| Sometimes just a few small tasks make all the | | | | like 'All Creatures Great and Small' or 'Coronation |
| difference between making a few dollars profit on | | | | Street'. Do you list it under 'Cars' or 'Television |
| eBay and generating a small fortune each month. | | | | Memorabilia'? The seasoned eBayer might use both |
| These ideas will help you make more from your | | | | categories in one listing. But if it doesn't sell, you've just |
| listings. | | | | lost money, more than if you'd chosen just one |
| * Big benefits of using 'Buy It NOW'! The vast majority | | | | category. Two categories can work wonders, |
| of PowerSellers sell items on the BUY IT NOW | | | | generating lots of bids and high realisations, but is |
| principle, thereby generating constant sales for easily | | | | normally best used with experience. So work at |
| available items, and meaning the same listing can be | | | | getting the first category right before expanding. |
| used time after time, allowing potentially thousands of | | | | * Advice on using photographs. Most times a gallery |
| similar items to be delivered worldwide, often via | | | | picture is essential, especially among high competition |
| dropshipping companies. Oftentimes the PowerSeller | | | | items such as clothing, toys, cars. Not always so for |
| never even sees items he or she is selling. He or she | | | | one-off and most collectors' items without a picture |
| simply lists items, takes payment, then sends order | | | | where enthusiastic collectors will still click through. I |
| details and an agreed amount of money to another | | | | venture to suggest that, on occasion, a listing without a |
| company - the dropshipping company - which then | | | | picture can generate more visits, purely out of curiosity, |
| sends items direct to customers. So all you do is find | | | | especially with a cryptic heading, such as 'Biggest, |
| 100 or 1000 high selling items, list them, sell the items, | | | | Fattest HoneyPot on eBay', or where pictures are |
| take payments, fulfill orders, then press a few buttons | | | | largely superfluous, as for instance for books, CDs, |
| next week to relist those items again in just a few | | | | ebooks where title itself does the selling. |
| minutes. Look at the great majority of PowerSellers | | | | * Keep careful records of successful bidders who |
| and you'll see some with many, many thousands of | | | | have paid and others who haven't. eBay provides a |
| items listed, of which just a handful of listings are | | | | reminder button for your slow-paying bidders. But |
| auction format. (Did you really think people selling 5,000 | | | | proceed with caution. Remember why erasers are |
| plus items create all those listings weekly from | | | | placed on the end of pencils - because people make |
| scratch?). See the next tip. | | | | mistakes - and the mistake might be yours. Check, |
| * When size does matter and small is usually best. Aim | | | | check, check everything carefully before sending |
| to regularly list similar (tested profitability) best selling | | | | reminders and always before writing derogatory |
| items as opposed to continuously listing one-off items | | | | letters to bidders or reporting them to eBay. See the |
| (unless you have experience of those one-off items). | | | | next tip. |
| The benefits of this repeat product business model are | | | | * Use Feedback carefully. It goes without saying, don't |
| many and varied and include: less time spent listing | | | | give negative feedback to others without making |
| items for sale; all things being equal, regular reliable | | | | thorough checks first. The other person could have |
| profits can be expected from relisting the same | | | | suffered a bereavement, be ill, or in the middle of a |
| products for sale every day, week or month; planning | | | | two or three day power cut and that's the reason |
| is easier for the business man or woman who knows | | | | they haven't paid you! Be fair, be nice, do unto others |
| almost exactly what will sell next week and the week | | | | ..............................! |
| after that, as well as roughly how many sales will | | | | * Hot Foot It for Instant Best-Sellers. Look for hot eBay |
| ensue and what profits are likely; the seller can book | | | | categories, where most items attract bids, preferably |
| holidays and take days off by anticipating sales, | | | | multiple bids. Finding these categories, and their |
| fulfillment and delivery demands; he can confidently | | | | best-selling products, is largely down to research and |
| answer most queries by simply emailing back standard | | | | hard work. When you find your niche, dominate it, have |
| replies from wherever he or she is on holiday; the | | | | more listings than others in the niche, look for products |
| business can be highly automated, primarily through the | | | | they don't have, be first with new products. Examples |
| push button process and by organising automated | | | | from my own research: keyrings, charms, metal |
| responses to buyers and sellers; even stock levels and | | | | detectors, dog jewellery. |
| reordering can be made faster and more efficient by | | | | * Counting on Success. Spend time researching other |
| use of standard templates or signature files which | | | | people's listings, especially for products you'd like to sell. |
| save time and energy otherwise spent placing orders | | | | The best indicator of a popular product is the number |
| by post, fax, email, telephone. | | | | of people actually entering the listing to obtain more |
| * The magic of PayPal: I strongly recommend you use | | | | information. Visitor numbers can easily be checked |
| PayPal for receiving payments and for paying eBay | | | | from counters displayed at the foot of most listings. |
| fees. Buyers generally prefer PayPal and will actively | | | | But not all eBayers use counters. Note too that low |
| avoid non-PayPal sellers. People can pay immediately | | | | visitor numbers may still indicate a popular product, as |
| they receive an invoice or immediately an auction ends, | | | | for instance products for tiny niche markets with |
| meaning less likelihood of the buyer forgetting to pay | | | | fewer potential buyers but greater intention to buy. |
| later. | | | | * Look for Ideas in the Strangest of Places. We |
| * Sell snow to the Eskimos! Some items naturally | | | | needed pictures of our new dog design cufflinks and |
| attract more people in their country of origin, especially | | | | wanted something special, with a luxury feel. We scan |
| collectibles such as books about New York City or | | | | most of our products by placing them directly onto the |
| 'Arizona' printed souvenir china (they'll attract more | | | | scanner bed but find the scanner lid makes an |
| interest on eBay.com), and others from Melbourne, | | | | unattractive backing for most items. We needed |
| Australia (best on au), and Berlin, Germany (ebay.de). In | | | | something different, colourful, a background to |
| reality, really enthusiastic bidders check the entire eBay | | | | emphasise the quality of these lovely gold plated items. |
| marketplace through the 'Search' facility on every | | | | We tried velvet pads from jewellery boxes, plain |
| eBay page, but you can never be sure, so consider | | | | paper, hankies, nothing worked. Then we tried Marks |
| your market for every new listing ('new' meaning | | | | & Spencers' silk lilac undies, they worked a treat. |
| untested items). | | | | The lilac looked wonderful against the gold and the silk |
| * Spread your listings to maximise your audience: You | | | | wrapped delicately around the cufflinks without |
| can list each item under two categories to ensure a | | | | creasing. Better still, using that background for all of our |
| wider target audience. Imagine you own a car that | | | | jewellery lets regular customers spot ours among |
| once featured in a well-known television programme, | | | | thousands of competing listings. |