Your eBay reputation is everything you are on eBay. Without it, you are nothing. Your reputation is worth as much as every sale you will ever make.
If you have ever bought anything on eBay (and the chances are you have), then think about your own behaviour. Buying from a seller with a low feedback rating makes you feel a little nervous and insecure, while buying from a PowerSeller with their reputation in the thousands does not require much thought or fear. It feels just like buying from a shop.
A Bad Reputation Will Lose You Sales.
In fact, a bad reputation will make you loose you almost all your sales. If someone leaves you negative feedback, you will feel the pain straight away, as that rating will go right at the top of your user page for everyone to see. Who is going to want to do business with you when they have just read that you “took a month to deliver the item”, or that you had “bad communication and sent a damaged item”? The answer is, that no-one is prepared to do business with you.
Your next few items will need to be very cheap things, just to push that negative down the page. You might have to spend days or even weeks selling cheap stuff to get enough positive feedback to make anyone deal with you again.
It is even worse if you consistently let buyers leave negative feedback. Once you get below 90% positive ratings, you might as well be invisible.
You Cannot Just Open a New Account.
Besides eBay’s rules about only having one account, there are more downsides than just getting a new account. You literally have to start from scratch all over again.
You will not be able to use all the different eBay features. Your existing customers will not be able to find you any more. Your auctions will finish at a lower price because of your low feedback rating. Opening a new account is like moving to a new town to get away from a few people who are spreading rumours about you. It is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
A Good Reputation Will Get You Sales.
When PowerSellers tell me something, I tend to believe them. They can be selling a pretty unlikely item, but if they guarantee it is what they say it is, then I trust them. After all, they are not going to risk their reputation. This is the power of a reputation. People know you want to keep it, and they know you will go to almost any lengths to do so.
This is true even to the point that I would sooner buy something for $20 from a seller I know I can trust than for $15 from someone with average feedback. It is worth the extra money to make me feel like the seller knows what they are doing has all their systems in place and will get me the item quickly and efficiently.
You really will find selling on eBay so much easier, and there is only way to get a good reputation. Make sure you please your customers every time. However there are customers, which sometimes can be difficult to please.
In the next posting, we ask – is the eBay customer always right?
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If you seriously thinking of earning, not losing BIG money on eBay, I definitely recommend a very successful product how to market eBay(R) auctions
eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches -
as a successful eBay Seller, you will need it!
Take Action – Click Here to Download “eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches”
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Christer
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Being a seller also brings a lot of responsibility, and sometimes you might feel like you are not doing everything you should be.
Below a simple checklist that will help you keep on top of things.
Have you found out everything you possibly could about your items? Try typing their names into a search engine – you might find out something you did not know. If someone else is selling the same thing as you, then always try to provide more information about it than they do.
Do you monitor the competition? Always keep an eye on how many other items the same as or similar to yours are selling, and what prices they are being offered at. There is usually little point in starting a fixed price auction for $100 when someone else is selling the item for $90.
Have you got pictures of the items? It is worthwhile taking the time to photograph your items, especially if you have a digital camera. If you get serious about eBay but do not yet own a camera, then you will probably have to invest in one at some point (preferably ASAP).
Are you emailing your sellers? It is worthwhile sending a brief email when transactions go through, saying something like a simple “Thank you for buying my item, please let me know when you have sent the payment”. Follow this up with “Thanks for your payment, I have posted your [item name] today”. You will be surprised how many problems you will avoid just by communicating this way.
Are you checking your emails? Remember that potential buyers can send you email about anything at any time, and not answering these emails will just make them go somewhere else instead of buying from you.
Do your item description pages have everything that buyers need to know? If you’re planning to offer international delivery, then it is a good idea to make a list of the charges to different counties and display it on each auction. If you have any special terms and conditions (for example, if you will give a refund on any item as long as it has not been opened), then you should make sure these terms are also displayed.
Have you been wrapping your items correctly? Your wrapping should be professional for the best impression. Use appropriately sized envelopes or parcels, wrap the item in bubble wrap to stop it from getting damaged, and print labels instead of hand-writing addresses. By the way, always use first class post – don’t be cheap.
Do you follow up? It is worth sending out an email a few days after you post an item, saying “Is everything alright with your purchase? I hope you received it and it was as you expected.” This might sound like giving the customer an opportunity to complain, but you should be trying to help your customers, not take their money and run.
Being a really good eBay seller, more than anything else, is about providing genuinely good and honest customer service. That is the only foolproof way to protect your reputation. Of course, you might be wondering by now whether it is really worth all the hassle to get a good reputation on eBay. Will not people buy from you anyway, and could you not just open a new account if it really comes down to that?
The next posting will set that straight.
* * * * *
If you seriously thinking of earning, not losing BIG money on eBay, I definitely recommend a very successful product how to market eBay(R) auctions
eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches -
as a successful eBay Seller, you will need it!
Take Action – Click Here to Download “eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches”
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Stay tuned,
Christer
BTW
Do you also remember to FOLLOW ME on Twitter?
