A Few More Quick eBay Tips

I've written about selling on eBay before (here and here).  Last month my mom asked me to help her get started on eBay and I thought I'd share my advice for her on the blog.  

Be Very Descriptive with the Title
"Vintage wedding photo 002" is too generic.  Check out titles of similar products for ideas. Do a little research to find out what buyers will call the item.  That helps it come up in search.

Photos Sell the Item!
More pictures.  eBay gives you a maximum of 12 for free - use them!  Photograph from all angles and include close-ups of details.

Format the Text for Readability
Put no more than one or two sentences on each line or use bullet points.  Nobody wants to read huge blocks of text.  Highlight the important features!

Consider adding something personal about why the item is special, like, "I found this picture in a box of my parents' things.  It's probably one of their friends or relatives from Adams, MA.  They had a large Polish family."  People will be more likely to buy specific subjects that interest them.

Price for You, First, Then Price to Sell

Do an experiment.  First offer at the price you'd like to sell the item at (ideally, the average selling price of similar items).  If that doesn't work, lower the price when you relist.

Another experiment - play with shipping!  Sometimes people will snap up an item if you offer free shipping - even if you increase the starting bid.  A couple of ways to try:

1. With your lowest price and shipping cost to be paid by the buyer.  
2. With a higher price but free shipping.  

People tend to prefer free shipping.  There is a setting in the listing where you can exclude bidders from other countries, FPO, AK, HI, etc.

Effective eBay Strategies

I've been an eBay user since 1997.  Back then I was seeking out rare model horses that I could snag for a steal.  Today I'm mostly a seller, culling model horses that I no longer want or selling "stuff" that's sitting around our house and would otherwise be donated or trashed.

This year I've offloaded a VCR, media player, lots of clothes, Christmas ornaments, miscellaneous electronics (mostly outdated), and some other stuff.  My tally so far is $800 so I must be doing something right!

eBay is easy to use and there are lots of sites out there that teach you how to get the most out of it.  Here are my tips:

Know what you have and whether or not others want it.

1. Search for the item you want to sell on eBay.  On the right, scroll down, and there's a toggle called 

2. 

   
   

    Completed Listings.  This enables you to see not how many are on the market right now, but what people actually paid for those items.  Setting a realistic price will ensure that your item sells.
3. If your item didn't come up in search, consider why.  Is it super-rare?  If so, good for you!  Maybe, though, it's out of season or just not popular right now.  Example:  I don't bother trying to sell model horses online during July or August because so many collectors are visiting BreyerFest. 
4. Maybe there's a better venue to sell your item.  I sold an unopened Pilates machine via Craigslist because I didn't want to deal with shipping.  I could've used the local pickup option on eBay, but I thought Craigslist would reach a larger local audience.  It worked - and I avoided fees!

Use the listing form to its full advantage.

1. Use every character that's available to you in the title field.  Rather than springing a few cents for a  ub-header, pack a punch with the free title field.  For example, instead of saying "Blue Gap Sweater", blow it out with "GAP Ladies Light Blue/Teal/White Argyle Sweater Size Small".  The more descriptors you add, the more likely your item is to come up in search.
2. It's in the photograph!  eBay allows lots of free pictures for many categories.  Add as many as possible - full length front and back, close ups of patterns or details, bottom view, whatever.  If the pictures are not free try to add at least two of different angles.  eBay allows users to zoom in on the photos so make sure they are high-resolution so that the viewer can see details.
3. Be descriptive.  Describe that item as best as possible.  Measure EVERYTHING.  Let eBay do the work for you in some cases, like electronics.  I sold a VCR and when I typed in the brand and model number into search, eBay offered to add dozens of specs to the listing.  Do this!  Users can search by specification and if you aren't including them then you're already out of the race.  Just make sure that everything eBay enters is accurate. Remember to test your item and be sure that it works.  If it doesn't, be honest about that in the listing.

Price to sell and ship cost-effectively.

