Selling on eBay – Have You Remembered to Pay your Fees?
If you've just started selling on eBay you're probably still finding your way around, and coming to terms with the ins and outs of how eBay works. Don't worry, there are people out there who have been selling on eBay for years who haven't mastered it all yet!
As you may know, eBay is the biggest open marketplace in the world, and as such it needs some sense of order to survive. Most of the rules and regulations are simple and straightforward, common sense in a way, and so are easy to understand and will help most people to achieve their goal of selling or buying on eBay.
One of the most important things to remember if you are selling on eBay is to pay your eBay Fees on time! It's such a simple thing to remember, but you would be amazed at how many people 'forget', or don't think it important enough, and have to be reminded. Many others wonder why it is so important.
Like all business's both large and small, eBay runs on a 'cash flow' basis. Without some sort of control over income and expenditure these businesses would struggle to survive. When you consider that eBay are dealing with literally millions of customers on a daily basis, it is easy to see that without control they could find themselves in deep do-dah.
There is usually a 'grace' period of a few days after the fees are due, but if you're serious about selling on eBay then don't go over this period. The first thing eBay will do if you ignore the deadline is to suspend your eBay account! You really don't want that to happen as you won't be able to carry out any further business until they say so.
You may, for example, have some auctions still running in which case they could well be cancelled, incurring additional costs to you and you don't need that do you? Not when there are so many different ways to make sure your eBay fees are always paid on time.
Did you know when you first set up your free eBay account you were given several options regarding the payment of fees? You could, for example, opt for having all your eBay fees deducted from your credit card, or make arrangements to pay by other means. If you aren't sure about any of this, then eBay will offer assistance through their help desk.
If you do decide to ignore all the advice and make your own arrangements, just make sure you never forget, or your fledgling business could come to an abrupt halt! Normally, if no prior arrangement is made such as mentioned, then eBay will invoice you when the fees are due. If this happens, pay up straight away, but why take the chance? What if the invoice doesn't reach you? What if you've gone on holiday or been taken ill? Is it worth taking the chance?
For more advice and tips on everything to do with eBay, including starting from scratch, why not take a look at a specialist book such as '£2,500 a week PowerSeller Secrets' by Amanda O'Brien. She shows you exactly how she managed to go from nothing to £2,500 a week selling on eBay. She tells you about all the mistakes she's made, so you don't have to make the same ones! That's kind isn't it?
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Thursday, 7 January 2010
Keep your finger on the pulse for eBay profits
How to Profit from Other Peoples Sales on eBay.
If you're stuck about what to sell on eBay, or you can't make your mind up which product is the best, you can always 'piggy back' the success of other people currently selling on eBay.
What do you mean?
OK, what you need to do is to look at the 'hot' products currently selling well and see if you can sell the same or similar. If you can't find anything in your chosen 'niche', then look at other 'niches' and see what you can find. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of different 'niche' categories and sub-categories you can look at in eBay, so have a look round and see what you can find.
Then what?
Knowing how to research what’s currently hot on eBay is the best way of picking the right product to sell. What you need to look for are products that are already selling well on eBay, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel. In other words, don’t try and introduce a new product.
Look at what others are selling successfully and then sell it yourself. If you know where to look to find the products that are flying out in huge quantities, all you have to do then is find a source for that product, list it and take a slice of the pie.
What about the competition?
It doesn’t matter. The trick is not only to look at what’s selling right now, and then source and sell a similar product, what you want is to go one better – that’s the way to eBay selling success!
Now, a better version of the product doesn’t necessarily mean an upgraded form of the same product either. Think laterally.
A better guarantee.
A better listing.
Added extra such as Fast Dispatch.
These are all things that can make your product seem ‘better’ to a potential buyer.
OK, tell me how I do it then
The research method I will show you goes by the name of eBay Pulse. It's a free tool which is in fact provided by eBay itself. But it’s surprising how few sellers know about this essential and extremely useful tool.
Using eBay Pulse, combined with other research methods, will allow you to easily find hot 'niches' and products that are good sellers on eBay with very little effort. I use it all the time and it’s the first place I look when I am researching new products and ideas.
How do I find it then?
Log in to your eBay account. Once logged in go to 'Site Map' at the bottom of the eBay home page. On the left hand side scroll down to 'More ways to find items' and look for 'eBay Pulse'.
Clicking on this will take you to the eBay Pulse page and near the top will be found 'Categories', Expand the list and look for your chosen category and click on it.
Now you will be faced with a list of the most popular searches within that category so you can go a step deeper in finding a good product to sell. Further down the page you will see a list of 'Most Watched Items', again from your chosen category. Look at this list and see if there's a product that you like there as well.
