No matter how many times I see it
happening, I’m constantly amazed at the number of people who are
literally throwing money away by making incredibly simple mistakes
when they sell items in an online auction.
Over the last seven years, I’ve been
making a great living buying and selling products on eBay and other
online auction sites, and I’ve perfected a technique that pretty
much guarantees anyone can start making a profit right away. That
technique starts with avoiding mistakes like these -- mistakes I’ve
seen people make every day for those same seven years.
If you’re doing any of these four things,
you’re leaving money on the table with every single item you sell.
* Listing an item at the wrong time. It’s
a proven fact more buyers browse Internet auction sites on Sunday
evenings than any other time during the week. If your auction is
scheduled to end at any other time than Sunday evenings (specifically
between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern time), you’re not getting the
maximum exposure for your auction at a time when people are most eager
to buy.
* Not giving your photos the attention they
deserve. There are two common mistakes people make with the photos
they use to entice buyers on eBay. One is not having enough pictures
to accompany your item’s description. Over the years, I’ve learned
pictures of your item are one of the most important components of your
sales page. (There are many reasons for this, but I don’t have the
space to go into much detail here.) Multiple pictures from various
angles will ALWAYS help you get higher bids for your products. The
second mistake is not making sure the pictures are up and running on
whatever server you’re using BEFORE you list your item. How many
times have you been browsing an auction site and seen a blank box
where a picture of the item should have been? That’s a seller who’s
losing money because of a very simple, and very common, oversight.
* Using "Las Vegas style"
listings. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about here. A Las
Vegas listing is one that uses all kinds of flashing animation,
multicolored text and other bells and whistles in an attempt to entice
bidders. In fact, it does just the opposite. Listings like these are
distracting, hard to read, and will always discourage people from
bidding, resulting in a lower final sales price. The descriptions that
you give of your item on your sales page ARE NOT designed to get a
buyer’s attention (you already have that if they’ve clicked on
your listing in the first place). They should be designed to get
someone to actually place a bid.
* Using a reserve. Using a reserve to
guarantee that you’ll get a minimum price for an item will
absolutely kill your auction. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen too many
times to not accept this as a given. In fact, I often use other seller’s
auctions that have a reserve as a way to pick up items at ridiculously
low prices that I can sell "the right way" for a huge profit
a few days later -- but that’s a different article altogether. For
now, just realize that nothing scares away potential bidders better
than seeing the "Reserve Not Yet Met" tag. If you’re truly
concerned about a minimum price, simply set your starting price a
little higher.
John Reese has been actively involved with
online auctions and eBay since 1996. Mr. Reese has written several
articles on the subject and has recently created the "Internet
Auction Secrets" Video for teaching others how to start, run, and
manage a successful online auction business from home.
His 2-Hour Step-By-Step Video comes with
access to a "Student's Only" web site where his students can
keep up with the latest tips, tricks, and techniques. You can learn
about how *you* can become one of his students at: http://www.auctionsecrets.com
