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100 Auction Secrets Revealed! By Aubrey Johnson & Barkingbird Productions AuctionTip #31: When The Buyer Lives Out Of The Country Be careful when receiving foreign funds. Always insist that
they pay by credit card or send an international money order. Some
banks will hassle you about foreign funds. Remember to pick up some customs forms from the post office in
advance to save yourself some time. AuctionTip #32: Stay In Contact With The Buyer When your auction ends, quickly email the buyer with the final price,
shipping, total cost, and your address. If you have time to reassure your
customer, email them when you receive their payment. This is important for their peace of mind and they'll thank you
later in feedback and repeat business. You'll also score well with the buyer if you send them an email
when you ship their goods. Especially if it's valuable. AuctionTip #33: Keep Your Auctions Going Bidders usually wait until the last minute to bid. I wouldn't let
anyone persuade me to end early unless they made me an insane offer. If you do decide to end early, then you'll miss having your auctions
go through the "going, going, gone" and "ending today"
listings-categories that eBayer's browse heavily. AuctionTip #34: Don’t Overcharge On Shipping
This
is one of the more common causes of negative feedback. Only
charge what it normally costs you to pack and ship- take it easy on the
handling charge. Buyers are sensitive in this area. They
know when you overcharge them. If
you make a habit of gouging your customers on shipping costs, it is almost
certain to ruin your credibility and any chance for repeat business. In
your sales policy, try to briefly justify whatever your costs may be. Do
you charge insurance or delivery confirmation? Handling? Give a reason, and try
to leave no room for misunderstanding. Auctions
are notorious for their many gray areas. This is a gray area, so be cautious. AuctionTip #35: Short-Term Goals For New Sellers
Everyone
needs goals. My best advice to you starting out: Sell everything, within reason. Do this to learn what you're doing
and to make some money. If
you have anything of potential value to others that you aren't using,
get rid of it. In fact, take it a step further. Get
rid of stuff on behalf of people you know. Once you start actually doing this,
you're going to learn about 10 times faster. For
new sellers on eBay, you have five EASY short-term
goals to concentrate on: ·
Get
experience through selling some items from around your house. It's important to get a
few wins under your belt. ·
Obtain
10 positive feedbacks to get a gold star. People will start to trust you and
bid more. Strive to keep your feedback slate clean; it will play an important
role in your future. ·
Take
those shades off! During the first 30 days after registering on eBay
you'll have glasses on. This means you're new, or "shady".
People will be reluctant to bid. ·
And
lastly... be registered for 2 months, simple enough. Once you have +10 feedback
and have 2 months experience, you can start using Dutch auctions (very
important). ·
And
lastly, find your niche. You have some time to think this one over. It's
important to make certain it's the direction you want to go in advance... so
much of your success will depend on the customer base you build over time. You
can easily make $500 or more your first month just by selling odd goods from
around your house. AuctionTip #36: Use The Bold Title Option Make your item standout by listing it in bold. Items highlighted in bold are 50% more likely to sell. For some
items it is a cost-effective alternative to featuring your auctions. AuctionTip #37: Conservative Pricing Strategy When playing it safe, set the minimum price for your item just
slightly lower than what you think it might be worth. This will encourage opening bids on the item. Don't start too low; you're obligated to sell it regardless of
whether or not you like the result. AuctionTip #38: Free Advertising For Your Auction You can tell other people on the Internet about your auctions.
Actively drive extra traffic to your auctions and you'll find that your Dutch
auctions will do better. Use signatures and post to appropriate newsgroups and message
boards. Use targeted email, search engines or whatever works. You can promote individual auctions, your about me page, or a
website that sells your products or directs visitors to your auctions. AuctionTip #39: Readability Rules For Your Auction Ads Here are some rules to improve anything you write. ·
Use a short opening paragraph. ·
Remember that short sentences make firm friends. ·
Make your paragraphs less than 3 or 4 lines. ·
Underline or boldface important words or phrases. ·
Include attention-boosters: questions, news items, etc. ·
Ask for the bid at the end of the description. ·
Use positive language. Do this, and your writing will be crisp and easy to read. AuctionTip #40: Common Sales Killers If
your auction didn't get any bids, there is always a good reason for it.
Consider these common mistakes sellers make: ·
You
don’t make people feel safe when they bid. ·
You don’t
make your ad copy attractive or persuasive. ·
You
don’t let people know anything about your business. ·
You
don’t give people as many ordering options as possible. ·
You
don’t test and improve your ad copy. You can easily boost your sales by looking closely at each of
these common sales killers. |