| Do you sell on Ebay? If so, this may your | | | | 12. Promote repeat business. |
| opportunity to take your business to the next | | | | |
| level: to increase sales and operate more | | | | Repeat business is the best. It's far more |
| efficiently. This advice comes direct from | | | | efficient to sell more products to the same |
| Ebay PowerSellers, the best in the business. | | | | customers than to seek out new ones. Even if |
| Avoid their mistakes and adopt these twenty | | | | you have to alter your business practice to |
| tips into your Ebay business; you'll be glad | | | | create 'add-on' products specifically to sell |
| you did. | | | | to your existing customers, then do so! No |
| | | | one is more likely to buy from you than your |
| 1. Raise your shipping fee. | | | | existing happy customer. |
| | | | |
| Make sure you don't just charge for the | | | | 13. Offer bulk purchase incentives. |
| shipping postage, but for your 'handling' | | | | |
| fees as well. This may include packaging | | | | People like getting discounts. In reality, |
| materials such as labels, envelopes, and | | | | they may be paying an arm and a leg but if |
| bubble wrap, as well as your time to prepare | | | | they 'feel' like they're saving, then they're |
| and drop the package off at the post office. | | | | happy. And if your customer is happy, then |
| Make sure your minimum shipping & handling is | | | | you're happy. By offering price breaks on |
| $1 beyond your actual shipping, and hopefully | | | | lots of items in the same order, it may |
| a few bucks more than that. | | | | encourage people to buy more to 'save more' |
| | | | and increase your sales. You can also offer |
| 2. Use stealth postage. | | | | free shipping or give a free gift after a |
| | | | customer buys a certain number of items. |
| Print your shipping labels without showing | | | | |
| any shipping costs. Labels printed from | | | | 14. Never miss a marketing opportunity. |
| PayPal and other services will do this for | | | | |
| you. If a customer ever complains about your | | | | Every point of contact you have with a |
| profits from shipping, simply respond and | | | | customer should promote your products. If you |
| explain your S&H fee includes both shipping | | | | send an email, for example, always include |
| AND handling. The handling includes the cost | | | | your URL to view more products. When you ship |
| of packaging materials and time. If all your | | | | a package, enclose a flier that shows more |
| Ebay listings have this basic shipping & | | | | products and encourages visiting your store |
| handling disclaimer, then you should never | | | | or website. To make it effective you have to |
| get a complaint. | | | | give them a reason to buy. Try enclosing a |
| | | | coupon for 25% off their next purchase - |
| 3. Don't waste money on ad embellishments. | | | | expiring in 5 days, for example, to convey a |
| | | | feeling of urgency. People don't like missing |
| Don't pay extra for featured, bold, or any | | | | opportunities, so if you propose a sale on |
| other flair. Gallery is the only option that | | | | additional items, always have a deadline. Try |
| may be useful in some cases, depending on | | | | also stamping your URL on the outside of the |
| what items you sell. Most people find your | | | | packages or typing on the shipping label as |
| listings by keyword searches. Embellishments | | | | part of your address. You never know- someone |
| generally do not seem to increase traffic. | | | | who handles the package may be curious to |
| Remember that the 'add ons' are where most | | | | visit your site. Or, the package may sit in |
| companies make their profit. You want to use | | | | an office and someone may walk by it and |
| this strategy when selling to your customers, | | | | later choose to visit your URL. There is no |
| but not when buying listings from Ebay. | | | | restriction for mailing a little |
| | | | 'advertisement' and a lot of hands carry and |
| 4. Lower your PayPal rate. | | | | view that package. |
| | | | |
| If you receive more than $3,000 per month in | | | | 15. Use flat rate priority shipping from |
| PayPal funds you can qualify for a lower | | | | USPS. |
| merchant % rate. Rates are subject to change, | | | | |
| but it may take you from 3.1% to 2.7%. | | | | Flat rate priority shipping is a pretty good |
| | | | deal for either domestic or flat rate global |
| 5. Set your minimum selling price. | | | | priority (for international orders). The flat |
| | | | rate envelopes (cheap) should not be confused |
| Anything you list on Ebay has a certain | | | | with the regular priority envelopes |
| overhead and below a certain price, selling | | | | (expensive). |
| is no longer worth it to you. This should | | | | |
| take everything into consideration- your | | | | 16. Choose a store name that uses keywords. |
| time, utility costs, office equipment, | | | | |
| software, ISP fees, workspace rent, and more. | | | | Your Ebay store pages will get indexed by |
| Some sellers set a general, all-items minimum | | | | search engines and if keyword optimized, you |
| selling price at $5, $10, or $20. Figure out | | | | should get more search traffic to your store. |
| your minimum price and stick to it. It is | | | | So, when you choose your Ebay username and |
| also important to calculate your monthly | | | | Ebay Store name, use a keyword or two as a |
| sales break even point. You want to make sure | | | | part of your name. Then, use the same keyword |
| your business is worthwhile and meets your | | | | within an H1 tag, in bold, in italic, and in |
| basic minimum goals, especially if put a lot | | | | your text description. Using the basic SEO |
| of energy into it. | | | | principles for your Ebay store pages and |
| | | | about me page will help it get more traffic |
| 6. Use bundles. | | | | from search engines. |
| | | | |
| Using low priced items bundled together is an | | | | 17. Schedule your listings to end at a peak |
| effective strategy to pass savings on to a | | | | time. |
| customer, yet maintain your minimum selling | | | | |
| price. This bundling strategy occurs | | | | The timing of your listing is important, |
| frequently in retail stores - like 8 pairs of | | | | because in the final few hours before its |
| socks - and in grocery stores - 10 hotdogs - | | | | end, it becomes increasingly more visible and |
