continued from How to Sell on Ebay, page one
7. POINT OUT ALL FLAWS
Note and describe even the most minor flaws (scratches, rips etc.) in your item. Save yourself the hassle dealing with a disgruntled customer who is disappointed with the item and wants to return it, and might leave you negative feedback. Better to lose a customer because you mention too many flaws in the item, or to have customers who leave you feedback, "item was better than described."
8. MAKE YOUR LISTING ATTRACTIVE
Avoid very large type and all capitals. Correct your spelling and grammar. DON'T use too many colors or flashy graphics.
If your listing speaks "quality", your item will have more appeal.
9. INCLUDE QUALITY PICTURES
Aim for several quality pictures, closeup and full-view. Show the best features of your item and the worst. If there is an autograph, trademark, important publication or printing notice etc., take a clear closeup picture of that feature. Of course, on a small inexpensive item like a dvd you may not wish to spend your time taking numerous pictures, but even a closeup image of the back of the dvd box with full description and credits etc. can make your listing more appealing. A seller who communicates that he/she cares about the product and the customer by creating a tasteful, quality listing with excellent photos generates trust.
Taking a digital camera photo or digitizing a 35mm camera photo is only the first step in regard to adding photos to your listing. You may also need to crop, resize, color correct, and retouch your images, as well as it save them in their final .jpg file format. You need not however master Adobe Photoshop to do so.
One of the best free, easy to use photo editing programs for Windows that will do all your need for your Ebay photos is Irfanview. (My class handouts on Ebay photography and using Irfanview are available for a small fee. For further information, contact Tracy Marks).
A cautionary note: You do NOT want your photos to look better or different than your actual item for sale. If you color correct it, aim to capture as closely as possible the exact color of your object. Better yet, if color matters, clearly describe the color in your listing. Since computers, computer settings, monitors, graphics cards and operating systems differ, few viewers of your auction will see your pictures exactly as you do.
10. CHOOSE THE RIGHT STARTING BID
Find the right starting bid for you. Do NOT make your starting bid lower than you are willing to sell your item for, unless you have a reserve for a higher amount. Most likely at least half the time, you will be selling items for the initial bid. A reserve is your best bet if you believe that too high a starting bid will prevent you from having any sales, but most buyers don't want to deal with reserves on items selling for under $50.
11. PROMOTE YOUR OTHER ACTIONS
If you are selling more than one item, and also are willing to give shipping discounts for multiple purchases, state that clearly in your listings. A statement like "See seller's other listings for more quality items. Shipping discounts available for multiple purchases shipped together" will often encourage a prospective buyer to peruse all your auctions and bid on more than one item.
Another useful means of promoting your auctions is to click the cross-promotion link at the top of your Ebay listing page and select which four of your other auctions you wish to promote on each of your auction pages. Ebay will place links to your auctions automatically on each of your listings, but the auctions Ebay chooses may not be relevant to the viewers interested in a particular auction. If, for example, you are selling several history textbooks, art books, and tennis rackets, you may wish a prospective buyer interested in one of your history book auctions to know about the other history book auctions, rather than the art books and tennis rackets you are selling.
Continued - four more Ebay selling tips
Go to How to Sell on Ebay, page three
Tracy is a certified Ebay Education Specialist conducting Ebay
trainings
in the Boston area; and an Ebay consultant helping people worldwide
learn
how to buy and sell on Ebay as well as Amazon Marketplace. She is also
an Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements instructor. See further information on her Boston area classes and consulting.
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