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Top Ten eBay Mistakes

eBay offers a great opportunity for the entrepreneur or seasoned retailer to start a business with relatively low overhead and ease of implementation, but many sellers, new and old alike, make these top ten mistakes on eBay:

1. Listing without Pictures

2. Limiting Sales to the Continental United States

3. Aiming for a High Starting Bid

4. Choosing the Wrong Listing Category

5. Failing to Cross-List Items

6. Mis-scheduling Items

7. Failing to Research Unusual Items

8. Writing Ads that Are Plain or Non-Persuasive

9. Targeting Fad Items

10. Improperly Maintaining Correspondence.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 1: Listing Without Pictures

In the earliest days of eBay, many listings fared quite well without pictures. Digital cameras were relatively new, and imaging services were expensive then. Descriptions in those days carried every bit of information one could imagine. Smart shoppers asked questions that were not adequately anticipated by the ads, and few people were completely distrustful of photo-free ads. Times are different now. Digital cameras are inexpensive and easily acquired, and eBay image hosting makes it easy to post pics in every ad.

To avoid misunderstandings and cut down on superfluous questions, it is always best to include as many pictures as possible. Show your item from various angles. Choose the best image to be your gallery image. Don’t be cheap–pay for the gallery image to see the results. Listings that include gallery images outsell similar listings without gallery images by 4 to 1. And whatever else you do, be sure to include pics of wear and tear to your item. Your bidders will appreciate your honesty.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 2: Limiting Sales to the Continental United States

Whether out of habit or out of a fear of dealing across continents and oceans, many eBay sellers still make this number 2 of the top ten mistakes on eBay. While the United States’ market is very good, it can have its limitations. With nearly as many American sellers as there are American bidders on eBay, it stands to reason that those items that are available to international bidders will do better than those that are available only to users from the continental United States.

Furthermore, many items that are taken for granted by American bidders are very rare and extremely appreciated by bidders from other parts of the world. A simple Applause Raggedy Ann doll that goes for under $10.00 in the States may get bids of four and five times that amount in diverse areas such as Germany, China, and Japan. Long ago, my partner and I realized that many of our items were prized by people in countries other than our own. We decided right away that we would take a chance by listing everything we were selling in international-friendly auctions. We have never been unhappy with that decision. From collectible, vintage toys to rare antiques to items that seem rather ubiquitous by American standards, time and time again many of our best customers have been international bidders. And often, such bidders have become repeat customers.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 3: Aiming for a High Starting Bid

Number 3 on the top ten mistakes on eBay list is Aiming for a High Starting Bid. For avid auction goers the notion that you have to be willing to take a chance is not a strange one. Many sellers and bidders on eBay, though, do not understand such an idea. With the advent of online auctions, many people who never had entered an auction house themselves began to experiment with the idea of letting others decide the true value of the products they offered. Fearful that items of great value may go for low, low prices, many people start their bids at prices that serve only to intimidate bidders. While it is smart not to start a bid at a price you could not stand to lose an item, it is also smart to start a bid at a price that seems almost like a steal for the bidder. In most cases, items that are as wonderful and as rare as the sellers claim will not go for extremely low prices. Often, the low starting bid serves to generate interest. As bidders add your listing to their watch list, you’ll see that a frenzy of sorts can build around a very reasonably-priced item.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 4: Choosing the Wrong Listing Category

Because the volume of items listed for sale on eBay has reached astronomical levels, smart sellers determine various ways to make their items more noticeable on eBay. While there may be a category that perfectly describes the item you wish to sell, no eBay seller should send his or her item off into a sea of duplicates. With many of the same item up for bids, your item will suffer. Supply and demand is still the rule for getting the best market price. And, often, collectors may be seeking your item without even realizing it. Your job as seller is two-fold: determine the best category for your item through research and make your potential bidders see what it is they should love about your item.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 5: Failing to Cross List an Item

Failing to cross list an item follows easily behind choosing the wrong listing category in any top ten mistakes on eBay list. For a very small fee, you can choose to list any item in more than one category. Leery of spending more on advertising than necessary, many eBay sellers still list perfectly good cross collectibles or items of interest to diverse shoppers in singular categories that fail to address various groups of people. Consider tableware, for instance. A set of china designed by a specific artist for a specific transportation company such as a rail line or airline may be of interest to several kinds of collectors. Listing it under tableware for any given period would do no justice to the interest such a set generates. Investing mere change in cross listing can open up diverse opportunities for increased bidding.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 6: Mis-Scheduling Items

Excited to get an auction started, some listers put their items on eBay without ever considering the power of timing. Auctions set to end in the middle of night often receive poor bids. Choosing times when many people have opportunity to relax and surf the web will help you to garner better final bids for your items. And each type of item you can imagine has a time when it is most likely to sell. You can determine for yourself what the best time for your item to start and end would be by considering the type of person who might be looking for it and by checking to see at what times similar items performed best.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 7: Failing to Research Unusual Items

Searching through the nooks and crannies of your neighborhood antique or thrift store you find an item that seems promising and intriguing. Excited to think about the possibilities of selling it, you quickly buy it and rush home. Immediately, you list it on eBay, describing the rarity of such a peculiar item. There are several problems with this hasty approach. First of all, listing the item without attempting to make a few discoveries about it will hinder your ability to answer questions. Secondly, ignoring the history of your item limits the way in which you may list and shuts your listing away from diverse bidders. Thirdly, this is the internet after all. Few things escape mention on the internet that sits at your fingertips each and every time you list something on eBay. In plain English, it is lazy not to take to the few moments necessary to glean a bit of wisdom regarding your rare, exceptional item.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 8: Writing Ads that Are Plain or Non-Persuasive

Many people will advise that plain, bulleted ads produce the highest bids, but I advise that this may, in fact, have the reverse effect. Many collectors and other avid bidders appreciate the sense of community that eBay affords. In addition, sch bidders enjoy the sense of security that comes from purchasing an item from someone who may be an expert on its value. And, to top it all off, few people are ever harmed by learning something new.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 9: Targeting Fad Items

Beanie Babies, enough said.

TOP TEN MISTAKES ON eBay Number 10: Improperly Maintaining Correspondence

In the world of eBay, where your last email is your best personal credit, maintaining correspondence professionally and considerately is not just good form–it is also the only way to go to reach high sales volume and to earn a reputation as a credible seller. eBay anticipates the seller’s and the bidder’s correspondence needs. My eBay is a great tool for maintaining proper correspondence. Friendly notifications/invoices, cordial “thank yous” for payment receipt, and gracious feedback will make you memorable to your bidders. Considerate, timely correspondence is the first step to establishing repeat-buyer clientèle.