May 15 2008
eBay Auction Headlines - How Keywords Sell Your Item
eBay Auction Headlines - How Keywords Sell Your Item
Millions of eBay auctions are ignored or missed entirely by consumers and/or searchers, due simply to the fact that the Auction Headlines lack the hot keywords that people search for online.
As a technical & customer support representative, I receive emails from inquiring eBay entrepreneurs complaining about not being noticed on eBay…
“What can I do?” they ask me. Well, let’s think about this for a moment. How exactly are you listing your item, specifically in the Title? What are you saying about your item? How are you describing it?
You must consider who would purchase your item, and what would they type into the “search terms” on eBay to find it. This is CRITICAL. These are also known as keywords.
If you don’t know about the power of keywords, then you should start here.
You could use Yahoo’s Overture to search the most recent and popular keywords. Or perhaps you could find another free key-word generator on the internet. Another source would be the Ebay Pulse. That gives you the top 10 most searched terms in a given category.
I’ve found a much simpler - and over-looked function - using an efficient little program called HotItemFinder. It will analyze the most recently searched terms from the ebay databases, and also return the most popular searched items by category as you specify.
Now keep in mind, this software is merely a TOOL. It won’t do the thinking for you. But it should help you immensely in writing your auction titles if you pay attention to the keyword suggestions.
Tanis Wahl Technical & Customer Support http://www.hotitemfinder.com http://www.daveguindonsupport.com Tanis has a BA in Writing from the University of Victoria, and an MCSE in technology; she's a former international model out of NYC, currently residing in Victoria, BC, Canada. Presently, she's employed as a Personal Trainer, Copy Writer, and Harley-Davidson entrepreneur launching West Coast Harley Tours in 2008.
THE EBAY MONEY MACHINE
It doesn’t take a genius to make millions on eBay , nor does it require you to have any Specialized computer knowledge. You don’t even need to be a skilled entrepreneur,
Because eBay does most of the work for you. With over 1.5 billion page views per month and more than 1000 categories, they bring customers TO YOU and save you enormous advertising costs.
Your job, therefore, is to make a successful sales pitch to the customers who see your auctions, and doing that isn’t as easy as you might think. You will be competing with more than two million other eBay sellers, many of whom are veterans at online marketing and highly knowledgeable in the niche markets found on eBay .
So how do you compete with them? The answer is simple:INFORMATION! This course provides you the information needed to get ahead on eBay and gives you an instant edge over your competitors. It will provide you with insider secrets on eBay trading that has been learned from years of online auction sales.
If you read this course carefully - not once, but several times - and if you follow the advice set forth, you will be armed with the knowledge necessary for an extremely lucrative home-based business selling virtually anything on eBay .
to recieve the full money machine ebook for FREE
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Drop Shipping
As you are reading this article right now, thousands of eBayers are running there own auction business. Some of them make little money, and some of them make real huge profits. Why? It is mostly due to the products they choose to sell, the Dropshippers they use and how they promote their eBay Business.
If you are new to Internet Marketing, promotion of your new eBay Business is key. Also, staying up to date with all the new and better ways to advertise and promote your business is cruical. Things on the Internet can change almost over night and to keep your eBay Business making money you must keep up with those changes. But don’t be discouraged, the ease of using Dropshippers will allow you more time to concentrate on improving your sales skills and learning how to bring more customers to your eBay auctions.
The great thing about Dropshipping, as outlined in my book, is that it will allow you to operate a Home Based Business as an Internet Marketer without ever worrying about storage of inventory, packaging of inventory, or even shipping of that inventory. How? The Dropship supplier will look after all of that for you. And even greater still is the fact that your auction business will cost you very little to get started. The fact is, most Dropshippers charge you nothing to become a member to sell their products. While others may charge just a nominal administration fee. So, with such a low financial risk the only thing you have to lose is a bit of your time.
