When you’re looking to become a successful compettive eBay seller, your first job is to get ahead of the pack: To stand out from the crowd and have buyers notice you. Staying competitive on eBay can be challenging. It sounds simple enough. But it isn’t long before new sellers realize how difficult the road to eBay success is to travel. This is okay. We all have to start somewhere.
Competitive eBay Selling
The difficulty, at least in part, lies in the competitive nature of eBay selling. You’ll be struggling to set yourself apart from some 25 million other eBay sellers. So, right from the outset, you are already facing some tough odds of being seen. Being seen in the marketplace by eBay buyers interested in what you’re selling.
eBay Sales Trap
While it’s true that some who are new to the platform manage to find success, it is the exception, not the norm. Some sellers see sales increase dramatically, and others seem to be trapped in a vicious current of declining or poor sales.The reality of it is that many new and even long-time eBay sellers will never discover the selling power they need to make a successful go of eBay selling efforts.
eBay Competitors
Of course, as it is with all competitors who are spending time vying against one another in the hot and heavy race to become the most visible seller, the same successful eBay sellers also run as thick as thieves when it comes to sharing the real secrets behind getting to the top!
It’s tragic but true, many new eBay sellers who start out with high hopes for sales end up vanishing out of the seller’s scene, with their hopes fading like dying stars in the nighttime sky.
Make no mistake about it; failure is not imminent, not if you know where to begin. By putting the right power-selling measures into play.
You can harness eBay selling success!
Whether you are a new or an experienced eBay seller with several years of experience backing your efforts, you can begin paving the road to more sales by following these simple, but effective tips.
– Choose and use keywords eBay buyers can relate to as they read your sales copy. Every word you choose matters, both in the title of your eBay listing as well as in the description. Considering there’s a limit on the number of characters you are allowed in the title, all of 80 characters including letters, grammatical symbols, and spaces, the keywords you select need to perfectly reflect your item and prove relatable to the buyer.
When a buyer keys in a search term on the eBay search engine, you want those words appearing in your title so your items appear as a response to their query. To make the most of the descriptors in your advertising, refrain from words that over-generalize the item you are trying to sell; for example, terms like “durable,” “pretty,” or “charming” will make your eBay copy too general. However, if you’re selling Pandora charms or a brand name product like Gucci, including those brand names in the title and copy are essential because it’s precisely what buyers are looking for when they shop. With carefully chosen descriptors, your copy begins to sell your items for you.
– Make sure your content includes keywords related to the product features, size, production date if applicable, the colors of the items, and other pertinent material like model numbers or specific patterns associated the what you’re selling. For example, if you are selling the Peace Beanie baby, ask yourself, what is it the buyer wants to know about the product or what will the buyer look for specifically. Consider including the name of the bear in the title, the generation, and the information on the tush tag or whether it is a rare piece with tag errors. Include all the latter information in your content, including size, color, and condition.
Please note: Spamming will bring your content relevance down to nothing as keyword stuffing and black hat SEO techniques are unethical and unacceptable practices, so avoid overusing keywords or offering misleading details in your content.
– Remember that photographs are everything when it comes to sales.Taking the time to take beautiful photos of your products is an absolute must if you want successful sales. Consider the fact that it is the photo that will first speak to the buyer and it is like presenting the buyer with your product’s visual description. Read up on how to do decent photo layouts and emphasize the products you buy or consider investing in a photo box so you can take beautiful pictures of your items with flawless floating white or black backgrounds. A minor investment in some displays can also help you spruce up your product imagery and make it even more enticing to the buyer. There’s plenty of free photo editing resources online too, so there’s no reason you would have poor photo presentations on your eBay listings.
Finally, keep your photos original. You don’t want to use a generic image or use someone’s else’s picture because the product you are selling is the same thing. Think originality, clarity, crisp imagery, and refined layout when taking pictures of your products. Avoid stock photos as much as possible. Potential buyers appreciate seeing the “real” item they are purchasing.
While considering photos, consider the product’s dimensions. If the measurements of the product are not obvious, you’ll want to include an image of the product either near a smaller product to show scale or with the actual ruler or measuring tape measuring the product in the image. Just doing this one step helps in minimizing any returns you might receive because of something being the wrong size. Fewer returns equal a bigger bottom line.
