you out of the sales loop. They could they easily substitute your return address for their company logo, selling directly to your customers.
Market saturation..One of the largest wholesale drop-shippers in the county is the B&F System, BNFusa.com. A lot of Ebayer’s started selling their products, one in particular, called Giovanni Navarre leather jackets. At first, it was a profitable item. After a while, everyone started selling the same product. Too much of the same supply, creates market saturation, ultimately destroying profit potential for the seller.
The Giovanni Navarre leather jackets are still being sold on Ebay today, but I doubt that they still provide a very profitable return for the seller. Even though B&F carries over 500 products in 14 different categories, they are intimately familiar to the Ebay community. You could probably make a great profit from just about any B&F product if you were to sell them off line, and out of the auction arena.
When a company becomes too well known to the general public it becomes almost impossible to make money from products that have flooded the marketplace. In addition to finding a drop-shipper who is close to home, it might be a good idea to find a DS company that is not well known to the Ebay market, or who’s products have not been scattered all over cyberspace.
These days however, it is hard to find drop-shippers that will cater to the smaller seller. Most will find it more profitable to sell in volume than by the piece. The larger wholesale dropshipping distributors are used by retail catalog operations. To get involved with the larger operations, you would have to be doing a tremendous sales volume.
If you still want to pursue drop-shipping as a source of supply for your Ebay auction, then I would suggest that you read other opinions, and become as educated as you can about the drop-shipping company you do business with.
Remember, when it comes to Ebay auction selling, “own what you sell.” Never leave customer service, or your feedback rating in the hands of other people!!
About The Author
Robert C. Potter is a wholesale and retail surplus products specialist. He is the author of “The Ultimate Guide To Products For Resale!” Over 300 Wholesale & Surplus Supply Sources For Ebay Auction Sellers, E-Commerce Websites, Flea Market Vendors, and Retail Store Owners! You can find his 160 page ebook at: http://www.productsforresale.com
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
14 Ways to reduce your eBay & PayPal Fees-Non HTML
By - Trevor Ginn
<)))
One of the top complaints against eBay is the level of fees. It is therefore surprising that many large eBay sellers make unnecessary and easily avoidable payments to eBay. This article lists 14 easy-to-implement ways to reduce eBay fees and improve the profitability of your eBay business.
Strategies for all eBay Sellers
These fee-saving strategies can be implemented by all eBay sellers, no matter what items they sell or their listing strategy.
1. PayPal Merchant Discount
If you are a volume seller on eBay, then you are probably eligible for a merchant discount on PayPal fees. The merchant fee structure is as follows:
UK PayPal Fees
£0.00 to £1,500.00 - 3.4% + £0.20
£1,500.01 to £6,000.00 - 2.9% + £0.20
£6,000.01 to £15,000.00 - 2.4% + £0.20
£15,000.01 to £55,000.00 - 1.9% + £0.20
above £55,000.00 - 1.4% + £0.20
US PayPal fees
$0.00 to $3,000 - 2.9% + $0.30
$3,000.01 to $10,000 - 2.5% + $0.30
$10,000.01 USD-$100,000 - 2.2% + $0.30
above $100,000 - 1.9% + $0.30
To receive discounted fees you must log onto your PayPal account and apply. This can be done from PayPal’s fees page.
Potential saving - up to 2% (1% on PayPal.com) on all PayPal transactions.
2. Relisting Credits
Insertion Fees are generally non-refundable. However, eBay will automatically credit the Insertion Fee for an unsuccessful auction if:
You relist the item by clicking the "relist your item" button on the item page for the ended listing (or any other relist feature on the website) and the relisted item is sold the first time you relist it.
Potential saving: Up to £2 ($4.80 on eBay.com) per relisted item.
3. Reclaiming Non Paying Bidder Fees
If a buyer does not pay for their item, you can claim back the eBay fees via eBay’s unpaid item process. An unpaid item can be reported up to 45 days after an item closes.
See http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/unpaid-item-process.html for more details.
Potential saving: Listing and final value fees on unpaid items.
4. Host Your Own Photos
If you need to use more than one photo to describe your item, eBay will charge per additional picture. However, it is simple to host your own photos, and avoid this extra cost.