How does one put together Dropshipping and eBay? It’s really very simple. First, browse eBay to see what kind of product(s) you would like to sell. Then sign up as a member with eBay. Once you have decided on a product(s), locate a Dropshipper for that product(s). Sign up with that Dropshipper and then place an auction on eBay for the item.. Once your auction is over and you have a buyer for the product email your Dropshipper the required information. The Dropshipper will ship the product directly to your customer, and charge your account the wholesale price for that product. The difference between your wholesale cost and your retail price is pure profit!
To run a successful eBay Business you will need to sell what the public wants to buy. Always research any product before you decide to sell it. Make sure it is popular and you can get it at a great price.
Joe Clare
Need Some Extra Cash? Let us show you how to turn your Loose Change into a Serious Income. We have access to over 200 Reliable Wholesale Dropshippers and Liquidators, and the eCommerce know how to make it Profitable. Joe Clare http://www.ebooksnsoftware.com
Need Some Extra Cash? Let us show you how to turn your Loose Change into a Serious Income. We have access to over 200 Reliable Wholesale Dropshippers and Liquidators, and the eCommerce know how to make it Profitable. Joe Clare http://www.ebooksnsoftware.com
Selling Items on Online Auction Sites
Many people have made a living selling items on online auction sites. This is one of many ways that people are creating online money making opportunities for themselves. Buying and selling items online requires little equipment, but can take up a lot of time during the day. People who sell items online usually buy them online as well and then sell them for a higher price. This can take time because searching for items, bidding on items, waiting for the items to arrive, and then selling them again is quite a process. But when a person becomes good at spotting items that they can win, the amount of time spent finding items is decreased. Each day, millions of items are bought and sold online. This is becoming a great way for stay-at-home-moms, students, and retired people to earn a living. Other than having a computer with an Internet connection, there is little else that is needed. Shipping boxes, tape, and a postage machine are additional items that may be required. As a person s business grows, so will their need for more supplies. But the start up costs are very little. Browsing auction sites is very exciting to those who enjoy finding a bargain. Being able to sell their items for more money is also exciting. Selling items on online auctions is one online money making opportunity that requires very little training. People will learn how to navigate through online auction very quickly and they will be able to buy and sell very quickly once they have gotten used to it. Those who sell items online can make as much money as they would like depending on the number of hours they would like to spend each day. This is also a good way to earn extra many while working in another profession.
My name is Samuel Colon, Online Business Man, the owner of http://www.realmoneysolution.com and http://www.ganardinerodesdemicasa.com, your online resources to make money at home. Helping people to generate extra income with a comprehensive list of ideas. An opportunity so you can work from home with an online home based job.
Wholesale Dropshipping For eBay Sellers!
Copyright © 2006 Ron Keegan Ebay is the ‘BEST’ opportunity you can use right now to make money online in the dropshipping business from the comfort of your own home. Thousands of people just like you use eBay auctions on a daily basis to sell and buy products on the Internet; now it’s your time to START your own dropshipping home-based business and succeed in the eBay auctions ‘game’! There are no special skills required for this dropshipping business, all you need is a computer, Internet access and some basic computer / Internet knowledge. Dropshipping is when you sell products on the Web, forward the orders to the dropship supplier and, in return, the dropshipper ships the product to your customer (buyer). You act as the middleman between the dropshipping supplier and your buyer. You can take orders by credit card, fax or any other method you can think of. You can sell via your own Web Site or even through e-mail. Your profit is generated on the difference between your selling price and the price the dropshipping supplier charges you. Thanks to dropshipping you can start making money ‘instantly’ without any investment in inventory, warehousing, shipping, equipment, employees or office space. How do I find something to sell on eBay? Of course, finding something to sell isn’t hard. Finding something at a “Low enough price” to make a profit on eBay is much more difficult. That’s because eBay is a price-driven model and buyers expect a bargain. If they don’t get one, they’re not buying. So, the REAL question is: How do I find something at a ‘low enough price to