EBay: No Way…Yes Way (Ten Seller Themes)
By Barbara Snyder
Hearing that there are more than
1.2 million registered eBay users,
that more than 25,000 members make
five figure income as full time eBay
entrepreneurs, and that more than
250,000 part timers make several
thousand dollars a year of
supplementary income from eBay
enterprises would make anyone comment
in disbelief with, “No Way”. But
the correct response to this is,
“Yes, way.” In fact, it has also
been reported that the number one eBay
entrepreneur makes over a million
dollars a year. As Austin Powers would
say, “Yeah, Baby.” Or should we
say, “E-Baby.”
So what’s the deal with eBay,
anyway? There is a lot more to it than
one would think. It can be simple for
an occasional buyer, but it gets
increasing complex as users/sellers
become more entrenched at deeper
levels of use. Here are 10 key ideas
or themes for sellers to consider
about this phenomenon called “eBay”.
1. What ‘s for sale? While some
sellers are out scavengering the
garage sales and their own garages,
others are purchasing quantities of
items wholesale to put up for auction.
One would think that the right product
is of paramount consideration, and
most sellers agree that the unusual or
the hard to find is the best bet.
However, this is not always true
either. Timing, meaning the right
person at the right time seeing your
item, is where it is at. You have to
be visible and be out there with a
clear message or product that seems
like a steal, or at least reasonably
priced. With the thousands and
thousands of items for sale, there is
no shortage of competition. However,
the good thing is that there are a lot
of buyers out there that should enable
the sale of just about anything.
2. Communication and descriptive
details about your product is a key in
getting noticed. The description of
your item and the pictures to display
it will get the buyer’s attention.
If a person is a serious seller,
having an adequate digital camera is a
must. Again, photos are extremely
important.
3. The well written detailed
description to accompany the item is
of great benefit. Being open and
honest about the item will demonstrate
integrity as a seller and will keep
people coming back. Being available to
answer questions for prospective
buyers and remembering to be courteous
and helpful follows along with the
never-to-be forgotten premise of
“the customer is always right.”
4. With customer feedback being a
key element in the ratings statistics
that will promote you or haunt you
during your eBay career, it is
important for a seller to be
professional and kindly in all
business dealings. People like and
appreciate personal attention. Take
the time to give it. Being positive,
accommodating and helpful is a winning
combination for good customer
relations.
5. Shipping information and how you
present it can win over a customer
because they notice when a buyer is
tying to take advantage and ask an
unreasonable amount for shipping. Of
course, a seller must take into
account time spent, the handling
charge, when pricing the shipping.
Time is money, and a seller should be
compensated for all aspects of the
service that is provided.
6. Some advice about setting up
your auction items would be to
consider having your item run seven
days with an end of bidding time
somewhere between 7 PM and 9 PM on a
Sunday night. That seems to be the
consensus amongst the top sellers.
There has been much dialog on just how
to increase the amount and number of
bids, but there are too many variables
to consider. Suffice to say, it really
does depend on the product itself (and
what the condition and competition is
our there).
7. Some of the most unique aspects
of selling have to do with the
seasonal items that permeate the
auction block at certain times of the
year. If a seller wants to work
year-round, he or she will have to
broaden the horizon by finding
seasonal items for all seasons. Yes,
you can sell Christmas items and move
right into Valentines Day and Easter
and so on. Why not? These are what
people are looking for.
8. One controversial topic is drop
shipping. If a seller is getting a
product from a third party, drop
shipping is a convenient way for the
seller to deliver the product. It
keeps them out of it. However, that
means that a back ordered item could
result in a poor rating for the seller
because the item was delayed. Most
buyers picture the item in the hands
of the seller and expect to receive it
within a few days. The pros and cons
of this arrangement need to be
carefully considered.
9. Now to the fun part. How do you
get the money? More and more people
are using PayPal. It is quick,
efficient and simple. A seller can
make other arrangements and accept a
check or money order, but the wave of
the future is setting up an account
with PayPal. In addition, setting up
an online account with the United
States Postal Service will also save
countless hours in the lines at the
post office. Work smarter, not harder,
etc., etc.
10. A seller can look at other
things to sell besides a physical
product or item. Many are getting into
self publishing or offering a service.
Some expanding entrepreneurs are
opening up a consignment shop
situation, which helps those who want
to sell but “don’t do
computers.” The possibilities are
unlimited.
Selling products and services from
a home-based business can be an
exciting, and hopefully profitable,
situation. Go into it with a solid
plan based on accurate information and
with the knowledge that it is going to
be hard work, just like any other job.
For more on eBay selling and using
online auctions visit the How To Sell
On eBay Resource Page located at
http://www.sbmag.org.
Copyright usage: No permission is
needed to reproduce this story. The
About the Author statement with hot
links must remain in tact. Request for
reciprocal links will be considered.
mailto:barb@sbmag.org.
About the Author
Barbara Snyder is a retired California
Distinguished School Principal and
Coordinator For Human Resources. She
has a master’s degree in Curriculum
and Instruction. She holds elementary
education, secondary, community
college, and administrative
credentials. She is currently the
publisher of http://EducationResourcesNetwork.com,
co-publisher of Strictly Business
Magazine, http://www.sbmag.org.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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