These days, it seems like everybody is trying to get a piece of the eBay pie, and for good reason. Last year, over $400 billion traded hands on eBay. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can list your product on a website with a global audience of hundreds of millions of people.
Yes, it's easy to see why everybody has the eBay bug. Whether you are just trying to get rid of some old household junk, or you are trying to start your own full time eBay business, there are a few simple things you should consider. Here's my list of the five biggest mistakes that eBay sellers make.
1. Not including a picture of the item you are selling. Far and away, this is the most common mistake that people make on eBay. Including a picture of your item is the best way to guarantee quality bids on your product. People want to see what they are buying, and if they can't, they are likely to move on to the next listing.
If you have a digital camera, sanp a quick photo of your item and upload it...it really only takes a few seconds. And if you don't have a digital camera, use a search engine like Google Images to find a picture of the product you are selling. This step only takes a few extra minutes and could substantially increase your products final value.
2. Spending too much on "extra features" on items that don't need it. Another big mistake I see on eBay are items that have a lot of extra features that really aren't justified. Of course, eBay is willing to sell all sorts of add-ons, like bold listings, subtitles, and "featured listings" for an additional fee. But in general, these things aren't worth paying for.
Most products will do just fine with a basic listing with the one included free picture. The only other feature that might be worth paying for is to have a "gallery picture" included with the search results, but only if there are lots of items that are exactly the same or extremely similar. Those extra features might only cost $0.20 here or $1.00 there, but when taken together, these unnecessary expenses can seriously cut into your profit margin.
3. Spelling mistakes and extra words & punctuation in the product title. This one should be obvious. If you want to make the most money from a product on eBay, people have got to be able to find it. The best way to insure that people can't find your product would be to mess up the title in some way.
As far as the title of your listing goes, you want to keep it simple. Above all, make sure you spell the product name correctly. Also, don't include extra words (like "Great Deal") or unnecessary punctuation (like exclamation points), as these things only make your listing harder to find. Keep the titel short, and include any necessary details in the body of the listing itself.
4. Sellers often price their items too low when using the "Buy it Now" feature. I see it all the time...a seller will offer an item at a "Buy It Now" price that is far below the "market price" on eBay. Don't sell yourself short. If you're going to sell using Buy It Now, make sure you do a quick search of the recently completed auctions for similar items. See what the item sold for last week on eBay before you set your price. More often than not, the items you have to sell are worth more than you'd think.
5. Allowing your auction to run for too long. This may seem counterintuitive...you would think that the longer the auction, the more people that have a chance to bid. However, we live in an "instant gratification" society and people, particularly seasoned eBayers, quickly grow impatient with long auctions. As a rule of thumb, an auction should never last longer than 7 days, and most of your auctions should be 5 days or less. If you are selling something that is in particularly high demand, sometimes a 3 day auction is your best bet.
By offering a shorter auction, you are able to attract bidders who need the item quickly. You also assure a certain momentum & excitement to your auction by offering an ending date in the near future.
By taking note of the simple steps above, you can avoid some of the more costly mistakes that sellers make on eBay. By putting yourself in your buyer's shoes, creating an attractive listing, and avoiding unnecessary fees, you too can make a fun and profitable venture into the world of eBay selling.
No comments:
Post a Comment