posted on December 18, 2001 02:50:16 PM
newbie here! I wanted know if any of you big hitters out there got any good tips that i can use. i would appreciate it if someone could help me thanks a bunch guys =)
posted on December 18, 2001 03:06:20 PM
Research, Research and Research. I look at closed items every day just about, to see what prices are being fetched on some items and just to see what is selling. I also look at catagories of things I am selling to see what is there and I do searches on items like what I am selling to see where else they are selling.
posted on December 18, 2001 07:53:21 PM
Start out slow, build good feedback. Do this by shipping within a week of recieving payment. Package well. Buyers are a nervous bunch and if they're waiting for a package too long from a newbie seller they panic. They will look up your feedback, see you have little or none and assume you're a crook, then you'll get a flood of negs. I've seen this happen to several newbie sellers.
posted on December 18, 2001 07:59:10 PM
some of these newbie sellers do not have the merchandise,they think they can play this game of sell first ,buy later with your money.
posted on December 18, 2001 11:16:21 PM
Great suggestions above, especially on research. I keep a list with expected price for my sale items, put it in my wallet, refine it endlessly and pull it out when I'm looking at potential auction items to sell.
Recommend getting organized early on. I screwed up a few early auctions when going from 5 sales a week to 20 or more. Then duplicate and similar items got all tangled when I couldn't keep it straight in my memory. Using AW's Postsale Mgt is a great way to keep the snarls out of your dealings. I also keep tracking slips with ebay #, buyer info, sale price and other important data tagging each item. It's tough to keep it straight, so do what you can to keep your buyers happy.
Never, ever give any lip to your buyers in email even though they are the biggest idiots in the world. Be positive, be cheerful and bite your tongue when they act like morons.
posted on December 19, 2001 05:59:15 AM
Clear photos-detailed descriptions-communicate with buyers promptly-know your product-never misrepresent an item-be nice if it kills you, yell at your spouse, yell at your kids, but never yell at a buyer-ALWAYS take it upon yourself to do all the work-offer buyers payment options and shipping options-do not haggle over a few pennies, if a buyer shorts you a few cents on shipping accept it and move on-be honest about your product and about shipping/handling fees-never make a promise you can't keep. Most of all have a good time. You will meet a few idiots but the majority of people you meet will be terrific. treat the good ones as you would treat your best friend-treat the idiots even better!! Good luck and have a great time!!!
posted on December 19, 2001 06:25:22 AM
Keep contact and let your buyers know as soon as their payment arrives and what their shipping date will be........this way they don't have to guess if their payment has been recieved or not and if their item has been shipped.....Also, be totally honest in your descriptions concerning flaws or defects.....buyers don't like being decieved or surprised when what they buy isn't what was represented in the auction.
posted on December 19, 2001 03:05:52 PM
i am implementing all these techniques as the days goes along i was always told IF YOU KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DOING YOUR GOING TO KEEP GETTING WHAT YOUR GETTING AND THAT WASNT MY OPINION OR ANYONE ELSES IF I DIDNT CHANGE THE WAY I DO THINGS WHAT CAN CHANGE FOR ME SO WITH THAT IN MIND I WANTED to be a internetpranuer and stop working that 9 to 5 job selling diamonds.I like the idea of work smart not hard-My family is the hard working type and they always nagg that im not going to make it sitting in front of the computer and locking my self up in the room for weeks trying to get informed on how to make money tru the net.They sometimes laugh but im here to prove them wrong takes what it takes! and all this help is sure way to make me run with out having to stumble here and there thanks guys and dave that was some good stuff i even printed it
posted on December 19, 2001 04:12:46 PMany 1 got some good selling tips?
Yes. Forget about ebay and set up your own web site. Spend the time, money, and effort that would have been wasted on ebay on polishing and promoting your own "venue". For two years I did very well on ebay, but then they started whacking the sellers at every turn. They take higher and higher fees while at the same time they make it almost impossible to succeed with their ever changing rules (ALWAYS to the detriment of the seller). It simply came to the point where using ebay was costing more than it was worth. Just my opinion of course...
posted on December 19, 2001 09:12:29 PM
Hi
I am bothered by the advice I am reading here about never upset the customer. I do not think that is fair to us sellers. I would not walk into a store and behave badly and expect to be given special treatment. Why do people do that. I was very nervous in the beginning but have learned to stand up for myself and say no. I have had some real unpleasant people give me the run around but I stood my ground. I have people who do not read the ad and then want to send the item back. Most of the time I do not allow it. I am an honest seller and charge fair shipping and I will not allow these bullies to push me around. It just encourages them to continue. Also I never leave feedback to a buyer until they have left feedback for me as I got burned once and I had already left a good feedback to the one person who ever left me a negative feedback, she is no longer an eBay member !! Good luck on building your business and remember to stand your ground.
posted on December 19, 2001 09:14:03 PM
Dave-Was reading your website and I would like to ask a question. What do you think about when putting a reserve on your auctions that in you description you put what the reserve is and say why you have one.
Have you tried that? Just interested.
posted on December 19, 2001 09:27:59 PM
Hi Libra63,
Funny! I'm a Libra and I was born in '63!
Anyway, I have actually tried that and in certain circumstances, it works really well.
In my field of collectible toys, there is usually plenty of demand so that placing a low starting bid with no reserve is the way to go.
However, I recently sold some lots of 50 kid's clothes, and since I was unsure of the market for these, I placed a reserve on the lots and mentioned the reserve amount in the listing.
So, it really depends on your particular items and whether there is a lot of demand for them.
If you have a large investment in something, and not sure if it will do well, you'd definitely be smart to place a reserve on it.
I recently listed some hand-carved stone sculptures for a friend and, since the research I did on them made me unsure of the market, we placed reserves on all of them.
Only about 20% of the items sold, but it would've been disastrous to place a $9.99 starting bid with no reserve on them!
So, I guess what I'm saying is I would use a reserve only in those circumstances where I'm not sure of the demand for the product.
Hope this helps!
Dave
___________________________________
David Espino, Author - "Beyond eBay" - To receive a Free sample click to: www.HomeBasedBusinessowner.com
posted on December 19, 2001 09:36:10 PM
Dave, thanks for the quick response. I am a Libra (Sept 25) but I am 63. You missed the best years in the 50's. lol I guess that is why you like pop culture because you grew up in that era and know alot about it. My main sell is Ties, jewelry and scarfs but today I bought a new Digital Camera and I am branching out. I passed up some good items because I didn't have a decient camera but now I am ready. You hear all these stores about the money people are making on ebay and I would like a piece of that pie, so I invested in a Sony Mavica and I hope that helps. Thanks for your tips, apppreciate them.
