Comments on: Just Starting Selling? Start Small! http://www.auctioninsights.info/just-starting-selling-start-small.html Unique Tips and Tools for eBay Auction Users Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:08:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Rich K. http://www.auctioninsights.info/just-starting-selling-start-small.html#comment-17992 Rich K. Sun, 01 Apr 2007 19:44:36 +0000 http://www.auctioninsights.info/just-starting-selling-start-small.html#comment-17992 One key to sales is the ever-important feedback. People can feel a bit nervous about a new seller. First of all, putting all of those items on auction being a new seller can be quite costly. You can open an eBay store at no cost for the first 30 days, and the listing fees are MUCH cheaper there. Another thing is to watch your asking price as well as your shipping costs - I noted one seller on a different forum asking others to check their unsold items and tell them what they were doing wrong, as all of their items ended without one bid. Well, first, the prices were too high. Their shipping rates would make a person think these were interplanetary costs. Not to mention that their wording on things such as their return policy was rather harsh. But as many others have noted, feedback seems to be an important key. You may want to consider offering some items that you can let go rather cheaply, just to get things moving along and to generate some feedback. Put out some things you can sell that will basically cover the shipping charges and eBay and PayPal fees - in other words, you're basically giving stuff away, but it's generating feedback - okay, it's BUYING feedback. Some folks in the past have done things such as sell gmail invites for a penny (before they opened up gmail to everyone without an invite). This generated some real fast feedback for them. It doesn't matter WHAT, exactly it was they sold - people see the little green (positive) circles, see comments like 'nice' and 'fast delivery', and most won't bother to look at the exact items sold. Another thing to keep in mind in that regard is to make some purchases yourself, which will also generate feedback - sure, that feedback will be from sellers, but it's better than sitting on a zero feedback score - at least it shows you have prior activity on eBay, which will make folks feel at least a bit more comfortable and not get the idea that you might be some 'fly by night' trying to score some quick cash and then disappearing. One key to sales is the ever-important feedback. People can feel a bit nervous about a new seller. First of all, putting all of those items on auction being a new seller can be quite costly. You can open an eBay store at no cost for the first 30 days, and the listing fees are MUCH cheaper there. Another thing is to watch your asking price as well as your shipping costs - I noted one seller on a different forum asking others to check their unsold items and tell them what they were doing wrong, as all of their items ended without one bid. Well, first, the prices were too high. Their shipping rates would make a person think these were interplanetary costs. Not to mention that their wording on things such as their return policy was rather harsh.
But as many others have noted, feedback seems to be an important key. You may want to consider offering some items that you can let go rather cheaply, just to get things moving along and to generate some feedback. Put out some things you can sell that will basically cover the shipping charges and eBay and PayPal fees - in other words, you’re basically giving stuff away, but it’s generating feedback - okay, it’s BUYING feedback. Some folks in the past have done things such as sell gmail invites for a penny (before they opened up gmail to everyone without an invite). This generated some real fast feedback for them. It doesn’t matter WHAT, exactly it was they sold - people see the little green (positive) circles, see comments like ‘nice’ and ‘fast delivery’, and most won’t bother to look at the exact items sold. Another thing to keep in mind in that regard is to make some purchases yourself, which will also generate feedback - sure, that feedback will be from sellers, but it’s better than sitting on a zero feedback score - at least it shows you have prior activity on eBay, which will make folks feel at least a bit more comfortable and not get the idea that you might be some ‘fly by night’ trying to score some quick cash and then disappearing.

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