sell profitably’ on eBay? Answer: THE LIGHT BULK WHOLESALE DIRECTORY 1. WWB has an entire research section in their Florida office that ‘personally interviews’ each and every wholesaler and dropshipper. Without an interview, no one gets into their directory. No one. 2. They have ‘Very Exacting Criteria’ for being listed. If the source doesn’t meet those criteria, they aren’t listed. For example, they must be ‘genuine wholesalers’ and they must be willing to Sell to eBayers in Low minimum quantities. Most wholesalers want to sell to big retailers with huge budgets, so finding dealers willing to work with the little guys that’s us isn’t so easy. And, as you probably know, way too many so-called wholesalers are only ‘middlemen’. That won’t happen with the new Light Bulk Directory. Having products drop shipped by suppliers, allows you to concentrate on truly important aspects like advertising, sales and promotion. Pay attention! There are lots of companies claiming to be ‘Drop Shippers’. However, a legitimate drop shipper is a factory-authorized wholesale distributor, or sometimes the actual manufacturer of the product. A legitimate drop shipper should not charge you an ‘account setup fee’ or ask you to place a ‘minimum quantity order’. Make sure you find some legitimate drop shippers who have the product(s) you want to sell, talk with them on the phone / by e-mail and let them know that you are truly serious about doing business with them. Customer support counts in the dropshipping business, so don’t hesitate to contact some dropshipping suppliers before you want to work with them. This will help you decide if you really want to do business with a particular drop shipper or not. To succeed in the dropshipping business you’ll have to LOOK for hard-to-find products that people desperately need and want to purchase. The key is to sell products with little or no competition. I suggest you RESEARCH for quality products & legitimate dropship suppliers, MONITOR the eBay auction listings to see if there’s any competition and TEST the market (e.g. find out if people really want to spend CASH on the product you want to sell) Remember! Dropshipping makes it EASY for you to start and run your own home-based businesses on a shoestring budget; and eBay is the ‘perfect’ MEDIUM to expose your product to potential buyers all over the globe! By Ron Keegan Megastar Distributors http://www.megdis.com.com
Ron Keegan runs http://www.Megdis.com an eBay Information Web Site with lots of *FREE* Resources, Tips & Reports on DropShipping & eBay.
19 Secret Strategies of eBay Powersellers, Part 1
19 SUCCESS STRATEGIES OF EBAY POWERSELLERS, PART 1
by Ed Brancheau
As if you haven t already heard, millions upon millions of people of people buy and sell on eBay every single day. Some only make a few sales here and there. Others have figured out what it takes to become Powersellers. Powersellers are the very small minority of eBay sellers that do at least $2,000 per month in sales on eBay and maintain a 99% positive feedback rating. Powersellers are the ones that really know what they re doing and if you really want to be successful on eBay then follow the secrets they revealed to me.
So, what are the secrets, tips and tricks that will cause you to become a Powerseller as well?
Well, I ll be completely honest with you I may be well on my way but I m not a Powerseller yet. However, one thing that I know from creating several successful businesses is that if you want to become the best at something, you need to copy those that are already successful, ask them to mentor you and ask questions and take notes. And now I am going to take what they taught me and pass it on to you.
This is part one of a four part article series. You will find links to the other parts of this article series at the end of this article.
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SECRET STRATEGY #1 ” FIGURE OUT WHY YOU HAVEN T DONE IT BEFORE!
Before, you rebuild a house, you need to tear down what doesn t work and then rebuild. To just rebuild over the bad parts just doesn t work. So, ask yourself this question: Why haven t I done it before? And if you have done it before, ask yourself: Why haven t I succeeded before? Now, before you say something like I didn t have the money or I don t have enough time, I want you to consider that the answer is really something that you can t see. Let me draw an analogy.
Let s say that you re driving down the street and you see this house that is tilted. You walk up to the front door, the owner answers and you say, Hello, did you know that your house is slanted and that there is probably something wrong with your foundation? The owner replies, I don t know what you re talking about. My house is perfectly straight! How could they possible say that?! Well, it s because they ve been living there so long that they don t even see the symptom let alone the real problem. So, consider that all the reasons that you haven t done this before aren t the real reasons. The real reason is the one that you can t see the foundation of the house.
