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So what do you sell on eBay?
7 ways to get you started
Thousands of people start selling on eBay every day. Many want to start their own business. Most fail - but why?
It all seems so simple. Just get some products, put them on eBay, sit back and collect the money. What could be easier? What could possibly go wrong?
Well, quite a lot actually. It may look straightforward, and believe it or not it is sometimes as easy at that, but most of the time all sorts of other things happen and then it gets tricky.
One reason for failing is that some people try to get too big too soon. Way too big. A quick look at the people who ARE selling lots of items will show that most of them are eBay PowerSellers, and the majority of them have spent a lot of years (and a lot of money) building up their customer base and reputations.
Nobody plans to fail, but many fail to plan.
This perhaps the single most important reason business's go under. To be successful you have to work to a plan, and this is just as important with eBay as with any other business. You need to start small and work your way up.
Here are 7 ways to get off the ground with eBay.
- Find a nice small 'niche' market.
- Choose a good quality product. Stick with one product to start with.
- Source from a reputable wholesale supplier. You'll need to re-order if it sells well.
- Do your sums on all your outgoing costs.
- Work out a competitive selling price.
- Write a keyword rich title and listing with good description and digital photo.
- List on eBay's Multiple Quantity 30 day 'Buy It Now' listing.
If you've done your homework correctly and the product is a good seller, you won't have time to sit back and watch the sales come in - you'll be too busy getting the orders delivered on time!
To start with only order a small batch of the product, until you know it sells well. You may love the item, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. Once you see the product is selling you need to think about ordering the next batch.
So what are the best products to sell? The best advice is to start with something you know. The more you know about a product the more you can talk about it. Tell everyone how good the product is. If you've bought it and used it yourself, tell them. Be enthusiastic when you write your description, it can be infectious.
There really are hundreds and hundreds of small but profitable 'niche' markets on eBay. Anything from hand made arts and crafts to antique collectables and old postcards. Just about any sort of hobby or special interest can be found on eBay, so before deciding on a product, spend some time going through the categories. I think you will be amazed at what you find.
If you're still not sure where to start or what to do, this may help. I came across a smashing book a while ago that will help you get started easily. This book by Amanda O'Brien leaves nothing out and is extremely easy to follow. If you really want to know how it's done, then this book is for you.
To discover top quality reliable wholesale suppliers, it's worth checking out this Wholesale Suppliers Directory. By joining with a low lifetime membership fee, you will have access to thousands and thousands of pre-selected wholesale suppliers.
For more tips and tricks about the world of eBay, please look through the rest of this blog, and also visit http://smartauctionprofits.blogspot.com/.
Easy way to double your chances selling on eBay
With everyone looking to squeeze the last drop of profit from each sale, wouldn't it be handy to know a way of potentially DOUBLING your existing sales?
In a previous post I spoke about the benefits of using the 'Buy It Now' feature on eBay when selling multiple quantities of the same product (see 'Are Auction Listings the only way to Sell on eBay?'). In this post I will show you how to double up your chances of making a sale with the 'Buy It Now' feature selling the same product.
EBay allows you to list the same product in two different categories at the same time, but ONLY if the listing for each item is different. What this means to you is that you will be able to advertize your product to twice the number of potential buyers, DOUBLING your chances of making a sale!
Here's what you need to do. Take your product and write two similar (but NOT the same) listings, using different title keywords for each, and choose two different (but RELEVANT) categories. It is also a very good idea to change the price on one of them, only by a little, so that it doesn't appear the same as the other. There are two reasons for this that I will explain later.
The two categories you choose MUST be relevant to the product you're selling, if not you could get reported to eBay and have your listing removed, so be careful.
An example of relevant, but different, categories would be if you were selling say a First Edition Book. One obvious category would be 'Books - First Editions', but another category could be 'Books - Collectable'. Do you see what I mean? You now have the same book for sale, but in two different categories.
It doesn't matter if you're selling single items or multiple quantities, as long as you write two different listings, with a slightly different price, and list in two different, relevant categories you will DOUBLE your chances of a sale. If you look around, most products will fall into at least two different categories and still be relevant.
It's a fact that different buyers will search for what they want using different words in different places. If you have your product in two separate categories, using different keywords, you will double your chances of being found and making a sale.
One reason to have a slightly different price is so that the two listings are not identical, and will not fall foul of the rules. The other is so that you can see at a glance which of the two categories is giving you the most sales.
If you've suffered a bit lately and aren't getting the sales you had hoped, give this a try. You never know it might get you going again. Experiment a little. Be bold.
