16. Listings formatted with html look more professional than
plain, unformatted text. Use the HTML editor built in to both
eBay's "Sell Your Item" form and eBay's free
Turbo Lister. With the HTML editor, you can format description text
quickly and easily. -J.G.
17. When you write your title, don't use all capital
letters. Uppercase and lowercase letters are easier to read and
will help people quickly see what you're selling.
-M.C.
18. When creating your listings, provide a complete and
specific item description with as many clear, detailed photos as
possible. You cannot over-describe or overrepresent your item.
Not sure what information to include along with your item
description? See the next tip. -J.G.
Content Continues Below
19. Clearly list your terms and conditions, as well as
shipping, returns, warranty and guarantee policies. You can use
an existing template to help separate the terms and conditions into
sections and highlight them with bullet points, so people can read
them easily. -C.S.
20. Develop a listing schedule. Before you place a
listing, consider the best times for starting and ending an auction
for your particular product. For example, if you had American flags
to sell, you would probably want the listing to end several days
before the Fourth of July, rather than just after it--thus allowing
you enough time to ship your product to your buyers in time for the
holiday. If you're working in a niche area, pay attention to
the days and times your items do the best, and start keeping a
listing schedule. Then stick to it. Your clientele will learn when
you list items, and you will get much better results from your
listings. -D.E.
21. For advanced users, use seller's assistant pro.
It will help you put your listings together offline, then load them
onto the site using its bulk-loading feature. There's a free
trial, then the service costs $24.99 per month. -C.S.
While You're Selling
22. Feed the frenzy. You can feed a bidding frenzy on
your item by using a low opening bid price and no Reserve, which
should attract more bidders at the outset. The more people bidding
on your listing, the more likely that two or more of them will get
drawn into a personal bidding war. At that point, winning the item
becomes almost as important as the product they want to buy, and
these bidders might eventually pay more than they intended to pay
to beat out the competition. This can lead to you getting much more
for your product than you expected. -D.E.
23. Don't get stuck in a rut. If an item isn't
selling as well as it once did, take a look at your photos, title
and description to see if they can be freshened up.
-S.L.
24. Just because you're moving merchandise on ebay
doesn't mean you're making a profit. If you can't
sell an item with enough of a profit margin, it's probably not
worth your time and effort to sell that item. -M.C.
25. Once you are notified of a sold item, you should promptly
respond using the eBay check-out system. Give buyers an invoice
with their total including shipping (which you can calculate using
eBay's shipping rate calculator). -C.S.
Ship It
26. Once the buyer has paid, arrange for shipping as soon as
possible. Make sure you pack the item securely. For more tips
on packing and shipping, check out eBay's packing and shipping
community help board. -C.S.
27. Be reasonable with shipping and handling costs. These
costs often make the difference for buyers choosing between your
listing and the competition's. One sure way to get buyers to
move on to another listing is to bait them with a low price and
then spring high shipping and handling costs on them.
-S.L.
28. Have a regular shipping day or days. State those
dates in your listings so people know when to expect their
packages. -S.L.
29. Use the built-in postage service from PayPal, the
eBay company that allows you to accept online payments from credit
cards or bank accounts. The service allows you to purchase postage
and print labels from both UPS and the USPS using your PayPal
account; it's a big time-saver. -C.S.
30. Schedule courier pickups through the USPS web
site--it's free, and your regular mail carrier will come to
get your packages. All you have to do is pay the postage, and you
won't have to wait in long lines at the post office. You can
even insure the packages without having to go through a lot of
hassles. -C.S.
31. Once the item is shipped out, track the package and make
sure it has been delivered. Follow up with a quick e-mail to
the buyer, asking for feedback and whether the item was
satisfactory. -C.S.
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