Now, fill in this Bible saying: _____ is the root of all evil. You said Money, right? Well, would you be shocked if I told you that the Bible doesn t say Money ? You re shocked aren t you? Well, Timothy 6:10 actually says The love of money is the root of all evil. A few words makes world of difference don t they? After all, if you heard Money is the root of all evil over and over again as a child then how could you ever have money around you and still remain good? The sad thing is that while the Bible s actual saying, The love of money is the root of all evil, is true, the often misquoted version simply isn t true. The Bible is talking about Greed not Money.
Another saying that I really hate is Money doesn t grow on trees because it really does! OK, it may not physically grow on trees but it does grow like fruit on a tree. Investments are a prime example of this principle. If you invest and nurture your investments, they ll grow and you can use some of the money to spend on yourself and replant the rest. Constantly feed the Goose and it will lay bigger and bigger golden eggs. Later in this article, I am going to tell you about a Powerseller that epitomizes this as he took $1,000 and turned it into $270,000!
My point with both of these sayings is that you need to get at the real reason that you haven t succeeded rather than focus on the obvious symptoms.
SECRET STRATEGY #2 ” GET SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS
According to the Powersellers that I interviewed, they believe that they number one reason that people fail on eBay is that they don t treat it like a business. While the Powersellers that I talked to really love their work, the realize that it is a business. Even though it doesn t cost millions of dollars to sell on eBay, they treat it like a business every day of the week and they have it organized like Microsoft or Ford or any other successful business. You know, even ballplayers who make their living playing a game treat their profession as a business. eBay Powersellers treat their business like a business worth $100 million.
SECRET STRATEGY #3 ” ORGANIZE IT AND KEEP IT ORGANIZED
This is the absolute hardest thing for me because I am one of those people that likes to go with the flow. Although whenever I m not organized, I always lose money because I can t find the web address to that one special deal that I found out about. Or I forget about some meeting or to make a call to place an order. You ve got to be organized to be successful. Successful businesses are highly organized and disorganized businesses are short-lived.
SECRET STRATEGY #4 ” COMPARTMENTALIZE EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON
This strategy is kind of similar to #3 but I want to make it specific anyways. I have used this strategy for a couple of my small businesses and I am told that it also works very well on eBay. You see, one thing that amateurs try to do is the try to do a little of everything everyday. Post a few listings, answer a few emails, go to the bank every morning, package a few items and mail them. The problem is that this just doesn t work because you ll be all over the place and unfocused. And when you re unfocused, you make mistakes and mistakes cost money!
A better way to approach your business is to do one or two things per day. For example, make Wednesday your shipping day. Simply package all of the items that you sold and then drop them off with your shipper. Make Tuesday the day that you go to the bank. And make Thursday the day that you get all of your listings ready to be posted. The main point is to focus on one thing until you re done with it and avoid getting scattered all over the place.
SECRET STRATEGY #5 ” BUILD A WINNING TEAM
It takes a team of 55 players to win the Super Bowl and 25 players to win the World Series. How are you going to create a successful eBay business on your own? Now, you might be thinking But I m more of a tennis player type. Well the best tennis players in the world have coaches, trainers, medical staff, agents, publicists and tons of other people that are there to help them succeed. Do you think that the President could have even become President without a campaign team?
Or maybe you re saying something like But I can t afford to hire someone! Look, you can t afford not to. Take this article for example. I dictated it into a digital audio recorder, copied it onto my computer, had somebody transcribe it for a few bucks (probably in India for all I know), edited it myself and then hired another kid to submit it to over 300 article directories.
On top of that, while the kid submits the articles, I ll be writing another article. All of this cost me about $30 and would have taken me at least five hours to do on my own. I m worth more than $6 an hour and so are you. Always look at it this way and you ll make more money and more money.
One of the best places to check for very reasonable and reliable outsourcing is Elance at:
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/links/elance.html
And yet another consideration is to barter with people. I know a gentleman that is about 75 years old and doesn t even own computer. And yet he makes over $100,000 per year online. How does he do this? Well, his grandson knows a ton of stuff about how to create a web site, how to market online and other things. So this gentleman makes fishing flies and lures and his grandson sells them on eBay. In addition, this gentleman dictates articles into an audio recorder for his fishing email newsletter for which he has over 5,000 subscribers. He takes care of the creative stuff and his grandson manages the business and they split the profits. There is not excuse if you don t know how to do something find someone that does!
