[violet1985]

I’ve recommended eBay before as a great way to test a new product. For a growing number of entrepreneurs, though, eBay is their sole storefront. The beauty of eBay is that it lets you get into e-commerce without having to go through the trouble and expense of setting up an e-commerce site of your own. These seven eBay selling tips will help you get started selling on eBay successfully and get on your way to becoming an eBay PowerSeller.
1. A picture IS worth 1000 words. It’s old-fashioned, but people still like to see things before they buy them. For successful eBay selling, make sure any products you list on eBay are accompanied by professional quality photographs.
2. Do your eBay research. When selling on eBay, before you list a particular product, spend some time researching other similar products on eBay and following the bidding process. This will help you gauge the interest for your product and help you determine how much your product might be worth.
3. Learn all about shipping. Shipping is under the control of the eBay seller, but some methods of shipping are better than others when you're selling on eBay. You want to find the best method of shipping for your product in terms of expense and reliability and then specify that shipping method in your eBay listing. (And don’t forget to include the shipping cost in your shipping information for potential buyers.)
4. Pay as much attention to the writing of your eBay listing as to your picture. For selling on eBay, you need a powerful eBay listing. And the trick to writing a strong eBay listing is to combine search engine friendly phrasing with concrete details about the product in a way that will entice people to bid on your product. Take the time to craft your eBay listing just as you would any ad.
5. Offer a full slate of payment options, including credit cards. The more payment options you, as an Ebay seller, offer prospective bidders, the more bidders your product will attract and the more successful your selling on eBay will be.
6. Focus on getting positive feedback first. Feedback really matters when you're selling on eBay. If you have a consistent record of positive feedback, prospective buyers will both bid more often and be willing to pay higher prices. So you may want to hold back on placing higher priced products until you have a successful track record as an eBay seller established.
7. Be business-like. Act professionally, provide the kind of superior customer service that will build your reputation, and make sure that you’re following all the business rules that apply, such as registering your business and properly charging and remitting taxes. Selling on eBay is just like any other business; to become an eBay success, you need to follow the rules and provide the kind of customer satisfaction that will translate into increased eBay sales.

[Mike]

Nice tips - I'd suggest a bit of spacing though to make it easier to read....

[Arleigh]

Nice list of tips.
I really agree that having pictures with your ads is really useful to market your products. Through images, customers can easily figure out the descriptions of the products that can't be explained well through words.

Originally Posted by violet1985

1. A picture IS worth 1000 words. It’s old-fashioned, but people still like to see things before they buy them. For successful eBay selling, make sure any products you list on eBay are accompanied by professional quality photographs.

[admagic]

Listings are important for sure -

In fact some things are so badly listed you can make a pretty good living , from buying and relisting. There are some who have made this the essence of their business, and that is the root of Adam Ginsbergs business one of the most prolific ebayers in history.

However if you talk to such as Sydney Johnston affectionately known as the "auction queen" and who probably makes more money than Ginsberg - the real secret is using ebay as a traffic machine for listbuilding - and back end direct marketing is where the real money is made.

listbuilding probably more important

So SJ - isnt even a powerseller! whenever she gets up to a few hundred/low thousand feedback she moves on to another account - to avoid being a target. And has several accounts fro her different niches.

And most of her sales come from selling related products to the lists

To find out how to get traffic off EBAY without breaching rules is a science - and a constantly moving target , and it is well worth investing in "the silent sales machine" Jim Cockrum - which is constantly revised ( all upgrades in at the price) to explain what strategies are stilll working and legal.


the big drawback of ebay

The problem with doing it ALL on ebay - is everyone can see - what you sell , how much you sell for, your listings and so on. You ARE a target,, and easily copied.

[Skills Converged]

Very good tips Violet:-)
Cheers

X C