If you have an eBay shop, eBay provides 1MB of free picture storage. In addition, there are many free photo hosting services such as http://www.theimagehosting.com or http://www.pictiger.com/
Potential saving: £0.12 ($0.15 on eBay.com) per additional picture.
5. Tweak your Starting Prices
Be careful when you choose your starting price, as a very small difference in price can lead to a large increase in insertion fee, especially if you are selling multiple items. For example, an item with a starting price of £29.99 incurs an insertion fee of £0.75, whereas a starting price of £30 would cost £1.50.
On eBay.com a staring price of $49.99 incurs a fee of $1.20 where as a starting price of $50.00 would cost $2.40.
Potential saving: Up to £0.75 ($1.20 on eBay.com) per listing.
6. Pay for Your eBay Fees Using a Cash Back Credit Card
Several credit cards give cash back on money spent. By using an American express credit card to pay your eBay fees, you can receive a small rebate for your eBay fees. Bear in mind that this only works if you pay your credit card bill in full each month.
Potential saving: Up to 1.5% cash back on eBay fees.
7. Teach Yourself HTML
Many sellers use eBay’s listing designer service to improve the look of their listing. If you are listing multiple items, this cost will soon add up. By learning some simple HTML or employing a designer, you can develop your own template and save on the extra listing fee.
Potential saving: £0.07 ($0.10 on eBay.com) per listing.
8. Open an Ecommerce Store
Potentially the best strategy of all is to expand your business beyond eBay. By setting up your own ecommerce store you can upsell to customers you have acquired through eBay, and pay no fees at all. Channel Management software such as eSellerPro, Marketworks and ChannelAdvisor enable eBay sellers to run an ecommerce store off the same inventory as their eBay sales.
Potential saving: You pay no eBay fees on items sold off eBay!
Savings Fees on Listings
The following fee-saving tactics involve changes to your eBay listing strategy and should therefore be considered in the light of your business objectives. For each of these tactics, run a limited trial and compare the conversion rates (% of listings that sell), average sales price (sales total/number of items that sold), take rate (% of sales that eBay takes as fees) and margin against your current listing strategy.
9. eBay Shop Listings
Despite the recent rise in shop listing fees, eBay shop fees are still on the whole cheaper than core listings. The best use of shop listings is for upselling commodity items and for unusual items that require a longer listing period.
10. Sell More Expensive Items
eBay has a sliding scale of fees, taking a higher percentage of the sale price (take rate) of less expensive items. By selling more expensive items you can reduce your take rate. For example, the take rate of a £5 item is 9.25%, whilst for £200 item it is 4.55%.
11. Reassess Your Use of Listing Upgrades
Listing upgrades are expensive, and should not be used unless they are improving sell-through rates and average selling prices. eBay research products like eSellerStreet (http://www.esellerstreet.com), Hammertap (http://www.hammertap.com ) and Terapeak (http://www.terapeak.com/ ) will allow you to investigate the effectiveness of listing upgrades for products in your categories. You should also conduct your own trials.
12. Second Chance Offers
eBay’s Second Chance Offer feature allows more than one item to be sold from a single listing, saving on the listing fee for each additional sale. When using second chance offers, you should be aware that you are making a trade-off between price and sales volume, as second chance offers are inevitably lower than the item’s final price.
Potential saving: Up to £2 ($4.80 on eBay.com) per sale.
13. Lower Your Starting Prices
eBay’s insertion fees are linked to the starting price of an auction, by lowering your starting price you will encourage bidding and lower your listing fees.
Potential saving: up to £1.85 ($4.60 on eBay.com) per listing.
14. Dutch Auctions
Dutch auctions, like the Second Chance Offer, allow you to sell multiple items off a single listing, saving on multiple listing fees.
Potential saving: Up to £2 ($4.80 on eBay.com) per item.
About The Author
Trevor Ginn is Head of Consulting at Auctioning4u (http://www.auctioning4u.co.uk) the UK's leading eBay service provider. Previous to working at Auctioning4u, Trevor ran the eBay drop-off shop Auction Partner. Trevor's eBay blog, eBay, ecommerce, life can be found at http://www.trevorginn.com.