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Well, that s it! Armed with these secret eBay strategies, you too should be well on your way to making a very substantial income on eBay. However, should you wish to obtain even more information about how to make money on eBay and the rest of the Internet, please visit our eBay store for some fabulous informational products.
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Finally, if you missed any of the four parts of this article, you can read the other three at the following addresses:
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-1.html
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-2.html
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-3.html
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-4.html
Discover several extremely powerful web building and internet marketing packages that uncover all of the secrets to making money with eBay, Google AdSense, affiliate programs and much more! We offer a 180-day, no hassle, satisfaction guarantee!
Use Your Ebay Store To Double Your Sales
If you don’t have an eBay store you could be losing money big time.
Why?
When eBay stores first came out they were a flop. They actually wanted you to pay big time listing fees to put items in your store for up to 30 days but store items don’t appear in the regular eBay searches.
Because eBay stores were not doing that well eBay added “Good Till Canceled” listings. The listing fees are only 5 cents every 30 days which is a total bargain. But the big problem again is eBay store items don’t appear in regular searches.
So how can you still make money?
Simple, list a “Good Till Canceled” item and then PROMOTE it using you regular eBay auctions. Put a section at the bottom of your auctions with “mini ads” directly linked to your eBay store items.
You are not breaking any rules because you are linking to your own eBay auction which is allowed. Because eBay stores items are so much cheaper to list, it’s an excellent way generate higher profits.
There are three different store subscriptions for an eBay store; eBay Basic, Featured, and Anchor, in order of price. Of course, you would want to start out with the Basic Store ($15.95 p/month) rather than Anchor ($499.95 p/month), but you might want to upgrade to the Featured option ($49.95 p/month). With a featured store, you get $30 of free eBay keywords every month, meaning that you can place your listing at the top of the page for the keywords you choose. This means, more exposure, and can also significantly increase your store sales.
Owning an eBay store will not only bring you more sales, but it?ll cost you less by using it in the long run. These are just some of the many advantages of owning an eBay store. Once you own one, you?ll wonder why you didn?t go for it sooner.
Try this method out. It could make you a lot of money.
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19 Secret Strategies of eBay Powersellers, Part 3
19 SUCCESS STRATEGIES OF EBAY POWERSELLERS, PART 3
by Ed Brancheau
As if you haven’t already heard, millions upon millions of people of people buy and sell on eBay every single day. Some only make a few sales here and there. Others have figured out what it takes to become Powersellers. Powersellers are the very small minority of eBay sellers that do at least $2,000 per month in sales on eBay and maintain a 99% positive feedback rating. Powersellers are the ones that really know what they’re doing and if you really want to be successful on eBay then follow the secrets they revealed to me.
So, what are the secrets, tips and tricks that will cause you to become a Powerseller as well?
Well, I’ll be completely honest with you I may be well on my way but I’m not a Powerseller yet. However, one thing that I know from creating several successful businesses is that if you want to become the best at something, you need to copy those that are already successful, ask them to mentor you and ask questions and take notes. And now I am going to take what they taught me and pass it on to you.
This is part three of a four part article series. You will find links to the other parts of this article series at the end of this article.
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SECRET STRATEGY #12 - DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO MAKE YOUR CUSTOMER HAPPY EVEN IF IT MEANS LOSING MONEY ON A DEAL!
Of course, we’ve all heard the customer’s always right! On eBay it’s even more true. Here’s something odd that you probably don’t know: when a customer tells other people that a company or product sucked, the people they told are 5 times more likely than the person that told them to not do business with that company or buy that product. Five times more likely than the person that actually bought the thing!
Now, on eBay it is even more important as a seller to make sure that you maintain a highly positive rating because every single potential customer can see the negative ratings left for you. In addition, for every 1% (for sellers that have a rating under 1000) you’re your feedback is lowered, you will lose 11% in bids. That’s why every Powerseller says that their rating is more important than money that they lose off one deal. Personally, I can tell you that I know that several bidders have purchased my information products and then asked for their money back even though I know that they are still using the product (FYI, there are certain tricks that you can use to make money off even those that rip you off.)