Where can I buy wholesale? To access thousands of top quality wholesale suppliers, who have all been pre-selected for you, and to find those much sort after niche products for resale on eBay go to SaleHoo Wholesale Directory and start making an impact TODAY!
Are Auction Listings the only way to sell on eBay?
Does your brain get addled and a nervous tension start whenever your eBay listing is nearing the end? Do you look at the latest bid and think 'Why is it so low? I was really hoping it would fetch more than that.' or 'I can't believe someone has actually bid as much as that for it, they must be mad!'
The emotions are all part of the game, and none the worse for it either. But if this was your business could you put up with that sort of emotion EVERY time, day after day?
Thankfully eBay have another way of selling that doesn't scramble your brain, or turn you inside out, and is ideal for selling items as a business. You may have seen this on the listings but are not sure exactly what it is, it's called 'Buy It Now'.
Using this feature will not only save your sanity, but will allow you to know exactly what your profit will be every time you make a sale. You may have noticed the amount of 'Buy It Now' listings has increased a lot lately, and for a very good reason.
Normal auction listings are good for single items, or items you just want to sell at any price, but if you run a business you will probably be selling multiple quantities of the same item. Think what a mess you'd be in if you started getting all sorts of different prices for the same product!
The only way to stabilize your selling platform is to be able to sell the same products at the same price, time after time. Before you list your products using the 'Buy It Now' feature, you will have worked out all your costs, leaving nothing out, so that you know the selling price is the final price, and includes £XYZ of profit. What do you mean - what costs?
You must have a list of all your outgoing costs before you know what profit you can make. Don't forget you will have wholesale price (incl delivery to you), delivery price, VAT (if applicable), plus eBay fees, PayPal fees or Credit Card fees. But once you have these worked out you can easily get your best selling price - and know what your profit will be.
If all this sounds complicated, believe me when I say it really isn't as bad as it sounds. If you're selling the same product and getting it from the same supplier then all the costs will be the same won't they? And if you do sell the same product in multiple quantities, when you do your listing you'll only pay 1 listing fee for the whole lot!
Amanda O'Brien has a wonderful book (yes - a proper book!) that goes through all these different eBay options with you. She explains all the different ways to get the most from eBay, and why one method is better than another depending on the product you want to sell. She uses the 'Buy It Now' feature herself, and has always used it from day one, so it's well worth having a look at what she has to say.
Remember, if you want to take eBay seriously, and make a proper business out of it, you need to consider the 'Buy It Now' option. The only stipulation eBay make before you can use 'Buy It Now' is that you have to have at least 10 positive feedbacks. Once you have this, you will be able to use this method to your advantage.
To find out more about Amanda O'Brien's book '£355 a week Part-Time eBay PowerSeller Secrets'. just click the link. It really does make it all a lot easier!
Promote Your eBay Products for FREE!
Here's a great way to promote your eBay products for FREE, and it's so simple you'll wonder why you hadn't thought of it before.
All you have to do is include an email signature on every email you send out to your friends, relatives, eBay customers, mailing list (if you have one), literally everyone you can think of. In case you don't know, an email signature is simply a few lines inserted at the end of each email message that is sent out. Access to the email signature box will vary depending on your email program, but in Outlook Express it's 'Tools/Options/Signatures' so it should be fairly easy.
You can put in a description of your latest product (you can edit the box whenever), or any special offer you happen to be promoting at the moment, anything really to get people to visit your eBay site. Once you have this signature set up you put in a link to your eBay shop (if you have one) or to your 'About Me' page on eBay.
As well as putting this signature on every email sent from your normal email provider, you can also add it to all your emails that go through 'eBay messages' such as your 'Thank You for your order', 'Thank You for your payment' and 'Your Order has been dispatched' type emails.
One of the beauties of doing this is that once you have it all set up, you don't have to do anything else, and everytime an email goes out - to anywhere in the world - your little advert goes with it, and it hasn't cost you a dime!
If you like this tip and want some more, just click through the blogs, there are all sorts of tips and tricks, all with the aim of getting the most from your eBay experience.
Fed up with not getting enough sales? Want to know how you can earn £355 a week part time from your kitchen table? CLICK HERE and Amanda O'Brien will show you how easy it is.
Should I always give a guarantee selling on eBay?
If you're selling brand new products on eBay as a business, you should always offer a 14 day or 30 day 'no quibble' money back guarantee. This shows not only faith in your product, but also gives your buyers faith in you. People are much more likely to buy knowing that if they don't like it, or it doesn't work, they can at least get their money back.
