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Seven eBay Selling Tips for 2010

The below guest blog comes to Bidbits courtesy of Michelle Strassburg, co-founder at www.WoodandBeyond.com, sellers of solid oak worktops products. Enjoy! - Julia

Seven eBay Selling Tips for 2010

 

We've started selling on eBay a few years ago, but until recent months, sales from our eBay store haven't really met their full potential. During the last few months, we made countless changes and tweaks to our eBay offer. Some worked, some completely failed and some are still left hanging in the air.  Here are 7 eBay selling tips which worked for us.

1. Consider selling a sample - If you're selling a non-branded product or your own brand isn't known yet, some buyers might want to establish its quality before buying. Consider offering a sample product by charging buyers a small nominal amount. Following the sample purchase, the key is to follow up with buyers and even consider deducting the price of the sample from their purchase.
 
2. Invest in quality eBay store product design - Design goes a long way in terms of converting more visitors to buyers. It's true for your own standalone website and it's also true for your eBay offer.  Invest in a product template design which is both pleasing to the eye and includes your call to action.

3. Make your descriptions informative - When it comes to product description, you should aim to give buyers all the information they might need to complete the purchase. If the information isn't clear, some will take the time to get in touch, but some will simply go elsewhere. To make the description informative, list all the product features, conditions, terms of sales, delivery information, and look at your competitors to see if they offer other bits of information which you have forgotten.

4. Accept multiple payment options - Although most eBay users are quite happy to pay via PayPal, some might want to pay over the phone or even by check. To make your offer appealing for all types of buyers, accept multiple payment options especially by phone.

5. Price compare on a regular basis - Right pricing is essential for selling well on eBay. Take the time to compare your prices vs. your eBay competitors on a regular basis, even on a daily basis to ensure you keep your competitive edge.

6. Use high quality imagery - Often buyers will try to visualize how the item might look when they get it. High quality images will help achieve this and aid in the product sale.  

7. Offer product promotions - When your market on eBay is very competitive and you've done all you can do, sometimes the answer is to use product promotions. Promotions could include upgraded delivery method, free gift with every purchase, free delivery, buy one get one free and more. The key is to keep finding and maintaining a competitive advantage over your competitors.

Good luck with your eBay sales for 2010.

- - -
Guest article by Michelle Strassburg, Co-Founder at www.WoodandBeyond.com, sellers of solid oak worktops products. Together with selling on its online store, Wood and Beyond also sells its products on eBay.

Just found out about a fun new site for finding yard sales... http://YardSaleFrog.com . Currently it's covering Tennessee, but they plan to add more of the South soon.

Flipping Tiki Mugs & Stuff on eBay

It's time to share another flip from my Flips contest in the Yard Salers newsletter at www.yardsalers.net:

Hawaiian Tiki Mugs

Hi Julia,

I so enjoy your blog on "flipping" on Ebay! I want to tell you about one of my best flips.

I stopped by a garage sale and picked up 2 ceramic tiki-style glasses with hula dancers on them. One of them had the paint rubbed off a little. The seller told me they cost a quarter apiece and had come from a restaurant in New York.

I bought them and went home to do research. I stumbled across a great site of tiki mug collectors (www.ooga-mooga.com) who advised me about the mugs. I listed them together on Ebay since one had damage and was pleasantly surprised when they got tremendous bidding action and sold for $278!! Now I always look for Hawaiiana and tiki items. I have even sold some on the Ooga-Mooga website and avoided the Ebay fees.

(Attached is a pic of the mugs)

Keep up the good work and feel free to check out my Ebay/garage sale blog!!

