Guest Author - Kim O´Shea
1. Choose your products wisely. The most cost effective way of sourcing products to sell is to raid your cupboards and garages. Any of your unwanted items can be offered for sale from the comfort of your own home. All you will need to purchase up front are some packaging items. The cost of the packaging can also be recouped so you are straight into profit!
2. Photograph your item in daylight if possible. Strong sunlight tends to cast shadows and can reflect off the item making it dificult to see properly. Photographs taken in the morning or early evening can capture the light without dazzling.
3. Write great descriptions. Even if you hate the item, try to think of something positive to say about it. Explain what it has been or can be used for and detail any marks or flaws.
4. Set your opening price low to attract interest. If the item is valuable use a reserve to make sure it does not sell for peanuts. Lower prices attract more attention and could lead to a bidding war.
5. Use the auction format to its best advantage by including two weekends in your auction duration. People often have more time at weekends to shop around so make sure you are there!
6. Offer extra value where possible. Free postage is a great way to attract extra bidders as they can search eBay for listings with free postage. Free instructions or a small token like a handmade bookmark in a book can also be useful to make your auction stand out.
7. Use a basic listing as the more expensive ones will probably end up costing you money unless the item is valuable. Add extra photographs in the body of the description not in the gallery as this will increase your exposure without costing any extra money. Rely on really great words to sell your product instead of fancy fonts and expensive photos.
8. When writing your description try to focus on the benefits of the product. List the features eg, grey, round, old, but write about the benefits, eg, great for keeping the kids quiet, will provide many hours of enjoyment etc.
9. Package your item in the cheapest but most suitable packaging. Books can be packed in lightly padded envelopes which are both cheap to buy and to mail. Glassware on the other hand needs to be wrapped in tissue and then double packed in cardboard boxes with plenty of cushioning material. Save packaging from your own shopping and reuse this to save money. The item must arrive in good condition or you will lose money sorting out the problems.
10. The best tip of all for making money on eBay is to just get started!