<)))
One of the top complaints against eBay is the level of fees. It is therefore surprising that many large eBay sellers make unnecessary and easily avoidable payments to eBay. This article lists 14 easy-to-implement ways to reduce eBay fees and improve the profitability of your eBay business.
Strategies for all eBay Sellers
These fee-saving strategies can be implemented by all eBay sellers, no matter what items they sell or their listing strategy.
1. PayPal Merchant Discount
If you are a volume seller on eBay, then you are probably eligible for a merchant discount on PayPal fees. The merchant fee structure is as follows:
UK PayPal Fees
£0.00 to £1,500.00 - 3.4% + £0.20
£1,500.01 to £6,000.00 - 2.9% + £0.20
£6,000.01 to £15,000.00 - 2.4% + £0.20
£15,000.01 to £55,000.00 - 1.9% + £0.20
above £55,000.00 - 1.4% + £0.20
US PayPal fees
$0.00 to $3,000 - 2.9% + $0.30
$3,000.01 to $10,000 - 2.5% + $0.30
$10,000.01 USD-$100,000 - 2.2% + $0.30
above $100,000 - 1.9% + $0.30
To receive discounted fees you must log onto your PayPal account and apply. This can be done from PayPal’s fees page.
Potential saving - up to 2% (1% on PayPal.com) on all PayPal transactions.
2. Relisting Credits
Insertion Fees are generally non-refundable. However, eBay will automatically credit the Insertion Fee for an unsuccessful auction if:
You relist the item by clicking the "relist your item" button on the item page for the ended listing (or any other relist feature on the website) and the relisted item is sold the first time you relist it.
Potential saving: Up to £2 ($4.80 on eBay.com) per relisted item.
3. Reclaiming Non Paying Bidder Fees
If a buyer does not pay for their item, you can claim back the eBay fees via eBay’s unpaid item process. An unpaid item can be reported up to 45 days after an item closes.
See http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/unpaid-item-process.html for more details.
Potential saving: Listing and final value fees on unpaid items.
4. Host Your Own Photos
If you need to use more than one photo to describe your item, eBay will charge per additional picture. However, it is simple to host your own photos, and avoid this extra cost.
If you have an eBay shop, eBay provides 1MB of free picture storage. In addition, there are many free photo hosting services such as http://www.theimagehosting.com or http://www.pictiger.com/
Potential saving: £0.12 ($0.15 on eBay.com) per additional picture.
5. Tweak your Starting Prices
Be careful when you choose your starting price, as a very small difference in price can lead to a large increase in insertion fee, especially if you are selling multiple items. For example, an item with a starting price of £29.99 incurs an insertion fee of £0.75, whereas a starting price of £30 would cost £1.50.
On eBay.com a staring price of $49.99 incurs a fee of $1.20 where as a starting price of $50.00 would cost $2.40.
Potential saving: Up to £0.75 ($1.20 on eBay.com) per listing.
6. Pay for Your eBay Fees Using a Cash Back Credit Card
Several credit cards give cash back on money spent. By using an American express credit card to pay your eBay fees, you can receive a small rebate for your eBay fees. Bear in mind that this only works if you pay your credit card bill in full each month.
Potential saving: Up to 1.5% cash back on eBay fees.
7. Teach Yourself HTML
Many sellers use eBay’s listing designer service to improve the look of their listing. If you are listing multiple items, this cost will soon add up. By learning some simple HTML or employing a designer, you can develop your own template and save on the extra listing fee.
Potential saving: £0.07 ($0.10 on eBay.com) per listing.
8. Open an Ecommerce Store
Potentially the best strategy of all is to expand your business beyond eBay. By setting up your own ecommerce store you can upsell to customers you have acquired through eBay, and pay no fees at all. Channel Management software such as eSellerPro, Marketworks and ChannelAdvisor enable eBay sellers to run an ecommerce store off the same inventory as their eBay sales.
Potential saving: You pay no eBay fees on items sold off eBay!