Unless the product you have sold is faulty in some way, the chances are that the item won't be returned under your 'no quibble - no risk - unconditional guarantee'. But why not?
The strange truth is that most people just can't be bothered to send things back! It would seem that the thought of packing it up again, going to the Post Office (if you can find one), getting the stamps and actually posting it, is far too much bother.
If you sell a lot of the same product and you do get some refunds, there won't be many of them and they can easily be absorbed into your total sales. The main point is that by offering a 'risk free' guarantee you will increase your overall sales. Somehow it makes people feel much more relaxed about buying.
There will be exeptions to this as you would expect. If, for example, you were selling used personal items, items with a hygiene issue, motor cars etc, it would be impractical to offer a guarantee, and one wouldn't really be expected. Use your common sense.
So if you're in two minds abouth whether or not to offer a 'cast iron, 24 carat, no quibble guarantee' just remember the huge amount of increased sales it produces compared to no guarantee at all.
UK Postal Strike and Selling on eBay
Following the recent announcement from the Commercial Worker's Union that a national strike involving UK postal workers is likely to commence on 18th October 2009, eBay have made the following announcement concerning their Dispatch Time DSR's for the duration of the proposed strike, should it take place.
This announcement from eBay was issued on Thursday 8th October 2009.
"Today the Commercial Worker's Union has issued strike notice to Royal Mail. This means a national strike is possible from 18th October 2009.
We take this notice very seriously, and recognise the negative impact that such action will have for sellers on eBay.co.uk and I want to let you know what we are doing to mitigate the impact.
We're temporarily removing the option for buyers to rate sellers on the Dispatch Time Detailed Seller Rating from the start date of any national strike action.
We've expressed our concerns directly to the business secretary Rt. Hon Lord Mandelson that it is unacceptable many hard working small businesses selling on eBay are victims of a dispute that is beyond their control.
We're working with a number of alternative postal carriers to ensure sellers can provide the levels of service that are critical in the run up to Christmas."
Although this may give eBay sellers a little less to worry about, the fact remains that deliveries will be severely delayed unless other more expensive options are used. Any updates will be posted as soon as possible.
5 Tips to Avoid Online Auction Scams
Sellers, as well as buyers can fall victim to the eBay online auction scammers. As well as the better known phishing and Evil Twin scams, there are those who specifically target eBay sellers, and this is to highlight ways to help you avoid them.
1. Items Not Received. Some buyers will claim not to have received the item(s) sent to them, and demand a refund or replacement. Always use a carrier or service that uses a tracking system such as FedEx, UPS, DHL or similar. Pay a little extra at the Post Office for their tracking service. All these require a signature on delivery.
2. Counterfeit Cheques and Money Orders. More of a problem when dealing with overseas customers. If you receive a Money Order you must cash it BEFORE you dispatch the goods, don't just pay it into your bank. Make sure you have the cash in your hand. This way the responsibility for the authenticity of the Money Order is the Post Office's or whoever cashed it - not yours.
With cheques you can take them to your bank and get them to contact the issuing bank to find out if it's good first. It may take 24 hours or so, but if they say it's OK and it later turns out not to be it's the banks' problem- not yours.
3. Be Choosey Where You Sell. If you sell internationally be careful into which countries you send your goods. Some countries are more prone to fraud than others, Russia, Thailand and Nigeria are three, but there are others. If in doubt don't sell there.
4. Don't Use Your Home Address on eBay. It's only a precaution but if you can, use a PO Box or similar for your Registered Address with eBay. Once you complete a transaction with someone they can find your address through the eBay system if they want. It has been known for a seller to find a previous buyer knocking at their front door to complain! It doesn't happen very often, and it's only a precaution but......
5. Photographs and Insurance. With high value items such as diamonds, watches, cameras, jewelry and the like, it is always advisable to take detailed photographs of the item(s) before taking out adequate insurance. It has been known for buyers to decide they don't really want the item when its been delivered, then deliberately break or scratch it in some way so they can demand a refund. If this happens, and a claim is made for insurance, then the insurance company will most likely investigate before paying out.
If the buyer did break or scratch the item, you will have photographic evidence that the item was fine when you shipped it.
These are just a few of the things to watch out for, and I hope they've been helpful. Thankfully these are not as common as you may think, but worth making note of anyway. The watchwords are common sense, so if you think someone is trying to pull a fast one don't deal with them.
