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If
you're like most sellers, then you probably like to keep a close
eye on your current auctions. After all, part of the fun of
auctioning online is sitting back and watching people bid on
your auctions. But what's the best way to monitor your
merchandise? Here are several suggestions.
High-Performance
Browsing
Though this probably won't be news to some of you, even
low-powered PCs can run multiple Internet browsers
simultaneously. If you have several auctions going on at once,
open up two or more browsers on your desktop to monitor
individual sales. If you are using Microsoft's Internet
Explorer, just select New and Window under File. If you prefer
Netscape's Communicator, select File and New Navigator Window.
One,
Two, Three…
Counters let you track how many people have visited your auction
pages. Why use counters? Well, although they don't tell you how
many bids your item receives, they do allow you to gage the
success of your auctions and see which ones draw the most
traffic and interest. Maybe you tried a different auction title
that works wonders--or perhaps it falls flat and your visitor
number takes a nosedive.
You've
Got Mail
As a service perk, most auction sites will send you emails when
a bid has been placed on one of your auctions. Daily status
email updates also include information on whether or not a bid
has been submitted. Yahoo Auctions offers a more high-tech
option. It will notify you of bids via its online instant
messaging service, Yahoo
Messenger. If you prefer being contacted by pager or cell
phone, there's eBay and SkyTel's eBay
a-go-go service. Another email-related matter to consider:
while an auction is in progress, bidders might contact you by
email, which gives you a heads up on a potential upcoming bid.
Get
Personal
Although sellers can check on the status of their auctions by
accessing their seller list or the auction page itself, a
personal page (My eBay, My CityAuction, Yahoo Auctions' My
Auctions, etc.) is a better option when it comes to tracking
your auctions. Personal pages offer an efficient way to keep
informed about your current sales and the bidding activity of
your auctions. But beware: it's easy for sellers to become
"refresholics" as they monitor these pages and
continually hit the refresh button on their browsers, especially
during the closing minutes of an auction when last-minute
sniping can take place. If you'd like to check our snipers
category please click
here
If you really want to be on top of
things, don't just bookmark your personal page--make it your
browser's default home page. That way, whenever you launch your
browser your personal page will come up immediately. And if
you're surfing the Web (perhaps getting the latest news
headlines or checking on the performance of your favorite
stock), you can always click on the home button to see if
there's been any action on your auctions since you last checked.
Back to Auction tips &
tactics
by Vendio Services
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