If you find the information useful, don’t hesitate to Tweet or email the post to your friends and colleagues and set up a link on your own blog!
http://twitter.com/christerfolke
It is surprisingly simple to get started posting your very first auction on eBay.
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Below, the steps what you need to do.
Step 1: Open an eBay seller’s account.
If you have bought items on eBay, then you already have an account. Just log in with it and click ‘Sell’ in the toolbar at the top of the page, then click ‘Create a seller’s account’. If you have never used eBay before, then you will have to open an account first using the ‘register’ link underneath the toolbar, and then click ‘Sell’ and ‘Create a seller’s account’. The eBay site will then guide you through the process. For security reasons, this may involve giving your eBay card details and bank information.
Step 2: Decide what to sell.
For your first little experiment with eBay, it does not really matter what you sell. Take a look around the room where you are. I am confident there is something in there that you are not all that attached to and could put in the post. Small books and CDs are ideal first items.
Step 3: Submit your item.
Click ‘Sell’, and you are on your way to listing your item.
The first thing you need to do is choose a category. The best way is just to type in what the item is and let eBay choose for you. Next, write a title and description. Include key words you think people will search for in the title box, and all the information you have about the item in the description box.
Now set a starting price. $0.01 is the best starting price, as it draws people in to bid who otherwise would not have done it, and items will almost never finish at such a low price. The next thing to set is the duration of the auction: 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. This is up to you, longer sales will usually get more bids, but will also seem to drag on forever. If you have taken a picture, add it now as items with pictures always tend to sell for more. Finally, tick the payment methods you will accept (just PayPal is best for now), and where you will post to (limit yourself to your own country to begin with). Submit and you are done!
Step 4: Wait for your item to sell.
This is just a matter of sitting back and letting eBay do its thing – buyers will find your item and leave bids on it. Some bidders might email you with questions about the item, and you should do your best to answer these questions as quickly as you can.
Remember that if your item does not sell then you can list it again for free.
Step 5: Collect payment and post it.
eBay will sent your buyer emails guiding them through the process of sending you payment for the item. Make sure you have the money before you send anything.
Once you have received the payment, all you need to do is pack the item for posting (make sure to use some bubble wrap), take the buyer’s address from the confirmation email eBay sent you, and write it on the parcel. Put some stamps on, post it, and you are finally done!
I hope you enjoyed selling your first item. Now that you are starting to get into it, the next posting will give you a checklist of things you need to do to become a successful seller.
* * * * *
If you seriously thinking of earning, not losing BIG money on eBay, I definitely recommend a very successful product how to market eBay(R) auctions
- eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches -
as a successful eBay Seller, you will need it!
Take Action – Click Here to Download “eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches”
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Stay tuned,
Christer
BTW
Do you also remember to FOLLOW ME on Twitter?
My new content from all my web pages is also going there
If you find the information useful, don’t hesitate to Tweet or email the post to your friends and colleagues and set up a link on your own blog!
http://twitter.com/christerfolke
Do you have trouble sometimes understanding when people talk about eBay? Do not worry, some of the jargon is really obscure, and you cannot be expected to understand it until someone has told you what it actually means.
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Below is a list of some of the most useful lingo to know, however, you do not need to memorise it – even the most common jargon is only used relatively rarely.
Words.
Bid: telling eBay’s system the maximum price you are prepared to pay for an item.
Dutch: an auction where more than one of an item is available.
Feedback: positive or negative comments left about other users on eBay.
Mint: in perfect condition.
Non-paying bidder: a bidder who wins an auction but does not then go on to buy the item.
PayPal: an electronic payment method accepted by most sellers.
Rare: used and abused on eBay, now entirely meaningless.
Reserve: the minimum price the seller will accept for the item.
Shill bid: a fake bid placed by a seller trying to drive up their auction’s price.
Snail Mail: the post, which is obviously very slow compared to email.
Sniping: bidding at the last second to win the item before anyone else can outbid you.
Abbreviations.
AUD: Australian Dollar. Currency.
BIN: Buy it Now. A fixed price auction.
BNWT: Brand New With Tags. An item that has never been used and still has its original tags.
BW: Black and White. Used for films, photos etc.
CONUS: Continental United States. Generally used by sellers who do not want to post things to Alaska or Hawaii.
EUR: Euro. Currency.
FC: First Class. Type of postage.
GBP: Great Britain Pounds. Currency.
HTF: Hard To Find. Not quite as abused as ‘rare’, but getting there.
NIB: New in Box. Never opened, still in its original box.
NR: No Reserve. An item where the seller has not yet set a reserve price.
OB: Original Box. An item, which has its original box (but might have been opened).
PM: Priority Mail.
PP: Parcel Post.
SH: Shipping and Handling. The fees the buyer will pay you for postage.
USD: United States Dollars. Currency.
VGC: Very Good Condition. Not mint, but close.
