How to Increase Your eBay Auction Response in 10 Easy Steps

Getting a buyer to your eBay auction listing is one thing. Making them actually bid on your item, is another. There are many factors that go into making an auction successful such as starting price, your marketing copy, and timing, to mention a few. Those factors apply to any auction, and sellers who know how to use those factors right get good response to their auctions. However, some sellers take extra steps to ensure the highest response to their offerings. This article will list 10 tips you can use to encourage buyers to bid on your auctions.

- Show the benefits of your product not its features: Answer the question of what's in it for the buyer. Let them know how your product will benefit them. Would it save them money or time?, teach them something?, or simply satisfy a need they have.

- Create your "About Me" page: This is a very powerful tool you can use to let buyers know more about you and your business. Use this page to announce any special offers you have, setup a newsletter/ezine sign up form for your visitors and start building your list, and/or add links to your website, blog, affiliate links...etc.

- A picture is worth a thousand words: This is a very true saying. People like to clearly see what exactly they are buying. Using clear good quality pictures in your listing will increase your chances of making a sale. Make sure you buy the gallery picture feature, which adds a thumbnail picture of your item to the search page. For a few cents this is a very valuable feature. Also in your description you should use more than one picture, 3 or 4 with different angles would be best.

- Clearly state your policies, terms and conditions: Buyers are more confident in sellers that are articulate about how they conduct business. Things like shipping times and prices, return policy, out-of-stock policy, and contact information should be written very clearly in your auction listing. Another advantage of this is that it will protect you from any future disputes as you can always refer to your stated policies.

- Accept different payment methods: Most sellers accept credit card payments through Paypal or some other processor. This turns away buyers that don't have a Paypal account or a credit card, or simply don't want to use their credit card online. Accepting alternative payment methods such as checks and money orders will definitely increase bidders response.

- Buy listing upgrades: In some cases buying an upgrade is justified. The single factor that determines this is the value of your product. If you are selling a $10 item, and the upgrade is $20, then obviously this doesn't make sense. However, if your item is popular and relatively expensive, this might be a very effective way of having a great response to your auction.

- Show off your feedback: Copy and paste a selection of the feedback comments you