Savings Fees on Listings
The following fee-saving tactics involve changes to your eBay listing strategy and should therefore be considered in the light of your business objectives. For each of these tactics, run a limited trial and compare the conversion rates (% of listings that sell), average sales price (sales total/number of items that sold), take rate (% of sales that eBay takes as fees) and margin against your current listing strategy.
9. eBay Shop Listings
Despite the recent rise in shop listing fees, eBay shop fees are still on the whole cheaper than core listings. The best use of shop listings is for upselling commodity items and for unusual items that require a longer listing period.
10. Sell More Expensive Items
eBay has a sliding scale of fees, taking a higher percentage of the sale price (take rate) of less expensive items. By selling more expensive items you can reduce your take rate. For example, the take rate of a £5 item is 9.25%, whilst for £200 item it is 4.55%.
11. Reassess Your Use of Listing Upgrades
Listing upgrades are expensive, and should not be used unless they are improving sell-through rates and average selling prices. eBay research products like eSellerStreet (http://www.esellerstreet.com), Hammertap (http://www.hammertap.com ) and Terapeak (http://www.terapeak.com/ ) will allow you to investigate the effectiveness of listing upgrades for products in your categories. You should also conduct your own trials.
12. Second Chance Offers
eBay’s Second Chance Offer feature allows more than one item to be sold from a single listing, saving on the listing fee for each additional sale. When using second chance offers, you should be aware that you are making a trade-off between price and sales volume, as second chance offers are inevitably lower than the item’s final price.
Potential saving: Up to £2 ($4.80 on eBay.com) per sale.
13. Lower Your Starting Prices
eBay’s insertion fees are linked to the starting price of an auction, by lowering your starting price you will encourage bidding and lower your listing fees.
Potential saving: up to £1.85 ($4.60 on eBay.com) per listing.
14. Dutch Auctions
Dutch auctions, like the Second Chance Offer, allow you to sell multiple items off a single listing, saving on multiple listing fees.
Potential saving: Up to £2 ($4.80 on eBay.com) per item.
About The Author
Trevor Ginn is Head of Consulting at Auctioning4u (http://www.auctioning4u.co.uk) the UK's leading eBay service provider. Previous to working at Auctioning4u, Trevor ran the eBay drop-off shop Auction Partner. Trevor's eBay blog, eBay, ecommerce, life can be found at http://www.trevorginn.com.
Monday, May 21, 2007
How to Take eBay Photos That Sell
By - June Campbell
<)))
Do you want to take eBay photos that sell your item?
Taking eBay photos is easy, especially if you have a digital camera.
First, you will do best with natural lighting. If you can, move your item so it is close to a natural light source, such as patio, balcony or window. Incandescent or fluorescent lighting tends to create a “color cast” that distorts your article’s color.
Your digital camera could have a special feature that adjusts your white balance so you get good color when using artificial lighting. However, natural lighting is your best and simplest option.
Turn your camera’s flash to “off” if your camera permits you to do this. Indoor flash lighting can cause an unwanted glare in the photograph. Also, the color is less satisfactory than you get from natural light.
If your picture is too dark or if the automatic flash comes on, then add a second light source. For example, place a lamp or light bulb to one side, or on two sides. If you plan on doing a lot of eBay selling, you might want to invest in a special photography light. If you plan to sell on eBay only occasionally, then you can make do with simple arrangements.
Set your digital camera to take the smallest size picture possible. Many cameras call this the “email setting.” Alternatively, they could call it the “640 by 480” setting.
Larger settings are suitable for pictures that you intend to print. Pictures that you will display on a computer, especially from a web site, can and should be small sized. Computer monitors display pictures at a low resolution called “72 dots per inch”. Higher resolution photographs will still display online at 72 dpi, but will take much longer to download when a potential customer clicks on your eBay sales page. When you’re taking photos that sell on eBay, you don’t want to lose customers by making them wait too long for a picture to download.
Digital cameras are highly sensitive to vibration or movement. For best results, use a tripod to stabilize the camera. You might also try setting the camera on a table or stand and using the Self Timer to take the picture. If you must hold the camera in your hands, holding it with both hands affords the highest stability.
When taking eBay photos that sell, you don’t want a blurry image.
