Here are some of the top tips for beginners to eBay:
eBay has been going for over a decade now and it is one of the most popular websites on the Internet. Would you believe that it has close to 200 million users? eBay is a great place for selling and buying all sorts of things, but it’s not always easy when you start out. Take a look below for our top tips for buyers, and our top tips for sellers.
Top Tips for Buyers
- Don’t bid too early! If you prematurely, it will only make things more expensive if someone else bids.
- Use an Auction Sniper.
- Buy it Now can be more expensive.
- Watch out for hidden shipping charges.
- Check peoples feedback before you bid. If they have negative feedback, don’t bid.
- Retracting bids on eBay is not easy, so only bid when you want to buy.
- Before buying a product, check how much it is worth, so you don’t end up paying more. EBay has bargains, but it’s not always cheap!
- Watch out for scams and fraudsters. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
- Get a PayPal account. It makes paying for auctions so much easier.
- Don’t get addicted! Set a budget and stick to it, the last minutes of bidding can be the most expensive ones as it’s easier to get caught up in a bidding frenzy.
Top Tips for Sellers
- Market research will help you establish whether or not selling on eBay is profitable. Look at past completed auctions for a good reference.
- Use Turbolister to help you list items on eBay. It’s so much easier than using the web interface.
- eBay auction fees are not cheap. Don’t add extra categories and extra features such as buy it now and featured status unless you’re selling something of high value.
- Sometimes adding a reserve price to your auction can cost you. If you’re not selling something expensive, try to avoid using it.
- You can get loads of free auction templates on the internet which is a great way to spruce up your listings.
- When your auctions close, send buyers an e-mail to let them know you’re alive and also how long it will be till they get their items.
- Don’t charge over the odds for shipping. Many eBayers do this and it’s the pet hate of many buyers. If you’re honest about shipping, buyers will love you for it.
- Package your items well so that they will not be damaged in the post. Get insurance to ensure that if they are damaged, you can claim it back and refund the customer.
- Always get proof of sending and proof of delivery. It makes shipping a little bit more expensive, but it will help you endlessly in the case of a dispute.
- Don’t forget to pay your eBay fees! They are normally charged monthly, and if you forget eBay will close your account until you’ve cleared the bill.
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So, What is The Right Time to Sell? Good question!
When it comes to listing on eBay and actually profiting from a sale, it’s actually a great deal more complicated than you’d think. Whilst for many it may seem like a simple point and click operation, the reality is when it comes to listing items for sale on eBay, there are a number of underlying skills required to make sure you get the most out of each listing.
One of the most important things to start with is the marketing of your product. Just like in real business, which focuses on targets, you need to focus on customers. The first thing you should know before you sell is who you’re going to be selling to.
From here, you can take advantage of one of the best marketing techniques. That’s selling when the time is right. Perhaps a weekend sale is perfect for your product? Maybe a three-day listing is the one to go for?
You’ll never know unless you do some market research.
Firstly – take a look at your product and ask yourself three questions, is it a seasonal product? Is it a kid’s product and finally, what’s the competition like?
Why would you ask those questions? It’s a great way to create a quick customer profile, and from here, you can decide as to whether or not now is actually a profitable time to sell your item. eBay is a cutthroat enterprise and if you don’t know what you’re selling, someone else will come along, purchase your item for pennies, and then resell it for profit.
It happens time and time again.
Seasonal Marketing is something that happens every day, and it’s a great tool to use on eBay. The rule is simple. If there is a demand for a product, then it’ll sell. This means out of luck if you’re trying to sell snow shoes in July. But there are exceptions to the rule, and one big exception is Christmas. Christmas is one of those times where people will buy anything if it’s a bargain. But be careful, Christmas is not your golden ticket to success!
Weekday Sales
Did you know that a great deal of eBay browsing actually happens at work? You’d think that people would be too busy working, but the reality is eBay is filled with browsers that simply have too much time on their hands. A weekday listing is a great way to target adults and office workers as well as stay at home moms.
Beat the Competition
When it comes to selling, eBay is so huge, that anyone could be your competitor. As a result, the first thing you should do after establishing a marketing profile is to look at the completed auctions on eBay. Find out how much products in your category have been selling for and more importantly, if they’ve been selling at all.
At the same time, take a look at the current auctions and ask yourself the question, “Is this the right time to sell?” If there is a lot of competition out there at the minute, sometimes the best advice is to simply wait a few days or a week because eBay is a fluid market and everything changes.
Posted in Business, eBay, How To, Selling | No Comments »