The chances are that you will experience more specific jargon related to whatever you are selling, but it would be an impossible task to cover it all here. If you cannot figure it out from your knowledge of the subject, then type the term into a search engine, followed by the word ‘ebay’. The chances are that someone, somewhere will have seen fit to explain it.
While it is helpful to be in the position to understand other peoples’ jargon, avoid using it yourself, unless you really have to (for example, if you run out of space with a title of an item). Many people on eBay are not experienced buyers and you will most likely loose them if you write a load of gobbledegook all over your auction.
By now, you are well prepared for starting with eBay for real, and you are probably ready to get started with the first auction.
In the next posting, we will dive in and get started with the real life of eBay.
* * * * *
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Stay tuned,
Christer
BTW
Do you also remember to FOLLOW ME on Twitter?
My new content from all my web pages is also going there
If you find the information useful, don’t hesitate to Tweet or email the post to your friends and colleagues and set up a link on your own blog!
http://twitter.com/christerfolke
While you can sell most things on eBay, quite a few things are banned. If you try to sell any of these things then eBay will remove your auction and all bids will be void.
Below is the full list of items, which eBay regards as being prohibited or questionable:
- Academic Software
- Airline and Transit Related Items
- Alcohol (also see Wine)
- Animals and Wildlife Products
- Anti-circumvention Policy
- Artifacts
- Authenticity Disclaimers
- Autographed Items
- Batteries
- Beta Software
- Bootleg Recordings
- Brand Name Misuse
- Catalog Sales
- Catalytic Converters and Test Pipes
- Celebrity Material
- Charity or Fundraising Listings
- Comparison Policy
- Compilation and Informational Media
- Contracts and Tickets
- Counterfeit Currency and Stamps
- Counterfeit Items
- Credit Cards
- Downloadable Media
- Drugs & Drug Paraphernalia
- Electronics Equipment
- Embargoed Goods and Prohibited Countries
- Encouraging Infringement Policy
- Event Tickets
- Faces, Names and Signatures
- Firearms, Ammunition, Replicas, and Militaria
- Fireworks
- Food
- Freon and Other Refrigerants
- Gift Cards
- Government IDs and Licenses
- Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Items
- Human Parts and Remains
- Importation of Goods into the United States
- International Trading – Buyers
- International Trading – Sellers
- Lockpicking Devices
- Lottery Tickets
- Mailing Lists and Personal Information
- Manufacturers’ Coupons
- Mature Audiences
- Medical Devices
- Misleading Titles
- Mod Chips, Game Enhancers, and Boot Discs
- Movie Prints
- Multi-level Marketing, Pyramid and Matrix Programs
- OEM Software
- Offensive Material
- Pesticides
- Plants and Seeds
- Police-Related Items
- Political Memorabilia
- Postage Meters
- Pre-Sale Listings
- Prescription Drugs and Devices
- Promotional Items
- Real Estate
- Recalled Items
- Recordable Media
- Replica and Counterfeit Items
- Satellite and Cable TV Descramblers
- Slot Machines
- Stocks and Other Securities
- Stolen Property
- Surveillance Equipment
- Tobacco
- Travel
- Unauthorized Copies
- Used Clothing
- Warranties
- Weapons & Knives
- Wine (also see Alcohol)
Most of this is very obvious – of course you ca nt sell illegal products like drugs, pyramid schemes or stolen goods. Almost everything that is on the list is there because there is law against selling it. Some of the reasons, though, are a little strange.
- The ‘autographed items’ entry, for example, does not mean that you ca not sell anything that has been autographed – it just means that you can only sell it if it comes with a certificate of authenticity.
- The ‘artifacts’ entry prohibits you from selling Native American graves. The ‘celebrity material’ means you can’t sell unauthorised pictures of celebrities.
- The ‘embargoed goods’ means that you cannot sell anything, which comes from Cuba…
- And on and on it goes, and most of it you never need to know anyway.
However, if the item you have chosen seems to be on the list and you are concerned that you might not be permitted to sell it, then check the full list at http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html in order to see whether the item is banned entirely or if there are just a few restrictions.
eBay says it will remove any items that it believes violate copyright law, but in reality they do not have that many people to monitor the site. You will generally only find that your auction gets removed if someone decides to report you – and even then, they might not get around to it.
Buying and selling on eBay can sometimes feelbeing more complicated than it really is, thanks to all the rules surrounding it and not to mention the eBay jargon.
The next posting is about ‘jargon buster’, to help you learn the language of eBay.
* * * * *
If you seriously thinking of earning, not losing BIG money on eBay, I definitely recommend a very successful product how to market eBay(R) auctions
- eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches -
as an eBay Seller, you will need it!
Take Action – Click Here to Download “eBay Fortune , The Definitive Roadmap To Auction Riches”
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Stay tuned,
Christer
BTW
Do you also remember to FOLLOW ME on Twitter?
My new content from all my web pages is also going there
If you find the information useful, don’t hesitate to Tweet or email the post to your friends and colleagues and set up a link on your own blog!
http://twitter.com/christerfolke