As a successful powerseller on eBay I often get turned to for advice. Since I registered on eBay in 2000, I've ran thousands of profitable auctions which I follow these guidelines. Most importantly always try to be fair with other users who deal with you and never be intimidated by any competition. eBays big enough for us all, and currently there is 1 seller registered to 78 buyers.

1) Low starting Price

Before you list your auction, ask yourself what's the lowest amount you'd be prepared to accept for your item. A low starting price will attract more bids and at a quicker pace - usually within the first day of the listings. Research shows that a .99c starting price will get you bidders within a few hours. Many vehicles and high value items are sold with a low starting price especially by established powersellers - because unless it's an extremely poor week the item will normally end up with hundreds of bids & at a cost that's acceptable to the seller.

Additionally users are more likely to view auctions which already have a successful bid as it generates interest in your item. It's like if you see a market stall with hundreds of people standing around it - your curiosity would tell you to stop & see what's generating all the interest. Use human curiosity to your advantage.

2) No Reserve

Many sellers still place reserve prices on their item. A reserve price is one which unless it is met by your sellers you are not obliged to sell the item. An example would be if you have an reserve of $10, and your item sells for $9.00 you do not have to complete the sale & release the item. Reserve items, although very occasionally may be necessary in the case of extremely high value items or businesses for sale are off putting to bidders. Why would you bid on an item with a reserve price on, unless you already knew were aware of what the reserve was. Personally I'd look for alternative items without a reserve price.


eBay has already removed the Reserve Price option from some of it's site in a move that is largely welcome by the majority of users. It could be a sign that this policy change will be extended to all of it's sites.

3) Images

An Image is worth a thousand words. Take photos of your item to clearly show the condition of it, and any damage or unusual aspects of it. eBay allows you to include one photo free of charge & if you use your own image hosting service you can easily include as many photos as necessary to show your item in a detailed manner. Many powersellers use up to 20 photos for one single item. Ask yourself how many are necessary for your item. & also consider using the gallery option so the image will appear within the search listings.

4) Cross-Promotion

You've worked hard to get users to view your listing, so while their viewing it also include a link to any other items you've available. This is allowed in addition to the already provided link to "View other sellers items". You can use commercial services (such as Anadale) to include images & descriptions of your other items.

5) About Me Page

Sell yourself on your About Me Page. This is your chance to establish some credibility for yourself. The biggest reason people will not buy from you online is because you have failed to establish any credibility for yourself. So include details about you & your business. Where are you suituated?, how long have you been registered on eBay?, What do you specialise in? If your a high volume seller you may also want to include a photo of yourself. Have a look at other About Me pages to see what works and what doesn't.

6) Return Policy

Nothing gives buyers greater confidence than knowing that they can return the product if it's not for them. So consider drafting yourself a returns policy.

Will you accept returns? What if the item arrives faulty? How long is the policy valid for?

It may seem like a big risk to offer such a policy knowing that you'll have to incur a cost relisting & reshipping items but only a very small amount of users will return the items.

7) Feedback

Leave feedback for the winning bidder as soon as the item is paid for. Some sellers like to protect themselves by only returning feedback when it is left for you. I consider this unprofessional and your bidders will most likely think the same too. Don't be scared of getting a negative or neutral comment on your feedback record. The majority of users will consider all of you feedback before bidding, not just looking at one or two comments.

Additionally if you deserve any feedback left for you such as if you were late shipping, accept it was you fault. Don't be too worried about admitting it with an apology in response to your feedback. You may also want to compensate your winning bidder with reduced postage or a bonus item to show it was a genuine error on your part.

If you know the there is going to be a delay in completing any transaction, email the bidder and inform them. Apologize with a comment such as "This is a rare incident that's completely out of my control. I hope by looking at my feedback record you will see this is an completely isolated incident". Always try to keep on good terms with all your buyers.

8) Instant attention

Give immediate attention to your bidders & prospective bidders. Don't leave a delay of days before responding to any emails or phone calls. And following a successful transaction you may want to email your bidder to tell them when the items been shipped and when it will be expected to arrive.

I know many sellers, some of them powersellers who takes days to respond to a simple email. If you don't have time to respond immediately consider delegating the responsibility to someone else who can respond on your behalf. Never give any bidder reason to doubt whether your a genuine seller or not.

9) eBay Store

Opening an eBay Store is a necessary step for anyone medium sized seller. Not only do you benefit from cheaper & longer listings within your shop, but you can also cross-promote your products easily, send out newsletters and establish a trusted brand for your listings easier. Also you'll gain more coverage (& hopefully bids) for your listings by appearing in the eBay store directory.

10) Shipping

Don't be tempted to over price your shipping costs and try to make a small profit on this. Firstly you can be found out to easily, & it's one of the most unforgiving things for a seller to do. More importantly over pricing your shipping costs is against eBay policy.

If your offering digital goods such as an eBook or special report, you may consider a small handling fee to cover your time and administration costs. If you do make sure it's fair and clearly highlighted within the item listing. The last thing a bidder wants to do is find out there are unexpected costs associated with a purchase they've made.
 

Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Seller of 4 years. His website "The Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 per month on eBay. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with little or no business experience how they too can make huge profits selling products at online auctions.

Visit his website for more free information