Auction Information

Professional eBay Auctions Reap the Profits for Sellers


eBay offer an unbelievable amount of traffic for ANYONE wanting to sell on their auction site, so much so that millions of items are listed on it everyday. So with all this competition how do you make sure that your listing doesn't get lost amongst the rest and that customers keep coming back to you.

The answer is simple.... Professional Listings!

This covers all aspects of the transaction from the listing itself, how the customer is interacted with to how the item is packed and shipped. If you ignore any stage of the process then you are going to force your customers to go elsewhere. Your are offering a service to the customer, if they get bad service then they will go elsewhere and remember there are millions of items for sale on eBay so the customer doesn't even have to try hard to go elsewhere.

Remember, Professional Listings will give you the edge over the rest and also the highest selling price and profit.

Split your auction process into the following stages and follow the below guidelines:

The listing itself has to be:

Correctly written, You have to grab the attention of the reader and hold it and a poorly written listing will do nothing but FORCE the customer onto the next listing available. Use your knowledge of the item and use the key words and phrases that will 'push the buttons' of the customer, if you were buying the item what would sell it to you? Look at other sellers listings and determine selling strengths and listing opportunities and develop on them, these are the people you want to stand out from after all. Above all use proper English (or your native language), do not use text speak and shortened 'phrases' and also capitalise properly as a listing completely in capitals is an instant invite to close the listing down.

Correctly formatted, eBay provide the following auction sections as standard, use them correctly and effectively to maximise your listing potential and 'kerb appeal'.

Remember first impressions count!

Auction Title

This is the FIRST thing that your customers will see. Make it short, sharp, to the point and most of all DO NOT include silly characters and smiley faces in it as all that does is make you think that the auction seller is 'just a kid'...NOT A VERY PROFESSIONAL IMAGE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS TO HAVE.

The default search on eBay only scans the title so you need all your keywords in there, so don't waste the space on rubbish.

Auction Description

This is your opportunity to fully describe the item and as such needs to be as complete as is possible, the more information the customer has the more they know what they are buying and the more likely they are to form a professional image of you as a seller. i.e.. this seller gives a true indication of the item and doesn't try to hide anything. Always include the strengths and weaknesses (faults) of the item as these are both SELLING POINTS. Strengths are obvious but weaknesses as a selling point, surely not! The more accurate the description the more the customer can trust you and will develop a professional image of you and more importantly keep coming back to your eBay auctions.

Think about what you are writing, does it fully describe what you are trying to? Words like 'great condition' and 'like new' are not good enough because different people interpret these in different ways so be specific and add extra detail to ensure that there are no crossed wires.

This information has to be correctly presented to the customer, the majority of eBay listings as simply just typed out in the editor ebay provides, which is perfectly acceptable but your listing will just appear in boring black and white. Remember the idea is to make your listing stand out and look professional and the simplest way to do this is to use HTML to format, add tables and images in order to liven up the listing, this is very simple to achieve and I offer some FREE to use templates here. Using templates will also help to develop a business identity for your auctions so that the customer can instantly recognise you

Within your listing also take the opportunity to cross promote your other auctions, it is free publicity which will encourage the customer to take a look and will generate greater sales opportunities from singular listings. Its as simple as adding a link to your other auctions on the listing page itself.

Include Pictures

Simply remember :

A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS

All professional web sites use images and so should you, for a review of the importance of pictures go to the eBay picture guide.

Always give payment and shipping details

Would you buy something without knowing the full cost ?

No, neither will your customers. A truly professional listing will always detail shipping charges up front. Again use the principle of the more information you give the better.

Mike - webmaster at Online Auction Traders Resource

Visit ebay templates to use for FREE to develop your online business.


MORE RESOURCES:

NewsOXY

Microsoft Targets Auctions in Counterfeit Crackdown
PC World - 16 hours ago
The 63 actions are against people allegedly selling counterfeit versions of Microsoft Office, Windows XP and other products at online auction sites, ...
Online auctions remain piracy problem for Microsoft CNET News
Counterfeiters sing the 'Blue' as Microsoft lawyers up BetaNews
'Buyer Be Smart' on Online Auctions International Business Times
Computerworld - eFluxMedia
all 44 news articles


FAA advances NYC-area airport slot auctions plan
Forbes, NY - 1 hour ago
By HARRY R. WEBER , 12.04.08, 10:10 PM EST The Federal Aviation Administration told airlines on Thursday it is moving forward with plans to auction some of ...


National Wholesale Liquidators auctions off assets
Newsday, NY - 19 hours ago
BY KEIKO MORRIS | keiko.morris@newsday.com West Hempstead-based discount chain National Wholesale Liquidators held an auction yesterday to sell all of its ...


Wells Fargo disputes claims by state regulator
CNNMoney.com - 9 hours ago
The company also said it did not deal directly with auction-rate securities underwriters, but rather participated in auctions through a third-party ...
Wells Fargo Denies State's ARS Charge TheStreet.com
Wells Fargo denies claims Seattle Times
UPDATE 1-Wells Fargo to fight Washington auction-rate claims Reuters
MarketWatch - PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
all 25 news articles


Sotheby’s, Christie’s Contemporary-Art Sales Total Drops 17%
Bloomberg - 2 hours ago
5 (Bloomberg) -- Annual sales of contemporary art at Sotheby’s and Christie’s International’s flagship auctions in New York and London contracted 17 percent ...
Sotheby’s, Following 3rd-Quarter Loss, Says It’s Cutting Jobs Bloomberg
Sotheby’s Says It Cut Jobs Following 3rd-Quarter Loss (Update1) Bloomberg
Banker Portrait Fetches 15 Times Forecast at London Art Auction Bloomberg
all 5 news articles


Don't miss these top stories:
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
Selling homes at auctions is nothing new, but these days some builders see it as a way to move product fast in a slow market. That's good news for the home ...
Buyers flock to condo auction, ready to snap up bargains MarketWatch
all 4 news articles


CEP News

Brazil stocks fall, currency seesaws after auctions
Reuters - Dec 3, 2008
The central bank also sold $1.96 billion in dollar repurchase agreements in an auction on Wednesday aimed to improve credit to exporters. ...
Brazil real hits 3-yr low vs dollar; stocks gain Reuters
all 37 news articles


guardian.co.uk

Tourists banned from Tokyo tuna auctions
guardian.co.uk, UK - 11 hours ago
Photograph: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images Visitors to Tokyo will soon have to remove the early-morning auction at the Tsukiji fish market from their ...
Tourists to be barred from Tokyo tuna auctions AFP
Tourists banned from famous Tokyo tuna auctions at world's biggest ... Telegraph.co.uk
Stupid tourists ruin Tokyo fish market for the rest of us Gadling
Buzzle
all 13 news articles


Inland Real Estate Auctions, Inc. Sells Industrial Site in Seneca ...
MarketWatch - Dec 3, 2008
"The auction process allows the marketplace to determine the value of a property, and in this case the buyers were clearly drawn to a site with excellent ...
KPMG Corporate Finance LLC Taps Renowned Auctioneer Frank J ... MarketWatch
all 11 news articles


DOMAINfest Global Agenda Features Rich Sessions Confronting ...
PR Web (press release), WA - 14 hours ago
DOMAINfest Global 2009 will also feature two Moniker live domain auctions. Both auctions will offer domain investors and corporate branding executives a ...

Auctions - Google News

home | site map
© 2006