Amy My blog: http://collectiblesonlinesales.blogspot.com/

~~~

Hey Amy!

Super find! I love tiki stuff..someone said something about it a while back but I never wrote much about them, so I am especially glad to have your flip story. Thanks so much! What cute mugs. I wonder if that restaurant went out of business and that's why they were so valuable?

Thx for the ooga mooga site too. And readers should love your blog..you have some great finds..I see you've dabbled in Britains, too..lol.

Thx again and best of luck in the contest!

Julia

I asked Amy if I could user her blog address and she said yes. And about the restaurant: "The Hawaii Kai was a NY restaurant/bar that went out of business. Here's what I found out: The Hawaii Kai is a legendary tiki bar from New York, best known as the location of Joe Pesci’s famous 'Do I amuse you' scene in Goodfellas.

Thanks!!

Amy"

~~~

$2 Thrift Store Teddy Bear Makes eBay Seller a Warm 'n' Fuzzy $215

Here's a fun story from my last Flip contest on www.Yardsalers.net:

Teddy Bear Flip

Hi Julia, I thought I would share my favorite flip with you. I was shopping at a thrift store and noticed a plastic bag on a shelf with something furry inside of it. My curiosity got me and I picked up the bag to see what it was. I noticed that it was a teddy bear and recognized that he was made from mohair.

I bought the bear for $2. When I got home and took him out of the bag, I saw that he was in horrible condition. His mohair was dirty and it was thinned out in places. His felt paw pads were all moth eaten so his straw stuffing was sticking out of them. He had a music box inside and a mechanism of some sort. Both were broken.

There were no markings on the bear, so I searched online to identify what kind of bear this was. I found out that he was a Schuco bear from the 50's.

I decided to list him on eBay in the same condition as I had found him. I started the auction at $19.99 because I did not think anyone would want him in such poor shape.

A few days later the auction ended and the bear sold for $215 to a man in Germany. I was shocked at how much he went for.

I have been hoping to find another mohair bear because I had so much fun researching that one and learning about him. Of course the thrill of the auction was a lot of fun too. It makes me think twice now about passing on something because of its condition.

Thanks for all the great info!

Karin

~~~

Hey Karin!

I have a good friend in Holland named Karin. :)

What a fun flip! Wow..I have heard of Steiff and other bears doing well, but not this Schuco brand. I guess people are willing to overlook condition when they have nostalgia for something or otherwise really want something!

Thanks again, so much, for the great flip..it will be in the next contest! :)

Julia

[Karin wrote back after our exchange and said: 

"I had always read about Steiff also and had never heard of Schuco. I learned that they were pretty popular mechanical type bears. There is a mechanism inside so that you can move their tail and the head would move. There is one on eBay right now that is identical to the one I found, only he is in excellent condition. The auction # is 110453201344. You can see the huge difference in condition. I am curious to see what that one ends at."]

Well..it seems he ended at $636.86! Check it out here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110453201344

Keep reading, and flipping,
Julia

~~~

Christmas Cards Rescued from Trash Net eBay Seller Over $100

Just in time for the holidays comes this heartwarming tale of Christmas cheer..and unexpected cash:

Rescued from the Trash: Dodge Dealership 1950s cards

Hi Julia!

While helping a friend clean out her parent’s house, I came across several old 1950’s Dodge dealership Christmas cards that they were throwing out. I was trading my labor for items I thought were interesting, so pulled these, along with several other items out of the "going away pile."

Two of the cards were in fairly good condition; the other five were in rough condition. I listed the two goods one separately and the five others in a lot. The total of the three auctions came to over $100.00.

In total, from my two days labor at the estate, I have probably netted close to $1000.00. I am still listing items from the estate when time permits. However, my point is, always look at what is being trashed; I have found many treasures in these piles. And don’t forget "roadside shopping"!

Happy Hunting!

Barbara S.

~~

Hi Barbara!

Sorry for the delay! We've been hit by the flu here. :(

Oh yeah, I've probably been mistaken for a homeless person before, rooting around in "trash" that is set out in front of a sale or on a curb. LOL!

Dodge dealership '50s era Xmas cards..how fun! I bet it some some Dodge aficionados who snapped them up.

