Sunday, January 9, 2011

Online Selling Tip #1 - Pricing and Research

(although most of my online selling is currently done via eBay, the gist of the tips I provide can be applied to all selling outlets. The mechanics may differ a bit but the goal is the same)

For many of us, starting a new year can sometimes kick-start us into starting new projects. I am one of those people. Yesterday I got back to my Ebay selling.

I tend to go at it hard for a month or so, then slack off for several months. The last time I listed items was in July.

When I do sell, I have pretty good luck. Part of it is the items I'm selling. part of it is just the experience over time of learning to "market" my listings (more detail on that in a later posting).

But, my first tip for selling on Ebay is to learn what sells and for what price range. Do your research!















What are your sellling goals? Do you want to earn a bit of pocket money selling some used clothing, jewelry and household gadgets? Or, do you dream of making big money selling in bulk? Or, maybe you want to sell antiques and collectibles? Do you know what's hot? Do you know the current price market for such items?


Spend some time reviewing the ACTUAL prices items have sold for. Not what you wish they would sell for or think they should sell for.

COMPLETED AUCTION INFORMATION SEARCH:
1. You must be an eBay member and be logged in to access the information
2. Do a regular search on the item in question (e.g. vintage perfume bottle)
3. On the search results page, click on the word "Advanced" to the right of the search bar.
4. About six lines down in the options section, click the "Completed Listings" box and click "Search" again.
5. This will bring up only completed listings and then you can sort them by however you need to see them (top right line above first item).

Spend some time reviewing completed listings for the type of items you want to sell. This will be very helpful for setting your expectations and for knowing at what price you should start your auctions.

More online selling tips soon!

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