If you want actual sales figures for any of these products, click on the listing and look for 'sales' next to 'history'. You can now see exactly how many have been sold over what period of time. This should tell you if it's a good selling product or not.
By doing good research first on how well a product has been selling will ensure you choose something that you know will sell. So all you now need to do is source that product for as little as you can, do all your sums properly, do a brilliant listing and watch the sales come in!
To get more detailed knowledge of this and some of the other top strategies on getting the most from selling on eBay, have a look at Amanda O'Briens' £2,500 a week eBay Powerseller Secrets book. She really does go through literally everything you will ever need to know about selling on eBay. All the tips, tricks and strategies to make your experience of using eBay one to be proud of, and one to make you a lot of regular money. Check it out HERE now!
If you're stuck about what to sell on eBay, or you can't make your mind up which product is the best, you can always 'piggy back' the success of other people currently selling on eBay.
What do you mean?
OK, what you need to do is to look at the 'hot' products currently selling well and see if you can sell the same or similar. If you can't find anything in your chosen 'niche', then look at other 'niches' and see what you can find. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of different 'niche' categories and sub-categories you can look at in eBay, so have a look round and see what you can find.
Then what?
Knowing how to research what’s currently hot on eBay is the best way of picking the right product to sell. What you need to look for are products that are already selling well on eBay, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel. In other words, don’t try and introduce a new product.
Look at what others are selling successfully and then sell it yourself. If you know where to look to find the products that are flying out in huge quantities, all you have to do then is find a source for that product, list it and take a slice of the pie.
What about the competition?
It doesn’t matter. The trick is not only to look at what’s selling right now, and then source and sell a similar product, what you want is to go one better – that’s the way to eBay selling success!
Now, a better version of the product doesn’t necessarily mean an upgraded form of the same product either. Think laterally.
A better guarantee.
A better listing.
Added extra such as Fast Dispatch.
These are all things that can make your product seem ‘better’ to a potential buyer.
OK, tell me how I do it then
The research method I will show you goes by the name of eBay Pulse. It's a free tool which is in fact provided by eBay itself. But it’s surprising how few sellers know about this essential and extremely useful tool.
Using eBay Pulse, combined with other research methods, will allow you to easily find hot 'niches' and products that are good sellers on eBay with very little effort. I use it all the time and it’s the first place I look when I am researching new products and ideas.
How do I find it then?
Log in to your eBay account. Once logged in go to 'Site Map' at the bottom of the eBay home page. On the left hand side scroll down to 'More ways to find items' and look for 'eBay Pulse'.
Clicking on this will take you to the eBay Pulse page and near the top will be found 'Categories', Expand the list and look for your chosen category and click on it.
Now you will be faced with a list of the most popular searches within that category so you can go a step deeper in finding a good product to sell. Further down the page you will see a list of 'Most Watched Items', again from your chosen category. Look at this list and see if there's a product that you like there as well.
If you want actual sales figures for any of these products, click on the listing and look for 'sales' next to 'history'. You can now see exactly how many have been sold over what period of time. This should tell you if it's a good selling product or not.
By doing good research first on how well a product has been selling will ensure you choose something that you know will sell. So all you now need to do is source that product for as little as you can, do all your sums properly, do a brilliant listing and watch the sales come in!
To get more detailed knowledge of this and some of the other top strategies on getting the most from selling on eBay, have a look at Amanda O'Briens' £2,500 a week eBay Powerseller Secrets book. She really does go through literally everything you will ever need to know about selling on eBay. All the tips, tricks and strategies to make your experience of using eBay one to be proud of, and one to make you a lot of regular money. Check it out HERE now!
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
How to make Profits with Great Listings
It's not what you sell on eBay - it's the way you sell it!
It's vitally important to the success of your eBay selling that the way you describe your goods on your eBay listing is done to your best advantage. If you've ever scrolled through other peoples listings (which you should do regularly) you will have probably noticed that some are good and some are quite frankly awful!
If you put yourself in the position of a buyer looking for a particular product, and you see for example 3 listings for the same or similar products, how do you choose which one to buy? If the first one you see shows a photo of the product, has a reasonable description, but doesn't tell you too much about it, and doesn't really say what the delivery time or costs are, you would probably move onto the next one.
The second one looks a lot cheaper, but has no photo and the description given leaves a lot to be desired. It also looks as though it's been cobbled together by someone who doesn't care whether he sells it or not.
