AuctionTip #51: Best Times To List For the Best Overall Results...

Of all the times for you to submit your ad, Saturday and Sunday mornings between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm EST have been the best for me. But when you end depends on what you sell and the type of auctions you run.

Traffic is highest on eBay during weekend mornings. In fact, traffic is particularly heavy throughout the whole weekend.

My own reason for choosing mornings will become very clear a little later in this Chapter. Since a main strategy of mine always focuses around getting 30 bids on my auctions as quickly as possible, I like to get my best exposure at the first of an auction.

What's the reason I want 30 bids quick? Extra free exposure. If any of your auctions go over 30 bids your auction gets special free exposure on the site. That translates into an enormous traffic boost. I'm sure you've seen the little blowtorch beside an item.

That's what you want- it means your auction is on fire. The faster you get 30 bids the longer your auction burns bright.

To bring you up to speed here- your natural listing exposure in the search engines and category listings are best on the first and last day. And two categories people always browse are "Just started", "Ending Today", and "Going, Going, Gone".

If you track your auctions with a counter, you will always notice a spike in hits on the first and last days.

When listing you can always choose to have your best exposure on the first day of the auction or the last. If you start in primetime, your last day with be strong.

If you start in the morning, your first day will be. But I only recommend doing this on the weekend holidays where no-one is working. By the way, people do a good deal of bidding on holidays- because they are not at work.

If you are selling one item or less than 30 items, use the primetime strategy of listing. This simply means stop and start your auctions in the evening.

If you have auctions ending in primetime, you might want to avoid ending them on Tuesday or Friday night... two days that have been traditionally off for me.

Do you always start and end your auctions at the best times? To be on the safe side, always have auctions start and stop when traffic is the heaviest; in primetime and on the weekends.

I've seen people end an auction at 3 in the morning... not good. They just threw away a chance at having their best traffic.

So make a habit of beginning and ending auctions during primetime.

A couple of other things to factor into this:

Remember your target audience- homemakers bid during the day. It's the same with someone who is retired. Get the picture?

When you hear about all the different best times to list, this is why different people browse at different times. If your ideal customer is an 18 year old interested in comics, maybe you could end your auction at 2 in the morning and get better results.

Test your results. Find out what works best for what you sell.

Also- if you want your item to show up during primetime, remember there is a 2-3 hour posting delay, so post 2-3 hours early. For instance, if you want your auction to end at 10PM EST, then start your auction at 7PM.

You'll also want to watch out for events that affect traffic habits as a whole. Like the SuperBowl Sunday. Don't be like me and try to end a mass of auctions on that day. Not unless you don't want any bids at the end of your auction.

Keep in mind that there are up months and down months. August is typically slow for most- the colder months on the other hand... out of sight. You definitely want to be selling during those times.

There is no better time to be selling than from about October to April.

AuctionTip #52: Create Your My eBay Page

Your 'My eBay' page is very important! Don't overlook the significance of it- you can use these to give buyer important information and much more.

In your business on the web your ‘My eBay’ page and/or website is the centre for all your promotional activities.

Have a nice 'My eBay' page set up with your USP (Unique Selling Position) and a simple picture of you.

Include your contact info and a well thought out sales message that encourages potential customers to visit your auctions and/or website, wherever your product is being offered.

Persuade the reader to scroll down the page (where they will see your feedback and current auctions). You'll receive a jump in credibility- something you can never have too much of.

You also get a little icon beside your user I.D. that bidders will see when they visit your auction. People click these things to find out about YOU.

Let me stress: Your “My eBay” page is an important sales letter.

Perhaps the most important one you can make in your auction business. Your auctions come and go- it doesn’t make much sense to promote a link that disappears after 7 days.

Your "My eBay" link is the one you're going to promote.

Most people waste their “My eBay” page. It is the equivalent to the first page of a website, so it needs to say something that grasps the reader's attention and leads them where you want them to go.

A finely tuned "My eBay" page is the rallying point for all your external auction marketing.

AuctionTip #53: What Happens When You Start Your Auction Too High?

You won't get many bids!

EBay is not a good place to do this since bidders want a deal. It’s always better to start low and set a nice reserve if you absolutely must cover yourself.

People come to the auctions to compete for a bargain. It is in the competition that you get more than what it's worth.

Encourage irrational end of auction bidding by pricing low.

Plus, you'll pay minimum listing fees.

AuctionTip #54: Remember, All Prices Are in U.S. Dollars

When getting foreign currency, remember...

$20 on eBay is not $20 Canadian Dollars or $20 Australian Dollars.

Be aware of this when dealing with foreign orders.

AuctionTip #55: Place You Can Go For More Free Help

If you're new to auctions and you have any questions about anything, check my AuctionTips message boards or the AuctionWatch message boards at Barkingbird.

If you don't find the answer to your question there then all you'll need to do is ask me a question via email.

Barkingbird will provide you with many other great free seller resources, services and great auction related info.

http://www.barkingbird.com

AuctionTip #56: Online Auction Logistical Concerns - Ooh, My Aching Back

I can't think of any occupation that sharpens the mind, soul and body like online auctions.

There's the challenge of learning all sorts of new things.

There's the thrill of the auction, the people, and the emotions involved.

There's even some good old-fashioned elbow grease.

Order fulfillment can be a major concern. Since you’ll be doing this solo most likely, you need to factor this into your decision when choosing your product.

Stick with light products, the lightest of course being info-products.

Some items are just not fit for you to make a profit with.

Remember- the higher your profit margins, the less product you have to move.  The lower your profits the more you have to move.

AuctionTip #57: How to Handle Difficult People

We should always be polite and courteous to our bidders.

And...

While I probably don't have to tell you this, there are plenty of rude buyers who will push your patience to the max.

Before you launch that fireball, go for a walk, have a cup of coffee- think about how you're in this for the long haul... answer it after you've had a chance to settle.

AuctionTip #58: Keep Notes and Stay on Task

With so much to do, it's easy to get overwhelmed. The most important thing you can do is to keep your priorities in focus.

I have two things I use:

·        A task program in Outlook 2000

·        And a red pad called the "idea book"

You can also buy a digital voice recorder to capture those fleeting creative thoughts before they fly away into oblivion.

As far as attacking my tasks...

My method is that I like to alternate between the most important task and the easiest. This gives me something to fall back on when my mind grows weary.

AuctionTip #59: Reserve Auction Pros and Cons

Buyers are especially cautious of bidding when info is held back from them. Reserve auctions are generally taboo to experienced buyers.

Bidders will always prefer straight auctions to reserve.

However, there are two benefits to reserve price auctions:

·        They allow you to list a low starting bid amount to get people started on bidding for your item. 

·        They let you reserve the right not to sell your item unless someone bids at least an amount that you want for an item. 

Some sellers naturally need to use them because of the items they sell. Try not to fall into that category.

You can also use them if you absolutely refuse to take less than a certain amount for your item. Be prepared for mediocre results if you use them.

If your auction fails to meet the amount you set eBay will tack on a $2 fee.