by Jimmyvanilla

Created on: February 16, 2007   Last Updated: April 28, 2007

TO ERR...

We all make mistakes. It's a part of life, but if you are trying to establish yourself as a credible and successful seller on eBay then some mistakes could be detrimental to your bottom line or even fatal to your business!

No matter what you sell here are some of the most serious mistakes that you should take all possible steps to avoid:

1. SPELLING MISTAKES! I make $100s every week by reselling brand name products that careless sellers have listed with spelling mistakes in the title. Most people using eBay don't browse the categories, they use the search function and type in a keyword - for example, 'ralph lauren'. If you misspell the brand name or in some cases the description then your listing won't show up in the majority of searches and you will get fewer customers and hence fewer bids. This is really going to hurt your bottom line AND your reputation. If you are not careful enough to check your spelling then you might not be careful enough to post my item on time and safely... (I sure hope I haven't made any spelling mistakes in the article after saying that!)

2. LISTING AT THE WRONG TIME OF DAY. You need to list your items so that they end at the time that your market is most likely to be on the computer or able to access the computer. Most bidding occurs in the last few hours and minutes of the auction and if you can time things right then most of the people interested in your auction could be bidding at once creating a bidding war that can push prices sky high. Avoid day time listings in almost all cases and stick to evening listings between 7:30pm & 10pm and you will be safe in most cases. Also, avoid Friday nights and Saturdays if you are unsure that this is going to be a time that your target market is at home on the computer by themselves. This is an active social time for most people and you are likely to get more action on other days.

3. LOUSY PICTURES OR INSUFFICIENT DESCRIPTIVE DETAIL. Remember one thing and you will become a great seller very fast - you can see, touch, taste and smell the item that you are listing but your customers CAN'T! Don't be lazy. Put yourself on the other side of the screen and think about what you would want to see or know about your item if you were thinking of buying it. Also, imagine that you are looking at the item in a store. What would you look at? What would you read? What questions would you ask the store clerk? In most cases I think that you should include at least 3 pictures of the item: 1. an eye catcher

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• Next Page >>