How about some good ebay tips.

[mom-from-missouri]

I think my sales could be better.

Does anyone want to post their tips for EBAY??? (such as disneysteve??)

A couple things I have learned:

Use good clear photos

Don't let your auction end at a time when no one is awake to make a last minute bid. The ones I had that ended at 3 a.m. didn't do so well.

[Superhuge]

To expand on one of your thoughts, I've had the best luck having auctions ending in the afternoon of a weekday. I try to have my auctions end early Friday afternoons.

Presumably people are checking auctions while at work.

[disneysteve]

You rang.

Absolutely a good, clear, close-up photo. If it is relevant to the item, have photos from different angles. You can use a photo editing program like Photoshop Elements to combine 2 or more photos into one file so you don't pay added photo fees.

Before listing an item, do a search for it. See how others have titled their auctionsm in what categories they've listed and what the starting bids are.

Spell everything correctly. Your antique desk won't show up in a search if you spell it "dask".

Write a clear, detailed description. Just the facts. Nobody cares that it was a gift from your grandmother when you were 12. Tell what the item is, who made it, how old it is, exactly what condition it is in, measurements, etc. The better the info, the more likely an interested party is to bid. People don't like surprises when the item arrives.

Don't say an item is Mint unless it is. Mint means brand new, perfect condition, never used, still in the original packaging. If the box is damaged or written on, even if the item is just fine, it isn't mint. If the item is in perfect condition but no longer in it's original packaging, it isn't mint. Collectors are VERY picky (I say that with all due respect, being a collector myself). The box can be as valuable as what's inside.

Avoid cutesy things to get people to bid, like "LOOK" or "RARE" or "UNIQUE". All you need is an accurate title with the right keywords that people would search for if they were looking for that type of item.

Set fair shipping costs. There is nothing wrong with charging a reasonable fee on top of actual postage. I used to oppose this but I've changed my mind in recent years as fees have risen. An extra dollar or two is fine. It covers your time, your shipping supplies and your fees.

Use a postal scale to weigh your items. You want to be sure you set accurate postage charges and don't gyp yourself out of money or overcharge your customers.

Start your auctions at the lowest price possible. $0.99 is perfect. If the item is worth more, it will get bid up to a fair price. If it doesn't, it just wasn't as valuable as you thought or wasn't in much demand.

If an item doesn't sell, think hard before relisting. If you can't come up with a good reason why it didn't sell, like a mistake in the original listing or a lousy photo, don't waste money relisting it. Give it to Goodwill and take a tax deduction and move on.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

[Hypersion]

Nice Steve; I can't think of too much to add except:

Ship international; take advanage of the weak US dollar.

Act professional; don't get into email wars with your buyers.

"Start your auctions at the lowest price possible. $0.99 is perfect. If the item is worth more, it will get bid up to a fair price. If it doesn't, it just wasn't as valuable as you thought or wasn't in much demand."

I disagree, you should start your auctions off that the lowest your willing to sell the item for.

[filifefc]

I always end my auctions on Thursday evening about 6-7pm eastern time. Seems to perform the best for me.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Hypersion

Ship international; take advanage of the weak US dollar.

"Start your auctions at the lowest price possible. $0.99 is perfect. If the item is worth more, it will get bid up to a fair price. If it doesn't, it just wasn't as valuable as you thought or wasn't in much demand."

I disagree, you should start your auctions off that the lowest your willing to sell the item for.

I agree about shipping worldwide. So many people seem to be afraid to do this and it is really quite easy and greatly expands your pool of potential buyers. I have sold to buyers in virtually every major country around the world over the past 10 years. Certain items that are quite common here in the US are rare and desirable in other countries.

As for starting price, you're right. I should explain my thinking there. It really depends on what you are selling. If it is an item that is in good demand, the starting price really doesn't matter. In fact, a low starting price may give your auction an advantage over folks who start the bidding higher.

For example, if you list a Wii today at $.99, I guarantee you it will get bid up to fair market value.

On the other hand, if you are selling something that isn't in great demand or of particular value, starting the bid higher is probably appropriate.

The other factor is how much you have invested in the item. If you are selling something you found at the back of the closet that you don't want or need anymore, get whatever you can for it and be happy. If, however, you bought an item specifically to resell it, then certainly you don't want to lose money and need to start the bid higher.

