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eBay Startup 
Business Plan

Auction Sellers Management Tools

#1 "Hot Spotter"
to help you do
product research
on eBay. Find the
best selling items
to sell BEFORE
you buy them.
AuctionMole.com

Auction Digger?

• Percent of items sold 
• Average price of sale
• Average bids per item
• Average bids per SOLD item
• Number of sales per day
• Sales per day in dollars!

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If you are just starting out selling on eBay or wanting to learn to sell then there are some basic rules to follow that will  help you earn more off your items that you post on eBay.

1. Designing and posting your ad
Always do your best to give a good description and use pictures. Item Auction Ads with a photograph, yield 10% more profit, compared to a similar item without a picture. And a good description will require fewer questions for you to answer.  Also it is worth the extra .25 cents for the "Gallery" option because it will not only increase the final price but it will also bring more traffic to your other auction you have listed.

2. Best time to post your items on eBay
Remember that your post time and day are very important factors in the final price that your item will sell for. eBay is recreational for many people but business for some so certain items will sell for higher prices during the day.
If you post to late at night, then you won't get the last minute bids because most people will be in bed. Lots of kids "browse" eBay and then have their parents "pay" for the item. (If the time zones confuse you use the eBay Time Zone Conversion Chart.

Here are a few examples of the best time to sell on eBay :

Again, it depends on what you sell. eBay seems busiest on Sunday nights, but there are numerous reasons why ending auctions at that time may not be a good idea. For instance, if many of your competitors are ending auctions at the same time, the bids may be split between those competitors and the final values might be lower. Also, keep in mind that holidays are generally a bad time to end auctions.

Also, consider your audience. Some items sell very well during the daytime since the bidders for those items are surfing from work or when the kids are at school. Other items sell better with evening closing times for similar reasons. Experimentation is strongly recommended. And don't forget that you'll need to retest your assumptions periodically since buying habits change with time as well.

3. Feedback rating
Trusted sellers will get higher prices. (Work hard to keep your FEEDBACK perfect)
A seller's track record is almost always checked and if no info is available, other information sources are considered. If no information about the seller at all is found, most won't bid.

4. Type of payments to accept
Most buyers prefer paying by credit card using PayPal or by personal or business check. As a seller you really don't have to worry about a check "bouncing" because you can clear it at your bank before you send the item. Few buyer will risk getting negative feedback by sending a bad check. Money orders and cashiers check are commonly accepted also but there is more money order payment fraud then any other type of payment fraud. (If you are going to sign up to PayPal please sign up under me so I will get the $5 credit :-) )

5. Shipping information
Make sure to give shipping details and don't over charge. Many people don't like "Buyer Pays Actual Shipping Fees" if they don't know what they are. Whenever possible set a rate and give a few different shipping methods. A lot of buyers will give negative feedback when they get the package and see the actual shipping cost. Its OK to make a little off your "shipping and Handling" but don't go overboard.

6. Number of days to run your auctions.  3, 5, 7 or 10?
Generally, auctions that last longer attract more bidders and end up attracting higher sale prices. Many Auctions benefit higher profits from the recreational bidders, those bidders that are using auctions as a form of entertainment. If you are selling items that are getting a large numbers of bidders it is safe to post your items for less days but if you have a unique item you need more people to look at it so 7 or 10 days would work best. They also now have 1 day auctions available but that is only recommended for extremely popular high demand items.

7. Do you research
I have found that spending a little time researching my items really gives me an advantage over other sellers. The two different research companies I use are Andale Research and AuctionMole. Both of them together only cost me around $6 per month but the amount of time I save by knowing the best day and time to post my ads is well worth it. AuctionMole will even help you compare the different wording in my ads to see which one will sell the best and they have a tool that will tell you the best selling items on eBay RIGHT NOW! 
 

8. The Most Important Part
Treat your new "customers to be" like they are your friend. I have noticed a lot of seller that are really rude in the way they write their ads. Keep your information more "positive and cheery" instead of "negative and bossy". It is important that you give the buyer as many reasons as possible to buy from you because you will get lots of repeat customers and more nice feedback!

The best thing to do when you are just getting started is to run an eBay garage sale. Find things around your home that you no longer need. This will not only help you to learn what it takes to sell something, it will also help you build feedback and a cash flow that will allow you to buy merchandise to resell again. This also gives you the opportunity to fine tune your listing templates and establish a solid method to stay on top of your auction sales and customers.
 

• Automation is the most important step.
  Why? Because if you can handle more tasks easier, then you can sell more products which produces more money in your pocket!
  If the auction software you choose costs you $50 a year and saves you 5 hours a week, that is ONLY .14 cents a day!  I personally use Shooting Star ( www.foodogsoftware.com ) because I really like the "Work Flow System" that it provides.  See: Auction Sellers Management Tools for other options.

It is very good idea to read what you can and can not sell on eBay.

1. An infringement violation: The listing is for an item which potentially infringes on third party's intellectual property rights, such as copyright or trademark.

2. Prohibited items: The listing is for an item which eBay does not allow to be listed on our web site. This means that the item for listing may violate a particular law or eBay has deemed it inappropriate for listing.

3. A listing violation: the listing fails to meet the appropriate format or guidelines for listing on eBay. To view these guidelines, please visit: