eBay is not just an auction and a marketplace. Often it can feel quite a lot like a game. Like any game, you can get ahead if you think strategically, using your head to outwit the other buyers and get the best price. Here are a few things you can try.
Shop in the Summer.
This is simple, but effective. Summer is the quiet season on eBay – almost everything sells for less. While everyone else is out enjoying the sun, invest a little time to find some real bargains.
Beat Them by a Few Cents.
Outbid people by a few cents instead of a few dollars – if they do not check back before the auction ends, then you will be the winner. To avoid people using this tactic on you, though, always bid strange, hard-to-guess amounts instead of round numbers.
Play Dirty.
If you know when the auction ends, you can get in there at the very last second and outbid your rivals. The chances are that they will not have the time to sit in front of the auction waiting for it to end – as a rule, he who stays wins. If someone else does retaliate at the end of the auction, though, try not to get carried away in those last few seconds and end up paying too much!
Take Risks.
This is a strategy for the braver eBay buyer. All of the advice you will see for eBay beginners tells you to buy items that have good pictures, clear descriptions, trustworthy sellers and all the rest. If you are brave, why not take a risk and do the exact opposite?
Many buyers will not want that item from the seller with a feedback rating of 5, no picture and a one-line description. If you take a calculated risk and bid anyway, you might be able to make a tiny bid and win by default. There are people on eBay who make their living from winning auctions like these, taking good pictures of the item, writing a good description and then reselling it at a huge profit. Be careful, though. Do this for long enough, and you will inevitably lose your money at some point. It is especially unwise to try it with very high-value items.
Avoid Bidding Wars.
There are few things on eBay that are so rare that you will only see them once and never again. There are usually quite a few sellers who have an item. What’s more, they will generally have more than one to sell, even if they have not listed them all at once. Always check your seller’s history to see whether they sell your item all the time – and if they do, then wait for the next one instead of bidding to the skies.
Now, there may come a time in your eBay life when you realise that you have screwed up your bid, and you wish there was an ‘undo’ button. Here’s the good news for you. There is!
The next posting will be all about withdrawing your eBay bids.
* * * * *
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”
* * * * *
Another viable and most recommendable option, when starting up an eBay business, is to make use of the drop shipping concept, which you can read about in the post – eBay and Drop shipping – What Is It All About?
Click here to find out more about drop shipping.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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
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You will often find yourself facing the choice of whether to pay a fixed price or keep on bidding. This choice might be presented to you in a single auction, or you might be choosing between different auctions of the different types.
So should you use that ‘Buy it Now’ button or keep on trying to outbid everyone else? It is all a question of weighing up the advantages and disadvantages.
Buy it Now.
- The Advantages.
When you use Buy it Now, you know the asking price and you can take some time to decide whether to pay it or not – you can even negotiate. You do not have to keeping your eye on the auction, or get caught up in the last-minute bidding frenzy that is now inevitable on any popular item. Not only that, but the seller will be happy to get a fixed price for their item, and they are likely to nicer to you than usual. Some sellers can be a little resentful when they feel that you got a little too much of a bargain on their item.
- The Disadvantages.
You will almost certainly pay more for the item, especially with more expensive items. Also, it takes some of the fun out of eBay. Are you not there for an auction, after all? If you want to pay a fixed price then there are thousands of online stores you could be visiting. It is like pressing ‘collect’ instead of ‘gamble’ on a fruit machine. It is the boring option. But anyway, maybe that is what you want.
These rules are relatively constant. There are few instances when using ‘Buy it Now’ would allow you to get something cheaper or when bidding would be an easier way to do it. In the end, as with so many things in life, it is a simple question of price versus convenience. It is up to you.
There are those times, though, when the strategic use of the ‘Buy it Now’ button can be a useful tool to help you outwit your competition. If the current bid is almost as high as the Buy it Now price, then why bid higher and keep the contest going? Clicking that button is a no-brainer. The same goes for times when a seller has, for some reason, set the Buy it Now price only slightly higher than their starting price for bids. Why bother to go through all the hassle of bidding?
