3 Keys to Getting Your Stuff SOLD on eBay {and FAST}

Here are 3 tips to getting your stuff sold on eBay – and fast. (If you’re new to e-commerce, check out this article on how to make money with eBay).

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1. Post Quality Pictures (a lot of them)

Pictures are worth 1,000 words (and in e-commerce pictures can be worth much, much more). Having the right pictures can be the difference between having someone click on your listing or not, or between between making the sale or not. Here’s what you need:

  • Use clear pictures – not blurry or old-looking. If you can see the background in the image, make sure the background is nice to look at as well.
  • The more pictures, the better. If you’re buying something from an unknown eBay seller, your confidence goes up with the number of photos of the item in question. (eBay allows 12 free pictures per listings. This is enough. You do not need to spend money on the extra images, but if you do, try an an outside app (like Garage Sale) to upload photos to your own server so you don’t have to pay eBay for the extra photos.

2. Use Keywords in your Description and Title

Keywords are hot button words that people may enter in their search bar when searching for an item on eBay. Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re selling this piece of fitness equipment.

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Would it be better to list this product as:

A) Fitness Equipment?

or

B) Home gym weight loss pull up bar fitness equipment?

The better option is Option B. Option A is not rich in keywords. Option B – although a mouthful – is more likely to get your listing found!

The best way to think of keywords is to think of what a potential buyer for your item would actually type in the search box. This buyer might be searching for a “home gym”, or they be looking for “weight loss”, or simply trying to find a “pull up bar.” These are all appropriate keywords. There is no such thing as keyword overdose. The more, the better.

As far as the title, you are limited by space. Just fit in as many keywords as you can. If there’s room, throw another keyword on the end. Never leave empty space in your description. What’s the point of doing all this? It’s for search optimization.

  • Search optimization: The idea behind search optimization is simple – The more closely your description matches that search query, the more likely for your product to show up in the results. Note: If you think a potential buyer would search for a particular brand name, that brand would definitely qualify as a keyword. Put it in your title –eg. [Eddie Bauer fleece jacket] versus [fleece jacket].

3. Time Your Listing Appropriately

There is nothing wrong with a 30 day listing, but a 10 day listing can create a sense of urgency. Here’s a tip we picked up from iwillteachyoutoberich.com –   “List your item for 10 days starting on a Thursday, that gives you two full weekends of eyeballs. Weekends typically have the highest traffic.”

These 3 strategies (posting a lot of quality pictures, using lots of keywords in your title and description, and paying attention to your listing times) are all essential to getting your items sold on eBay.

Do you have experience selling on eBay? Please share your tips below!

4 Biggest Myths to Making Money on eBay

Read this before you start a business selling products on eBay. This will help you avoid common pitfalls and clear up misconceptions about making money the e-commerce site. The following are the 4 biggest myths to making money on eBay, according to the eBay site itself, as well as my own feedback from personal experience and observation.

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4 Biggest Myths to Making Money on eBay


The myths:

1. Anybody can make money on eBay

2. Anything sells on eBay

3. It’s easy to make money on eBay

4. I can quit my job and make money on eBay


1.  This is not completely a myth…Anybody technically can make money off eBay – if they have a plan.  You can’t just put up items on eBay and expect to make a lot of money. You should treat it like a serious business. Know your numbers, like your target margins,  for example. You should study the market to understand what sells. And you should always take care of your customer base. Nothing can ruin an eBay business like bad reviews from disgruntled customers. (And there’s nothing more valuable than positive reviews).

2.  Not everything sells on eBay. Items that you can ship cheaply tend to sell much easier. But these products also tend to have smaller margins. It’s a give & take.

3. While the concept of selling on eBay, is in fact easy, the execution is not so much. It can take time to learn the art of searching for the right products, and time to build a strong seller reputation on the site.

(For a step-by-step on how to make money on eBay check out this article or for more information & formal training on running a profitable eBay business, email me at a.dymally@gmail.com.)

4. Don’t quit your job yet. While some people do make selling on eBay their full-time gig, for most, it is a cool way to make extra income, without leaving the house.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid in your eBay Business

1. Bad customer service – Because the sales transactions are completed online, and not face-to-face, it’s easy to forget you’re dealing with real people! When someone places an order with you, they are not worried about any challenges you may face with fulfilling the order. They just want the product shipped, and shipped quickly. Bad reviews can be very damaging to an eBay business. Just like rave reviews can be a big boost. Always focus on having clear communication with your customers & ship products timely.