Here are Barbara's photos:

[I also dug up the following example of a Dodge Christmas card on eBay:]

And you are so right..things being thrown out or put in the trash can sometimes be the best finds! Thank you so much for sharing your find, and you are entered into the next contest!

Keep flipping,
Julia

[This flip is excerpted from the December issue of Yard Salers newsletter..subscribe at yardsalers.net.]

Buy the book of flips! http://www.bigbucksflips.com/

~~~

Popular Products for the Holidays: Beatles Rock Band, VuZix Video Glasses

Joe Queenan in the Wall Street Journal tells us it's our patriotic duty to spend this year. At least some. But he says there is no one super-hot product like there has been in the past; Tickle Me Elmos and the like.

But he does call out a few popular items:

- The Beatles: Rock Band

- Ducati Monster Motorcycle

- VuZix iWear AV310 Widescreen Video Glasses

- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

More Thumbnail Images in Feedback Forum on eBay Would Be Nice

In this season of wish lists, I've been thinking of what features or changes I'd like to see from eBay. I'm going to be blogging about them in the weeks to come. One thing I've been missing is the thumbnail images in the Feedback Forum. They seem to have spaces for thumbnail images now but they don't always come in. I'm not sure why.

In any event, I remember there being some foofaraw about privacy issues with displaying these images in a member's feedback area, so eBay has tinkered with the settings there. But it is sometimes hard to remember what something looked like or exactly what it was when you go to leave feedback, especially when there are similar items.

And did you know that as a seller you can customize your selling manager display so you can see thumbnail images with your listings? (It's the "Customize Display" link on the upper right of the Selling Manager page). I just discovered that setting and turned it on, and it will make viewing my listings so much easier, especially since many of my listings have similar names.

Hot Items to sell (and buy) this holiday season

Hot items so far this season (yeah, we're in it already):

- Zhu Zhu pets

A set of 4 is going for around $150 on eBay, so about $40 per pet. These originally sold for 8 bucks each at Wal-Mart.

- Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart

A long, over-the-hips sweater for $15? You had me at hello.

- Rodarte for Target

Hip pieces coming to Target Dec. 20. Hmm...that doesn't give you a lot of shopping days.

The top 10 most searched on eBay right now?

1.     ipod
2.     ipod touch
3.     iphone
4.     zhu zhu pets
5.     wii
6.     coach
7.     laptop
8.     ralph lauren
9.     digital camera
10.     xbox 360

Do you sell digital products on Clickbank, or make money selling products as an affiliate? Easyclickmate makes it a lot easier: http://easybiztools.com/go.php?offer=juliawilk&pid=4&tid=juliawilk

Come to think of it, eBay: eBay's new ad campaign and a better idea?

eBay's new ad campaign slogan is "Come to think of it, eBay." As people have not come to think of eBay as they once may have, maybe getting that out there is the right thing to do. On the other hand, it does underscore the site is not as popular as it once was.

But my issue with the slogan is it does not convey the value people can find, and have been able to find for a long time, on eBay. Especially now, in these recessionary times.

And yes, I have a modest proposal for another slogan...how about this: "Better check eBay first."

Scenario: two women are talking. "Have you seen those new knee-high Cole Haan boots? They have 3-inch heels but they have Nike sneaker techology in them so they feel like sneakers."

woman #2: "Girl, have you seen the price tag on those things? We're talking almost $500."

woman #1: "Well, I don't pay *retail*, girl. I check eBay first."

woman #2: "You found those on there?"

woman #1: "You bet I did. Paid half of retail..someone wore 'em once. Saves me $250."

woman #1: "Get out, girl! I'm gonna get myself a pair!"

woman #2: [Laughs] "You better check eBay first."

Well, you get the idea. And for the record, I did buy a pair of Cole Haan NIke air boots on eBay. I paid half of retail and I've worn them three seasons a year for two years.

See a sample ad from eBay's new campaign, from the Wall Street Journal's site: