How to boost your eBay sales?

The process of setting up shop on eBay is very easy but making a sale and being a successful powerseller can be equally difficult. It takes proper planning, time and a certain amount of trials and errors to get it right.

Build up a reputation

Find a niche market and stick to it. Buyers are attracted to brands that they can trust and sellers who have knowledge of their products. If you can build a brand, the chances of repeat business and referrals increase on eBay.

A sensible username and a brand logo also help to present you as a professional seller. It is worth spending money on a professionally built website as it reassures eBay buyers that they are dealing with a well established business. Building credibility works wonders for eBay businessmen and women.

EBay Shop
Each shop on eBay has its own URL and displays all the items which are up for sale by the seller. The shop can be customized according to your brand. Since items can be listed for a fraction of the price of auction listings on eBay, more items can be put up for sale. You can also place selected items in auction listings and use them to divert traffic to your store where buyers may make additional purchases.

Presentation
Online buyers cannot see or touch the items which are for sale. Hence, it is necessary to create a comprehensive listing showing all aspects of a product. A good eBay listing should include the following information.

  • High quality pictures from different angles of each item.
  • Any defect or damage should be mentioned and displayed.
  • Delivery costs. Should include international postage if possible.
  • Details of return policy.
  • Payment options

Marketing
Driving traffic to your products and eBay shop is very important. All opportunities to do so should be explored and most of them are free.

  • All your listings, ‘About Me’ page, emails and your eBay shop custom pages should link back to your eBay shop. EBay facilitates cross promotion between sellers. Make arrangements with sellers whose products compliment yours.
  • Many useful eBay tools produce a free eBay scrolling window at the bottom of each listing and displays scrolling pictures of the other products in your shop.
  • Setup input keywords to optimize your shop for search engines and create feed files for shopping comparison sites like Froogle.
  • List you shop on eBay shop listing sites.
  • List items under appropriate categories and fill in all item specifics.
  • Use the ‘About Me’ page to tell buyers about your company and reassure them that they are dealing with a reputable seller.
  • Promote new items to past customers by email or a newsletter.
  • Use enhanced features like pictures, gallery and subtitles.

 

More options

Give the buyers as many delivery and payment options offered on eBay as possible. Sell internationally to access the global market. Provide multiple payment options including PayPal. Though slightly expensive for the seller, it is extremely convenient for the buyer.

Bulk Buying
If your budget allows you, try and buy your inventory in bulk and you could avail of discounts. You could pass the savings on to your eBay buyers.

Bulk Listing
When selling a particular product, list all items under a single listing with a fixed price. You have the potential to sell all those items for a single listing fee.

Incentives
Offer discounts on delivery options for buying more than one product. If your budget allows you, send a discount coupon with every order. This will entice them to return to your shop and bid again.

Presentation
When shipping your items, pay close attention to presentation. Customers will appreciate deliveries in gift boxes for items like jewelry or watches. In case the buyer wants to present it to someone, it can readily be done.
 
Customer Service
Needless to say, customer service is very important. Be courteous and answer questions patiently and promptly. Many users like to know more about the product before buying. Consider adding this information in case you have missed it out in your listing.

 

Becoming a serious and established eBay seller on such a large auction site takes time, dedication and hard work. If you are patient and don’t give up, you are sure to make it big as an eBay PowerSeller in true sense.