The longer you work eBay, the more you'll learn. Here are few hints we've picked up along the way.
Time your best auctions carefully.
You never know when people will bid on your items, BUT, if you can have your best auctions end on Sunday evening, between 8PM and 9PM, Eastern time, you may get a little more for them. (Actually, anytime on the weekends is better than auctions that end during the week.)
Many people allow eBay to bid for them (proxy bid), up to a certain amount. If they really want the item, and they're watching the auction, they may put in a last-minute impulse bid, if it looks like they're going to lose out on the item. If the auction ends in the middle of the night, or on a weekday morning, they may not be available, so the item will go for less.
Rate your items, each week, listing your best items on Sunday afternoon and evening, to take advantage of the weekend bidding frenzy. (For added exposure on unique items, start your auction on Thursday and let it go for 10 days - costs an extra dime, but you'll get 2 weekends out of it with an ending time on Sunday.)
We've found that the second best time to list is any other evening, between 8:30PM and 9:55PM, Eastern time. This gets you into a small window, where it isn't too early for working people on the West Coast, or too late for working people on the East Coast. Ending just before 10PM, keeps the auction from interfering with a 10 o'clock bedtime or TV show.
These time constraints are only for special items. List your general merchandise whenever it's convenient and don't worry about it. (Craft and baby items make good midweek daytime listings for stay-at-home moms.)
Sell a similar item.
This is a great time-saver. The first item you list takes longer, because you have to go through every step of the listing process. Getting to your category takes several clicks. If you use boilerplate text, you must copy and paste. If you already have an auction going for a similar item, it's much faster to go to your existing auction and click on "Sell A Similar Item." Pop in the new title, description, price, and picture, and you're finished.
Use great pictures and descriptions.
You can't give them too much. When you have an item that has great potential for making money, spend a little extra time on pictures and descriptions. Don't be afraid to revise a listing to add more. When you get questions about an item, revise the listing to add the answers. Be sure to mention that a bidder asked for this info. This can generate more interest in your item.
Hint: When someone goes through the eBay form to ask a question, you now have the option to have the question and answer added to the end of your listing, automatically. If the question is something more than one person might ask, take advantage of this time-saver.
A word on digital cameras: Get one with a good macro feature. Pictures with close-ups of product details will help set your auctions above the competition.
Continued in eBay Advanced Selling Hints (Part II of III).
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