7 Steps To Effective Listings On EBay
- By Gavin Barnes
- Published 05/30/2009
- Business
- Unrated
Gavin Barnes
If you would like to know more about turning your unwanted "stuff" into a $10k a month business... and to view Mack Michael's free instructional videos visit http://www.MaverickMoneymakersRegister.com Gavin Barnes is an online systems tester and author, and a part-time affiliate marketeer.
View all articles by Gavin Barnes
Turn your old junk into a $10k a month online business... Part 3.
(A pauper's guide to getting started...)
Hello again!
A good way to raise the cash necessary to get started with an online business, either as an affiliate, a webmaster, a forex dealer, or any other investor, is to sell off your unwanted “stuff” on eBay. You want to ensure however, that you get the best price for your goods and that your money is quickly accessible.
Here's a quick 7 step checklist for getting the best return and keeping all your funds “liquid”.
1. The first step we discussed yesterday. Use PAYPAL as your preferred payment method. And get the Paypal Prepay Visa card. Your money will be all in one place and instantly accessible
2. Make sure your listing ends at the weekend, preferably on a Sunday. People generally have more time for online shopping and auction bidding at the weekends. Also, bidding is most lively in the final 60 minutes of an auction. There will always be more interest in your goods if the auction closes on a Sunday. I would recommend closing an auction around 8.30pm to 9pm. You will just about always get a higher price for your goods if the auction closes on the weekend
If you're listing your items at 3am on a monday morning, use a scheduled start time. For a nominal fee, currently 6p per listing, you can pre-program your auction to start whenever you choose. It won't “go live” so to speak until you schedule it to. Take full advantage of the scheduled start-time option, it is easily worth a few extra pounds, despite the fee.
3. Offer Buy It Now as a purchase option. You will be genuinely surprised how often somebody will pay your asking price when adding Buy It Now to your purchase options. A lot of people just don't want to wait or don't want to risk losing out in a bidding war. See what the item you're offering is currently fetching in the open market and pitch your Buy It Now price at around that mark. It does cost around 20p in eBay fees per item but you will recoup that in a guaranteed sale. Always use Buy It Now in addition to having your item for sale at auction.
4. Pictures. The most important thing about the picture you use when selling is that it should be a clear, well lit, blur-free representation of what you are selling. What it does not necessarily have to be is an actual picture of the item you are selling. So long as you describe in your sales copy any significant flaws the item may have, you may as well use any generic screenshot of the item up for sale.
Google search the name of what you are selling, model number and all, and when your search results are returned, in the top left of the screen you will see a link to Google Images. Just click on the link and the chances are very high that you will get an actual photo of what you are selling come up. Save the picture and then upload it to eBay when you are listing your item.
5. Good Sales Copy. Getting the written ad right can often seem a bit daunting. Here's a useful shortcut: Take a look at other ads currently listing a similar item, find one that appeals to you and copy it. Word for word, so long as it's all relevant. Don't waste time wracking your brains for a clever ad. Find one that impresses you and copy it.
6. Postage and Packing. Always package your items well, and post them promptly. Certainly, that is how you would always like to receive items you have bought yourself. Do not be at all afraid to charge a reasonable amount for postage. You may need to purchase packing materials, add special delivery charges and wait 45mins in a queue at the Post Office to get served (see alternative). Charge a reasonable postage fee. That is, reasonable to you, not to the customer.
When it comes to packing materials, if you are sending a lot of items of a similar size, have a look on eBay itself for wholesale supplies of envelopes and other necessary items. You can use your Paypal balance to pay for all the materials you need. You can also use Paypal to pay for and print out postage labels. This is a handy alternative to queueing at the post-office. If you do choose to pay at the Post Office, then you can use your Paypal Visa card and have the cost deducted from your Paypal balance and NOT from your bank-account.
7. What to sell? The following is by no means exhaustive. You can sell just about about anything on eBay:
DVD's
Music Albums, CD's, LP's etc
Clothes, costumes
Jewellery
Spare Car Parts
Cars
Old MP3 players
Mobile phones
Books
Old pictures, photos..
Umbrellas
Kitchenware
Perfumes, Scents
Models, statues
Anything else you can think of.....
To recap....
Use Paypal where possible (and get Paypal prepay card)
End your listings on the weekend (Sunday evenings are best)
Use Buy It Now in addition to offering a regular auction
Get a ready-made picture image of your item if it's a fair representation
Let someone else design your ad copy
Use your Paypal account to cover all postage and packing costs
Sell anything and everything that is taking up much needed space in your home
Follow all of the above advice and you should easily make £100 -£200 or more. Having got some cash together, using it wisely is key. Consider joining an investment club like Mack Michael's outstanding Maverick Money Makers. Mack has established an online community, several thousands strong, of affiliate marketeers who have invested very small sums of money (less than $100 at the outset) and seen astonishing returns under his expert tutorship.