Take a selection of photos with your digital camera. Upload them to your computer for editing. Use photo editing software to resize your photos to meet eBay’s requirements. Photo editing software may have come bundled with your camera. If not, software such as Adobe Photo Elements is a popular choice. eBay’s Basic and Enhanced Picture Services will also do the trick.
About The Author
Imagine Taking Great PicturesWith Your Digital Camera...In Less Than 30 Minutes!http://www.startmydigitalphotography.com/
<)))
Do you want to take eBay photos that sell your item?
Taking eBay photos is easy, especially if you have a digital camera.
First, you will do best with natural lighting. If you can, move your item so it is close to a natural light source, such as patio, balcony or window. Incandescent or fluorescent lighting tends to create a “color cast” that distorts your article’s color.
Your digital camera could have a special feature that adjusts your white balance so you get good color when using artificial lighting. However, natural lighting is your best and simplest option.
Turn your camera’s flash to “off” if your camera permits you to do this. Indoor flash lighting can cause an unwanted glare in the photograph. Also, the color is less satisfactory than you get from natural light.
If your picture is too dark or if the automatic flash comes on, then add a second light source. For example, place a lamp or light bulb to one side, or on two sides. If you plan on doing a lot of eBay selling, you might want to invest in a special photography light. If you plan to sell on eBay only occasionally, then you can make do with simple arrangements.
Set your digital camera to take the smallest size picture possible. Many cameras call this the “email setting.” Alternatively, they could call it the “640 by 480” setting.
Larger settings are suitable for pictures that you intend to print. Pictures that you will display on a computer, especially from a web site, can and should be small sized. Computer monitors display pictures at a low resolution called “72 dots per inch”. Higher resolution photographs will still display online at 72 dpi, but will take much longer to download when a potential customer clicks on your eBay sales page. When you’re taking photos that sell on eBay, you don’t want to lose customers by making them wait too long for a picture to download.
Digital cameras are highly sensitive to vibration or movement. For best results, use a tripod to stabilize the camera. You might also try setting the camera on a table or stand and using the Self Timer to take the picture. If you must hold the camera in your hands, holding it with both hands affords the highest stability.
When taking eBay photos that sell, you don’t want a blurry image.
Take a selection of photos with your digital camera. Upload them to your computer for editing. Use photo editing software to resize your photos to meet eBay’s requirements. Photo editing software may have come bundled with your camera. If not, software such as Adobe Photo Elements is a popular choice. eBay’s Basic and Enhanced Picture Services will also do the trick.
About The Author
Imagine Taking Great PicturesWith Your Digital Camera...In Less Than 30 Minutes!http://www.startmydigitalphotography.com/
Friday, May 18, 2007
eBay Selling - Use Good Customer Service To Get A Better eBay Seller Rating
By - Elaine Currie
<)))
Anyone hoping to make money selling goods on eBay should be aware of the eBay quality of service ranking system. Sellers are rated through feedback from customers who have bought goods from them previously. There are thousands of sellers competing on eBay and potential customers will naturally gravitate towards the sellers who have a positive feedback rating. Developing a good customer service policy and maintaining it in all your eBay dealings is vital to your success.
The first thing to do before you plan your customer service strategies for selling goods on eBay is to read the rules. The regulations and policies that govern eBay transactions are clearly set out on the eBay website. There are a lot of them but it is worth spending time to get acquainted with any rules that will apply to your eBay sales. Once you have a fair grasp of the rules, you can develop your own customer service policy.
Your customer service strategies for eBay sales should start with product description: eBay is not the place to use hype or exaggeration. A clear photo of the item for sale is a great aid. You must be completely honest and accurate when describing items for sale. If applicable, include the manufacturer's name and model identification number. The provision of a full description is doubly important when you are selling used goods. If an item has a flaw, describe it fully. For instance: if you are selling an article that has sustained a minor scratch, don't describe the damage in words such as "minute" or "insignificant". State the exact position and dimensions of the mark. Your customers will not receive goods below their expectation and, if the merchandise exceeds what was expected, the customers will be satisfied and give you postive feedback. If you try to minimise the extent of any defects in your description of the goods, people will be less likely to purchase; if the goods are sold, you are more likely to receive complaints, requests for refunds and negative feedback.