1. Way back up in #1 of the first section I told you how to price your item.  If you don't need to sell it right away, price it at or a little above what you think it will sell for.  If you just want to get rid of it, try $5-10 below the regular auction price.
2. Shipping is tricky.  Apart from re-using packaging and offering the cheapest option (usually Parcel Post) there's not much you can do to cut costs and bidders shy away from high shipping costs.  Be mindful of your packaging because it can increase costs.  I put clothing into plastic bags and then ship it in manila envelopes because they weigh considerably less than cardboard boxes.  Using newspaper as padding is a great way to recycle but it also adds weight.  Consider re-using the inflated air pockets you receive in other shipments - no matter how satisfying it is to pop them.
3. I've had more success since I've started using "buyer pays actual shipping costs".  This feature inserts a little calculator into the listing and the actual price is determined based on where the bidder lives.  When you list the item, just enter the measurements of the package and the weight and boom, you're done!  Bonus:  your item is boxed up and ready to go!

Communicate and keep your promises.

1. Bidder has a question?  Answer it ASAP and consider posting the answer for all to see on the listing to avoid repetition.
2. If you said you'd ship next-day, do it!  It's just a matter of getting to the Post Office if you've got things packaged up according to #3 in the previous section.  If you can't keep your promise, let the buyer know and give him/her the opportunity to back out.  Hey, they might need that Joker Halloween costume for a party this weekend!
3. Follow-up by promptly marking items as shipped and leaving feedback.

Those are my tips for eBay success!  I've got lots more including don't bite off more than you can chew, cross-promotion, and selling on other sites like Craigslist, Amazon, and Etsy that I'll share in a future entry.

Traveling and Customer Service

This past weekend I traveled to Cary, North Carolina with a friend.  Southern hospitality sticks in my mind from past trips below the Mason-Dixon line.  People hold the door open, say "hello" to strangers, and take life at a slower pace than in the Northeast.

In some cases customer service translates over to national travel chains - in others, it appears that it does not.  

Take our airline, for example.  I didn't even realize my cell phone was missing when my friend received a call - from "me" - on her own phone.  Apparently, I'd left the phone on the plane, and airline representatives called the last person I'd called to ask where I might be.  They left the phone at the baggage claim and I easily retrieved it.  The people at the counter were friendly and easy to deal with.

Our car rental has not been as easy.  Sure, the guy at the counter was friendly when he signed out our car.  He even put our bags into the trunk (more on that later) for us.  But the good service stopped at that point.

That evening the automatic headlights failed to turn off.  Luckily we didn't wind up with a dead battery.  It appears to be an issue with the car because sometimes they turn off and other times the door needs to be opened and closed a few times in order for them to shut off.

The following morning I dropped my friend off at the clinic we'd traveled south for her to attend.  I was on my way back to the hotel to hit the gym and do some work to make up for the time I was missing at home.  Just as I was about to enter the highway I noticed that the low air pressure indicator came on for the tires.  Fortunately, there was a gas station up the street - a better alternative than waiting hours for AAA!  I got some change for the machine and began examining the air pressure in the tires.

Tire #1 - 20 PSI.  Filled 'er up.  Tire #2 held 40 PSI, #3 50 PSI, and #4 an astonishing 60 PSI.  The sticker inside the door said each tire should be at 32 PSI.  It is of my opinion that the driver is ultimately responsible - but doesn't it seem like the rental car agency should send the car out of the lot with the tires appropriately inflated, especially since the driver isn't provided with a tire pressure gauge?  I certainly don't travel with one, although I do carry one in my personal vehicle, as well as a travel air compressor.  It makes one wonder what else could be wrong with the vehicle...

I tried to call the rental agency but there was no answer at 8:00 a.m. despite claims of opening at 5:00.  Later in the day someone told us our trunk appeared to be open.  It doesn't seem to latch securely - there is some scuffing and denting on it, too.  The car has about 17,000 miles on the odometer.

What's next?  Sure, I could take the Kevin Smith route and complain via Twitter.  I'm going to wait and see what they have to say when I drop off the vehicle.  Then I'll decide if other steps are necessary.


Update:


When I dropped off the rental car, the agent asked how everything went.  I explained the three major issues - the worst obviously being the tire inflation.  He said sometimes gauges don't work that well.  I said I that know how to read a tire gauge and that I had corrected the air pressure in the tires.  After some consideration and examination of the car, he decided to refund $10 of my four-day rental fee.