Online Auctions

Selling on eBay

Before attempting to sell on eBay it is recommended by most experienced eBay users that a person first try partaking in an auction and/or purchasing something offered on the site. There are many strategies used by buyers and sellers alike to try and get the best possible price. Entire books have been written offering advice on how to maximize the eBay auction experience. In summary, here are eleven areas that need attention when planning to sell through an eBay auction. This list provides a glimpse into the process.

• Fully use the "About Me" page—The "About Me" page is a free Web page offered to an eBay seller. This is a useful resource that any small business or individual seller should use and keep updated.
• Shop the competition—It is always a good idea to search for items already listed on eBay before preparing to list new items and set up auctions. A little competitive research will provide a new seller with important information about what category is most commonly used for an item, the price range for other similar objects, and the availability of supply of similar items currently listed.
• Choose a category—Items up for sale and auction on eBay are listed by category. Having one's items assigned to a category correctly is essential since customers looking for that perfect, customized swing set you have listed will never find it if it is erroneously listed as yard equipment.
• Write an informative and compelling description—Writing catchy and informative product descriptions is not a simple task. The auction title needs to catch a potential buyer's attention and compel him or her to click on the item. Because eBay's search engine uses the auction title to index items for sale, use this precious title real estate wisely and refrain from using cute words like "wow" or "L@@K!" Include as many terms as possible for the item you wish to sell, since people will refer to things in many ways—pants, jeans, dress slacks, trousers, suit pants, etc … Be as informative as possible in the description. For an additional fee, there are other features that may be added to a listing. eBay offers several options for increasing visibility, like bold-face fonts and highlighting, but these come at a cost and their use should be weighed against the benefit added.
• Select a format—In addition to the classic auction format, there are other ways to sell on eBay. One can add a "Buy It Now" button to the auction, which permits a potential buyer to skip the auction process and purchase the item for the assigned price. Another option is to use a Dutch-style auction to sell multiple identical items in the same listing. This is popular among small businesses. Formats that tend to work best for some products may not be the optimum formats for others products. For example, a 'Buy it Now" bottom may work best for lower-priced, more impulse-buy items but may not help with higher priced or very unique items.
• Use photos to advantage—The use of photos in an auction is very important. Bidders do not have the opportunity to look at an item in person, so pictures factor heavily in their decisions about whether or not to bid and if so, how much to bid.
• Set the price—Setting a price can become complicated depending on the auction format chosen. One way that eBay makes it easy to list and sell is by allowing sellers to set a reserve price: a price below which the seller refuses to sell. Unless the bidding meets or exceeds the reserve, the item will not sell. Reserves make some buyers uncomfortable.
• Establish the auction length—Seven days is the default length, but there are reasons to select a different length. For example, many sellers want the bidding to conclude on a Sunday, a popular day for eBay bidding activity. Auctions may run for 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days.
• State payment methods acceptable—The seller decides what forms of payment will be acceptable. The more forms of payment accepted, the bigger the potential pool of bidders will be.
• Determine shipping costs and who will pay—Establishing from the outset who is responsible for shipping costs is the best policy. Most sellers require the buyer to pay for shipping costs, particularly as they are an unknown until the location of the buyer is revealed. Offering free shipping is, of course, one way to get a listing to stand out.
• Provide quality customer service—This may seem a self-evident recommendation, and, of course, it is sound advice for any business undertaking. When working with eBay, however, one's record of customer service and follow-through becomes a matter for public record. The eBay system has a built in mechanism for monitoring the actions of customers and sellers. It is called feedback and anyone active on eBay is encouraged to send feedback on the person or entity with whom he or she has had a transaction. These feedback comments and ratings are made a part of the recipient's eBay profile and are then used by future potential sellers and buyers in assessing the likely reliability of the trading partner.

EBAY BUSINESS PARTNER PROGRAMS

ProStores

The eBay company provides a large number of software tools to its members, as eBay sellers and buyers are called. Among the more sophisticated of these is called eBay stores. An eBay store is a business and is designed to help a casual eBay seller become a viable business that sells merchandise through eBay on a steady and regular basis. It is recommended that anyone wishing to establish an eBay store first start out by becoming established on the site and getting to know the rhythm of an eBay business before opening a store. Sell at least 50 items a month, have a good source of merchandise, and prepare to be creative when it comes to servicing customers and accumulating a regular client base.

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