Three Ways to Lose an eBook Sale on eBay

Many of us spend a great deal of time and effort trying to find the best strategies to supercharge our eBook selling projects. We find out everything we can about optimal auction start times, listing strategies, pricing techniques and more. We do market research; bring serious copywriting techniques to bear within our auctions and constantly keep our ears open for some new suggestion, hint or wrinkle that will up our eBook sales.

Those qualities, so often exhibited by talented eBay eBook sellers can, however, come with a price. Our constant search for new information and our willingness to dig deep into the subject matter can encourage us to lose track of some very basic principles. The end result of this focus loss is often reduced sales. Even though anyone who is serious about making money with eBook sales should learn as much as they can about all facets of the business, they must also always retain a strong focus on some basics.

Communication is important. If one thinks back to some of their earliest auctions, they can probably remember the fun and excitement of communicating back and forth with prospective buyers who had questions or concerns. Quite often, it was that interaction that made eBay attractive to us and that helped us close sales we might have otherwise lost. As one grows their online business, they need to remember the value of personal and prompt communication. Many eBook sellers, whose attentions are drawn to a thousand other considerations lose track of this important sales key. Answer questions and concerns quickly and promptly. More sales will result.

Repetition can lead to mistakes that go unnoticed. Those who do a great deal of online business tend to rely a great deal on automation. This is the best way to increase efficiency, but it can occasionally lead to errors of oversight. These mistakes may pass by the seller, but are immediately noticed by the buyer. Things like price discrepancies within an auction, wrong titles and other inaccurate information plague eBay auctions and prevent sales from occurring. One should make sure to go through every auction carefully to make sure their semi-automatic techniques did not result in an unintended error.

Paralysis through analysis frequently destroys potential sellers. A seller can become so involved in tweaking systems, learning new things, and searching out perfect information that he or she fails to actually take action. One certainly does want to be well-informed and operating in an optimal fashion. However, too much consideration on the front-end can lead one not to undertake any real action. In order to make a sale, you have to start an auction. Planning and plotting can increase the level of success, but some real action must take place! One cannot allow themselves to become so overwhelmed with details that they never really get started.

As one attempts to grow their online eBook selling career with eBay, it is important to remember that as one advances they must still keep their thoughts squarely upon some of the basics. Things like communication, error-free listings and consistent efforts at selling are essential. The other improvements can make things more profitable, but they are useless if core elements of success are overlooked.

Copyright 2006 John Thornhill

John Thornhill is an eBay powerseller and trades on eBay under the username planetsms. If you really want to succeed on eBay with information products visit http://www.planetsms.co.uk/member_offer.htm