You might also find that there are times when you should leave the ‘Buy it Now ‘ button as a last resort. It can be a useful way of ending last-minute contests with a decisive ‘this is mine’ gesture.
In fact, there are all sorts of tricks you can use on eBay, if you want to get ahead of the game. Remember that most buyers on eBay are casual, and do not know what they are doing. A little knowledge can go a long way in getting you an advantage. Our next email will have a few tips and tricks for you.
* * * * *
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”
* * * * *
Another viable and most recommendable option, when starting up an eBay business, is to make use of the drop shipping concept, which you can read about in the post – eBay and Drop shipping – What Is It All About?
Click here to find out more about drop shipping.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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
eBay Lesson – 10 Ultimate Tips for Increasing Your eBay Customer Response
You have got the buyer in front of your auction, and they have read the description. They must be interested. Otherwise they would not be looking, right. But just how can you push them over that line and make them leave a bid?
Read on below for some enlightning tips.
- Improve your picture
In all that description writing, you might have missed the vital importance of your item’s picture. A picture with bad lighting or an intrusive background looks amateurish and will not make anyone want to buy from you.
- Add an About Me page
You will be surprised how much you can reassure bidders just by creating an About Me page and putting a little bit about yourself on your business on there. You can also have a few special offers there for people who bother to look at the page, and let people subscribe to your mailing list so that you can email them updates.
- Use SquareTrade
Signing up at SquareTrade and displaying their logo on your auctions shows that you are committed to have them resolve any disputes that arise. You always see this on PowerSellers auctions. It makes you look more professional.
- Write terms and conditions
Have the ’small print’ clearly visible on all your auctions, giving details of things like shipping times and prices, your refund policy, and any other business practices you might have. This helps build confidence with buyers.
- Show off your feedback
Copy and paste a selection of the feedback comments you are most proud of to each item’s description page, instead of making bidders go and look for it. If you have 100% positive feedback, be sure to write that on every auction too.
- Add NR to your titles
If you have extra space in a title, put ‘NR’ (no reserve) on the end. Bidders prefer auctions that do not have a reserve price, and doing this lets them see that yours do not have it.
- Benefits not features
Make sure your description focuses on the benefits that your item can give to the customer, not just its features. This is a classic sales technique. If you have trouble with this, remember - ‘cheap’ is a feature, ’save money’ is a benefit.
- List more items
If you want more people to respond to your items, then list more items! You might find you have better like listing items at the same time, instead of one-by-one. There is no need to use a Dutch auction – you can just keep two or three auctions going at once for an item you have more than one of in stock.
- Accept unusual payment methods
To reach those last few buyers, accept payment methods that many sellers do not accept, e.g. cheques.
- Buy some upgrades
The best upgrade is the most expensive one, which makes your item appear first in search results. In crowded categories, you might find that this is worth the money.
Once you have got some buyers, you want to keep them coming back to you. The next posting will show you how to turn one-time buyers into long-term customers.
* * * * *
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”
* * * * *
Another viable and most recommendable option, when starting up an eBay business, is to make use of the drop shipping concept, which you can read about in the post – eBay and Drop shipping – What Is It All About?
Click here to find out more about drop shipping.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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
Once you have drawn the buyers in with your title, the next thing to do is to tell them all about your item with the description. But just what should you write in your description?
At its heart, your item description is an ad. Without making it too obvious, you should be writing sales copy. You’re trying to get buyers excited about your products, and that is usually hard – but on eBay, if you have the right thing to sell and give enough details, the buyers almost excite themselves.
Technical Details.
Include every technical detail you know, including the item’s manufacturer, its condition, how big it is, where and when it was made, its history, and anything else special about it. Do not be too boring, though! The best descriptions are written in friendly, conversational language, and show a real knowledge of the item. Whatever you do, make sure you tell the truth!