2. Spending too much money on listings. A good description and good pictures (which are free in your listing) often go much further than a fancy border or other extras that eBay offers sellers in their listings. Don’t spend too much on your listings.

3. Not marketing your items correctly. Keywords are everything. You have to think like a consumer. Consider keywords that a customer would type in the eBay search bar, when looking for your item. It is important to put these keywords in the item heading, as well as the description. This will increase the changes of your product showing up when they do their search.

4. Stocking up on too much inventory. Stocking up on too much inventory can bankrupt your business. Hedge your losses by following this smart approach to selling on eBay (Sell first. Buy second.)

 

In conclusion:

Start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to strike it rich overnight. When you get more experience you will learn how to gain a competitive advantage with smart listings.

~ To Life Without Limits ~

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How to Make Money on eBay (the smart way)

One hurdle most people have to making money on eBay is they think they don’t have anything to sell. In actuality, you don’t need to have anything to sell – you just need to know where to find it.

The Art of Drop Shipping

Mastering the art of drop shipping is the key to success with eBay.

The literal definition of drop shipping is – buying products individually from a wholesaler and shipping them directly to your customer (instead of purchasing a large amount of inventory to keep on hand & dealing with a middle-man).

So how do we use drop shipping to your advantage on eBay? Let me explain. Here is the best way to sell a product on eBay.

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How to Sell a Product on eBay (the smart way)

  1. Find a product that is popular or has a good amount of sales volume on eBay
  2. Find the same product on Amazon (or another retailer) where you can purchase it at a lower price, than the going price on eBay
  3. List the product on eBay
  4. Once it sells on eBay – then you purchase the product on Amazon (at the lower price)
  5. Have the product shipped directly to the end buyer (there is no need for it to be sent to you)
  6.  You keep the difference in price – this is your margin

You may be wondering if these steps are out of order. (Did she meant to buy first then sell? No. Sell first. Then buy).

Here’s why: This allows you to hedge your losses. Why purchase an item if you don’t know whether it can sell? Sell it first then drop ship it through Amazon (or whatever retail you’re purchasing from).

The principle behind this process is an age-old standard in the history of American business:

Buy Low. Sell High.
(or in our case Sell High. Buy Low.)

Here’s another common question.

Why would someone pay a higher price for something than they can get elsewhere?

To get that answer, we’d have to ask the millions of people that do it everyday. Most of the time, it’s convenience. Believe it or not, price is not the only thing people consider when making a purchase. Often times, they just want it fast. They don’t have the time, or desire, to search the internet for the best deal.

Obviously this process is simple in concept. But what about execution? What about actually making it happen.  Personally – eBay is not my primary focus, but I have done exactly what I’ve explained to you above. I did it for proof of concept. To see if it would work. The result? It did.

But things are always more difficult in practice, right? Right.

Words of Caution

Because it works, doesn’t mean you will strike it rich overnight. Here are some things to consider when entering the world of drop shipping and making money on eBay.

Small Margins

Your margins are typically small on eBay (not always, but often). Think about it. You wouldn’t be able to charge $80 for a product that only sells for $30. No one would buy it.

Lack of Fulfillment

Lack of fulfillment occurs when you sell something on eBay, then you’re no longer able to find the product on Amazon. In this case, of course, you’d refund the purchase price. This is rare. What occurs more often is loss on fulfillment.

Loss on Fulfillment 

Loss on fulfillment is when the price of your product increases on Amazon above the eBay price, after you’ve already sold. What do you do in this case? Well – most often you should eat the loss (as long as you can handle it). You should still fulfill the order for your eBay customer. (Remember, you’re dealing with real people here. Imagine how pissed you’d be if you bought a product on eBay, only to find out days later that it can’t be sent). I consider this risk just a normal risk of loss that occurs in any business.

Time

It can take quite a bit of time to find the right products to sell – products that have high sales volume, good demand and a suitable price gap between eBay and your retailer.

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How to Minimize Your Risks

The best way to minimize your risk with making money on eBay is to get educated then test small, like I did. DS Domination is a company that teaches people how to navigate the world of e-commerce and eBay. They show you what to look out for, how to effectively search for good products, and much more. (I learned how to make my first sale on eBay through DS Domination’s training system and videos.)

Learn More about Making Money on eBay

If you want to learn more about DS Domination or how to make money on eBay, just shoot me an email at a.dymally@gmail.com and I can send you more info.

Have ever sold anything on eBay? Tell us about your experience below. 

As always, thanks for stopping by.

~ To Life Without Limits ~

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