When you sell a product at auction on eBay, that is one just sale to the highest bidder. If a few hit your “Buy Now” button, that could increase your sales some, but it will  not make a steady income. The ebay marketplace is affected by the same influences that cause the ebb and flow of normal retail business in any city.

If you want to avoid riding that wave of uncertain income, you must have a  customer base of return customers looking for your products and ready to buy them. Your happy customer list will give you opportunities to market to them for years, or for as long as they stay on your list.

The Internet is full of stories about normal people making 6-figure incomes from eBay sales. Those successful marketers make it sound easy and often attribute it to learning a secret or accidently falling over a little-known technique that made all the difference. In reality, there wasn’t any secret or “Eureka” moment.

The had a responsive list and marketed their butts off to that list every chance they had. The “secret” they knew was that simple auction sales were NOT going to support them. They knew that big profits come from marketing to a list of previous customers who liked their products in the past and would be interested in future products.

A mailing list of customers who have deliberately filled out the opt-in form and requested to subscribe to your newsletter, blog or just to receive information from you, is the #1 hottest resource you can have in your business. With that list you can start a relationship with your customers that that builds trust and will make them feel like a part of your business, part of your virtual neighborhood.

If you are trying to start your first list, an effective way to do that is to sell your ebooks that have resale rights attached in separate auctions with an opportunity to get some free bonuses if they subscribe to your newsletter. Make your bonuses interesting and useful to your customers and they will subscribe, even if it’s only to download the bonuses.

When you have the subscription, send them the link to the download page. On that page, have links to your other business sites and opportunities to click on any affiliate products you are promoting.  Adding a surprise bonus to freely download off your page is also a good idea.

Since the number of your subscriptions and the size of your list depends on the number of buyers, you might want to pay close attention to the price of your ebooks. If you price too high, no one will buy it. If it’s priced too low, you will not make any money. Don’t forget about the eBay fees you will have to pay on each sale you make.

Before setting any price on your products, you have to make a decision about the purpose of your auctions. You can sell your products to either make the largest profit you can get or to build your list rapidly. Once you’ve figured out why you are selling your products in the first place, you can easily research your competition to find a good price point for your auctions.

If selling on eBay is your primary business, you should constantly check out your competition and analyze what they are doing. Watching other auctions for similar products as yours and taking note of what works and what does not is a valuable free marketing course.

List building on eBay is dependent on how you present your products and how you treat your customers both before they spend  money with you and definitely after. Be professional at all times. Answer questions immediately and treat your customers like gold. Your list will grow as a result.

 Until next time….

Alex Fyfe.

Probably the first question a lot of people ask is – what is a blog?  The word blog is actually short for the coined term “web log.”  It is mostly used as an online journal that lets others know about you and your views on things.  In the case of the eBay blog, it can also let everyone know about your auctions and eBay store on a regular basis.  A blog can be both personal and business.  It will help you connect with other sellers, potential customers and regular buyers. 

Getting more people to visit your auctions is the only way to boost your eBay sales.  That may sound obvious, but the question is precisely how is this done?  Don’t underestimate the drawing power of eBay blogging.  If you do, you’re going to miss a lot of potential visitors to your auctions or store.  You can get your very own free blog on eBay so long as you are an active member.  Once you do, you will find some amazing prospects for creating an endless flow of visitors for your business.  More visitors means more business and therefore more profit!

Using EBay’s own blogging platform will allow you to easily get started taking advantage of this valuable resource.  When you use a program that is backed up by a powerhouse like eBay, it is very easy to start communicating with a real global audience.  If you provide interesting content on your blog, visitors will keep coming back.  Returning visitors are potential customers for your eBay business.  Once you have actual customers who drop in on your blog, you then have a loyal following that will pay attention when you let them know about the latest sales and products in your store and auctions. 

As you gain a basic understanding of the blog structure, take the time to explore what you need to include in your blog to keep people interested in reading and coming back for more.  Once you get into it, you will soon find out what appeals to your visitors and what information they want.  Tell them a little about your eBay store and your auctions.  Let them know the kinds of products you have and the focus of your business.  As your visitors what other products in the same area they may be seeking and try to supply them.  You want your customers to be happy with the information you provide and to be eager to read every new post to your blog. 

You should concentrate your blog mostly in giving away lots of real information.  You want your readers to view you as an expert in your particular area.  Occasionally you can write a blog post that tells your customers about a new item you have for auction or in your eBay store.  But don’t blast your readers with sales pitches every time they visit. 

Visiting other blogs and leaving relevant comments is another way to direct people to your blog.  Keep exploring and you’ll find yourself addicted to blogging for the information sharing as well as your increased visitors.

