Ten Tips for eBay Sellers
1. Think small!
A common mistake new eBay entrepreneurs and sellers make is buying large amounts of stock, before they know if they have a hot seller on their hands. They also rush into things before they even know how eBay itself functions. Selling on eBay tends to be more complex than buying.
Over time you’ll gain experience and learn the way eBay works. Once you’ve figure whats selling well you can then buy large amounts of start to sell.
We recommend that for the first few months that you just try to buy and sell items that aren’t expensive and that vary widely. This won’t strain your budget and you’ll learn about various markets. Once you’ve found items that really sell well then you can really start to make some good money.
Also, think physically small. Large items tend not to sell well on eBay (with some exceptions) due to exorbitant shipping fees. So try to sell products that are easy to ship!
2. Be available and respond promptly.
You should always respond to inquires about your items promptly. The internet is used by people who want something and they want it fast. Sometimes it’s information, other times it’s a product. For this reason you must stay on top of your eBay messages from prospective buyers. Once you’ve gotten more established you could even hire someone fulltime to just do this. The more effective and the quicker you respond to questions the more likely someone is to buy from you.
3. Schedule your time properly and stay organized.
Make a list of things that need to be done and stick to it! If ebay isn’t your full time job you’ll only have some spare time to keep your eBay business rolling. Obviously once eBay becomes your full time job this becomes more important. The beauty of this is that you always know when and what needs to be done, so keep a to list or journal.
4. Use professional looking photographs.
Ever heard the saying “A picture speaks a thousand words”? It remains true to this day. If a picture is bad quality and looks unprofessional or if the item is hard to see, the buyer may not bid on your item. This is not what you want. Even if you have to spen extra money on better lightning or a photo tent, you must ensure your pictures look professional and are appealing! This is super important.
5. There’s more than just eBay.
eBay is THE king when it comes to places to start selling products, but eBay is not the only option. You need a presence on the web and you should think about that very early on. You could use Myspace or place an Yahoo classifieds. The main thing here is not to remember that there is more it than just eBay itself. Building your online profile can be done cheaply and easily in various ways. Consider outsourcing the design of your website on elance.com
6. Lookout for different products that might sell well.
Just because you’ve found a hot product and have some good stock doesn’t mean you should become complacent. Observe the activities of other traders. Read articles in magazines, look for emerging trends, programs for home decoration, etc. You may have overlooked a new hot item or niche to start getting into.
7. Keep in touch with your supplier.
If you dropship make sure you lots unnecessary work can be created when your supplier runs out of stock and you have a backlog of orders. An angry customers may want their order(s) refunded and this will cause you headaches and even hurt the bottom line. All you have to do is make sure the communication with your supplier is open. Trust us, your life will be easier.
8. Market Research and Keyword Research.
Your goal is to have customers reach your listings and your products with with ease. One way to do this is by doing some simple keyword research. You should allocate some time on a regular basis so that you can keep abreast of what people are searching for and what’s new.
9. Use software to organize your listings.
You have many options for listing your items. But it boils down to whether or not you want to list them by hand or use software. We’ve found that if you have to list more than 15 items at a time without using software it will be very difficult and costly. Given that, you should really use software if you have many items to list. Just do some research, there are plenty of software solutions for eBay sellers.
10. Offer free shipping, if you can!
Prospective bidders are far more likely to big if you offer free shipping. However, just make sure it doesn’t cut into your profit margins too much. Consider the weight of your item and the fact that depending on distance, the cost of shipping can vary wildly. Don’t allow it to cripple your profit and offer free shipping only if you can afford it.
Happy selling!