Now, if the third one has a photo with the listing and with the description, and also has a comprehensive description all set out properly, with any delivery costs and times shown, all methods of payment accepted, guarantee and returns policy in place, leaving no question unanswered, you'd be impressed wouldn't you? Even if the third listing was a little bit more in price, most people would probably go for that one. Why? For the simple reason that it answers all your questions BEFORE you ask them.
That's how YOUR listings should look. From the title to the payment method, your listings should be clear and concise, with easy to understand, and FULL descriptions complete with photos is a must. Take a little extra time when doing your description, take a pride in how it looks, after all it IS your sales page. Make your listing stand out from the rest - even ones selling the same products!
There are hundreds of free eBay auction templates available online these days, so hunt them down and use them. That way you can become destinctive, and it will save you time later on, as well as looking more professional. The use of various fonts and sizes, as well as subtle use of colours can do wonders for your listings. If you don't believe me, scroll through different eBay listings and see which ones stand out, and why.
If you're just selling one off items, or rare items without any real competition, then a standard listing description is normally fine. However, it gets more tricky to get noticed if you have a lot of competition, so you must work hard to be up there with the best. There's nothing wrong with copying the ideas from other successful sellers.
Don't copy them exactly of course, this can lead to all sorts of problems, but there's nothing to stop you copying their ideas. When you find one you really like,see how they constructed it, what font did they use, what size was it and more importantly what layout did they use? Anything that you think would be useful to you, make a note of and try it yourself.
To get more information on how to write your eBay listings properly, and get right down to all the nitty gritty of selling on eBay, why not check out Amanda's Powerseller Guide here. She goes through everything you will ever need to know about selling on eBay successfully. It really is a must have book and one no self respecting eBay seller should be without. GET IT HERE NOW
It's vitally important to the success of your eBay selling that the way you describe your goods on your eBay listing is done to your best advantage. If you've ever scrolled through other peoples listings (which you should do regularly) you will have probably noticed that some are good and some are quite frankly awful!
If you put yourself in the position of a buyer looking for a particular product, and you see for example 3 listings for the same or similar products, how do you choose which one to buy? If the first one you see shows a photo of the product, has a reasonable description, but doesn't tell you too much about it, and doesn't really say what the delivery time or costs are, you would probably move onto the next one.
The second one looks a lot cheaper, but has no photo and the description given leaves a lot to be desired. It also looks as though it's been cobbled together by someone who doesn't care whether he sells it or not.
Now, if the third one has a photo with the listing and with the description, and also has a comprehensive description all set out properly, with any delivery costs and times shown, all methods of payment accepted, guarantee and returns policy in place, leaving no question unanswered, you'd be impressed wouldn't you? Even if the third listing was a little bit more in price, most people would probably go for that one. Why? For the simple reason that it answers all your questions BEFORE you ask them.
That's how YOUR listings should look. From the title to the payment method, your listings should be clear and concise, with easy to understand, and FULL descriptions complete with photos is a must. Take a little extra time when doing your description, take a pride in how it looks, after all it IS your sales page. Make your listing stand out from the rest - even ones selling the same products!
There are hundreds of free eBay auction templates available online these days, so hunt them down and use them. That way you can become destinctive, and it will save you time later on, as well as looking more professional. The use of various fonts and sizes, as well as subtle use of colours can do wonders for your listings. If you don't believe me, scroll through different eBay listings and see which ones stand out, and why.
If you're just selling one off items, or rare items without any real competition, then a standard listing description is normally fine. However, it gets more tricky to get noticed if you have a lot of competition, so you must work hard to be up there with the best. There's nothing wrong with copying the ideas from other successful sellers.
Don't copy them exactly of course, this can lead to all sorts of problems, but there's nothing to stop you copying their ideas. When you find one you really like,see how they constructed it, what font did they use, what size was it and more importantly what layout did they use? Anything that you think would be useful to you, make a note of and try it yourself.
To get more information on how to write your eBay listings properly, and get right down to all the nitty gritty of selling on eBay, why not check out Amanda's Powerseller Guide here. She goes through everything you will ever need to know about selling on eBay successfully. It really is a must have book and one no self respecting eBay seller should be without. GET IT HERE NOW
Monday, 9 November 2009
Small Tweaks can mean Bigger Profits
How to Profit on eBay - 5 Small Tweaks to Boost Your Sales
Have you ever wondered if there's anything else you can do to get more sales on eBay? Do you see your competition getting ahead of you, and think there must be something I can do to catch up, or even overtake them?
You may think your eBay listings are as good as you can make them - but are they? Here are a few things you can try that may be enough to boost your sales and get you back in the mix. They're only small things, but as they say 'all good things come in small parcels!'