 Kind Regards

Alex Fyfe

My trash is your treasure. And your trash is my treasure. Well it might be anyway. In the worldwide market that is eBay, there’s a buyer for almost any item. If it’s gathering dust, you might want to consider selling it; and go the right way about selling it, and you’ll make a tidy profit. Before you list your item, go through the checklist below to ensure you get the basics right. If you don’t focus on these basics, however hot your product is, you’ll be getting less cash than you can.
1. Compare your product

Search for items of the same type that you’re selling on eBay. Note the features, the condition, and the price-tags. You’re looking at your competition – and you need to compete! That doesn’t mean you have to undercut the prices you see – just make sure you’re selling at market-value. Get the price right, and you’ll shift products more quickly – meaning that you can sell more!
2.Know your product

And place it in the right category. Those categories are the routes that bring the right buyers to your product – they’re the signposts – and if you’ve ever got lost on the roads, you’ll know how important they are. eBay can help you find the right category, or you can search for similar items on eBay to see what category they’re in. If you place your camera in the Cars section, it’ll get ignored – they’re not the right customers for cameras – surprise, surprise. Place your camera in the camera section and… well, you get the idea.
 

3.Honesty is the Best Policy

Be honest about what the customer can expect from your item. Every sale should be seen as an opportunity to make more sales from that customer and their contacts. If you under-deliver, those future sales won’t happen, and your business will not reach its potential. Be clear on all terms and conditions, state accurate shipping charges, and always include your contact details – your email and phone number, or your postal address.
 

4. Display your Product in its best light

Your title needs to tell the customer what the product is, and it needs to return in a search for that type of item. If you’re selling spare parts for cars, what would somebody looking for your product search for? Don’t title your item “drive real smooth with this cool thing” – that may not be incorrect, but it’s not going to return in the searches, and it’s not going to tell the customer much about the item. Brainstorm keywords, and keep your title relevant to the search. And always post a photo of the item. People like to see what they’re buying – it makes the whole thing real in their mind, and gives a better idea of the condition of the item. Take photos from different angles so the customer can get a good look – just like they would if they were in a shop. You’ll sell faster and you’ll sell more.
5. Offer as much as you can

Make it easy for the customer. Not everyone has Paypal. And people may not have credit available on their credit card. More options means more potential customers… means more sales.

Underpin your marketing strategy with these basics, and skyrocket your profits!

Kind Regards

Alex fyfe

Probably the first question a lot of people ask is – what is a blog?  The word blog is actually short for the coined term “web log.”  It is mostly used as an online journal that lets others know about you and your views on things.  In the case of the eBay blog, it can also let everyone know about your auctions and eBay store on a regular basis.  A blog can be both personal and business.  It will help you connect with other sellers, potential customers and regular buyers. 

Getting more people to visit your auctions is the only way to boost your eBay sales.  That may sound obvious, but the question is precisely how is this done?  Don’t underestimate the drawing power of eBay blogging.  If you do, you’re going to miss a lot of potential visitors to your auctions or store.  You can get your very own free blog on eBay so long as you are an active member.  Once you do, you will find some amazing prospects for creating an endless flow of visitors for your business.  More visitors means more business and therefore more profit!

Using EBay’s own blogging platform will allow you to easily get started taking advantage of this valuable resource.  When you use a program that is backed up by a powerhouse like eBay, it is very easy to start communicating with a real global audience.  If you provide interesting content on your blog, visitors will keep coming back.  Returning visitors are potential customers for your eBay business.  Once you have actual customers who drop in on your blog, you then have a loyal following that will pay attention when you let them know about the latest sales and products in your store and auctions. 

As you gain a basic understanding of the blog structure, take the time to explore what you need to include in your blog to keep people interested in reading and coming back for more.  Once you get into it, you will soon find out what appeals to your visitors and what information they want.  Tell them a little about your eBay store and your auctions.  Let them know the kinds of products you have and the focus of your business.  As your visitors what other products in the same area they may be seeking and try to supply them.  You want your customers to be happy with the information you provide and to be eager to read every new post to your blog. 

You should concentrate your blog mostly in giving away lots of real information.  You want your readers to view you as an expert in your particular area.  Occasionally you can write a blog post that tells your customers about a new item you have for auction or in your eBay store.  But don’t blast your readers with sales pitches every time they visit. 

Visiting other blogs and leaving relevant comments is another way to direct people to your blog.  Keep exploring and you’ll find yourself addicted to blogging for the information sharing as well as your increased visitors.

Regards

Alex Fyfe