Just keep in mind that ebay works pretty much the same way as live auctions. I've been to hundreds of live auctions over the years. The auctioneer can be showing an item worth $5,000 and try to get the bidding started at $1,000, then $500, then $100 and nobody will jump in with that first bid until he gets down to twenty bucks. Of course, the item ultimately sells for something close to actual value (or more) but you can't start the bidding that high because nobody will bid. People want to feel like they've gotten a bargain even when they haven't actually.

[PrincessPerky]

This is a somewhat helpful, somewhat tong in cheek list of ebay pointers..or don'ts anyway.

article on PF advice

[hawkster]

All good points, the only other things I'd add that I know from personel experience:

1. Regarding pictures, I use photobucket so I can put several pictures in the context of the description and it does not cost any extra because your simply inserting HTML code in the text.

2. This was a biggie for me....all of my auctions are always 7 day auctions and I start them always on Sunday nights, typically between 8-10pm. I have found that you get a better price on things ending on Sundays.

Good Luck!

[Rick01]

disneysteve and others made very good and correct points. Definitely keep unnecessary words out of title, but try to add keywords without making it look spammy. You need the words people are using to find the product in your title and description areas.

[disneysteve]

One more tip. Be sure to include the actual cost of shipping in the auction listing. Many people will not bid on an item without knowing the shipping cost upfront. Nobody wants to win the auction and then get hit with an inflated shipping charge.

[disneysteve]

Another tip - If you need any shipping supplies - padded envelopes, tape, bubble wrap, etc. - buy it on ebay. Don't go to Staples or OfficeMax or any of those places.

Just as an example, I needed 6x9" padded envelopes this week. Staples was about $14 for 25. I got them on ebay for $10 including shipping. I also have gotten bubble wrap from ebay several times, always far cheaper than the stores.

Don't forget that you can go to usps.com and order FREE Priority Mail boxes and envelopes. They will deliver them to your house.

[pennrj430]

Do you have any tips on acquiring boxes? I know Steve said that USPS will send you free Priority Flat Rate boxes, but any tips on getting regular boxes cheap or free? Thanks.

[Dixiechick]

Originally Posted by pennrj430

Do you have any tips on acquiring boxes? I know Steve said that USPS will send you free Priority Flat Rate boxes, but any tips on getting regular boxes cheap or free? Thanks.

I usually try and keep a few extra boxes around that I get in my normal purchases, i.e. shoe boxes, boxes that food may have come in, whatever I may find laying around at work that no one needs. I try to keep about 3 boxes on hand just for general shipping. My favorite is the Splenda box I get when buying it at Sam's or Costco - just the perfect size for most my items...

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by pennrj430

Do you have any tips on acquiring boxes? I know Steve said that USPS will send you free Priority Flat Rate boxes, but any tips on getting regular boxes cheap or free? Thanks.

Tell everyone - work, friends, family, etc. - to save boxes for you. I have a pile of boxes in the basement and garage that I use that I've gotten at work or from shipments we've gotten at home from things we've ordered online from Amazon or other places.

I want to clarify what you said, and what I said. USPS will send you free Priority boxes, NOT JUST FLAT RATE but ALL Priority boxes. Anything 1 pound or over is Priority (unless you are using Media Mail or Parcel Post I think).

[PrincessPerky]

Never assume you don't already have a box...if your box has too much advertising, cut up two sides and turn it inside out, tape well pack and ship.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

Never assume you don't already have a box...if your box has too much advertising, cut up two sides and turn it inside out, tape well pack and ship.

DO NOT try this with USPS Priority Mail boxes. It is illegal and they will stop packages that try this if they catch it. I know some of the Priority boxes are now printed on the inside to stop people from doing this because it used to really be abused when ebay started getting popular.

[PrincessPerky]

oh no, I meant cereal boxes and the like, not priority ones....

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

oh no, I meant cereal boxes and the like, not priority ones....

I know you weren't suggesting that. I just didn't want people to think it was a good idea. Folks used to get the free Priority boxes, turn them inside out, and use them to ship at lower rates. The USPS doesn't look too kindly at that.

[pennrj430]

Thanks Steve, and everyone else for the tips!!