Secrets of Successful Selling on Ebay

Ebay has expanded from a humble start up to a company that boasts revenues of over $7.7 billion and a staff of some 15,000 people. People have just fallen in love with the concept of buying and selling and good old-fashioned auction tactics, around the clock and around the world. Many people have made small fortunes using eBay, which is one of the most visited sites on the Internet and have learned that there are several tips to help you succeed.

If you’re going to try and engage in a process of successful selling through eBay, you have to understand how the system works. Fundamentally, it is like a giant search engine of sorts where people can enter terminology describing what they are looking to buy and find matching listings accordingly. As such, you must make sure that your listing is correctly optimized initially and is presented in such a manner as to make the purchase enticing.

If you’re looking for ideas to start off, check out pulse.ebay.com, which is something similar to Google’s Hot Trends and can show you what people are looking for and what is currently selling well within the large variety of category and niche areas available.

You should always know your product and your customer. Whatever you are selling, take time to look at past results and search for similar items. The information that you discover should enable you to see where you have a reasonable chance of selling at the price that you have in mind and whether there is a fairly good turnover, which will reflect the overall interest.

When setting up to describe your product, think carefully about your keywords. Do not include only the obvious words, but also secondary keywords or words that people might use when searching for similar products or when using synonyms to search for your exact product. This will help to ensure that many more “pairs of eyes” find your listings and even though they may not have been specifically looking for your product, they may have a general interest and be persuaded to buy.

Never be tempted to try and sell anything on eBay without attaching pictures. It is true that they tell a thousand words and people always want to see something before they buy it. Again, you can never underestimate the power of visuals and so you should pay attention to making high quality, well defined and professionally presented photographs.

To match your first class photograph, your description must be enticing. If you are not particularly good at putting together the written word, then you should consider outsourcing this part to professional copywriters. At the very least, if you get some of your postings professionally written then you will pick up good pointers to help you develop your skill over time. Conversely, look at successful eBay sellers and see how they put together their presentations. Remember, just as you would if you were writing an article for publication on the Internet, the description post should be search engine friendly, including the relevant keywords appropriately.

Always try and give as much information as you can within the description without going overboard. List the origins, the dimensions, your value proposition and even a couple of ideas describing how your product could be used, as a gift, as something which you just cannot do without, etc.

For those who are serious about selling on eBay, an eBay store is a must. These are very cost effective and will enable you to contain all your products in one place. You will have the additional bonus of increasing your credibility, appearing more professional.

As people are looking for a comfort factor when they buy online, they tend to look for social proof. This is especially true when it comes to auctions on eBay. You have to earn your reputation, but you should be particularly careful when you start out that you do not attract any negative feedback in any way. Each well handled sale and happy buyer will add exponentially to your reputation and credibility. Avoid even one negative response like the plague and go out of your way to pacify, no matter what the reason.

While not all buyers and sellers on eBay are looking to create a serious source of income by any means, you can set yourself ahead of many by simply acting in a totally professional manner at all times. Respond to questions promptly, within the same day and make sure that you dispatch your products on time. Be as transparent as possible about shipping, as this can be one of the biggest deal breakers on eBay. Some power sellers advocate trying to include the cost of shipping within your chosen item cost, thereby suggesting that shipping has been included “or is free.” Otherwise, use the most cost effective method that you can, while ensuring prompt and efficient service. When all is said and done, remember to include a thank you note, personalized and genuine, with your shipment. This will go a long way to help you receive those glowing testimonials and build your credibility.

Are you an eBay power seller?

Adam Toren

Ten Online Tools Your Business Should Be Using

There are new and exciting business tools being developed every day. These can help you improve your productivity and open up entirely new channels for your business to thrive online. While there are hundreds of these kinds of applications available, I’ve handpicked for you my top ten favorites:

1. Exploratree: http://www.exploratree.org.uk/

Mind mapping is a technique for developing new ideas based on non-linear thinking. It allows you to solve problems by encouraging your brain to think creatively and explore outside of traditional project planning guidelines. This is a free tool, and you can not only save your own mind maps, but you can check out other members’ saved maps for a community database of problem solving ideas.

2. Text the Mob: http://www.textthemob.com/

This is a business version of American Idol’s audience vote! You can create polls or message boards online, project them on a screen during a presentation, and then have audience members text in their votes and comments to share with everyone. An amazing way to get people involved at your speaking engagements, sales presentations, and training seminars.

3. Zen Desk: http://www.zendesk.com/

By far the best of the web-based helpdesk applications out there; Zen Desk has clients like Twitter and MSNBC, but don’t let that fool you—it is simple to install and use even for a small business like yours.

4. Start PR: http://startpr.com/

This application helps you monitor your company’s reputation by skimming through social media sites and looking for user feedback about you and compiling it into one place. It’s a great way to manage all your Web 2.0 accounts and find out where your business is thriving online.

5. LItmos: http://www.litmos.com/

This is an online training tool which allows you to create videos, powerpoint slides, and instructional documents to give your clients or employees the training they need—even if they are thousands of miles away. As more and more businesses begin to work ‘virtually’, tools like this will be the office space of the future.

6. Clarity Accounting: http://www.clarityaccounting.com/

One of the most comprehensive and easy-to-use accounting applications (yes, it can be both!), Clarity lets you access your account from any location, provides reporting tools, and supports multiple users.

7. My Client Spot: http://www.myclientspot.com/index2/

Allows freelancers and independent contractors to manage their clients and projects online—giving access to everyone 24/7 and making it easy to manage multiple sources of revenue.

8. Skype: http://www.skype.com/

It’s an instant messenger. It’s a VOIP phone service. It’s a Video Conference host. It’s a file sharing tool. Skype does lots of things very well; and it is one of the most widely used applications in the world. Your clients probably use Skype—so why wouldn’t you?

9. Lattiss: http://www.lattiss.com/

A local directory/scheduling application that lets new and existing clients find you and schedule their own appointments at their convenience. Whether you are a masseuse or a Realtor, you can make use of this great product.

10. DocLanding: http://www.doclanding.com/

There are lots of online document sharing sites, but DocLanding is an entire file management system, and it is HIPAA and financial standard compliant for the highest level of security you’ll find online.

Are you using any online tools that you think make a huge difference in the way you run your business? Leave us a comment and let us know!