Until next time.......
Happy hunting!
Gavin
(A pauper's guide to getting started...)
Hello again!
A good way to raise the cash necessary to get started with an online business, either as an affiliate, a webmaster, a forex dealer, or any other investor, is to sell off your unwanted “stuff” on eBay. You want to ensure however, that you get the best price for your goods and that your money is quickly accessible.
Here's a quick 7 step checklist for getting the best return and keeping all your funds “liquid”.
1. The first step we discussed yesterday. Use PAYPAL as your preferred payment method. And get the Paypal Prepay Visa card. Your money will be all in one place and instantly accessible
2. Make sure your listing ends at the weekend, preferably on a Sunday. People generally have more time for online shopping and auction bidding at the weekends. Also, bidding is most lively in the final 60 minutes of an auction. There will always be more interest in your goods if the auction closes on a Sunday. I would recommend closing an auction around 8.30pm to 9pm. You will just about always get a higher price for your goods if the auction closes on the weekend
If you're listing your items at 3am on a monday morning, use a scheduled start time. For a nominal fee, currently 6p per listing, you can pre-program your auction to start whenever you choose. It won't “go live” so to speak until you schedule it to. Take full advantage of the scheduled start-time option, it is easily worth a few extra pounds, despite the fee.
3. Offer Buy It Now as a purchase option. You will be genuinely surprised how often somebody will pay your asking price when adding Buy It Now to your purchase options. A lot of people just don't want to wait or don't want to risk losing out in a bidding war. See what the item you're offering is currently fetching in the open market and pitch your Buy It Now price at around that mark. It does cost around 20p in eBay fees per item but you will recoup that in a guaranteed sale. Always use Buy It Now in addition to having your item for sale at auction.
4. Pictures. The most important thing about the picture you use when selling is that it should be a clear, well lit, blur-free representation of what you are selling. What it does not necessarily have to be is an actual picture of the item you are selling. So long as you describe in your sales copy any significant flaws the item may have, you may as well use any generic screenshot of the item up for sale.
Google search the name of what you are selling, model number and all, and when your search results are returned, in the top left of the screen you will see a link to Google Images. Just click on the link and the chances are very high that you will get an actual photo of what you are selling come up. Save the picture and then upload it to eBay when you are listing your item.
5. Good Sales Copy. Getting the written ad right can often seem a bit daunting. Here's a useful shortcut: Take a look at other ads currently listing a similar item, find one that appeals to you and copy it. Word for word, so long as it's all relevant. Don't waste time wracking your brains for a clever ad. Find one that impresses you and copy it.
6. Postage and Packing. Always package your items well, and post them promptly. Certainly, that is how you would always like to receive items you have bought yourself. Do not be at all afraid to charge a reasonable amount for postage. You may need to purchase packing materials, add special delivery charges and wait 45mins in a queue at the Post Office to get served (see alternative). Charge a reasonable postage fee. That is, reasonable to you, not to the customer.
When it comes to packing materials, if you are sending a lot of items of a similar size, have a look on eBay itself for wholesale supplies of envelopes and other necessary items. You can use your Paypal balance to pay for all the materials you need. You can also use Paypal to pay for and print out postage labels. This is a handy alternative to queueing at the post-office. If you do choose to pay at the Post Office, then you can use your Paypal Visa card and have the cost deducted from your Paypal balance and NOT from your bank-account.
7. What to sell? The following is by no means exhaustive. You can sell just about about anything on eBay:
DVD's
Music Albums, CD's, LP's etc
Clothes, costumes
Jewellery
Spare Car Parts
Cars
Old MP3 players
Mobile phones
Books
Old pictures, photos..
Umbrellas
Kitchenware
Perfumes, Scents
Models, statues
Anything else you can think of.....
To recap....
Use Paypal where possible (and get Paypal prepay card)
End your listings on the weekend (Sunday evenings are best)
Use Buy It Now in addition to offering a regular auction
Get a ready-made picture image of your item if it's a fair representation
Let someone else design your ad copy
Use your Paypal account to cover all postage and packing costs
Sell anything and everything that is taking up much needed space in your home
Follow all of the above advice and you should easily make £100 -£200 or more. Having got some cash together, using it wisely is key. Consider joining an investment club like Mack Michael's outstanding Maverick Money Makers. Mack has established an online community, several thousands strong, of affiliate marketeers who have invested very small sums of money (less than $100 at the outset) and seen astonishing returns under his expert tutorship.
Until next time.......
Happy hunting!
Gavin