1. Listing Titles. Have you ever noticed how some people use CAPITALS for ALL their words in a Listing on eBay? There's a school of opinion that it's 'not the done thing', and may even be a form of 'shouting' as in text speak. On the other hand, some studies have shown an increase of around 20% in hits using all capitals, so it may well be worth trying.
2. White Space. If you have a long listing describing your item in detail (which you should have by the way), make sure you have plenty of 'white space'. Use short paragraphs with double spacing between each and let the 'dog see the rabbit', i.e. your detailed description should be read easily. Readers get bored very quickly with long text and will leave.
3. Scrolling Galleries. If you use a scrolling gallery to showcase your products (it's a great idea if you have lots to sell), then you probably use something like 'Auctiva' or 'Vendio'. Make sure the scrolling gallery is sited at the bottom of your listing so you don't distract from the item you're currently selling.
4. Auction Templates Do you use auction templates for your listings? If you do then make sure the template you choose is relevant to your business. Also choose a template where the photos are either on the left or the right, and not top or bottom. This way your potential buyer can see your photos as they scroll through your listing. Tests have shown this can improve the selling rate by as much as 15%.
5. Shipping and Returns. Although eBay give you a box to enter your shipping and returns policies, try putting them at the bottom of your description. Most people (me included) always like to know the details of these things before clicking any buttons. I like to know the shipping method and cost etc don't you?
These may only be small things, but if you're struggling a little bit give them a try. An improved click rate of 15% here or 20% there may be just what you want!
If even these tips don't work, and you want to start all over again from the beginning, have a look at 'Secrets of an Ebay Powerseller' by Amanda O'Brien. She will show you how to earn between £350 - £2,500 a week selling on eBay. Starting from scratch she shows exactly what you have to do, what products to sell, how to list properly, what profit margins to look for - literally EVERYTHING you will ever need to know. It's a proper book too, so you can have it next to you as you do it! Get your copy HERE NOW and live the dream.
Have you ever wondered if there's anything else you can do to get more sales on eBay? Do you see your competition getting ahead of you, and think there must be something I can do to catch up, or even overtake them?
You may think your eBay listings are as good as you can make them - but are they? Here are a few things you can try that may be enough to boost your sales and get you back in the mix. They're only small things, but as they say 'all good things come in small parcels!'
1. Listing Titles. Have you ever noticed how some people use CAPITALS for ALL their words in a Listing on eBay? There's a school of opinion that it's 'not the done thing', and may even be a form of 'shouting' as in text speak. On the other hand, some studies have shown an increase of around 20% in hits using all capitals, so it may well be worth trying.
2. White Space. If you have a long listing describing your item in detail (which you should have by the way), make sure you have plenty of 'white space'. Use short paragraphs with double spacing between each and let the 'dog see the rabbit', i.e. your detailed description should be read easily. Readers get bored very quickly with long text and will leave.
3. Scrolling Galleries. If you use a scrolling gallery to showcase your products (it's a great idea if you have lots to sell), then you probably use something like 'Auctiva' or 'Vendio'. Make sure the scrolling gallery is sited at the bottom of your listing so you don't distract from the item you're currently selling.
4. Auction Templates Do you use auction templates for your listings? If you do then make sure the template you choose is relevant to your business. Also choose a template where the photos are either on the left or the right, and not top or bottom. This way your potential buyer can see your photos as they scroll through your listing. Tests have shown this can improve the selling rate by as much as 15%.
5. Shipping and Returns. Although eBay give you a box to enter your shipping and returns policies, try putting them at the bottom of your description. Most people (me included) always like to know the details of these things before clicking any buttons. I like to know the shipping method and cost etc don't you?
These may only be small things, but if you're struggling a little bit give them a try. An improved click rate of 15% here or 20% there may be just what you want!
If even these tips don't work, and you want to start all over again from the beginning, have a look at 'Secrets of an Ebay Powerseller' by Amanda O'Brien. She will show you how to earn between £350 - £2,500 a week selling on eBay. Starting from scratch she shows exactly what you have to do, what products to sell, how to list properly, what profit margins to look for - literally EVERYTHING you will ever need to know. It's a proper book too, so you can have it next to you as you do it! Get your copy HERE NOW and live the dream.
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Are there any Smart Auction Secrets on eBay?
Will you profit with more than one eBay account?
Having more than one eBay account ID is essential if you want to take advantage of everything eBay offers its sellers, and start to profit with your eBay auction sites. You shouldn't worry about customers finding out about your multiple identities, as even with the sophisticated searches available, no-one but eBay will ever know you have more than one account.
