Work Yourself Up!

How to Improve Your Ebay Listings

Selling items on Ebay is a great way to earn some part time cash in your free time. There are so many buyers and so many different things you can sell that just about anyone can get started selling on Ebay.

With Ebay you have to lure people in with your auction title and then hopefully make a sale through your auction description. If any one of these elements is poorly done, you will have a hard time making any money with your Ebay auctions. To actually make money some serious money with Ebay you need to spend some time working on and improving your auction title and description.

Your auction title, picture, and price are the first things that people see when they are browsing through the auction listings. Setting the right price for your item is actually very easy to do. By paying a $10 monthly subscription fee you can have access to Ebay’s market research tool. This tool will allow you to determine the average sold price and buy it now price of just about any item.

The market research tool tells you exactly what price you should start your auction at and exactly what price you should sell set your buy it now price. You absolutely can experiment with higher price points but the market research tool gives you a good idea of what prices you will be able to charge.

You must always include a picture with each and every auction you list on Ebay. Studies have shown that no matter how enticing your offer is, your listing is much less likely to get clicked on if it doesn’t have a picture. Many ebayers don’t like to visit auctions that don’t have a picture because of the number of scams which exist on Ebay. By having a quality picture of your item you offer assurance that you have the item in your possession and are therefore not a scammer.

Before you include a picture in your listing, it’s a good idea to take a look at what sellers offering similar items are using for their listings. Always make sure that your picture is crisp and clean looking and the detail of the item is clearly visible.

Your auction title tells potential buyers exactly what it is that you have to offer. You basically have just a couple of words to grab their attention. When writing your auction title, avoid using all capital letters. Instead, capitalize the first letter of every word and then capitalize trigger words like “free” or “new.” Try to avoid using symbols in your listing title except for a few exclamation points. If possible, try to create an aura of mystery surrounding your auction rather than just listing what it is you have for sale. The more curious people are, the more likely they are to click on your auction.

Finding Products to Sell on Ebay

I have been a member of the Ebay community since 1998. In that time I have bought and sold hundreds of different items in just about every conceivable category. In fact, at one time I  actually sold comedy CDs because I had got a great deal on a bulk shipment. I’m firmly convinced that Ebay is the single best place to sell a product online.

The problem confronted by many would be sellers, is trying to find a product they can actually sell on Ebay. There may be an outrageous amount number of hungry buyers lurking on Ebay but you have to find the right product with enough demand in order to make a killing.

Electronics are one of the biggest categories listed on Ebay and at any one time there are literally hundreds of thousands of different electronics items listed for sale. Electronics include things like mp3 players, cell phones, and computers. Just about any adult who lives in an advanced industrial society has some interest in electronics. Therefore, the demand for electronics is huge and shows no signs of decreasing any time soon. Selling electronics can be very profitable if you are able to buy items in bulk. Believe it or not the best place to purchase bulk electronics is Ebay.

Many sellers on Ebay will list electronic items in bulk quantities like 10, 20, or 30. With a $10 subscription fee to Ebay’s market research tool you can easily determine the average sold price for each individual unit. When buying in bulk you are ideally hoping to make a profit of 20%-30% per unit. What’s nice about buying in bulk on Ebay is that you don’t have to worry about getting scammed and losing your money so long as the seller’s feedback is top notch.

When buying in bulk from other online vendors, particularly vendors located in Asia, the chance of getting scammed is very high. You can find wholesale lots in just about any category by clicking on the category on the main page and then clicking on “wholesale lots” within each subsection.

Baby clothes are yet another hot selling item on Ebay. The baby clothing category has an unusually high Sell Thru Rate (STR) which means that the number of auctions which are completed successfully versus the number that don’t is above average. Take a look at the completed listings and see for yourself.

As with electronics, baby clothing can be purchased in bulk right on Ebay. You can also purchase used baby clothing by visiting your local thrift stores and discount chains. What’s really nice about selling baby clothing is that you can create an entire business model based on selling nothing but baby and children’s items.

Think about it. If you sell baby clothing it is a certainty that your customers will need more clothing in the future because babies and young children grow. By building a targeted mailing list of your customers based on their purchase history you can send out emails when you have new items that may be of interest to them. If someone needs baby clothes they will eventually need toddler clothes and so on. By building a list you can supply all of your customers needs and make a small fortune in the process.                   

Starting Your Ebay Business

These days, many people are scrambling to start their online business because of the massive potential that exists for entrepreneurs. Starting an Ebay business is hands down the easiest and fastest way to start your very own online business.

There are no guarantees that your Ebay business will be a success but when compared to other online business models, the barriers to entry are very small and the potential for profit is huge. But before you rush out to start your Ebay business, here are a couple of tips to follow that will increase your chances of success.

The first thing you must do before you start your Ebay business is to decide on what exactly it is that you are going to sell. You can sell just about anything in the world on Ebay but you have to perform some market research to determine what market you should enter. The trick is to find markets with lots of demand and little competition.

A good way to do this is by using Ebay’s market research tool which only costs about $10 per month to use. With the market research tool you will want to examine the Sell Thru Rate (STR), the total number of sales in the last 30 days, and the average price per item.

If the STR of a given market is above 50% and the total number of 30 days sales is greater than 1,000, then the market will be probably be worth entering. The STR is determined by looking at the total number of successful auctions (auctions that ended with a sale) and dividing by the total number of auctions for that period.

Once you have decided to enter a market you can use the average price per item to determine how much you need to buy each item for. To determine your cost per item simply deduct your desired profit margin from the average price.

By this point you have determined a market to enter and have also established a price and acquisition cost per unit. Now you will need to turn your attention to locating a reputable wholesaler who can provide you with products at or below your average cost per unit. In many cases you can actually find wholesalers right on Ebay.

Most of the subcategories contain listings for wholesalers who sell wholesale merchandise in that same category. For more specialized products you can use the paid service at worldwidewebbrands.com to locate reputable dropshippers and wholesalers.

The biggest mistake you can make is to get emotionally attached to a product offering before you do market research. Taking a couple of hours to do market research can show exactly what you need to be selling. If you can find items to sell on Ebay you can just as easily locate a wholesaler and start reaping huge profits. Whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of selling something just because you happen to like it.