There are many other little tips and tricks to be found in my blogs, so have a look round and see if there's anything else to help you. Good Selling!
Is it easy to tell the good from the bad?
Before you start using drop shipping supplies companies to send your sold products for you, is there a way of telling a good drop shipper from a bad drop shipper? (try saying that quickly)
Yes there is, but it isn't quick. If you aren't already a member of a pre-selected directory of wholesalers that does this for you, you need to set yourself up as your own customer and test each one out until you find a good one.
You can choose the product you wish to sell, choose a wholesale supplier with drop ship facilities and order from them (a very small quantity) naming yourself as the end customer.
The advantage of this method is that if anything goes wrong, such as the product not turning up, or it's the wrong product, or it's not very good, then the only person who is disappointed or angry is you, and not one of your customers.
The downside of this method is that should you be unlucky and get a number of 'bad' ones in a row, it could be some time before you found a really good one. It's unlikely, but it could happen.
If you'd like to take the guesswork out of finding reliable suppliers, and know that each one has been pre-selected in advance, then go to the LINK HERE where all the work has been done for you, so you don't have to. It makes sense doesn't it?
Will selling used products make money on eBay?
If you're starting out as a seller on eBay, you may be wondering which products sell well, and what products you should start with.
If you haven't been selling on eBay before the best advice is to start small and work your way up. Selling used goods, such as antiques, collectibles, books and vintage items is probably the most popular way to start. The market for these types of goods has always been steady, and it's a very good way of 'cutting your teeth'.
The smaller end of the market has always been a difficult one for the larger, more commercial companies, so you should find this much easier. If you have some prior knowledge of art, antiques, collectibles or rare books so much the better, so try and pick something you know.
Most people can find these items to resell in charity shops, boot fairs, thrift shops and markets etc, and there are normally many in each town or city. When hunting for these 'bargains' you must bear in mind the potential postal costs involved, plus the likeyhood of damage in transit (so nothing too heavy or fragile!).
Yes, selling used goods on eBay can make you money, if you do it properly.
If you want to find out how to do it properly, starting at the beginning and working your way up, then you could do a lot worse than look at Amanda O'Brien's book '£2,500 a week eBay PowerSellers Secrets'. This book - yes this is actually a proper book - will take you through everything you will ever need to know. From beginning to end it leaves nothing out, and updates are emailed regularly.
CLICK HERE to see how this book will help you get started.
SaleHoo: A Product Perspective
So you've decided to be a seller on eBay.
You've purchased a few eBooks on how to get set up. You've done all your research. You've selected a couple of products you think will sell well. Now all you have to do is find out where you can source these items cheaply. But where? Are there any wholesale tips as such?
How can you be sure the supplier you have chosen is reliable and trustworthy? There are so many scare stories about scams on the internet. About people paying over good, hard earned money to wholesale suppliers, and never seeing hide nor hair of any product. Can you be sure this won't happen to you?
The good news is YES, you can!
SaleHoo is a leading Directory of Wholesalers, and for a very modest lifetime membership fee, offers exclusive access to a huge comprehensive directory of Manufacturers, Drop Shippers, Wholesale Suppliers and Liquidators. The companies listed in the directory have all been pre-selected too, which means they've all been 'checked' out.
SaleHoo is split into two sections, with the suppliers' database on one side and a very active Private Members forum on the other. It appears that the forum is used extensively by the members to keep each other informed of the best suppliers for certain products, and a section for members seeking specific products.
The information shared between members of SaleHoo is quite open it would appear, and I suppose this is because it is a closed site, not open to the general public, so feelings and thoughts can be freely aired!
The wholesale suppliers' database lists thousands of companies all over the world, and is broken down into categories for easy navigation. With so many to choose from there is every likelyhood a supplier could be found not far away to supply the items you want.
Each member is able to write a review on a company when they've used them, so as well as the forum you can have access to written 'evidence' of the suitability. Many of the reviews are written by eBay PowerSellers and SaleHoo company staff when they have ordered different products to test the companies out. The idea has been to vet as many suppliers as possible, so that members can be confident they are dealing with bona fide companies.
The general opinion is that the up to date information supplied by SaleHoo is well worth the membership fee, which as mentioned earlier, is for life. Once you have joined and been on the forum, you will get a mountain of very useful information, and in no time at all you'll be able to source the products you want and get started on eBay.
You can access SaleHoo here, or elsewhere on this blog, so have a good look over the site before making a decision. If you're serious about sourcing good quality items to sell on eBay, you couldn't be in better hands.