The only stipulation is that you must keep all your accounts 'in good order', and they must be used properly, but if you're selling into several different 'niche' markets for example, having multiple account ID's is a distinct advantage.
What do you mean exactly?
Let's say for example that you sell a number of different products on eBay in several categories. In one you may be selling a range of mens clothing or mens toiletries under the eBay User ID of 'AllForMen22'. This is good, because anyone looking at your details knows that all your products will be geared towards the male, and if that's what they want, they may well click on your other products too.
What if you now decide to branch out a little, and come across a nice 'niche' market in say bridle gowns or cosmetics. Anyone looking at your ID of 'AllForMen22' will either be confused or put off wouldn't they?!
However, if your ID for this category was something like 'PamperedBridesUK' nobody would think twice, and you'd probably get lots of business and profits with a name like that.
What do I do then?
When choosing another ID name on eBay, be as specific as you can to the products you will be selling. You will be in a much better position to target each of your 'niche' markets by concentrating on the products within each ID.
Is it good for eBay shops?
Multiple account ID's are a definate must for eBay shops to profit. Currently eBay only allows you to have one eBay shop per account, so if you have a number of accounts you could have a shop with each one! The potential for growth with several eBay shops is staggering. With the cross-promotion feature on eBay (which allows you to cross-promote other peoples products within your listings and emails) you can actually cross-promote your own products between all your different shops! Think of the extra profit that would bring in.
Any more tips?
There's a couple of things I should mention which are helpful. The first concerns negative feedback on eBay. Should you be unlucky enough to get any negative feedback on one of your accounts, it won't affect any of your other accounts at all. If the negative feedback is a problem (it may not have been your fault at all), you could also transfer those products to another account while you sort out the problem.
Finally, if you are the enterprising type and source some of your products from within eBay itself i.e. from someone who has misspelt their items or put them in the wrong category at the wrong price (you'd be surprised how often that happens), it is to your advantage that you have separate buyers and sellers accounts.
To find out how you can start earning £2,500 per week on eBay, go to http://tinyurl.com/amanda5 and order your copy of 'The £2,500 per Week eBay Powersellers Secrets' It's Brand New! The most up-to-date and informative eBay start-up home study course available on the internet......
Having more than one eBay account ID is essential if you want to take advantage of everything eBay offers its sellers, and start to profit with your eBay auction sites. You shouldn't worry about customers finding out about your multiple identities, as even with the sophisticated searches available, no-one but eBay will ever know you have more than one account.
The only stipulation is that you must keep all your accounts 'in good order', and they must be used properly, but if you're selling into several different 'niche' markets for example, having multiple account ID's is a distinct advantage.
What do you mean exactly?
Let's say for example that you sell a number of different products on eBay in several categories. In one you may be selling a range of mens clothing or mens toiletries under the eBay User ID of 'AllForMen22'. This is good, because anyone looking at your details knows that all your products will be geared towards the male, and if that's what they want, they may well click on your other products too.
What if you now decide to branch out a little, and come across a nice 'niche' market in say bridle gowns or cosmetics. Anyone looking at your ID of 'AllForMen22' will either be confused or put off wouldn't they?!
However, if your ID for this category was something like 'PamperedBridesUK' nobody would think twice, and you'd probably get lots of business and profits with a name like that.
What do I do then?
When choosing another ID name on eBay, be as specific as you can to the products you will be selling. You will be in a much better position to target each of your 'niche' markets by concentrating on the products within each ID.
Is it good for eBay shops?
Multiple account ID's are a definate must for eBay shops to profit. Currently eBay only allows you to have one eBay shop per account, so if you have a number of accounts you could have a shop with each one! The potential for growth with several eBay shops is staggering. With the cross-promotion feature on eBay (which allows you to cross-promote other peoples products within your listings and emails) you can actually cross-promote your own products between all your different shops! Think of the extra profit that would bring in.
Any more tips?
There's a couple of things I should mention which are helpful. The first concerns negative feedback on eBay. Should you be unlucky enough to get any negative feedback on one of your accounts, it won't affect any of your other accounts at all. If the negative feedback is a problem (it may not have been your fault at all), you could also transfer those products to another account while you sort out the problem.
Finally, if you are the enterprising type and source some of your products from within eBay itself i.e. from someone who has misspelt their items or put them in the wrong category at the wrong price (you'd be surprised how often that happens), it is to your advantage that you have separate buyers and sellers accounts.
To find out how you can start earning £2,500 per week on eBay, go to http://tinyurl.com/amanda5 and order your copy of 'The £2,500 per Week eBay Powersellers Secrets' It's Brand New! The most up-to-date and informative eBay start-up home study course available on the internet......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
