One of the things I’m constantly amazed at when I go to an online auction site like eBay or a third party retailer like Amazon, is the greed and stupidity of sellers. I am both a buyer and a seller and here are some general selling tips and secrets based on 15 years of experience, for anyone who wants to actually sell their products:

1. Always check out the selling history of what you’re selling under “Completed Auctions” and what the going rate is to buy the item online from other sources of the same product in the same condition. You’d be amazed as to how many sellers list products at a higher dollar total including shipping than a place like Amazon where you can make a straight purchase or the going price from previously complete auctions. Why would anyone want to buy an item from you for $18 when they can purchase it outright on Amazon for say $15? Similarly, if the going rate on an auction is $25, why would you list the opening price at $35?

2. Always show a picture of your product. Anyone not showing a picture of their product is sending out a subliminal message to the potential buyer that:

1) They don’t actually have the product
2) they don’t want to show the product because it is not as described
3) They don’t have a scanner which is pretty pathetic and
4) They don’t care.

3. If you are selling a used item and you don’t list the opening or set sale price at least 25% less (when shipping is factored in) than what it would cost to buy new, how many people are going to go to all that trouble of bidding,paying and waiting for a used item that they can buy new, from a stranger just to save 25%? If you are selling a product that is brand new, the sales price should be listed substantially less then what people would pay for it at a National Chain store. If not, most people would rather buy something in person at the going rate then save just a few dollars for the hassle of purchasing online from a stranger.

4. Unless the item you’re selling is in totally bad shape, never use the phrase “Sold as Is” in your selling description as what you’re subconsciously saying is “Let the Buyer Beware”.

5. When selling “Buy It Now” items on places like eBay or Amazon where multiple sellers are selling the same product in the same condition, understand that unless a seller has terrible feedback, people will always purchase at the lowest offered price. You should constantly check on the prices of competing sellers and make pricing adjustments immediately. Do you really think when 5 sellers are selling the same item for $5-$7, you will be able to sell yours for $8?

6. Try to give fast service to buyers and communicate immediately if there is a problem and offer them some kind of rebate or a refund if there will be a long delay. One of the first things a prospective buyer checks out is a sellers feedback and most people will avoid sellers with questionable feedback.

7. Psychologically, its easier to sell an item with a lower selling price and higher shipping charge then the same higher listed item with lower shipping, if the total price is the same. Don’t charge so much extra on shipping though that the auction site will take notice and cancel your auction saying you’re trying to avoid paying selling fees.

8. If by some mistake, you have understated the shipping fees, eat the extra cost, do not try to tell the buyer they owe more money on the shipping. I’ve underestimated the shipping costs several times when sending to a foreign country and I ate the cost and made a mental note for future listings what I should adjust the cost to on my listings.

9. For overseas customers, you will personally have to take your item over to the Post Office for most items and fill out custom forms, etc. I would add a surcharge for all foreign sales for your time but don’t list it as a surcharge but just make it part of the shipping charges. IE, if it costs you $12 including supplies to send something to a foreign country airmail, list shipping as $16 or higher.

10. If you are selling an item for over $50, I would charge the customer the exact insurance costs. If you don’t and the item is lost or stolen you are responsible for it.

State in your listing that shipping includes mandatory insurance. I usually don’t insure anything under $50 but do occasionally use a tracking number for items over $25.

11. Whenever applicable, I would only accept payment by PayPal as this way you avoid the hassle of waiting for payment and depositing checks in banks and waiting for payment to clear and following up with customers for payment. I would clearly set a 2 or 3 day time limit to make payment after the auction ends in your listing. After that your obligation to the buyer ends. For “Buy It Now” items, I would make payment immediately by PayPal. I also would clearly state in your listing that you take PayPal only.

12. Include packing costs in your shipping charges. The USPS will supply you with free priority mailing boxes.

13. The Post Office also has Flat Fee priority mailing using their packages and mailers irregardless of what the product weighs.

14. Whenever possible, include a basic description of what you are selling in the listing. Often you can do this by just cutting and pasting the same publicly listed information or specs. IE, when I sell a CD, I always list the tracks and the date of its release. When I sell stereo equipment Iike a CD player, I list the items pertinent specifications. When people don’t do that, its telling me subconsciously that the seller doesn’t care or no what they are actually selling and doesn’t sound like someone I’d want to deal with.

15. Lastly remember that 75% of something is better then 100% of nothing on products you wish to sell.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm and is filed under Ebay Selling Tips and Secrets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.