July 29th, 2008
What to sell on eBay – not an easy question to answer. You need to properly research and even then you can’t be sure that you will make it.
It makes me smile when I come across multiple eBay guides where you go to section ‘What To Sell On eBay’ and read something like: ‘open your closet… and find thousands of things you do not need…’ If you do not need them why do you think others will pay you to get them? Or your closet is like a museum – full of antique stuff?
At this time eBay is a saturated marketplace where you need to face many challenges including eBay fees, tough competition, off eBay marketing (online, offline) and, of course, product sourcing.
In this article we are going to discuss what to sell on eBay and to sell profitably. It is really possible to sell ANYTHING on eBay, even stuff that you found in your closet. But at the end of the day when you do your math you may be disappointed to discover a negative balance of your eBay business.
OK, you need to RESEARCH what to sell on eBay. I guess we discussed that already. But how to research?
You can do it manually browsing completed auctions and making notes or you can make use of some tools. Some are free, others are for a fee – nothing is free now, even on the Internet.
A few sources come from eBay:
If you are not yet sure or doubtful what to sell on eBay – try more tools:
So, you have a choice of manual and automated eBay market research, free and fee based tools.
All this should definitely help you to make a more informed decision on the items to sell on eBay in addition to the stuff that you will discover in your closet…
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July 27th, 2008
The golden rule for a person who is going to become a prosperous online retailer is learning from other people experience. Mind that you should not only borrow some positive moments (techniques and tactics that seem to be useful for you), but also note all the failures of your competitions in order not to repeat the same mistakes as they have made. A clever person is those who learn not from his own mistakes, but notice the mistakes of other people and try to avoid them. So now I’ll share some words about 5 most common mistakes that eBay retailers make.
1. Writing a Bad Title
Mind that the title is the face of your business, so the more creative your title will be, more potential customers you will have. Analyze the keywords that other sellers use for similar products, and use every relevant keyword you can. Create something unusual, thus, you will attract people’s attention.
2. Setting the Wrong Starting Price
It is a very important point. If you start too high, you may lose buyers’ interest. If you start too low, you may lose your money. You’d better look at Completed Items listings and analyze what the product is going for.
3. Posting an Inaccurate or Incomplete Description
You shouldn’t forget to mention the details of the product: size, condition, markings, age, and history. This mistake can result in numerous questions, callings and emails. Your customers will feel less confident bidding without having full information. Be honest: mention any damages or defects of the product, thus, you will avoid all unnecessary returns and people will trust you more.
4. Putting Up Bad Photos or No Photos At All
Use photos. Buyers should know with whom they deal. But be sure that the photos are of a good quality. Bad photos or irrelevant (too private) ones will scare away your potential customers. Use photos related to business sphere, this will make your auctions look more professional.
5. Putting Up an Auction at the Wrong Time
Remember that everything is good in its time. Both time of year and time of day can affect the success of your auction. Chose the right season for your products and, moreover, good time to start and finish your auction.
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April 23rd, 2008
The first and the foremost thing about eBay business is getting this business rolled. Despite the fact that the modern technology made online selling as fast and as simple as never before, a lot of new retailers find the process frustrating. Most of them give up during the very first stage of selling a product – Sell Your Item form.
Make it Simple
A number of guys faced this kind of problem when they decided to sell snow tires on eBay. They just didn’t know how to list the item, so they came together and gave it a serious thinking:
“Wouldn’t it be neat if you could have expert assistance you could call and they could run you through it…and if you didn’t like to be on your computer, you could do it on your phone.”
The idea developed into the service known as
Recellers.
The service provided by Recellers is the following: you just need a camera or a camera phone. You make a shot of the object you want to sell and send this photo to Recellers. In a matter of minutes they call you and give useful guidance on how to list the item on eBay. They will do everything for you: go to eBay and fill in the entire Sell Your Item form.
Getting Wonderful Deals
The experts of the service will help you in every possible way: they will give you step-by-step guidance and even advice you on the best methods of shipping goods. They will help you answer the following questions:
- What keywords should I use for this of that item?
- What is the best title?
- What should a description feature?
- Should I bold the product?
- What is my most effective pricing tactics?
- What is the best time for the auction?
- In which category should I list the item?
Plummer (the founder of Recellers) continues:
“Market research showed that you could get more money if you could drive more buyers that were looking for an item, and have a true auction, rather than a few people that were just half interested, or stumbled across your listing.”
This is the way you can list the items. But before selling products you need to get them somewhere. I suggest using the wholesale supplier database created by dropshiparea. It features the trusted and checked suppliers that will enable you to have everything you need in stock all the time and never be bothered of running out of supplies.
Posted in Directory of Ideas, Entrepreneurship, General Business, Uncategorized | No Comments »