Successful Selling on eBay©

By Cheryl Coccaro  ©2006

Do you like to buy and sell on eBay ?  It’s easy and fun, isn’t it ? In fact, it’s one of the easiest online business you can start almost overnight, without any major investments.

That’s the best thing about it. But do you also know that only a small number of people are successful and the hard fact is that most of them quit after a little while or run it only as a hobby. Yes, that’s true. In fact, they actually give up because they do not know the key elements that bring success to their auctions.

So, what are the secrets of those successful eBay sellers? Where can you find them? I can tell you that the most important thing to become successful is a having a unique product. That’s the first thing.

In case you don’t have a unique product, you can sell other products which are in high demand, for example: children clothing, designer clothing, digital cameras, etc. But keep in mind that your item has to compete with perhaps at least 100 similar products and they maybe at a better price. So if you are selling products which you create and design yourself, you automatically fall into the category of being unique.

But suppose you create items that are just like other items being listed on eBay, what can you do to create success? Create a better looking auction including keywords and great photos. Yes, you need to be different and unique, but more importantly....professional looking.

Over the last 5 years of selling on eBay, I have tried various listings using the same item at the same time. I wanted to see what I changed in each listing making sure that it each one was different. What listing got the most bids ? If you guessed that the listings with a professional and unique design ended up with 40% more bids. Imagine that! It was exactly the same item. The only thing I changed was the design of the auction page. I proved to myself that “how your auction looks and feels” can make a huge difference in the ending selling price. As the saying goes, if it quacks like a duck, it must be a duck! It’s just amazing.

If the auction listing of the item you are viewing at looks nice, the logic of your brain says, that this item has to be good. It’s more likely that your viewer will click on the “Bid now” or "Buy It Now" button. I have seen that happen so many times. So, if you use a professional looking eBay auction template for your listings, you will be surprised how this may boost your eBay sales. Why not try to modify your templates and see which one does better. A tiny change can make a huge difference. Do an experiment and keep track which auction and what template generates the most money for you.

You’ll see that some templates do really well and some don’t. Be creative and modify your templates. But be careful! Don’t overdo it using too bright colors and fonts. Give your auction a lot of white space. It's easier on the eyes to read an auction that is not cluttered. I know that I enjoy viewing a clean auction with an honest description and a close clear photo. In fact, resizing your auction photos to a smaller size is one auction plus as it will load much faster and will be seen!

Be sure to write a good description using the proper keywords which eBay gives you on their selling page. Most people thing that their auction title page must "read" correctly, like in a sentence. The title should be filled with keywords so that the search engine can find your auction matching as many keywords as possible.

To succeed on eBay, you really need to know the skinny from someone who has been successful. Be sure that your auction meets the following minimum recommendations:

• listing in the proper category,
• great title with keywords,
• great auction descriptions with well placed keywords,
• a clear and sharp photo,
• priced for the value it is worth,
• shipping costs that are realistic,
• an attractive looking auction which makes it professional,
• a good track record as shown in your feedback number,
• relisting and not giving up if your item doesn't sell the first time around

In the end, if your auction design is professional and you have the above items properly executed, your item is most likely to sell. If not relist it within the 30 days eBay allows.

When you need assistance, remember that I am here to help you along your journey to success.