Written By: Emma Goganovski
In Part 1 of out fashionista’s guide to cashing in on eBay (you can catch up on Part 1 here), we discussed the topic of WHAT to sell, with some important tips to know for maximising your time invested. Now that you know what to weed out and donate to charity, here in Part 2 we’re looking at the all-important STRATEGY of listing. Giddy up, and get ready to see those bids flying!
1. WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Now it’s time for our chapter on deception where we slightly embellish the title of our listing through forms of brand trickery. It’s harmless really and if you look at it from an objective point of view, we are simply aiding the search of our buyers who may be looking for a particular item and just don’t know that they actually need ours instead. Lead with the brand name and follow with a description of the item making sure you highlight any hot points that buyers are searching for. Include colour and condition if you think it’s a selling point: BNWT (Brand new with tags), BNIB (Brand new in box), BNWOT (Brand new without tags) etc and here comes the trickery, include any related brands that may be top of mind right now and have released similar items:
STEVE MADDEN White Leather Footbed Slide Sandals BNIB Birkenstock Celine
Because when your buyer is searching for Celine slides and finds your listing for a fraction of the price, my bet is her bid is going to be on yours!
2. PHOTOS
Equally as important as the title, photos are the eyes to your listing’s soul. So for the love of GOD, refrain from posting bad quality, poorly styled images that are going to make buyers run screaming for the nearest shopping center. The best way to get around this is to source images of the item currently available online whether it be from the brand itself or via its other incarnations online ie/ department stores and fashion e-tailers. If you’re sticking with our tip on current trends then this shouldn’t be too tricky, but if, alas, there is no image to be found online then make sure your items are neatly pressed and well styled (you may consider investing in a dressmaker form), the photos are high quality and taken in good, natural light.
Finally, don’t be cheap and not pay the extra 35 cents to include a Gallery Image in your listing, because if you can’t afford a 35 cent Gallery Image then stop reading this article.
3. PRICE REALISTICALLY
Be realistic when pricing your item because I’m here to tell you that your perceived value of what you’re selling and a buyer’s perceived value of what they’re bidding on is completely different. Don’t attempt to recover the full price you originally paid because chances are if it’s still in-store I can buy it at my local Westfield (and get some instant gratification); OR it’s on sale somewhere else online, OR it’s just not worth that price any more. Accept that while you may be taking a loss on the price you paid, you are, in fact, adding funds back to your bank account to be reinvested in your wardrobe once again – the circle of life.
And don’t forget the classic pricing strategy of using $49.95 instead of $50.00 to dupe your buyers into a false sense of savings. Genius! Get’s me every time.
4. UPSELL!
Admit it, you’re a pretty savvy lady if you’ve taken the plunge and started a small ecommerce career on eBay. So why not take the opportunity to up sell all items you currently have listed by simply adding into the body of your listing:
‘CHECK OUT MY OTHER ITEMS!!!’
Capital letters and 3 exclamation marks are key here but in all seriousness if a buyer likes the jib of your game then the likelihood of them seeing what else is on offer is high, which bring me to my next point…
5. GROUP SELLING
There is no science behind this tip, but the times wherein multiple items are listed it would appear watchers and bidders grow exponentially. Oh wait…if tip 4 is anything to go by, maybe there is a little science behind it.
6. END AT THE RIGHT TIME
It seems simple, end your listing at a time when a) people are awake and b) people are on eBay, but consider that the time in which you create your listing will be the time in which it ends. Word on the street is that Sunday night around 7pm & 8pm is when most people are online and not (shock) watching 60 minutes. So if you are in fact watching 60 minutes on Sunday night and not listing items on eBay then the ‘schedule listing’ function should be your BFF. Use it to ensure your items end at a time when people are in the mood to buy, are online and are waiting until the last 5 seconds of a listing to get in there and out bid the pants off everyone else!
25 Comments
I kept meaning to have a spring clean, and hopefully make some money on ebay from it.
I have a lot of success with eBay and also with Gumtree Brisbane (fee free to sell)
Tip No 6 never even crossed my mind! Thanks for the tips.
Awesome tips! Thank you…now to pull out all those things I’m my wardrobe I don’t wear anymore and make some serious $$$$!
great tips miss Audrey 🙂 thanks
I’ve been listing items on ebay for a number of years & find the best method is the ebay app – gallery images are free & you get about 30 or 40 free listings a month (they still charge you a final value fee) & the app is really easy to use if your not familiar with selling on ebay…would definately reccommend!
Thanks for the tips @bubsarella! I agree that the app is very straightforward and worth using over the actual website 🙂
Some great tips.
Okay noted. Sunday around 7PM and 8PM 🙂
I’m a ebayaholic, so unfortunately not that helpful
Wow Paige! That’s crazy!! How do people know anyway if it’s the real deal??
Might try sell the Zimmerman I’ve never worn!
someone should just buy my clothes on ebay! ebay id: cryss_2401 > lots of designer clothes and heels at a fraction of the price 🙂 so I can move easier interstate!
stunning!
Be careful with adding a brand name that isn’t the brand of the item you’re selling, it’s against ebay policy and they will pull your listing, suspend your other listings, AND make you do an inane online training course before reinstating your rights if they catch you – take it from someone who’s been there!
Very useful x
Great tips – especially the one about the right time to end the auction!
sweet!
Good tips, thanks
Fantastic tips!!!
Great post, really informative!
I’m glad your use of “deception” isn’t really – it’s helpful more than deceptive.
Absolutely @BellaB – honesty is always the best policy.. I like to sleep at night!
Great tips
I love that picture of Miranda! She looks so gorgeous.