AD | Affiliate Links
It is that time of year again! The season to declutter your home and your mind, ready for spring and summer ahead. However, what you do with your unwanted items and decluttered things might be in question. Some people like the idea of donating some items, but many want the opportunity to make a little money. Any disposable income you have can be saved or put to good use, and you will want to ensure that you get the best possible price.
One of the most common platforms to sell your items online will be eBay. It has been around for decades and has changed over the years regarding how it operates and how much money you can make. You can now take advantage of free listings, different duration times for auction listings, and you can even list things for a fixed price. But how do you make your eBay listings stand out? After all, it is a saturated platform that a lot of people use. It is possible to fire up your eBay listings, and here are some of the fresh tips that you could try.
Do plenty of research
You may just be interested in making the sale, and that’s it, but a little research into a few different things will only boost your chances and equally increase the amount of money you could make. Here are a few things to consider with each listing to help you do that.
What sort of listing would work?
One of the first things to consider would be which sort of eBay listing would work well. You can choose the traditional auction style of listing from 3 days upwards to 10. Or you could choose a fixed price listing. Within each of these, you can give the buyer an opportunity to offer a price, which, if you accept, will end the auction. There is no right or wrong answer. A fixed price could give you greater control over the sale price; however, an auction could give you the chance of an increased selling price.
Check out the sold/completed items
The next thing to research would be sold and completed listings. You can search out your item on eBay and then filter the results to show the sold and completed listings. This will then give you examples of listings sold in the past, when they sold and how much they went for. It can help you to set realistic starting prices or fixed figures. It will also indicate how much you can expect to fetch, so it avoids accepting a low offer.
Clear images and detailed descriptions
There is no avoiding the fact that eBay is a saturated platform, and you will likely face competition for the things you want to sell. So make sure you give your listing the best possible chance. When it comes to the images, make sure you take pictures with uncluttered backgrounds and in natural daylight. Take photos from different angles and do close-ups of labels, makings, or any damage there might be. The more pictures there are, the better chances you will have. You can list up to 12 images on a free listing and more if you pay a small fee.
Within the platform, eBay wants more specifics of details such as make, manufacture, sizes, colours, etc, and they don’t want these things just in the description. Within the listing, you get the chance to specify details, and they will be added to the listing above the description. Having as much information in that area will help your buyer see the information they likely want to know quicker.
When it comes to the descriptions, the more detail you put in there, the better your chances of making a sale. Add in sizes or measurements, information about colours, and even things like how long you have had it for, what it was used for, etc. The more information in terms of description and images a potential buyer has, the better protected you are as a seller when the listing is complete.
Promote your listings
Did you know that you can promote your eBay listings? For your listing duration, eBay will make sure your item is shown at the top of search results and boosts its chances of being seen. If your thing is one of many currently listed, this could be worthwhile. There is a small fee, which is a percentage of the sale’s total price, but it could be worth it for some larger items or high-value items.
What can you do as the seller?
As a seller, you want to make sure that you make a quick and profitable sale. But you do have some responsibility for your listing, and the way you react or respond could either work for or against you. As a seller, there are things you can do.
Respond quickly to messages
Sometimes a buyer wants information quickly or needs a question answered, so if you have received a message, do your best to respond. If it is a question that you are unsure of the answer to, then send a courtesy reply to say that you will find out the answer or you simply are not sure. The more honest you are, the better.
Dispatch your item within the time stated
It can be tricky with day-to-day life to remember to send your items when they sell, but eBay stipulates a dispatch time that a buyer can expect their delivery. This is based on what you would have put in the original eBay listing. You can place a dispatch time of up to three working days, giving you some breathing space between the item selling and sending out to ensure that you can deliver to meet expectations. If an item is going to be sent late, tell the buyer. You need to be transparent because they can leave feedback, which is still a vital element when it comes to being a seller on the platform.
Hopefully, these tips will help fire up your eBay listings in the future.