Remember that most of the people who will be buying your item will be just as knowledgeable about it as you are, if not more – this is their hobby, and they are experts. Do not feel like you need to explain the basics of the item! Just go into as much technical detail as you can. As a rule, do not write anything in the description if you do not know what it means, as the chances are someone will, and if you have got it slightly wrong then you will look like you do not know what you are talking about.
Interesting Details.
You might find that you enjoy writing a few things about how you got the item, why you are selling it, and whom you think might like it. This is not strictly necessary, but it gives your auctions some character and a personal touch, and can make people more likely to trust you. People might wonder what you are doing selling 500 CDs all at once, and if you tell them the reason, then they will feel reassured that nothing dodgy is going on. If you are selling them because you are having a baby and you need the space, just say so.
Write as Much as You Can.
Leave nothing out of your description, even if that seems to you like it makes it cumbersomely long. There is no way you can be too thorough! Someone, somewhere will appreciate that you took the time to write the extra information.
Do not assume that anyone who wants extra information will email you to ask a question. Many buyers are shy and will not do it. Think of questions that buyers might have and add the answers to your description, as people generally tend to ask the same questions over and over again.
Each time a buyer does email you with a question, you should both answer their question and update your description so that it will include the answer next time. If people ask questions that are answered in the description, try putting these parts of the auction on a line alone, or in bold, to make them easier to notice.
In the next posting, we will focus on increasing the number of buyers who respond to your auctions.
* * * * *
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”
* * * * *
Another viable and most recommendable option, when starting up an eBay business, is to make use of the drop shipping concept, which you can read about in the post – eBay and Drop shipping – What Is It All About?
Click here to find out more about drop shipping.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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
Going full-time as an eBay seller is living your dream. Being able making a real income, working from home, being your own boss and all the rest of it. It is the promise of a million scams, and it has finally come true – at least for some.
However, what they do not tell you in the success stories, is that becoming a full-time eBay seller is by no means for everyone. You most definitely ought to try it part-time, before even considering taking it up full-time and even then, caution is advisable.
Before you burn your suit, below is a list of questions you should ask yourself.
How Much Do I Earn From eBay Now?
Work out how many hours a week you spend doing eBay-related things (be honest here), and divide it by the average amount of profit you make in a week. If you were doing full-time hours, would you earn as much as you earn now?
Do I Have a Good Job?
Think about what you might loose if you give up your job to focus on eBay. If you are in a well-paid job with good promotion prospects then it is worthwhile reconsidering. You might get a few years down the line and wish you would have stayed in your traditional job, as you would probably be the CEO by now.
Would I Really Make Much More Money?
Unless you are selling a large quantity of small goods, most of what you do on eBay will be waiting for auctions to end and you can wait at work just as easily as you can at home. This is why whether you would make more money on eBay or not, really depends on what kinds of items you are selling. For low value items, going full-time could be a good move. For high-value ones, the chances are you will hit the limits of how much money you have to invest in inventory long before you hit the limits on your time. (see also dropshipping below)
Is my Home a Good Place to Work?
Quite apart from anything else, you might find that the dream of home working is more of a nightmare in reality. People can start to depend on you to get things done that need to be done during the day. If you have a wife and children then they can resent the fact that you are in the house but refuse to have anything to do with them for large parts of the day. Giving in to any of these things and stopping work for a while will cause your profits to fall.
Can I Survive if it All Goes Wrong?
In the end, would you be able to get by if you had a month or two where you sold literally nothing? Or would you be desperately looking around for a job and cursing the day you ever discovered eBay? That is the real test.
If you made it through all these questions, then I guess you are cut out for the eBay life – and even if you did not, you would be surprised just how far you can get part-time.
The next posting will show you how to make you think like the eBay elite – the PowerSellers.
* * * * *
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”
* * * * *
Another viable and most recommendable option, when starting up an eBay business, is to make use of the drop shipping concept, which you can read about in the post – eBay and Drop shipping – What Is It All About?
Click here to find out more about drop shipping.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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