The Holidays are Coming - Is Your E-bay Business Ready?

It is the most wonderful time of year again! The holiday season is quickly approaching. The question is - "Is your E-bay business ready?" You may be organized on a personal level but you must also be organized on a professional level as well. Those of you with an active E-bay business know that keeping pace with the many faces of operating a business from your home can be daunting. Along with the holidays come more visitors and in turn more sales for your business. Well, "What is wrong with that?" you might ask. The answer is nothing. But this is your time to shine! Great service to your customers turns into great feedback and as you all know that is a must for any e-bay seller. Lost packages, wrong shipments or late gift arrivals are just some of the errors that can occur when you are disorganized and innundated with a larger than normal amount of orders. So, the key to keeping your customers happy and you in control is organization. It is not too late to evaulate your business before the influx of holiday shoppers shift into full gear. Here are some simple but effective ways to get ready. 1.Know Your Merchandise - Now is not the time to head into a full reorginization of your inventory. But, you should evaluate what you have and prioritize what you would like to list over the holiday season. You may have been saving some of your "special items" for the holiday season. Well, now is the time to pull them out and get them ready. If you items require descriptions make sure no further research is needed in order to list them properly. Launder or clean as many items as possible and make repairs if needed. 2.Take Pictures - If your items require pictures take as many as possible ahead of time. If you take pictures at home take advantage of days with good lighting. You can always finish descriptions or other duties on days when the natural light is less than optimal. 3. Keep the Record Straight - Probably the most difficult part of e-bay is keeping track of your items as they travel through their e-bay journey. An easy way to separate the tasks are to divide them into the steps of sale from beginning to end. Start with items to be sorted or repaired, items with pictures and descriptions, items listed, items sold, items paid, items packaged, items shipped. Keep an index card or file on each item. Have these categories in a file box or folder and as each items "travels" throught the e-bay process move the item's card to it's respective place in the journey. 4.Shipping Center - Make sure you have enough tape, labels, bags, boxes or whatever special materials you need to ship your items. This may sounds simple but having to run out for more tape or another box in the middle of the holiday rush is not only annoying but is also nonproductive. 5. Know Your Mailing Options - Since you are the seller it is your responsibility to get the package there in the time promised. Explore your shipping options. As you get closer to Christmas you may have to use more buy it now options or offer faster shipping options to your customers in order to get a gift to it's destination on time. That may affect your pricing and profits if you don't have the right up to date information. Also, if you ship out of your native country familiarize yourself with any restrictions your product may encounter at customs in another country to prevent any delays in delivery. These are some practical tips and ideas to help you get your e-bay business ready for the holiday season. Having your own e-bay business can be especially difficult due to the amount and diverse number of tasks involved in a single sale. Most e-bay sellers do everthing from pictures to shipping. But it can be done successfully if you stay focused. So, get organized and look forward to a profitable, successful holiday season on e-bay. Copyright 2005 by Kathleen Elias - Editors are welcome to use this article for content as long as the article and author biography are reprinted in their entirety and an active weblink remains intact.