Auction Selling Tips Tips that can help you boost your overall auction selling success!
Courtesy of BidBoosters.com Even the hottest-selling auction items can bring more money per sale if
you use these insider auction selling tips: 1. Take advantage of shipping discounts
Your shipping and handling charges can be an additional profit center if
you charge industry-standard rates but pay less than the going price. Use "Media Mail" rates when possible. If you are selling books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, or recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes), the U.S. Post Office's Media Mail rates are a good deal. Visit the USPS at: http://www.usps.com/send/waystosendmail/senditwithintheus/mediamail.htm for details. Speaking of the Post Office, did you know that you can buy stamps at a discount? There are many stamp brokers who sell 100% legal U.S. Postage stamps at a discount off of their face value. One of the most reputable is located at: http://www.hgitner.com/postage.html
Save money on packing material. Instead of buying styrofoam "peanuts", or other packing materials, buy a shredder instead. Then simply shred all of your junk mail, and any other paper that you would normally throw away, and use it instead. Total cost (after buying the shredder) is $0!
2. Use rip-snortin', butt-kickin' templates instead of boring "me too" listings.
Often times the difference between a hot auction and a mediocre one is
the quality of your auction ad layout. Even if you are an HTML guru,
you can benefit from using a service that either provides pre-made
auction templates, or lets you design your own using auction-proven
techniques. 3. Use Picture power to draw eyeballs
Digital cameras are cheap. Get a good quality one and take some
pictures of your product. Not only does it make your ad appear more
professional, but it can really drive emotional response when bidders
imagine themselves owning your product. 4. Give your buyers some Louisiana Lagniappe
Pronounced "lan-yap", it means a little something extra. Non-Cajuns
call it a "baker's dozen". You'll call it a winner when you start
building good will with your buyers by offering a little something extra
with their winning bid. For example: If you are selling watches, a rosewood gift box can be bought for as little as .25 cents in quantity. Selling a battery operated product? Be a big spender and include fresh brand-name batteries. Dollar Stores are a great source for good batteries cheap.
5. Think "inside" the box.
Include a hand-written thank-you note (if volume permits), or order
customized thank-you cards if you're a big shipper. Also include sell
sheets, special offers, or copies of your catalog with every order. Be
careful if you're using the Media Mail rates that I told you about in
Tip #1 though. There are some restrictions on in-box advertising with
that rate. Full details are on the USPS web site link that I gave you. 6. Forget how to spell when writing auction keywords.
Many people aren't very good spellers. You can troll for bad spellers
and bring them to your auctions by taking advantage of commonly
misspelled words. For example: Jewelry is often spelled Jewellery. The
word "Business" is frequently spelled "Busness". Are you selling"baseball bats" or "base ball bats"? 7. Sell the steak and not the sizzle in your auction titles.
Contrary to the ever-popular "sell the sizzle, not the steak" advice
from pro copywriters, there is no room for sizzle in your auction titles
where you are usually limited to 45 characters or so. People aren't
going to type "Must see to appreciate" or "Totally cool", or any other
hype words when looking for auctions to bid on. Use your available
characters to your best advantage by using carefully selected keywords
and product names. 8. Don't yell "Surprise" after the sale.
List your terms and conditions clearly and up front. If you don't
accept personal checks, say so. List your other payment methods,
shipping policies, return policies, and anything else that a buyer
should know before making a bid. Nothing will bring you a bad rating
quicker than surprising the buyer with bad news after the auction is
won. 9. Learn from your mistakes.
Track your winning and losing auctions. Make a spreadsheet that lists
item sold, winning bid, auction open and closing dates, and any other
details that you think are important. Refer to the spreadsheet often so
you can pick out winning and losing patterns. For example, if your
actions that close on Sunday afternoon usually do well, but start
falling off around football season, you can pick up on that and adjust
your closing dates accordingly. 10. Don't panic!
Most customers are sane and rational even if just for brief periods of
time. If something goes wrong with your auction, such as finding out
that your drop shipper is out of stock, or your credit card merchant
account has been suspended, or some other business or personal calamity
has struck -- contact your buyer right away. If you have a phone
number, call. Explain exactly what went wrong, in an open and honest
manner, and exactly what you are going to do to make it better. Then
hang up and do it! You'll earn more trust and loyalty points then you
would ever imagine you could.
Printed with permission of BidBoosters.com :: BidBoosters.com helps power sellers and auction newbies save money, increase sales, and boost online auction selling success with professional templates, free embedded item photos, and insightful auction selling information. ........end of article.........
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