I also highly recommend that you subscribe to SquareTrade and register for the Better Business Bureau Online if you qualify. I’m sure that you are familiar with the BBB so let’s talk about SquareTrade. SquareTrade has been working with eBay pretty much since eBay began and they are a certified eBay partner.
Basically, what they do is mediate disagreements with customers but, even more beneficial, they immediately investigate negative feedback is soon as a customer leaves it for you and they work with eBay to remove negative feedback that is malicious (i.e. your competition buys a product just to leave a negative feedback.) If they determine that the negative feedback was indeed caused by the seller, they attempt work out a resolution with the buyer so that the negative feedback can be removed.
Many Powersellers have been subscribed to SquareTrade for years and they also told me that it pretty much pays for itself right away because when buyers see the SquareTrade logo on the listing that the seller is making every attempt to make sure that their customers are fully satisfied. Check out SquareTrade:
http;//www.a-to-z-web.com/links/squaretrade.html
Next, I believe, as do all the Powersellers that I spoke with, that you should always offer a powerful guarantee. I, for one, offer a 180-day, no-hassle, satisfaction, money-back guarantee on any information product that I wrote and at least a 30-day guarantee on everything else. One thing that I do not do is offer a 100% Money Back guarantee although if a customer asks for all of their money back, I give them exactly what they ask for. What I do is always send them an email telling them that they will get to keep the product since there is no way me to make sure that they don’t use it. Most of the time they ask for 25-75% of their money back but very rarely do they ask 100% of their money back.
Also, for physical products most Powersellers require that items be returned in their original condition. And they charge a restocking fee for all returned items. But remember that their customer’s satisfaction always supersedes these policies. Just keep this in mind: your feedback rating is your best advertisement but can also be your largest downfall. Never let your emotions get in the way and always make 200% sure that your customer walks away happy even if you have to bribe them with extra gifts.
SECRET STRATEGY #13 - BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE
While you don’t need your own website from the very beginning, every Powerseller I spoke with has their own website. Why? One, they do not want to be at the mercy of eBay. Certainly, eBay doesn’t make it a goal of theirs to hurt businesses that sell on eBay but on occasion they do. For example, a few years ago, many people realized the power of selling their cars on eBay. At that time, it cost around $60-80 to place an ad in the newspaper or AutoTrader but only a couple of dollars to put an ad on eBay.
So, many auto traders started creating businesses where they would sell their cars on eBay. Well, eBay soon realized this new popularity and then created eBay Motors. Now, it costs $40 to list a car and $40 at the close of the sale. This is still a pretty good deal but definitely more risky than it was before. However, Powersellers realize two things: 1) that it is not good to be at the mercy of others and 2) that they can make more money selling through their own web site.
That’s why it’s very important to set up your own web site as soon as possible. Furthermore, when you have people buying through your own web site, you don’t have to pay eBay fees which can save tons of money. Finally, many Powersellers have developed ways to use eBay as a traffic generator rather than really try to make money off eBay. For example, they might have an informational product that they are selling like The Most Spectacular Fishing Trips In The World and to promote this product, they sell various fishing items such as lures and rods.
Of course, they want to make a profit off these items but the big money is in the back end product. In this case, one could sell the fishing guide as well as have affiliate tie-ins to companies that selling fishing tours in the areas that were talked about in the guide. On top of that, if you get the customer’s email address then you can contact them in the future about new products or services. Even if you cannot set up your own website right away, at the very least, make sure that you get their email address for use in the future.
SECRET STRATEGY #14 - ACCEPT EVERY FORM OF PAYMENT THAT YOU POSSIBLE CAN!
Powersellers make it as easy as possible for their customers to pay for an item and give them as many options as possible. Many sellers are opposed to accepting credit cards because of the fees that credit card companies charge. This is the most ridiculous belief when it comes to business for several reasons. One, the average credit card purchase is 30% higher than purchases made by cash or check. So, do the math. Do you make more money by offering credit card payments or less? Sure you have to pay 2-3% to the credit card company but you will make 30% more on the sale.
