Making a profit on eBay or other online auctions sites is simple; at least that is what everyone is told. To make money there are some very important rules you need to follow.

• The right items
• Excellent photographs
• Well written descriptions and titles
• The right start price
• Length of auction
• Picking the right time to end the auction
• After sales service

The right items are crucial if you want to consistently show a profit. You need to source items that are popular, can be bought cheaply, are easy to package and cheap to ship. It is possible to make a profit selling just about anything given the right conditions but as with any business, it makes sense to start with the easiest methods and work up as experience is gained.

Photographs are worth a thousand words which is great because you have limited space in each listing. Make sure the pictures are clear and show everything that needs to be seen – both the good and the bad. This will save you time and money in cases where there is a query over condition of the item.

Descriptions and titles are your marketing tools. Your words will encourage or discourage potential bidders. Careful planning will ensure that your item gets viewed. This is the key element to getting more bids – not everyone who clicks on your listing will place a bid so you need to draw in as many people as possible. Be careful how you phrase your title. Use only relevant words to ensure you get genuine searchers onto your listing. Descriptions need to be interesting and informative.

Set your start price as low as possible to help encourage bidding. A high start price may not compare favorably with other similar items and may discourage bidders from even looking at your listing.

The length of your auction depends on the type of product you are selling. Some items are time sensitive and will need to finish in a short space of time, others benefit more from the extra exposure gained from longer auctions. Compare similar items in the completed listings section.

Ending your auction at the right time can mean the difference between selling your item for peanuts and making a decent profit. Think about the type of person who would be most likely to bid on your item and what time they would be likely to go online. Proxy bidding is useful but if bidders are online near the end of the auction they are more likely to place another bid and possibly get caught up in bidding frenzy if they see they are outbid in the final stages.

After sales service is your way to keep your customers happy and build relationships to keep them coming back for more. It is easier to sell to existing satisfied customers. Always communicate with your buyers. Keep them informed and follow up with a brief email to make sure they received the item.

These simple tips will get you on the right track. Don’t expect all your items to sell first time every time. The relist function exists because the auction site knows that not every item sells. This is normal but by following the tips you can minimize the number of items you will have to relist.

Get selling and making a profit!