7 Foolish Mistakes You Should Avoid If You Are New To Selling on EBay
(1) Keyword spamming
This is a sure fire way to make yourself look like a complete
fool.
Basically, keyword spammers list words which are not related to
the auction in the title to try and attract more visitors. Often
the words they use have absolutely no relevance at all to the
product they are selling.
For example:
ps2 the getaway not xbox nintendo pc sega
(from a listing found 1st November 2005)
This particular title is a very bad choice. Why on earth the
seller decided to put "not xbox nintendo pc sega" in the title I
do not know.
Does he think that a potential XBox buyer will suddenly feel
compelled to buy a game for another console?
The only result of this is that a huge number of potential
bidders will miss this auction.
The seller has overlooked the fact that anyone searching for
"getaway playstation 2" will miss his auction. And people
searching for that term are looking for his product!
A better title would be:
Sony Playstation 2 (PS2) Game - The Getaway - As
New
Even worse than those who spam in the title are the sellers who
spam in the subtitle. Searches on eBay do not include the
subtitle so it is completely pointless keyword spamming in this
way.
Instead of spamming, make sure you use the entire character
allocation of your title and cram in as many keywords as
possible.
(2) Feedback Gathering
One quick way to get to 10 or 20 feedback points is to buy lots
of 1p ebooks from other eBay members.
The foolish newbie believes this to be a great way to increase
feedback, after all, you can spend 1 and receive 100 positive
feedbacks!
The problem comes when they start to sell products and their
potential customers look through their feedback. When they see
that the seller has purposely inflated their feedback by buying
crap, it looks like a scammer's account.
Go about your eBay business professionally from the beginning.
If you need feedback, sell some things you don't need from
around the house. You'll soon build up some positive numbers
next to your username.
(3) Trying to sell "resale rights" eBooks
One reasonably well-known information marketer recently made a
massive mistake by selling an eBook with resale rights. Within a
couple of days her 30 eBook was changing hands for as little as
5p (0.05).
Resale rights do not work on eBay because as soon as you sell an
eBook with these rights someone even dumber than you will
undercut your price. Then someone even stupider will undercut
theirs. Next thing you know, several sellers are offering the
eBooks, along with 10 or so more for 1p. The price drops within
48 hours and there is no real money left to be made.
If you want to sell eBooks on eBay, write them yourself and
beware of other people trying to sell your work. Never try and
sell someone else's work unless you have purchased the right to
do so. You will get sued.
(4) They neglect to give prompt, polite service
When you list an item on eBay you can sometimes get someone who
asks a very silly question or makes a ridiculously low offer.
Always be courteous to these people, they may be future
customers.
At the same time, when you do make a sale, ensure that the
product is dispatched as soon as possible once payment is
received. eBay buyers are very, very impatient. You may think
that sending an item with 2 weeks is OK, most buyers want it
within 2 days.
You can, and probably will, get negative feedback for being too
slow or by appearing to be rude in email communication. Remember
your manners, answer all questions in full and treat everyone as
a potential life long customer and you will have an easier time
on eBay.
(5) They sell the wrong products
The ideal eBay product is easy to source, easy to post and
popular. When first starting on eBay it is a good idea to
concentrate on selling small items such as CDs, DVDs, video
games etc.
Buy bulk lots from eBay, break them up and list them seperately.
Make sure your title, description and photos are clear and show
the product for what it is. You will be surprised at the profit
you can make just by doing this.
Also, steer clear of huge, bulky items. Selling plasma TVs may
seem like a good idea but when you come to post your TV to the
buyer, you will soon regret offering it for such a low price.
(6) They try to cheat their customers
New sellers can be very "wet behind the ears" and neglect to
mention some damage to the item they are selling. If you do not
mention a scratch or other significant damage on your item, the
customer will return it and expect a refund. You may even
receive negative feedback for your troubles.
And, more seriously, never, ever try to bid on your own auction
to raise the price. You aren't the first person who thought of
it and you won't be the last. Shill-bidding will land you in
trouble with eBay and potential customers. A lot of buyers check
a seller's previous sales. If they continue to see the same
bidder bidding on your auctions they will refuse to buy from you
and may even report you. eBay will then ban you.
(7) They over-charge on postage
Be fair with your customers and you will have a lot less hassle
from them. Overcharging on postage may seem like a good idea to
boost profits but what you will probably find is that any
potential bidder will bid less for your item if the postage is
too high. Always state your postage in your auction and you will
get a higher price than if you do not.
About the author:
Ben Catt is an active eBay buyer and seller and runs an eBay
Tips and Tricks website found at http://www.BenCatt.com. He
also runs a business opportunity information site - http://www.BizOppsUK.com