15 Tips To Make Your eBay Business More Successful
1.Set your business up to accept as many forms of payment as you
can. PayPal, personal checks, cashiers checks, both domestic and
International money orders, International bank transfers, etc.
Every additional payment option you add will increase your
customer base.
2.Don't exclude buyers from foreign countries or with free email
accounts like Hotmail or AOL. Ultimately, you are only hurting
yourself. In some categories the best buyers are located in a
different country than you are.
3.Keep your ads simple. If you confuse buyers, they will either
by-pass your offerings, or leave you negative feedback because
they read something into your ad that you never meant to be
there.
4.Don't attempt to increase your profits by a few dollars by
charging excessive postage. Buyers are not stupid. They realize
what you are trying to do and most will avoid your auctions like
the plague.
5.Give your customers all the facts to bid intelligently. Don't
tell them you will figure out what the postage will be after the
auction ends. Tell them in your ad what class postage you use
and what the actual amount will be.
6.Don't discriminate against buyers who don't have a perfect
feedback record. As long as you have good business procedures in
place (such as waiting an appropriate period of time for checks
to clear), there is no need to look downward at buyers whose
reputation might have been damaged just because they got a bad
deal. It happens to everyone and someday it will happen to you.
7.Don't discriminate against buyers who have little or no
feedback. Remember, you were in the same position at one time.
Once you have been in business for a while you'll learn that a
buyer with little or no feedback is no more likely to screw you
than one with a shooting star.
8.Don't make customers jump through hoops in order to buy from
you. Just because you had a bad experience with one buyer, that
doesn't mean you should threaten everyone else in advance. Doing
so won't hurt your customers, but it will hurt your business.
9.If you are selling collectibles, antiques, or anything else
that warrants it, show lots and lots of good sized, clear and
crisp pictures. If you don't want to pay an online auction site
for use of their web space then use the free web space provided
by your Internet service provider. Buyers make critical buying
decisions based upon what they see and pictures are the cheapest
way possible to insure that you will have a happy buyer. The
more pictures you include, the more your business will thrive.
10.Offer a money back guarantee. Be prepared to take an
occasional loss on some items. You will encounter far more
serious buyers who won't bid unless you have a guarantee than
you will people who are intentionally trying to take advantage
of you.
11.Be prepared to take a loss to make a buyer happy. If a buyer
didn't receive his purchase, even if he chose not to purchase
insurance, be prepared to return his money. You will get more
repeat and honest buyers than you will cheaters.
12.Leave feedback in the correct sequence. When the buyer pays
you and his payment is good, leave them positive feedback
immediately. Don't become one of the angry sellers who practice
feedback blackmail.
13.If you must leave negative feedback for a buyer, make it
brief and to the point. Future buyers will read your comments
regarding the sale and they perceive you as honest and mature.
If you engage in name-calling, swearing, or derogatory remarks,
you will be seen as immature and this will scare off potential
bidders.
14.Always be friendly and answer any questions from potential
bidders quickly. Remember, you were new once also.
15.Have an About Me page and include a picture of yourself.
People will find it easier to trust you if they can see you and
know a little bit about you.