Now, many people then say Well, why should I accept personal checks or money orders then? Because, even though credit card payments are the safest way to pay on the Internet, many people believe that they’re just not safe. I try to tell people that using their credit card on the Internet is actually safer online than offline as the credit card companies attest but, most of the time, they simply don’t believe me. And you know what?
I hate having to go to the bank to deposit a check and wait until it clears but the funny thing is that even though I accept checks and money orders, the winning bidder rarely wants to pay via check or money order. This goes back to the first reason why you should accept credit cards because people that pay via credit card are willing to pay more usually making them the highest bidder. Finally, when you accept more forms of payments, you’ll receive more bids and the interesting thing is that this can often times create a bidding frenzy.
SECRET STRATEGY #15 - START WITH THE LOWEST BID POSSIBLE AND AVOID RESERVE BIDS
Many sellers are terrified of starting their auctions at $.01 and not having a reserve price. They are afraid that if they do this then the item that they’re selling will sell for less than its worth. First of all, an auction is capitalism at it’s best. Whoever is willing to pay the most gets the item. Basically, whatever the highest bid ends up being IS what the item is worth.
Of course, if you have read the rest of this article then you’d know that there are many things that you can do to receive higher bids on your auction like adding photos and writing a great description. However, the Powersellers that I spoke with all told me that they begin 99% of their auctions at $.01 with no reserve; the rare exception being extremely expensive items that they have never sold before.
You see, one Powerseller that I interviewed told me about a little experiment that he conducted on several occasions. Basically, what he did was place identical items up for auction which he knew that he normally had sold for $300 (with a starting bid of $9.99) in the past, placed them in the same categories and began and ended them at the exact same times. The only difference between the two auctions was that one auction he began at $.01 and the other he began at $25. In fact, if one searched for the particular item that he was selling, these two auctions would show up right next to each other.
At the end of the auction, the one that began at $.01 had received 63 bids and ended with a winning bid of $343. That’s $43 more than he had ever made off a previous sale. The auction that began at $25 ended with only 43 bids and a final price of $287 for a difference of $56! Remember that everything was exactly the same except for the starting bid price.
Why does this happen? It’s pretty simple really. First of all, you’ll receive bids from a larger number of unique bidders and remember that every time someone is outbid, they receive a notice that they have been outbid. In affect, eBay is promoting your item for you even more.
Second, more bids draw more bidders. Ask yourself this: when you are scrolling through eBay listings, what catches your eye more: an auction with 3-4 bids or an auction with 20. Some people claim that it doesn’t make a difference but the numbers prove otherwise. Bids beget more bids.
Finally, people always want to win! You know, when you go to Wal-Mart and buy something, they don’t say You Won! do they? Of course not! But on eBay, you’re the winning bidder! The more people that you draw into your auction then the more people you will have wanting to win.
Don’t be scared! Always start your auction at $.01 and no reserve. This option always makes more money. But there is one exception to this rule: don’t do it when you are just beginning to sell an extremely expensive item that you have to put a lot of your money on the line. For example, when I first started selling sporting tickets on eBay, I really had no idea what I was doing or how to effectively list an item. But once I figured that out, it really didn’t matter how much I bought the tickets for because when I listed them at $.01 and no reserve, I made about 18% more per sale!
Special note: if you have no reserve on your auction, always put no reserve (minus the quotes) in your auction title or, if you don’t have enough space for that, then put nr in the title. Do this because many people are opposed to auction with reserves and so they will always search for their keyword plus no reserve or nr and if your title doesn’t have these keywords then they won’t see it.
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Well, that’s it! Armed with these secret eBay strategies, you too should be well on your way to making a very substantial income on eBay. However, should you wish to obtain even more information about how to make money on eBay and the rest of the Internet, please visit our eBay store for some fabulous informational products.
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Finally, if you missed any of the four parts of this article, you can read the other three at the following addresses:
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-1.html
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-2.html
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-3.html
http://www.a-to-z-web.com/ebays-secrets-4.html
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