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Get Going On eBay

by Andrea Butterworth

E-bay does most of the technological stuff for you but they can't help you compete with the millions of other sellers who huddle under their mantle. E-bay will send traffic your way and keep your advertising costs down but if you don't have a good worm on the end of your line chances are you won't catch anything.

If you are new to E-bay how are you going to compete with those seasoned veterans who have hunkered down over a market niche and are equipped to defend it? The answer is the same one that you will hear for many online projects whose final goal is to make money. Quality of CONTENT.

Selling online at E-bay is a retail business just like any brick and mortar establishment. You need to have a business plan and most importantly a marketing strategy. On top of planning your strategy you need to have an abundance of enthusiasm for what you are doing and what you are selling. Know your product and relay that information to your users with gusto. You are a salesperson and must think like one.

Where do you fit into the E-bay community and what category shall you list your self under? This is important and you may be a part of more groups than you would initially think. Spend time brainstorming on who would be interested in your product—write a list. In addition write a list of interests and qualities that these people may possess.

You should be able to cover a bit more ground than you first thought. Always consider how many other auctions are listed in a category because this is a reflection of how much activity is ongoing in that area. The more active that category is, the more people are being driven there. Don't post in categories that aren't very active.

A very important part of listing auctions on E-bay is staying organized and keeping good records. Record EVERYTHING, item number, url, listing date, price, category, status, auction winner, shipping address, billing address—all dates and transactions. Protect yourself by keeping good records.

In closing here is a list of tips on how to sell your products:

a) Always provide a picture (would you buy something you hadn't seen?).

b) Take the time to take a GOOD picture from appropriate angles and with good lighting.

c) Seek out tutorials on how to present information for sales and advertising.

d) Use text formatting to grab the user's eye—bold titles, smaller sub titles and then details. This creates a hierarchy of information on the page that is easy to follow. People read titles first.

e) Invest time and energy in writing an effective sales pitch and titles.

f) Avoid using too much text. A user can only take so much in before they make a decision as to whether they will stay or move on.

g) A text-heavy page is a drag to read and most people on the Internet will leave it behind.

h) If you can, backup your products with a website. Having a website is one step loser to having the brick and mortar space that people trust. In other words it adds to your credibility.

i) Always answer your customers e-mails in a friendly and timely fashion but try to keep it short so you don't get overwhelmed. Your customers can comment on you as a seller for other customers to see so practice good communication and honesty.

Extracted from BraveNet.

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