Side note on that topic – Add a special note to your listing that “Item does not include the ruler, measuring tape or object shown in the photo.” This may seem like a no brainer to you and me but I’ve had it happen. Once I used a quarter to show the dimensions and the buyer was upset that he didn’t receive the quarter with the item. Go figure!
– Make use of the convenient listing tools eBay provides.The eBay platform makes listing products a breeze. The system is set up with the notion that not every seller can afford the time to list items daily, although for search purposes that’s what proves most beneficial and professional in appearance. If you only have four hours on a Saturday afternoon to upload content and images do your powerhouse uploading and preparation on Saturday, but write the content in draft form and save it for listing later. When you are ready, you are just a mouse click away from posting what it is you want to sell and you can still take advantage of the edge that daily listings will give you in terms of increased product recognition and sales.
– Be fair with accepting returns. You benefit by offering a fair return policy in many ways. Customers are more trusting of sellers who are willing to take returns on their defective products. eBay also rewards sellers for offering such policies with benefits given to top sellers, and this includes a sizable percentage of postage. It’s best to offer a 60-day return policy as this gives customers a comfortable time-frame to make returns if necessary, and it shows you have confidence in the products you sell. Personally I offer 30 day returns as of today. eBay does recommend running 60 day returns.
– Break those boundaries and open sales on an international level.There are far more sales to be made if you are willing to expand your market to include international sales. You can invest in a scale for figuring out postage, or you can become part of the global shipping program for shipping to reach a target audience outside the boundaries of the United States: The program allows you to send the package to buyer in the US who, in turn, sends it out to the international buyer.
– Use the power of social media to increase sales and your online presence. With sites like Facebook allowing for groups to focus on their interests, it’s a platform where selling your products can prove beneficial. Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter are more tools you can use to expand your target audience and the number of customers you reach. You can post information about items of interest and people who want what you are selling will notice the advertisements. Much like word of mouth advertising, they’ll pass on great deals to their friends and family within their social network.
– Put a time limit on your auction and “Buy it Now” listings.
There’s no harm in putting a time limit on your listings. In fact, listing them for a brief time, ending them, and renewing the listing is a recommended practice. It will keep your content listing higher in the eBay search listings.
Further reading:
If you need more assistance, contact me with your concerns. I will do my best to point you in the right direction. And/or answer your question.
I”ve been power selling my way through eBay since 1997. Visit my eBay store at: Ask Danna. See first hand how I use all the best practices mentioned on this page.
eBay Training and Consulting
Your comments/questions are always welcome. Feel free to post them below. I want to hear from YOU! How are you staying competitive with your eBay listings?
I feel you can put it all in one store. It’s challenging managing two eBay stores.
Hi Lisa, first thanks for stopping by my site and 2nd, so sorry you’ve been having these issues with returns. I would suggest you add a re-stocking fee to your items if you’ve been experiencing a lot of returns. But the best way to avoid returns is to describe the item in great details. AND to insure items with every shipping. Then if the item is broken, no worries, you can get your money back. If you had insured the item you could’ve avoided it all. Just have the buyer send you photos of the broken item and you file a claim with the USPS uploading the photos and include the item number and you will have a refund check in about 10 days. Then you can refund the buyer right away while you wait for the refund. Very easy process. If you put a ton of disclaimers in your description, you will SCARE off buyers. I would not suggest that. Keep things simple is best. Hope that helps. Hang in there, it will get easier. All the best, Danna
I do not like return policies as eBay customers are terrible abusers and love to claim something is broken in hopes you will refund with no questions as I sell antique, unique items or if that scheme peters then try for a discount. Recently eBay and PayPal took it upon themselves to refund an item before it was returned, when it was returned, a pair of gold and silver antique cufflinks the buyer used a solution on them that ruined them. EBay basically called me a liar even after sending before and after photos, I sent them to prove my point, yes, my mistake, to the San Jose headquarters and they were never seen or acknowledged. I’m looking for a good, covering all areas disclaimer to add to my listings. People will try anything and I want my butt covered.