Making an eBay Sale a Success

Discussion in 'General Marketing' started by dilute, Dec 2, 2006.

  1. #1
    I'm planning on selling a lot of my possessions in one large auction. I think this will raise the price and same with starting at 0.01 no reserve. Has anyone tried something like this and is willing to share advice?

    Thanks
     
    dilute, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  2. Seiya

    Seiya Peon

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    #2
    Are the items related? if not id sell them one by one...
     
    Seiya, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  3. dilute

    dilute Peon

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    #3
    Yes they're mostly related apart from some bonus items I'll add
     
    dilute, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  4. ThraXed

    ThraXed Peon

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    #4
    Yeha it helps to sell items together, because people tend to put more cash into it the more items that are there
     
    ThraXed, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  5. dilute

    dilute Peon

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    #5
    What about promotion, buy it now, things to write, etc?
     
    dilute, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  6. kevinn

    kevinn Active Member

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    #6
    You dont need any promoting. Just list the most expensive things in your lot in the title and people will automatically find it. People on ebay are scavengers, don't worry, they'll find what you're selling.

    I wouldn't suggest a buy it now because it could limit the bidding and final selling price. If people know you have a buy it now of $1000 they tend not to bid as high. Same thing goes with a reserve, if there is a reserve people wont bid as high as if there were no reserve.

    You might want to consider purchasing the bold, highlight or border option but dont buy all 3, all you need is one of them.

    Also, Make sure you start the listing on a weekday evening. This way the auction will end on a weekday evening and thats when all the bids will come in. I'm not sure where you live but I live in NYC and I start all my auctions around 10-11PM when most people are home in the east coast and the west coast.

    This is what I would do, what you do is entirely up to you.

    And make sure you take EXCELLENT PICTURES!!! That is the #1 key to a successful auction when items are used or in large lots. People like to see everything. So take lots of pictures.

    I'm a powerseller with 6+ years of experience :)
     
    kevinn, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  7. pjk

    pjk Well-Known Member

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    #7
    Depending on the values of each item, it may be better to list separately. I often find myself searching for auctions with a bulk amount of items because that is a good place to find "hidden" deals. If you want to max. out your earnings, I'd list the lower value stuff in 1 lot, and other more expensive stuff separately. Take good pics, make the auction look professional, make sure there are no typos, etc. Make the shipping reasonable.

    This is coming from a 6 year eBay dealer as well.
     
    pjk, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  8. dilute

    dilute Peon

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    #8
    Thanks for the advice. Don't you think setting a buy it now that's greater than the true value will encourage people to bid towards it?

    I really don't think separating the items will work because of postage and I want them all to go :p

    I imagine most people title search only so I'm tempted to include as many items as will fit, however that will also make it look like an eBook or website address for sale or other junk.
     
    dilute, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  9. drig

    drig Peon

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    #9
    Like said, my ebay success was with QUALITY pictures. Do not just upload stock photos of the product, even if its a dvd or video game. Also, provide a clear and through description of all products. Depending on the value, I usually add bold and those addons. ALWAYS do gallery picture, even if the auction is for an item that is worth $10.
     
    drig, Dec 2, 2006 IP
  10. Halobitt

    Halobitt Well-Known Member

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    #10
    I tried a non-ebay (physical) auction of my artwork a couple of years back and started the bid
    at 1 penny. I sold 70 paintings in one night and made no profit. I thought that by starting it so low
    many people would be really interested, come to see it, and a bidding war would ensue, raising
    the endprice to somewhere near to what people believed they were worth. Boy, was I wrong!
    (Apparently my work isn't worth the linen/canvas/paper it's painted on :D).

    People are unfortunately people and bid as low as they could, to get a bargain.
    I was gutted for a day or two, having lost 5 years of work due to overconfidence and trusting a reporter
    to market my work (never trust a reporter :p ).

    What I learned from that experience was that you need a lot of people seeing your work. Maybe we can
    help here on DP and get eyeballs to your auction. You might like this thread here.
    Are any item unusual? I could stick em in the auctions blog in my sig.
     
    Halobitt, Dec 2, 2006 IP