Do you have a good item that you KNOW will sell well? Start it off at 1 penny.
This will get you healthy early bidding. You want a large group of buyers bidding on your item. Some will be competitive bidders, people who will pay extra just for the thrill of winning. For instance, let’s say you started an auction for a very collectable historical coin at a just 50 cents. At the end of the auction you may have 60 people that have bid for your collectible coin.
That means 60 people are bidding to try to win your coin. They’ve waited all week to battle it out for this coin. If you started the same coin at $100 then you may only have 3 bids at the end of your auction. At the end of the auction the panic of possibly not winning your coin will kick in if you priced low and have a good product. You’ll commonly get more for your item than someone who priced theirs higher, because your auction has more bidders watching it.
A Picture Says It All
Photos make you and your item more credible. The better you are with your camera the more bids you are going to get. Take several photos of important aspects of the item, flaws and all. If your teapot has a crack in it be sure to take a picture of that as well. Also remember; by inserting a photograph of the item you are selling you get a ‘mini-picture’ graphic next to your item description. Bidders will see the ‘mini-picture’ symbol and will be more inclined to visit. If they can see the item, you’ll get more bids.
Remember To Say Thanks
Send a thank you note/receipt email to your customer every time they pay. Include your eBay user name and telephone so they can contact you if they need to. Kindly ask them to leave feedback in your email. Include a convenient link to the feedback forum, and 9 times out of 10 they will drop a good word for you.
Make Your Description Complete
When making your item description make it as complete as possible. Many people find your auction through the search engine, so use as complete and descriptive headline with good keywords too. This will make your listing easy to find for the person looking for your item. Leave no stone unturned.
If you neglect to mention some crucial piece of information bidders will steer clear due to uncertainty. If you are selling a computer game, forgetting to mention if it’s for a PC or Mac – this will create alot of bidders sending you email asking this question. It may also attract the wrong bidders and deter the right ones. You may end up having bidders who own Mac’s buying a PC game and not being too happy about it.
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. Buyers are sensitive in this area. If you make a habit of over-charging your customers for postage, you will lose your credibility and any chance for repeat business.