You must keep up your eBay customer service strategies during the time people are bidding in the auction. Prospective buyers often want more information than you have provided in your description of articles on sale. If a potential customer contacts you to ask for further details of goods you are selling, make sure you reply without delay and give clear answers to any questions. An enquiry that seems immaterial to you might be the one factor that persuades a purchaser to buy from you rather than a competitor offering an almost identical article.
Good customer service levels must be kept up right through to the delivery stage. This means despatching the items as soon as possible (this should be the same day unless it is a weekend or public holiday). To ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, make sure you never ask for an inflated sum to cover postage and packaging. Your customers will know how much the postage and packaging materials cost you and they won't mind being asked a fair price to cover those expenses. It is not unusual for the cost of postage to exceed the price of the goods and people don't mind this because they still feel they are getting a bargain. One thing nobody likes is the feeling that someone is trying to rip him/her off and that is the impression you will convey if you ask an excessive amount for postage.
Customer service policy on eBay should be no different from good customer service in any online transaction. The key is to be honest, act promptly and be transparent in your business activities.
About the Author
Want to work from home? There are hundreds ways to make money working from home, eBay selling is just one of them. To see a selection of the best work from home ideas visit Elaine Currie's Work At Home Directory: http://www.huntingvenus.com/
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Anyone hoping to make money selling goods on eBay should be aware of the eBay quality of service ranking system. Sellers are rated through feedback from customers who have bought goods from them previously. There are thousands of sellers competing on eBay and potential customers will naturally gravitate towards the sellers who have a positive feedback rating. Developing a good customer service policy and maintaining it in all your eBay dealings is vital to your success.
The first thing to do before you plan your customer service strategies for selling goods on eBay is to read the rules. The regulations and policies that govern eBay transactions are clearly set out on the eBay website. There are a lot of them but it is worth spending time to get acquainted with any rules that will apply to your eBay sales. Once you have a fair grasp of the rules, you can develop your own customer service policy.
Your customer service strategies for eBay sales should start with product description: eBay is not the place to use hype or exaggeration. A clear photo of the item for sale is a great aid. You must be completely honest and accurate when describing items for sale. If applicable, include the manufacturer's name and model identification number. The provision of a full description is doubly important when you are selling used goods. If an item has a flaw, describe it fully. For instance: if you are selling an article that has sustained a minor scratch, don't describe the damage in words such as "minute" or "insignificant". State the exact position and dimensions of the mark. Your customers will not receive goods below their expectation and, if the merchandise exceeds what was expected, the customers will be satisfied and give you postive feedback. If you try to minimise the extent of any defects in your description of the goods, people will be less likely to purchase; if the goods are sold, you are more likely to receive complaints, requests for refunds and negative feedback.
You must keep up your eBay customer service strategies during the time people are bidding in the auction. Prospective buyers often want more information than you have provided in your description of articles on sale. If a potential customer contacts you to ask for further details of goods you are selling, make sure you reply without delay and give clear answers to any questions. An enquiry that seems immaterial to you might be the one factor that persuades a purchaser to buy from you rather than a competitor offering an almost identical article.
Good customer service levels must be kept up right through to the delivery stage. This means despatching the items as soon as possible (this should be the same day unless it is a weekend or public holiday). To ensure a high level of customer satisfaction, make sure you never ask for an inflated sum to cover postage and packaging. Your customers will know how much the postage and packaging materials cost you and they won't mind being asked a fair price to cover those expenses. It is not unusual for the cost of postage to exceed the price of the goods and people don't mind this because they still feel they are getting a bargain. One thing nobody likes is the feeling that someone is trying to rip him/her off and that is the impression you will convey if you ask an excessive amount for postage.
Customer service policy on eBay should be no different from good customer service in any online transaction. The key is to be honest, act promptly and be transparent in your business activities.
About the Author
Want to work from home? There are hundreds ways to make money working from home, eBay selling is just one of them. To see a selection of the best work from home ideas visit Elaine Currie's Work At Home Directory: http://www.huntingvenus.com/
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