Ebay PowerSeller

1. Improving your product presentation

On eBay buyers cannot see or touch the items which are for sale. It is therefore vital to create a comprehensive listing showing all aspects of a product and providing all the information, such as P&P, required to make a purchase. The more reassured a browser is, the more likely they are to make a purchase.

We have all seen listings of products where the description is short and the picture out of focus. The product could be great but there is no way of knowing it.

A good listing should include the following information

Multiple, high quality pictures of each item. Needless to say these should be in focus and should show each items from several angles. Any damage should be recorded.
Comprehensive description. Full description of the item including all features, dimensions and any damage.
Postage costs. These should cover international postage if possible.
Return policy.
Payments accepted.
Presentation is everything in sales and so a well designed HTML template for your product will make you look like a professional, trustworthy seller.

2. Present yourself as a reputable seller

In the online as in the offline world people are attracted to brands that they can trust. If you can build a brand around your eBay business you increase the chance of return traffic, repeat business and referrals.
Choose a sensible username. Take care over choosing your username. Customers are more likely to remember Floorheatingltd than tigger.

Develop a brand and logo. If you are going to be considered as a professional seller on eBay it is important to have a b corporate identity. This brand should be implemented throughout the eBay platform.

Build a website. Most businesses have a website and your business should be no exception. A website will reassure buyers that they are dealing with an established business and it is worth spending the money necessary to get a professional website built.

3. Open an eBay shop.

An eBay shop is a seller’s footprint on eBay. Each shop has its own URL and displays all the items which that user has for sale. The shop can also be customised to your branding and can be used to increase sales in the following ways:

List your entire inventory. Items can be listed for a fraction of the price of auction listings giving your business a way of vastly expanding the number of items available for sale.
Up selling to customers. Place selected items in the auction listings and use these to drive traffic to your store where they can make additional purchases.
Typically eBay shop owners sell up to 25% more items.

4. Use listing software

Using listing and auction management software can speed up the process of listing items and managing auctions. Ebay provides free tools such as turbo lister and seller manager. However, as your business grows it will be necessary to use more sophisticated tools such as Marketworks or Channeladvisor.

5. Removing barriers to sales

In general the more information on items and the more delivery and payment options you give buyers, the more likely they are to make a purchase.

Sell internationally. Selling internationally can be a bit of a headache but items listed internationally, on average, sell for 16% more.

Accept multiple payment methods. Offering a number of payment options reassures buyers. It is also becoming increasingly important to offer PayPal as a payment option. Although expensive (2-3.4% of transaction value) it is extremely convenient and over 90% of eBay listings offer it as a method of payment.

6. Use enhanced listing features.

If you believe eBay the listing enhancement options have a noticeable effect on selling price:

First photo (Free!) – increases chances of selling by 15%
Gallery – Typically sell for 12% more
Subtitle Typically sell for 10% more