Auction Selling Secrets

Hot Tips For Sellers

Even if you're listing only one item on an auction, we'll show you how to sell like a pro.

Offer Payment Options...the easier it is for your buyers to pay you, the more bids you'll get. Many bidders will pass by auctions that require them to send a money order, considering it too much hassle. If you're not already, consider adding Paypal which extremely popular among Ebay users and/or a credit card processor such as CitiBank based C2it.

Use the Community Boards...Ebay provides open user bulletin boards for virtually all of their services and category areas. A lot of useful tips and information can be gleaned from time spent surfing the bulletin boards.

Show the Bad Stuff...Accurately describe any flaws, cracks, chips, or imperfections in your items in your listing. If possible show a photo of the imperfection. This will save you a LOT of grief later from dissatisfied buyers.

Use Caution with Negative Feedback...your feedback is your report card and the only tool your buyer has to judge your integrity. Guard it wisely. Negative feedback left for others can sometimes result in them leaving a negative feedback for you in retaliation. Once placed it cannot (with very few exceptions) be removed. Granted its a flawed system at best with the bias being toward the buyer. But it is the system in place and not worth the damage to your selling reputation to get unwarranted negative feedback.

Get a Second ID....Ebay allows you to sign up under multiple ID's. If you do a lot of buying as well as selling it may be worth your while to get separate user names for each.

Ebay Canada...if you're currently selling on Ebay.com you may also consider registering to sell on the Ebay Canadian counterpart. Prices will be quoted in both Canadian and US dollars and you will have to ship to Canada. The upside is that there are considerably fewer listings and hence less competition in the more popular categories. It may well be a good time to carve out a niche market there before the competition heats up.

Use Reserve Auctions...try using reserve auctions rather than listing at your minimum bid. The lower reserve price will be more attractive to bidders and help get the bidding started. Ebay will refund your reserve fee if the item sells.

State Your Shipping Terms...whenever possible quote an exact shipping fee in your terms. Many buyers are put off by the "buyer pays actual shipping fees" option and won't bother bidding. When you have to use the option for understandable reasons, invite your potential buyers to email you with their zip code for a shipping estimate.

The About Me Page...seems to be ignored by many sellers. However, it does present another opportunity for prospective buyers to view your auctions. No need to make anything fancy - just a little basic info about yourself, your product, or whatever. Don't forget that Ebay is still allowing a link on the About Me page to your homepage (provided your homepage is not another auction site)

Use HTML...to add some spice to your listings. If you're not already using some basic HTML tags then perhaps you should give it a try. A little does go a long way however, and we would advise against flashing lights and glitzy displays that detract from your product.

List on a Weekend...list your seven day auctions on weekends (or time your 10 day auctions to end on a weekend. You'll catch a lot more bidders at home..and payday for many people is Friday...

Don't Make Shipping a Profit Center...I recently paid $3.95 shipping for a relatively inexpensive baseball card. It was worth it to me to pay the shipping, and I naturally assumed it would be sent 2-3 day priority mail with confirmation. Wrong. Got the card 2 weeks later in a plain envelope with a 36 cent stamp. Needless to say I won't be buying from this guy again. Buyers generally won't complain about 50 cents or a dollar above your stated cost. However intentionally inflating the postage cost to make a few bucks is a good way to get negative feedback and lose any possibility of repeat sales. (not to mention turning off savvy buyers)

Communicate with Your Buyers...should go without saying, but there are many many sellers that rely on the automatic end of auction notice from their management service as their only buyer contact. A short personal email note and prompt response to questions will help establish a rapport with your buyer that will be extremely helpful should problems arise later.

Don't use ***...in your headlines. Looks neat but the * symbol is recognized as a "wild card" by the search engine. Your auction probably won't turn up in a buyer search.

The "Checkout" thing...Ebays rather poorly conceived "checkout" option has probably done more to confuse buyers that anything else they've ever done. I won't go into the checkout specifics here, as their policy seems to be in a state of flux. By the time I upload this page it will likely have changed again. Just be aware. If you're planning to use checkout read the rules and be sure to complete all the boxes. If you're NOT using checkout, make sure that box is checked when you list. It may also be helpful to clearly state in your terms that you do not use checkout and will be sending the buyer information on how to pay.