| and big box stores, like Costco: 2 packs of | | | | prominent to visitors. This narrow window of |
| cereal. Selling these items individually | | | | time is when your item is most likely to |
| would not be worth it. However, bundling | | | | sell. It may take some research and |
| allows you to sell for a higher price while | | | | experimentation to find the peak time for |
| giving a customer a feeling of savings | | | | your auction to end. Tools like Turbo Lister |
| through the bulk purchase- even though they | | | | allow you to easily control when each auction |
| are probably buying more than the customer | | | | starts and ends. Even though it costs a few |
| really needs. | | | | cents extra to schedule (postponing an |
| | | | auction's start), having a listing end at a |
| 7. Save money on packaging supplies. | | | | peak time is definitely worth it. To help |
| | | | find an ideal time, we can first eliminate |
| If you're creative, you can find cheap or | | | | when you don't want your listing to end. |
| free sources of packaging materials. For | | | | Assuming the majority of your buyers will be |
| instance, packing peanuts can be found for | | | | in the U.S., we can first assume you don't |
| free if you ask around industrial places or | | | | want your auction to end anytime between 11am |
| furniture stores. If you are a UPS member, | | | | or 8am, since the majority of people will be |
| you can get free shipping tape. You can often | | | | asleep. Further, you might ask yourself if |
| get unmarked boxes for free if you ask around | | | | your type of item would be used for work or |
| stores in malls or office supply stores. Some | | | | personal use only. If for personal, it might |
| Ebay sellers use the free USPS priority mail | | | | be worth considering that during a lunch |
| boxes and turn them inside out in order to | | | | break or near the end of a workday (5pm), or |
| ship via another service. Not only does this | | | | mid-evening may be an appropriate time to |
| look unprofessional and take extra time, but | | | | list such an item. For professional |
| it's illegal, according to USPS. Look around | | | | work-related items, perhaps it less likely |
| and you will find either free or affordable | | | | that someone may search for these items in |
| solutions. | | | | the evenings, but more during working hours. |
| | | | If you have a store, you may also view |
| 8. Take good digital photos of your items. | | | | statistics to see what day of the week and |
| | | | what time of day most people visit your |
| You don't have to have an expensive camera to | | | | store. Experience as a Powerseller has shown |
| take good digital photos, but just a basic | | | | that Sunday afternoon through Thursday are |
| knowledge of photography. Do a Google search | | | | the best days. And 11am to 8pm PST tends to |
| and you will find a quick list. This usually | | | | be the most effective time ranges. Avoid |
| includes using a tripod, making sure the | | | | holiday mornings and afternoons, as many |
| lighting is good (bright and diffused - no | | | | people sleep in and usually go shopping and |
| harsh shadows, such as natural light), and | | | | are away from computers in the afternoon. |
| making sure the background is white or solid- | | | | |
| with no distracting objects in the frame. If | | | | 18. Fill your listing title with keywords. |
| you photograph small items, you may consider | | | | |
| buying a cheap light box or light tent for | | | | Use all the space allowed with meaningful |
| $100 or less. You can find these on Ebay, of | | | | keywords and avoid the use of empty words |
| course. | | | | like 'awesome', having ALL CAPS, or using too |
| | | | many exclamation marks!!! Try adding |
| 9. Lure people to your Ebay store. | | | | misspellings in your title. It might increase |
| | | | traffic in some cases. |
| Listing fees in your store is a fraction of | | | | |
| the cost as a regular listing. So, if you | | | | 19. Use photos directly from the |
| place links or banners in your regular | | | | manufacturer. |
| listings that encourage viewing your store | | | | |
| items then that could help increase store | | | | It saves time to copy and use a photo from |
| sales. | | | | the manufacturer's website and it looks |
| | | | professional. In most cases the manufacturer |
| 10. Use automated feedback. | | | | encourages use of their official photos as it |
| | | | helps their products get represented |
| Sellers used to spend hours keeping track of | | | | accurately and professionally. However, |
| feedback. If you use Selling Manager Pro, you | | | | always be conscious of copyright laws and |
| can use automated feedback in bulk. After a | | | | read any image use agreements posted. Taking |
| quick setup, you may never have to spend time | | | | images from other Ebay sellers is not |
| leaving feedback again. It can either be set | | | | recommended. |
| so you automatically leave positive feedback | | | | |
| after each auction or only when you receive | | | | 20. Put your website URL in your About Me |
| positive feedback. If you ever get neutral or | | | | page. |
| negative feedback, you have an option to deal | | | | |
| with it manually. | | | | Ebay rules allow you to link to a website |
| | | | from your About Me page as a way to provide |
| 11. Automate email messages to customers. | | | | more product or company information to the |
| | | | prospective buyer. Make the URL bold and |
| When a customer makes an order you can have | | | | prominent and you should see a slight |
| emails automatically sent from you to them. | | | | increase in traffic to your website. The more |
| Services like Ebay's Selling Manager Pro do | | | | you sell directly from your own website, the |
| this. The email can either be an invoice for | | | | better. Even if all you have for ecommerce is |
| them to pay, or, if already paid, it can just | | | | the free PayPal checkout buttons, it is still |
| acknowledge their order and offer additional | | | | preferred to selling through Ebay. You can |
| products, encouraging repeat business. | | | | save money by selling directly (fewer fees) |
| Automating these emails is a great time saver | | | | and benefit by establishing a more direct |
| and an effective marketing tool. | | | | relationship with the customer. |
| | | | |